Revelation 2:13; Commentary, Continued, Part Two

I cannot resist the temptation, at this point, to share further the importance of the name that so many have cast away. We have already seen Acts 4:12, and heard Peter’s words, on the saving name. Let us look closer. When the angel Gabriel announced the birth of Jesus to Joseph, he said, 

“And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sin.” (Matt 1:21). 

Notice, immediately, that the reason for the name “JESUS” is the salvation of “his people.”

One might ask, what is so special about the name “JESUS?” To answer this question we look to the name itself. Jesus is the English of the Grk: Iēsous (Strong’s #G2424). The Heb original for Iēsous is Yehôwshûwa (Strong’s #H3091). Yehôwshûwa derives from two Heb words (see Strong’s #H3091). The two words are Yehovah (Jehovah, Strong’s #H3068) and yâsha (Savior, or bring salvation, Strong’s #H3467). These two words compounded form Yehôwshûwa, which means Jehovah (Yahweh) Savior. Since this name has as its basis the tetragrammaton “YHWH” (the Old Testament covenant name of God, pronounced Jehovah or Yahweh—depending on the vowel points. Note: the Hebrew of the prophets did not use vowel points, therefore, the consonants stand for the name) combined with the Hebrew word meaning “bring salvation” or “savior,” i.e. yâsha; the name Yehôwshûwa (Jesus, in English) becomes the New Testament covenant name of YHWH—Yahweh. 

 Upon His triumphant entry into Jerusalem, the people of the city came forth to meet Him crying “Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord” (John 12:13). The word “hosanna” means: “Save us now!” or “Oh save!” It comes from two other words, as does Yehôwshûwa, and is directly connected to it. The two words which form “hosanna” are “yâsha” (Strong’s #H3467), which means savior, or bring salvation, as we saw earlier, and “nâ” (Strong’s #H4994), which means “now,” or “I pray.” The people knew the meaning of His name, and cried in response to its message ... “Save us Now!”

Therefore, the question asked earlier, “What is so special about the name of JESUS?” is answered by the preceding comments, showing it to be the New Testament covenant name of God. The name brought salvation as promised by Gabriel (Matt 1:21), as realized by the multitude on the road leading into Jerusalem (John 12;13), and as proclaimed by Peter (Acts 4:12).

This, however, brings us to another inquiry, i.e. How does the name of Jesus (Yehôwshûwa) save? To answer this we must see the association of the “saving name” with the “saving act” of water baptism.

(Since this is the first mention of the salvific quality of water baptism it may be proper to inject this parentheses to establish that fact. To this end we will mention the words of Jesus, where he said, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved;…” [Mark 16:16]. Our observation is that there are two prerequisites for salvation, i.e. believing and water baptism. Peter, who was the keyholder for the kingdom of heaven [Matt 16:18-19], said “… baptism doth also now save us…” [1 Pet 3:21]. And again, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” [Acts 2:38].  Again, our observation is that the individual must fulfill two requirements to be “promised” the Spirit, i.e. repentance [which is predicated upon believing] and water baptism. Lastly, Ananias of Damascus [Acts ch 9] tells Saul of Tarsus [later to become the Apostle Paul], “And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord” [Acts 22:16]. Once more, our observation is inescapable,  i.e. water baptism has salvific value!)

Having established in our above parentheses (that is hardly beside the point) the role of water baptism in God’s plan of salvation, we will now move to the association between the sacrament of water baptism and the saving name.

The name Jesus (Yehôwshûwa) saves by receiving the repentant “into” itself. By that I mean one is placed (actually) into the name itself. The significance of this is grasped when it is understood that the name of Yahweh contains His tabernacled presence. The tabernacled presence of Yahweh in His name is seen in the following passages: Ex 20:22, 24; 2 Chr 20:8-9. The disciple will acknowledge that Jesus has been shown to be the new covenant name of Yahweh, because of the compound elements of YHWH, the tetragrammaton, and yâsha; these two words, Yahweh and Savior, forms Yehôwshûwa, or Jesus. Since God’s presence dwells in His name (Ex 20:22, 24; 2 Chr 20:8-9) it is proper to refer to the covenant name of God as His Tabernacled Presence. Therefore, if one is placed “into” the name of God, then he or she is placed into God!

Enter water baptism. Matthew records the Great Commission this way, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them  in (into—Grk) the name of the Father, and of the Son, and the Holy Ghost” (Matt 28:19).

From this command we wish to examine the phrase “… baptizing them in the name…” The Grk says, “baptidzontes autous eis to onoma.” The word eis, translated in

our KJV as “in” is the Grk preposition for “into.” Jesus commanded His disciples to make disciples of all nations by water baptizing them “into” the name. Luke records  the apostles Peter and John executing the Lord’s command to baptize “into” the name (Acts 8:16). Concerning the believers at Samaria, Luke wrote, “For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in” (Grk, eis - “into”) “the name of the Lord Jesus.” Paul, further expanded upon the idea of being placed into Jesus as being baptized into His name, when he writes to the churches of Galatia, “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Gal 3:27). The idea is: One is placed “into” Christ Jesus by being water baptized into His name. There is no great amazement that Jesus is pleased when we “hold fast,” with a bulldog grip, His name.

