Alleged Names of God

 

Many have presented long lists that are often claimed to be “names”, “titles”, etc., of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The result is that the one Holy Name is often lost amongst the alleged "names" often attributed to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Many of these are indeed titles or descriptors of God, but many of the “names” are not names of God at all. Many of the alleged names are actually names given to places or objects, rather than to God.

Strictly speaking, the Bible never speaks of any other “Holy (or Sacred) Name” of God except the name often rendered as “Jehovah” or “Yahweh” (EHJEH, JAH, etc.).  This is the only personal “name” that is actually ever given to God in the Bible. 




We are hoping to examine many of the “names” being presented as being “names” of God as we are able.

ABBA (Father, Daddy, Papa)


ABHIR (Meaning, Strong, Powerful, Mighty)

Abhir - The Mighty One of Jacob


ADONAI -- this word, as such, does not appear in the pre-Masoretic Biblcal manuscripts. There is no separate written word for ADONAI in the original Hebrew. In original Hebrew it is אדני. As best as we can determine, ADONAI was formed later and applied to אדני when it was believed that it referred to God Almighty. Thus, the Masoretes evidently added vowel points in every place they deemed tאדני to be speaking of God Almighty. Otherwise, the Masoretes rendered אדני in a form that is frequently transliterated as ADONI. We highly doubt that ADONI actually represents the original pronunciation, but we will not go into this at present.

We have found no place, however, that אדני is ever presented in the Bible as being a name of God. It is presented as a title. The word literally means “my lord”. The Masoretes added a vowel point in places they considered אדני to be referring to Jehovah, making the word in a plural form. It is evidently meant to be a plural intensive, which, as applied to Jehovah, would take on the highest intensive, thus making it mean something like “my Supreme Lord”.


ADVOCATE

While the word Advocate often appears in lists as being a name of God, contrary to what many like to imagine, the word Advocate in the Bible is never used of Jehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

One of the scriptures given relative to this is 1 John 2:1, which reads: "My little children, I write these things to you so that you may not sin. If anyone sins, we have a Counselor with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous."  (World English) The assumption appears to be that Jesus is the Supreme Being, and thus, since it is assumed that Jesus is the Supreme Being, then one of the alleged "names" of the Supreme Being is "Advocate." Of course, in reality, Jesus spoke of his God and Father as being the only true God, the only true Supreme Being, and by stating that the only true God had sent him, Jesus denied being the Supreme Being. (John 17:1,3) Thus, "Advocate" is not a "name" of the only true God.

Another scripture sometimes given is John 14:26, where the Spirit of truth is referred to as "Counselor", "Comforter", or "Advocate" (depending on which translation is used). Evidently, it is thought that God's Holy Spirit is a person of God, and wholly and fully God, and thus "God: is being referred to as "Advocate". Of course, trinitarians and some others believe that Jesus is Jehovah, and thus that Jehovah, the Son of Jehovah, is our advocate before Jehovah, the Father of Jehovah, the Son of Jehovah, his Father. The scriptures, however, reveal no such concept.

The Bible, however, never presents Jesus as being the God and Father of Abraham, the "one God" from whom are all (1 Corinthians 8:6), who spoke through the prophets of old. (Hebrews 1:1,2) Nor is God's Holy Spirit ever presented as being a person of God, or as being "wholly and fully God" -- "Supreme Being", as many often claim.

Nevertheless, "Advocate" is often listed as being a "name" of God. The word "advocate" is not actually a name, at least not in the sense that we speak of "Jesus", "Joshua", "Elijah", etc., as being names. The word "advocate" is a "name" in a more general sense, as we might say that the word "apple" designates the name of a certain fruit. This word, as applied to Jesus and God's Holy Spirit, could better be termed a "title" rather than a "name".

However, the Bible reveals only one name as being God's "Holy Name". This Holy Name is often presented in English as "Jehovah" (based on Masoretic Hebrew) or "Yahweh" (based on a Greek rendering of the Holy Name). 

The word "advocate" is often confused with the word "mediator"; although they do not actually mean exactly the same thing. The word mediator signifies one who seeks to reconcile two parties who are not in harmony with each other. Before one becomes a child of God, one is estranged from God, and thus in need of the mediator by which to be reconciled to God. Consequently, to become a child of God, one who receives Christ and has faith in Jesus' sacrifice for our sins becomes reconciled to God, and also becomes a new creation, separated from the old creation that remains under God's wrath. (John 3:36; Romans 5:10,12-19; 8:1,17-22; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 Timothy 2:5,6) The new creature in Christ, being a child of God, is without sin, and thus no longer needs a mediator.  In 1 John 4:1, John is not speaking to the world estranged from God, but rather he is speaking to sons of God, those who have already been united with God and who are thus no longer 'dead through their trespasses', but who have been 'made alive with Christ'. -- Ephesians 6:5.

An advocate is one who stands before a judge to speak in another’s defense. In this sense, Jesus functions as the counselor—indeed, the lawyer—who represents the sons of God. Because the new creature must still struggle against the sinful flesh, he requires an advocate, someone who can appear before the one true God on his behalf. Yet this representation is always grounded in the once‑for‑all application of Jesus’ blood, offered in sacrifice for all humanity (Hebrews 9:24–26; 1 John 2:2). Thus, when sin arises from the sinful flesh, Jesus does not present a new sacrifice; rather, as the advocate of the new creature, he appears before God so that such sin does not place the new creature in a state of enmity with Him.

