What’s in a Name
By
Bishop Melvin L. Maughmer, Jr.
OPENING: - Proverbs 22:1 says, “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favor rather than silver and gold”. What’s in a name is a question that often is considered a cliché because we fail to understand the ability of a name to represent affluence and reputation. For example, if a person is born with a certain last name that belongs to a certain family, they will often either be treated with respect and honor or disrespect and dishonor because of the name. We fail to understand the importance of a name and will of hear people who have been named something because it sounds good, which is called (euphony) without understanding the true meaning of that name.
In our culture we use the name of a person simply to distinguish them from other people, oh that’s John or Melvin or Faye. However, in the Bible names were more than a distinguishing factor but signified that person, their worth, character, reputation, authority, will, and ownership.
In our culture today people name their children without knowing the meaning of the name and most people do not even know the meaning of their own name. The name Melvin means chieftain, gentle chieftain, armored chieftain, leader or warrior – I learned that in the 6th grade from our German teacher when she translated my American name into German the American version is Melvin the German version is Manfred and the Germany meaning of Manfred is Man of Peace – What’s in a Name!.
The name Jesus means savior and deliver Matthew 1:18-21 says, “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins”.
Today I want to teach on this topic “What’s in a Name”!
PRAYER: -
SCRIPTURE: - Revelation 7:4-8 “And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel. Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nephthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand”.
A few weeks ago, I taught about how the church needs to go back to Gilgal and in that lesson, I said names & numbers in the Bible have meaning and often will reveal hidden prophecy.
Understand when a name is given in scripture it is not just given just so you will know the name and be able to distinguish them from others but the name is mentioned because there is something significant about that name that needs to be understood.
Genesis 5 gives the lineage from Adam to Noah and there is a special meaning of these names which are Adman = man, Seth = appointed, Enosh = mortal, Cainan = sorrow, Mahalalel = The blessed of God, Jared = Shall come down, Enoch = Teaching, Methuselah = His death shall bring, Lamech = The despairing, Noah = Rest/comfort.
The hidden prophecy revealed in these names is: - Man appointed mortal sorrow (which happened with the fall of man). The blessed of God shall come down teaching (Jesus). His death shall bring the despairing (Us) rest and comfort.
This is called a Remez, in hermeneutics, which is the interpretation of Scripture, a Remez is a hidden message or a deeper meaning that is not understood at the first glance of the scripture. It’s a message that is found below the surface or behind the words. I like to use the description of an Iceberg the part of the iceberg you see is the scripture, the part you don’t see is larger and deeper meaning and reveals even more truth than originally perceived that is the Remez. So, the Remez is a hidden message that is found below the surface or behind the words in scripture.
Genesis 5 listed the names of 10 generations from Adam to Noah which showed the hidden meaning was: - Man appointed mortal sorrow. The blessed of God shall come down teaching. His death shall bring the despairing rest and comfort.
That is further proof that the Bible is the divinely inspired Word of God and is ultimately the fingerprint of God.
Today I want to bring another Remez to your attention and show the importance and power in a name.
Understanding the 12 tribes of Israel
As I stated chapter 7 of Revelation deals with the 144,000 witnesses who will preach the gospel and testify of Jesus during the Tribulation period. Verse 4 says, “And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel”. These 144,000 are not the Jehovah witnesses as they had proclaimed for many years, they are not the church or any portion of the church as some may think, they are 144,000 men all from the 12 tribes of Israel, we know they are men because the Bible says in Revelation 14:4 “These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb”. Now there are some that will say the defiled by women is spiritual and they are not defiled by the false doctrines and teachings of the apostate church, that will make for exciting preaching but poor Theology. These are actual men, 12,000 from each tribe of Israel that have not been defiled naturally by women, they are virgins, they are from the original 12 sons of Jacob, the tribes of Israel. I know there are some that will say well how do you know they are the descendants of the tribes of Israel seeing how some tribes are lost. They are not lost to God He knows exactly whose who and where they are – if He didn’t then He would not be God the Omniscient one.
UNDERSTAND: - The twelve tribes of Israel are the 12 sons of Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel in Genesis 35:10, the 12 sons that were born to him by Leah, Rachel, Bilhah who was Rachel’s handmaid and Zilpah who was Leah’s handmaid. The birth order is from oldest to the youngest as follows: - Ruben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin which is found in Genesis 29, 30 & 35, Exodus 1:1-4 & 1 Chronicles 2:1-2. However, when we read the list of names in Revelation 7 there is a difference in the order and whenever the list of names is changed there is a reason. There are times when the order is changed that it is explained like in Joshua 13-19 when Levi and Joseph are left out. Levi was excluded because it was the priestly tribe, and they were given cities throughout the land. Joseph’s name was left out in the distribution of land because the tribe of Joseph was represented by his two sons, so in essence the tribe of Joseph received a double portion of the blessing through his sons Ephraim and Manasseh because each was given a portion of the land.
