Why did we call ourselves Jehovah's Witnesses?

[dove]

8 minutes ago, Dove said:

 

Just for the record I do too but didn’t know how anyone would know 🙂

Sorry for the repetition..don’t know how I do that so never learn how not to do it again. 

[Newtonian]

6 hours ago, Dove said:

If you notice, my posts are never very long 😊

I try not to be short with people.

 

Seriously - I like reading long posts if they contain in depth research like AHS above on Greek marturion/witness - giving testimony.

 

I might add that the context of Isaiah 43:10,12 challenges the nations to produce their witnesses:

 

Isaiah 43:6-9

New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (Study Edition)

 6 I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’+

And to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.

Bring my sons from afar, and my daughters from the ends of the earth,+

 7 Everyone who is called by my name+

And whom I created for my own glory,

Whom I have formed and made.’+

 8 Bring out a people who are blind, though they have eyes,

And who are deaf, though they have ears.+

 9 Let all the nations assemble in one place,

And let the peoples be gathered together.+

Who among them can tell this?

Or can they cause us to hear the first things?*+

Let them present their witnesses to prove themselves right,

Or let them hear and say, ‘It is the truth!’”+

 

And I just learned Is.43:7 - everyone who is called by my name!   Good cf. to Acts 15:17; Amos 9:12!

6 hours ago, Dove said:

Sorry for the repetition..don’t know how I do that so never learn how not to do it again. 

Repetition is the mother of retention - unless....

[Newtonian]

10 hours ago, Shawnster said:

Dusty posted a link to the book.  You quoted the link.  Just click on the link and put in the page number Dusty referred to 

OK, I'll try;

[Newtonian]

12 hours ago, Dustparticle said:

 Go to the pages 335-338 of this book. It explains why.

 

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015012328814&view=1up&seq=1

OK, I jumped to those  pages in our book "Preservation."

 

OK, the 1931 convention resolution.  I tried to copy/paste an excerpt but was unable.

Bottom line - the resolution refers not only to Isaiah 43:10-12 but also Is.62:2; Rev.12:17

 

Isaiah 62:2

New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (Study Edition)

 2 “The nations will see your righteousness, O woman,+

And all kings your glory.+

And you will be called by a new name,+

Which Jehovah’s own mouth will designate.

 

Revelation 12:17

New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (Study Edition)

17 So the dragon became enraged at the woman and went off to wage war with the remaining ones of her offspring,*+ who observe the commandments of God and have the work of bearing witness concerning Jesus.+

 

Is.62:2 confirms Amos 9:12 & Acts 15:17 that it was Jehovah who was actually doing this!

[AH173]

13 hours ago, Newtonian said:

Repetition is the mother of retention - unless....

Haha. The elder who helped me in rbc roofing projects have used this phrase for 30+ years. He also helped me to be in the machine trades. 

Edited September 25, 2019 by AH173
Spelling

[Thesauron]

13 hours ago, Newtonian said:

Isaiah 62:2

New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (Study Edition)

Which “Study Edition” are you referring to?

[jwhess]

I thought about the title of this original post.  I realized that when names are used to identify various groups in the world, it is often names chosen by others (not the group).

Quakers are really the Society of Friends, Mormons are really Latter-Day Saints, Soccer Moms, Yuppies and so on.  Even our personal name (like Jane Doe) is given to us by our father or mother.  So we don't always "choose" the name we bear.

 

Isaiah 43:10 explains that the name we have was given to us by our Father Jehovah.  He selected the name his faithful servants should use.  We accepted it, we recognized it and we embraced it... but it was God who chose it....❤️

 

Edited September 25, 2019 by jwhess

[Newtonian]

On 9/25/2019 at 11:49 AM, Thesauron said:

Which “Study Edition” are you referring to?

NWSTY

 

https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/bl/r1/lp-e?q=Isaiah 62%3A2

 

Isaiah 62:2

New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (Study Edition)

 2 “The nations will see your righteousness, O woman,+

And all kings your glory.+

And you will be called by a new name,+

Which Jehovah’s own mouth will designate.

Edited October 5, 2019 by Newtonian
Scripture link

[Newtonian]

https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/pc/r1/lp-e/1200270023/1079/2

 

Concerning the new name in Is. 62:2 - excerpt:

 

"7. What does Zion’s new name signify?

7 Jehovah now confirms the changed condition of Zion by giving her a new name. That new name signifies the blessed condition and honored status enjoyed by Zion’s earthly children beginning in 537 B.C.E.* It shows that Jehovah acknowledges Zion as belonging to him. Today, the Israel of God is thrilled to be the object of Jehovah’s delight in this way, and the other sheep rejoice with them."

 

Just adding to my opinion as to why we were privileged to bear Jehovah's name in 1931 as Jehovah's Witnesses.

 

True, in 1919 we left Babylon as a free people.   However, there were Babylonian beliefs which were corrected during the 1920"s.

 

One example: we stopped using the cross.

[Tortuga]

On 9/24/2019 at 12:13 PM, Shawnster said:

I know the type of posts I skim or skip... 

Can we call you Skippy or Skipper? 

[Thesauron]

NWSTY
 
https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/bl/r1/lp-e?q=Isaiah 62%3A2
 
Isaiah 62:2
New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (Study Edition)
 2 “The nations will see your righteousness, O woman,+
And all kings your glory.+
And you will be called by a new name,+
Which Jehovah’s own mouth will designate.

