the Name Of

J e s u s:

It’s for Life,

Not Just for Christmas

 
-4-

The Name of Jesus is sacred. Yet a significant part of The Church at large has forgotten & neglected this truth. Many have traded it in for something way beneath its true worth. The Name of The Lord has been grievously offended, instead of being systematically defended while the widespread false teaching of the Charismatic Movement & modern Neo-Pentecostalism have made devastating doctrinal inroads into biblical Orthodoxy. This threat is real, but isn’t treated as such, although what is being taught is promoted & tolerated to degrees that are equally unbearable. It is in this spirit that we address this subject, by examining the claims of E. W. Kenyon & Kenneth E. Hagin. These men lied to The Church & have led countless millions into dangerous errors concerning Jesus’ Name & Christology. They claim that believer’s possess legal rights, the power of attorney, guaranteed answered prayer & unqualified use of The Name of Jesus. If these elements were true, there would not be the mountain of unanswered, unbiblical prayer in the recycle bin, by The Throne of God. Ok, I’m kidding. There is no recycle bin by The Throne of God.

We have seen what The Lord Jesus said to His disciples concerning His Name. The Lord spoke of the fullness of joy & a day in which they would have access to The Father. Messrs. Kenyon & Hagin assert that this new day meant the era of the new creation, the new covenant & the new testament. I wholeheartedly contend that they are accidentally correct in their assertion, but wholly incorrect in their application. Remember, the backdrop of Jesus’ teaching is The Feast of Tabernacles, which is a type of The Millennium.

When Jesus says ‘..at that day..’ I believe that He was deliberately pointing right to the heart of Jewish belief in Messiah’s reign upon the Earth. Throw that at a Jehovah’s Witnesses doctrine & see if it sticks. Let’s look.

¹⁰ And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious (Isaiah 11:10). 

¹⁸ And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground: and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the earth, and will make them to lie down safely (Hosea 2:18). 

¹¹ In that day shalt thou not be ashamed for all thy doings, wherein thou hast transgressed against me: for then I will take away out of the midst of thee them that rejoice in thy pride, and thou shalt no more be haughty because of my holy mountain. ¹² I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of the LORD. ¹³ The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid. ¹⁴ Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. ¹⁵ The LORD hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the LORD, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil anymore. ¹⁶ In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack. ¹⁷ The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing (Zephaniah 3:11-17).  

⁸ And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be. ⁹ And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one (Zachariah 14:8-9). 

I have been told that this Millennial link is tentative at best, but given what Jesus said, when He said it & to whom it was said, I would argue that my contention is worth more consideration that the threadbare offerings of multiplied liars! I’m not negating the new creation, the new covenant or the new testament in favour of the Millennium. I am saying that it cannot be ruled out in our interpretation of the teaching of Christ. It must be taken into consideration.

He said, ‘At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you.’ (John 16:26). Yet right now in this age, with the new creation, the new covenant & the new testament, The Lord Jesus does pray to The Father for us.

³⁴ Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us (Romans 8:34).

¹⁹ Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; ²⁰ Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec (Hebrews 6:19-20). 

²⁵ Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them (Hebrews 7:25). 

²⁴ For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us (Hebrews 9:24).

Kenyon & Hagin are dead wrong. Where is the evidence of the 100% success rate of Hagin’s prayer life? Remember, he said, ‘I have not prayed one prayer in 45 years ..without getting an answer. I always got an answer—and the answer was always yes.’. Yet, Mr. Hagin still needed the doctor, the dentist, the optician & eventually the funeral director. Where was his power of attorney? Where was his legal right? Where was his unqualified use of Jesus’ Name? I’ll tell you where it was. It was in the recycle bin by The Throne, because Jesus was not saying what Hagin said He was saying. Hagin did not do his homework. His teaching was more exit Jesus, than exegesis.

‘When Jesus gave us the legal right to use his Name, the Father knew all that that Name would imply when breathed in prayer and it is His joy to recognize that Name. So the possibilities enfolded in that Name are beyond our understanding, and when He says to the Church, "Whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in My Name" He is giving us a signed check on the resources of heaven and asking us to fill it in. He gave us a signed check on the resources of heaven. It would change our lives to make an exhaustive study of the resources of Jesus in order to get a measurement of the wealth that Name holds for the Church and for every believer today. If we have a low estimation and a low respect for the Name, we will not expect much, because we do not know what belongs to us.’.

The Name of Jesus © copyright Kenneth Hagin 1979 (emphasis added).

