The Name

THE NAME

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God has given to Jesus God’s own Name, the Name in which all of God’s purposes are fulfilled. When we pray in Jesus’ name it is more than a case of our expressing our identification with Him or of validating our right to pray. There is all authority and power in the Name itself. When the Name is pronounced the entire spirit realm comes to attention.

Be careful when you use the name of Jesus and be sure you are not employing it in vain. It is heavenly dynamite!

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I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name — the name you gave me — so that they may be one as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so Scripture would be fulfilled. (John 17:11,12)

When studying the seventeenth chapter of the Gospel of John, I came across the above two verses. They troubled me somewhat because they differ from the King James Version (below).

And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. (John 17:11,12—KJV)

The principal difference seems to be that whereas the NIV, in verse eleven, emphasizes the name that God has given Christ, the KJV stresses the people that God has given Christ. They both are speaking of God and Christ protecting the saints through God’s name, but the NIV places more emphasis on the fact that God has given to Christ God’s Name, and consequently God’s authority and power.

Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name — the name you gave me — so that they may be one — NIV.

Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one — KJV.

The name you gave me.
Those whom thou hast given me.

While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me — NIV.

While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept — KJV.

That name you gave me.
Those that thou gavest me.

Apparently the name, in verse eleven, does not appear in the original text; and so it may be a translator’s choice.

My next move was to search the word “name” in the New Testament to see if it received special emphasis. I was surprised to see the way the term was used, particularly in the Book of Acts.

I had always believed to pray in Jesus’ name meant to identify ourselves with the Lord, or to validate our authority to pray to God. To emphasize the Name itself seemed to me to be getting to close to using the name of Jesus as some sort of incantation. But now I am not so sure. The emphasis on the Name seems to invest it with a power of its own.

I am not suggesting that we view the name of the Lord as some sort of magic. My point is that the Name of Christ is associated with infinite authority and power and it is to be used with this in mind.

Following are some of the verses that caught my attention, beginning in the Old Testament:

Pay attention to him and listen to what he says. Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive your rebellion, since my Name is in him. (Exodus 23:21).

Doesn’t that strike you as an odd expression? When speaking of His messenger we would think God would say “I am in him,” or “he has my authority,” or “he represents me.”

Do you see what I am saying? “My Name is in him gives a special importance to the Name of God in and of itself; or so it seems to me.

The son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the Name with a curse; so they brought him to Moses. (His mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri the Danite.) (Leviticus 24:11)

One would expect “the son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the Lord.” Instead we have “the son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the Name” as though the Name itself has a special significance.

So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them. (Numbers 6:28)

The putting of God’s Name on the Israelites indicated that they belonged to God in a special way.

Notice further:

Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name. (Revelation 3:12)

I suspect that the three names mentioned above will be visible on the victorious saints. They indicate to the observers that the individual belongs to the Father; that he or she is a part of the new Jerusalem; and that he or she represents Christ.

But you are to seek the place the LORD your God will choose from among all your tribes to put his Name there for his dwelling. To that place you must go; (Deuteronomy 12:5)

We see from this that God can choose to put His Name in a specific place on the earth. This action makes the area holy. How wonderful it will be when the Throne of God is on the earth and people can go up to Jerusalem and visit with God any time they wish. Then we will pray to God on the earth and not to God in Heaven

You know because of the wars waged against my father David from all sides, he could not build a temple for the Name of the LORD his God until the LORD put his enemies under his feet. (I Kings 5:3)

The Temple of Solomon was built “for the Name of the Lord.” We would say, “the Temple was built to glorify the Lord” or “the Temple was built for the Lord to dwell in.” It just seems to me a little odd to state the Temple was built “for the Name of the Lord.” How does this strike you?

The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe. (Proverbs 18:10)

It seems like the proverb should to say “the Lord is a strong tower.” But “the name of the Lord”? I think there is more here than appears at first glance.

A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he leads justice to victory. In his name the nations will put their hope. (Matthew 12:20,21)

Here we find the nations of the earth will put their trust in the Name of the Lord Jesus; not in the Lord Jesus, but in the Name of the Lord Jesus as an element in and of itself. I understand this means the nations will put their trust in the Lord Jesus. But the way it is expressed intrigues me. I think there may be significance here beyond what is obvious.

For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them. (Matthew 18:20)

When we come together as Christians it is not just that we are “going to church.” We are gathering in the Name of Jesus Christ. Where His Name is, there He will be.

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God — (John 1:12)

Again, we would expect to find “those who believed in him.” The Name is the issue. Evidently names have more significance in the spirit realm than we understand.

Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. (John 3:18)

At one time Christ was the Logos, the Word of God. The angel commanded His mother to call Him “Jesus.” God proclaimed Him Son. Peter states He is Lord and Christ. Revelation speaks of the “Lamb.” In the future He will be given a new name.

The victorious saints will be given a new name, no doubt a name more in keeping with what they have become in Christ.

