2. 말씀이 언급하는 예언적인 여러 부분에서 말에 대한 언급이 자주 나오지만 “말”이 이해성을 의미하고 ”말을 탄 자”는 매우 지적인 자를 의미한다는 것을 알고 있었던 사람은 지금껏 없었다. 아마도 이는 ”말”이란 것이 영적 의미에서, 따라서 말씀 속에서 그런 면을 뜻할 수 있겠느냐고 의아하게 여겼기 때문인 듯하다. 그러나 사실이 그러하다는 것이 말씀 속의 여러 구절에 분명히 나타나 있다. 나는 이쯤에서 몇 구절을 예로 제시하고자 한다. 이스라엘의 예언에 단(Dan)에 대한 다음과 같은 구절이 나온다,

단(Dan)은 길의 뱀이요, 첩경의 독사로다. 말굽을 물어서 그 탄 자로 뒤로 넘어지게 하리로다.(창세기49:17, 18)

뱀과 말과 그 탄 자가 의미하는 바를 모르고는 이스라엘의 한 종족에 관한 이 예언이 무엇을 의미하는 것인지 이해할 수 있는 사람은 아무도 없다. 그러나 누구라도 이 예언 속에 어떤 영적인 면이 포함되어 있다는 것은 알고 있다. 하나하나의 표현이 의미하는 바는”천국의 비밀” (천국의 비밀 6398-6401)에서 볼 수 있다.”천국의 비밀”에 이 예언이 설명되어 있다. 하박국에 다음과 같은 구절이 나온다.

오, 하나님, 말을 타고 달리시나이다. 당신의 마차는 구원이오니다. 당신은 말을 타고 바다를 밟으셨나이다.(하박국3:8, 15)

이 구절 속의 “말들”은 어떤 영적인 면을 의미하고 있음이 분명하다. 왜냐하면 말들이 하나님과 연관되어 언급되어 있기 때문이다. ”하나님께서 말을 타시고 말과 더불어 바다를 밟으시도다”라는 말씀은 또 다른 무슨 의미를 나타낼 수 있는 것일까? 스가랴서에 다음과 같은 구절이 나온다.

그날에는 말방울에까지 여호와께 성결이라.(스가랴14:20)

여호와가 말하노라, 그날에, 내가 모든 말을 쳐서 놀라게 하며 그 탄 자를 쳐서 미치게 하되 유다 족속은 내가 돌아보고 모든 인민의 말을 쳐서 눈이 멀게 하리니(스가랴12:4)

이 구절은 어떤 진실에 대한 이해라도 그 여지가 더 이상 없을 때에 일어나는 교회의 몰락에 대한 언급이다. 이는 ”말과 말을 탄 자”라는 표현으로 묘사되어 있다. “모든 말을 쳐서 놀라게 하며”, ”모든 인민의 말을 쳐서 놀라게 하며”라는 말씀의 의미를 달리 어떻게 해석할 수 있을까? 이 말씀은 교회와 무슨 상관이 있는가? 욥기에 다음과 같은 구절이 있다.

하나님께서 그녀로 하여금 지혜를 잊게 하고 총명을 주지도 아니 하심이라. 그러나 그 몸을 떨쳐 뛰어갈 때에는 그 탄 자를 경히 여기느니라.(욥39:17-19)

이 구절에서 ”말”이 이해성을 뜻하고 있음은 너무나 분명하다. 시편에서는 또 다음과 같이 말씀하시고 있다.

그는 진리의 말씀을 타고 달린다 (시편45:4)

다른 많은 구절에서도 말에 대하여 언급하고 있다 더구나 엘리야와 엘리사가”이스라엘의 마차요, 그로 인해 이스라엘의 기수”로 불리운 이유를 누가 알 수 있으며 ”엘리사의 사환이 말들로 가득찬 산과 불타는 마차를 본” 이유를 알 수 있겠는가? ”마차”가 의미하는 바와 ”엘리야와 엘리사”가 상징하는 바를 알기 이전에는 도저히 그 이유를 알 수 없다. 엘리사가 엘리야에게 다음과 같이 말했기 때문이다.

내 아버지여, 내 아버지여, 이스라엘의 병거와 그 마병(馬兵)이여 (열왕기하2:11, 12)

그러자 왕인 요아스가 엘리사에게 다음과 같이 말했다.

내 아버지여, 내 아버지여, 이스라엘의 병거와 그 마병이여 (열왕기하13:14)

그리고 엘리사의 사환에 대하여는 다음과 같은 언급이 있다.

