Archive for August, 2011

The Names “Jesus” and Joshua”

Wednesday, August 3rd, 2011

Many people ask whether or not the names “Jesus” and “Joshua” are really the same.  This is a bit confusing, and it gets somewhat technical.  “Yeshua” is the contracted form of the Hebrew name “Yehoshua.”  Both are used in the Old Testament, and the English spelling for both is “Joshua.”  The specific use for this name in the Old Testament was for the man who succeeded Moses–not specifically for the Messiah, because the Old Testament does not refer to the Messiah by this name. 

Now, in about 200 B.C., the Old Testament was translated from Hebrew to Greek in a work known as the Septuagint, for the benefit of those Jews who spoke Greek.  So, we can learn a lot from the way the Hebrew words were translated into Greek at that time.  

In the Septuagint, in Numbers 13;16, the Hebrew name “Yehoshua” was transliterated into the Greek name “Iesou;” i.e., another form of “Iesous,” with a different case ending because of the way it’s used in the Greek grammar.  (Note that “transliteration” just means changing each letter in the Hebrew name Yeshua into Greek, letter by letter, since names often cannot be specifically “translated.”)  In Nehemiah 8:17, the Hebrew name “Yeshua” was also transliterated into the Greek name “Iesou.”  

Since “Iesous” is the exact English transliteration of the Greek name “Iesou,” we can conclude that the Greek name “Iesous” equates to the Hebrew name “Yeshua,” and its English spelling is “Jesus.”  Furthermore, the name “Joshua” is the English form of the Hebrew word “Yeshua,” and the name “Jesus” is the English form of the Greek word “Iesous.” So, the names “Joshua” and “Jesus” are essentially the same.  It could be said that each one is an English pronunciations for the name of the Lord; one from the Hebrew and one from the Greek.

About Heaven…, Marriage, etc.

Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011

I’ve received several questions lately about what heaven will be like.  Readers often ask whether or not we will know each other in heaven, and specifically whether or not we will still be married to our earthly spouses. 

The Bible is not definitive about what our relationships with others will be like in heaven.  The best passage that we have on this is probably Matthew 22:23-33 where Christ is answering a question from the Pharisees concerning the afterlife for a woman who had multiple husbands on earth.  In verse 30, Jesus says, “For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.”  This implies that people in heaven will know each other, but they won’t have the same relationships, such as marriage. 

I believe that our existence in heaven will be overpowered by God’s glory Revelation 4:9-11).  We will be so awe-struck by being in the very presence of God, that we will somehow not even be too concerned with others.

The One and Only Son

Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011

When I was a small child, I memorized John 3:16, “God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him will be saved, and have eternal life.”  This verse remains precious to me, and I believe that it’s the most important verse in the Bible for unbelievers.  It plainly explains God’s plan of salvation by grace through faith, and it deserves further study.  Click here full the full text of the article.