“And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4: 12)

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Today’s Bible Feature

Exodus Chapter 37—Note: I am now using the New American Standard Bible. Keep in mind that when “the LORD” appears with all the letters in LORD capitalized, the Name Yahweh belongs there. Also, when you see “the Lord GOD” with all the letters in GOD capitalized, Yahweh belongs there as well. I have placed Yahweh’s Name where it belongs. See His Name is Yahweh for details.

Now Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood; its length was two and a half cubits, and its width one and a half cubits, and its height one and a half cubits;
and he overlaid it with pure gold inside and out, and made a gold molding for it all around.
He cast four rings of gold for it on its four feet; even two rings on one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it.
He made poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.
He put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to carry it.
He made a mercy seat of pure gold, two and a half cubits long and one and a half cubits wide.
He made two cherubim of gold; he made them of hammered work at the two ends of the mercy seat;
one cherub at the one end and one cherub at the other end; he made the cherubim of one piece with the mercy seat at the two ends.
The cherubim had their wings spread upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings, with their faces toward each other; the faces of the cherubim were toward the mercy seat.
Then he made the table of acacia wood, two cubits long and a cubit wide and one and a half cubits high.
He overlaid it with pure gold, and made a gold molding for it all around.
He made a rim for it of a handbreadth all around, and made a gold molding for its rim all around.
He cast four gold rings for it and put the rings on the four corners that were on its four feet.
Close by the rim were the rings, the holders for the poles to carry the table.
He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold, to carry the table.
He made the utensils which were on the table, its dishes and its pans and its bowls and its jars, with which to pour out drink offerings, of pure gold.
Then he made the lampstand of pure gold. He made the lampstand of hammered work, its base and its shaft; its cups, its bulbs and its flowers were of one piece with it.
There were six branches going out of its sides; three branches of the lampstand from the one side of it and three branches of the lampstand from the other side of it;
three cups shaped like almond blossoms, a bulb and a flower in one branch, and three cups shaped like almond blossoms, a bulb and a flower in the other branch—so for the six branches going out of the lampstand.
In the lampstand there were four cups shaped like almond blossoms, its bulbs and its flowers;
and a bulb was under the first pair of branches coming out of it, and a bulb under the second pair of branches comingout of it, and a bulb under the third pair of branches coming out of it, for the six branches coming out of the lampstand.
Their bulbs and their branches were of one piece with it; the whole of it was a single hammered work of pure gold.
He made its seven lamps with its snuffers and its trays of pure gold.
He made it and all its utensils from a talent of pure gold.
Then he made the altar of incense of acacia wood: a cubit long and a cubit wide, square, and two cubits high; its horns wereof one piece with it.
He overlaid it with pure gold, its top and its sides all around, and its horns; and he made a gold molding for it all around.
He made two golden rings for it under its molding, on its two sides—on opposite sides—as holders for poles with which to carry it.
He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.
And he made the holy anointing oil and the pure, fragrant incense of spices, the work of a perfumer.

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SnyderTalk® Commentary

The Apostles’ Message to the World: We Have Salvation in the Name “Yahweh”

After His resurrection, Jesus told His disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they received the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Acts chapter 2 talks about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2: 1-12) and the salvation of about 3000 people in Jerusalem in one day. (Acts 2: 41)

When Yahweh’s Spirit descended on Peter and his companions, God gave them the gift of tongues. This extraordinary incident attracted the attention of a group of devout Jews and proselytes from many nations who lived in Jerusalem. (Acts 2: 5) Peter and his companions were known to be Galileans (Acts 2: 7), but everyone in the crowd heard his native language. (Acts 2: 8) Some of the on-lookers believed Peter and his friends were intoxicated (Acts 2: 13), but Peter assured them that they were not drunk. (Acts 2: 15) In Acts 2: 16, Peter told them that they were witnessing the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy recorded in Joel 2: 28-32.

