A "Bible Revelations" Presentation  - Created 1998,  updated  Aug. 12, 2006

Dear Reader,

This Course claims to bring to the student revealing knowledge in the Scriptures.

Has this been your experience thusfar?  Or are you one of those who cannot agree with our views for some or other sound reason of your own, to which of course you are entitled?

Has it ever occurred to you that students, if the subject is not that of Religion, will almost unconditionally accept the ideas of authoritative writers?  At most, you may find a limited number of differentiations.   Make the subject Religion, and you immediately find 1000’s of vastly varying theologies!

Why?

Many are the answers to this question.  The Bible is clear and emphatic on one specific point: That there is  “ONE Lord,  ONE Faith, ONE Baptism" (Ephesians 4:5).

Is it not therefore logic, that Satan will do his utmost to draw souls away from this ONE FAITH - the TRUTH?  By this we do not wish to imply that this Course, and this Course only,  has the Truth.  That would be presumptuous, especially in the face of so many other widely differing theologies, each claiming to have the Truth.  The onus is squarely on you, to find out, with the help of the Almighty.

Other main reasons for the many variations in religion, are that people do NOT like to be corrected or proven wrong, especially on traditional, cultural or habitual matters.  They prefer to cling to the traditional which they know and feel safe and comfortable with, when faced with possibly being proven wrong.

To summarise then,  the main reasons are:
 1. Satan's influence
 2. Self-righteousness
 3. Tradition, culture and habit.

It may be well for us, at this stage,  to honestly test ourselves,  whether we stand immune from these influences.

There is yet another important factor - perhaps the most difficult to overcome,
for it requires sincere introspection and evaluation of one’s spiritual motives -
and that is the attitude of: “Does it really matter?” - to God or to my salvation?

We often hear, for instance: “Why know the Name of God?”  The Scriptures, however, confirm that TRUE KNOWLEDGE IS VITAL!   Isaiah 8:20 "To the Law and to the Testimony ... if they speak not accordingly, it is because there is no light in them."

The Revelation which this study course endeavours to unveil for students, is contained in a Key Scripture in John 17:3  “And this is Life Eternal, that they might KNOW Thee, the only True God.”

Study also:  1 Cor. 2:6-10; Col. 1:10;  2 Tim. 2:15;  1 Tim. 6:3;  Matthew 22:29;  Luke 11:28;  1 Cor. 15:1,2;  2 Tim. 4:1-5;  Eph. 6:14; to see how important sound Truth and correct belief really is.  You may also request our tract:  “Does it matter?”

In this Lesson we shall see that the Almighty had very specific reasons for
revealing His Name - reasons concerned with SALVATION - that is, the claiming or securing of citizenship in the future Kingdom which the Creator will be setting up at the End of this current Dispensation.  This is Divinely promised to be a Kingdom where Peace, Love and Joy will reign,  and where death will be no more!   No more wars, no crime, no evil!

Blessings on your studies in pursuing this salient Achievement!

BIBLE REVELATION COURSE

Lesson 3 - Advanced Course

IDENTIFICATION OF YHVH IN THE OLD TESTAMENT (Continued)

A.  YHVH REVEALED AS THE FATHER - Refer Lesson 1
B.  YHVH REVEALED AS THE CREATOR - in this Lesson.
     (Scripture study - Isaiah ch. 44 & 45).

1.  YHVH - THE  ‘ONLY’  CREATOR

“I am YHVH that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the Heavens alone;
that spreadeth the earth by Myself”. Isaiah 44:24.

“... Is there a God beside Me?  Yea, there is no God, I know not any.”  Isaiah
44:8.

“Thus saith YHVH,  the Holy One of Israel and his Maker ... I have made the
earth and created man upon it,  I  EVEN  MY  HANDS.”  Isaiah 45:11, 12.
 

2.  YHVH THE CREATOR WAS ISRAEL’S SAVIOUR
     (Acts chapter 6 & 7)

Israel knew that their God was the Creator, the Living God.  As an awakening
nation, they lived in Egypt for four centuries and became an enslaved nation.
They were waiting on the Almighty to save them from bondage, very much the same as sin-enslaved people today throughout the world are waiting on the salvation by Messiah - most, of course, not knowing the real answer to their quest.

The ancient Egyptians were pagans who worshipped anything from cockroaches to
crocodiles, and it was therefore not strange that the Israelites, living in exile as slaves under Egyptian rule, apostasised to the extent that they were eventually left with a mixed religion of pagan beliefs. (Acts 7:39 - 43 and verse 6).  They were, nevertheless, aware of the existence and Prophecies of the God of “their fathers” concerning their “redemption” from Egypt and the inheritance of the “Promised Land.”  But their pagan idol-worship was constantly their downfall.

In this, we see the reason why YHVH revealed Himself by NAME - so that they would be without excuse for not worshipping the True God Who was now identified even by Name;  so that they would have no excuse for following after strange gods!   This is why the FIRST and Main Commandment of YHVH to His people was and remains to this day:  “Hear, O Israel:  YHVH is our God,  YHVH is one.” and “thou shalt love YHVH thy God with all your heart ...”

Messiah referred to this as “the Great Command” - Matt. 22:36.  This is also why the first four Commandments of the Decalogue was very emphatic about YHVH being their only God, the Creator (Exod. 20), and that He has a Name by which He was identified from strange gods.

