Compound Names with Spirit

 

Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit1  from me.

Psa 51:11  pjd

 

The word translated as “spirit” in the Bible, whether in Hebrew (ruach) or Greek (pneuma), has the general meaning of wind or spirit and is used frequently to describe God’s creative or active power (Gen 1:1-2; Acts 1:8).

The preposition most descriptive of the Spirit’s activity is “into/in” (TDNT 6:402). When this concept is applied to redemption, we see that the Holy Spirit brings Christ (God’s anointing) into a person’s being: new creation! That is, regeneration or rebirth takes place – (John 1:12; 3:1-8) and the sanctification process starts, which recreates a person into the image of the Son (Rom 8:9-11; 18-30). This promised Holy Spirit is gift, down deposit, and the seal and mark of being a Christian (Ezek 36:26-27; John 14:16- 17; Acts 2:38; 11:17; Eph 1:13-14; 4:30).

These above matters and the below descriptions speak more about the role of the Holy Spirit than the essence of the Spirit, which is personal and a part of the Trinity. For the Spirit is not an impersonal force. The following descriptive roles are much like Jesus being described by terms such as Word, Branch, Arm of the Lord, etc.

He who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit.

1 Cor 6:17

 

 

Gen 1:1-3a: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be …”2

Isa 4:2–6: In that day the Branch of the LORD will be beautiful and glorious … he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy — everyone who is recorded for life in Jerusalem. When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and purged the bloodshed of Jerusalem

from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and the spirit of fire. (NAS, but translating “burning” as “fire,” per the NIV and other translations)3

Isa 11:2: The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.

Isa 28:5-6: In that day the LORD Almighty will be a glorious crown, a beautiful wreath for the remnant of his people. He will be a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, a source of strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.4

 

 

 

 

1  #ÔKVv√d∂qŒ Aj…wõr, ru®ahΩΩ qod≈⋲sû§k≈⋲aœ; to\ pneuvma to\ a‚gio/n sou, to pneuma to hagion sou

2 Cf. Job 32:6-8; 33:3-4; 1 Cor 6:11; 1 John 4:2-3; Gen 1:1 (God) in “Hebrew Names with GOD.”

3 Cf. Exo 31:13 (The LORD Who Sanctifies) in “Hebrew Names with LORD.”

4 Cf. Isa 4:4; Gen 18:25 (Judge) in “Other Primary Hebrew Names of God.”

 

Isa 61:1-6: The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor. They will rebuild … they will renew … And you will be called priests of the LORD, you will be named ministers of our God. You will feed on the wealth of

nations, and in their riches you will boast.5

Zec 12:10: And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.6

John 14:16–17; 16:7–11: The Father … will give you another Counselor to be with you forever — the Spirit of truth … The Counselor will … convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I

am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.7

Rom 1:1-4: The gospel regarding his Son … a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God, by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.8

Rom 8:1-2: Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.9

Rom 8:9: You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.10

Rom 8:11: And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.11

Rom 8:15: For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship (adoption). And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”12

 

 

5 Isa 61:1-2 are the very words recorded by Luke as a launching, defining statement of Jesus” ministry: Luke 4:16-19. Cf. 1 Sam 10:6; Isa 11:1-3; 42:1–8; Eph 1:17, where the “Spirit of the LORD” is mentioned, and Gen 15:2 (Sovereign LORD) in “Hebrew Names with LORD.”

6  The LLX has pneuvma ca¿ritoß kai« oiktirmouv (“spirit of grace and mercy,” pneuma charitos kai oiktirmou) instead of the Hebrew MyYˆn…wnSjAt◊w ‹NEj Aj…wûr (“spirit of grace and supplication”); cf. Heb 10:28-29: “Spirit of grace.”

7 Cf. Isa 65:16 (God of Truth) in “Hebrew Names with God” and Isa 51:2 (Comforter) in “Other Primary Hebrew Names for God.”