Our present name is of little significance. The name the Lord will give us one day will have enormous significance, for it will reveal what we have become.

Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. (Acts 2:36)

While the verse above does not employ the term name, it is of the greatest importance. It is a declaration to the heavens and the earth that God has made Jesus Lord of all, and the Christ proclaimed by the Prophets.

This passage reveals clearly that the Father and Christ are not the same person, and also that the Father is greater than Christ. Christ has been elevated by the Father to the highest of all thrones; but He is not the Father and is exalted because the Father has exalted Him.

It is the Father who has placed His own Name, the Name of God, on Jesus. Thus we worship Christ and pray to Him as God.

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)

We would expect “there is no other person under Heaven who can save us.” Instead we find an emphasis on the Name. We are saved by believing in the Name, by faith in the Name.

Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus. (Acts 4:30)

The seven sons of Sceva invoked the name of the Lord Jesus over the demon-possessed. The demons knew about Jesus and Paul, but not those who were attempting to use the Name without authorization.

Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” (Acts 19:13)

The results were disastrous. The Lord does not want His Name used by those whom He has not commissioned.

But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. (Acts 8:12)

Again, the Name.

But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” (Acts 9:15,16)

“Carry my name before the Gentiles.” “Suffer for my name.”

Evidently it is of the utmost importance that we hold up the Name of Jesus. There may come a day in the future when we Americans are persecuted for our faith in Christ. We may be tempted to present our Christian faith in innocuous terms, or terms that agree with the humanistic motives of those in authority.

We cannot do this, even though it means our being tortured or killed. We must hold up the Name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. We must always be clear that He is Lord of all. If we do not do this, He will deny us before His Father.

All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name. (Acts 10:43)

It is through the Name of Jesus that we receive forgiveness of our sins.

That the remnant of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things (Acts 15:17)

It is important that we bear the name of Christ. It is not as important that we bear the name of a Christian denomination or a particular group of church. But it is of supreme importance that we are recognized as belonging to Jesus Christ.

For this reason I kneel before the Father, From whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. (Ephesians 3:14,15)

God has given His Name to Christ. Now Christ has given His name to us. We belong to God through Christ.

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, (Philippians 2:9,10)

“The name that is above every name.” All creatures shall bow at the name of Jesus.

Notice that there are persons under the earth. It seems there are dark caverns under the earth’s surface. When those who have disobeyed God die they are not met by the Lord or their friends or relatives. They are met by demons who conduct them downward until they arrive at their level of darkness.

There they will be caged; yet they will be able to see the believers rejoicing in the Presence of Christ. The little children will be playing and singing in the light and the glory.

Those whom the Lord intends to save will have a long period of time in which to consider the evil they have practiced, their disobedience to the Lord.

The truly wicked will be led down into deep, dark caverns to find their place among the monsters of history. They will suffer in the heat and darkness, being mocked by those lords who are yet more wicked.

They have chosen Satan, and Satan shall be given to them.

Even in the deepest, darkest of these dungeons under the earth’s surface, the knees shall bow at the name of Jesus.

God is patient with men in the present hour. But when the Day of Wrath comes, no mercy will be shown to the wicked.

So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs. For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father”? Or again, “I will be his Father, and he will be my Son”? (Hebrews 1:4,5)

Jesus has been named the Son of God at His birth, at His water baptism, and by His resurrection from the dead.

The same is true of us. We also are sons of God by believing in His Name. The name we have been given reveals our superiority over the angels of Heaven.

It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans. (III John 1:7)

The verse above gives us an indication of how important the Name was at the beginning of the Church Age. Today we place too much importance on the name of our sect of denomination. The names Catholic or Evangelical or Pentecostal are not important. They are divisive, an indication of a self-seeking attitude.

The name, the only name, that is important is the Name of Jesus. It was for the sake of that Name that the Apostles went forth to do their work.

You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. (Revelation 2:3)

We persevere and endure hardships for the sake of Jesus’ Name. We hold up that Name in the midst of our perverse generation, a generation that desires to cast off all of God’s restraints. But that Name will triumph at last!

I know where you live — where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city — where Satan lives. (Revelation 2:13)

In the midst of violent persecution we are to remain true to the Name of the Lord Jesus, even in the very presence of Satan. Satan needs to see in us the authority and power of Christ. What we do as church people is not always important. What is important is the lifting up of Jesus Christ — that He is Lord of all. God will bless all who hold up the Name of His Son.

I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. (Revelation 3:8)

It is necessary that we do not deny the name of Christ. In the not too distant future there will arise governments motivated by humanistic considerations. The idea will be to secure the rights of people, to make certain no individual suffers or even is inconvenienced.

The Antichrist governments will seek the help of the Christian churches in their efforts to benefit mankind. Many Christian churches will join with the government in promoting the welfare of people.

Soon, however, it will become evident that the government, while promoting the welfare of the human race, is suppressing the mystical elements of the Christian religion. Also, those whom God raises up to point out to God’s people their sins will be frowned on. Worldly people will never understand the way of the cross, the path of self-denial.

