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In this series of articles we are expanding upon the truth that God can be known through the different means of revelation, which are: Natural Revelation, Specific Revelation, and Special Revelation. We have already seen that while natural revelation gives us some details of who God is based on the things He created, only the specific revelation, that is the bible gives us the specifics about Him. In another words, the bible is God's authorized "biography" on earth. On Part 3: Knowing God Through His Word , we have specifically learned about God's Acts and Attributes . The bible records the various acts of God. Our God acts on earth, He is actively involved in governing, and ruling in our affairs. God delivered, healed, blessed, judged, spoke to people, and etc. However, God ultimately acted by setting in motion the plan to redeem the whole world from sin and its consequences through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. However, God did not stop intervene in our affairs, He continues to do so and will continue until things are made new. Jesus said, " '[...], “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.”' John 5:17. In addition, we have also learned about God's attributes which are characteristics or qualities of Him. The bible mentions many attributes of God and the sum of them all is who God is, not just one or two. While depending on the action of God one attribute may be more emphasized or evident, yet it doesn't contradict or minimize the others. God is equally all the attributes, even when He prefers to act on the basis of one over another. God said, " '[...]“ I AM WHO I AM.” [...]’ ” ' Exodus 3:14a. Many of these attributes are exclusive to God, and others He shared with us since we are made in His image. Refer to Part 3 for more details. In this article, we will proceed further on the subject of knowing God through His Word, and learn specifically about The names of God. ​Names in The Bible According to what the bible reveals, names are far beyond a mere label like it's in many cultures, simply to distinguish one person from another. Names in the bible speaks of one's origins, character, identity, destiny, and/or authority. Strong's says, "In ancient Near Eastern culture, names were often reflective of personal characteristics or life events." This is fact is true of most of biblical characters if you study their names. Adam means man, human, mankind, because he is the father of all mankind. His name is related to the Hebrew word, "'adamah" which means earth or ground, referring to his origin. Whereas, the name Eve is related to "live and/or breath", and was given to her by Adam because, " because she was the mother of all living" (Genesis 3:20). Moses name is derived from the Hebrew "mashah", meaning "to draw out. because from the waters he was taken. Same can be said of many other biblical characters if we study their names. Let's go down through history and look at some biblical names more closely, starting with Jacob. In Genesis 27:36, Esau said the following concerning his brother Jacob, "'[...], “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright, and now look, he has taken away my blessing!” [....]”' Genesis 27:36. According to Strong's Hebrew concordance, the verb translated "supplanted" is the Hebrew verb "aqab" which primarily conveys the idea of supplanting or taking the place of another, often through deceptive or cunning means. Indeed Jacob took the place of his brother through deceptive or cunning means, even with his own father he acted deceptively (Genesis 27:35). Therefore, Esau said, "Is he not rightly name Jacob?" In another words Esau was saying that Jacob's name suit him very well. This is not mere consequence but who Jacob was until he later on meets God have his name [and character] changed by God, he goes from Jacob to Israel. Another example is of Nabal, a rich man yet of harsh and evil doings. 1 Samuel 25 tells us the story that one day David sent men to him with the following word, "'And thus you shall say to him who lives in prosperity: ‘Peace be to you, peace to your house, and peace to all that you have! Now I have heard that you have shearers. Your shepherds were with us, and we did not hurt them, nor was there anything missing from them all the while they were in Carmel. Ask your young men, and they will tell you. Therefore let my young men find favor in your eyes, for we come on a feast day. Please give whatever comes to your hand to your servants and to your son David.’ ”' I Samuel 25:6-8 Nabal on the other hand, repaid the goodness of David and his men with evil by saying, "[...] “Who is David, and who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants nowadays who break away each one from his master. Shall I then take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers, and give it to men when I do not know where they are from?”' I Samuel 25:10-11. David was displeased with Nabal's answer and was ready to destroy him with his household. To make long story short, Abigail finds out, and she run to meet David and his men with food, and she said, "'Please, let not my lord regard this scoundrel Nabal. For as his name is, so is he: Nabal is his name, and folly is with him! But I, your maidservant, did not see the young men of my lord whom you sent.'" I Samuel 25:25. Notice what Abigai said, "... For as his name is, so is he: Nabal is his name and folly is with him..." As we can see also in the case of Nabal, his name reflected his character. His name meant "foolish" and he acted foolishly. Thus, names in the bible are of great significance to get insights about the bearer of the name. However, as a last example, let's now look at the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The name Jesus, is the Greek name Iēsoús , which is a transliteration from The Hebrew name Yehoshua"/Jehoshua  and it means "Yahweh is salvation." Indeed Jesus is the Savior of the world, and this name is totally suitable to Him. When announcing His birth, the angel told Joseph, "'And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus , for He will save His people from their sins.” ' Matthew 1:21 Many more examples we could have considered but these three should suffice to understand that names are means to have insights about one's character, identity, destiny and circumstances of birth, and etc. Conversely, to speak on one's name means