Timothy Jay Schwab who is The God Culture is now a children's author. This is perilous for him as Jesus Christ curses those who cause little ones to go astray and the series of books he has written for children serves only to lead them astray. The first of the three books in this series titled "Adventures in the Light" is about the name of Yahuah. It is illustrated but no illustrator is credited which means the illustrations are likely A.I. generated. The hands give it away.
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| https://thegodculture.org/ws/media-library/aa823796145f5d58f025d7394111ea4f/the-name-childrens-ebook_lores.pdf |
Right away from the cover the theological problems shine through.
Every Breath Speaks His Name.
That may sound harmless but it is not. On pages 12-13 we see the following image and text.
Grandpa pointed toward the sky.
“When we breathe, when we live, every breath whispers His Name. Yah… inhale. Huah… exhale.”
That is not Christianity. That is Yoga. That is pranayama. The grandfather assigns a syllable of the Divine Name ("Yah" and "Huah") to the natural, binary rhythm of life, the inhale and the exhale. This is a common structure in mantra meditation, where a sacred word or sound is mentally or verbally repeated in synchronization with the breath.
The text states, "When we breathe, when we live, every breath whispers His Name." This equates the breath not just with biological function, but with divine presence and sustenance, mirroring the yogic concept of prana (life force or soul) being carried by the breath. That is exactly what the illustration shows as the little boy is like a dragon breathing forth fire in which the name YHWH is written.
Focusing on the breath and repeating a sacred sound is a technique designed to bring the mind into a state of calm and present awareness, connecting the individual to the divine or universal consciousness. The character Eliora is being taught a similar technique for remembering God. Tim is probably unaware of the ramifications of what he has written. Even if unintentional it just reveals how theologically unattuned he really is.
The ultimate problem with this book is that it is modalist-unitarian and thus anti-Christian. That is to say it only mentions ONE God and says nothing about Jesus Christ. Who is this singular God? Who is Yahuah? Is it the Father? The Son? The Holy Ghost? Tim does not say but we already know Timothy is an anti-trinitarian heretic who teaches the Holy Spirit is likely a creature, so He's out.
The Holy Spirit as well was there but we just don't have a defined role for Him at that time. Uh, He's not called Elohim. He's not known to be a creator
When you see the word eternal that does not mean they don't have a beginning understand that as well our spirits are eternal, right? But most certainly have a beginning. We were created, right? Angels are eternal but they have a creation point we're actually gonna cover that very clearly on the first day. Uh, it's just not there uh, you know so trying to take, again, a word, uh, out of its own definition, eternal doesn't mean they've lived forever it means they will live forever, umm it does not mean they don't have a beginning. So, they see that word eternal, uh, used in terms of the Ruach and then they assume Oh that means the Holy Spirt is also from before creation, right? Well actually no. No, it doesn't mean that and it doesn't say that.
https://thegodculturephilippines.blogspot.com/2023/08/the-god-culture-blaspheming-holy-spirit.html
That leaves the Father and the Son. Tim does teach that the Creator is two, the Father and the Son but he teaches they have different names. According to Tim the Son is Yahusha and the Father is Yahuah or YHWH.
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| Restoring Creation: Part 12: Who Is Elohim? Gen. 1:1 Understood. First Day. |
1:39 Well, who then are the Elohim of Genesis 1:1 before the angels were even created? Yes they are called Elohim as well because Elohim is a general term for heavenly being. However, there are no other heavenly beings there is two here actually. There's another being on earth, uh, and there you go, that's it, at creation in the very beginning.
18:59 But who is Elohim? Well, the word is plural at least two in the Hebrew, the "im" on the end makes it plural. Plural means not one but two.
37:37 So, in the beginning Elohim created the heavens and the earth. That Elohim is two. The Father and the Son. Again, the Holy Spirit's there but there's no Scripture that ever attributes the Holy Spirit as a creator. It's just not there. You can try to add it. You can try to say, you know, it's equated in some context somewhere. That's fine go ahead and do that but we don't. We just don't placate those kinds of thinkings. We, we go with what the Bible says. So, that's not His role it just isn't in scripture. If it was His role then show us the Scripture. Well you won't because it's not there.
However, Jesus identified Himself with YHWH.
