The Assemblies of Yahweh is a nonprofit religious organization with its international headquarters in Bethel, Pennsylvania, United States. The organization developed independently out of a radio ministry begun by Jacob O. Meyer in 1966. [1] [2] The Assemblies of Yahweh is the largest sacred name group, [3] but it is not part of the Sacred Name Movement.
The Assemblies of Yahweh consider themselves to be the reconstituted Apostolic Assembly that went into dormancy in AD 70. The founder, Jacob O. Meyer, learned about the name Yahweh while he was taking a biblical theological course. As a result, he became convinced of the importance of exclusively employing the names Yahweh for God and later, Yahshua for Jesus. [4] Meyer went on to found the Assemblies of Yahweh in 1969. [4] The organization sometimes refers to itself as "Modern Day Elijah", because Hebrew : אֱלִיָּהוּ, Eliyahu, means "My El is Yahweh", [5] [6] also alluding to Malachi 4 [7] and Mark 9:12, [8] concerning the return of the worship of Yahweh in the "latter days".
The Assemblies leaders call their faith 'True Worship', rather than Christianity or Judaism. They are less commonly known as Messianic (or Spiritual) Israelites, possibly based on John 4:23. [9] [10]
In 1969 the Assemblies of Yahweh received its charter from Berks County, Pennsylvania. The core of this charter reads:
Our purpose is to teach and preach the word and sacred Name of our Heavenly Father and the truth of the inspired scriptures, to promote the interest of religion and the spread of spiritual holiness throughout the world.
— Assemblies of Yahweh mission statement [11]
We affirm that as obedient children it is necessary to keep all of the commandments, statutes, and judgments (except the ritual and animal sacrifice Laws) which the Heavenly Father gave to Israel to make them a separate people, Leviticus 20:7–8; Deuteronomy 6:6–9, 25; Deuteronomy 7:6–11; Matthew 5:17–20; Romans 7:12. It is now possible through the Holy Spirit to keep these commandments by faith for our salvation, Ephesians 2:8–10; Jacob 2:17–20. We now keep a spiritual sacrifice rather than animal sacrifices, meal, and drink offerings, Hebrews 13:15–16; 1 Peter 2:5; Romans 12:1; Philippians 4:18.
— Statement of Doctrine, point 6 [12]
The Assemblies of Yahweh profess to follow the Old and New Testaments as closely as possible. [2] This causes the group to be viewed as an admixture of Judaism and Christianity, although they do not actually mix Christian or Jewish doctrines with the teachings of the Scriptures. [4] They believe that in order to understand the will of Yahweh, the Bible must be harmonized and adhered to as infallible. [13] Members believe it is integral to keep the commandments of Yahweh including the seventh day Sabbath from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown (Exodus 20:8), [14] the holy days as defined in Leviticus 23 and Deuteronomy 16, and a diet of clean foods as defined in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14.
The Assemblies of Yahweh believes in a Great Tribulation, a Beast System which is interpreted to mean a world ruling government and synchronistic religion on this earth opposed to Yahweh's commandments [15] (Revelation 12:17) [16] and finally, a millennial 1,000 year Kingdom of Yahweh (Revelation 20:4) [17] on this earth which will usher an era of productivity, miracles, love, peace and tranquillity through the universal keeping of the commandments with Yahshua the Messiah ruling as King over Earth. [18]
Leadership consists of:
The Assemblies of Yahweh is led by a Directing Elder, originally Jacob O. Meyer. In accordance with his will and last testament, the Assemblies of Yahweh has since been led by two followers: Teaching Elder Jonathan S. Meyer and Deacon Nathaniel A. Meyer. They are assisted by a group of individuals called "the Work of the Ministry" who assist in practical matters and provide counsel on questions of doctrine. [4]
The Assemblies of Yahweh has two educational institutions located in Bethel, Pennsylvania, Obadiah School of the Bible [1] [19] and Dalet School. [2] [20]
Begun in 1973 as Obadiah Assembly, a class concentrating on public speaking, Obadiah School has continued to grow and today has an extensive biblical curriculum. Centered on the Bible class, each course is biblical in nature. Today the graduates form the core of the Assemblies of Yahweh with many of the graduates going on to lead local Assemblies.
From its rudimentary beginnings in 1976, Meyer designed the Dalet School in the reflection of a one-room schoolhouse. The students are given the ability to hear the instruction of underclassmen (as a review) and overclassmen (as a preview). The school today teaches over 40 children and contains classes from kindergarten through 12th grade.
The Assemblies of Yahweh witness in nearly every format available to them. They believe that radio station WMLK will be instrumental in reaching people all over the world and especially those countries that censor their networks or resist religious programs. The Assemblies of Yahweh uses many tools to spread their message across the world and contact individuals.
Deuteronomy is the fifth book of the Torah, where it is called Devarim and the fifth book of the Christian Old Testament.
The Book of Exodus is the second religious book of the Bible. It is a narrative of the Exodus, the origin myth of the Israelites leaving slavery in Biblical Egypt through the strength of their deity named Yahweh, who according to the story chose them as his people. The Israelites then journey with the legendary prophet Moses to Mount Sinai, where Yahweh gives the 10 commandments and they enter into a covenant with Yahweh, who promises to make them a "holy nation, and a kingdom of priests" on condition of their faithfulness. He gives them their laws and instructions to build the Tabernacle, the means by which he will come from heaven and dwell with them and lead them in a holy war to conquer Canaan, which has earlier, according to the myth of Genesis, been promised to the "seed" of Abraham, the legendary patriarch of the Israelites.
