Well, lets first off discuss then "people who are called by His name". Three scriptures are given; Exodus 6:3, Psalms 83:18, and Acts 15:14.
Exodus 6:3 reads:
6:1 God said to Moses, 'Now you will begin to see what I will do to Pharaoh. He will be forced to let them go. [Not only that, but] he will be forced to drive them out of his land.'
6:2 God spoke to Moses and said to him, 'I am YHV(or W)H.
6:3 I revealed Myself to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as God Almighty (El Shaddai), and did not allow them to know Me by My name YHV(or W)H.
6:4 I also made My covenant with them, [promising] to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, where they lived as foreigners.
6:5 I have also heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are holding as slaves, and I have remembered My covenant.
6:6 'Therefore say to the Israelites [in My name], 'I am God. I will take you away from your forced labor in Egypt and free you from their slavery. I will liberate you with a demonstration of My power, and with great acts of judgment.
6:7 I will take you to Myself as a nation, and I will be to you as a God. You will know that I am God your Lord, the One who is bringing you out from under the Egyptian subjugation.
6:8 I will bring you to the land regarding which I raised My hand, [swearing] that I would give it to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I will give it to you as an inheritance. I am God.' '
6:9 Moses related this to the Israelites, but because of their disappointment and hard work, they would no longer listen to him
Now lets have a look at the New World Translation
1 So Jehovah said to Moses: “Now you will see what I shall do to Phar´aoh, because on account of a strong hand he will send them away and on account of a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.”2 And God went on to speak to Moses and to say to him: “I am Jehovah. 3 And I used to appear to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as God Almighty, but as respects my name Jehovah I did not make myself known to them. 4 And I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Ca´naan, the land of their alien residences in which they resided as aliens. 5 And I, even I, have heard the groaning of the sons of Israel, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I remember my covenant. 6 “Therefore say to the sons of Israel, ‘I am Jehovah, and I shall certainly bring YOU out from under the burdens of the Egyptians and deliver YOU from their slavery, and I shall indeed reclaim YOU with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. 7 And I shall certainly take YOU to me as a people, and I shall indeed prove to be God to YOU; and YOU will certainly know that I am Jehovah YOUR God who is bringing YOU out from under the burdens of Egypt. 8 And I shall certainly bring YOU into the land that I raised my hand in oath to give to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; and I shall indeed give it to YOU as something to possess. I am Jehovah.’” 9 Afterward Moses spoke to this effect to the sons of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses out of discouragement and for the hard slavery.
There is something different about thses two translations. Both use YHWH (interpreted as Jehovah in the NWT) in verses 2 and 3, but look at verse 6, it is an example of interpretation that, it can be aurguded, is used to serve an altiria motive. To explain my reasoning look at verse 3:
"I revealed Myself to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as God Almighty (El Shaddai), and did not allow them to know Me by My name YHV(or W)H.".
What does it mean that God not relieve his True name to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, when he did use the Tetragrammaton (YHVH) when speaking with Abraham and Jacob? Well, you have to look at Jewish tradishion of the time. Names had more meaning to them than a simple title to distingush one entity from another. Names were thought to contain power.
Abraham and Jacob didn't KNOW the name YHWH, and yet they knew and used in writing the name YHWH. Confusing eh? Well, what does it mean to KNOW the name. Or, to be known by the name.
Check out Exodus 3:13: Nevertheless, Moses said to the [true] God: “Suppose I am now come to the sons of Israel and I do say to them, ‘The God of YOUR forefathers has sent me to YOU,’ and they do say to me, ‘What is his name?’ What shall I say to them?” 14 At this God said to Moses: “I SHALL PROVE TO BE WHAT I SHALL PROVE TO BE.” And he added: “This is what you are to say to the sons of Israel, ‘I SHALL PROVE TO BE has sent me to YOU.’”
So, here is another name of God. Maybe there is another orginization on the planet who identify themselves as “I SHALL PROVE TO BE WHAT I SHALL PROVE TO BE Witnesses.” But this would also be silly.
“I SHALL PROVE TO BE WHAT I SHALL PROVE TO BE.” or Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh in Hebrew, a Divine Name that denotes that God has absolute existence, and that He is outside the realm of time. As with YHWH, jewish scholars explain this as it denotes God's utter transcendence and also denotes the creative power that constantly sustains the universe. So God here is using His name as kind of "proof of purchase" for Moses. Nowhere is he saying that either Moses of the Israelities shall hensforth be known as, for example, "YHWHs Jews".
Psalms 83:18: That people may know that you, whose name is Jehovah, You alone are the Most High over all the earth.
Here the Psalmist is referring to God by the name YHWH, not to any peoples. I have to ask, how do you think it would have gone down if the Pslamist had added an extra verse like this: Pslams 83:19 And, from now on, I am going to be known as Brian, the Jehovah's Jew, For I follow you.