to speak on that person's character or authority, it's to have that person's backing to the extent that his authority goes. i.e., to speak in the name of Jesus is much more than placing "in Jesus name" at the end of a prayer line or s scriptural commands. Back to the main point. If such is the case of the names of men, what about the name's of God?! Regarding the names of God, this biblical truth finds its perfect application since He is the source of all things and first to name things. When the bible reveals a name of God, it is essentially giving us insight on His nature and character, which is then reflected on His actions. Thus, knowing the names of God is a mean to know more about God Himself. This is the point of knowing the names, and this is what we are after in this article. God Reveals His Names Throughout the bible God refers to Himself through various names, and in many occasions names are given to Him by people based upon the things God did or the revelation they had of Him. Let's look at a situation when God revealed some of His names to us. The story is found in the book of Exodus when God met with Moses. The Lord appeared to Him and was persuading Him to go to Egypt before Pharaoh and deliver Israel from bondage, but Moses was hesitant to go. He considered himself to be a nobody to go before Pharaoh; however, God assured Moses that He would be with him; however, Moses was still hesitant. The bible says, "'Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?”' Exodus 3:13. After Moses uttered these words, God then revealed His Self-existent nature and supremacy through two unique names. The bible says, "'And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ” Moreover God said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.’ ' Exodus 3:14-15. "I AM WHO I AM" is the Hebraic phrase "’eh·yeh ’ă·šer ’eh·yeh" word for word. "’eh·yeh" is a verb in Hebrew and means, "To be, become, come to pass, exist, happen." Thus when God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM", he was revealing His eternal, transcendent, always-being, and self-existing nature. God IS WHO HE IS, He always IS and always WILL BE. Then continued by telling Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM [ ’eh·yeh] has sent me to you.’ ” Yes, God again referred to Himself as "’eh·yeh", but it's only when we go to verses 15 that God reveals His name to Moses. It's written, "'Moreover God [Elohim] said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘ The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever , and this is My memorial to all generations .’'" (Exodus 3:15). The word translated Lord is in this particular verse is the Hebrew word, "YHVH (or YHWH)" , this is the true, proper, and personal name of God, hence, he told Moses, "This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.’'". This is how God was to be distinguished from other god's among His people and among other people. The word translated God in the verse above is the Hebraic term, "Elohim", which is also one of the names of God. It's a plural word most specifically used in the Hebrew scriptures to refer to The One and True God. However, the term was also generic and was used to refer to other deities, angels, or human authorities. Elohim is indeed just like the word god is a generic word in English, and the distinction comes only when capital G is used, then God refers to the One and true God. However, YHVH (or YHWH) is unique; every time this is used it refers only and exclusively only to One and True God, the God of Israel. This is His name forever. YHVH (or YHWH), known as tetragrammaton, God's special and unique 4-letters name . In English the name YHVH is commonly translated as YAHWEH or JEHOVAH; however, in most English bibles, even the name YAHWEH from the original is instead translated LORD all caps or simply Lord. Some writers point out that translators do so for various reasons including keeping scriptures familiar to readers. Since for many years people have been using scriptural translations that don't use YAHWEH, translators continue not to YAHWEH to keep the scriptures "familiar" to people and sell their work of translation or bible versions (1) . Other writers also point out that another reason why many translators do not use the proper name of God, YAHWEH, and instead use LORD or Lord is because of a tradition that began in ancient Israel. The Jews over the years created many laws called Fence Laws, in addition to the laws given by Moses, as a way to keep them from breaking the actual laws of Moses. Thus, these laws as the name suggest were a fence for them. One of the fences they put up was against using the proper name of God because they considered it too sacred to be uttered by humans, and if used wrong, God '“[...] will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.'" (Exodus 20:7). Although no one really knows how to properly pronounce the true original name YHVH, they created this hybrid name, or a visual code made of the consonants of the name YHVH and the vows from the name ADONAI, which is another name of God and means, Master, someone with power and authority, one who rules. This is name is commonly translated as Lord only in most English bibles. Some differentiate YHVH from ADONAI by translating YHVH as LORD all caps, while others don't they simply use Lord for both. So, their goal was not to cause readers to say the hybrid name, instead it was just a hint for them to say ADONAI while still knowing that YHVH is the proper name there (2) . With the above in mind, the use of the personal name of God was lost even in the Hebrew scriptures, and instead, the artificial name was popularized. Christians unintentionally or unknowingly inherited this man-made tradition. By the time Christians started their work of translation, they began already from Hebrew scriptures that had this hybrid name, causing the personal name of God to be further lost. It's from this hybrid name that we get the name YAHWEH or JEHOVAH which contains vows, YHVH doesn't. In spite of all the man-caused issues, glories be to God, He made a way for us to be aware of His proper name. Later on in Exodus 6, God reveals another name of His to us when He said, "'I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name Lord I was not known to them.'" Exodus 6:3. The name God Almighty is the Hebrew name, "El SHADDAI", which speaks of God's ultimate power over all. Again, the name