the Name Of

J e s u s:

It’s for Life,

Not Just for Christmas

 

-5-

In our last meeting we saw the subtle dismantling & misappropriation of Hebrews 1:1-6 & Psalms 2 in order to somehow prove that The Lord Jesus inherited His Name when He was born again from spiritual death! This is a lie that has been believed & accepted as truth, by multiplied thousands. In an effort to address this & other errors concerning The Name of Jesus, we have been examining the false doctrine taught by E. W. Kenyon & Kenneth E. Hagin respectively. The only way that these falsehoods gained the ascendancy within The Church at large, was through the ignorance of those who listened to them. Paul says to his son in the faith, Timothy, ‘For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables (2^nd Timothy 4:3-4). Hagin et al have ignored the supremacy & superiority of Christ, denigrated Him & fashioned Him as a heavenly agent Who will teach us how to get whatever we want from God The Father. Jesus did not promise to endorse or broker our prayers. Bear with me as we explore the way in which God’s Word has been twisted in order to make The Lord Jesus Christ nothing more than an exalted man & His Name little more than a magic wand.

I am not a scholar, theologian or grammarian. But I can read. As a matter of fact, I continued reading right to the end of Hebrews 1. I would encourage you to do the same.

⁴ Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they (Hebrews 1:4). 

Hagin blatantly hops, skips & jumps his way through this verse, because had he stopped to examine it properly, even with basic study tools, he would have seen that this is a simple grammatical & theological continuance of the writer’s theme of The Lord Jesus Christ’s absolute superiority & supremacy. Hebrews 1:1-3 states categorically, that The Lord Jesus Christ is God’s first & last word. He is not sundry. He is not diverse. He is not speaking to the fathers through the Prophets as happened previously. He is speaking to us.

False doctrine is always easily identified by its proclivity to conceal its inaccuracy, behind dishonesty. This is true of The Watchtower. This is true of Mormonism. This is true of Adventism. This is true of every cult, including the word of faith movement.

When Hebrews 1:4 is lifted out of the passage in isolation, it removes Jesus Christ from His preeminence. However, this is the only way that men like Kenyon & Hagin can lay their error alongside the truth. Kenyon proffers 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.’. Men may very well obtain their names by these means, but not so, The Eternal Son. He is ‘...made so much better than the angels as He has by inheritance obtained...’. This is the pivotal point of the argument.

It is by virtue of the fact of Christ’s Sonship, Who He is, that He is made so much better than the angels. That superior position means that He possesses a greater name than they. In other words, He didn’t eventually get it; He already had it. I say again, Hebrews 1 systematically champions the unparallelled supremacy of The Lord 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, because of Who He is. He is The Eternal Son.

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? (Hebrews 1:5).

⁴ And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron. ⁵ So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, today have I begotten thee. ⁶ As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. (Hebrews 5:4-6). 

The writer is quoting Psalms 2 & 1^st Chronicles 17. I suggest taking the time to read both passages. The Messianic & prophetic significance of these quotes is completely lost as Kenyon & Hagin ball them up & unceremoniously throw them into the doctrinal bin. Their only interest is in somehow proving that The Lord Jesus received His Name when He was Born again in hell & raised from the dead. Let’s look.

¹ Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? ² The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying ³ Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. ⁴ He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. ⁵ Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. ⁶ Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. ⁷ I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. ⁸ Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. ⁹ Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter' vessel. ¹⁰ Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. ¹¹ Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. ¹² Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him (Psalms 2:1-12). 

There is no doubt that Psalms 2 is Messianic. All of it. Not just the conveniently cherry picked seventh verse. These words are not speaking about King David, but about The Son of David; The Lord Jesus Christ. Kenyon & Hagin both contend that this prophecy points to ‘the day’ that Jesus was born again in hell & raised from the dead. In an effort to seal this deal, they rush over to Acts 13, where these verses are quoted.

³⁰ But God raised him from the dead: ³¹ And he was seen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto the people.  ³² And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, 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. ³⁴ And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David  ³⁵ Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. ³⁶ For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption: ³⁷ But he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption.  (Acts 13:30-37).

