THE TRIUNE NAME OF GOD
MEETINGS IN WERMELSKIRCHEN
17th-19th JUNE 1955
(FRIDAY TO LORD’S DAY)
Reading 1—Friday morning
A.J.G. I believe it is good to see that, as soon as the Lord rose from among the dead, He brought in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, as He taught His disciples. I thought we could on this occasion have the thought of the name “God” before us, as He is made known in this triune Name, and see how this brings out God being all in all. He should be everything for the believer, as He will be all in all in eternity. So we see this in what we read in Revelation, viewing the throne in the city; it means that God has the first place in the city, but known in Christ; because the Lamb is the lamp in which we can see the glory. Then we have the river that speaks of the Spirit. He gives the whole position its character. So, the final thought is that God should be known in His full Name in which He has been made known, and as known in this way He becomes a blessing for the believer. I wondered if we could, in the following readings, take up the thought how we arrive at the knowledge of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We could start this morning with how God is known in this glorious Name. It is most significant that the Lord introduces it straight after He rose from among the dead. We see the same thing in John 20: 17 in the message He gave to Mary of Magdala, straight after He rose from among the dead and said: “but go to my brethren and say to them, I ascend to my Father and your Father”, and as an additional thought: “and to my God and your God”.
What is especially remarkable in Matthew’s gospel is that the truth comes out in the face of great opposition. In chapter 16, the Lord speaks of it that the gates of hades shall not prevail against the assembly. This shows clearly that conflicts will be there and yet the truth will be victorious. In these three last chapters of Matthew, we see the gates of hades, and we see from chapter 26: 4 that the chief priests and elders took counsel together in order that they might seize Jesus by subtlety and kill Him. Then it says in chapter 27: 1: “all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus so that they might put him to death”, and in chapter 28: 12, “And having assembled with the elders, and having taken counsel” to put a lie into circulation. That is what we see in these three chapters, the wicked taking counsel with one another against the truth. In spite of this the Lord says to His disciples: “All power has been given me in heaven and upon earth. Go therefore”, He says, “and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them to the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit”. In spite of opposing evil counsel, the disciples were to go forward and announce the full name of God, making disciples and baptising them in this Name.
A.W. Do you think that something of the gates of hades was seen when the chief priests and elders were gathered?
A.J.G. The gates of hades are, as I understand it, places where counsel is made, where the enemy plans opposition against the truth. In every current opposition, even in the present time, we must hold on to the fact that the enemy is behind it, planning to resist the truth. They even found in Judas one that could help them. Judas sets out the principle of traitorship. Outwardly he was one of the disciples, but he also had a link with those that opposed Jesus. He brings in the principle of traitorship. We must be carefully on our guard that we do not maintain any links or communion or activities that deny the truth, because that is something the enemy can use to weaken the position.
H.H. Does verse 2 of Psalm 2 fit in with what we are saying here: “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the princes plot together, against Jehovah and against his anointed: Let us break their bonds asunder, and cast away their cords from us!”?
A.J.G. Yes, they take counsel with one another. It is most important to realise that the enemy always counsels against the truth. That is why we must always be alert in our thoughts to be faithful to the truth before everything else.
H.L. Is it the purpose of the enemy’s great opposition that the answer to His revelation in praise to God should be silenced?
A.J.G. Yes, that is the final great object. The Lord holds believers in His hand that have been washed from their sins in His blood, and whom He has made a kingdom. This means that we are under His support and protection; and are priests to His God and Father. That is the first thing He had in mind, when He redeemed us, to be serving God as priests.
The service of God must be in accordance with His Name. The Name is the light in which He has made Himself known, and the answer to God must be in accordance with this light.
L.M. “According to thy name, O God, so is thy praise unto the ends of the earth”. Ps 48: 10.
A.J.G. It is a most important principle, that the answer that we give to God in praise must be in accordance with His Name. It is most interesting that we have in Malachi constant references to the Name of God in the last days, and we find such as thought upon His Name. God constantly thinks of them that fear His Name and seek Him.
B.M. Does Galilee in verse 16 have a meaning?
A.J.G. Galilee was a place of reproach. In John 7: 52 it says for example: “They answered and said to him, Art thou also of Galilee? Search and look, that no prophet arises out of Galilee”. So Galilee was despised, and the Lord emphasised in Matthew that they had to go to the area of reproach. They would see Him there. If we are not prepared to take on reproach, then we will not have a sense of the Lord’s presence and support. Taking on the truth brings reproach along with it. In taking it on we will find the Lord and His support.