translated Lord is the Hebrew name "ADONAI", as we have already alluded to. However, in revealing His nature and character through names, God didn't stop here, He continued then in Exodus 15:26 by calling Himself, "YAHWEH-RAPHA", that is The Lord who heals us. Exodus 15:26 says, "'and said, “If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.”' . Glories to God! You can see that God Himself reveals some of His names to us. The names aforementioned are only a snapshot of the names He revealed to us, and to know them all is to be invited to meditate and study the whole scriptures. However, as we stated earlier some names of God if not most were given to Him by people based upon the revelation they got of Him. Let's now proceed by looking closely at a remarkable event when God was named by a man. God's Revelation to Abraham In Genesis 22 the bible narrates for us the story of Abraham and his son Isaac. God appeared to Abraham and asked him to sacrifice his son to Him. It's written,  "'Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”'  Genesis 22:2. The following verses reveal to us that Abraham in the very next day, early in the morning, prepared everything and made his way to a mountain in the land of Mariah. Abraham arranged the altar for the sacrifice, and the bible says, "'But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” Then he said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”' Genesis 22:7. Abraham replied to him saying, "'[...] “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together.'"  Genesis 22:8. Many suggest that in that very moment Abraham went beyond in time and saw the day that God provided for Himself, His spotless Lamb, Jesus as atonement for the sins of the whole world because in John 8:56 Jesus said, "'Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.”' Back to the story. Abraham comforted Isaac and proceeded to sacrifice him as God had asked. The bible says, "'And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” So he said, “Here I am.” And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. And Abraham called the name of the place, The- Lord -Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”' Genesis 22:10-14. Of course God never wanted Isaac to be sacrificed, human sacrifice is abomination for God (Deuteronomy 12:31) because He made men in His image. God wanted to test the faith of Abraham only. Abraham was approved, God saw that he feared Him, and therefore, He would bring to pass the promise He made to Abraham. Verses 15-18 says, "'Then the Angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, and said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord , because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son — blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”'. Praise God for His faithfulness. One of the main points is that when Abraham saw that God intervened for Isaac and instead provided a ham, Abraham rejoiced, and the bible says, " Abraham called the name of the place, The- Lord -Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”' Notice Abraham called that the name of the place not the name of God, although in saying, Yah-way-ji-reh, He also gave a name to God. Among His people, God became known as "The Lord Will Provide" or "The Lord Provider", Our God who provides, commonly pronounced in Hebrew, "YAHWEH-JIREH [yah-way-ji-reh]" or in English, "JEHOVAH-JIREH". We know that God indeed is a provider, from Genesis to revelation God is constantly providing for all His creation, and He ultimately provided Christ for the whole world. Knowing that God is "Yahweh-Jireh", we can interact with Him on the basis of it and be confident that He provides for all our needs. David said, "'The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.'" Psalms 23:1-3. Praise God. However, JEHOVAH-JIREH is just one of the many names of God that people gave in order to capture the revelation they had of Him. The Names of God The bible in several passages presents us with many more names of God, many of which are better captured when we look up a concordance or a translation that preserves the names in the original language, and etc. As a summary, below it is given some of the names of God found in the bible: (3). EL, ELOAH [el, el-oh-ah]: God "mighty, strong, prominent" (Nehemiah 9:17; Psalm 139:19) – etymologically, El appears to mean “power” and “might” (Genesis 31:29). El is associated with other qualities, such as integrity (Numbers 23:19), jealousy (Deuteronomy 5:9), and compassion (Nehemiah 9:31), but the root idea of “might” remains. ELOHIM [el-oh-heem]: God “Creator, Mighty and Strong” (Genesis 17:7; Jeremiah 31:33) – the plural form of Eloah. Being plural, Elohim which accommodates the doctrine of the Trinity. From the Bible’s first sentence, the superlative nature of God’s power is evident as God (Elohim) speaks the world into existence (Genesis 1:1). EL SHADDAI [el-shah-dahy]: “God Almighty,” “The Mighty One of Jacob” (Genesis 49:24; Psalm 132:2,5) – speaks to God’s ultimate power over all. ADONAI [ˌædɒˈnaɪ; ah-daw-nahy]: “Lord” (Genesis 15:2; Judges 6:15) – used in place of YHWH, which was thought by the Jews to be too sacred to be uttered by sinful men. In the Old Testament, YHWH is more often used in God’s dealings with His people, while Adonai is used more when He deals with the Gentiles. YHWH / YAHWEH / JEHOVAH [yah-way / ji-hoh-veh]: “LORD” (Deuteronomy 6:4; Daniel 9:14) – strictly speaking, the only proper name for God. Translated in English Bibles “LORD” (all capitals) to distinguish it from Adonai, “Lord.” The revelation of the name is given to Moses “I Am who I Am” (Exodus 3:14). This name specifies an immediacy, a presence. Yahweh is present, accessible, near to those who call on Him for deliverance (Psalm 107:13), forgiveness (Psalm 25:11) and guidance (Psalm 31:3). YAHWEH-JIREH [yah-way-ji-reh]: "The Lord Will Provide" (Genesis 22:14) – the name memorialized by Abraham when God provided the ram to be sacrificed in place of Isaac. YAHWEH-RAPHA [yah-way-raw-faw]: "The Lord Who Heals" (Exodus 15:26) – “I am Jehovah who heals you” both in body and soul. In body, by preserving from and curing diseases, and in soul, by pardoning iniquities. YAHWEH-NISSI [yah-way-nee-see]: "The Lord Our Banner" (Exodus 17:15), where banner is understood to be a rallying place. This name commemorates the desert victory over the Amalekites in Exodus 17. YAHWEH-M'KADDESH [yah-way-meh-kad-esh]: "The Lord Who Sanctifies, Makes Holy" (Leviticus 20:8; Ezekiel 37:28) – God makes it clear that He alone, not the law, can cleanse His people and make them holy. YAHWEH-SHALOM [yah-way-shah-lohm]: "The Lord Our Peace" (Judges 6:24) – the name given by Gideon to the altar he built after the Angel of the Lord assured him he would not die as he thought he would after seeing Him. YAHWEH-ELOHIM [yah-way-el-oh-him]: "LORD God" (Genesis 2:4; Psalm 59:5) – a combination of God’s unique name YHWH and the generic word for “God” signifying that He is the Lord who is God. YAHWEH-TSIDKENU [yah-way-tzid-kay-noo]: "The Lord Our Righteousness” (Jeremiah 33:16) – As with YHWH-M’Kaddesh, it is God alone who provides righteousness (from the Hebrew word tsidkenu) to man, ultimately in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ, who became sin for us “that we might become the Righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). YAHWEH-ROHI [yah-way-roh-hee]: "The Lord Our Shepherd" (Psalm 23:1) – After David pondered his relationship as a shepherd to his sheep, he realized that was exactly the relationship God had with him, and so he declares, “The Lord is my shepherd [Yahweh-Rohi]; I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1, ESV). YAHWEH-SHAMMAH [yah-way-sham-mahw]: "The Lord Is There” (Ezekiel 48:35) – the name ascribed to Jerusalem and the Temple there, indicating that the once-departed glory of the Lord (Ezekiel 8—11) had returned (Ezekiel 44:1-4). YAHWEH-SABAOTH [yah-way-sah-bah-ohth]: "The Lord of Hosts" (Isaiah 1:24; Psalm 46:7) – Hosts means “hordes,” both of angels and of men. He is Lord of the host of heaven and of the inhabitants of the earth, of Jews and Gentiles, of rich and poor, master and slave. The name is expressive of the majesty, power, and authority of God and shows that He is able to accomplish what He determines to do. EL ELYON [el-el-yohn]: “Most High" (Deuteronomy 26:19) – derived from the Hebrew root for “go up” or “ascend,” so the implication is of that which is the very highest. El Elyon denotes exaltation and speaks of absolute right to lordship. EL ROI [el-roh-ee]: "God of Seeing" (Genesis 16:13) – the name ascribed to God by Hagar, alone and desperate in the wilderness after being driven out by Sarah (Genesis 16:1-14). When Hagar met the Angel of the Lord, she realized she had seen God Himself in a theophany. She also realized that El Roi saw her in her distress and testified that He is a God who lives and sees all. EL-OLAM [el-oh-lahm]: "Everlasting God" (Psalm 90:1-3) – God’s nature is without beginning or end, free from all constraints of time, and He contains within Himself the very cause of time itself. “From everlasting to everlasting, You are God” (Psalm 90:2). EL-GIBHOR [el-ghee-bohr]: “Mighty God” (Isaiah 9:6) – the name describing the Messiah, Christ Jesus, in this prophetic portion of Isaiah. As a powerful and mighty warrior, the Messiah, the Mighty God, will accomplish the destruction of God’s enemies and rule with a rod of iron (Revelation 19:15). THEOS [theh'-os]: It is one of the names by which the one true God, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, is called in the New Testament. It is used to denote the divine nature and attributes of God, including His omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence. "Theos" can also refer to false gods or deities in a polytheistic context, but in the Christian Scriptures, it predominantly signifies the God of Israel, the Father of Jesus Christ. Its Hebrew equivalent are Elohim, El, and YHWH. KURIOS [koo'-ree-os] : It is another name by which God is called in the New Testament. "kurios" is used to denote someone who possesses authority, control, or power. It is often translated as "Lord" and is used to refer to God, Jesus Christ, and sometimes human masters. The term signifies respect, reverence, and acknowledgment of authority. In the context of Jesus, it underscores His divine nature and authority as the Son of God. Its Hebrew equivalent are ADONAI and YHWH. Implications of Knowing The list above is not exhaustive but a starter; there are many more names of God in the bible. As mentioned in the first section of this article, in biblical thought name means character, authority, origin, and in the case of God nature. Thus, having learned about the names of God, you should know Him better. like we have been emphasizing throughout this series of articles, knowing God is far beyond a simple mental knowledge or awareness, but it is intimately knowing, spiritually and truthfully worshipping, and strongly, soulfully, and wholeheartedly loving Him (Jn 4:24, 17:3; Mt 22:37-40). The implications of knowing God is that it compels us to trust and to love Him; we get to know that He is and inevitably relate and approach Him with faith. It's written, " " 'But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.'"  Hebrews 11:6. Praises be to God! God is everlasting (He is EL-OLAM), sees you and your circumstances (He is El ROI), cares for you and for all you care about (He is YAHWEH-ROHI), provides for all your needs (He is YAHWEH-JIREH), changes your circumstances (He is EL SHADDAI), commands His hosts on your behalf (He is YAHWEH-SABAOTH), sanctifies you (He is YAHWEH-M'KADDESH), keeps you in peace (He is YAHWEH-SHALOM), delivers you from sicknesses and diseases (YAHWEH-RAPHA), commands your life and order your steps (He is ADONAI), ..., God is (He is YHVH). The more we know the names of God, the more we can know His character, and the greater will be our faith on Him and our love for Him. This is the point of knowing the names of God. A Word of Caution The point of knowing the names of God is not necessarily to bring up a specific name in prayer depending on our need; we can do it if we have the understanding of the name, but bear in mind that Jesus didn't do it and neither the apostles. The point is not to lead us to become proud for knowing the true name of God either, like Jehovah Witnesses tend to do when they give an exaggerated emphasis on the name JEHOVAH, which as we have already discussed above is not even the true name of God, it's a hybrid or artificial name created by man. Certainly, we appreciate the story behind it and take it as a pronounceable approximation of the true name which is YHVH or YHWH. So, these are not the points. The point is relationship by understanding the revelation of God behind the names. God is