 

8 Cf. 1 Sam 6:20 (Holy God) in “Hebrew Names with God.”

9 Cf. Deut 5:26 (Living God) in “Hebrew Names with God.”

10 Cf. John 1:41 (Messiah, the Christ) in “Names of God Canonically Listed – NT.”

11 Cf. Rom 4:17 (The God Who Gives Life to the Dead and Calls Things that Are Not as Though They Were) in “Names of God Canonically Listed – NT.”

12 Matt 16:16 (The Christ, the Son of the Living God) in “Names of God Canonically Listed – NT.”

 

Phil 1:19: I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.13

1 Pet 4:12–16: Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.14

 

The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

Job 33:4

 

 

 

 

The I Am Statements of John’s Gospel

Given their context within John’s gospel, Jesus’ “I am” statements are understood by most scholars to be divine claims and by some as being linked to the LORD’s “I AM WHO I AM” declaration of Exo 3:14-15 (cf. Isa 43:25 LXX). Within John’s gospel, Jesus declares nine times “I am,” minus any amplifying predicate (4:25–26; 6:20; 8:24; 8:28; 8:58; 13:19; 18:4-6[3x]). There are also seven

distinctive predicative “I am” statements (6:35; 8:12; 10:7, 9; 10:11, 14; 11:25; 14:6; 15:1, 5). Making these “I am” statements divine explanations may, indeed, have validity, especially given the context of John 8:58-59, in specific, and John 1:1-14, in general; however, this Greek phrase, when stripped of any divine context, is typically an emphatic phrase of self-expression.

 

 

 

The Messiah

John 4:10, 25-26: Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” … The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” Then Jesus declared, “I who speak to you am he.”15

1. Messianic prophecies and their fulfillment is a huge concept in the Bible, spanning from the creation account (Gen
   • to Rev 21. See also:
     1. Psalm 2:2 (The Anointed One) in “Names of God Canonically Listed – OT.”
     2. Matt 16:16 (The Christ, the Son of the Living God) in “Names of God Canonically Listed – NT.”
     3. John 1:41 (Messiah, the Christ) in “Names of God Canonically Listed – NT.”

 

 

 

The Bread of Life

 

 

13 Cf. Phil 2:10 (Jesus) in “Names of God Canonically Listed – NT.”

14 Psalm 145:1 (My God, the King) in “Hebrew Names with God.” This is the only NT example of the phrase “name of Christ,” here used because of the use of Christian in verse 16. For similar references of suffering for the name of Christ, see Matt. 5:11f; 19:29; Acts 5:41; 9:16; 21:13. See 2 Cor 3:8, 17–18 for a correlation between “Spirit” and “glory.”

 

15  e˙gw¿ ei˙mi, oJ lalw◊n soi = egoœ eimi, ho laloœn soi

 

John 6:32-35: Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” “Sir,” they said, “from now on give us this bread.” Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.16

 

1. Related name: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” John 6:41 (oJ a‡rtoß oJ zw◊n = the bread, the living one = egoœ eimi ho artos ho zoœn)
2. Bethlehem, where Jesus was born, means “house of bread” (MRj`Dl ty¶E;b, be®t◊ laœhΩΩem).
3. Cf. Deut 8:1-5; Matt 4:3-4; Isa 55:1-3; Matt 6:11; 15:26; 26:26; John 6:27-29, 45-51; 1 Cor 11:26-27

 

 

 

The Light of the World

John 8:12: When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”17

1. John’s gospel portrays Jesus as the light that overcomes darkness brought about by sin. As such, Jesus’ healing of the blind man from birth is a picture of what the “Light of the World” does for those who receive him (9:3-5; 1:12-13): those who put their trust in Jesus move from darkness to light, from not seeing and groping for direction to seeing and walking with clarity and assurance. This is also a consistent theme throughout the NT – followers of Christ enlightened and empowered to walk not only with him who is the way, the truth, and the life but increasingly in these
2. Related names:
   1. Isa 10:17: [The LORD], the Light of Israel will become a fire, their Holy One a flame; in a single day it will burn and consume his thorns and his briers. (‹ lEa∂rVcˆy_rwáøa, }o®r-yisíraœ}eœl)
   2. Isa 42:6–7: I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are

blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness. (M`Iywø…g

rwñøa,}o®r go®yim)

