The Name
To honor our Heavenly Father, and to allow His people to decide for themselves how to handle this sensitive issue, Bible Scrolls International has decided to use the Hebrew version of our Father's Name יהוה on the Tetra Scroll throughout the text. (as of 1-1-2017)
The Four Hebrew Letters יהוה will appear whenever we are referring to the Father. (Ex 3:15)
The Hebrew Name Yeshua, along with the Hebrew letters יהושע, is used for the Messiah, the one who came to die for our sins that we might have ever lasting life by believing in Him. Yeshua is the Hebrew name for the Son of the Most High, the Word, the Prince of Peace.
Note: English did not become a language until 800 or 900 years after the Messiah's life, death, burial, and resurrection, which means that the English name, Jesus, was not the name our Messiah used while He was on Earth. His parents named Him Yehoshua - the longer version of Yeshua - which means Yah is Salvation. The shortened form, Yeshua, means - Salvation. (Names have meaning in Hebrew.)
Blessed is He who comes in the Name of יהוה!
Ame and Amen!
The name Tetra Scroll (tetra means four) was chosen to honor the Grand Creator whose name in Hebrew is represented by the four Hebrew letters יהוה. In English, they are rendered either YHWH or YHVH. Together, these four letters are commonly referred to as the Tetragrammaton and is featured at the top of the scroll.
For nearly 4000 years, the NAME יהוה was pronounced, revered by the children of Israel, and feared by the nations of the earth. Then, about 220 years before Messiah's birth -- out of respect for the Divine Name -- it became the custom of the Jewish people to stop pronouncing the four Hebrew letters יהוה, the Name of the Heavenly Father.
It is important to note that the ancient Jewish scribes didn't remove the Name יהוה from Scripture, but when the Scriptures were read aloud, the Name יהוה was vocally replaced with titles like Adonai, which translates to Master in English, or Ha Shem, which means The Name.
During the time of the Protestant Reformation when Bibles began to be translated into languages like English, German, Spanish, and French, many Bible translators -- in keeping with the Jewish practice of not pronouncing the Divine Name -- removed it from their translations and replaced it with titles like Lord and Master. Unfortunately, in the centuries to follow, this caused countless of millions to live out their entire lives without ever knowing that our Heavenly Father has a special and specific personal Name.
Over time, the exact pronunciation of the Divine Name was lost to the common people.
Today, thanks to the internet, and the faithfulness of the ancient Jewish scribes who preserved the Divine Name in the sacred Scriptures, many are learning that our Heavenly Father does indeed have a Name, but we are still unclear as to the exact pronunciation of the four Hebrew letters יהוה.
This leads to the question: if we are unsure of the exact pronunciation of the Father's Name, should we continue to replace it with titles like master, Adonai, and Lord, or should we use one of the pronunciations that modern scholars believe to be correct? The answer is not a simple one, and we as servants of יהוה have differing opinions.
The Scriptures have much to say about the importance of the Divine Name, as does the Father Himself. We encourage the use of good electronic Bible programs that allow you to "search" everywhere the word "name" is used and read for yourself what the Father says regarding His Name יהוה.
Here we must be cautious, as this, like many topics, can become a cause for division among the brothers if not handled with love, patience, grace, and mercy.
Yeshua said, "You will know that you are my disciples if you have LOVE among yourselves. He did not say, "if you all AGREE on every topic."
May all who put faith in our Heavenly Father bless one another, and, whatever we individually decide regarding this matter, may we always be careful to treat our Heavenly Father's Name as sacred and holy -- as He Himself is Sacred and Holy -- and prove ourselves disciples of Yeshua Messiah by the love we have amongst ourselves.
Amen!