The Cross at Ffald-y-Brenin, situated as directed by the Lord.

Reflections upon the events of Jesus’ betrayal and execution whilst we were on a Quiet Day’s ‘Appointment in Jerusalem’, added to my ongoing meditation upon His prayer made not in the garden of Gethsemane, but after Passover in the upper room and offered up for Himself, the first disciples and every subsequent believer (John 17).

So my thoughts meandered around Jesus’ praying to Father that He’d “manifested Your Name” and for His disciples to see the glory He had with Father before the Beginning, as in my footnote to the word on Preparation for Enlargement.

Our modern concept of ‘name’ doesn’t convey the depth of meaning appreciated in biblical times. I recalled Hebrew and Semitic studies scholar Dr Michael S Heiser (bio) on Exodus 23:20-23 reference to the Angel of the LORD as having ‘Yahweh’s “Name” in him…which gives a glimpse of the Hebrew Bible’s ‘Name Theology’ in which reference to “the Name” actually refers to Yahweh Himself…Thus, ‘Yahweh indicates He is in the Angel…yet in other passages, Yahweh and the Angel can be simultaneously – but separately – present (Judges 6:11-26) [Old Testament Godhead Language].

That’s remarkably similar to the principle of quantum entanglement as noted On Engaging Time – yet is in the Bible!  He goes on to say the divine “Name” represents His presence, which is also God’s “essence”.

So over silent lunch with mind in ‘neutral’, an insight suddenly occurred to me and I noted it afterwards as an equation in my Bible’s rear fly-leaf.:

‘GOD’s NAME = HIS GLORY = EVERYTHING ABOUT HIM (KNOWN & UNKNOWN)’

Also, the last part is equivalent to:

‘NOT YET KNOWN  BUT BEING REVEALED IN &  ACROSS (ie. A +) TIME’

Now please note: in my mind I was going to write “in and throughout” but actually found myself writing “across”, which doesn’t make as much sense when considering the full continuity of time – BUT this change directly relates it to the Crucifixion.

From my earliest days of being ‘born again’ I’d heard about the Cross being pivotal in, and thus central to, human history. Now, however, I understood it’s existed throughout history from the very Beginning, and connected into the ‘mystery’ of ‘Fathers Own Objective’ that Apostle Paul revealed to the Ephesians, as noted in my intro to God’s Eternal Purpose.

I imagined the Cross’ horizontal beam s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g…r-i- g-h-t…a-c-r-o-s-s…t-i-m-e.

Next, I scribbled a cloud shape with arrows poking out of it to represent different epochs and wrote within its curvy outline, ‘Cloud of Unknowing’ (as in the title of the medieval book of Christian contemplative mysticism on the being and nature of God – see Wikipedia).

THEN right after jotting those notes and awaiting the first session after lunch, this famous Welsh hymn was played and I was transfixed by the chorus line,

“He can never be forgotten throughout heaven’s eternal days.”

Now, as I blog and search on Hebrew name theology I find an informative article on ‘Ha Shem’ at Hebrew4Christians, to which is added this postscript:

‘The point of all this is to demonstrate that the “Name of the LORD” is none other than Yeshua (or Jesus). Yeshua = YHVH…The idea of “Name” means more that mere phonetics; it has to do with the deeds, acts, power, reputation and glory of God. Those who do not honor the Son do not honor the Father who sent Him (John 5:23). Denigrating Yeshua by even hinting that He is less than God Almighty is to desecrate the Name of God…’ (Divine Names Theology?)

All this reminds me of another aspect of the Lord’s name relating directly to the Crucifixion that I was contemplating, about which I’ll tell another time…