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Assemblies
of Yahweh Ministries Newsletter Issue
No. 15
India
Nov.
2004 2004 Tabernacles Report
The feast of
Tabernacles was joyfully celebrated in many places across Andhra Pradesh,
it is not possible to give a complete report on everyone but we will
mention a few. In Hyderabad
the feast was kept with Pas. Y. Sunith Premanand, Vishakhapatnam with G.
Raja Prasad and family, Malikipuram with bro. Issac E. Kusuma and bro.
Mattithyah, in Palakol and Eluru eight day festivals were also observed.
In Malikipuram brethren
from Karimnagar, Khammam, Kurnool, E.G. and W.G. Dt. attended.
There were about 35-40 present each day, meals and sleeping
arraignments were made at the AOTLE prayer hall.
The Passover/feast
of Unleavened Bread will be observed next year from Apr. 24 May 1.
This is starting the year with the first crescent moon after the
vernal equinox. Some people
will keep the festival one month earlier.
Historical records from the days of Ezra and Nehemiah show that the
sacred year was not started before the vernal equinox.
See Newsletter #4 for more info. on the timing of the festivals.
This newsletter can be view on the internet at:
www.sevendayweek.com or
you can write for more info. if you do not have internet access.
In the Assemblies of Yahweh Ministries we realize that some people
will have a different timing for the festivals and that is ok, as there is
no exclusion made against anyone on this issue.
We are all seeking to come into harmony with Yahweh and it will
just take some time for us to see all things alike.
We should humbly study the Scriptures and work out our own
salvation with fear and trembling, Phil. 2:12. Feast of Purim The feast of Purim
was a festival that the Jews celebrated as a time of deliverance from
seeming extermination. The
book of Esther tells the story. The
Jews decided to celebrate the 14th and 15th days of Adar each year in
honor of their deliverance. That
will be sometime in the later half of February this year.
This is not a commanded festival of Yahweh but it is a good time to
remember that Yahweh is a Deliverer to His people.
In Revelation 13 it describes how that there will be a death decree
upon Yahweh's people again in the future and like the Jews in the days of
Esther we will have to trust in the deliverance of Yahweh for us also. Feast of
Dedication The Feast of
Dedication is mentioned in John 10:22,23.
The Feast of Dedication is Jewish festival that was instituted
about 160BC; it commemorates the cleansing of Jerusalem of the pagan
Syrian occupation and the rededication of the temple of YHWH.
The feast was to start on the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month
and last for eight days. This
would be Dec. 9-16 in this years modern Gregorian calendar.
This is story can be read about in the Apocryphal book of 1
Maccabees. This is not a
commanded feast of YHWH. Name of Yahweh in
the New Testament There are several
Sacred Name versions of the Bible translated into English.
I made a quick check of how many times the Name of Yahweh was used
in the N.T. and found that there is a very wide difference from Bible to
Bible. Below is a summary,
this could be off a little, but it is a general idea. The
Scriptures 152
The Holy Name Bible - 1158 The
Amended KJV 208
The Restoration Scriptures, True Name Edition 1255 The
Hebrew Roots Version Scriptures
211
The Restoration Bible 1435 The
Word of Yahweh 435
The Book of Yahweh 1885 The
Sacred Scriptures 1110 Even between the
Bibles that are somewhat close above there will be a big difference
between one book of the Bible to another.
For example The Amended KJV has the Name of Yahweh 18 times
in Romans and 24 times Corinthians; the
Hebrew Roots Scriptures has the Name of YHWH 8 times in Romans and 30
times in Corinthians; the
Scriptures has the Name of YHWH 22 times in Romans and 16 times in
Corinthians. Each translation has
its own reasons for where they have decided to put the Name Yahweh, but
the Name of Yahweh is not in any Greek or Aramaic New Testament books
except Revelation. In the
shortened form of "HalleluYah" the Name is used four times in
Rev. 19. There are only two
books of the New Testament existent in Hebrew today that has any
legitimacy of maybe being a copy of something ancient and that is Matthew
and Hebrews. It is recorded by
various early church Fathers that these two books were originally in
Hebrew. Jerome
(382AD), The Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers,
p. 362 "Matthew,
also called Levi, Apostle and aforetimes publican, composed a gospel of
Christ at first published in
Judea in Hebrew for the sake of those of the circumcision who believed,
but this was afterwards translated in to Greek though by what author is
uncertain. The Hebrew itself
has been preserved until the present day in the library at Caesarea which
Pamphilus so diligently gathered. I
have also had the opportunity of having the volume described to me by the
Nazarenes of Beroea, a city of Syria, who use it.