1. Psa 27:1: The LORD is my light (rwøa, fwtismo/ß) and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?
2. For other significant OT passages on light, see 2 Sam 23:1–4; Job 18:5-6; 22:28; 29:3; Psa 18:28; 36:9; 97:11; 118:27; Pro 13:9; Isa 9:2; Matt 4:12-17; Isa Isa 45:5-9; Rom 9:20-21; 49:6; 58:8; 59:9; 60:1-2, 19-20; Jer 13:16; Lam 3:2; Amos 5:18-20; Mic 7:8-9.

1. James 1:17: Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights (fwק), who does not change like shifting shadows.
   1. For other significant NT passages on light, see Matt 5:14-16; Luke 2:29-32; John 3:19-21; 12:44-46; Rom 13:12-14; 2 Cor 4:3-6; Eph 5:8-21; Phil 2:14-16; Col 1:9-14; 1 Thes 5:5; 1 Pe 2:9-10; 1 John 2:8; 1:1-5 (God is Light) in “God Is ”
2. “Lead, Kindly Light, amidst the encircling gloom, Lead Thou me on; The night is dark, and I am far from home; Lead Thou me on: Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see The distant scene – one step enough for me. I was not ever thus, nor prayed that Thou Shouldst lead me on; I loved to choose and see my path; but now Lead Thou me on. I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears, Pride ruled my will: remember not past years. So long Thy power hath blest me, sure it still Will lead me on, O’er moor and fen, o’er crag and torrent, till The night is gone; And with the morn those angel faces smile, Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile.” by John Henry Newman while in the Mediterranean, while he was sick and longing to come

 

16  e˙gw¿ ei˙mi oJ a‡rtoß thvß zwhvß = egoœ eimi ho artos teœs zoœeœs; this identical phrase is found two times in John 6:35, 48.

 

17 e˙gw¿ ei˙mi to\ fw◊ß touv ko/smou = egoœ eimi to phoœs tou kosmou

 

1. “Oh light coming to us from the Father! Oh holy word, better than any other word! An infinite beam coming out of infinite light … Oh great light, dimmed so as not to blind me! Light twice brought to life, my tongue speaks in thine ” St. Gregory, the Theologian (The Names of Christ; Luis de Leon, 340)

 

 

 

I Am from Above

I Am Not of This World

 

John 8:23-24: But [Jesus] continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins.”

 

1. e˙gw» e˙k tw◊n a‡nw ei˙mi÷ = I am from above = egoœ ek toœn anoœ eimi
2. e˙gw» oujk ei˙mi« e˙k touv ko/smou tou/tou = I am not of this world = egoœ ouk eimi ek tou kosmou toutou
3. In 8:24, because the copula (eimi) has no predicate, this verse can grammatically mean here either:
   1. “I am from above,” with verse 23 influencing the
   2. “I am the one sent from the Father or the Messiah,” with 7:18, 28 influencing the
   3. “I am the Light of the World,” 8:12 influencing the
   4. “I am the Deliverer from the bondage of sin,” 8:28, 31-36 influencing the
   5. “I am,” using the phrase in the absolute sense and a phrase of self-expression.
      1. As in the NIV: “The one I claim to ”
      2. As further elaborated by Jesus in 8:53-59 (cf. Isa 43:10) and therefore a declaration of blasphemy that caused the Jews to want to stone
   6. The phrase egoœ eimi, occurs in an absolute sense nine times in John (4:26; 6:20; 8:24, 28, 58; 13:19; 18:4-8[3x]). Through these declarations, Jesus may be making a divine claim, especially in 8:24,
      24. 8:24: This may especially be so, because John 8:24 is uniquely linked to the LXX’s wording found in Isa 43:10b (hina pisteuseœte … hoti egoœ eimi = so that you may believe … that I am he) – the exact words found in John 8:24. These words in Isa 43:10 refer to the
          1. Isa 43:10–13: “You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD, “and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he (Hebrew awh yna

