The Name Of God
By Bro. Willoughby
Who is Jesus Christ? This is a question that has baffled men down through the ages. Religious men, trained, stopped to ponder this in their heart. Who is Jesus Christ? The world by wisdom knew not God. The world, professes themselves to be wise and became fools. This is where we are right now.
We are living in a day where a college education is held at a premium. I am not against a college education, but you will never find out who Jesus Christ is by looking at a college textbook. A person will never find out who Jesus is by walking up and down the halls of education. The Lora said “Simon, flesh and blood hath not revealed; his unto you, but my father which is in heaven. No man knoweth who the son is but the father, and he to whom the son will reveal himself. There has got to be this matter of divine revelation that knows who Jesus Christ is. The biggest majority of Christianity today that profess to come under the Christian banner think they know who Jesus Christ is. It is evident they do not know who Jesus Christ is. They are puzzled, they are baffled, they are confused. Jesus Christ is a unique individual. To some he is a stepping stone, and to other people he is a stumbling block, but the divine revelation makes all the difference in the world. Who is Jesus Christ? The largest majority of people who profess to come under the banner of Christianity believe in the doctrine of the Trinity. We do not believe in the doctrine of the Trinity because it is not taught in the word of God. First of all we need to understand who our enemy is. We are not just shadow boxing or beating the air.
We ought to be able to define the doctrine of the Trinity. What is the common teachings concerning Jesus Christ in the doctrine of the Trinity? There is one God. That is what they believe, they don’t believe in three gods, of course that is what it turns out to be. They believe there is one God that eternally exists in three separate and distinct persons. How can three people be one god? Or how can one god be three people? Well, it’s hard to understand isn’t it? It’s hard to figure out, but that is the teaching.
We believe in one God and that one God is a spirit, and a spirit does not have any definite shape or form. This one God was manifested as a father in creation. In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God, and the word was made flesh and dwelt among us. That same God became the Holy Ghost, which we know as the end-dwelling Spirit. This is all just one God. They claim they are co-equal, co-eternal, and co-existent. First, of all, they are not co-eternal. Co-eternal means they all three have always existed. We don’t believe this. We also don’t believe in the eternal sonship. We believe the sonship had a beginning, and it is going to have an ending.
In I Corinthians chapter 15, the sonship is merely an office. How can you have a son as old as his father? You can’t have a son without a mother. If Jesus is the eternal son then who is the eternal mother? Thou art my son, this day have I begotten you. There is a difference between the word begotten and the word eternal. The word begotten means have had a point of origin. The son of God was not eternal.
In fact, you will not find the son of God in existence anywhere in the Old testament times. The Jews don’t believe it, and we don’t believe it. Jesus Christ was a unique individual, he had no earthly father and no heavenly mother. Jesus Christ was not a mixture of half man and half God. Jesus Christ was 100% man and100% God. Jesus Christ had a dual nature. In respect to his human side he was a man. In respect to his divinity he was God. Jesus said, before Abraham was I am. When Jesus walked beside the sea he walked as God. Jesus was a unique individual. They have God the father, God the son, and God the Holy Ghost three separate and distinct co-equal persons. Yet, one God who is co-equal with the other person of the Trinity that has to pray to the other person. So there is one person praying to another person at the garden and asking for help. Any god that has to pray is ungoding himself. When you see a man praying you know he needs help. We serve a God that doesn’t need help. John 3:16 says that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believith on him should not parish, but have everlasting life. Here again three co-equal persons; so god the father said, son come over here. I love the world so much that I am going to send you down there to die for it. So then the son looks up and says, “Dad, if you love the world so much how come you don’t just go yourself? How come you are sending me? How come you are sending me to do the dirty work? That is the real glory of it all. He didn’t send somebody else, he robed himself in flesh. In Mathew 28:18 Jesus says all power given unto me in heaven and in earth. Does that sound like it’s co-equal. In Revelation 8:8, Jesus said I am he which was, which is, and is to come, the almighty. How many almighties can you have? All the power in heaven and in earth is ordained to be in the hands of our Lord and Master Jesus Christ. They are not co-equal, co-eternal, or co-existent. They claim there is no jealousy among them. I even disagree with that because the bible says that our God is a jealous God. Jesus Christ also says that his glory he will not give to another. If there are three separate persons and they are all co-existent then you have a problem. Then who raised Jesus from the dead?
I asked that to a fellow one time and he said God the Father, the first person of the Trinity raised Jesus Christ from the dead. I just smiled and said you are right I quoted scripture to prove it.