Let’s look at Revelation 7:5-8 “Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nephthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand”.
One of the first things that you will notice about this list of the names of the tribes of Israel is that Dan is not mentioned and the name Manasses is added. Now the Bible NEVER gives a reason as to why Dan is omitted in this list in Revelation 7, and it has given way to some very interesting teachings to say the least. One teaching is purely based in racism and says that the tribe of Dan are the Black people, the Black Jews and they have been omitted. If you recall the movie the Bible and all the characters were white or of a very light complexion, but then they showed Samson, and he was Black had Dreadlocks or Braids clearly that comes from the teaching that the tribe of Dan was black, but all the other tribes were not – how do you explain that. This teaching is the reason Dan was omitted from the list here in Revelation 7 showing that Black people are not counted in the plan of God – made many movies and even a lot of preaching but poor Theology. Then there is the concept that the tribe of Dan was so caught up in Idolatry and for that reason along with Ephraim they are omitted in the plan of God. The Bible never gives a reason why they are omitted, but as I will soon show you in the Remez of Revelation 7 that the hidden meaning did not change with the substitution.
Now let’s look at the meaning of the names of the tribes of Israel.
1. Reuben: - Genesis 29:32 says, “And Leah conceived, and bare a son, and she called his name Reuben: for she said, Surely the Lord hath looked upon my affliction; now therefore my husband will love me”.
2. Simeon: - Genesis 29:33 says, “And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Because the Lord hath heard I was hated, he hath therefore given me this son also: and she called his name Simeon”.
3. Levi: - Genesis 29:34 says, “And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Now this time will my husband be joined unto me, because I have born him three sons: therefore was his name called Levi”.
4. Judah: - Genesis 29:35 says, “And she conceived again, and bare a son: and she said, Now will I praise the Lord: therefore she called his name Judah; and left bearing”.
5. Dan:- Remember is omitted in Revelation 7 and is replaced with Joseph’s oldest son Manasses, but Genesis 30:6 says, “And Rachel said, God hath judged me, and hath also heard my voice, and hath given me a son: therefore called she his name Dan”. Dan is the son of Bilhah Rachel’s handmaid.
6. Naphtali: - Genesis 30:7-8 says, “And Bilhah Rachel's maid conceived again, and bare Jacob a second son. And Rachel said, With great wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed: and she called his name Naphtali”.
7. Gad: - Genesis 30:9-11 says, “When Leah saw that she had left bearing, she took Zilpah her maid, and gave her Jacob to wife. And Zilpah Leah's maid bare Jacob a son. And Leah said, A troop cometh: and she called his name Gad”.
8. Asher: - Genesis 30:12-13 says, “And Zilpah Leah's maid bare Jacob a second son. And Leah said, Happy am I, for the daughters will call me blessed: and she called his name Asher”.
9. Issachar: - Genesis 30:17-18 says, “And God hearkened unto Leah, and she conceived, and bare Jacob the fifth son. And Leah said, God hath given me my hire, because I have given my maiden to my husband: and she called his name Issachar”.
10. Zebulun: - Genesis 30:19-20 says, “And Leah conceived again, and bare Jacob the sixth son. And Leah said, God hath endued me with a good dowry; now will my husband dwell with me, because I have born him six sons: and she called his name Zebulun”.
11. Joseph: - Genesis 30:22-24 says, “And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb. And she conceived, and bare a son; and said, God hath taken away my reproach: And she called his name Joseph; and said, The Lord shall add to me another son”.
12. Benjamin: - Genesis 35:18 says, “And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni: but his father called him Benjamin”. Benoni means son of my sorrow, but Benjamin means son of my right hand.
13. Manasseh: - Who is Joseph’s son Genesis 41:51 says, “And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: For God, said he, hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father's house”.
That is the order of the 12 tribes of Israel with Manasses added in since it was him and Ephraim that received the blessing of Jacob before he died.