In this it is to be noted that wherever the Evangelist, whether on
his own account or on the person of our Lord the Savior, quotes the
testimony of the Old Testament he does not follow the authority of the
translators of the Septuagint, but the Hebrew.
Wherefore these two forms exist, "Out of Egypt have I called
my son,' and 'for he shall be called a Nazarene.'" (quoted
by William Steuart McBirnie, in his book 'The Search for the twelve
Apostles') Clement of Alexandria (150 - 212 C.E.) In
the work called Hypotyposes, to sum up the matter briefly he [Clement of
Alexandria] has given us abridged accounts of all the canonical
Scriptures,... the Epistle to the Hebrews he asserts was written by Paul,
to the Hebrews, in the Hebrew tongue; but that it was carefully translated
by Luke, and published among the Greeks. (Clement
of Alexandria; Hypotyposes; referred to by Eusebius in Eccl.
Hist. 6:14:2) The Greek
manuscripts will use the term Kurios to refer to both the Father and any
lord or master. The Aramaic
will use the Word Mar or Marya in the same way.
For example in Eph. 6:9 and Col. 4:1 the word Marya is used to
refer to human lords, whereas in others places the word Marya is used to
refer to Yahweh. In the
DuTillet Hebrew book of Matthew the Name of YHWH is used 16 times, in the
Hebrew book of Hebrews of Sebastian Munster it is used 19 times.
These are the only two books of the NT that actually contain the
Name of YHWH. If any other
books of the NT were originally in Hebrew, YHWH did not see to it to have
them preserved to our present day. In
the present Telugu Sacred Name translation going forward in Eluru, W.G. Dt.,
the Name of YHWH is being used only were actual manuscript evidence
has it in the Hebrew. Maybe it was YHWH's
will that His literal full Name only be in these two books of the NT.
Character
Development the goal of the Law Why did Yahweh give
so many Laws for man to obey? For
what reason did He ask us to keep the Shabbat or the annual festivals?
Why did he ask us to make tassels on our garments or to refrain
from worshipping idols? All of
Yahweh's laws were to develope in mankind the character of Himself. "For I am
Yahweh your Elohim: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall
be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner
of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." Lev.
11:44 Yahweh described His
Own Character to Mosheh at Mt. Sinai, "And
Yahweh passed by before him, and proclaimed, Yahweh, Yahweh Elohim,
merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin,
and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the
fathers upon the children, and upon the childrens children, unto the
third and to the fourth generation."
Ex. 34:6,7 We see the quality
of mercy and forgiveness expresses many times in the above verse but, also
the justice of retribution on willful disobedience.
In order to more fully reveal His character to man Yahweh sent His
Son into the world to show man how to live the Law in human flesh. "And
the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the
glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and
truth."
John 1:14 "For even
hereunto were ye called: because Messiah also suffered for us, leaving us
an example, that ye should follow His steps: Who did no sin, neither was
guile found in His mouth:" 1
Pet. 2:21 compare Isa. 53:9 So we see that one
of the works of Yahshua in this world was to give mankind a perfect
example to follow. And the
main point mentioned is there was no guile or "deceit" found in
His mouth. "For in many
things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect
man, and able also to bridle the whole body." Yacob 3:2 "A good man
out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good;
and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that
which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh."
Lk. 6:45 In order to bring
forth good words we must first lay up good treasure in our heart and mind,
we do that by taking heed to Yahweh's laws and attending to the hearing of
His truths; then our mouth
will be able to give the good words that are treasured in our heart. "Let your
speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye
ought to answer every man". Col.
4:6 "A word
fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver." Prov.
25:11 On
Oct. 17, 2004 the AOYM Annual Committee meeting was held in Vizakhapatnam,
A.P. The various activities of
the body were discussed. The
Telugu Bible Project is progressing in Eluru and in a month or so all
books of the Bible will be translated and typeset in the computer, if all
goes well. There is still a
big job to do of proofreading. If
any would like to review some of the completed books of the Bible and
offer any suggestions and help please contact the address or telephone
numbers below. The
ministries of the body are supported by the Tithe of Tithes fund; we
encourage all to continue to support the fund that the work may continue.
Many pastors and widows are helped each month.
Tithes and offering can be sent to the address below. Contact
Information for Assemblies of Yahweh Ministries: G.
Raja Prasad
bro. Mattithyah 08812-248030
(telefax) 9-9-43
Mangapuram Colony
Yahweh@vsnl.com Vishakhapatnam,
A.P. 530017 >>>
www.sevendayweek.com 0891-2575569
or 9246614656 |
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EMAIL : Yahweh@vsnl.com