Aha, ok. Isaiah has not been released as nwtsty yet. The brothers use the regular nwt text until the complete nwtsty is released. So far only Matthew to 1 Corinthians has been released as nwtsty with study notes, extended footnotes, extended cross references, and media.

[Newtonian]

On 10/5/2019 at 1:47 AM, Thesauron said:

Aha, ok. Isaiah has not been released as nwtsty yet. The brothers use the regular nwt text until the complete nwtsty is released. So far only Matthew to 1 Corinthians has been released as nwtsty with study notes, extended footnotes, extended cross references, and media.

Aha!  Media?

 

On topic - I think it is significant that for most householders if we use the name Jehovah we are recognized as Jehovah's Witnesses.

 

As per Acts 15:17 - called by the Divine Name.

 

Btw - when witnessing I sometimes use the 'Lord's Prayer' (aka the "our father") [the model prayer - Matthew 6:9,10] and ask what name are we to hallow/make holy (e.g. asking them to get their KJV.)

 

If they say: "Jesus" - I ask:

 

Did Jesus say "Hallowed be my name" or:

 

"Hallowed by thy name"

 

Then comes Psalms 83:18 KJV of course!

[Thesauron]

NWSTY
 
https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/bl/r1/lp-e?q=Isaiah 62%3A2
 
Isaiah 62:2
New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (Study Edition)
 2 “The nations will see your righteousness, O woman,+
And all kings your glory.+
And you will be called by a new name,+
Which Jehovah’s own mouth will designate.

Oh, ok. The NWTSTY consists of Matthew through 1 Corinthians. The rest of the text is NWT.

[Newtonian]

Most Jews claim the Divine Name should not be spoken (uttered).  Some in Christendom claim the name Jesus replaces the name Jehovah.   All extant (still existing) Greek manuscripts (mss.) of the Christian Greek Scriptures (aka NT = New Testament) have the Divine Name removed and replaced with kyrios/Lord or theos/God.  

 

How would you witness to any of these people concerning the Divine Name Jehovah so that they would appreciate the name of our religion: Jehovah's Witnesses?

 

Likewise, how would you all help people appreciate the need for restoring the divine name Jehovah in the NT?

 

I will start with a few ways I have found helpful:

 

1.   For those who use the King James Version (= KJV) simply let them read Psalms 83:18.   This is actually sufficient for many people.   But what if they prefer a different translation?

 

2.   There are many quotes of the Hebrew Scriptures which contain the Divine Name in Hebrew (YHWH) that are in the NT.  I like to use the greatest commandment in the Bible and ask:

 

Do you think Jesus would remove his Father's name from the greatest commandment in the Bible? (Mark 12:29,30; Matthew 22:37-40

 

3.  As to the actual speaking of God's name I like to point out that the Psalms were songs and that Jews actually sang the words of those songs - and the Psalms contain the name Jehovah many times.

 

4.  I point people to the model prayer (aka Lord's prayer aka the "Our Father") in Matthew 6:9 which reads in KJV: Hallowed be thy name.

 

I then ask them - Did Jesus say Hallowed be my name or thy name?

 

5.  For those who respect or even use Strong's Exhaustive Concordance for KJV I ask them to look up "Lord" - note the thousands of times Lord is in the OT (= Old Testament; Hebrew Scriptures)d and note how often H3068/YHWH/Jehovah is in the Hebrew but is replaced by Lord in KJV (nearly 7,000 times!).

 

Then look up H3068 in Strong's Hebrew Dictionary and show them Jehovah is the correct spelling of the Divine Name in English - to wit (from Strong's Hebrew dictionary):

 

H3068
יְהֹוָה
yehôvâh
yeh-ho-vaw'
From H1961; (the) self Existent or eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God: - Jehovah, the Lord. Compare H3050, H3069.
Total KJV occurrences: 6521

 

I also like to point  out that H113/adon and H136/adonay are the actual Hebrew words for Lord and that the letters/spelling of adon & adonay have no resemblance to the letters YHWH in Hebrew.   The definitions are also totally different.   I sometimes point to Psalms 110:1 which is quoted by Jesus to illustrate the difference between Lord/adon(ai) and Jehovah (spelled in all caps in KJV).

 

Note: in some translations verses in NT often have LORD in all caps in quotes where the Divine Name is in the Hebrew original source of the quote.   Also I sometimes point out the marginal references Scofield makes which specifically show "Jehovah" belongs in these verses - but note that only the original Scofield KJV reference Bible retains Scofield's marginal notes.   E.g. the New Scofield Reference Bible removes Scofield's marginal notes.

 

So - what do you all use to help people appreciate why we are called Jehovah's Witnesses and why we often use the name Jehovah when referring to God?

[[deleted]]

On 9/24/2019 at 1:52 PM, Newtonian said:

what changes occurred in Jehovah's organization in the 1920's (after 1919, before 1931)?

Interestingly, there was an 11 year gap between the time when congregation of Jesus received holy spirit in 33 C.E and when they received their new name, Christians, in 44 C.E.

The gap was probably so that they can be "tested as to fitness first."

 

 

I will say that the 12 year gap between 1919 and 1931 was for a similar reason.

 

There's a nice parallel there, isn't there?