Promise Land Ministry

BANDERA

    Bandera is a special little place in Texas that means something special to me, for it is the place where I was led  "in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake" and went through the  "shadow of death" (Baptism).  Several of us believers in the concept of the great sacred name were immersed beneath a cool refreshing stream where we would  "lie down in green pastures".  We took our stand for the sacred name as we knew it.  And later would discover the real sacred name.

    What does  "Bandera" mean?  If you are not familiar with the Spanish language, you may not know.  I discovered what Bandera meant through Bible study!  Recently I purchased a Spanish Bible hoping to be able to share with the Spanish folk the truths of the sacred name, from their own authorized version.  But this was no ordinary Spanish Bible, no it was one with the center column for marginal notes and references, which is rare, and compatible with the good old King James Version in English.  It is a Antigua Revision of 1909.  Going through it and comparing several things, I came to Exodus 17:15.  The text said, "Jehova-nissi", but what did it mean?  The Hebrew word was explained in the margin, where it said,  "Jehova mi bandera".  The King James margin says  "my banner".  So Bandera means, Banner or Flag!  Very significant!

    After a little studying, one will discover that the name  "Jehovah" is not the real sacred name of the Creator.  It dates back to about 1518, with the invention of pope Leo the 10ths confessor Peter Galatin.  It is the reading of   (YHWH which has been transfigured to JHVH in this modern age) with the vowel points of another word,  Adonai, which were laid over on the tetragrammaton; thus the Jews avoided saying the sacred name (contrary to Scripture, Isa. 26:13), and would read "Adonai" (meaning Lord) when they came to this four letter word.  This is the reason why English readers find capital  LORD in the place of the Hebrew  which occurs in the Old Testament 6,823 times.

    So what is the sacred name then, if it's not Jehovah?  Well, it depends whether you want to prove it from tradition, which may or may not be corrupt.  Or, from Scripture, and Scripture alone, to prove all doctrines with.

    So let's wipe the dust off of our Bibles and have a little Bible study, in search for the name of our great Creator.  Once we discover the Creator's real name, it will show that all other names given to the Creator are man-made, and in reality are not much different than  "idols" which are  "man-made".  There is nothing like making up your own religion, creating your own laws to be obedient to, and making up your own name for your own god, and starting to worship.  Is this really obedience? Yet, this is the sad case with Christendom.  They have turned from the fourth commandment, which commands all to hallow the seventh day as the Sabbath. Yet man has placed himself as the Creator (this man is the pope) and invented his own day for worship, that is,  Sunday, the first day of the week, in place of the Bible Sabbath.  But obedience to the Creator does not mean making up your own laws to obey, but following His Word as laid out in the Holy Scriptures.

    Now back to His great name, What does the Scripture alone tell us the sacred name is, so that we do not invent our own?

    In Psalm 68:4 we find a short form of the sacred name "JAH", as in the world Hallelujah, meaning, Praise ye YAH! The New King James Version has "YAH" in Psalm 68:4 and Isaiah 12:2; 26:4; 38:11. An extended form is seen in the name of Elijah the prophet. The first part "Eli" translators tell us means "my God" (see Matthew 27:46), the last part is the short form of the sacred name Yah, thus Elijah means "my El is Yah"! The extended form is seen in the margin of 1 Kings 17:1 KJV as, "Elijahu". Therefore the first part of the sacred name would be "Yahu" and not "Jeho"! In recent times archaeological discoveries support this. The name "Jehonathan" was found to be "Yahunatannu" in ancient Cuneiform records. (See the Seventh-day Adventist BIBLE DICTIONARY under Jehonathan) Another anchaeological find is that "Jehoahaz" in old Cuneiform documents was "Yauhazi" (See the New Brown-Driver-Briggs-Gesenius Hebrew-English Lexicon, p. 219 b)

    Here is another found in 1 Kings 18:3 margin KJV, "Obadiahu" meaning "servant of Yahu". All this and more support the "Yahu" over the "Jeho".

    The last part of the sacred name is proven from the translation in Exodus 3:14       I AM THAT I AM. Notice that I AM is repeated! Therefore YAH is repeated with WAH in the sacred name YHWH. In many Hebrew words the Y and W are interchangeable, yet the meaning is the same.  It is admitted by scholarship that the sacred name is derived from the word "hawah". Both "hayah" and "hawah" means "exist" or "to be". The Hebrew word for AM is "hayah".

    Therefore the sacred name is YAHUWAH! And Moses exclaimed, "YAHUWAH my banner".

    "We will rejoice in Thy salvation, and in the name of our Elohim we will set up our banners." Psalm 20:5

    Paul said that the Old Testament stories, especially the Exodus, "happened unto them for types and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come." 1 Corinthians 10:11 margin

    The children of Israel left Egypt and headed for the Promise Land, which is a type of the true Believers heading out (or Exiting) this world to inherit the New Jerusalem in the heavens.

    Remember how the children of Israel when fresh out of Egypt were attacked by the Amalekites? The Amalekites went out to destroy Israel just as they were being born.

    Who were the Amalekites? Amalek was the grandson of Esau through Timna Eliphaz' concubine (Gen. 36:12) The Edomites intermarried with Ishmaelites, and from this union came the nomadic clan called the Amalekites. This rough tribe came to war against Israel, a nation freshly born, and tried to wipe them out from becoming a nation before they ever got started.

    Many parallels can be drawn from this episode.

    For one, the believer freshly born again usually has to war against his own hateful brother in the pew at church, just to survive in his spiritual walk, discovering old forgotten truths and  in the wilderness of overcoming hereditary traits of character etc.  Esau was a descendant from Abraham too.  But Esau gave up his birthright for a bowl of this present world.

    Thus it is that our own brothers and sisters of the faith, stubborn and hardened, who will not advance in the truth, because they prize not truth (our spiritual birthright), but sell out for this present world.  And often times end up being our worst enemies and join with the persecutors.

     Anciently when the children of Israel were carried away captive to Babylon, the children of Esau said, "make bare, make bare even to the foundation thereof." Psalm 137:7 margin

     Understand this, brethren.  In the time of trouble just before us, it will be our own brethren, not Israel against Israel, but our former brethren, apostates who love this world, who will turn us in to the so-called  "authorities".

     But there is a mighty deliverer in Israel,  As the Israelites drew courage in the battle with the Amalekites as they saw Moses on the hill with his hands raised in the air, and the  "rod of Elohim" in his hand saying  "prevail Israel".  We may also gather courage to fight the spititual battles, and as YAHUSHUA the Captain of heavenly hosts leads forth, let us rally around the Bandera (or Banner).

     "In Yahudah is Elohim known: His name is great in Israel." Psalm 76:1

     "Thou hast given a banner to them that fear Thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth." Psalm 60:4    HalleluYAH!