여호와께서 그 사환의 눈을 여시매 그가 보니 불말과 불병거가 산에 가득하여 엘리사를 둘렀더라.(열왕기하6:17)

엘리야와 엘리사가 ”이스라엘의 병거와 마병”으로 호칭된 이유는 그들 두 사람 모두가 말씀과 관련된 주임을 상징하며 ”병거”는 말씀을 근본으로 하는 교리를 뜻하고 “마병”은 지성(intelligence)을 의미하기 때문이다 .”엘리야”와 “엘리사”가 말씀과 관련된 주를 상징하고 있다는 점은 “천국의 비밀” (천국의 비밀 5247, 7643, 8029, 9327)에서 볼 수 있다.그리고 “병거”는 말씀에서 도출해 낸 교리를 의미한다는 점도 찾아볼 수 있다. (천국의 비밀 5321, 8215)

2009. That 'no longer will your name be called Abram' means that He will cast off the human, and that 'your name will be Abraham' means that He will put on the Divine, is clear from the meaning of 'name', also from the meaning of 'Abram', and after that of 'Abraham'. When the phrase 'your name will be' is used in the Word it means the nature of, that is, what a person's nature is going to be like, as is clear from what has been brought forward in Volume One, in 144, 145, 1754. And since 'names means the nature of, a name includes everything in its entirety within that person, for in heaven no attention is paid to someone's name, but when anyone is referred to by name, or when a name is used, a mental picture of his nature comes up, that is, of all that is his, with him and in him. This is why 'name' in the Word means the nature of. To make this matter clearer to the understanding let further confirmatory quotations from the Word be introduced, such as in the Blessing in Moses,

Jehovah bless you and keep you; Jehovah make His face ¹ shine upon you and be merciful to you; Jehovah lift up His face ¹ upon you and give you peace.

So shall they put My name upon the sons of Israel. Numbers 6:24-27.

From this it is evident what 'name' and 'putting Jehovah's name upon the sons of Israel' means, namely that Jehovah blesses, keeps, enlightens, is merciful, and gives peace, and that such is Jehovah's or the Lord's nature.

[2] In the Ten Commandments,

You shall not take the name of Jehovah your God in vain, for Jehovah will not hold him guiltless who has taken His name in vain. Exodus 20:7; Deuteronomy 5:11.

Here taking God's name in vain does not mean His name but every single thing deriving from Him, and so every single thing belonging to the worship of Him, which must not be treated with disdain, still less be blasphemed and defiled by what is filthy. In the Lord's Prayer,

Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, as in heaven so on earth. Luke 11:2.

Nor in this instance is 'name' used to mean name but all things that belong to love and faith, for these are God's, or the Lord's, and derive from Him. Since the latter are holy, the Lord's kingdom comes, and His will is done on earth as it is in heaven, when they are upheld as being holy.

[3] That 'name' means such things is clear from all the places in the Old Testament Word and in the New where the word 'name' is used, as in Isaiah,

You will say on that day, Confess Jehovah, call on His name, make His deeds known among the peoples, make mention that His name is exalted. Isaiah 12:4.

Here 'calling on the name of Jehovah' and 'making mention that it is exalted' does not in any way mean making the name itself an object of worship, or believing that Jehovah is called on by the mere uttering of His name, but by knowing His nature, and so every single thing that derives from Him. In the same prophet,

Therefore in the Urim give honour to Jehovah, in the isles of the sea to the name of Jehovah, the God of Israel. Isaiah 24:15.

Here 'in the Urim give honour to Jehovah' means worship based on the holy things of love, 'in the isles of the sea to the name of Jehovah, the God of Israel' worship based on the holy things of faith.

[4] In the same prophet,

Jehovah our God, in You alone will we make mention of Your name. Isaiah 26:13.

And in the same prophet,

I will stir up one from the north, and he will come, from the rising of the sun he will call on My name. Isaiah 41:25.

Here 'making mention of' and 'calling on the name of Jehovah' is worshipping from the goods of love and the truths of faith. Those 'from the north' are people outside the Church who do not know the name of Jehovah but who do nevertheless call on His name when they are leading charitable lives one with another and venerate some deity as the Creator of the universe, for it is the worship and what constitutes it, not the name, that calling on Jehovah entails. That the Lord is also present with gentiles, see 932, 1032, 1059.

[5] In the same prophet,

The nations will see your righteousness and all the kings your glory; and you will be called by a new name which the mouth of Jehovah will announce. Isaiah 62:2.

Here 'you will be called by a new name' stands for becoming a different person, that is to say, as a result of being created anew or regenerated, and so stands for becoming such. In Micah,

All the peoples walk each in the name of its god, but we will walk in the name of Jehovah our God for ever and eternally. Micah 4:5.

'Walking in the name of its god' clearly stands for worship that is profane, while 'walking in the name of Jehovah' stands for true worship. In Malachi,

From the rising of the sun and even to its setting, great is My name among the nations; and in every place incense is offered to My name, and a pure minchah, for great is My name among the nations. Malachi 1:11.

Here 'name' is not used to mean the name but the worship; and this worship is the essential nature of Jehovah or the Lord, from which He wills to be adored.

