5-31-2025 What’s in a Name?
What’s in a
name?
Do we think our
name and birthday have anything to do with who we are?
God changed
Jacob’s (son of Isaac) name to Israel.
Jacob means ‘supplanter’ or one who forcibly takes over another’s
position and Israel means ‘one who rules as God’. Meaning Jacob transitioned from one who is
not so favorable to one who becomes very favorable (Gen. 32:24-32). In the passage, Jacob wrestled with a ‘man’
and refused to let go unless the ‘man’ blessed him. I use man in quotation marks because Jacob
came to realize that he had seen God face to face (v30) and lived (Exod.
33:20-23). Perseverance does pay off.
After losing
her husband and sons, Naomi says now to call her Mara (Ruth 1:20-21). Naomi means ‘pleasant’, Mara means
‘bitterness’. And so her countenance went from ‘Pleasant’ to ‘bitterness’. Naomi was feeling pretty sad about her recent
losses and decided to live out her life and go back to her home country, where
Father took care of her (read the Book of Ruth). But note, Naomi changed her name, not God.
Jesus
changed ‘Simon’s name to include ‘Peter”.
Simon reflects the Hebrew word Shimown which means ‘hearer’, then Jesus
adds ‘Petros’ which is rock or ‘stone’.
Soooo, Simon Peter was a stone who hears. Because Simon listened to Jesus, Jesus knew
that he would stand firm in the ministry and, as we read the book of Acts,
Peter seems to have been the ‘head honcho’ in ministering towards the Jews. People relied on his guidance.
And, of
course, Saul’s name who was changed to Paul.
Saul’s name was changed from one who ‘asked’ to Paul which means ‘little’. Remember Paul came from one who was a
Pharisee of Pharisees and persecuted the Christians (Phil. 3:4-5) to one of
Christianity’s biggest advocates. Setting his own ego aside, Saul ‘asked’ Jesus
what he should do and Paul became the ‘little’ or humble servant of the Lord Jesus
Christ (Acts 13:9).
So, what’s
in a name? It just might have something
to do with our basic nature or calling.
What Father has made us, in ‘birth’, or what we have become in
‘rebirth’. Our name gives us a hint as
to that which Father has intended for us in this life.
Moms and
dads, all over, think they named their children but Father has known us from
before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:3-4). Do we suspect that Father knew our names
loooong before our mom and dad? And, He
does have plans for us (Jer. 1:5, 29:11, Eph. 2:10).
Father
shares with us that He has given us our names for a purpose. Our name reflects the qualities Father has
given us, that is who He has intended for us to be. Our names reflect the ‘calling’ Father has
set before us. Our name just might give
as a clue as to “Why am I here?” Our date of birth furthers the details as to
our calling. Numbers do have biblical
references. Example: one 1 = God; 3 =
unity of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, 7 = completeness (Father created all
things in 6 days and rested on the 7th day – all things were
completed) so He took a ‘break’; and 8 = new birth or new beginnings ; etc.,
time for a ‘fresh’ start.
The meaning
of our name and birthday gives us insight as to what Father has called us to do
or be. I speak for myself, but I am also
convinced this is true for everybody. Father
will give us one scriptural passage (or more) further defining Father’s intents
for us. Yet, we need to ask the Holy
Ghost to open up our understanding so we can pull this data together and make
reasonable sense rather than just knowing about words and numbers say and not
realizing the implication for our own lives.
Father has
shared with me that there are three pathways to discover the ‘calling’ He has
placed upon our lives, things He wants us to know: Divine revelation through our
own spirit (direct communication) that is Father puts something on
our hearts and minds or we ask God in prayer to show us by opening up our
heart and mind; Divine revelation that is as we read through the scriptures,
suddenly a passage just ‘opens’ to us and we feel it in our spirit; or Divine revelation via another Christian,
that is another Christian might say “Father has told me ‘such and such’ about
the direction He wants you to take.” His
revelation to us will come, initially, through one of these three paths and confirmed
through one or more of the same paths.
Actually, there is a fourth path.
Father can speak to us through nature around us or even man-made
things. We may see something and the
‘feeling’ comes over us as to how or what we see means to ‘me’. Yet, again, ask for confirmation. Father will show and confirm what He is
trying to tell us. I say ‘try’. Are we listening? Caution, things may or may not happen in
rapid succession. It could be hours, days, months or even years before Father pulls
it all together for us. But be like
Jacob, hang in there and don’t give up!