[nˆî hu®}] rendered in the LXX as egoœ eimi). Before me no God was formed, nor will there be one after me. I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is no savior. I have revealed and saved and proclaimed—I, and not some foreign god among you. You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD, “that I am God. Yes, and from ancient days I am he. No one can deliver out of my hand. When I act, who can reverse it?”

1. “Schnackenburg points out the excellence of the connection between Isa 43:10 and John 8:24: “Jesus is in a lawsuit with the “world” (vv 14–18), and in him God testifies that he is the eschatological helper and savior who turns darkness into light and wants to bring every human being into the light of life (8:12). The Jews should put themselves on God’s side, accept his testimony and believe that in Jesus God says his “It is I.” Then they too would win a share in God’s eschatological salvation” (WBC; John; 36:131).

 

 

 

 

I Am

 

John 8:53, 56-59: [The Jews asked,] “Who do you think you are?” … [Jesus replied] “Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my [Jesus’] day; he saw it and was glad.” “You are not yet fifty years old,” the Jews said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!” “I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.18

 

 

18 e˙gw» ei˙mi = egoœ eimi

 

1. This declaration is perhaps a reference to the eternal and self-existent qualities of Jesus and maybe even a direct comparison by Jesus of himself to the
2. 8:58: Jesus’ audience wanted to stone him, an action prescribed in Lev 24:16 as punishment for blaspheming “the Name of the LORD.” They too must have heard his words as a divine
   1. Say to the Israelites: “If anyone curses his God, he will be held responsible; anyone who blasphemes the name of the LORD must be put to death. The entire assembly must stone him. Whether an alien or native-born, when he blasphemes the Name, he must be put to death.” Lev 24:15-16
3. John 13:18–19: I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill the scripture: “He who shares my bread has lifted up his heel against me.” I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am he (iºna pisteu/shte o¢tan ge÷nhtai o¢ti e˙gw» ei˙mi÷).

 

 

 

The Gate for the Sheep

 

John 10:1, 7-10: I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber … I am the gate for the sheep. All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate; whoever enters

through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.19

1. In Palestine, shepherds often slept in the passageway by which the sheep went in and out; as such, the shepherd was the gate.
   1. The mind and the thoughts that generate within it, similarly, are the gateways to the future because they shape our will, emotions, decisions, and habits. What you consistently sow in a thought, you’ll reap in a decision; what you consistently sow in a decision, you’ll reap in an action; what you consistently sow in an action … lifestyle … your
   2. The Good Shepherd desires to be the gateway of our minds, providing us with “the helmet of salvation” (Eph 6:17).
2. “No one is more influential in your life than you are, because no on talks to you more than you do.” (Paul David Tripp)
3. John 10:7-10; Psa 118:19–23; Rom 8:5-8; 12:1-3; 2 Cor 10:1–5; Eph 4:17-24; 6:10-18; Col 2:8-10; Tit 3:3-11;

Rev 22:4–5

 

Lord, this day:

I thank you for Jesus Christ, who is my cornerstone and way forward in life. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you!

Be the Gate for my thoughts, decisions …

Thank you for speaking into my darkness and creating light and life to my thoughts!

Continue to renew and wash my mind; help me to take my thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ.

Help me to join with your efforts of setting those around me free from any “stinking thinking.”

 

The foundation of my life is irrational:

God appearing in the flesh … Jesus rising from the dead … that I might experience New Creation.

May it ever be, for me and my household, “faith seeking understanding.”

 

 

 

The Good Shepherd

 

John 10:11-16: I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my

 

 

19 e˙gw¿ ei˙mi hJ qu/ra tw◊n proba¿twn = egoœ eimi heœ thyra toœn probatoœn.