Can you see what Hagin has done here? Can you see it? He has whittled the significance of The Name of Jesus down to the accumulation of temporal & material things. Not only has he done that, but he has also removed Christ from the centre as both object & subject, placing us there instead. This is blasphemous. This is taking The Lord’s Name in vain. Nowhere in the text does Jesus indicate that His Name is a thing to be used. A meal ticket. A magic wand. A rubber stamp. Instead, He declares His status as Lord & Messiah. Hagin overlooks this & fails to mention it, choosing rather to lather his false preposition over The Church at large.

While The Church was wallowing in excitement about guaranteed answered prayer & unlimited access to power, the next evolution of this false teaching was carefully being layered into place. With mankind manoeuvred to the centre as both subject & object, the next step was to denigrate Christ & further elevate man. This is subtlety on an Edenic level. Buckle up. This is about to become a bumpy ride.

‘Kenyon points out that men obtain great names in three ways. Some men are born to a great name—a king, for instance. Others make their name great by their achievements. Still others have a great name conferred upon them. The more excellent Name came by all three means. Jesus' Name is great because He inherited a great Name. His Name is great because of His achievements. His Name is great because it was conferred upon Him.’.

The Name of Jesus © copyright Kenneth Hagin 1979 (emphasis added).

In order for these things to appear true, Hagin had to reverse engineer his own hollow interpretation through The Scriptures. Whilst it may be correct that men gain their names by the means suggested, the assertion that Jesus obtained His name in the same way, is as unbiblical as it is absurd. However, in order to push another agenda, this false foundation has to be established first. Let’s look. Hagin begins by shamelessly mangling one of my favourite passages; Hebrews 1. Grab your Bibles & Brace yourselves.

¹ God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, ² Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; ³ Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; ⁴ Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. ⁵ For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? ⁶ And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. (Hebrews 1:1-6). 

‘Jesus inherited a "more excellent name than they." He inherited a greater Name than any angelic being. As Son, He is heir of all things. He is "the express image" of God. He is "the brightness," or as one translation reads, "the outshining," of the Father. He is God speaking to us. And He "by inheritance obtained a more excellent name." When did He inherit it?’. Well, why don’t you tell us Ken. We’re longing to know.

Hagin continues: ‘He did not inherit anything in heaven before He came to this earth, because He already had everything. He did not inherit it when He came to the earth, because the Epistle to the Philippians says that He stripped Himself of all honour and glory. When did He inherit His Name? There is a clue in the following verses: HEBREWS 1:4-5 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained amore excellent name than they. For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee?.... These verses tell us when He inherited this more excellent Name. It was when God said to Him, "Thou art my son, THIS DAY have I begotten thee" This day! That's when it happened—the day He was begotten.’. Perhaps Mr. Hagin should have learned to read Braille, because evidently he was blind!

He goes on: ‘Most people think He was begotten when He came into the world as the Babe of Bethlehem. No! Oh, no! Begotten means born, The Son of God was not born as He took on flesh. He pre-existed with the Father, He just took upon Himself a body. HEBREWS 10:5 Wherefore when he cometh into the world he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me. He was not begotten when he came into the world; He always pre-existed with the Father… No, "Thou art my son, THIS DAY have I begotten thee," is not talking about the day He took upon Himself a body. Then what day was it? ACTS 13:33 God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that HE HATH RAISED UP JESUS AGAIN; as it is also written in the second psalm, THOU ART MY SON, THIS DAY HAVE I BEGOTTEN THEE. When was it that Jesus was begotten? When He was raised up! On that Resurrection morn!’. Really Ken? Really? I’m only asking because I can read & the text doesn’t say that anywhere!

I know that this is painful to walk through, but it is necessary. Hagin revealed where he was going with his shallow & impractical falsehoods. He willingly & deliberately abandoned Orthodox Christology. Hagin’s teaching followed the lines that E. W. Kenyon laid down. The ways in which men obtain their names. Inheritance. Bestowal. Achievement. However, we are not talking about men here. We are talking about The Eternal son of God. Hagin failed to recognise the difference between earthly succession & eternal inheritance, smudging the line & carelessly confusing the two. If he had done some basic study instead of systematically ripping off the erroneous writings of E. W. Kenyon, The Church at large could have been spared this diabolical diatribe.

Hebrews 1 systematically champions the unparallelled supremacy of Jesus Christ. He is superior to the Prophets. He is the appointed Heir of all things. He is the sole agent in creation. He is the sustainer of said creation. He single handedly purged our sins & occupies His seat at The Father’s Right Hand. He is greater than the Angels. He is in possession of a better name than they have. Hagin’s argument is set out to prove that Jesus received something that He did not have previously, despite the glaring credentials laid out in these verses. He wanted to & indeed did do something bad.