Hagin was fond of using W. E. Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words as a source, as am I, among others. In examining these verses, Vine makes the following observations: ‘The Greek verb used in verse 33 can mean to "raise up" a prophet, king, or saviour to the stage of history (similar to how God "raised up" David). The text does not add "from the dead" until the following verse.’. As a matter of fact, the word ‘raised’ used in verses 30 & 37 of Acts 13 differs from the word translated ‘raised’ in verse 33. ‘Vine points out that ‘The word "again" (found in the KJV translation: "raised up Jesus again") is absent from the oldest and most reliable Greek manuscripts.’. This means that Acts 13:33, in connection to Psalms 2 is not speaking of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, but rather His revelation in incarnation. Kenyon & Hagin are dead wrong. Cheers W. E.

Yet despite these facts, evidence & clear refutation of this false doctrine, folk still hold to it.  This is dangerous & to their detriment, because it is a Gnostic Christology, not a biblical one.

As it has been pointed out to me on many occasions, not all scholars, theologians or grammarians agree with each other & so depending on the interpretation the reader or writer favours, they will choose that particular source. This is the way of western, Gentile hermeneutics. However, I am convinced of at least two essentially important things. First, when we embrace an Hebraic interpretation of the Jewish Scriptures, we will land closer to the truth than we would otherwise. Second, no scholar, theologian or grammarian who is honest & worth their salt, will support the view that Jesus Christ was born again in hell before being raised from the dead.

What about the claim made by Hagin that the word begotten means born & that ‘this day have I begotten thee’ refers to Christ’s new birth? Vine explains that ‘"begotten" does not mean Jesus was created or became the Son of God at that moment. Instead, it marks the manifestation of His eternal Sonship in human flesh on Earth.’. This truth is solidified in Hebrews 1:6; ‘And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. (Hebrews 1:6). Firstbegotten does not mean ‘born’; it means unique in His pre-eminent position & do not forget ‘Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever.’ (Hebrews 13:8). 

This same error is committed whenever this point of doctrine is used to interpret other places in Scripture.

²⁹ For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren (Romans 8:29). 

¹⁵ Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:…. ¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. (Colossians 1:15 & 18).

⁵ And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood  (Revelation 1:5).

In an effort to cement the falsehood that The Lord Jesus Christ was the first man ever born again, it’s proposed that the word firstbegotten has a numerical value. In other words, Jesus was the first, followed by those who believe, in their order. This has led to some prominent & popular ministers declaring that ‘Jesus Christ is no longer the only begotten Son of God.’. Poppycock. This is complete & utter rubbish. Again, these things are meant to denigrate Christ & elevate man.

Kenyon & Hagin say nothing concerning the words, ‘..I will be to him a father and he will be to me a son.’, even though they bear prophetic meaning. Solomon, not David, builds The Temple in the same way that The Son of David builds His Church. It is evident from reading the Gospel accounts that The Lord Jesus referred to God as His Father, roughly 160-170 times across the four gospels. God did not become His Father when He was raised from the dead. We have The Eternal Father & The Eternal Son.

¹¹ And it shall come to pass, when thy days be expired that thou must go to be with thy fathers, that I will raise up thy seed after thee, which shall be of thy sons; and I will establish his kingdom. ¹² He shall build me an house, and I will stablish his throne for ever. ¹³ I will be his father, and he shall be my son: and I will not take my mercy away from him, as I took it from him that was before thee: ¹⁴ But I will settle him in mine house and in my kingdom for ever: and his throne shall be established for evermore. ¹⁵ According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David (1^st Chronicles 17:11-15). 

The attempt to denigrate Jesus Christ is nothing more or less than an act of character assassination & sabotage. Why did Kenyon & Hagin miss these biblical facts & trade them for heresy? I’ll tell you why. They did it in order to order to push a diabolical agenda. Their narrative is that Jesus inherited His name when He was born again in hell & raised from the dead. It is the picture of a boy coming of age & being thrown the keys to the car, or being given access to resources held in trust. However, Scripture paints a very different picture & tells a very different story. I urge you to read your Bibles brethren, not the spurious books of false teachers.

Jesus Christ was made manifest with His Name intact. The superiority, majesty & pre-eminence of His Name became self-evident in His ministry & in the ministries of His Apostles. The Father knows it. The angels know it. Creation knows it. The powers of darkness know it. Why then, doesn’t The Church know it? We will come to this in our next meeting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 
-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