Another Coffee Break - By Regner Capener
Powered by Blogger.
Preparing the Bride of Christ For His Return By Janet Van Hierdan
A Tale of Two Brides is now available on Amazon.com:
Translate
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Another Coffee Break:
A New Onoma, Part 1
Felicitations!
Yes, yes! I know that's an archaic word we never see
used in the 21st Century, but it still works.
It has to be a good 17 years ago
that I first published a rather lengthy and exhaustive Open Letter to the Ekklesia titled,
"The New Onoma." It was fresh
revelation to me back then. As we all
know, Holy Spirit does not stand still.
There are many layers of revelation being peeled back for all of us as
we near the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
This is no exception. I was
awakened last night by Holy Spirit as He began to unfold and enlarge an even
greater understanding for me.
That said, let's lay some
foundations before you fade away, put this article down and say, "that's
all Greek to me!"
One of the tragedies of
"religion" is that it seeks to bring everything to the lowest common
denominator. Despite the best efforts of
various translators in their efforts to render the old Hebrew texts of the
O.T., as well as the Greek texts of the N.T., into today's languages in a way
that will bring some understanding and depth of the Word, even the best translations
have some common failings. The Amplified
Bible probably does the best job overall of helping folks really grasp some of
the levels and layers of revelation that are hidden beneath the surface.
Even the Amplified misses it though,
in some key areas, and it is one of those areas that I want to share with you. For God's people -- and especially the Bride
of Christ -- to really fathom the vast scope of where the Lord is taking us,
and what He will receive in a completed and well-deserved company of people who
are like Him in every respect!
I'm speaking, of course, of the
Hebrew word, shem
(pronounced like "shame"), and its Greek counterpart, onoma.
Most of you know that the name of
Noah's first son was Shem. This is precisely
the same word which gets translated in virtually every English text as the word
"name." Ever think about
it? Ever wonder why Noah's first son
would be given a name which we would simplistically translate otherwise as
nothing more than "name"?
Both Dr. William Gesenius (in his
Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon) and Dr. J. H. Thayer (in his Greek-English Lexicon)
give us a pretty clear understanding.
Let me quote two passages directly from Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon
for the sake of illustration.
"By
a usage chiefly Hebraistic, onoma [shem] is used for everything which the name
covers, everything the thought or feeling which is roused in the mind brings by
mentioning, hearing, remembering the name -- that is, one's
rank, authority, interests, pleasure, command, excellences, deeds, etc."
"The
Onoma of God in the N.T. is used for all those qualities which, to His
worshippers, are summed up in that name, and by which God makes Himself known
to men; it is therefore equivalent to His divinity, His divine majesty and
perfections so far forth as these are apprehended, named, and magnified."
To this we can add a portion of
Gesenius' definition of shem: "definite and
conspicuous position; an appellation, as a mark or memorial of individuality;
by implication: honor, authority, character."
We can therefore safely illustrate
and translate the word shem
and/or onoma by saying that this is
representative of one's character, their personality, their makeup and -- to
sum it up in a single descriptive phrase -- the very essence of who and what
they are!
Are you getting the picture? Fine!
Now let's go back to Shem.
Without repeating all of the events
that followed the Flood, the horrific nature of what Ham did to his father,
Noah, the way in which Shem took the lead with his other brother, Japheth, to
deal with Ham's atrocity (this is clear, by the way, in the structure of the
Hebrew text of Genesis 9:23), and the peculiar phraseology of the blessing
which came upon Shem as a result (see Genesis 9:26), suffice it to say that
Shem became the representation of the character, the nature and the very makeup
of the Lord. (I would really like to
explore this further with you, and maybe I'll get to do that in a later Coffee
Break.) He was the shem
of the Lord in the earth until the Blessing could be passed on to Abraham, and
he lived through 13 generations until Joseph was 17 years old and sold into
slavery in Egypt.
You may wonder where I'm going with
all of this, but be patient. I'm still
laying some more foundations.
As the shem
of the Lord, Shem (the son of Noah) became the blessing of the Lord in flesh
and blood. In a very real sense of the
word, he became a forerunner, a shadow if you will, of the Lord Jesus
Christ. He became the Blessing -- the
Word -- made flesh and dwelling in the earth.
Without getting into all of the history behind it -- and I've already
talked about this in previous articles -- Shem's identity for all practical
purposes became known with what we have anglicized into Melchizedek (or as the
Hebrew text puts it: Malkiy - Tsedeq), the King of Righteousness.