H.L. Is it therefore the “eleven disciples” referred to and not “apostles”?
A.J.G. Disciples are such as learn from Christ, and as following Him they are disciplined. It says: “Some doubted”. Some hesitated but nevertheless the Lord went on. He went on with those that were available.
R.Z. Can we say that the resurrection of Christ has broken the power of the enemy?
A.J.G. Yes, we can say that. In the beginning of chapter 28 we could say that man’s power was ridiculed. The angel simply rolled away the stone and sat himself on it. In Psalm 2: 4 it says similarly, “He that dwelleth in the heavens shall laugh, the Lord shall have them in derision”. We should go on with this power in our souls.
A.G. The apostle Paul says: “But the Lord stood with me”, 2 Tim 4: 17. Even today, faithful ones can experience this that the Lord stands by us.
A.J.G. That is how the section in Matthew 28 ends: “And behold, I am with you all the days, until the completion of the age”.
D.H. Each day that comes, the Lord is by us. Whatsoever the day brings, in tests and opposition, the Lord is by us.
H.H. Is it not of interest, as God sent out Moses, that Moses immediately asked about God’s name?, because God had said: “ye shall serve me on this mountain”? The service of God shows that the Name is important.
A.J.G. That is most interesting. The answer to this is: “I AM THAT I AM”. And before that God had said He was “the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob”, this means God made Himself known in a threefold way. The patriarchs present a threefold glory that is linked with the name of God.
A.W. Do you think that they correspond with the name “Father, Son and Holy Spirit”?
A.J.G. Yes, Abraham gives the thought of the Father, Isaac gives the thought of the Son, the beloved Son, and Jacob sets out in a special way the fruit and the work of the Spirit, so at the end of his life he is a great worshipper and a great blesser. He worships God, and comes forth like God. And that is really indeed how the assembly works, the great vessel of worship to God, and also the great expression of God in blessing to man, when she comes out of heaven from God having the glory of God.
G.S. Is it necessary to do homage, as the disciples did here, so that the Lord could speak to them?
A.J.G. Yes, that is most definitely so, the Lord should be held in reverent love. But it is remarkable how the Lord assured them: “All power has been given me in heaven and upon earth. Go therefore…”. In the light of this we must go on in the truth—“make disciples of all the nations, baptising them to the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit”.
L.B. Do we need an especially important impression of this as it was what the Lord said to His disciples straight after His resurrection?
A.J.G. That is exactly what I feel about Matthew 28 and John 20, that the Lord, as soon He rose from the dead, He announced the wonderful message to Mary of Magdala, and on the other hand He gave this command to His disciples. We begin to enter into the fulness of these announcements right away. But it was in the Lord’s mind straight away as soon He rose from among the dead.
A.W. As He was heard from the horns of the buffaloes in the resurrection, He brings the name of God to light and praises God in singing in the midst of the assembly.
E.B. The disciples went to the place the Lord had appointed them, and it says further: “And Jesus coming up spoke to them”. What would you say about that?
B.S. That was life out of death, the triumph, life out of death on the principle of faith.
A.J.G. Yes, it was the proof of victory over death. The Lord said, Satan can kill the body, but he cannot go any further. So death is the limit of the enemy’s power. The resurrection from the dead involves the total victory over the enemy.
R.Z. We surely see that in Exodus 15, as the people of Israel stood on the bank of the river, and God brought forth a song of triumph.
A.J.G. Yes, they did. They also brought in wonderful names of God in the song. They bring in the name “Jah”; it does not only say “Jehovah” which is His name involving relationship, but rather “Jah” a name involving His great majesty, then also the name “El” is brought in that speaks of His actual being. It is entirely right that God’s final thought is that His majesty and glory should be worshiped in His people. The name of the Father is a blessed thought, and in the knowledge of the Father we are set in liberty before God. But morally it is right, that God Himself should be the object of His creatures’ praise.
A.T.E. Thus Exodus 15 and Matthew 28 go together. Baptism is to a certain extent seen in the Red Sea, which Israel went through, and then sang the song. It shows there we are not only baptised to the Name, but the Name should also in us lead to a song of praise.
A.J.G. Yes, the name should be before us, we should be contemplating it and start going into its fulness. I believe this name is always used in connection with baptism. Most of us were baptised as children and this name was expressed over us as we were baptised. But we must understand something of the greatness and fulness of what it means.