Further, Scripture teaches us that water baptism is the fulfillment of the Old Testament ministry of circumcision (Col 2:11-12). In that we know physical circumcision to have been the “seal” of the old covenant (Gen 17:10-11; Rom 4:11) it, therefore, would follow that Christian water baptism is the “seal” of the new covenant—of which the old was only a foreshadowing (Heb 10:1). Yehôwshûwa, then, is Yehovah (YHWH) plus yâsha, i.e. “Yahweh (brings) Salvation.” There is, absolutely, no great amazement that Paul wrote, “... whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him” (Col 3:17).

Therefore, to enter the name of Jesus is to enter His covenant. The following syllogism may help in grasping this argument.

Major premise: The rite of circumcision was the seal of Old Testament covenant (Gen 17:10-11; Rom 4:11).

Minor premise:  Christian water baptism is to the new covenant what physical circumcision was to the old covenant (Col 2:11-12).

Conclusion: Christian water baptism is the seal of the new covenant.

The Christian stands positionally in Christ’s covenant, by having been placed positionally into His name. This happens in water baptism (Matt 28:19; Acts 8:16; Gal 3:27 cf. Col 2:11-12).

“... and hast not denied my faith, ...” ～ By not denying the faith of Christ, Pergamenian believers further earned the praise of their Lord. And the statement “and hast not denied my faith” has the form or system of religious beliefs taught by Christ in view; therefore, called “pistin mou”—literally, “faith of me,” which was that faith which was handed down by the Apostles unto faithful men (2 Tim 2:2). John, once again speaks of the “faith of Jesus” in 14:12, “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” In spite of the disappointments in the Pergamos church, there seems to have been considerable strength in their loyalty to the name of Jesus, and the form of teachings Christ set forth—which seems to be at odds with the Lord’s complaints. That paradox, we will consider later. Just now let us ruminate momentarily on the Faith.

There are thirty-three plus references to faith in the Acts of the Apostles and Epistles, and two in the Revelation, which have a form of belief in view. This is set against the multitude of passages that speak of faith as the hope one has in the unseen, the—now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”—kind of faith.

The faith that the Pergamenians had not denied is the system of belief—of which Paul said there was but ONE (Eph 4:5). Paul further said that all Christians would be presented to God “holy unblameable and unreproveable” if we “continue in the faith” (Col 1:22-23), which was “once for all (time) delivered unto the saints” (Jude v3). Paul exhorted the Corinthians to “stand fast in the faith” (1 Cor 16:13) “which once he destroyed” (Gal 1:23). He further writes of being “stablished in the faith” (Col 2:7), and encourages the church to “come (into) the unity of the faith,” (Eph 4:13). Some, concerning their “faith, have made shipwreck” (1 Tim 1:19); fulfilling Paul’s prediction that “some shall depart from the faith” (1 Tim 4:1), having “cast off their first faith” (1 Tim 5:12), by having “erred from the faith.” (1 Tim 6:10). These were men who were “as Jannes and Jambres (who) withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith” (2 Tim 3:8). But not Pergamos. They had heeded Paul’s admonition to “Fight the good fight of faith” (1 Tim 6:12); and to “Be sober, be vigilant; because (their) adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist steadfast(ly) in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world” (1 Pet 5:8-9). By so doing they had secured their dwellings in “the household of faith” (Gal 6:10).

“... even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, ...” ～ In view of his loyalty to the name of Jesus and his steadfastness in keeping the faith that had been once and for all time  (Grk literal trans) delivered unto him (Jude 3), Antipas is distinguished as being the only individual name in the Apocalypse, aside from John. We are not told anything of Antipas except that he was Christ’s “faithful martyr.” This, however, is not insignificant information, for this is the selfsame title of Jesus found in 1:5. The word (martyr) is “a witness” as seen from our comments on 1:5; Antipas, then, bore witness with his life. According to tradition he was the first martyr of Asia. The same tradition says that he was slowly roasted to death in a bronze kettle.

When Antipas was advised:

“Antipas the whole world is against you!,”

Antipas reputedly replied:

“Then I am against the whole world!”

(Greek Orthodox Tradition)

The Eastern Orthodox tradition tells how Antipas was boiled inside a hollow iron bull.

“...who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.” ～ The martyrdom of Antipas was a public affair, for it took place “among” the people, “where Satan dwelleth.” It is difficult to see any distinction between here, “where Satan dwelleth,” and “where Satan’s seat is” as mentioned earlier in this same verse. If Pergamos is designated by the Lord as “where Satan’s seat is,” because of emperor worship, and the cult of Roma, then one might suspect the term “where Satan dwelleth” to indicate the temple of such worship. Therefore, the chief temple of the cult of Roma is the most likely site of Antipas’ witness (martyrdom).

Apostolically Speaking

☩ Jerry L Hayes