James 2: 19:
“Thou believest that there is one Yahweh; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.”
As James indicates, believing is good. But there is much more to it than just believing. Notice verse 20: “But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?”
The Greek word for works is ergon, Strong’s number 2041. It means doing or making an effort. Faith without doing something or making an effort to demonstrate your faith is of no value. Words are cheap; action is everything!
In verse 19, the words believest and believe are derived from the same Greek word, pisteuo. (Strong’s 4100) This word is derived from the Greek word, pistis. (Strong’s 4102) Pistis is the basis for the word faith, used in verse 20. James is telling us that belief or faith is dead without action to support the words.
In verse 23, James tells us how Abraham believed, but in verse 21 Abraham proved his belief by offering his son upon an altar. His offer or willingness to offer his son was the effort that he put forward to support his words. It was his effort that made Yahweh to consider him righteous and call him his friend. The words came first, but it was the action that gained Yahweh’s attention.
Abraham is considered the father of the Israelites. He is held in very high esteem. But note who was also introduced as a righteous person in verse 25. Rahab, the harlot was also justified by her works. Even though her station in life was very inferior to that of Abraham, her action to help the Israelites spies justified her in the eyes of Yahweh.
Very few of us can achieve the stature of Abraham, but the actions of Rahab the harlot and the reaction of Yahweh can give us all hope. Paul confirms this in 1 Corinthians 1:26-27:
“For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. Yahweh has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and Yahweh has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.”
Many are called but few are chosen. (Matthew 20:16) The calling or invitation is not of value if not accepted. Revelation 14:1 tells us that only 144,000 firstfruits were called and overcame -- a very small number. What we don’t know is how many were called and then rejected the opportunity given to them. Either of these numbers is a very small percentage of firstfruits compared to the billions of human beings created.
How do we accept the calling or invitation that comes only from Father Yahweh? (John 6:44) We must do something. We cannot just say we believe or have faith. We must demonstrate our faith with works or by doing something, taking action. (James 2:24) Peter tells us what that action must be in Acts 2:38: “Then Peter said unto them, repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of ___________ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”[Spirit]
This verse is taken from the King James Version. The last word, ghost, is a poor choice for the Greek word pneuma (Strong’s 4151) which is better translated as Spirit.
I have left a blank space where the translators used another poor choice to translate the name in which we should be baptized. Peter is quoted to have used the name of a man, even though the Messiah was never known as Jesus. That name did not come into usage until the 16thcentury. His human name was a Hebrew name, Yahshua. Others will tell you that the human name Messiah could have been Yeshua, Yehoshua, or Y’shua. All these refer to a man’s name.
However, Messiah no longer had his human name when Peter gave us the instruction in Acts 2:38. Messiah was dead. He died in sin. (2 Corinthians 5:21) His blood absorbed all the sin of the world. His human name identified that blood and was therefore defiled. He had to have a new name before he appeared before his Father, Yahweh.
The Messiah appeared before his Father as a high priest. When Aaron, the Levitical high priest, appeared before Yahweh on the Day of Coverings (Atonement), he had to appear with the name of Yahweh on his forehead. (Exodus 29: 36- 38) Messiah would also have to have the name of Yahweh when he appeared before his Father.
The Messiah did have a new name given to him after his resurrection and before he appeared before his Father. The revelation of this amazing fact is revealed in Hebrews 1:4: “Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name then they”. That new name was very different than the name given when he was born as a human. (Matthew 1:25)
Can we know what this new name is? We MUST know this new name to be able to follow Peter’s instructions in Acts 2:38. There is no room for substitution or misunderstanding. A significant clue to this name is revealed in Revelation 14: 1. The 144,000 firstfruits that are successfully resurrected when Messiah returns have the name of the Father and Son on their foreheads. The Father’s name is Yahweh and the second part of Messiah’s human name was shua or savior. His inherited name is YahwehShua or Yahweh Savior.
It is interesting to note that Messiah’s human name, Yahshua, in Hebrew, has six letters: yod, hey, waw, sheen,waw ayin. The inherited name only needed to have the letter hey added to the human name: yod, hey, waw, HEY, sheen, waw, ayin.
The difference between the six letters in Messiah’s human name and the seven letters of his inherited name is significant. I refer you to appendix 10 in the Companion Bible for more details on the significance of numbers. The Companion Bible tells us that the number six is the human number. The number seven denotes spiritual perfection. We must have the name of spiritual perfection for baptism, and NOT the defiled human name.
YahwehShua is not an unusual construction for the name of the Messiah. We learn from 1 Corinthians 10:4 that Messiah was the Yahweh of the Old Testament. In that role, he had many two-part or hyphenated names: Yahweh of Hosts, Yahweh Shalom, Yahweh Rapha, etc. Please refer to appendix 4 of the Companion Bible for further information about the names of Yahweh.