Acts 15 (I'll quote 1 through 21 below)
This is a famous debate. We have a bunch of men from Judea who are saying that salvation comes for the Mosaic Law. There was a big argument and so Paul and Barnabas and enturage, went to Jewruselem to seek the councel from the older men and apostles. On there way the stopped at various towns, and the 'people of the nations' conversation was recieved well, being that they were going to finally get the matter sorted out. They met with the older men and Apostles in Jewruselem and it was then that some believing Pharisee converts want to get down to the nitty gritty, and find out whether Moses' Law should be observed. This was a BIG sticking point between those who come from the Jewish tradition, and those who didn't. This is the repy:
6 And the apostles and the older men gathered together to see about this affair. 7 Now when much disputing had taken place, Peter rose and said to them: “Men, brothers, YOU well know that from early days God made the choice among YOU that through my mouth people of the nations should hear the word of the good news and believe; 8 and God, who knows the heart, bore witness by giving them the holy spirit, just as he did to us also. 9 And he made no distinction at all between us and them, but purified their hearts by faith. 10 Now, therefore, why are YOU making a test of God by imposing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke that neither our forefathers nor we were capable of bearing? 11 On the contrary, we trust to get saved through the undeserved kindness of the Lord Jesus in the same way as those people also.”
Check verse 8: "Gods knows the heart", and verse 11 "we trust to get saved through the undeserved kindness of the Lord Jesus in the same way as those people also.”
No mention of a name, no mention that being part of an organization, to attain salvation.
After they chatted some more this happens:
James answered, saying: “Men, brothers, hear me. 14 Sym´e·on has related thoroughly how God for the first time turned his attention to the nations to take out of them a people for his name. 15 And with this the words of the Prophets agree, just as it is written, 16 ‘After these things I shall return and rebuild the booth of David that is fallen down; and I shall rebuild its ruins and erect it again, 17 in order that those who remain of the men may earnestly seek Jehovah, together with people of all the nations, people who are called by my name, says Jehovah, who is doing these things, 18 known from of old.’ 19 Hence my decision is not to trouble those from the nations who are turning to God, 20 but to write them to abstain from things polluted by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood
Verses 16 to 18 are in reference to the Prophet Amos and the rebiulding of Israel. Amos 9: 11 "In that day I will restore David's fallen tent. I will repair its broken places, restore its ruins, and build it as it used to be, 12 so that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations that bear my name, "declares the LORD, who will do these things.
You have to ask yourself, is he saying that by bearing the name of God is to be called "YHWHs witnesses". They came up with alot sollutions to consolidating the nations during that debate, but what they would call themselves was never of the agenda. Verse 19: Hence my decision is not to trouble those from the nations who are turning to God
Verse 14: Sym´e·on has related thoroughly how God for the first time turned his attention to the nations to take out of them a people for his name. Is he saying here that they should call themselves "YHWHs witnesses" or could it be something else?
The pronouciation is also a guess when it come to translation. The rendering of YHWH to English as Jehovah is from a German mistake many years ago.I would go as far as to say that placing emphesis on the reading and prounciation of a name of god, albeit YHWH, and making the claim that being identified with the old German mistaken prounciation, as proof of being "KNOWN by Gods name" is both divertive and a misunderstanding of the original maening of "KNOWN".
steve
Acts 15: 1 And certain men came down from Ju·de´a and began to teach the brothers: “Unless YOU get circumcised according to the custom of Moses, YOU cannot be saved.” 2 But when there had occurred no little dissension and disputing by Paul and Bar´na·bas with them, they arranged for Paul and Bar´na·bas and some others of them to go up to the apostles and older men in Jerusalem regarding this dispute.
3 Accordingly, after being conducted partway by the congregation, these men continued on their way through both Phoe·ni´cia and Sa·mar´i·a, relating in detail the conversion of people of the nations, and they were causing great joy to all the brothers. 4 On arriving in Jerusalem they were kindly received by the congregation and the apostles and the older men, and they recounted the many things God had done by means of them. 5 Yet, some of those of the sect of the Pharisees that had believed rose up from their seats and said: “It is necessary to circumcise them and charge them to observe the law of Moses.”
6 And the apostles and the older men gathered together to see about this affair. 7 Now when much disputing had taken place, Peter rose and said to them: “Men, brothers, YOU well know that from early days God made the choice among YOU that through my mouth people of the nations should hear the word of the good news and believe; 8 and God, who knows the heart, bore witness by giving them the holy spirit, just as he did to us also. 9 And he made no distinction at all between us and them, but purified their hearts by faith. 10 Now, therefore, why are YOU making a test of God by imposing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke that neither our forefathers nor we were capable of bearing? 11 On the contrary, we trust to get saved through the undeserved kindness of the Lord Jesus in the same way as those people also.”
12 At that the entire multitude became silent, and they began to listen to Bar´na·bas and Paul relate the many signs and portents that God did through them among the nations. 13 After they quit speaking, James answered, saying: “Men, brothers, hear me. 14 Sym´e·on has related thoroughly how God for the first time turned his attention to the nations to take out of them a people for his name. 15 And with this the words of the Prophets agree, just as it is written, 16 ‘After these things I shall return and rebuild the booth of David that is fallen down; and I shall rebuild its ruins and erect it again, 17 in order that those who remain of the men may earnestly seek Jehovah, together with people of all the nations, people who are called by my name, says Jehovah, who is doing these things, 18 known from of old.’ 19 Hence my decision is not to trouble those from the nations who are turning to God, 20 but to write them to abstain from things polluted by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood. 21 For from ancient times Moses has had in city after city those who preach him, because he is read aloud in the synagogues on every sabbath.”
