“Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name” — Jeremiah 31:35.
“Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O LORD; thou art great, and thy name is great in might. Who would not fear thee, O King of nations? for to thee doth it appertain: forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee” — Jeremiah 10:6-7.
“The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name.” — Exodus 15:3.
“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.” — Revelation 19:11.
“But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.” — Isaiah 11:4.
“And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming” — 2 Thessalonians 2:8.
“And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.” — Exodus 3:14.
I AM: This name for God points to His self-existence (i.e., He is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent) as well as to the fact that He is eternal. It denotes, “I AM the One who is and will always be,” which is “decidedly the best and most contextually suitable option according to a number of theories about its meaning and etymological source.”
The consonants from the Hebrew word “YHWH” combined with the vowels from the divine name “Adonai” (i.e. Master or Lord), gave rise to the name “Jehovah” in English. Since the name “Yahweh” was considered so sacred that it should not be pronounced, the Massoretes inserted the vowels from “Adonai” to remind themselves of the word they were reading instead of saying “Yahweh.” Technically, this combination of consonants is known as a tetragrammaton.
TERRIBLE GOD!
“God, the all-terrible! Thou who ordainest, thunder thy clarion and lightening thy sword!
And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven, and said, I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments” — Nehemiah 1:4-5.
Terrible: [Hebrew, “yare” = “to fear, dread, reverence, terrible act”]
See also: Job 37:22; Psalm 47:2, 66:5, 68:35, 99:3, 145:6; Jeremiah 20:11; Zeph. 2:11 etc. You can also look up these additional words: terribleness, terribly, terrified, terrifiest, terrify, terror. They are all connected with the Lord’s name and character.
In the New Testament we find this passage: “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences” (2 Corinthians 5:11). Since we see that our God is the God of war (and peace, see Isaiah 45:7), are we as His army on this earth supposed to live and act in word only and not in deed? Are we supposed to be only passive and not aggressive (aggressive in a non-violent manner)?
History tells us that men have often rallied around Heaven’s battle standard, armed and ready to fight physically; while others were ready to fight spiritually. Christian patriotism sounds its drums, marching, flags fluttering, with shouts, cheers, tears, and fears … all while men and women are believing they are fighting for God. Hearts and minds are stirred to fight physically for the King of Kings. Fervent eloquence moves listeners. The fighting spirit gathers momentum. The ranks on both sides wait for their commands. Scriptures are even read aloud so as to invoke courage … courage to die if need be. Prayers are offered up to either pagan gods or the Living God: “Bless our fight, grant us victory, Lord our God, Father and protector of our land and flag.”
How many American Christians have prayed for victory over their enemies during the past two centuries? How many prayed for victory when the North and the South gathered to fight in the Civil War? “Grant us Victory!” A sincere prayer by those facing life or death situations as the armies advance toward each other, ready to smite the foe! Shrieks, blood, cursing … then there are the wounded and the dead.
BE NOT TERRORIZED
Listen to the dialogue between King Solomon and his bride who delight in each other: “Thou art beautiful, O my love, as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners” (Song of Solomon 6:4). Terrible: [Hebrew: ayom = “to frighten, be terrifying, dread, fear, terror (like a terrorist)”].
Terror, terrorist, war on terror — all are words we hear frequently. Be it domestic or foreign, terror and terrorism can strike fear and dread in our heart. Paul, the warrior for Christ, wrote, “…and be not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. For it has been granted to you (us) that for the sake of Christ you (we) should not only believe in Him but also suffer for His sake, engaged in the same conflict (war) that you saw I had and now hear that I still have” (Philippians 1:28-30, ESV). [Note: The NKJV and others use the word “terrified” in place of the word “frightened.”]
Under the reign of King Jesus our battles are in the spirit and against our own flesh. The weapons of our warfare in the Spirit are mighty, given by God and designed to bring us victory. When dealing with enemies in the physical realm we follow the guidelines laid down for us by our Lord in Matthew 5. All the while we are fighting on two fronts, by the Spirit, with our goal being to take the Gospel of our Lord throughout the entire earth, and to be living examples to those around us of the great joy, peace, love, and strength given to those who have been born again.
Peter writes, “Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you” (I Peter 3:13, 14). With this said, let us press ONWARD and UPWARD, fighting the good fight of faith! Amen.
— Gen. Jim, POW