The logical conclusion that Hagin’s false teaching led to is this; Jesus Christ is an exalted, born again man. That, my friends, is uncomfortably close to Mormonism. According to Hagin et al, Jesus has inherited a name that was given to Him, when He was raised from spiritual death!

‘Why did He need to be begotten, or born? Because He became like we were, separated from God. Because He tasted spiritual death for every man. His spirit, His inner man, went to hell in our place. HEBREWS 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. Physical death would not remove our sins. He tasted death for every man—spiritual death. Jesus is the first person ever to be born again. Why did His spirit need to be born again? Because it was estranged from God.’. This is blasphemy & damnable heresy.

The Name of Jesus © copyright Kenneth Hagin 1979 (emphasis added).

In our next meeting we will examine Hebrews 1:1-6 as well as Psalms 2, Christ’s Messianic inheritance & the heresy that The Lord Jesus was the first person ever to be born again. Remember, The Name of The Lord has been grievously offended, instead of being systematically defended while the widespread false teaching of the Charismatic Movement & modern Neo-Pentecostalism have made devastating doctrinal inroads into biblical Orthodoxy. Bring it on!!

 

 

 

copyright © by david Samuel Parkins mmxxvi all rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the author, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is presented & without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser

 

 

 

the Name Of

J e s u s:

It’s for Life,

Not Just for Christmas

-3-

Within The Church at large, The Name of The Lord has become  little more than a tagline or cliché. As we continue to examine the claims of E. W. Kenyon & Kenneth E. Hagin concerning Jesus Name, we will come to see that layered between the thin sheets of their teaching is a New Age Christology. Their beliefs concerning Christ are almost identical to the Gnostic concept of The Pattern Son. This is as untenable as it is unbiblical. They deliberately ignore the context of the text, its object & its subject. The Church seems to have forgotten that The Bible is a Hebraic  book, revealing the God of the Jews & The Messiah. It is not American or European. Western, Gentile Christianity has reverse engineered many false doctrines through The Scriptures & as a direct result of rabid hellenisation, The Church experiences the ill effects of false teaching. The Christ of the Charismatic Movement & modern Neo-Pentecostalism is a heretical & diabolical caricature. They teach that Jesus Christ is not the supreme, unique Son of God. They say that when He died at the cross, it was a place of defeat. They preach that He literally became sin, taking on the nature of satan. They teach that He went to hell, where He suffered & was unceremoniously tortured by the devil & his demons. As a result of this, He had to be born again, like a sinful man. They say that He is not the only begotten of The Father. This is the Christ of the Charismatic Movement & modern Neo-Pentecostalism. This is who they worship. This is whose name they invoke. This, is not The Messiah.

In our last article, we began looking at the principle of soba semachot or simchah (seem-KAH); the fullness of joy.

⁹ And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the LORD your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law. ¹⁰ Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength ¹¹ So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, Hold your peace, for the day is holy; neither be ye grieved. ¹² And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great mirth, because they had understood the words that were declared unto them. (Nehemiah 8:9-12).  

This is relational, not transactional. The disciples would have recognised this theme & most especially because the backdrop of The Lord’s discourse was The Feast of Tabernacles; a type & shadow of The Millennium. This could also feasibly be included in the day of which The Lord spoke, as well as the era of The New Covenant. We will come to this in our next meeting.

The twelve would not have believed the lies that have been told by E. W. Kenyon & Kenneth E. Hagin. The Name of Jesus is not a meal ticket & yet these men’s teachings have more in common with the fullness of their stomachs than it does with the fullness of joy. Ezekiel says, ‘Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.’ (Ezekiel 16:49). Let’s continue our look at Kenneth Hagin’s teaching.

‘Jesus said, in regard to the use of His Name in prayer: 24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in My Name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. Hitherto means up till now, or till this time. In other words, up till the time that Jesus was speaking here to the disciples, they had asked nothing in His Name. Now He is speaking to them about a "new day" upon the earth, and He is telling them, "Ask and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.". Here in John, Jesus not only gives us the use of His Name in New Covenant prayer, but He also declares that the prayer prayed in His Name will receive His special attention:’. Sorry Ken, but there isn’t a single place in the text that indicates this. It is not true. 

Hagin continues: ‘John 16:23 ...Verily, verily, I say unto you. Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in My Name, he will give it you. Notice what Jesus is saying: You ask of the Father in My Name—I will endorse it—and the Father will give it to you.’ The text doesn’t say that Ken. Jesus did not say that He would endorse any & every prayer, prayed in His Name. 