H.L. The Lord speaks here of teaching. Do you think it is necessary to understand the fulness and greatness of the Name?
A.J.G. Yes, it says here: “teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have enjoined you”. Besides the glory of the name we should be obedient and subject. In Malachi, the name is constantly referred to on the one hand, but also it always says that we should fear God, in view of being held under the fear of God all the time.
H.L. What I had in mind was that we cannot be without the teaching. Some say that Scripture is enough.
A.J.G. The Lord never thought that, that the Scripture as such should be enough for us, as He has given us teachers. He has given us shepherds and teachers for the perfecting of the saints. No teaching of course can go against Scripture, and no teaching the Spirit gives ever goes against scripture. But the teaching is necessary, in order that the truth should be presented in a right way.
B.S. Can we say that God has been manifested in flesh?
A.J.G. God is manifested in flesh in Jesus. What have you in mind?
B.S. I thought that the flesh had come to an end, and each one baptised on the ground of the resurrection.
A.J.G. God manifested in flesh involves that God has come out in a Man; this means in Jesus, but it is also perfectly true that everything we are according to man in the flesh is brought to its end in His death.
H.M. Does verse 19 bring out the love and grace of God: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations”?
A.J.G. Yes that is right, God must have an answer that is worthy of Him. That is why it says that many are brought out of all the nations.
L.L. Could we say, when we have learnt the bearing of the names, Father, Son and Holy Spirit; we have then learnt what God is in His being?
A.J.G. We cannot really understand God in His actual being. He dwells in light unapproachable, whom no one has seen or can see. But He has been manifested in a Man. When we come to the scriptures we have read in Revelation, we will always find the reference to “the Lord God” and “the Lamb”. God is there, but He is known in Christ, in the Lamb, and He is not known in any other way but in Christ. So it says in verse 22: “the Lord God Almighty is its temple” and then also in chapter 22: 5 “the Lord God shall shine upon them”. The Lord God means “Jehovah Elohim”; that means God in His gracious connections with man, but He remains God.
W.R. Is it not most encouraging to see that the Lord Jesus comes forward as the One that was given all power in heaven and earth before He gives the commission to His disciples?
A.J.G. Yes, that is most encouraging. It shows God brings everything through to the end in what He intends to do. He has given all power into the hands of the Lord Jesus with the purpose of fulfilling what was necessary to accomplish, that we might be real disciples.
F.Schm. It is good to see that we cannot do anything in our own power, but only in His power.
A.J.G. Yes, He says: “I am with you all the days, until the completion of the age”. At the present time the Lord has completion in mind. This present age is marked by the full light of God. Thus, we should consciously answer to the name of God.
W.Sch. What does it mean that the Lord God is the temple?
A.J.G. It supports just what we have said. It is morally right that God in His supremacy and His majesty should be the climax of worship by His creatures. This does not take away the preciousness of the Father’s name. We are before God in liberty and rejoicing in the Father’s name. But it is also right that God should be first in the hearts of His creatures: “the Lord God Almighty is its temple, and the Lamb”. That means the whole city is filled with the preciousness of God. In the former Jerusalem you had to go into the temple in Jerusalem to approach God, but now there is no need for the temple in the city. The Lord God the Almighty is there Himself, “and the Lamb”, of whom it speaks later. This means the light of God shines in Christ, and this light fills the city.
G.S. Why is there no need for the sun or the moon? It says the glory of God has enlightened it.
A.J.G. It does not require any other light than the light of the glory of God. I think it is important to see that what the city will be in a day to come should be known in the assembly already now; as everything that is formed in the saints now will be fulfilled in the city in the day to come. That is why we need no natural light. We need no other light than the light of the knowledge of God in Christ, which has been made true in us through the Spirit.
K.Pf. “Do ye not know that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?”, 1 Cor 3: 16.
A.J.G. By the Spirit, God Himself dwells in us, and the Holy Spirit expands our hearts for the glory of God in Christ. It is important that God and the Lamb always go together in these scriptures. This means our thoughts are only about Christ, the Man that suffered, and in Him shines the light of God for us.
R.Z. That is why the great light that shone from heaven had such a power over Saul of Tarsus?
A.J.G. Yes, it shone in the face of a Man. He says: “the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ”, 2 Cor 4: 16. The human face is a wonderful piece of God’s creation, expressive in a wonderful way. So it says: “the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ”. A man stands before our hearts, in whom God has been made blessedly known.
H.H. Is it not touching that it is the Lamb here?