 

sheep know me — just as the Father knows me and I know the Father — and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.20

 

• Psa 23:1 (The LORD, My Shepherd) in “Hebrew Names with LORD.”
• Prophetically we are told about the Messiah: “I [the LORD] will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd. I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them. I the LORD have spoken.” (Ezek 34:23–24)

 

 

 

The Resurrection and the Life

John 11:25-26: Jesus said to [Martha], “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”21

• John 5:21: Just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give

 

 

 

The Way and the Truth and the Life

John 14:1, 4, 6-7, 9: Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me [Jesus]. You know the way to the place where I am going. I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him … Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.22

• 1 John 1:2: The life appeared; we have seen and testify, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to
• Cf. Ps 16:11; 37:5-6; 103:7; 119:5, 32; Pro 3:5-6; 4:18; Isa 35:8-10.

 

May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us, Selah

that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations.

Ps 67:1–2

 

The True Vine

John 15:1-5: I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will

bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.23

 

 

20  Δ∆Egw¿ ei˙mi oJ poimh\n oJ kalo/ß = Egoœ eimi ho poimeœn ho kalos

21 e˙gw¿ ei˙mi hJ aÓna¿stasiß kai« hJ zwh/ = egoœ eimi heœ anastasis kai heœ zoœe

22  e˙gw¿ ei˙mi hJ oJdo\ß kai« hJ aÓlh/qeia kai« hJ zwh/ = egoœ eimi heœ hodos kai heœ aleœtheia kai heœ zoœe

23  Egw¿ ei˙mi hJ a‡mpeloß hJ aÓlhqinh\ = Egoœ eimi heœ ampelos heœ aleœthineœ

 

Jesus of Nazareth

John 18:4-6: Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them [Judas, soldiers, officials], “Who is it you want?” “Jesus of Nazareth,”24 they replied. “I am he,” (e˙gw» ei˙mi÷) Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) When Jesus said, “I am he,” (e˙gw» ei˙mi÷) they drew back and fell to the ground.

 

 

 

 

24 For thoughts about the name Jesus, see Phil 2:5-11, which is listed under “Names Thematically and Canonically Grouped.” As mentioned in this section’s heading footnote, “I am” (e˙gw» ei˙mi) can be a phrase of emphatic self-expression.

 

The I Am Statements of John’s Revelation

 

The Alpha and the Omega:

Who Is, and Who Was, and Who Is to Come, The Almighty

 

Rev 1:7–8: Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”25

1. Alpha and omega are the first and last letters in the Greek alphabet and in many ways the phrase “alpha and omega” is parallel to:
   1. “The beginning and the end” (21:6; 22:13; cf. 3:14).
   2. “The first and the last” (1:17; 2:8; 22:13).
2. Some scholars believe that this tripartite divine name, “who is, and who was, and who is to come,” (found also in Rev 1:4, 4:8), is a paraphrase of the divine name Yahweh revealed to Moses in Exod 3:14.
3. “Almighty”: the term pantokra¿twr refers to God’s supremacy over all creation (pa◊n, “all,” and kratei√n, “to rule”); it’s found nine times in Revelation (1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7, 14; 19:6, 15; 21:22) and used 170 times within the LXX, typically as a translation for the divine names of God that use the word “Almighty” and are

supported by either tOwaDbVx, sΩΩe∑baœ}o®t or yÅ…wAv s¥adday; e.g., LORD of Hosts, Sovereign LORD, God Almighty.

4. Cf. Isa 44:6-8; 46:1–13; 48:12-14; Rev 1:13, 17–18; 2:8; 22:12-13; both the LORD (Isa 44:6) and Jesus (Rev 22:13)

are referred to as the First and the Last.

5. The phrase “Alpha and Omega” occurs two more times in Revelation, referencing both God (1:7-8; 21:6) and Christ (22:13). For further thoughts on such parallels amongst the Trinity, see entry entitled “The Incomparability of YHWH, the Shema, and the Trinity” found in the Appendix.