an infinite being, knowing Him is an eternal task (John 17:3); thus, to make an infinite task possible, He revealed Himself through certain means such us names and figures, which we will see in the next article, aside from the direct descriptions of His attributes which we have already seen in the previous article. Thus, the names were meant to capture a revelation of God or crystalize an understanding people had about Him; hence, understanding the character or attributes of God through the names is more important than repeating the names over and over again if we have no understanding. For instance, Abraham who called God Jehovah-Jireh, never once in scripture is shown calling God such in prayer when he wanted provision. We don't see him doing it at all after the experience he had with Isaac. however, we can be confident that the revelation behind the name was always alive in Abraham's heart as he waited upon the Lord to fulfill His promises or provide again. Thus, if someone goes to prayer calling God "Jehovah-Jireh", he does no wrong, but if he supposes that by doing so provision will come more rapidly, he is certainly not walking in the steps of Abraham. If you do call God "Jehovah-Jireh" while praying or praising, you do nothing wrong, after all, it is His name. By all means to do it, we often do it and will continue to do so; however, if you call Him "Jehovah-Jireh" with understanding, knowing what it means, bringing to mind and to God's remembrance all He said about provision, and how He would be glorified through that provision, you do much better (1 John 5:14-15, Isaiah 43:26). Jesus, Our Lord, when teaching on provision didn't say call God "Jehovah-Jireh", rather he taught us to, again, understand the character and nature of God through a figure of a "Father". He said, "'Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?'" Matthew 6:26. What was said above about the use of "Jehovah-Jireh" in prayer or praise is applicable to using any other name of God in any other spiritual discipline. If we say the names in prayer, meditation, proclamation, praise or else we do well, but if we don't understand God through them, we can mentioned them all day long in Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic, or else and nothing will happen. The apostles when teaching the gentiles did not make a law that they should call God by Hebraic names. They themselves, despite being Jews, in their writings addressed to gentiles, referred to God by Greek names such as Theos and Kurios, and led the people to know, understand, and trust The God behind these names. Again, the goal of knowing the names of God is far beyond proving our soundness of Hebrew or Greek, or show that we have some sort of "esoteric" knowledge, no! The goal is knowing God Himself and grow in our relationship with Him. Glories be to God for making things so simple and accessible for people in all nations! Thus, to call God simply God in English is not a sin neither a disrespect as long we regard God highly in our hearts, know truly who He is: His majesty, transcendency, authority, supremacy ... , in another words, understand the revelation behind each name of God. If you do so, my brother and my sister, you will see signs, wonders, and interventions on earth as simple as calling God God may seem. With the above said by all means, sing the names of God, praise Him with and through them, bring them up in prayer, proclaim them, speak them out, meditate on them, preach them, and etc., but in all things do so with understanding and God will be glorified. Of course just knowing the names themselves is a good thing and a good start, but don't stop there, seek to understand them and put your trust in God. David said, "''And those who know Your name [character, identity, reputation] will put their trust in You; For You, Lord , have not forsaken those who seek You.'"  Psalms 9:10. God is accessible to all who call upon Him with a sincere heart and understand his reputation or character, no matter the language or location. A Personal Revelation This God whose names we are studying, The God of Israel, YHVH, who aforetime revealed His personal name to us, became further accessible by revealing Himself to us in a personal manner. This same God has came down from heaven, manifested Himself in the flesh, in the person of Jesus Christ and lived among us (John 1:14). Jesus said, "[...] “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”" . Today, we can not only know the personal name of the One and True God, our maker, but also know Him personally through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Hallelujah! It's written, "'And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.'" I Timothy 3:16. Praises be to God! May you know God more through His names, may you know Him more and more personally through Christ, and may your love for Him grow more and more in all wisdom and spiritual understanding in Jesus name. God bless you. Like - Comment - Share - Subscribe Knowing-God.com Love . Grace . Intimacy References: (1) "Why is YHWH, the name of the God, replaced by a title, "the LORD", ..." hermeneutics.stackexchange.com (2) "God's Name has Changed? (Learn It's Interesting Biblical Story," Bibleproject.com (3) "What are the different names of God, and what do they mean?" www.gotquestions.org

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”  Mark 1:14‭-‬15 NKJV. These are the words with which Jesus initiated His public ministry. Jesus began by calling people to repentance and to believe the gospel, good news. This wasn't only His initial remarks, but also the core of His mission on earth. The bible says, "When Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” Mark 2:17 NKJV. Jesus spent about 3.5 years working hard by the grace of God to accomplish His mission and He indeed accomplished it. The bible declares, "So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit." John 19:30 NKJV.  Thanks be to God because of His life and sacrifice, today we can be reconciled to God! However, as far the salvation of the lost, the mission was not over, and Jesus knew it. Before dying, Jesus had prepared His disciples to carry on the mission, and even after He rose from the dead, He appeared to the disciples for 40 days and gave them further instructions (Acts 1:1-3); He opened their eyes to comprehend the scriptures and understand that He was the Messiah who had been promised. Then prior to His return to heaven, He gave a final instruction to the disciples saying, "[...] , “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.’” . Mark 16:15-16. However, Matthew 28:18-20 narrates this final instruction as follow, “'And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.'”   The verses above became known throughout church history as the great commission, and the reason being is because it was larger in scope compared to the lesser commission first given by Jesus in Matthew 10 and Luke 10. While the lesser affected only the disciples then and the local Jewish community, " 'These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.'" (Matthew 10:5-6), t he great commission affected the disciples then present and all the disciples throughout all ages, its scope is all the nations, and it is the very final command from Jesus, "standing orders". Therefore, it came to be known as "great commission". Let's zoom in and observe 4 main aspects about the great commission:  “ All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” Meaning, whatever He was commissioning His disciples to do was on a legal basis; in another words, they were authorized to do make disciples and it was and is still legal. Neither satan, demons, or men have the legal power or authority to stop or hinder this commission of Jesus. Believers operations to spread the gospel are legitimatized by Jesus Himself. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,” . On the basis of Jesus' authority we are entitled and empowered to go. Jesus who has all authority says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” not just some but all nations. The gospel came first to the Jews but didn’t stop there. Jesus said it was supposed to be from Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, until the uttermost parts of the earth- meaning, the gospel is for people from all nations, tribes, and tongues, He purchased us all (Revelation 5:9). “baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you;”   With these words, Jesus now tells us how to make disciples; it’s a two fold process: i. You baptize them and ii. You teach them all things Jesus taught so they can observe or obey them not just know. Here we have a definition of a disciple. “It’s one who is saved, baptized, and taught to obey the commands of Jesus”. It’s not one who simply goes to church. “lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.'”  In so saying Jesus assures us that as we go about taking care of this business we are not alone, and we are not indeed, He is with us. Mark 16:20 says, “'And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.'”  Glories be to God. As we go out, Jesus goes, He works actively with us, and confirms the Word, His Word we with signs and wonders by His Spirit, for the repentance of unbelievers and the display of God’s kindness toward them (Mark 6:34). The apostles then took up on this mission and turned the world upside down. Many believers throughout church history took on this mission and gave their lives to the preaching of the gospel, and every believer in every era is called to do the same in obedience to our Lord. Evangelism is indispensable for the power of the gospel to be manifested. Paul said, "'How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!”' Romans 10:14-15 It’s true that these days, people can have access to the gospel in so many different ways, specially through the internet, and many have been saved by simply coming across an “unintentional” youtube video or a gospel tract, but yet it still required someone to do something on the other side: make the video, print the material, or else. You can be the someone on the other side, you can do something. Evangelism is needed, and you can make a difference. Jesus said, “lo, I am with you all the days of your life.”  Hallelujah. You will not be alone, God can equip you, call upon Him and lay your life at His altar and be used for His glory. Jesus spoke of the readiness of the fields in John 4:35, "they are already white for harvest", He said. Many people are seeking, hungering and thirsting for truth, specially young people, not only in America but around the world, and it seems like God made and is making it very evident for us since the tragic murder of Charlie Kirk. Saints, this is warfare, but what the enemy meant for evil, God meant for good. In addition to the conservative and patriotic message Charlie shared, the preaching of faith he did is being sought after by hundreds of thousands. Many people have been awaken to the reality of evil with Charlie's murder, and they are looking for answers beyond the conventional's, and you can be used by God to meet them at the point of their needs. May we be inspired by Charlie's preaching of and discussion about faith in unconventional spaces with the younger generation. God opened the eyes of people, and we need to take the opportunity to meet them with the life changing message of the gospel, the power of God for salvation of anyone who believes (Romans 1:16). Jesus said, "'And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.” 'John 4:36-38. We can join the labor of Charlie and labor of many men and women who have been sowing seeds for years in the hearts of people here in America and around the world. Again, we cannot do this work by ourselves, according to our intellect and/or abilities, we need help, and we can count on help, Jesus will work with us: it's not by power nor by mighty, but by the Spirit of God. For this reason, Jesus Himself told the apostles, " 'Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”'  Luke 24:49. Same is applicable to us, Jesus wants to help you and me, anoint us with the Holy Spirit and send us to advance the Kingdom in His name or character - preaching the gospel, teaching the word, healing the sick, and casting out demons to deliver the oppressed (Matthew 4:23) . Let's believe it, grow on it, be available, and get the job done. May you and I carry out the great commission forward, may we start where we with what we know and trust God for increase, and may we always be assured that Jesus is with us as we go about doing His business. God bless you! Like - Comment - Share - Subscribe Knowing-God.com Love . Grace . Intimacy

