What’s “In” A Name?
By Linda J. Waiters © June 7, 2009
You know, I love Moses because he had the intestinal fortitude to get right down to business with God by saying, “ . . . You say to me. Bring up this people, but You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You said, I know you by name and you have also found favor in My sight. Now therefore, I pray You, if I have found favor in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You . . . ” (Exodus 33:12-13.) WOW! Wouldn’t you love to have a conversation with God just like that? I mean, in modern day vernacular, Moses was saying “Look, just who are you?” Notice, God didn’t flinch or freak out. He said, and this is my imagination speaking here, “Okay Moses – you bad, . . . I’ve got some conditions but I’ll let you see just “who I am!” Actually, our Awesome God told Moses, “ . . . I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim My Name – THE LORD – before you; for I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy and loving-kindness on whom I will show mercy and loving-kindness.” (Exodus 33:19.) [Emphasis added.] God’s mercy endures forever – Amen!
Centuries later, Peter experienced a less spectacular but equally significant encounter, one could argue, with the Spirit of God.
It seems God majors in these type encounters. It’s like He loves to blow our minds with surprise visits from time-to-time – laugh. He recently inspired me through a post on a message board about this account of Peter’s revelation that Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God as recorded in Matthew 16. Unknowingly, however, He set me up prior to reading that post by allowing the following scriptures to percolate in my spirit for a time:
Mark 4:11-13:
11 And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:
12 That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.
13 And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?
And also in Acts 28:25-27:
25 . . . Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers,
26 Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive:
27 For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
Subsequent to reading the post everything converged, and after a cursory review of the topic I surmised in a reply post that you could take an example from your own experience with Christ to better understand the revelation Peter received.
For example, think of the times when you transition from knowing what the Word says to “really getting it.” It’s in that “light-bulb moment” when the Word actually gets into your Spirit where it is no longer just an intellectual fact but a way of life. That is when you start walking in the results of that Word and you can use it like a tool at will. That is the “lest at any time they should be converted” the Word is referring to. Both passages refer to an action taking place after one sees – or hears – or understands; and to me, for Peter it was the revelation he received that transformed his hope of Christ’s coming (or, the hope of God’s promise to send One who would destroy yokes, remove burdens and be the lifter of the heads of the Jewish nation) to the reality of just what that promise “was” that had arrived. It was beyond what flesh and blood had revealed, or even could. It was a stabilizing injection of Truth from God that superseded speculation and eliminated all wavering. Specifically, to me, the revelation wasn’t so much about “who Jesus was,” which Peter knew from the beginning “intellectually,” but more about “what Jesus was.” Peter was aware that Jesus was more than “who” the other people said Jesus was (i.e., John the Baptist, Elias, Jeremias, or one of the prophets). But now, Peter also knew Jesus “was” the Power of God personified. This Power of God (or Anointing) is what builds the church, and this Power of God – Anointing – Anointed One – this Jesus Christ – is what the gates of hell cannot prevail against. That’s the key to the Kingdom of God (which is in us) – the Anointing – and knowing how to use it in our lives as a tool at will, which is exactly what Jesus was teaching the disciples to do all along – to use the Anointing that they would soon receive within themselves against the forces of hell and how not to block the flow. The old way of doing things was over. Nevertheless, even after the death of Christ and in spite of Peter’s revelation, the disciples thought the promise would be fulfilled through Jesus alone and that He would take over the government. But in actuality, as we understand now, the promise would be in all of us who believe on Jesus Christ. Those same teachings of Jesus train us who carry His Spirit within us to go about doing good – just like He did – and to prevail against the gates of hell if we will believe and not cave in to fear.
I was further challenged to delve deeper and perform in-depth research to support my summation. Here is what I found from the actual account in the Word of God:
Let’s look into Matthew 16:5-20:
NOTICE THE LORD WAS DISCUSSING MIRACLES THROUGH THE ANOINTING (OR POWER OF GOD) THAT HE HAD PREVIOUSLY SHOWN THE DISCIPLES
5And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.
6Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
7And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread.
8Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread?
9Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?
10Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?
11How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees?
12Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
AFTER THIS . . .
13When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
NOTICE . . . HE DIDN’T ASK “What name did the people know Him by? He was asking “Do you know who I am?”
14And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
NOTICE . . . They responded by mentioning prophets who held spiritual offices and carried powerful ANOINTINGS (OR POWER OF GOD).
15He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? [Or, what position do “you” think I hold?]
CONSISTENT WITH THE DISCUSSION, PETER STATED:
16And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Next, it seems as though they are introducing themselves to each other. Jesus already knew Peter was Peter, so what’s up? You should be mindful that names have meanings, and they can denote what you manifest. For example, one of God’s names is Jehovah Shalom which indicates that when He manifests Himself under that Name He brings forth peace. Another example is Jacob whose name means “supplanter [someone who tricks people for their own benefit]” as we see in Genesis 27; but in Genesis 32:28, God said, “Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.” God decreed a change in Jacob’s life and from that point forward we know Israel as being just that.
NOW . . . THE LORD DECREES A NAME CHANGE . . .
17And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, SIMON BARJONA – [a man – Peter – who is the son of Jonah]: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. 18And I say also unto thee, That thou “art” Peter [now – you are also a spiritual foundational stone], and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
THEN JESUS SAYS HE “WILL GIVE” PETER KEYS AND THEN WHATSOEVER HE BINDS AND LOOSES SHALL BE DONE – HOW? – THROUGH THE ANOINTING (OR POWER OF GOD) WHICH IS CONSISTENT WITH THE CONTEXT OF THE CHAPTER THUS FAR.
19And I will give [as in the future I will give] unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. [Emphasis and clarification added.]
20Then charged He His disciples that they should tell no man that He was Jesus the Christ [or Jesus the Anointed One].
Through my research I found that this “revelation” has obviously been the subject of much speculation and I found no solid consensus on any one point. For instance, one commentator stated:
“Peter . . . rock . . . church. In the Greek ‘Peter’ is petros and ‘rock’ is petra. The rock on which the church is built may be Peter’s inspired (v. 17) confession of faith in Jesus as the Messiah, ‘the Son of the living God,’ or it may be Peter himself, since Eph [Ephesians] 2:20 indicates that the church is ‘built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets.’”[i] [Emphasis and clarification added.] To be clear on the passage in Ephesians 2:20, the full context of the point follows in verses 19-21:
19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
One thing we all know is that Peter was not the “tried and tested stone,” Isaiah 28:16, that the church could be built on. But Jesus had decreed, by changing what Peter would manifest, that Peter would be part of that foundation along with the other apostles and prophets.
Another commentator stated:
“The “Rock”, 18, on which Christ would build his Church, is not Peter, but the Truth to which Peter confessed, that Jesus is the Son of God. The Deity of Jesus is the foundation on which the Church rests, the fundamental creed of Christendom. This is the unmistakable meaning of the language.”[ii] It went on, in its discussion, and stated, “’[t]he Keys of the Kingdom’, 19. The ordinary interpretation of this is that Peter opened the door of salvation, on the day of Pentecost, to the Jews, Acts 2, and later to the Gentiles, Acts 10.”[iii] [Emphasis and clarification added.]
On the board I mentioned, the topic’s author believed that the “revelation” Peter received was the actual confession of the Lord Jesus Christ – the Son of the living God as being the foundation of salvation. However, this raised a red flag for me, and it didn’t set well with my spirit. You see, many people of other beliefs will acquiesce to the existence of Jesus – as in, He may have lived; and, some may relegate Jesus to the office of a prophet and even say He was a great prophet; and some may actually “say” that Jesus Christ is the Son of God for their own personal gain. But the missing element is whether or not they have faith or believe in what they say or acquiesce to, which is required as noted below:
If you notice, “confession is made” unto salvation. Meaning it takes the POWER OF GOD to convert that confession into the salvation of your soul. The Word teaches us in Ephesians 2:8 that “ . . . by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God . . .” So, you can “confess” all you want, but if God is not in it – it means nothing. When I was younger, I witnessed some pastors telling people to come to the altar and by doing so they were now “saved.” Well, we know that coming to some altar is not what saves anyone. In like manner, just “saying” that Jesus is the Son of the Living God does not make one saved. It is always about what is in your heart.