Included in the Promises made to Abraham concerning the sojourning of the Israelites in a strange land in bondage, and their eventual release, was also a specific time factor that the Almighty had set and which was passed on through word of mouth by prophets like Abraham,  Isaac and Jacob, throughout the generations of Israel in Egypt.  After expiry of this period,  YHVH would save them from their bondage and it was towards this salvation by their Saviour God,  that the enslaved Israelites were looking forward to.

3.  YHVH THE CREATOR - IS ISRAEL’S REDEEMER

“For thy Maker is thine Husband, YHVH of Hosts is His Name, and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel.   The God of the whole earth will He be called.”  (Isaiah 54:5).

4.  YHVH THE CREATOR - IS GOD OF HOSTS

“O YHVH of Hosts, God of Israel Who dwells between the cherubims.  Thou art God, even Thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth.  Thou have made Heaven and earth.”  (Isaiah 37:16).

5.   YHVH THE CREATOR - IS THE FIRST AND LAST

“Hearken unto Me,  O Jacob and Israel,  My Called:  I am HE; I am the FIRST. I also am the LAST.  My Hand also has laid the foundation of the earth,  and MyRight Hand has spanned  the Heavens ...”  (Isaiah 48 : 12, 13).
 

6.   YHVH THE CREATOR - IS ISRAEL’S KING

“I am YHVH your Holy One,  the Creator of Israel,  YOUR KING.”   (Isaiah 43:15.   Also Jer. 10:10 - 16 ).
 

7.   YHVH THE CREATOR - LED ISRAEL OUT OF EGYPT

Psalm 136
verse 1   “O give thanks unto YHVH, for He is good.”
verse 2   “O give thanks unto the God of Gods ...”
verse 6   “To Him Who stretched out the earth above the waters.”
verse 10  “To Him that smote Egypt in their first-born ...”
verse 11  “And brought out Israel from among them ...”
verse 12  “With a strong Hand and a stretched out Arm ...”
verse 16   “To Him Who led His people through the Wilderness.”
 

8.   YHVH THE CREATOR - IS THE GOOD SHEPHERD

Psalm 95 verse 5  “The sea is His and HE MADE IT, HIS HANDS formed the dry
land.”
verse 6  “... let us kneel before YHVH our MAKER.”
verse 7  “For He is God, and we are the people of HIS PASTURE and the SHEEP of His Hand.”
Ps. 23:1 “YHVH is my Shepherd, I shall not want.”

9.  YHVH THE CREATOR - IS GOD OF THE SANCTUARY

“O YHVH of Hosts, God of Israel. that dwells between the Cherubims (in the
Sanctuary),  Thou art the God, even Thou alone, of all the Kingdoms of the earth.
 Thou hast made heaven and earth..”  (Isaiah 37:16).

CHERUBIM - denotes a winged creature frequently mentioned in the Bible.  A great deal of mystery surrounds their exact image and purpose.  They are commonly connected with the Holy of Holies, the central Sanctuary in the Temple Building  and therefore associated with the Presence of God.  The posture of these statues represent  constant utterance to the praises of YHVH God.

First mention of them is made in Gen. 3:24, where Cherubims are placed at the
East of the Garden of Eden, to guard it after Adam and Eve were cast out of
Paradise.

Exod. 25:18 - 21 relates how 2 Cherubims were placed over the Mercy Seat of the
Ark in the Temple.  This Seat represents the Throne of YHVH in the Most Holy One.

The first structure, made by Moses, was a mobile Tent structure while the Israelites wandered through the wilderness  during their Exodus from Egypt, on their way to the Promised Land.  It was made after the pattern of the Heavenly Sanctuary which was shown to Moses by YHVH at Mount Sinai where he also received the Law written on 2 Tables of Stone.  The Cherubims were made of solid gold, their wings covering the Mercy Seat which measured 3 meters.  Later king Solomon erected the magnificent stone Temple in Jerusalem,  which contained 2 colossal Cherubims, 11 meters tall, carved from solid olive wood covered with gold.

The prophet Ezekiel gives an obscure account of them as seen in his visions (Ezek. 10), where he sees them in the Presence of YHVH.

They are mentioned also in Heb. 9:5 in connection with the Ark in the Most Holy,
and in Rev. 4 : 6 - 7 as standing in the midst of the Throne of God, presumably
ministering service unto YHVH.

10.  YHVH THE CREATOR - IS THE EVERLASTING GOD

“YHVH, Thou hast been our Dwelling Place in all generations.  Before the
mountains were brought forth, or ever, Thou hadst formed  the earth and the
world, even from everlasting to everlasting, Thou art God.”  Ps. 90:1, 2.

1.  YHVH is the One and ONLY Creator - He is also the FATHER.

2.  YHVH revealed His Name to Israel in order to distinguish Himself from other gods, as the CREATOR, the LIFE GIVER, that is to say, the FATHER.

3.  YHVH was also the SAVIOUR of Israel in exile.  He freed  them from slavery at the exact time which had been prophesied in advance.

4.  THE CREATOR was also Israel’s :
     Everlasting God,, Redeemer, First and Last, God of Hosts, King, Shepherd and God of the Sanctuary.

5.  This multiple titled God of Israel manifested Himself in various Shapes and
Forms in order to physically appear to mankind in ancient times.

PLEASE NOTE: