The previous three chapters were in depth descriptions of the major doctrinal differences between ourselves and the GC, as well as between original Adventist beliefs, as it were.
Now that these have all been covered, this last section is being written to explain the minor differences, the mixed things that are none the less important, but not one of the major things that needs to be taught up front. There are very few, in fact only 2 come to mind as needing be mentioned, so here we go.
The first is the restoration of the names of the Father and the Son. We find that when a person accepts the Victory, they come to a closer relationship with God than they had before, and thus begin to call them by their actual names, as it becomes natural to do. You may have noticed my using these names in this document so far, and if I have confused you I am sorry, but all will be explained now. :)
Yah, Yahweh, El, Elohim, Yahshua. These are the different names for both the Father and the Son.
Yahweh is the pronunciation of "YHWH," and the literal translation of the name given to Moses on Sinai, "I Am that I Am." It is also sometimes pronounced "Yahveh" or "Jahweh" or "Jahveh," which is where "Jehovah" comes from. In Hebrew, there is no J sound, and "J" is an incorrect pronunciation, despite Y and J commonly being thought of as interchangeable, as W and V actually are.
Yahweh is the full name of the Father, whereas Yah simply means "I Am." It is a name taken by both the Father and the Son, as Christ stated to the Pharisees, "Before Abraham was, I Am." Thus, Yah is somewhat like the modern term "God" in that it can apply to either the Father or the Son while still being completely accurate.
You may have noticed my using the name "Yahshua" here and there so far to describe Christ. This is because "Jesus" is a poor Greek translation of his actual name. This is not hard to imagine, seeing as most of the New Testament is written in Greek save for a few books such as Hebrews.
Jesus is a questionable Greek translation of the actual name Christ had while on earth, that being Yahshua. His name means, literally, "Yah Saves," or "Yah is Salvation."
Elohim is the plural term for God as stated in the Trinity section. It is the term used to describe God moving over the waters in Genesis, and it is the plural term for both the Father and the Son together.
El is the singular term of Elohim, it can be used to denote either the Father or the Son, though it usually refers to the Father when used.
Another interesting word is Adonai, which is what the term "Lord" is translated from often. It means essentially the same thing, it is a title or term of respect such as "sir" is today.
That covers the names section, it is not a "requirement" to call them by their names or any such thing; however, as stated, we do find that when a person accepts the Victory and comes into a fuller understanding of and relationship with both the Father and the Son, it comes naturally for most to begin calling them by their actual names.
The other area that we differ is the feasts. We believe the feasts are to be kept, as there is no evidence otherwise, in fact there is even evidence in Isaiah to state that some are to be kept even in heaven. It is true that the feasts which pointed forward to Christ and other events were shadows and were done away with (such as the Day of Atonement), however that would, most obviously, only apply to days that were pointing forth to Christ. Feasts such as New Moons, the Feast of Tabernacles, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, did not point forward to Christ's first advent, and as such there is no reason for these not to be kept as they were given by Yah for our enjoyment.
The verse mentioned in Isaiah is this :
Isaiah 66: 22. For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain. 23. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord.
This verse is used in many General Conference studies to prove the Sabbath is not done away with, as it will be kept in the kingdom. And this is in fact very true, I agree completely and also find this a very useful verse on proving that point myself. However the part about "new moons" is most often skipped over, in fact some studies even read "And it shall come to pass, that [...] from one sabbath to another, all flesh..."
As with the names, this is not something that "has to be done." However if you have come to Christ, why wouldnt you want to? As with the names again, it is something that a person who has come to know God closer will have joy in doing; celebrating the feast days he has given to us to come to an even closer knowledge of him and our fellow believers as well. As with the law, it is a joy to keep his feasts and do the things that please him, because we know it is for our benefit, and a result of his love for us.
These two are, as stated, the only ones that come to mind as needing to be mentioned. I pray this work has been enlightening, informative, and educational. If any other matter should come to mind, please write or continue browsing the site for more information.
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