He goes on: ‘What an amazing prayer promise! Yet because we did not understand what Jesus said, and because we were religiously brainwashed instead of New Testament taught, we watered down the promises of God. We tacked on something Jesus did not say. We added something else to it. "God will, if it is His will—but it might not be His will," we have said..’. Well Ken, isn’t it funny that James counsels us to proceed with caution along these lines, in case you’d forgotten. 

¹⁵ For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that (James 4:15). 

Hagin continues: ‘You don't find that kind of talk in the New Testament.’. Yes you do! We’ve just seen what James had to say & John says something similar in his epistle, Ken. 

He  concludes: ‘People have gone along without answers to prayer, saying, "It must not have been His will, because He didn't do it. If it had been His will, He would have done it." Jesus stated God's will here in John 16:23,24.’.

The Name of Jesus © copyright Kenneth Hagin 1979 (emphasis added).

No Ken, it is you who tacked on something that Jesus didn’t say. You do find that kind of talk in The New Testament. It is you who needed to be New Testament taught. It is you who did not understand what Jesus said! 

These word of faith arguments are as small minded as they are short sighted. Hagin’s assertions & assumptions have no teeth & hold no water. John says, ‘And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him (1^st John 5:14-15). Whatsoever we ask, according to His will. According. To. His. Will. With these things in view, let’s go back to John 14 & John 15, where Jesus made similar statements to those of John 16. 

¹³ And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴ If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. (John 14:13-15). 

These words are not said in isolation. Jesus begins by saying, ‘Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.’ (John 14:1). He tells His disciples that He goes to prepare a place for them. He is the way, the truth & the life. He is the revelation of The Father. ‘Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake. ¹² Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father (John 14:11-12).  

It is as plain as day that it is these works & greater works that the disciples were to ask for, resulting in The Father being glorified in The Son. Read Acts. 

The Lord Jesus continues, telling them that they should keep His commandments & that He would pray for the coming of The Comforter. He says, ‘Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.’ (John 14:19). This is not the first time The Lord used these words. He castigates the Pharisees, saying, ‘…Yet a little while am I with you, and then I go unto him that sent me. Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither ye cannot come’ (John 7:33-34). 

²⁰ At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. ²¹ He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. ²² Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? ²³ Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. ²⁴ He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me. ²⁵ These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you (John 14:20-25).  

Hagin’s narrative begins in John 16, but The Lord began this discourse before then. Again, in John 15, Jesus tells His disciples the following;  ‘Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.’ (John 15:16). Is this a promise of guaranteed, answered prayer? No. It is not. Is The Lord Jesus telling His disciples that they will get anything they ask for? No. He is not.  

The Lord is confirming something significant about Himself as Messiah, to the twelve. As Jews, they knew the magnitude of The Name of The Lord. Remember; The Name of The Lord is as much Him as He Himself. Here, Christ is hammering home the Divine superiority of His Name. He is God. He  is Their Lord. He is Their King. He is Their Messiah. Keep His commandments. Obey His voice. Bear fruit. Then, they can approach The Father. Then, they can ask in His Name; because they want whatever it is that He wants. His will becomes theirs! His will must also become ours. 

¹⁹ Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. ²⁰ For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel. ²¹ For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. ²² For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: ²³ That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him (John 5:19-23).

²⁶ For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; ²⁷ And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man (John 5:26-27). 

³⁰ I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me (John 5:30). 

³⁶ But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me. ³⁷ And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape. ³⁸ And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not  (John 5:36-38). 

⁴³ I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. ⁴⁴ How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only? ⁴⁵ Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. ⁴⁶ For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. ⁴⁷ But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words? (John 5:43).

The disciples knew the power of His name. They had seen that power & experienced it firsthand.

²² Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? (Matthew 7:22).

³⁸ And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us.  ³⁹ But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me. ⁴⁰ For he that is not against us is on our part. ⁴¹ For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.  (Mark 9:38-41).

⁴⁹ And John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name; and we forbad him, because he followeth not with us (Luke 9:49).

¹⁰ And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name (Luke 10:17).

The Name of Jesus & all it represents, far from being a lucky charm or godly guarantee, is our access to The Father. In that place of fellowship, we find fullness of Joy & He makes known His will. Because of Who Jesus is & what He has done for us, His Name bears the same dimensions in the New Covenant as The Name of The Lord bore in The Old. Hagin & Kenyon's book lied! Now, where did I put my petrol & matches?

 

 

 

 

copyright © by david Samuel Parkins mmxxvi all rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the author, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is presented & without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser