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.''History of Bethel and Tulpehocken Townships'', p. 227. Published by Bethel and Tulpehocken Townships, Berks County PA, 1976, Boyer Printing Co., Lebanon PA The Assemblies of Yahweh is the largest sacred name group, but it is not part of the

Sacred Name Movement The Sacred Name Movement (SNM) refers to the movement within Adventism which, prompted by Joseph Franklin Rutherford, were concerned with the Hebrew name of God, a concern that led the Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society to the adoption of the nam ...

Origin

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 Yahweh *''Yahwe'', was the national god of ancient Israel and Judah. The origins of his worship reach at least to the early Iron Age, and likely to the Late Bronze Age if not somewhat earlier, and in the oldest biblical literature he po ...

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 Yahshua is a proposed transliteration of , the original Hebrew name of Jesus. The pronunciation ''Yahshua'' is philologically impossible in the original Hebrew and has no support in archeological findings, such as the Dead Sea scrolls or inscrip ...

for

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and relig ...

. Meyer went on to found the Assemblies of Yahweh in 1969. The organization sometimes refers to itself as "Modern Day

Elijah Elijah ( ; he, אֵלִיָּהוּ, ʾĒlīyyāhū, meaning "My El (deity), God is Yahweh/YHWH"; Greek form: Elias, ''Elías''; syr, ܐܸܠܝܼܵܐ, ''Elyāe''; Arabic language, Arabic: إلياس or إليا, ''Ilyās'' or ''Ilyā''. ) w ...

", because , means "My El is

", also alluding to Malachi 4 and Mark 9:12, concerning the return of the worship of Yahweh in the " latter days". The Assemblies leaders call their faith 'True Worship', rather than

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global popula ...

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in th ...

. They are less commonly known as Messianic (or Spiritual)

Israelites The Israelites (; , , ) were a group of Semitic-speaking tribes in the ancient Near East who, during the Iron Age, inhabited a part of Canaan. The earliest recorded evidence of a people by the name of Israel appears in the Merneptah Stele o ...

, possibly based on John 4:23.

Mission statement

In 1969 the Assemblies of Yahweh received its charter from Berks County, Pennsylvania. The core of this charter reads:

Beliefs

The Assemblies of Yahweh profess to follow the

Old Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England * Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, M ...

and

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Chris ...

s as closely as possible. This causes the group to be viewed as an admixture of

and

, although they do not actually mix Christian or Jewish doctrines with the teachings of the Scriptures.''Encyclopedia of American Religions'', 6th edition, p. 553. Melton, J. Gordon. Detroit: Gale Research 1999 They believe that in order to understand the will of Yahweh, the Bible must be harmonized and adhered to as infallible. 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), 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.

Eschatology

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 (Revelation 12:17) and finally, a millennial 1,000 year Kingdom of Yahweh (Revelation 20:4) on this earth which will usher an era of productivity, miracles, love, peace and tranquillity through the universal keeping of the commandments with

the Messiah ruling as King over Earth.

Organizational structure

Leadership consists of: * A "Directing Elder", responsible for the spiritual direction of the Assembly. * "Teaching Elders", ordained to serve as instructional leaders. * "Deacons", ordained to serve in the needs of the assemblies. * "Senior Missionaries", consecrated to serve Yahweh in local areas; many times used as local leader and (or) a new-inquirer contact point. * "Missionaries", consecrated to serve Yahweh in local areas to help spread their Faith. 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.

Educational

The Assemblies of Yahweh has two educational institutions located in Bethel, Pennsylvania, Obadiah School of the Bible and Dalet School.

Obadiah School

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.

Dalet School

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.

Witnessing

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.

Monthly

* ''The Sacred Name Broadcaster'' * ''The Narrow Way Magazine'' * ''The Narrow Way Newsletter''

Books

* The

Sacred Scriptures Bethel Edition 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 (''Chamberlin'' p. 51-3). It was produced by Jacob O. Meyer, based on the American Standard Ver ...

Bible LCN-81-69752 * ''Psalms, Anthems and Spiritual Songs'' * ''The Memorial Name Yahweh'' LCN-87-072550 * ''Commentary on Galatians'' LCN 83-82474 * ''Commentary on Micah'' LCN-2006901945 * ''Commentary on Revelation'' Vol. 1 LCN-2006901947 * ''Biblical Ecclesiastical Assembly Administration'' LCN-2006908256

Radio

* The Sacred Name Broadcast * WMLK Shortwave * Simulcast of WMLK Shortwave (Internet) * 24/7 Internet radio

Television

* The Sacred Name telecast * Online telecasts

Internet

* AOY websiteAOY website
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Sabbath services

* Local Assemblies around the world * Live Internet streaming (audio and video) * Cassette tape lending program

Ministerial trips

* Periodical Bible conferences * Baptism, marriage, funeral requests, prison visitation, personal contact

Local target areas

* Tract distribution * Radio and TV spots

References

External links

Assemblies of Yahweh official website
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