Called By His Holy Name*

      I have been calling the Church to a 2 Chron. 7:14 repentance and return to the LORD. This scripture says: "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." This is the only way for a nation to get it right, but how can His people who are called by His Name accomplish this if they do not understand what the Name means?

     In Proverbs, the Book of Wisdom, a man named Agur, whose name means that he is among the assembly of wise men or sages, wrote that he felt ignorant and brutish as he contemplated the greatness of God: "Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell? Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him." (Prov. 30:1-5). We must have a sense of humility in considering the LORD's name. His name is a strong tower and the righteous run into it.

     As God sent Moses to deliver His people from slavery in Egypt, Moses asked God what he should answer if the Israelites asked regarding the God of their fathers who had sent him, 'What is His name?: "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...The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations." (Ex. 3:13-14, see also Ps. 72:17). "The LORD" is written as YHWH, or the Tetragrammaton, the four-lettered name of God. The Hebrew letters of the name are translated "Behold the hand, behold the nail." The Jewish people treat this name as the unpronounceable name of God, and instead use the term HaShem, "the Name". The Name "I AM" mentioned here is the Hebrew word haya, which roughly means "I am whatever you need Me to be." However, it can also mean "Behold, it is done, behold it is finished," and we will see more in connection with this meaning later.

     In the psalms, which were meant to be sung, David sung regarding the name of the LORD (YHWH): "Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things. And blessed be his name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen." (Ps. 72:18-19). Psalm 103 begins: "Bless the (**aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy (**aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) name." Psalm 135 sings: "Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the (**aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) name of the LORD; praise him, O ye servants of the LORD." 'Praise the LORD' - as His servants, the ones called by His name. It is necessary for us to understand what this is saying.

     Psalm 18 sings: "He delivereth me from mine enemies: yea, thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man. Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name." (v. 48-49). The song of praises to name of the LORD is to be sung in the presence of those around us, even the unbelievers, or heathens as it says here. Paul wrote also quoting this same scripture: "That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ...And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name." (Rom. 15:6-9). We saw a troubling display of irreverence in the opening ceremonies of the Paris Olympics, but we also saw many victorious athletes glorifying the name of the LORD in front of all people. This is our song of victory!

     Moses and the children of Israel sang a (**aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) song of victory to the LORD after God had triumphed over the army of Egypt, which had drowned in the Red Sea: "The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him a habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him. The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name." (Ex. 15:1-3). We prepare Him a habitation in our heart, and He is become our salvation (yesua - salvation, deliverance, victory, welfare, prosperity; also the Hebrew name of Jesus). All of the names of God are connected.

     As mentioned above, the name of the LORD, "I AM" also means "Behold it is done, behold it is finished." We read in Revelation 21: "And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son." (v. 5-7). Here we see the second meaning of "I AM": "Behold, it is done, behold, it is finished." Are you called by His holy name? Are you a son? Have you made your heart a habitation for God?

     We see this meaning of the name of the LORD again in Ezekiel: "And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD. So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my (**aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel. Behold, it is come, and it is done (see "I AM" above), saith the LORD God; this is the day whereof I have spoken." (Ezek. 39:6-8). We see again that the name of the LORD is made known among the heathen. His people are not to profane or pollute that holy name. Sadly, we often hear the name of Jesus used as a curse word.

     As Jesus fulfilled prophecy by His suffering, crucifixion death, and burial (see Ps. 22), Jesus, "knowing that all things were now accomplished," spoke His final words on the cross: "It is finished." (Jn. 19:28-30). He not only fulfilled scripture, but fulfilled the meaning of the name of the LORD: "I AM." There is a divine and miraculous purpose for us contained in knowing the name of the LORD: "And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life (zoe/zao - life, absolute fulness of life, vigorous life devoted to God and blessed/to have true life and worthy of the name here and now and eternally) through his name." (Jn. 20:30-31, see also Rom. 4:17). We have abundant life now and eternal life in our belief in His name, the name of the Son of God, Jesus/Yeshua the Messiah/Christ.

     *Based upon Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson, Jr.'s 8/11/24 message to the church. If you would like to hear the complete message, you can find it on Dr. Stevenson's Facebook page. To contact or support this ministry, or to request prayer, you can write to PO Box 154221, Waco, TX, 76705. To find out more about the Shroud of Turin, and to receive a free e-book now available in several languages, go to http://www.theshroudofturin.org/freebook.

**NOTE: aleph-tav written in Hebrew as אֶת, are the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The meaning of the two pictographic Hebrew letters can also be interpreted "Adonai (Lord) of the Cross/Covenant". In the New Testament, these letters are translated as Alpha and Omega written as Α Ω , the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. These letters are those by which Jesus Christ identifies Himself in the Book of Revelation: see Rev. 1:8, Rev. 21:6, Rev. 22:13.

     


      

     

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