A.J.G. Yes, it is the One that has suffered.
A.G. Of Moses it is also said that his countenance shone as he came down from Jehovah.
A.J.G. Yes, the skin of His face shone.
Fr.M. So does the remembrance of the death of the Lord Jesus go into eternity?
A.J.G. Not the remembrance as we have now, because the important point with remembrance now is that He is absent. In eternity we have the Lord Himself close to us. It says: “The Lord God Almighty is its temple, and the Lamb”. This means that God and the Lamb are there, and fill the whole scene.
O.H. “We will come to him and make our abode with him”, John 14: 23.
A.J.G. Yes, that is right.
W.Sch. The starting point is what we have in Matthew 28: He appointed Galilee.
A.J.G. Yes, that is the beginning.
L.Bi. Could you say why the city is linked with this.
A.J.G. The city is the assembly in its glory in the millennium. She is the great result of the work of God. I believe the city presents the glory of the work of God. It says that Abraham looked for a city whose artificer and builder was God. That is why I think the city is a view of the assembly as she presents the glory of what God has wrought in the saints. But when we come to what is eternal it says: “the tabernacle of God is with men, and he shall tabernacle with them”. That is not so much the thought of the glory of what God has wrought, but rather God with men in nearness, in tabernacle conditions, in great simplicity and accessibility.
O.H. God’s masterpiece.
A.J.G. Yes, that is right. The assembly is the masterpiece of God, and she will be displayed in this way. But what she is marked by is that there is no temple there. The temple embraces partly the thought of distance. If you were living in a suburb of Jerusalem, you had to go up to the temple to go into the presence of God. But it says here: “And I saw no temple in it; for the Lord God Almighty is its temple, and the Lamb”. This means God and the Lamb fill the whole position.
W.Sch. Did Zacharias have this in mind when he said, we should serve God without fear, Luke 1: 74.
A.J.G. Yes, serve God without fear.
R.B. In Revelation 22, the throne of God and the Lamb is referred to, is that the centre?
A.J.G. Yes it says: “the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it”. It means that God has supremacy, it is always God and the Lamb, God known in Christ. Christ has of course His own part in Deity, and yet God is known to us in Christ, in a Man.
H.R. Should we see this?
A.J.G. We must see this. We could never know God outside of Christ. He is the Mediator of God and men. The fact that He is the Mediator of God and men makes it necessary that He is God, as no one else than who in Himself is God could be the Mediator of God and men. The mediator must be able to put his hands on both of them, on God and men, Job 9: 33.
H.M. Does that not indicate the thought that God will be all in all?
A.J.G. That is the final thought. God will be all and in all. That is why it says: “the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it”. Earlier it says: “the Lord God Almighty is its temple, and the Lamb”. Then further on: “for the glory of God has enlightened it, and the lamp thereof is the Lamb”. Then the river comes out from the throne of God and the Lamb; it means the Spirit is there to spread the glory of God over the whole scene.
R.Z. Do we have a similar thought of this in Ezekiel 43: 5 where it says, “And the spirit lifted me up, and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of Jehovah filled the house”?
A.J.G. Yes, then we have the river in Ezekiel 47 that issued out. Then it was shown to Ezekiel, and the waters were to the ankles. As he moves further on the waters were to the knees, and then to his loins, and waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed through. It shows throughout that there was an increasing abundance available. The knowledge of God always becomes greater as we move on. But, as Ezekiel came to this point when it became a river in which he had to swim, then the question came up, am I able at all to swim across. We must reach this point: can we swim? That means, if we really have learnt to know the power of the Spirit, that can move us along in these things. There is no limitation in the Spirit.
B.M. Can we say this of Stephen?
A.J.G. He was most definitely supported by the Spirit in that moment. I believe when we start touching the preciousness of the knowledge of God, we will find out that we are very much dependent on the Spirit’s power, which must support us in it. We must come to this; we must learn how to swim.
H.L. We must be in the deep area to be able to swim.
A.J.G. We must be released from all natural support. But we cannot go out of our depth in any other way. We cannot get into a state where we are not controlled or supported by the Spirit. That is why we have in Ephesians 3, the breadth and length and depth and height, and to know the love of Christ. We are assured of being supported in the love of Christ.
A.W. It surpasses all knowledge.
A.J.G. Yes.
T.A. It says of Stephen that he was “full of the Holy Spirit, having fixed his eyes on heaven, he saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God”, Acts 7: 55.