 

 

 

The First and the Last The Living One

 

1:17-18: When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

 

 

 

He Who Searches Hearts and Minds

Rev 2:18–29: To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.

Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of

 

25   Δ∆Egw¿ ei˙mi to\ a‡lfa kai« to\ w°, le÷gei ku/rioß oJ qeo/ß, oJ w·n kai« oJ h™n kai« oJ e˙rco/menoß, oJ pantokra¿twr. = Egoœ eimi to alpha kai to oœ, legei kyrios ho theos, ho oœn kai ho eœn kai ho erchomenos, ho pantokratoœr.

 

her ways. I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds. Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets (I will not impose any other burden on you): Only hold on to what you have until I come. To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations — ‘He will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery’ — just as I have received authority from my Father. I will also give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

1. Ps 139:1, 23–24: O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
2. 1 Sam 2:3; 16:7; 1 Ki 8:37-40; 2 Ch 16:9; Ps 17:1-3; 44:20-22; Pro 15:11; 20:27; Jer 12:1-3; 17:10; Ezek 34:8, 11,

16; Rom 8:27.

3. God alone knows our heart and lovingly, patiently shows it to us that we might find both hope and confidence, when in doubt (1 John 3:18-20), but also light and love, when in the wrong.

 

 

 

The Alpha and the Omega Beginning and the End

 

21:1-7: Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.

 

 

 

The Root and the Offspring of David The Bright Morning Star

 

22:16-17: I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star. The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.26

1. Though Venus is not a star but a planet, when Revelations was written Venus was known as the largest star and after the sun and the moon the brightest object in the sky. It was called either the “morning star,” “day star,” or “evening star” and known in ancient Babylonia as the star of Ishtar; since it appeared just before the sun dawned, it was understood in those days as the sign and messenger of a new

 

 

 

26  e˙gw¿ ei˙mi hJ rJi÷za kai« to\ ge÷noß Daui÷d, oJ aÓsth\r oJ lampro\ß oJ prwiœno/ß. = egoœ eimi heœ rhiza kai to genos Dauid, ho asteœr ho lampros ho proœinos.

 

2. Balaam’s fourth oracle predicts “a star … a scepter rising out of Israel”; the apostle Peter encourages the believer to pay close attention to his message about the majesty of his Lord Jesus Christ, the Son, and allow this morning star to arise in their heart. Likewise, Jesus promises the “morning star” to those who do his will to the end. Cf. Num 24:17; Isa 60:3; 2 Pe 1:19; Rev 2:26-29.
   1. WBCNT on Rev 2:28 and “I will give him the morning star”: “Receiving the morning star, however, is quite different from being the morning star … The gift of the morning star must refer to the fact that the exalted Christ shares his messianic status with the believer who ”

 

God Is Statements27

 

 

Primary:

The LORD Is One

 

 

Deut 6:4-9: Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

1. Have we not all one Father? Did not one God create us? Why do we profane the covenant of our fathers by breaking faith with one another? Mal 2:10
2. The Hebrew Shema comes from Deut 6:4-9, which is elaborated in “LORD – The Incomparability of YHWH, the Shema, and the Trinity” found in the

 

 

 

The LORD Is Good!

Psa 100:4–5: Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

1. The scriptural admonitions to praise the LORD because he is good and his love endures forever are:
   1. A common thread in Scripture (14x in the OT: 1 Chr 16:7, 34-36; 2 Chr 5:13; 7:3; Ezra 3:11; 73:1; 100:5; 106:1; 107:1-3, 21, 43; 118:1, 29; 135:3; 136:1; 145:9; Jer 33:11).
   2. First expressed by David, when the ark came back into Jerusalem (1 Chr 16:34; cf. Psa 106:1)
   3. Scriptures Related to our good God: Psa 25:7–8; 34:8; 52:9; 73:1; Lam 3:19-26; Nah 1:7-8; Phil 1:6; James 1:17-18;

