A video has been making the rounds with Rev. Owusu Bempah of Glorious Word Power Ministry International purporting “that the real son of God is called Yeshua Hamashiach reiterating that Jesus Christ was an impostor. “The son of God” he said, “is not called Jesus Christ. He is called Yeshua Hamashiach.” The video and transcript can be viewed here.
Now, his statement doesn’t deserve a response because it is not an issue at least at the level of Christian scholarlship. It is simply a case of ignorance. But considering that he is a so called Reverend and the number of controversies he stirs in this country, it is right to put the issue in its right place.
In the first place, the name “Yeshua” is the English transliteration of the Hebrew word ישוע. Now unless one has the ability to read Hebrew, that word is meaningless. Yeshua in Hebrew simply means “Saviour” and the Greek transliteration is “Iesous” from which we have Jesus—the English transliteration. So unless you are reading the New Testament in Hebrew, there is no point for a Hebrew word —ישוע–Yeshua in an English Bible especially so when the New Testament was originally written in Greek.
He went on further to say that “The name Jesus Christ was given by Constantine”. This is incredibly ludicrous. Yeshua Hamashiach, again is another transliteration from Hebrew to English. In English it means “Jesus The Messiah” which is English transliteration of the Greek Iesous Cristos; also a transliteration of the Hebrew Yeshua Hamashiach. Mashiach means “anointed”. John recorded this in Christ’s discourse with the woman at the well:
The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he. (John 4:25-26).
He continued Jesus Christ is not the name of the son of God. There was this man who came called Nero who was killing the followers of Jesus Christians who were not even called Christians but Nazarenes. He could feed them to lions and other dangerous animals but their numbers increased.
There’s some truth in the above. Historically, it is true there was a man named Nero who persecuted Christians. An online article “Who Was Nero?” captures something about Nero worth considering:
Nero took the throne approximately two decades after Christ was crucified. Although still in its infancy, Christianity was spreading rapidly during this time. In fact, approximately fourteen of the New Testament’s twenty-seven books were written in whole or in part during Nero’s emperorship. Also during Nero’s reign the apostle Paul was confined to house arrest in Rome (AD 60—63), where he wrote Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. Nero was the “Caesar” to whom Paul appealed for justice during his trial in Caesarea (Acts 25:10–12).²
Rev. Owusu Bempah in his statement also claims Christians were called Nazarenes. That is also false. The name Christians—believer and follower of Christ — was first used in Acts 11:26. The word is another Greek-English transliteration meaning follower of Christ: Christos; a Christian, i.e. Follower of Christ — Christian. ³
Before the name Christians (Acts 11:26), The followers of Christ were called People of the Way (Acts 9:2). Remember Christ said he is the way, the truth and the life ( John 14:6). There are men on pulpits who don’t know what they believe. However, these men are drawing crowds and leading people astray. These things could have easily been cleared if Owusu Bempah had spent some time reading around. We live in sad times as a Church in this nation. I pray God gives us discerment and raises preachers who will only preach the truth and not engage in “irreverent babble, [which] will lead people into more and more ungodliness” (2Timothy 2:16).
Notes
2:https://www.gotquestions.org/who-was-Nero.html
3: http://biblehub.com/greek/5546.htm
Grace and Truth 
Still thinking whether he indeed said that what was his basis. Thanks for the education. I have also learnt myself. Great work.
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Thanks for making the time to comment. Yes he did say that. Click on this link for the video:
https://mobile.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Jesus-Christ-not-the-son-of-God-he-was-an-impostor-Owusu-Bempah-597752
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I knew bits and pieces but you put it all together in one article for me to reference back to and to share with friends! Thank you!
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Glad it was useful. God be praised.
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“…1 Corinthians 1:17-26 KJV
[17] For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.
[18] For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
[19] For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
[20] Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
[21] For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
[22] For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
[23] But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
[24] But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
[25] Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men…”
“But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.” 2 Cor 11:3, AV.
“…But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived…”. 2 Tim 3:13, AV.
The simplicity of The Gospel was, is and will always be offensive!!! Men departing from Truth – speaking perverse things in a show of wisdom and novelty, which only betrays their folly – in order to draw unto themselves followers is nothing new (Acts 20:30),
We thank God that these old heresies have been dealt with and His Word remains True for us to address same today.
May He grant that many will seek to emulate the Bereans, asking what God has SAID in His Word as opposed to what these men (in place) of God say!!!
God bless you!
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The Messiah’s Hebrew name transliterated into English is Yehowshuwa, in the KJV it is transliterated as Jehoshua and then shortened to Joshua. Whereas the name Jesus comes from the incorrect Greek name Iesous. Yeshua is a name that some scribes incorrectly used after they came out of Babylon, but not all, the others used Yehowshuwa means “Yehowah’s loud call”
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Can you explain further what you mean by incorrect Greek name lesous?
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When the Old Testament was translated into Greek, they translated all theophoric names like Yehowshaphat (Jehoshaphat), Yehowseph (Jehoseph, Joseph), Yehowshabath (Jehoshabeath) etc as ιωσαφατ, ιωσηφ, ιωσαβεθ respectively. The first two letters are Iota and Omega. But when the transliterated the Name Yehowshuwa they used Iota and eta Iησουϛ which is incorrect. The correct way would be as ιωσυα (Iota, Omega, Sigma, Upsilon, Alpha)
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Isn’t it too simplistic to say Iησου (iēsou) is wrong? I think it is because you are ignoring that these combinations ιω & iη are all Greek adaptaions in representing the hebrew yod, Y(english).
ιωσυα will read iosua (iota, omega, sigma, upsilon, alpha) while Iησου reads iesou (iota,eta,sigma,omicron,upsilon).
Now pronouncing these, iesou is indeed closer to yeshu (the shortned form of the long name). This is language and I think we should consider all the rules that went into arriving at ιω or ιη before passing our verdict.
I write Saviour because my country Ghana uses British English. You wouldn’t say I am wrong because Americans spell Savior, would you?
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Enoch, exactly! Also Yeshua is the common name and how Jesus’ parents and family would say his name and address him. It is not about saying a name in some official way. It is the same as Owusu Bempah stating we must use Hamashiach instead of savior, Christ, or Messiah. As you said it is just a language and we all end up trying to translate it into our own language which also has certain pronunciations of letters that lead to this so-called mistranslations.
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