Exodus 3:13 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?
14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.
John 8:58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
The I AM THAT I AM is the same tetragrammaton in Exodus 6:3 translated Jehovah.
And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.
Jesus is Jehovah, YHWH, which Tim claims is properly translated as Yahuha. Jesus is the ultimate revelation of YHWH and the fulfillment of the entire Old Testament. To ignore that is to not understand the meaning of YHWH. It's not about pronunciation, it's about the revelation of the Person of Jesus Christ who is the only mediator between God and men.
1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
In Isaiah 6 we read:
1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.
LORD is YHWH. Isaiah saw YHWH. John says this was Jesus.
John 12:37 But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him:
38 That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?
39 Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again,
40 He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.
41 These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him.
When discussing God it must always be kept in mind that He is not one in a strictly unitarian sense. He is three-in-one. The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are each persons of the Godhead, three hypostases sharing one divine essence, and who are each fully divine. This fact is preserved in the word Elohim which is the plural name of God in Hebrew used in the Genesis.
1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness
That makes this first image all the more troublesome and deeply problematic.
Eliora loved listening to her grandfather’s prayers. He always began, “O Creator of all things…”
One evening, she asked softly, “Grandpa, does the Creator have a name?”
Grandpa smiled and opened an old chest. Inside lay a scroll with four glowing letters. “These letters,” he whispered, “are the Name of our Creator—Yahuah.”
Why does her grandfather begin prayer with "O Creator of all things?" That is theologically vacant and the opposite of what the Bible teaches. Why not "Our Father who art in Heaven" as Christ taught us to pray? Who exactly is he praying to except some generic creator deity that the little girl has to ask his name? Why does he pull a scroll out of a chest instead of turning to the scriptures to explain the name? Why are there no Bible references in the main text of this book? It's nonsense that has nothing to do with biblical doctrine.
Likewise Grandpa's answer to Eliora's question is also unbiblical. Colossians 1 tells us that all things were created by Jesus Christ.
3 We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,
4 Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints,
5 For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;
6 Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:
7 As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ;
8 Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit.
9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;
11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;
12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
Philippians 2 tells us that the name of Jesus is above EVERY NAME. That includes YHWH.
9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
The full revelation of YHWH is to be found only in Jesus Christ. It is not the singular name of the Father. It is also not a magick word capable of transforming nature yet that is how Tim presents it in this Children's book.
When Eliora said the Name, it felt like a deep breath filled her heart. The trees seemed to breathe with her.
Even the ocean waves answered, softly, “Yahuah.”
pg. 11
That night, Eliora dreamed she was walking through a garden. Each flower bloomed when she said, “Yahuah.”
She woke up smiling, still whispering the Name.
pg.15
When dawn came, Eliora stood by the sea. She whispered, “Thank You, Yahuah, for this new day.”
The sky brightened—as if it heard her.
pg. 24
Here is probably the worst offender, YHWH becomes a sing-song chant.
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| pg. 16-17 |
Eliora began to hum a tune—Ya-hu-ah…Ya-hu-ah…
The melody felt like joy. Grandpa joined in, and soon the whole house was singing.
How trivializing. What a way to take something sacred and make it profane. The name of God is now a child's game.
Tim even manages to find a place for anti-Christian and unbiblical legalistic moralizing in his advice about how we are to honor the name YHWH.
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| pg. 18-19 |
“The Name is not a secret,” Grandpa said.
“It’s a gift. We honor it when our hearts are kind, our words gentle, and our hands good.”
This advice plants a legalistic seed that the way to please God is through self-effort, rather than through the righteousness and worship that comes through Christ alone. Being a good person is not how we honor God. It is not how we honor Jesus Christ. We honor Him through worship. Through Spirit and inTruth.
John 4:21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
There is no truth in this little book as it does not lead to Christ who is the ultimate revelation of YHWH. Why would Tim not want to lead children to Jesus Christ? Why would he seek to poison their minds with this anti-Christian presentation of the name YHWH? The seemingly benign content in this book serves an insidious, anti-Trinitarian, and legalistic agenda.
To false teachers like Tim Jesus has nothing positive to say.
Matthew 18:5 And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.
6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
Unless he repents such is the fate of Timothy Jay Schwab who is The God Culture.
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