Years ago in early spring, Father drew my attention to some birds,
across the street, pecking at the ground looking for food. Father said “My children are hungry. Feed My children.” I understood what Father was saying but it was
several years after starting my blog before this started to actually become a
reality for me
In his book
“I Believe in Visions”, Kenneth E. Hagin mentioned that he had pastored for 12
years when God showed him his true ministry of healing and prosperity.
When I was
young, I always thought that if one felt a calling to preach he had to be a
pastor. But, as with Paul, some of us
‘little’ guys may have a greater impact than we realize. D. L. Moody was inspired by his young Sunday
School Teacher in 1855. Moody became one
of the most renowned evangelists of His time and founded the Moody Bible
Institute in 1901 (https://www.moody.edu/). Would we even be mentioning Moody if it
weren’t for that Sunday School teacher?
Or even Billy Graham who was influenced by Moody. Moody’s teachings have influenced men of God
like Billy Graham and Graham’s ministry has influence church and world leaders. Our ministry can be small or it can be
large. From being ‘insignificant’ impacting
one man who, then impacts another man who then goes on to impact the world. We may never see the full impact of what we
do in our lives. We just need to do what
Father tells us today.
I’ll share
the example of how Father brought me to understand the calling He placed upon
me.
In 2014,
around Rosh Shoshana, the end of September, as I was in my morning prayer,
Father put Ezekiel chapter 37 on my mind.
“Read it.”, He said. This is the
passage about the ‘dry bones’. Through
reading the passage, Father said “Today’s body (the church) is in the same
condition. Then He took me to the first chapter in Jeremiah, Jeremiah’s
calling. “Understand that a revelation is
for any or all of us.” He had me type
out what He was revealing to me in these passages, then He said call this the
‘Prophecy’ of the Watchman’. This is
also the time When Father had me research my name and birthday and their
meaning. He showed me how the passages
and my name and birthday fit together. My
calling? Did I jump on it right
away? No! I wasn’t ready!
Later,
Father added Ezekiel chapter 33 to the mix (the watchman). Several years later, I shared the “Watchman
Prophecy” with a brother at church. He
said to me “Oh, so God has called you to be a watchman?” I said no!”
Sometime after that, Father reminded me of that conversation and said to
me “Oh yeah? I ate some humble pie and
responded “Oh.” Down deep I think I knew it all along, it just took a while for
me to admit it.
These past several years since then, I’ve
noticed how my learning curve (in the scriptures) has taken a huge upturn. Where I had been plugging along at what
seemed like 1 mile per hour, I’ve sped up to, what feels like, 85 mph – 100
mph. Things I thought I knew, Father has
been taking me to greater depths of understanding. PTL!
In January
2015. Father had me start a blog (www.homecoming-a-spiritual-re-awakening.net)
and He has shown me how more meaningful, especially in recent years, the
entries are becoming more pertinent to the condition of today’s Christian
Church. And Father keeps telling me that
yet there’s more to come. PTL
Recently,
I’ve been catching up to the meaning of my name and birthday! Actually, they were there all along. Father told me that He had to prepare me
before He could send me out – Okay, I’m a slow learner. But recently, Father has sped up the learning
process for me.
So, what
about you?
Look up the
meaning of your name, but don’t rely on just one definition. Discover the ‘origin, that is ethnic
background of your name (French, German, Swahili, Scandinavian etc.). As example:
My first name is William. It is
of Germanic origin meaning ‘desire’ and ‘protection’ (Will & Liam). With a little more research, Father showed
‘strong-willed warrior’. Get the
drift? Many of today’s names are variants
of existing names, as example Michael, Miguel, Mikhail or even the feminine
name Michelle. Even today, we get some
pretty innovative variants of names. If
need be, ask mom or dad, a trusted friend or (perhaps) even ask the Lord
for help.
Be careful
in name searches and make sure you have an understanding of its origin. As example the Hispanic name Diablo is
derived from Latin diabolous meaning ‘devil.
