What’s in a name? Identity is, and in Scripture character too is wrapped up in a name. Jacob who was the “supplanter”, the “one who takes the heel” can attest to the character aspect of a name. This is true also of God and the names by which He give us to know Him. Not only is His identity revealed to us but also His character. It is by this way we will begin our study into the Godhead, by looking at the “name” God gives us for Himself.

Let’s begin in a perfect place, in the beginning. Genesis 1:1 states “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” As we noted in our last article, the word for God in the Hebrew here is ‘Elohiym’ which means – God, the Supreme God or Divinity – so God is Divine, and the Supreme God. Of course we know that the Bible states that there are gods a plenty but they are not really gods at all for there is only one God, creator, redeemer, sustainer and deliverer. To this identity of ‘Divinity’ is added another name in Genesis 2:4, “These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens.”

Now the word Lord is added, which is the Hebrew word “Jehovah” which has the meaning – self-existent one, or Eternal. So not only does the name of God give Him the Identity of Supreme God, but also the characteristic (not character) of being self-existent, meaning that He is life, His life has always been, it has never been derived or originated at any time, He has always been.

The ‘LORD God’, Jehovah Elohiym, the Self-existent Divine Supreme God; quite a name don’t you think? Whenever we see the name Jehovah, we know that this is the self-existent God, a God without beginning and without end. Our question then is for this part of our study this:

Does the Bible EVER use the name Jehovah to describe Jesus? If it does it gives us a VERY CLEAR concept of God that no matter what else is said in Scripture we cannot, dare not, go beyond!

Our first text will come from Isaiah 8:13-14, it states:

Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.

And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

This is a Messianic prophecy. Jesus was the stone of stumbling and the rock of offence to both the houses of Israel. The New Testament fulfillment is found in Luke 20:17-18, speaking of Jesus. Then we must understand that in the passage from Isaiah that when the Bible states that the ‘Lord’ , the self-existent one, will be a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence that it is referring to Jesus as the self-existent one. Which means that Jesus has had no beginning. This point is definite, there is no confusion. There are other texts that support this truth as we see in Psalm 90:1-2:

A Prayer of Moses the man of God. LORD, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou [art] God.

Here again the ‘Lord’, the self-existent one, has formed the earth and is from everlasting to everlasting and is God. We all can agree that the New Testament is clear as to the fact the Jesus is the creator of the earth. This is written in John 1:1-14, and Colossians 1:16, in which the latter states that Jesus is the creator of “all things”, not just our world. But follow me to another passage in Scripture:

Psalm 93:2 - The LORD reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the LORD is clothed with strength, [wherewith] he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved. Thy throne [is] established of old: thou [art] from everlasting.

Now let us ask ourselves a question. Is this passage speaking of God the Father and His throne or is it speaking of Jesus? Most of us would agree that Psalm 93 is speaking of God the Father or God, the one true God, and as indicated in the passage again He is the self-existent one [Lord]. So if we then attribute this to God, and He is from everlasting and to everlasting then He has no beginning and no ending. We must then recognize that as we diligently search the Scriptures, my friends, we also see this attribute, this being “from everlasting to everlasting” given to Jesus as well.

In Micah 5:2 we read, “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, [though] thou be little among the thousands of Judah, [yet] out of thee shall he come forth unto me [that is] to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth [have been] from of old, from everlasting.” So if God, the Father is eternal in the past and eternal into the future then so is Jesus eternal in the past, which means there was no time in which He did not exist, as self-existent.

So then to my brothers and sisters who argue that Jesus had a beginning at some point long, long ago, I respectfully say, not so! Not according to the Bible. Not according to His name. Not according to the attributes given Him in Scripture. So please, whatever you believe about Jesus, you must include these very clear texts and not go beyond them. Jesus is the self-existent God, He has had no beginning, not by procession, not by birth, not by creation and to say that He has had a beginning is to contradict the Bible. Please do not go there. In addition, once you make Jesus in any way less than God, He ceases to be God. This is the plan of Satan, to make Jesus less than who He truly is, and I plead with you all, repent. Repent of ever promoting the false accusations and divisive work of the adversary.

The issue is an important one, this issue of whether or not Jesus is God. I know that many believe that Jesus is God, but not in His own right. That everything that He is He was given by the Father, but this cannot be so. Jesus is from everlasting to everlasting even as God the Father is from everlasting to everlasting, so what do we do with the texts that mention Jesus receiving power and authority and a throne from the Father? We will want to explore those texts and the Holy Spirit in our next article. Until then, may God be with you always.

… to be continued in Part Three