Jacob Owen Meyer (November 11, 1934 – April 9, 2010) was the founder and directing elder of the Assemblies of Yahweh and its institutions, the Obadiah School of the Bible and Dalet School. Elder Meyer created and edited two monthly magazines, The Sacred Name Broadcaster and the The Narrow Way.
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Meyer devoted his life to the study, language, and life setting of the Bible.[1] Meyer's family came from Germany in 1717, when Johannes Meyer came to inspect the prospects of the New World. After selling his possessions in Germany, he returned to the U.S with the entire family, settling 40 miles (64 km) south of present day Bethel and 40 miles (64 km) west of Philadelphia, in Lancaster County. In 1732 he bought 500 acres (2.0 km2) of land, 10 miles (16 km) west of Bethel at Fredericksburg, and moved onto the homestead about 1740 . Elder Meyer's grandfather came east to Berks County, in which he married a young girl from the area, and bought a farm two miles (3 km) south of Bethel. It was here where Jacob O. Meyer was born. He was interested in Bible translation and this runs in his family, his nephew James A. Meyer, produced "The Sacred Scriptures, Family of Yah Edition". "[2]".
Meyer studied at the Evangelical School of Theology in Myerstown, PA. He also earned an associate's degree from Thomas Edison State College. He was ordained in 1965, continuing working in the business world until he became a full-time minister in 1970. He withdrew from the Church of the Brethren and founded the Assemblies of Yahweh in 1966 (Paul 2003:162).
Elder Meyer and his wife grew up in conservative, religious homes, and both were active in their local congregations. Elder Meyer by the 1970s attended theological college,[3] conducted meetings,[4] and conducted biblical classes at the institutions he attended. Even in the early 1960s Elder Meyer began to learn truths which were not being taught outside his Biblical classes. According to reports, professors, teachers and theologians would confirm absolutely that the name of God was Yahweh, but outside classes, went back to using the "pagan" general terms (e.g. God).[5] With a growing trend of liberalism creeping in to the denomination to which he belonged, Elder Meyer and his wife began to look for religious groups willing to comply with "Yahweh’s Royal Law".[6]
| “ | Although the Assemblies of Yahweh here in the U.S in not large numerically, the impact…throughout the world is profound. | ” |
Their efforts were not successful and therefore, Elder Meyer began to formulate a plan.[5] that the Meyer family should simply isolate themselves from the world, save up their tithes and finally, send a "one time herald" message via a newspaper article or some other means.[5] Had Elder Meyer taken such a path, the Assemblies of Yahweh would have never come in to being – a major proponent for the worship of Yahweh.[8]
Elder Meyer recognized this was "not the will of Yahweh"[5] and turned once again to seek other groups that were willing to help spread Bible truth. Meyer stumbled across some Sacred Name groups, but doctrinal error[9] in their teachings furthered Meyer's separation from such assemblies. Nevertheless, Meyer did help to publish the Sacred Name Herald,).[5] after which, having confronted this group about their doctrinal errors, returned to Bethel in 1964.
In 1965, when following a radio message he delivered, Meyer was asked to begin an assembly type organization, he agreed,[10] saying "If it be Yahweh's Will".
At this point the 30 year-old Elder Meyer was anointed with oil,[4] and the Assemblies of Yahweh emerged. Elder Meyer pointed out the auspicious coincidence that this age was also the time when priests were installed to do the work of Yahweh in the Hebrew Scriptures.[10]
Jacob Meyer been a prolific writer with the monthly magazines, creation of the conservative Sacred Name Bible, the Sacred Scriptures Bethel Edition and the completion of several books, but Meyer also travelled the globe distributing literature and visiting those who had shown an interest in the ministry. This includes to North and South America ).[5] Europe,[5] Asia, the Caribbean and Israel. Some of these journeys included his wife.[4][11] On top of this, Meyer maintained the Assemblies of Yahweh after two major attempts were made to overthrow the ministry and the faith of the members. Numerous other attempts were made by ex-members to hinder their progress through imitation (see Sacred Name Movement) and prevarication. One group had to be taken to court for infringing upon the Assemblies of Yahweh name multiple times and others have been warned about using Assemblies of Yahweh material without the consent of the ministry. Elder Jacob O. Meyer had received threats, vandalism against property and verbal abuse, despite being a law-abiding and respectable individual of the community. The Assemblies of Yahweh is now led by an administration called the Three Fold Cord, from Ecc. 4:12, which consists of Meyer's three sons who have remained faithful to the mission and doctrines of the organization.
Elder Meyer was awarded a plaque in 2007 for over 40 years of dedication and sacrificial fortitude, to put the truth of the ministry out into the world (Archive materials show that Meyer sacrificed four years of wages from the Assemblies of Yahweh to get the truth out, while also maintaining a job and a family).[5] Meyer serves as a board member of the National Association of Shortwave Broadcasting and was also successfully nominated as township constable in Bethel, PA, a position he never sought.
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