To
help understand the basis under which onoma – and its Hebrew
counterpart, shem, – were and are
used as a part of God's economy, names were given at birth (or creation, in the
case of Adam and Eve) as a prophecy of what children would become. In most cases those names represented either
blessing, or the fulfillment of some promise of the Lord, or the prophesying of
some blessing to come. In some cases,
the names represented the judgment of the Lord.
In a few cases, they epitomized a curse which was to come (witness
Ichabod: the Glory has departed). In
every case, the child grew to become the living example – a prophetic picture
of that name which was given at birth.
Integrated into
this system of giving names (which God ordained at Creation), we also have the
several recorded instances (e.g., “Abram” into “Abraham;” “Jacob” into “Israel;”
the aforementioned “Shem” into “Melchizedek;” “Saul of Tarsus” into “Paul,”
etc.) in which names were changed by the Lord to represent the change of
nature, character and makeup he brought about (or was bringing about) in them.
Earlier we said that religion tends
to drag things down to the lowest common denominator. In this instance, we have the word,
"name," throughout Scripture translated from both shem and onoma, and
unfortunately the true implications of the original text have been lost, or at
the very least, glossed over in such a way that the use of "name" has
become a religious formula in many instances.
We cast out demons "in Jesus'
name" as though Jesus' name is some kind of magic amulet. The lesson of the seven sons of Sceva in Acts
19 has largely gotten lost among many Christians. Folks often give their children names without
a clue as to the prophetic significance of what they are doing. "Christ in us, the hope of Glory"
is an almost ethereal, mystical concept without any real grasp of the authority
and power invested, and being "in Christ" has become a religious
catch phrase.
He was not
intending the use of His name as some magic formula to ward off or drive out
evil spirits. His intention was that we
would come against them in His onoma. See the difference? Are you beginning to see where we are headed
with this? We're not talking a formula. We're not talking about using the name,
Jesus, or the name, Yeshua, or the name, Jehovah, or the name Immanuel, or any
one of the other names used to describe Him throughout the Word.
I have a friend
in Puerto Rico whose name is Je-sus.
That's a hyphenated pronunciation.
I have Hispanic friends who are likewise named Je-sus, or Jesus (if you
prefer). Get the idea? It's not about rattling off a Greek
pronunciation of Yeshua that has all that authority or power. It's about functioning, operating, living,
existing, being in the very character and personality, the makeup of who and
what Jesus (or Yeshua), the Son of God IS!
In John 5:43 -
44, Jesus addresses the unbelief of the Pharisees and Sadducees, saying,
"I
have come in my Father's onoma, and you refuse to receive me; (yet) if
someone else comes in their onoma, you will receive them. How is it that you can willingly receive
glory or honor from one another, and yet the (true) glory which comes from the
Father, you don't bother to seek at all?" (my translation)
Jesus wanted to
make it clear that He was operating in, through and by the very onoma, the shem
of Father God Himself! He came in
Father's nature. He came in Father's authority and power. He came as the literal, living extension of
Father -- and He demonstrated it over and over and over and over and over again
-- and again and again and again, ad infinitum!
Got that? Try this one on:
"And whatsoever you shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be
glorified in the Son. If you ask
anything in my name, I will do it." (John 14:13,14 KJV)
Ever ask yourself
why it doesn't seem to always work? How
many of you have asked many requests "in Jesus' name" and puzzled
over the fact that you asked "correctly," and nothing happened. In fact your requests were even Scriptural --
you weren't asking for some far out, fanciful thing. You asked on behalf of someone's needs, or
perhaps prayed for someone's
healing. But nothing happened.
I'm not being
critical or accusatory here. We've all
experienced this! The answer is
simple. The requests were made "in
Jesus' name" -- not His onoma. No request goes unanswered when made in His onoma. Now you may think this is just splitting
hairs, or playing at semantics, but the difference is crucial, and should
become very clear as you see the picture of His onoma unfold.
For us to BE in
His onoma, for us to live in His onoma.....well, that's a process, folks! And I've yet to meet anyone who got there
overnight.
Let's see....how
was it that Jesus put it? "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? And then
will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work
iniquity." (Matthew 7:22-23,
KJV)
Ouch! Ouch!
Ouch! Jesus' name IS
powerful. Demons hate it! But there's a huge differentiation between
spouting the "name" and being IN the name. Jesus makes it clear in this instance that
the fundamental distinction is having an intimate relationship with Him. Intimacy develops a knowing of how someone
thinks, what their desires are, what their goals and purposes are, what they
are made of.
So why make such
a point of all this? Because it is
integral to understanding -- not just the book of Revelation, but -- the
promises of the Bridegroom, Jesus Christ, to that individual and corporate
Bride He has called unto Himself.