The Torah is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. It is known as the Pentateuch or the Five Books of Moses by Christians. It is also known as the Written Torah in Jewish tradition. If meant for liturgic purposes, it takes the form of a Torah scroll. If in bound book form, it is called Chumash, and is usually printed with the rabbinic commentaries.
The Priestly source is perhaps the most widely recognized of the sources underlying the Torah. It is both stylistically and theologically distinct from other material in the Torah, and includes a set of claims that are contradicted by non-Priestly passages and therefore uniquely characteristic: no sacrifice before the institution is ordained by Yahweh (God) at Sinai, the exalted status of Aaron and the priesthood, and the use of the divine title El Shaddai before God reveals his name to Moses, to name a few. In general, the Priestly work is concerned with priestly matters – ritual law, the origins of shrines and rituals, and genealogies – all expressed in a formal, repetitive style. It stresses the rules and rituals of worship, and the crucial role of priests, expanding considerably on the role given to Aaron.
The Exodus is the founding myth of the Israelites whose narrative is spread over four books of the Torah, namely Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
Yahshua is a proposed transliteration of יהושוע, the original Hebrew name of Jesus. The pronunciation Yahshua is philologically impossible in the original Hebrew and has support neither in archeological findings, such as the Dead Sea scrolls or inscriptions, nor in rabbinical texts as a form of Joshua. Scholarship generally considers the original form of Jesus to be Yeshua, a Hebrew Bible form of Joshua.
The Sacred Name Movement (SNM) is a movement within Adventism concerned with emphasizing the use of the Hebrew name of God. Influenced by Clarence Orvil Dodd, the movement considers the use of God's name as important as the Jewish festivals. SNM believers also generally observe many of the Old Testament laws and ceremonies such as the Seventh-day Sabbath, Torah festivals, and kashrut food laws.
Bechukotai, Bechukosai, or Bəḥuqothai (Biblical) is the 33rd weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the 10th and last in the Book of Leviticus. It constitutes Leviticus 26:3–27:34. The parashah addresses blessings for obeying the law, curses for disobeying it, and vows. The parashah is made up of 3,992 Hebrew letters, 1,013 Hebrew words, 78 verses, and 131 lines in a Torah Scroll.
Va'etchanan is the 45th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the second in the Book of Deuteronomy. It comprises Deuteronomy 3:23–7:11. The parashah tells how Moses asked to see the Land of Israel, made arguments to obey the law, recounted setting up the Cities of Refuge, recited the Ten Commandments and the Shema, and gave instructions for the Israelites' conquest of the Land. The parashah is made up of 7,343 Hebrew letters, 1,878 Hebrew words, 122 verses, and 249 lines in a Torah Scroll. Jews in the Diaspora generally read it in late July or August.
This is a glossary of terms used in Christianity.
The House of Yahweh (HOY) is a religious group based in Eula, Texas. The assembly has been controversial and is referred to as a cult by former members.
Angelo Benedetto Traina was a biblical scholar, best known for his emphasis on what he called restoring "Semitic proper names to their Aramaic and Hebrew forms".
The Sacred Scriptures Bethel Edition (SSBE) is a Sacred Name Bible which uses the names Yahweh and Yahshua in both the Old and New Testaments. It was produced by Jacob O. Meyer, based on the American Standard Version of 1901 and it contains over 977 pages. The Assemblies of Yahweh printed 5,500 copies of the first edition in 1981. It is also used by some members of the Sacred Name Movement.
Sacred Name Bibles are Bible translations that consistently use Hebraic forms of the God of Israel's personal name, instead of its English language translation, in both the Old and New Testaments. Some Bible versions, such as the Jerusalem Bible, employ the name Yahweh, a transliteration of the Hebrew tetragrammaton (YHWH), in the English text of the Old Testament, where traditional English versions have LORD.
WMLK (9.275 MHz) is a shortwave radio station in Bethel, Pennsylvania owned by the Assemblies of Yahweh. WMLK derives its callsign from MLK, representing the consonants of the Hebrew word "malak" meaning a "messenger" or angel. A different vocalisation of the word will also yield the definition salt.
Elder Jacob O. Meyer was the founder, president and directing elder of the Assemblies of Yahweh. Among his roles he was also a farmer, broadcaster, translator, preacher, counselor and writer and considered by the Assemblies of Yahweh to be a scholar, rabbi and spiritual leader. He taught classes at Dalet School and Obadiah School of the Bible, as well as pioneering and editing two monthly magazines, The Narrow Way and The Sacred Name Broadcaster.
"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy" is one of the Ten Commandments found in the Torah.
"Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain" is the second or third of God's Ten Commandments to man in Judaism and Christianity.
Thou shalt not kill, You shall not murder or You shall not murder (NIV), is a moral imperative included as one of the Ten Commandments in the Torah.
"I am the LORD thy God" is the opening phrase of the Ten Commandments, which are widely understood as moral imperatives by ancient legal historians and Jewish and Christian biblical scholars.
If you are a regular listener to our radio broadcasts, you will know by this time that the mark of the Beast will be lawlessness, or more clearly defined in the scriptures, the Beast will be totally committed to a lifestyle contrary to the Law of Yahweh
Although Yahweh pronounces doom, He turns to offer hope in the future after His judgment has run its course. What a glorious picture the Scriptures portray of the Kingdom of Yahweh to come! Wouldn't you like to share in that era?