“'Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.'”  Matthew 28:19-20 When Jesus gave the commandment above, although He addressed the disciples then, He didn’t speak to them only but He was speaking to all of those, from all ages, who would come to believe in Him also. The goal was for those who were already disciples to make disciples, and those disciples to make other disciples, and so on and so forth; thus, in doing so, this command was applicable to all disciples. Some may still argue that the great commission was for the disciples then only, but it cannot be true. If such were the case Christianity would never spread as it did because the apostles and disciples then died eventually and the commission would have died with them. However, such was not the case because the commandment was meant for all believers. Thus, the answer is Yes: Evangelism is for all believers; every believer is called to evangelize. Even, Jesus Himself evangelized. Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, was the One who began to evangelize, preaching the good news, after He came out of the wilderness, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. ”'  Moreover, Luke 4:18 says, “'“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;'”   Although prior to Jesus, John the baptism was already preaching and calling people to repentance, he was only doing it to prepare the way for Jesus, preaching the kingdom, and not the fullness of the gospel. The bible says,  “'In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord ; Make His paths straight.’ ”'  Matthew 3:1-3. We see John the baptist preaching, but he did not announce the fullness of the good news. Paul later on said, “'[...], “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.”'  Acts 19:4. John only prepared a people for Jesus, he call them to look forward, Jesus Christ is the first evangelist on earth. Nevertheless, even Christ Himself called people to look forward for a periord of time, until He died and was raised up. Today, we have the fullness of the gospel message, Jesus has been glorified already by The Father (John 17:1-5) and is sitting at His right hand. Praise God! Still, other people could argue saying, evangelism is not for everyone but only for a select few whom Jesus called as evangelists. The answer is: Not really! It’s true that Jesus chose some specifically as evangelists but their role is not to do all the evangelism themselves but equip others to evangelize as well, and the same is applicable to the remaining 4 of the 5 ministerial offices established by Jesus. Ephesians 4:11-12 NKJV says, "And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,". Yes, a called evangelist will have a different grace compared to the average believer when it comes to evangelism, and some of the major distinctive are the level of experience/maturity, impact/effectiveness and greater occurrence of signs and wonders. For instance, we see this in the life of Philip who is the only individual specifically labeled as "Evangelist" in the bible (Acts 21:8). Others had, the evangelistica calling, did the work of an evangelist, but held also other offices, for instance all the 12 Apostles, Paul, Barnabas, Apollo, and etc. Back to Philip, The Evangelist. We can see the sheer impact of Philip’s evangelism and conclude that indeed he was an evangelist. God did amazing things through the hands of Philip and he led several people to Christ. The bible says, “ Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. And there was great joy in that city.'”  Acts 8:5-8. However, ultimately a major part of the evangelist office is equipping others to do evangelism, "equipping of the saints for the work of ministry,". We thank God because today, there are many evangelists focusin on actually equipping the saints, rather than doing all the evangelism. The equipping of the saints from all 5-fold ministers is what brings growth and unity in the body of Christ. Again, the bible says, “'And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.'”  Ephesians 4:11-16 Once normal believers are equipped they are the ones who go about doing the work of ministry beyond the four walls of the church, even if it takes persecution. The bible says, “'Now Saul was consenting to his death. At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered  throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles . And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison. Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word. '”  Acts 8:1-4. Notice that the Apostles in spite of the persecution, stayed in Jerusalem, but the rest of the believers, normal/average believer I’d say, were scattered throughout Judea, Samaria and other regions, and they were the ones who spread the gospel outside of the Jewish limits for the first time. Moreover, the bible says, “'Now those who were scattered after the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but the Jews only. But some of them were men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord. '”  Acts 11:19-21. Again these were normal believers, like us, not apostles, yet they did evangelize. Just like they did, we are called to do wherever we find ourselves at. In short, evangelism is for all, for every sing born again believer. The rapid advancement of the Kingdom depends on our participation because from the beginning of the ages, God willed to create us to partner with Him in carryout His desires, and it's not different with evangelism. God promised to be with us as we step out in faith (Matthew 28:20b), and He even promised to perform signs and wonders to confirm the preaching of normal believers, not just evangelists or apostles. Mark 16:17-18 says, “'And these signs will follow those who believe : In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”' . Let's trust God promises. Let's seek to be equipped to evangelize. Let's do the work of an evangelist in season and out of season as we see the day approaching ( 2 Timothy 4:1-4). Let's remain faithful to this cause until the end. God bless you!! Like - Comment - Share - Subscribe Knowing-God.com Love . Grace . Intimacy