The world has no advocate with the Father. Only those who, in this present age, believe in Jesus possess him as their advocate before Jehovah, who is Jesus’ God and Father. -- Micah 5:4; Ephesians 1:3.

The consecrated Christian is figuratively represented in heaven by the One who redeemed the whole world. After completing his sacrificial work at Calvary, being raised on the third day, and spending forty days with his disciples to establish and prepare them for their mission, our Lord ascended on high. There he appeared in the presence of God on our behalf, “to be our advocate” (Hebrews 9:24).

The illustration is a distinctive one. An advocate—an attorney—appears to answer for his client, not for others. Thus, although our Lord paid the ransom price for the sins of the whole world, and although 1 John 2:2 declares that he is the propitiation, the satisfaction, for the sins of the whole world, he nevertheless did not appear on behalf of the world during the Gospel Age. The world has not engaged him as its advocate. Only believers have entered into this relationship, and therefore he appears only for them. Only for these has the redemption through Christ been applied; only these have been brought into covenant fellowship with the Father.

In the next age, the same Jesus—based on the same sin offering completed at Calvary—will take up the cause of the world. Yet he will not do so as an advocate, nor by appearing before the Father to have them justified through faith. Instead, he will serve as a mediator, a go‑between, standing between God and mankind. (1 Timothy 2:5,6) God maintains His own justice. Humanity at large remains in a rebellious condition—inclined toward sin and blind to its true welfare. The Mediator, during the last day judgment,  undertakes a work on their behalf: to bring about reconciliation between God and these estranged subjects, to recover them by opening the eyes of their understanding, and to instruct them through valuable experiences concerning the blessings of righteousness and the misery of sin. In this way he seeks to restore as many as possible to fellowship with the Father and to renew them mentally, morally, and physically into the original likeness of God.

By the close of the Millennial Age, the Mediator will be prepared to present the perfected members of the human race to the Father—blameless and irreproachable. All who reject his ministry of reconciliation will have been cut off in the Second Death. From that point forward, sorrow, pain, sighing, crying, and dying will cease, for the former things will have passed away. The Mediator will have completed his great work: the destruction of sin and the establishment of everlasting righteousness.

How precious is the thought that, although the world is mentally, morally, and physically poisoned by sin and blind to its own true welfare, the time will come when their eyes of understanding will be opened, and they will receive every assistance needed for full recovery. And how the Lord’s words echo in our hearts: “Blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear” (Matthew 13:16).

We may indeed thank God that the light of the knowledge of His goodness has already shone into our hearts, so that we need not wait for the Mediator’s future work of reconciliation. Instead, we may turn to the Lord now—immediately—when we hear of His grace in Christ. How gracious is His provision for our adoption into His family, for our begetting by the Spirit to a new nature, and for our becoming heirs of God and joint‑heirs with His Son in that glorious Kingdom destined to bless the world.

How blessed also is the special privilege before us today: that although, in our imperfection, we must acknowledge that we trespass against divine grace and fail to meet the terms of our covenant fully, God has nevertheless provided an advocate—Jesus Christ the Righteous. His righteousness is imputed to us; by his stripes we are healed. Our blemishes are covered, not counted against us, but counted to him who died for us at Calvary. Let us rejoice in this loving favor, and let us strive with increasing zeal to keep ourselves unspotted from the world. Let us maintain close accounts with the Lord, keeping our consciences tender, so that even slight violations of the law of love will impress upon us their inconsistency with our covenant and send us again to the cleansing blood—the blood that makes us whole and keeps us whole.

Nevertheless, Jehovah is not the 'Advocate' of anyone before Himself. Only the Son of Him who spoke through the prophets of the old (Hebrews 1:1,2) serves as the Advocate before Jehovah.


ALPHA AND OMEGA (Beginning and End)


ANCIENT OF DAYS


CHRIST (Anointed, Anointed One)


EL (Mighty, Strong, power, god)


EL CHAY

From Lists (Below is from various lists that we hope to present studies on as God permits.

Abba

LORD Master

Adonai

The Beginning and End

Alpha and Omega

The Ancient of Days

Attiyq Youm

The Anointed One

Christos

Living God

El Chay

The God Who Gave You Birth

El Chuwl

The God of Knowledge

El Deah

The God Most High

El Elyon

The Mighty God

El Gibhor

The Everlasting God

El Olam

The God Who Sees

El Roi

God Almighty

El Shaddai

The Creator

Elohim

God With Us

Immanuel

The Self-Existent One

Jehovah (Yahweh)

The LORD Creator

Jehovah-Bore

The LORD Our Provider

Jehovah-Jireh

The LORD Who Sanctifies

Jehovah-M'Kaddesh

The LORD Our Banner

Jehovah-Nissi

The LORD Our Healer

Jehovah-Rapha

The LORD Our Shepherd

Jehovah-Rohi

The LORD of Hosts

Jehovah-Sabbaoth

The LORD is Peace

Jehovah-Shalom

The LORD is There

Jehovah-Shammah

The LORD Our Righteousness

Jehovah-Tsidkenu

The LORD Our Rock

Jehovah-Tsuri

The LORD Saves

Jesus

The Word

Logos

Our Dwelling Place

Ma'on

The Anointed One

Messiah


ELOHIM 


JEHOVAH (He is, He will be, etc.)



EL

ELOHIM









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