[6] In Moses,

The place which Jehovah your God chooses out of all the tribes to put His name there, and to make His name dwell there, to that place shall you bring all that I am commanding you. Deuteronomy 12:5, 11, 14; 16:2, 6, 11.

Here also 'putting His name' and 'making His name dwell there' do not mean the name but the worship, and so Jehovah's or the Lord's essential nature from which He is to be worshipped. His nature consists in the good of love and the truth of faith, it being with those who are governed by such good and truth that Jehovah's name dwells. In Jeremiah,

Go to My place which is in Shiloh where I made My name dwell at first. Jeremiah 7:12.

Here similarly 'name' stands for worship, and so for doctrine concerning true faith. It may become clear to anyone that Jehovah does not dwell with somebody who merely knows and utters His name, for without any conception and recognition of His essential nature, and without any belief in it, the name by itself is a mere verbal expression. From this it is evident that the word 'name' means the nature of, and the knowledge of that nature.

[7] In Moses,

At that time Jehovah set apart the tribe of Levi to serve Him and to bless in His name. Deuteronomy 10:8.

Here 'blessing in the name of Jehovah' is doing so not by means of the name but by means of those qualities associated with the name of Jehovah which have been referred to above. In Jeremiah,

This is His name which they will call Him, Jehovah our righteousness. Jeremiah 23:6.

Here 'name' stands for the righteousness which is the essential nature of the Lord, to whom these words refer. In Isaiah,

Jehovah called Me from the womb, from My mother's body ² He made mention of My name. Isaiah 49:1.

These words too refer to the Lord. 'Making mention of His name' is informing about His essential nature.

[8] That 'name' means the nature of is plainer still in John's Revelation,

You have a few names in Sardis, who have not soiled their garments; and they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. He who conquers will be clad in white garments and I will not blot his name out of the book of life; and I will confess his name before My father and before the angels. He who conquers I will write on him the name of God, and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name. Revelation 3:4-5, 12.

Here it is quite clear that name does not mean the name but the essential nature of him who conquers. 'The name in the book of life' is nothing else. Nor is 'confessing his name before My Father', and 'writing on him the name of God and of the city, and a new name'. The same applies elsewhere to the names which are said to have been written in the book of life and in heaven, Revelation 13:8; 17:8; Luke 10:20.

[9] In heaven one person is always recognized from another by his nature or character, which is expressed in the sense of the letter as 'the name', as may also become clear to anyone from the fact that on earth the mention of anybody's name presents to another a mental picture of his nature or character by which he is known and distinguished from anyone else. In the next life those mental pictures survive but names perish. More especially is this so with angels. This is why in the internal sense 'name' means the essential nature of, or the knowledge of that nature. In the same book,

On the head of Him who sat on the white horse were many jewels. He has a name written which no one knows but He Himself. He was clad in a garment dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. Revelation 19:12-13.

Here it is stated openly that His 'name' is The Word of God, thus the essential nature of Him who sat on the white horse.

[10] The fact that the name of Jehovah means the knowledge of His nature, that is to say, it means every good of love and every truth of faith, is quite clear from these words spoken by the Lord,

Righteous Father, I have known You, and these too have known that You have sent Me, for I made known to them Your name, and I will make it known that the love with which You have loved Me may be in them, and I in them. John 17:25-26.

[11] And that the name of God or of the Lord means the whole doctrine of faith concerning love and charity, which is meant by 'believing in His name', is clear from these words in the same gospel,

As many as received Him, to them He gave power to be sons of God, to those believing in His name. John 1:12.

If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. If you love Me, keep My commandments. John 14:13-15.

Whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give it to you. These things I command you, that you love one another. John 15:16-17.

In Matthew,

Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them. Matthew 18:20.

Here 'being gathered together in the Lord's name' means those who possess the doctrine of faith concerning love and charity, and so who are governed by love and charity.

[12] In the same gospel,

You will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. Matthew 10:22; 24:9-10; Mark 13:13.

Here 'for My name's sake' clearly stands for doctrine's sake. The fact that a name itself is of no avail, only that which the name embodies, that is to say, everything constituting charity and faith, is quite clear from the following in Matthew,

Did we not prophesy through Your name, and cast out demons through Your name, and do many mighty works in Your name? And then I will confess to them, I do not know you; depart from Me, you workers of iniquity. Matthew 7:22-23.

From this it is clear that people who make worship consist in a name, as Jews do in the name of Jehovah and Christians in the name of the Lord, are not on that account worthier than any others, for the name is of no avail. But they are worthier when their characters conform to what He has commanded; and this is the meaning of 'believing in His name'. And when they say that there is salvation in no other name than the Lord's they mean in no other doctrine, that is, in none other than mutual love, which is the true doctrine of faith, and so in none other than the Lord since all love comes from Him alone, and all faith from that love.

각주: