As we wait for our redemption – the resurrection of the dead and the rapture of the bride – we do well to take another look at the plans Yahweh has; definite plans that are spelled out (no pun intended) by the names of the people who are proclaimed as important by the Biblical Scriptures.
The Deeper Meaning of Names
Genesis 49:18 – “I wait for your salvation, O Yahweh.”
Matthew 1:23 – “They shall call his name Immanuel, which translated means, ‘God with us.'”
Scripture regularly uses names to convey a much deeper meaning.
- The name, Yeshua, means “Salvation of Yahweh” (Genesis 49:18, Exodus 15:2, Psalm 13:5 etc.). Genesis 49:18 literally says: “I wait for your Yeshua”! Immanuel means “God with us” (Matthew 1:23).
- Yeshua gave James and John, the sons of Zebedee, the name Boanerges which means, “Sons of Thunder” due to their wishing to call down fire from heaven (Luke 9:54).
- Isaac means “Laughter,” given because his mother, Sarah, laughed when told she would bear a child at her old age of ninety (Genesis chapters 17-18).
- Even Simon was given the name Cephas (Petros), which can playfully mean “Rocky” – perhaps a commentary on his tendency to put his foot in his mouth time and time again – but which literally means a small, easily movable pebble or rock (as opposed to Petra which denotes a huge, unmovable boulder or mass of rock) (Matthew 16:18).
The Plan of Redemption
Genesis 5:2-10 – “When Adam was 130 years old, he became the father of Seth. When Seth was 105 years old, he became the father of Enosh. When Enosh was 90 years old, he became the father of Kenan. When Kenan was 70 years old, he became the father of Mahalaleel. When Mahalaleel was 65 years old, he became the father of Jared. When Jared was 162 years old, he became the father of Enoch. When Enoch was 65 years old, he became the father of Methuselah. When Methuselah was 187 years old, he became the father of Lamech. When Lamech was 182 years old, he became the father of Noah.”
The ten generations listed in Genesis Chapter Five give a detailed account of Yahweh’s plan of redemption. The ten names are: Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, and Noah.
- ADAM [[ H121] = ruddy i.e., a human being (an individual or the species, mankind, etc.)
– ʼâdâm (aw-dawm’); From H119 and H120
- SETH [[ H8352] = Is Appointed To, to place, to appoint
– shêth (shayth) From H7896 shiyth (sheeth)
- ENOSH [H583] = Feeble, Frail, Mortality
– ʼĕnôsh (en-oshe’) a mortal, From H582 and H605; ʼânash (aw-nash’) to be frail, feeble
- KENAN [H7018] = A Fixed Dwelling Place
– qêynân From H7064 (qên / kane); contracted from H7077 (qânan)
- MAHALALEL [H4111] = God Who Is Praised
– mahălalʼêl (mah-hal-al-ale’) From H4110 mahălal; and H410ʼêl, praise of God
- JARED [H3382] = Comes Down, Descends
– Yered (yeh’-red) From H3381, to descend, to go or come down
- ENOCH [H2585] = To Instruct, Train Up
– chănôk (khan-oke’) From H2596 chânak (khaw-nak’), to discipline, to train up
- METHUSELAH [H4968] = A Man Sent Forth
– methûshelach (meth-oo-sheh’-lakh) From H4962, a man, and H7973, a missile of attack, a spear, a weapon. Methuselah may also come from Muth [H4191], which means: death; and from shalak [H7993], which means: to throw, fling, cast, bring down. The name Methuselah, therefore, can also mean: his death shall bring.
- LAMECH = To Be Beaten, Smitten, And Tortured [H3929]
– lemek (leh’-mek) From H4347; makkah
- NOAH = Bringing Rest, A Quiet Peace [H5146]
– nôach (no’-akh); rest, the same as H5118 nôach (no’-akh) or H5117 nûach (noo’-akh)
Together, they compose the statement:
Mankind is appointed to feeble, frail mortality; a fixed dwelling place. God who is praised comes down to instruct as a man sent forth to be beaten, smitten and tortured; bringing rest, a quiet peace.
Another way of stating this is:
Man is appointed mortal sorrow. The blessed God shall come down teaching that His death shall bring the despairing comfort and rest.
The Jewish Journey
For instance, in Hosea, the names of his sons and daughters convey the journey that Israel will take in its relation to Yahweh:
- Hosea’s first son is named Jezreel [H3157], meaning Yahweh will sow or plant: as in Yahweh will plant the Jews within the land of Canaan, today called the State of Israel (Hosea 1:4).
- Hosea’s second-born, a daughter, is named Lo Ruchamah [H3819], meaning without compassion or not pitied: as in Yahweh will not have pity or compassion upon the northern tribe peoples because of their blatant sins against him. They will be attacked by the Assyrians, but he would have compassion, at least for a short while, on the peoples of the southern tribes of Judah [H3063], meaning on those who are praised (Hosea 1:6).