Now, the FOUNDATION OF THE CHURCH is Jesus (HIMSELF). Note in Isaiah 28:16 (New Living Translation), the Word says:
16Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “Look! I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem, a firm and tested stone. It is a precious cornerstone that is safe to build on. Whoever believes need never be shaken.
Jesus is that “foundation stone” or chief corner stone that the builders rejected, and upon which HIS Church is built. Man believes this unto his righteousness through the Lord Jesus Christ.
I thought more about this “revelation” Peter received and decided to go to the one who received the “true revelation” to see what he had to say.
1 Peter 2: 1-10
“Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, and a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light; which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.”
In 2 Peter 1:2-4, it is also interesting that Peter himself says in the Word:
2Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
3According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue [or power]:
4Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. [Emphasis and clarification added.]
Also take notice that in John 7:37-39 the Word says, “In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, if any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake He of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)” [Emphasis and clarification added.]
Now, demons were expecting a person, and so they tried to kill Jesus off thinking that would get rid of the threat, or take over, or the Lord taking back dominion. They did not know that death “was” the secret release of the Spirit which would then be imparted to all those who believe. That’s why the scripture tells us that if the devil had known then he would never have crucified our Savior.
1 Corinthians 2:7-8:
7But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
8Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
Regardless of what the true meaning is of Peter’s revelation, the important thing is that of transferring to others what Jesus gave to Peter –an unshakeable testimony of his belief in Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Ghost so that others “might be partakers of the divine nature.” ( See 2 Peter 1:4). After Peter was “converted,” or after Peter returned his focus to serving God, he was to feed God’s sheep.
John 21:17:
He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
I am reminded of how a mama bird feeds her little chickies. She regurgitates the food she has consumed and feeds each one lovingly. And that is what Jesus was doing when He walked with His disciples. Little-by-little He fed them . . . little-by-little He imparted Himself into them . . . and when the fullness of time occurred He completed the process and filled them with His Spirit (the Anointing or the Power of God that the gates of hell cannot prevail against). Now, the Kingdom of God was within them and they knew how to release it and turn the world upside down, which they did.
Luke 17:21
Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
After all this research on the subject of Peter’s revelation, I find myself back at what drives me. What is preventing the Body of Christ today from turning the world upside down? What is blocking our release of the Kingdom of God into this world? We have the same Spirit of God. We have access to His Power. Many have been given spiritual gifts. We have the Bible. We are more educated than our ancestors. We attend church religiously. We have more spiritual formulas than our local pharmacists. Yet – we allow traditions of men to render the Word of God ineffective. To many, hope is deferred and they revert back to their old way of life. And, plain and simply, many do not believe. But that doesn’t have to apply to you.
Earlier I noted that God had changed Jacob’s name to Israel and, in essence, changed his life into something good. God offers you that same opportunity now by accepting His free gift of salvation. He promises you a new name too as noted in Revelation 2:17, “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.” Remember, your life (or the situation in your life) can be converted at any time if you will just open your heart and accept what the Spirit of God wants to reveal TO YOU!
[i] The NIV Study Bible New International Version, Zondervan Bible Publishers, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49506, U.S.A., 1985 by the Zondervan Corporation.
[ii] Bible Handbook (Formerly called “Pocket Bible Handbook”) An Abbreviated Bible Commentary, Henry H. Halley, 1957, Chicago, Illinois, Page 392, Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 32-8057.
[iii] Bible Handbook (Formerly called “Pocket Bible Handbook”) An Abbreviated Bible Commentary, Henry H. Halley, 1957, Chicago, Illinois, Page 392, Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 32-8057.