Would anyone really want to name their child ‘devil’? Hans has German or Scandinavian roots meaning
‘God is gracious’ which has a deeper root in the Hebrew Yohanan which means
John. Check it out.
The meaning
of our name can be a big help in understanding ”Why am I here?”
To help your
research I’m attaching a list of numbers and their biblically based meaning. I based the list on several lists professing
to be ‘bible based’ so as to keep a reasonable safety net.
I’ve
included a compilation of Christian based lists to help understanding. I compared two or three more lists but they
agreed with what I present here.
numbershttps://www.biblestudy.org/
1 Unity; Primacy, New beginnings, oneness of God
2 Union; Division; Witnessing
3 Divine completeness or fullness, perfection
4 Creation; The world; Creative works, earth
5 Grace; Favor; God's goodness; Pentateuch (first five
books)
6 Man,
Weakness of man; Man’s wisdom & labor, Manifestation of sin ; Evils of
Satan
7 Resurrection; Spiritual completeness; Fathers (or
Spiritual) perfection
8 New birth; New beginnings, New creation
9 Fruit of the spirit; Divine completeness from the
Father, God’s Visitation, Judgment; as 3 x 3, it signifies the Gift and Fruits
of the Spirit
10 Testimony; Law and responsibility, Divine Order,
completion
11 Disorder and judgement, Imperfection
12 Governmental perfection, God’s power/authority
13 Apostasy; depravity and rebellion, lawlessness
14 Deliverance; Salvation, 2X spirit perfection, Release
15 Rest, New direction
16 Love
17 Victory
18 Grace; Favor, God's goodness; Pentateuch (first five
books)
19 Divine completeness or fullness, perfection, extraordinary
faith
20 Redemption, perfect waiting period
21 Exceeding sinfulness of sin, wickedness, rebellion,
Trouble, Distress
22 Light, Sonship
23 Death
24 The Priesthood
25 Repentance; The forgiveness of sins, grace
26 The Gospel of Christ
27 Preaching of the Gospel
28 Eternal life
29 Departure
30 Blood of Christ; Dedication, Spiritual Maturity,
31 Offspring
32 Covenant
33 Promise
34 Naming of a son
35 Hope
36 Enemy
37 Jesus The word of our Father
38 Slavery
39 Disease, Infirmity, Weakness
40 Trials; Probation; Testing
42 Israel's oppression; First advent, Man’s opposition to
God, Antichrist
44 Judgement of the World
45 Preservation
46. Herod’s Temple, Man without the Holy Spirit
50 Coming of Holy Spirit; Pentecost, Jubilee
55. Mercy
60 Faith, perfect order
65. Apostasy
66 Idol worship
70 Punishment and restoration of Israel; Universality,
perfect spiritual order, Universality, Restoration of All Things
70. Universality, Restoration of All Things
76. Cleansing or Blotting Out
100 Election; Children of
the promise, God’s election of grace
119 Spiritual perfection and victory (7*17=119) Divine period of
probation
120 Divinely appointed time
for waiting, Probationary Period
144 The Spirit guided life
200 Insufficiency
210. Time of Jacob’s Trouble (see 21)
220. Light (see 22)
276. The Flesh, Satan, Babylon
390. No King in Israel (see 39)
414. Cursed Time
434. Judged Time
490. Blessed Time (see 49)
600 Warfare
666 Antichrist, man’s
authority over God’s creation
777 Christ888Holy Spirit;
The sum of Tree of Life
888. Fullness of Christ’s Body
1000 Divine completeness and Fathers glory
4000 Salvation of the world through the blood of the Lamb ( Those
who chose between Christ and Antichrist)
4900 Creation’s Jubilee
6000 Deception of Antichrist; Second advent
https://www.gatewaysofhislight.com/20/21/11numerology/7000
Final AI judgment; Zadok /144,000
Those
numbered of Israel
Overview
In esoteric
traditions, the number 11 is often associated with intuition, spiritual
insight, and enlightenment, particularly within numerology. It's
considered a master number, amplifying the energy of the single digit 1
(representing new beginnings and leadership) with a spiritual depth. The
number 11 is seen as a symbol of heightened awareness, prompting individuals to
trust their instincts and connect with their higher purpose.
Again, make sure what
you ae looking at and if you aren’t sure of something, ask Father.
Amen
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