- Hosea’s third child, a son, is named Lo Ammi [H3818], meaning not my people. For a time, Yahweh will abandon even the southern tribe peoples to Babylonian attack and capture. Again, after refusing to acknowledge Yeshua as their Messiah, the Jews additionally would be even both Lo Ruchamah and Lo Ammi, and would be deported throughout the entire world – but with the promise that they would eventually be restored to fellowship in the end days (Hosea 1:9).
- Yahweh concludes the journey with this promise: “I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for my anger is turned away from them” (Hosea 14:4).
The Completion of The Plan
Revelation 7:4-8
“And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred and forty-four thousand sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel: from the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand, from the tribe of Gad twelve thousand, from the tribe of Asher twelve thousand, from the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand, from the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand, from the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand, from the tribe of Levi twelve thousand, from the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand, from the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand, from the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand, from the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand were sealed.”
Likewise, the Hebrew meanings of the twelve generations mentioned in Revelation Chapter Seven tell the completion of the plan. The twelve names are: Judah, Reuben, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Simeon, Levi, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin.
- JUDAH [G2455] = He Shall Be Praised.
– Ioudas, one of the twelve tribes of Israel, also the Southern kingdom. From H3063 Yehudah; praised
- REUBEN [G4502] =Behold A Son
– Rhoubēn, one of the twelve tribes of Israel, the oldest son of Jacob. From H7200 ra’ah and H1121 ben.
- GAD [G1045] =An Invader, A Troop
– Gad, one of the twelve tribes of Israel, from H1410 Gad: a fortunate one
- ASHER [G768] = Call Him Blessed and Happy
– Asēr, one of the twelve tribes of Israel, from H836 Asher: the happy one
- NAPHTALI [G3508] =My Wrestling, My Tortuosity
– Nephthaleim, one of the twelve tribes of Israel, from H5321 Naphtali: to show oneself cunning or astute
- MANASSEH [G3128] = Causing to Forget
– Manassēs, one of the twelve tribes of Israel, from H4519 Menashsheh; also a king of Judah
- SIMEON [G4826] = Hearkening
– Symeōn, one of the twelve tribes of Israel, from H8085 shama, to announce.
- LEVI [G3017] = Joined
– Leui, one of the twelve tribes of Israel, from H3878 Levi
- ISSACHAR [G2466] = He Will Bring Reward, Be Hired
– Issachar, one of the twelve tribes of Israel, from H3485 Yissaskar; there is recompense
- ZEBULUN [G2194] = Dwelling, Habitation
– Zaboulōn, one of the twelve tribes of Israel, from H2074 Zebulun
- JOSEPH [G2501] = Adding Yahweh, Let Him Add
– Iōsēph, one of the twelve tribes of Israel, from H3130 Yoseph; he increases
- BENJAMIN [G958] = Son of The Right Hand
– Beniamin, one of the twelve tribes of Israel, from H1144 Binyamin
Together, they compose the statement:
Behold, a Son, whose fortune has come. They are happy and blessed after wrestling and striving, forgetting their past troubles, hearing and obeying, united as one. Their recompense for their labor is to dwell with God, and He will increase and add to them many sons of His right hand.
Another way of stating this is:
I will praise the Lord, for He has looked on me and granted good fortune. Happy am I because my wrestling God is making me to forget. God hears me and is joined to me. He has purchased me a dwelling. God will add to me the Son of His right hand.
Dan and Ephraim are not mentioned. Dan means “judged.” All things are made new! Yeshua is the believer’s righteousness, and His righteousness is perfect. Those in Yeshua do not receive judgment. There is no condemnation in Ha’Mashiach.
Ephraim means being “fruitful in the land of my affliction.” Those in Yeshua no longer belong to Egypt – the world. They have been transferred to the Kingdom of Yahweh! They are living in a new kingdom, and are under a new government where there is no sickness, toil, danger, nor death!
Conclusions
Names in scripture tell a story. Names have deeper meanings. Yeshua’s name literally means Salvation of Yahweh. The Genesis, Hosea, and Revelation accounts of the generations tell a story. The Genesis account lists each son in birth order. The Hosea account likewise lists the children in birth order. The Revelation account, however, does not list the sons in birth order and even leaves two of the twelve sons out!
The Genesis account gives us Yahweh’s plan of redemption. The Hosea account tells the story of the Jewish journey. The Revelation account outlines the completion of the plan.
Final Thought
The prophetic signs are burgeoning and not abating. The plans of Yahweh are close to being fulfilled. Time is incredibly short – Yeshua Ha’Mashiach is coming soon – so be of great cheer, keep looking up, and keep maintaining an attitude of gratitude. Be sure you are believing The Truth, not The Lie. Be sure Yeshua is your Redeemer, King, and High Priest, and your sins are forgiven.
Website: https://raptureparty.net
Email: jeff@raptureparty.net