THE NAME OF THE LORD
THE NAME OF THE LORD
JAN LILLEBY
Proverbs 18:10, NASB,
The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.
David Bever, a retired Lutheran Teacher, wrote a short lecture on this huge topic. He was a teacher at the Concordia University, Irvine, California. So I chose to open my article quoting him, - and he leans on the known ‘Lent’ days, the forty days beginning on Ash Wednesday, until Passover – likened much with the fasting of Jesus before He entered His ministry.
“Do you know what your name means? What is significant about your name? What is important, during Lent, about the Lord’s name?
A strong tower was a central place in ancient cities where people could run to when facing danger and then find safety and protection. What do these buildings have in common? The Empire State Building, One World Trade Center, Sears Tower, the Chrysler Building. These buildings are known for their architecture, height, and beauty. They are important but they will not last forever, and they cannot save you from your sins.
The Lord is a strong tower in fearful and scary times. It is the name of the Lord that is our strong tower. It is the place of safety which God promises to those who run to Him. The name of the Lord is a Biblical expression for the whole character of God. The name of the Lord refers to God’s person and character. The Lord is our rock, our refuge, our fortress, our shepherd, our king, and our redeemer.
In the Bible the Lord has revealed to us that He is merciful, kind, and caring. The Lord’s name is above all names because His name is holy. The name of God is a place where righteous people find safety. Believers who call on God with faith are declared righteous and are protected from all enemies because they are safe in the strong spiritual tower of God. Let us run to Jesus our strong tower knowing that He is our refuge and strength. Let us run to Jesus with our concerns and troubles so that we find eternal comfort from His words of joy and strength.” End of quote.
I am not a so-called ‘Lutheran’ Christian, like Rev. Bever. I have several issues in which I disagree with the Lutheran Church, such as water baptism of infants, and many others. My spiritual and doctrinal standing is with the Acts-28 camp.
But Lutherans, even Catholics (in spite of their use of Virgin Mary) and any classic Christian denominations, are all in agreement of the NAME OF THE LORD. It is the NAME over all names, and the Lord is LORD over all lords and anyone in the entire world. A human being can only be saved for eternity if he believes on the Lord Jesus Christ.
I am sorry – all of you Muslims, Hindus, and you who are believing on other gods and ‘names’ – but I have to persist in the Biblical fact that we can only expect to be saved through faith in Jesus Christ, the mighty Son of the Almighty God and Creator of all things.
Paul the apostle to the Gentiles, put it right when he wrote the Ephesians, as in Eph. 4, 5-7, NASB,
“5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.
7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift.”
Whether we read the Old Testament or the New Testament, it concludes rightly with the true statement of God’s existence: There is but ONE GOD. Only God Yahve, the Father of Christ, is that one and only God, the creator, the Almighty. And He sent ONLY JESUS to atone for the sins of the world, on the cross. Jesus was presented to the world – firstly Israel – then later sending Paul to the Gentile world, 600 years before Muhammad. This is a fact to behold. I do not use this to ‘put down’ believers in non-Christian religions. I wish these believers well, in that I here shortly point them on to the right Savior of mankind, Jesus Christ.
Both the Acts-Body (Messianic assemblies) under the apostolic era, as well as the Grace era in which we are now, since Paul established this church era/dispensation, the Mystery-Body ‘One new Man’, have in common that we are all in awe and adoration regarding the Holy Name of the Lord. God is the Father of Jesus Christ, and when we pray, we are told to thank God in the NAME of Jesus.
There is no one like The Lord, Jesus Christ. His name is above ALL other names.
JESUS’ NAME IS SO UTTERLY HOLY THAT IT
CALLS FOR VENGEANCE AGAINST THOSE
WHO ARE GUILTY OF BLASPHEMING IT
When we read Ezekiel 36:19-23, NASB, we find that the Lord’s fierce vengeance will come against, NOT the Muslims; NOT the Hindus, or any other known religion with their millions of believers!
This is however not an attestation of these unbiblical religions, that they are not targeted by God Almighty. But regarding Jewry and their evil deeds, like blasphemy against the NAME of the Lord is a main issue, it shows that these people will be punished for having put down the name of Jesus among the Gentile nations where they have lived after the war in 70 CE and the burning of Jerusalem. IMAGE: The Mocking of Christ, by M. G. Grunewald, 1505 CE.
Jesus is not going to punish Muslims or Hindus or any other religions. No, instead He is going to come from heaven (Rev. 19) and so be the teacher to the whole world. The world will be blessed by the Lord’s true teachings when He shall rule from Zion in the future millennial kingdom. Ref. Isa. 2.
But first the evil minded and disbelieving Jewry and Israel will be punished:
19 "Also I scattered them among the nations and they were dispersed throughout the lands. According to their ways and their deeds I judged them.
20 "When they came to the nations where * they went, they profaned My holy name, because it was said of them, 'These are the people of the LORD; yet they have come out of His land.'
21 "But I had concern for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations where * they went.
22 "Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where * you went.
23 "I will vindicate the holiness of My great name which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD," declares the Lord GOD, "when I prove Myself holy among you in their sight.” (Editor’s emphasize)
In this frightful scenario God shall deal with His land, since the Jews were scattered in the world in 70 CE due to the war.
The dispersed Jews are charged by God for their constant blasphemy against the NAME of Jesus Christ, the Lord! This action is what Jesus called for ‘Great Tribulation’ in Mat. 24…a time of seven years of horrible disasters and punishments. Details are found in Rev. 6 and on. Asteroids and meteorites shall fall upon Israel, as well as countless horrors. (I refer to my book ‘Moses and Elijah is Coming With the Day of Vengeance’ – free download here on my site).
We all know that Jewry’s majority are trampling on Jesus’ name. In their Talmud we read that Jesus is portrayed as a bastard son of an unholy marriage of Mary and a Roman Centurion. Talmud further says that Jesus was a sorcerer and false prophet, and that he now suffers the pains of boiling in Hell in hot excrement!
Notice verse 23 above, that the Lord will vindicate the… ‘HOLINESS OF MY GREAT NAME’ - which has been profaned among the nations, which YOU JEWS (!) have profaned in their midst. Gentiles all over the world (and thus including also all kinds of non-Christian religions) have had to constantly be listening to such profanity and curses. It is the Jews, the nation which once was God’s own nation, above all other nations. But we learn that the Gentile nations by this harsh judgement will know that it is an action taken by God Almighty!
If you are watching films and TV-series made in Hollywood and larger TV-Medias, you will often notice that in such shows the name of Jesus is widely profaned and used as a cursing word. I could list much of these ugly statements, but I shall spare you of this insult.
So, we see now that in the future Great Tribulation, Christ shall cast frightening punishments upon the land, and that ugly profaning of Jesus’ name will come to an end!
At present we are still under the Grace dispensation of God. He will not carry out judgements in our time. But after the conclusion of the Church (see Col. 3:1-4) as we are taken into heaven by the power of God, - He shall send down His two mighty judgement-prophets, Moses and Elijah, and the Great Tribulation is suddenly cast upon Israel. It is payback time! Rev. 11 tells of this in details. It will surely come and guilty slanderers of Jesus’ name will be dealt with by God.
“The nations will know that I am the Lord” – it says in verse 23.
Let us keep in mind that the NAME of the Lord is HOLY and the mightiest NAME in the entire creation, Jesus Christ.
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