Welcome to Knowing-GOD, a practical teaching ministry aiming to serve the body of Christ in the advancement of the Kingdom of God by diffusing the knowledge of God to all people​​. Welcome again, may you know God, and grow in love, grace and intimacy with Him. God bless you! Jesus said, "'[...], “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”'" Matthew 4:19 Welcome Welcome to Knowing-GOD, a practical teaching ministry and a hub for discipleship, aiming to serve the body of Christ in the advancement of the Kingdom of God by diffusing the fragrance of the knowledge of God to people in every nation, tribe, and tongues through the preaching of the Gospel and the making of disciples, in obedience to Christ, Our Lord, by the power of the Holy Spirit. For Jesus said, " 'And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.'" John 17:3 Welcome again. God bless you! Read More Anchor 1 December 8th, 2025 It's Written, "'He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.'" John 1:11-14 May God Bless You Devotional Anchor 2 Recent Articles Who is Jesus? The Knowledge of God - 5 days ago 2 min read Should Christians, New Testament Believers, Obey The Law? Law & Grace - Nov 30 13 min read Strongholds, Distortions and The Loss of Innocence Christian Walk - Nov 23 10 min read 1 2 3 4 5 Jesus, The Way, The Truth, and The Life... "'Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” '" Acts 2:38-39 Read More Helder & Rebeca "We are Christ's disciples called to make disciples from all the nations. Glad you are here!" Read More Stay Updated Preferred Language Join Thanks for subscribing! Address United States Email info@knowing-god.com Connect

Our mission is to fulfill the commandment of our Lord as underlined in Mathew 28:18-20, Mark 16:14-18 by diffusing the knowledge of God through the preaching of the gospel, so that unbelievers can become believers, believers become disciples, and encourage the disciples to make other disciples and live faithfully each day by growing in the grace and knowledge of Christ and in intimacy with God. About Knowing-GOD "And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen." Matthew 28:18-20 This ministry was forged from the desire to obey the commandment of our Lord Jesus Christ, as underlined in the verses above. Hence, we want to be of help to the body of Christ in the advancement of the kingdom of God by the power of the Holy Spirit while our Lord tarries. Our mission is to make God known (John 17:3, 2 Corinthians 2:14) in every nation, tribe and tongue by preaching the gospel so they can believe and be saved. Likewise, we aim at helping those who believe to progress in Knowing God and to become true disciples of Christ by growing in His grace, in the love of God, and in intimacy with the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:18-20, 2 Corinthians 13:14, 2 Peter 3:17-18, John 8:31-32). About Us Hi, we are very glad you are here! We are Helder and Rebeca Alexandre, servants of Jesus Christ and members of First Family Church. By the grace of God, we have married for life (Matthew 19:4-6) and it has been 5 years since we entered this covenant with God and with one another (Malachi 2:14-15). We are blessed with two children, indeed blessings from the Lord (Psalms 127:3), and very thankful to be entrusted by God with the opportunity to instruct and disciple them in His ways (Proverbs 22:6). We have been born in Angola, in the southwest region of Africa. We first saw each other back home while attending the same college, but never spoke or were officially introduced. However, little did we know that God would cross our paths again, on the other side of the Atlantic ocean. We both travelled to the US to continue our education but with a year difference, and once we both came to know God truly, washed and cleansed from our sins by the blood of Jesus, The Lord made a way for us to finally meet each other in an Skype, online bible study group through friends of friends (Psalm 37:23), and finally we began to interact. From brother and sister in Christ, we became husband and wife for the glory of God (Hebrews 13:5-6), and the rest is this story that we are living as the Lord unfolds (Psalm 139:16). We are very excited about knowing God (Jeremiah 9:23-24) and progressing in knowing Him (Hosea 6:3), living wholeheartedly for Him (Matthew 10:24-25, Ephesians 5:1) and as well instructing others about His will (Romans 12:2) in obedience to the great commission (Matthew 28:18-20). Therefore, besides serving in our local church, we have also been sharing the word of God and preaching the gospel online in order to shorten the distance and reach many more people who never heard the the gospel or have been discipled. If such is your case, we are glad to be used of God as blessing in your life according to the grace given to us (1 Peter 4:10-11). We are a young Godly family that seeks to grow in faithfulness to honor the Lord everyday of our lives because of the love with which God loved us (Ephesians 2:1-4). Expect us to talk a lot, a lot about family related topics - relationships, education, career, finance, and etc., in addition to purely sharing the word of God; believe us we will. We are very glad you are here, may God bless you, and we look forward to know you here, God willing; otherwise we will see each other on the new Earth (Revelation 21:1-8). Sis. Rebeca Alexandre Hello! I'm Sis. Rebeca Alexandre, graduated in engineering management, and in image consultancy, but I gave up my professional career to take care of my family in obedience to God. Outside of serving my family and local church, I love speaking with and to women about intimacy with God, biblical femininity, and elegance, helping them to be faithful with their God-given gifts and talents. Embracing creativity, discovery through writing, outdoor walks, culinary experiences, reading, and exploring new places are my favorite hobbies. I'm very happy to have you here! Bro. Helder Alexandre Hi, I am a mechanical engineer by background and have been working full-time for 6 years. I am very passionate about teaching the word of God in a simple and straightforward manner to encourage believers to know the certainty of their beliefs and live faithfully for Christ (Luke 1:1-4). I like learning almost about anything as long it is of good report and beneficial to my development, calling and my profession. I enjoy spending time with my family, have a good moment of fellowship with the brethren, writing, reading a laughing. Very glad to meet you, hope I see you around!

Answering your questions in the light of God's word. "So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him." Acts 8:30-31 Ask a Question "So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said , “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him." Acts 8:30-31 Answering your questions in the lig ht of God's word. Submit Thanks for asking, we will reach out back to you!