1 Pet 2:2-3.

1. God is good and has called his children into this goodness; this shouldn’t surprise. The word gospel is from the Old English word “godspel,” which meant in those days “good story or “good news”; it accurately translates the Greek word for
2. God causes all things to work together for our good, for those … Rom 8:28
3. Scriptures Related to the Believer and Good: Psa 37:3; 54:6; Luke 6:45; 23:50; Acts 11:24; 20:35; Rom 2:7-16; 7:18; 12:9, 21; 2 Cor 5:10; 6:8; 2 Tim 3:16-17; 1 Pet 3:8-18; 2 Pet 1:3–5.
   1. Micah 6:8 is a notable and succinct summary statement of God’s requirement for the believer’s life: He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your
      27. For other similar, succinct summary scriptures, see Deut 10:12-13; Isa 1:15-20; Jer 22:16; Hos 6:6; Jas 1:27.
   2. Both Jesus and the believer’s life are summarized as “doing good”: Psa 37:3; Acts 10:36-38; Gal 6:10; Eph 2:10.
   3. God disciplines us for our good that we may share in his holiness. Rom 8:28; Heb 12:10
   4. We are to “trust in the Lord and do good” (Psalm 37:3); when we choose the good, we choose to act like God (Acts 10:36-38).
   5. A lawyer who does work pro bono (Latin: “for” [pro] “the good”[bono]) does legal work for those who cannot afford it and for the common
4. Heidelberg Catechism (1563): “What is the coming to life of the new man? Answer: “It is wholehearted joy in God through Christ and a delight to do every kind of good as God wants us “

 

 

27 In the Bible, there are a plethora of “God/the LORD” is statements, many of which aren’t found below, as they closely parallel a name of God listed above.

 

You are good, and what you do is good; teach me your decrees.

Psa 119:68

 

 

 

God Is Spirit

 

John 4:23–24: “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”

1. 2 Cor 3:16–18: Whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the
2. The structure of John 4:24’s phrase “God is spirit” (pneuvma oJ qeo/ß, pneuma ho theos) emphasizes the quality and nature of God: the very essence and quality of God is breath, wind, spirit. God stirs and gives both life and movement.
3. The articular structure and word placement of 2 Cor 3:16’s phrase “the Lord is the Spirit” (oJ ku/rioß

to\ pneuvma¿ e˙stin, ho kyrios to pneuma estin) emphasizes the equality between Lord and Spirit; they are equal, one and the same. In conformity with this fact, verse 16’s declaration, “the Lord is the Spirit,” is reemphasized by verse 18: “the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

 

 

LORD, with the psalmist, I too recognize that “deep calls to deep”: My deep depravity and need responding to the unfathomable depth of your love and power, bringing forth eternal life and change.

 

O Upright One, you have made my life level, my way smooth! Whatever is good in my family, my church, my life, my heart and thoughts … what are they but testimonies to your creative Spirit that is able to fashion what was “without form and void” and make it “very good”?

 

This morning, my spirit longs for you, for your fresh breath, again, to carry me through this day and forward through many days; for me to be satisfied this morning and throughout this day with your unfailing, unfathomable love; for me also to be able, once again, to look back on today and see your faithful, compassionate, gracious Spirit having once again moved in and out of my life and the lives I pastor.

 

You are the Only One who establishes peace (Shalom); the breath of your Spirit will do all the good that I can ever accomplish today that is of eternal value. Today, my LORD, other lords besides you will desire to rule over my life and those I pastor, may your name alone be whom we honor today. Fill our sails – our words our thoughts our actions – with the wind of your Spirit. LORD, you are the Spirit who alone brings freedom and empowers us forward into life and wholeness and liberty: into your likeness.

 

(Cf. Gen 1; 1 Chron 23:30; Psa 42:7; 92:1-2; Isa 26:7-13.)