Messiah is quoted in Luke 11:52 as telling us that the key of knowledge was taken away. That key is and was the name of Yahweh. The Jews had declared that Yahweh’s name was ineffable and should not be pronounced. Substitutions such as Ha Shem and Adonai were made. This doctrine led to the Christians not understanding the name of Yahweh. They substituted LORD for the Hebrew Tetragrammaton. This is incorrect. You cannot understand the inherited name by only knowing LORD. You must refer to the Hebrew name and not the English translation. This lack of knowledge prevents you from obeying Peter’s instruction to be baptized in the inherited name.
I have reviewed many articles on the Internet and have seen commercials on TV, which promote the importance of believing in the human name of Messiah. These sources do not talk about the significance of baptism, but only the importance of believing. These authors emphasize the use of words and leave out the necessity for action. Baptism is a requirement, not an option. Many have been baptized, but only in the human name of Messiah. This has led many people to receive a worthless baptism.
I even found one author who proclaims that baptism was only necessary during the early years of what he called the Pentecostal period. He says this is no longer necessary in our age. His conception is that whosoever professes to be a believer is sealed and baptized in the Holy Spirit. This perspective does away with the act of water baptism and laying on of hands in the inherited name of YahwehShua. This leads many people to follow a great deception. Satan continues deceiving man as he deceived Eve in the garden. The difference is that today he has many “ministers of righteousness” to do his work. (2 Corinthians 11:15)
Satan and his angels know the truth of Yahweh, but do not want YOU to know. They desire you to be deceived so you will miss the opportunity to become a firstfruit in the better resurrection. They tremble, as James tells us, because they know their fate. The fallen angels face being judged and cast into the lake of fire, the second death. The firstfruits will never face the second death! (Revelation 20:6) That fact alone makes the fallen angels jealous and vengeful.
The fallen angels are awaiting their judgment and tremble, but, what about the firstfruits? Peter tells us, we, those who are the first fruits, are being judged now! He tells us this in 1 Peter 4:17: “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of Yahweh: and if it first begins at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the Evangel of Yahweh.”
The first resurrection is for the firstfruits. Being in that resurrection indicates that their judgment is successfully completed, and they will face no further judgment. In fact they will become judges themselves. (1 Corinthians 6: 2-3)
What about the rest of mankind who are not being called at this time? They will be resurrected after the 1000-year reign of Messiah. (Revelation 20:5) This time of judgment is known as the last great day or the white throne judgment.
This second resurrection is to physical life. The firstfruits will be spirit beings and no longer physical. Please refer to Ezekiel 37 for insights into the second or physical resurrection of the rest of mankind. The firstfruits do not have to face the second death. That will be reserved for the fallen angels and the rest of mankind who are judged to be disobedient.
We live in the age of lies. Religion, science, politics, history and really all aspects of our culture are filled with deception. The word church is a translator’s deception as well. (Look in Strong’s Concordance for the correct word.) The churches are full of lies. This is why there will be only a 144,000 firstfruits in the first resurrection when Messiah returns.
Only some people are being called by Father Yahweh in this age. You may be one of them. If you have potential for becoming a firstfruit, Satan also knows this as well. He will focus his efforts on you. The rest of the world is not being called now. They are being reserved until the last great day, which will occur after the thousand-year reign of Messiah. Satan will deal with them later.
To avoid falling victim to Satan’s deception, call on Yahweh to lead you to truth. Study, pray, and accept our invitation to be of assistance to you. We are not here to “save” the world. We are here to assist those being called by the Father. Prayer and study are a beginning, but the real understanding begins after your baptism in YahwehShua. At that time you will freely receive the Spirit of the Father, who will give you the down payment of Messiah’s Spirit. You will begin to develop the mind of Messiah. (Philippians 2:5)
Following baptism, the Spirit of Messiah will begin to be formed within you. (Galatians 4:19) As His Spirit becomes more developed within you over time, the mind of Messiah will reveal more truth and understanding to you. When you are baptized, you will also become a member of the body of Messiah. This is an important resource that Yahweh has prepared for all His firstfruits. You do not have to walk alone. Your brethren in the faith are commanded to love you, support you and encourage you in the process of overcoming. (John 15:12)
Becoming a firstfruit is the greatest calling of this age. If you are being called for this opportunity, consider taking advantage of it. Study the articles on this website and contact us. There is a challenge to accepting this invitation, and there is suffering associated with that as well. However the successful completion of your overcoming will produce rewards that you cannot even comprehend at this time.
Remember, believing is not enough. You must take action and demonstrate the validity of your belief or faith. This action begins with baptism in the inherited name of YahwehShua. The path to the first resurrection begins here. Words are cheap and easy. Baptism makes your belief real. Then the work begins. However, you have the strength of Messiah and the body of Messiah to help you. You will not be alone!
Contact us for more information! Go to prayer and ask Yahweh to guide you. Yes, begin now. Do not put it off! If you wish to submit a question or comment, please email our Elder at john12e4567@gmail.com.