Acts 2: 15-21 sets the stage for everything discussed in Acts chapters 3, 4, 5 and 9, and this short passage of Scripture lays out the foundation for the message the apostles preached to the world. In Acts 2: 21, Peter concludes by quoting Joel 2: 32—“And it will come about that whoever calls on the Name of Yahweh will be delivered.” (Joel 2: 32, Joel 3: 5 in the Tanach)

According to the NAS, NIV, KJV, and The New Jerusalem Bible, Peter used the word “saved” in Acts 2: 21 instead of the word “delivered.” The Greek word translated as “saved” in Acts 2: 21 is “sozo” (sode’-zo), and it means “to save, deliver, or protect.” The Hebrew word translated as “delivered” in Joel is “malat” (maw-lat’), and it means “to release, rescue, or deliver.” Thus, “sozo” and “malat” are synonymous.

Additionally, Joel said that deliverance (or salvation) is granted to people who call on “the Name of Yahweh.” However, Acts 2: 21 in the NAS, NIV, KJV, and The New Jerusalem Bible tells us that Peter used the phrase “the LORD” or “the Lord” instead of the Name “Yahweh.” Since Peter was explaining salvation and he was quoting the Scripture, it is illogical to believe that he misquoted Joel on this essential subject at this critical moment. He did say the Name “Yahweh”; the people who heard his message understood that Peter was referring to Jesus as Yahweh; and 3000 of them believed what he said and were saved. It is ludicrous to think that the Holy Spirit would have permitted Peter to veer from Yahweh’s explicit message one iota at this critical moment.

Even so, we know for a fact that the apostles used the phrase “the Name of Jesus” in lieu of the Name “Yahweh” many times to avoid being killed prematurely. For example, Paul was referring to the Name “Yahweh” when he said, “God…bestowed on Him (Jesus) the Name which is above every name, so that at the Name of Jesus every knee shall bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus the Messiah is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2: 9-11)

Paul is actually paraphrasing Yahweh speaking to Isaiah: “And there is no other God besides Me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none except Me. Turn to Me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. I have sworn by Myself, the Word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness and will not turn back, that to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance, they will say of Me, ‘Only in Yahweh are righteousness and strength.’ Men will come to Him and all who were angry with Him shall be put to shame.” (Isaiah 45: 21-24)

Acts chapters 3 and 4 provide another example of the apostles substituting the phrase “the Name of Jesus” for the Name “Yahweh.” In this instance, Peter and John were walking to the Temple to pray, and a crippled beggar asked them for money. (Acts 3: 1-3) Peter told the beggar that he had no money and then said, “…I will give you what I have: in the Name of Jesus the Messiah the Nazarene, walk!” (Acts 3: 6)

The crippled man was 40 years old at the time (Acts 4: 22), and he earned a living by begging from people who were on their way to the Temple. People who went to the Temple regularly knew him, and they knew he was lame. When Peter told the beggar to walk in “the Name of Jesus,” he stood up immediately and walked. The onlookers were amazed, and they rushed over to take a closer look. Then Peter said, “…it is the Name of Jesus which, through faith in Him, has brought back the strength of this man whom you see here and who is well known to you. It is faith in Him that has restored this man to health, as you can see.” (Acts 3: 16)

While Peter and John were talking, the Temple guards arrested them and took them to jail. The next day Caiaphas and other religious leaders interrogated them, and someone asked this question: “By what power, and by whose Name have you men done this?” (Acts 4: 7)

Peter was filled with the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 4: 8), and he said, “Rulers and elders of the people, if we are on trial today for a benefit done to a sick man, as to how this man has been made well, let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that by the Name of Jesus the Messiah the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by this Name this man stands here before you in good health. He is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders, but which became the very corner stone. And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4: 8-12)

Although the Bible does not tell us who asked the question that prompted Peter’s reply, it is reasonable to assume it was Caiaphas. He had used a similar question to elicit the answer from Jesus that resulted in His crucifixion, and he probably thought he could eliminate Peter and John the same way. However, the Holy Spirit led Peter to use the phrase “the Name of Jesus” instead of the Name “Yahweh” in his answer, thus denying Caiaphas the opportunity to murder two more innocent people.

We know Peter meant the crippled beggar had been healed in Yahweh’s Name because of his conclusion: “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4: 12)

The only Name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved is Yahweh, and we know this because that is exactly what Yahweh told Isaiah: “I, even I, am Yahweh, and there is no Savior besides Me.” (Isaiah 43: 11)

Acts chapter 5 talks about a similar incident. Peter and the other apostles were performing miracles and healing large numbers of people, and Caiaphas became jealous and had them arrested. (Acts 5: 17-18) In their hearing before the Sanhedrin, Caiaphas said, “We gave you a strong warning not to preach in this Name, and what have you done? You have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and seem determined to fix the guilt for this Man’s death on us.” (Acts 5: 28)

This is Peter’s reply: “Obedience to God comes before obedience to men; it was the God of our ancestors who raised up Jesus, whom you executed by hanging Him on a tree. By His own right hand God has now raised Him up to be leader and Saviour, to give repentance and forgiveness of sins through Him to Israel. We are witnesses to this, we and the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.” (Acts 5: 30-32)

Since Yahweh is our only Savior and because He alone can forgive sins, Peter was telling Caiaphas that Jesus is Yahweh. It is clear that Caiaphas understood Peter perfectly because he wanted to execute him on the spot (Acts 5: 33), and he would have if he could have done it legally. But according to the Mishnah, Peter had not committed blasphemy since he did not say “Yahweh”. That would have been a capital offense according to Jewish religious law. Instead, Peter had told them that Jesus is Yahweh without saying the Name “Yahweh.”

The hearing before the Sanhedrin came to an end when Gamaliel (Acts 5: 34), Paul’s mentor, prudently suggested releasing them. He reasoned that if God were with the apostles no human being could stop them. If, on the other hand, Yahweh were not with them, they would fail miserably. Caiaphas accepted Gamaliel’s advice, had the disciples flogged, and sent them away. (Acts 5: 34-40) The apostles left that day badly beaten physically, but the Bible tells us that they were “glad to have had the honour of suffering humiliation for the sake of the Name.” (Acts 5: 41)

Acts chapter 9 tells about Saul, whose name Jesus changed to Paul, hunting down and bringing to trial anyone calling on “the Name of Jesus.” While he was traveling to Damascus to arrest the Jewish believers in that town, Saul had a personal encounter with Jesus. A “light from heaven flashed” (Acts 9: 3) that temporarily blinded Saul and Jesus spoke to him: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?….I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, but get up and enter the city (Damascus), and it will be told you what you must do.” (Acts 9: 4-6)

At about the same time, Jesus told a man in Damascus named Ananias to go to a particular place where he would find Saul and to lay his hands on Saul so he could regain his sight. Ananias said, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to Your saints at Jerusalem; and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your Name.” (Acts 9: 13-14)

Jesus’ response is revealing: “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My Name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for My Name’s sake.” (Acts 9: 15-16)

Paul went on to become the greatest evangelist of all time, and he spent the rest of his life proclaiming “the Name of Jesus” which is “Yahweh.” In Romans 10: 13, Paul presents the essence of his message to the church: “Whoever will call on the Name of the LORD (Yahweh) will be saved.” (Romans 10: 13, Acts 2: 21, Joel 2: 32—Joel 3: 5 in the Tanach)

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News Items of Interest

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His Name is Yahweh

There is a wealth of material available for free download on www.hisnameisyahweh.org including the book His Name is Yahweh. His Name is Yahweh is also available at Amazon on Kindle for just $5. If you haven’t read His Name is Yahweh, you should. The importance of Yahweh’s Name is becoming more apparent with each passing day.

HNIY bookcover in JPEG Kindle edition

Available on Amazon Kindle and it can be downloaded at www.hisnameisyahweh.org

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 8th, 2009 at 6:48 AM and is filed under Old Posts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

“And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4: 12)

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