A.J.G. That is wonderful. He saw the heavens open. He had a wonderful view of what there was in heaven. It says, “he saw the glory of God”. Who could limit or define it? He also saw Jesus, and all the glory of God shining in the face of Jesus.
W.W. Why is the river in Ezekiel called a double river?
A.J.G. I do not know. I believe it should impress us of the fulness in the Spirit.
H.H. Water bright as crystal brings us in a realm of light, and joy and liberty. Where there is life and not the slightest touch of death, or anything that distracts us from Christ.
A.J.G. It is most important to realise this principle in the city, it is crystal, transparent as glass. At present there are many different exercises in many places going on, and among other things I can well see that the Lord insists on transparency among the saints and that we should keep out of any feature of darkness. The reason for this is that God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all. We must be in accordance with this. When the holy city comes down out of heaven from God, then she is like a precious stone, as a crystal-like jasper stone. This river of life is bright as crystal. It shows how attractive the light of God is, which will be given to us by the Spirit.
L.Bi. The river excludes independence. It is necessary to be in the river, to reach God in the present time.
A.J.G. Yes, a river is unlimited, it flows between two banks. It does not overflow the bank in an uncontrollable way, apart from when it is in flood. The thought of a river is that it is a constant flow, but still controlled. The service that the Spirit gives has this character. He is ready for the need of the saints at any time, and yet the river of God is full of water, it cannot be exhausted.
H.M. He always brings us something fresh and new.
A.J.G. Yes, that is why it is important what our brother said, to be in the river, what is given us by the Spirit at the present time.
G.S. Could you say something about the river in Revelation coming out of the throne, and in Ezekiel it comes out from under the threshold of the house.
A.J.G. The throne of God here emphasises the supremacy of God, and when His supremacy and His rights are completely and fully recognised then there will be no hindrance for the Spirit’s service.
B.M. We could well say everything is green, there is no drought.
A.J.G. Yes, then it says in verse 3: “and his servants shall serve him, and they shall see his face; and his name is on their foreheads”. Here we come back to the names. The fact that it is on their forehead shows that they are intelligent in relation to the name of God. The name is not only in their hearts, but it can also be seen, that they have a knowledge of the name of God. In this way it shows how they can provide an answer to God.
L.Bi. Would this be the impact of thinking of His name?
A.J.G. Yes, that is so.
R.D. Do we have this name in Philadelphia?
A.J.G. That is most significant. The overcomer in Philadelphia has got the name Christ’s God on his forehead.
A.Gr. Do we have this thought in Psalm 46: 4?
A.J.G. Yes, there is a river… “There is a river the streams whereof make glad the city of God, the sanctuary of the habitations of the most high”. This shows the important place the Spirit has got. The stream shows there are no limitations, and His presence gladdens the city of God. That is why it is most important to come to this, acknowledging the Spirit. The fact that He has abidingly taken His place in us, to fill us joyfully with the knowledge of God, should in itself be an encouragement to us to worship Him, as He is God in Himself, that has taken this position.
A.L. Is it important here that it is His bondmen that serve Him?
A.J.G. The service here is a priestly service, it is a service that has in mind to present an answer to God.
A.T.E. This is the normal answer to us being baptised to His Name according to Matthew 28.
A.J.G. Yes, that is so. It is a feature that marks the city, that God is served according to this Name.
L.Bi. We speak of knowing the Spirit better. Is that why the river is shown: “He showed me a river of living water”?
A.J.G. I believe it is necessary that things must be shown to us, and for us to consider the different ways the Spirit serves us. He has a personal interest in each believer. He takes His abode in such mortal bodies as our own, and never leaves us. Even when we lose our ability to talk or walk, the Holy Spirit does not leave us. It is most touching that He has taken up His abode in every believer, and also whatever befalls our mortal and weak bodies the Spirit never leaves us. When we ponder this more and more and what is shown to us, I am certain that this will bring forth more worship to the Spirit.
K.Pf. It brings us from strength to strength (Ps 84: 7) and from glory to glory.
L.L. Can we say, when we have this confidence in the Spirit, that we can search all things like the Bereans did?
A.J.G. Yes, even the children have the unction from the holy one and know all things, 1 John 2.
H.H. “They shall see his face”. What does that mean?
A.J.G. It speaks definitely of great closeness. We will be very near to the Lord. Just think of it that we will be united with Christ for all eternity. We will be very near to Him and held in love.
R.Z. When we are close to God, we will move in this light.
A.J.G. Yes.
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