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THE NAMES OF GOD

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<strong>NAMES</strong> <strong>OF</strong> <strong>GOD</strong> IN <strong>THE</strong> BIBLE: A DISPENSATIONAL APPROACH : PR<strong>OF</strong>. M. M. NINAN<br />

Through the concept of the Trinity, we understand God’s plan of salvation is associated with each of<br />

three persons in the Trinity. In the age of the Father, God plays the role of the Father and rules the<br />

world with his laws. . In the age of the Son, as the Son he incarnates into the world and reveals the<br />

love of the father. In the age of the Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit brings in new birth into the Kingdom of God<br />

and transformation into sons and daughters and make us partakers in the divinity.<br />

Rev 14:6, "Then I saw another angel flying in midheaven, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those<br />

who live on the earth—to every nation and tribe and language and people."<br />

God’s name changes with the nation and language. There is nothing wrong in that as long as the<br />

attributes which each nation and language understand is the same.<br />

The Age of the Father, corresponding to the Old Testament, characterized by obedience of<br />

mankind to the Rules of God. The central name here is YHVH and the basis is the Law which was<br />

given by YHVH through Moses unto Israel with the order to declare it to all nations.<br />

The Age of the Son, the central name of God is Yeshua.<br />

God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. Tbetween the advent of Christ and 1260,<br />

represented by the New Testament, when Man became the son of God;<br />

The Age of the Holy Spirit, impending, ushered in by an Angel with a sword, when mankind was<br />

to come in direct contact with God, reaching the total freedom preached by the Christian message.<br />

The Kingdom of the Holy Spirit, a new dispensation of universal love, would proceed from the Gospel<br />

of Christ, but transcend the letter of it.<br />

According to Joachim, only in this third Age it will be possible to really understand the words of God in<br />

its deepest meanings, and not merely literally. In this period, instead of the parousia (second Advent<br />

of Christ), a new Epoch of peace and concord would begin; also, a new religious "order" of spiritual<br />

men will arise, thus making the present hierarchy of the Church almost unnecessary.<br />

We need to distinguish between the "reign of justice" or of "law", in an imperfect society, and the "reign<br />

of freedom" in a perfect society.<br />

It is important to remember that humanity is striving to comprehend God who is infinite, so we will be<br />

limited in our understanding of His complete nature. Our logic will not be able to fully explain God. So,<br />

the belief in the Trinity will still be somewhat incomprehensible as John Wesley suggested when he<br />

said, “Bring me a worm that can comprehend a man, and then I will show you a man that can<br />

comprehend the triune God.”<br />

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