Numerous Christian churches will turn against the warlike remnant who thunder against unrighteousness, who proclaim God’s opinion of activities that appear to promote the welfare of people.

Abortion is a case in point. Abortion is the murder of people. God will judge abortions as murder. Obviously such preaching will not bring happiness and joy to worldly people. The Christian churches then will have to decide whether to join with the government in its welfare programs, or to stand as the Lampstand of God, showing forth His truth and righteousness.

In that day we must be instantly ready to be tortured or to die for the name of Jesus. We must prepare ourselves today. We cannot wait until we are forced to make a decision in dire circumstances.

Some years ago a friend of ours had a dream, or vision. Those who were persecuting Christians came to her house. They took her and forced her head down into the toilet. Then they demanded of her that she deny Christ.

What she got out of this episode is that the believer needs to be prepared beforehand so when the emergency arises the decision already has been made.

Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. (Revelation 14:1)

I desire to have the Name of the Lamb and the Name of the Father written on my forehead. I want this more than anything else in the world.

Having Their Names on our forehead means we belong to Them for eternity. Where They go, we go. Where we go, They go.

It is true that whoever has the Son has the Father also. So it will be the case with us that whoever has us will have the Son and the Father also.

But notice the opposite!

And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name. (Revelation 14:11)

Those who agree to the present world system, the system based on money and education, the system that tells people they are their own god, and the only god that exists is the god within them, will suffer greatly. They have the mark of the name of Antichrist, the world spirit, on their forehead or on their hand.

Some have pointed to Mussolini or Hitler or Stalin or someone else as the Antichrist. Others are seeing Antichrist in a computer in Brussels.

The truth is, the spirit of Antichrist is in all of us, even Christians, until God burns the self-will out of us. While there will be, I believe, an actual individual who exemplifies the Antichrist spirit, the danger is that today we may be walking in the world instead of in the Spirit of God. This is true, I think, of most Christian people because of the erroneous teaching they have had.

Either we have the Name of Christ on us or we have the name of Antichrist on us. Either we belong to God or we belong to Satan.

We humans are only dust. We are of little significance. It is whom we belong to that is important.

If we are willing to forsake our own life, to deny ourselves, to take up our cross and follow the Lord Jesus, then we belong to Christ.

If we are not willing to forsake our own life, to deny ourselves, to take up our cross and follow the Lord Jesus, then we belong to Antichrist. There is no place in the middle. Either we gather to the Lord or we scatter away from the Lord.

There are millions of Christian people in the United States of America. Most of them, while they have “accepted Christ” according to the current formula, have no intention whatever of denying themselves, of taking up their cross and following Jesus.

Therefore they are not disciples.

Therefore they are not Christians, except in the sense of membership in the “Christian religion.”

They do not have the Name of the Lamb and the Father inscribed on their foreheads. They are candidates for the mark of the name of Antichrist, and by the name of Antichrist they are known in the spirit world.

The sublime ending of the Bible informs us that the members of the new Jerusalem, the holy city, the glorified Church of Christ, will see the Face of God and of the Lamb and His Name will be on their foreheads.

They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. (Revelation 22:4)

How important is a name? The name each of us received from his or her mother serves us during the present lifetime. We are Claude or Abdul or Mary or Ingrid. Such a name was given to us at our birth and says little or nothing about what kind of person we are.

When Christ is conceived in us an utterly new creation begins to develop. That new creation is not us. It is not Christ. It is a new person formed from the indissoluble union of us and Christ.

God will then give us our name that is our name. From this time forth we will be known throughout the creation by that new name, a name describing what we have become in Christ and what our rank and role in the Kingdom is.

But what about the disobedient believers and the utterly wicked?

I know of no Bible passage that says they will be given a new name. Perhaps there is no need. They pass from corruption to corruption unless God decides to save them by fire. Perhaps in this case they, having all of their inheritance and most of their personality burned away by intense flames, will be granted to start again as a child. Maybe a new name will be granted at that time.

Adam named the animals. The father of John the Baptist named his son and then his mouth was opened. God gave a name to Solomon although it was not used.

God likes to name people, it appears. Jesus had names for Peter, James, and John.

But there is one Name that is above all others. It is the name of Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords. God has made it so.

Let us therefore please God by keeping the Name of Jesus holy in our heart, and by lifting it up even in this valley of the shadow of death in which we are attempting to survive.

May Heaven rejoice and Hell tremble. Let the highest of all angels, the cherubim, the seraphim, bow the knee at the Name of Jesus. Let the creatures dwelling deep in the earth in the fires that give no light bow the knee at the Name of Jesus.

Let all cry: “Jesus is Lord.”

Such glorifying of the greatest Son pleases God, His Father. Those who lift up the Name will be blessed. Those who despise the Name will dwell in dry places and will not see good when it come.

I desire to glorify the Name in my thinking, words, and actions — in my total personality.

How about you?

(“The Name”, 3750-1)