To
be able to clearly understand the significance of this "new onoma," then, we must first
understand the baseline onoma
of the Lord Jesus Christ by which the "new onoma" is established.
We must first comprehend the basis of Jesus’ makeup and character, the
essence of who and what He is and has been, before we can come into an
understanding of what He will be – and what we must be -- at the time this
promise is fulfilled.
The
Revelation, which John saw and wrote, encompasses a single letter to the
Bride. It contains a theme which is
repeated eight times, "To
him that overcometh."
That really
is what this discussion is all about.
This is where I want us to go as we explore the onoma of the Lord Jesus
Christ, and the "new onoma" John prophesied in Revelation 2:17 and
3:12.
The
Revelation begins with defining the onoma
of the Lord in, and as,
"the seven spirits of God." (see Revelation
1:4) Four times throughout the
Revelation, the "seven spirits of God" are mentioned as the standard by which
everyone (and everything) is judged.
Twice,
a promise is made of receiving a new onoma "to
him that overcometh," and twice we see that new onoma in the foreheads of the
overcomers.
[Allow
me to pause momentarily here to point out that the significance of this
prophecy of the new onoma being in the foreheads of the overcomers relates to
the thought patterns, the mindset, the kinds of choices -- in other words, the
way a person thinks, both consciously and unconsciously. The overcomer, in this instance, overcomes
the way the world thinks. The overcomer
gains victory over the Enemy's mindset and agenda.
The
use of this phrase "in the forehead" occurs numerous times throughout
the Word, and it is a common Hebrew metaphor to denote one's mindset, their
will, their thought patterns. Witness,
therefore, David taking Goliath down with a stone in his forehead. It was a prophetic act to denote the
authority and power of God striking down a mindset of rebellion and hatred of
God and His people. (That's a whole
different study, and I won't take time to explore that one today.)]
John
began his letters to the seven Ekklesias like this:
"John to the seven Ekklesias which are in Asia: Grace be
unto you, and peace from Him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and
from the seven Spirits which are (enopion) in
the place of and occupy (before, KJV) His throne." (Revelation 1:4) He begins this Revelation by establishing the
fact that it is the Seven Spirits who are in the place of rulership – that
these Seven Spirits are the very character and makeup, the essence of God
Himself.
As
he addresses the Ekklesia in Sardis, he says, "These things
says He who has the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars." (Revelation 3:1) In this attention-getter, John uses the
totality of the Lord’s makeup as the yardstick by which Sardis is
measured. (Several years ago I did a rather lengthy series titled Seven Nations, Seven Letters in which
this subject is covered much more exhaustively.
It is available upon request.)
In
Revelation 4:5, John writes, "Out of the throne proceeded
lightnings, and thunders, and sounds; and seven lamps of fire burning before
the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God." Now he illustrates a very basic part of the
nature and makeup of the Lord in the picture of these lamps of fire, and I will
deal with this as we go forward with this discussion.
Clear
enough so far? In case you think that
I'm really stretching a point to say that the seven Spirits of God comprise the
onoma of Jesus Christ, read on.
John
makes his fourth reference to these seven Spirits of God in Revelation 5:6,
where he says, "And I saw and beheld in the midst of the throne and the
four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, a Lamb standing as
having been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven
Spirits of God which have been sent into all the earth."
Finally,
John makes clear that the Lamb which was slain (whom they all knew to be Jesus
Christ) was He in whom consisted the Seven Spirits of God.
I
won't take the time in this discussion to deal with all of these metaphors
since they are peripheral to that which
the Holy Spirit is saying concerning the new onoma. It is important,
however, to identify these seven Spirits, and that's where we will begin in the
next Coffee Break.
See you soon!
Blessings
on you!
Regner
Regner A. Capener
CAPENER MINISTRIES
CAPENER MINISTRIES
709 South 7thStreet
Sunnyside, Washington 98944
Sunnyside, Washington 98944
(509) 515-0133
All Coffee Break articles are copyright by Regner A. Capener, but authorization for reprinting, reposting, copying or re-use, in whole or in part, is granted –provided proper attribution and this notice are included intact. Older Coffee Break archives are available at http://www.RegnersMorningCoffee.com. Coffee Break articles are normally published weekly.
If you would like to have these articles arrive each morning in your email, please send a blank email to: Subscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com.To remove yourself from the mailing list, please send a blank email to Unsubscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com.
CAPENER MINISTRIES is a tax-exempt church ministry. Should you desire to participate and covenant with us as partners in this ministry, please contact us at either of the above email or physical addresses, or visit: http://www.RiverWorshipCenter.org.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments
(Atom)
0 comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.