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.

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