 

 

God Is a Consuming Fire

Heb 12:25–29: See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”

• Ex 20:5 (A Jealous God) in Hebrew Names with God.

 

God Is Light

1 John 1:5–7: This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

• John 8:12 (I Am the Light of the World) in “The I Am Statements of John’s Gospel.”

 

 

 

God Is Love

1 John 4:7-9, 13–17: Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.                                          We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him.

1. If God is foremost Creator or Almighty, we have a weak, incomplete view of him. We think he needs this world to rule over in order to be complete. Likewise to think of him foremost either as King or Judge or Ruler is to dwell within an equally inept concept of God. Do I love the policeman? Value, yes! But love? No! Further, as finite creatures we are unable to understand the vastness of God; however, we can understand and benefit from the fact that God is love; he expresses his love even before creation occurred (John 17:24); creation is a result of this
   1. The statement “God is love” strikes at the core of the LORD’s essence; but God isn’t a spurned, hoped to be a father or mother, who needs me as a child to be filled. “For eternity, the Father so loves the Son that he excites the Son’s eternal love in response; Christ so loves the Church that he excites our love in response; the husband so loves his wife that he excites her to love him back. Such is the spreading goodness that rolls out of the very being of this God [who is love]” (Delighting in the Trinity; Michael Reeves; p. 29).
   2. Martin Luther’s basic understanding of the gospel came from his search – “Where can I find a gracious God? How can I be found righteous before a righteous God?” His answer was, “God is love!” Luther’s confidence in a loving God came from the fact that God has given himself to be gracious to sinful humanity in the flesh of Christ. He felt that all we can know of God must be seen through this
2. The Hebrew phrase “his love endures forever” is:
   1. wíø;dVsAj M∞DlwøoVl, l{o®laœm hΩΩasdo® and typically in LXX as ei˙ß to\n ai˙w◊na to\ e¶leoß aujtouv, eis ton aioœna to

eleos autou.

1. Found 41 times in the Bible (1 Chr 16:34, 41; 2 Chr 5:13; 7:3, 6; 20:21; Ezra 3:11; Ps 100:5; 106:1; 107:1;

118:1–4, 29; 136:1–2, 4–26; 138:8; Jer 33:11)

1. Typically accompanied with the admonition to “give thanks,” for his love endures forever and the description that “the LORD is good.”

3. Psa 136 and 138 are notable in this regards: Ps 138:1, 8: I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; before the “gods” I will sing your praise. The LORD will fulfill [his purpose] for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever — do not abandon the works of your
4. “Words are superfluous where deeds abound, for in love deeds are always better than words … along the People have left their families, they have given up everything that can be seen or imagined. They have renounced to themselves, to their own lives, and this is something that is still taking place every day … [Christ] can turn poverty into riches, a desert into a paradise, torment into pleasure, persecutions into bliss. So that love can live in them, Christ’s lovers choose to die to the world and its riches … So that Christ’s love becomes in them what gives them shape, life, being, becoming, acting, and ultimately so that everything in them resembles their beloved Christ. This shows without doubt how Jesus is the only being that can be truly beloved in such a fashion … All [such] love comes from God.” (The Names of Christ; Luis de Leon, 342–343)

 

As for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more.

My mouth will tell of your righteousness, of your salvation all day long, though I know not its measure. (Ps 71:14–15)

 

 

 

 

 

Others of Significance:

+++++++++++++++++

 

 

Exod 15:2: The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.

Exo 15:3 The LORD is a warrior; the LORD is his name.

Deut 30:19-20: This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Judg 11:10: The elders of Gilead replied, “The LORD is our witness; we will certainly do as you say.” Ps 34:18: The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Ps 54:4: Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me. (cf. 28:8)

 

Ps 84:11: For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.

Ps 145:13: Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The LORD is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made. (cf. 2 Pe 3:9)

 

Ps 145:18: The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. (cf. Prov 15:29; Rom 10:12; 1 Pet 3:12)

 

Lam 3:24: I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” (Psa 15:2)