When we read Revelation 7:4-8 the order was changed to :- Judah (4th)= I will Praise the Lord, Reuben (1st) = He has looked on my affliction, Gad (7th)= a troop comes (another meaning of troop is good fortune), Asher (8th)= happy and call me blessed, Naphtali (6th) = my wrestling, Manasses Joseph’s 1st) = has made me forget all my toil, Simeon (2nd) = cause the Lord has heard, Levi (3rd) = Now this time will my husband be joined unto me, Issachar (9th) = God hath given me my hire (reward), Zebulun (10th)= now will my husband dwell with me, Joseph (11th) = the Lord shall add, Benjamin (12th) = the son of my right hand.
When we put this order together with their meanings, we get the Remez, the hidden message, the deeper understanding of “I will Praise the Lord because He has looked on my affliction and good fortune comes. Happy and blessed am I, my wrestling has made me forget all my toil because God heard me, he has joined me, and given me my reward by dwelling with me and adding to me the Son of His right hand”.
We all can say that because we all have been through some mess and God has brought us through.
2 Corinthians 1:8-10 says, “For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: but we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but God which raiseth the dead: Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us”.
Just take a few minutes and look back over your life for we all were somewhere before we got to where we are today. We have all gone through struggles, we have all had to wrestle with situations of darkness and peril at some point in our life. We were sinking deep in sin with Hell as our destination. We were pressed down with lust of the eye, lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. The devil had us believing that we were worthless, useless, and good for nothing. We were spiritually and emotionally emasculated, disappointed, discouraged, criticized, rejected, a social misfit. Spiritually lost, some may have been strung out on drugs, some standing on the street corner, society said you were damages good, some people wrote you off and said you will never amount to anything. You were about to the point where you were about to give up when you called on the name Jesus and he delivered you out of all your troubles. He made a way out of no way. He picked you up and turned your life around placing your feet on solid ground. You wrestled and struggled pressing your way through people, through traditions, through customs, trough habits and heartaches. Yet those trial and tribulations fade away when you call on the wonderful name of Jesus.
Then Jesus reached down picked you up washed away the stench of sin, gave you a new name, a new attitude, and a new point of view, a new identity. You are now a new creature the old things have passed away and behold all things have become new. I am not what I used to be.
Now we can say the Remez “I will Praise the Lord because He has looked on my affliction and good fortune comes. Happy and blessed am I, my wrestling has made me forget all my toil because God heard me, he has joined me, and given me my reward by dwelling with(in) me and adding to me the Son of His right hand”.
What’s in a name! Well in the name of Jesus there is Power, Deliverance, Salvation, Freedom, Peace, Joy, Protection, Victory, Healing, Strength, Hope, Everlasting Life.
In the name of Jesus, we have the alphabet: -
A - Alpha, Ancient of days, the Amen, and the Anchor of my soul, Atonement.
B – Bible, Bread, Beginning, Bright and morning star, Bishop of my soul, the Bridegroom.
C – Captain, Cornerstone Conversion, Conviction, Convincer , Christ, Church, Calvary.
D – Daystar, the Door, and the Deliver
E – Everlasting Love, Everlasting Father, Eternal Life, the El, El-Shaddi, El-Elyon, Elohim
F – Faith, the Fountain of Life, the First and the Last, Friend
G – Glory, the Good Shepherd, the Gate
H – Head of all things, High Priest, Healer
I – Intercessor
J – Just, Justification, Jehovah, Jehovah Jireh, Jehovah Nissi, Jehovah Shalom, Jehovah Tsidkenu
K – King of king, Kinsman Redeemer, Keeper
L – Lion of Judah, Lilly of the valley, Lord of lords, Light of the World, Love
M – Mighty God, Mediator, Manna.
N – Name above all names
O – Omega, Overcomer
P – Promise, Protector, Peace, Passover
Q – Quail of heaven
R – Righteousness, Redeemer, Rose of Sharon
S – Son of God, Savior, Sword, Shield, Sacrifice, Shelter Strength, Salvation
T – Truth, Tree of Life, Tabernacle, Teacher
U – Undefiled, Unlimited, Unifier, Utmost, Upright
V – Victory, Vine, Veil
W – Way, Water, Word, Wonderful counselor
X – Xavier (bright)
Y – Yes, Yahweh, and as the old mother’s would say Yah Yah Yah
Z – Zeal
CLOSING: - What’s in a name! If that name is Jesus EVERYTHING is in His name.In the name of Jesus, we have the victory. In the name of Jesus, the blind see. In the name of Jesus, the Lame walk. In the name of Jesus, we have been set free.
Bishop Melvin L. Maughmer, Jr.