In Corinthians 1:1, Paul said, not by man neither by man but, by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead. I didn’t just stop there I said now let’s read John 2:19, Jesus spake of the temple of his body and he said destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up. Now who raised Jesus from the dead? We then turn to Romans 8:11, but if the spirit of him that raised up Christ from the dead dwell in you, he that quickened the mortal body of Jesus shall also quicken your mortal body by his spirit that dwelleth in you. So now that the Holy Ghost raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Wouldn’t you have liked to have been there on the third day when three separate persons showed up to do the job.
The bible says Hear O Israel the Lord our God is one Lord and thou shalt love the lord our God with all thy heart, with all our strength. Unless you have the divine revelation yourself you will never know Jesus Christ. God has chosen to reveal himself in a unique way. In other words, God didn’t way back in the beginning just jump out in front of people and say alright here I am, you know everything there is to know about me. God is a holy God and man is a fallen creature. So, God says, therefore, since I am holy and you are not, you are going to get glimpses of me.
The bible says line upon line precept upon precept here a little and there a little. God revealed himself to Abraham. God revealed himself to Elohim, the self existent one. God revealed himself to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob through what is commonly called the Eloistic combination basically there are three. The first one is Elshadia which means the almighty God. God revealed himself as the Arean which means the everlasting God. These were the Eloistic combinations. God always speaks of himself in present tense. He is not the great I was or the great I will be. He is the great I am. One time God spoke to Moses in Exodus 6:3, and told him that he would be known as Jehovah which is Gods’ Old Testament redemption name. Then God began to reveal himself through what is called the Jehovahistic combination. God revealed himself unto Israel as Jehovah Sapeh, which means the Lord that healeth. God then revealed himself as Jehovah Nissi, the Lord our banner, or the Lord our victory. God revealed himself as Jehovah Shalom, the Lord send peace.
Then God revealed himself as Jehovah Shamma, the Lord is present. God revealed himself as Jehovah Salcath, the Lord of hosts or the Lord of battle. God revealed himself to various prophets and men of God down through the years. While all of this was going on there was a great big secret being kept in heaven in a vault. There are several men in the Old Testament that tried to get into that vault.
Jacob tried to get into the vault one time and he wrestled with an angel till the break of day. Then the angel asked Jacob what his name was and he confessed that his name was Jacob and the angel changed his name to Israel. Then Jacob asked him what his name was. The angel never answered him, but instead blessed him. Jacob was never blessed until he inquired about he name. When you get to talking about the Lord, when you get hungry and thirsty for rightousness you are headed for a blessing of the Holy Ghost. You are headed for the presence and power of God that will change your name, and put you in the family of the Lord. There was another man that tried to get into the vault his name was Mencah who was the father of Sampson. The angel of the Lord appeared unto them before the birth of Sampson and did great and marvelous things in their presence. When it was time for him to ascend up into heaven from the fiery altar they said to wait before you go tell us what is your name? So that in future generation we can speak highly of you and mention your name. His answer came back and he said I can’t tell you my name wherefore is it that thou dost ask for my name seeing is a secret. It was not time for the revelation. They knew him in the Old Testament as Elohim and Jehovah, but there was a secret being kept down through the ages. Then there came a time for the vault to be opened, and in it was a sealed envelope and the envelope was placed in the hands of Gabriel. God said, take his down to a woman in nazareth named Mary. Then the secret was revealed. An exciting name, and inclusive name. He had revealed himself through all of the Old Testament names, but only through the name of Jesus Christ all of those names are dumped into that one name and find fulfillment in that one name. All of the names of the Old Testament correlate to the one name of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ opened the doors to he Jews in Acts chapter 2. He opened the doors to the Samaritans in Acts chapter 8. He opened the doors to the Gentiles in Acts chapter 10. In Acts chapter 2,
8, and 10, I find baptism in Jesus name. Thank God for the truth in Baptism in Jesus name. Jesus Christ is so wonderful. He possesses a dynamic vertility. They tell me that years ago a Christian was on a tour over in Saudi Arabia which is strong Mohamed country. This Christian man ran into a follower of Mohamed. This Mahomed follower began to boast and brag and rattle of some names and offices of his great prophet, and I believe it was a hundred or so. Then he got done he looked at the Christian and said, what have you got to say about your Lord Jesus Christ. They say that the Christian had to almost hang his head and cry.
To give you a brief crosscut of how great our Lord Jesus Christ is let me tell you some of the things our bible says.
He is the apostle of our profession, the arm of the Lord, the author and finisher of our faith, the author of our eternal salvation, the beloved son, the captain of our Salvation.
Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name except the name that came out of that vault years ago. The name that was handed to that angel Gabriel said take it down to Mary. That’s the name that has been ordained of God to save the world.
Friend, hear me tonight. Don’t reject that name; don’t walk out of this tabernacle and turn your back on that name. Answer the call of God tonight, come running down these aisles. Hit this prayer room, repent in that name. I command you to be baptized in that name. Let my love fill you with the Holy Ghost in that name.
