The Power of Jesus' Name

Evidently the hymns of the past were nearer the truth, nearer to the Bible teaching, than were the creeds. The hymns represented the hearts of God's people. The creeds represented their bewildered heads. For instance, we sing, "All hail the power of Jesus' name," and how, eventually, all mankind, as well as the angels, will bow to that name. But our creeds contradict this—contradict the Bible also. The creeds declare that only the saintly few who now bow to the name of Jesus will escape eternal torture. According to the creeds more than nine-tenths of humanity are now writhing with pain and cursing their great creator. How sad our mistakes! How seriously this mistake has warped our conceptions of our creator—of his love and of his power! Truly, we made the Word of God of none effect through our human traditions (Matt. 15:6).

Now we are awakening! Thank God that the apostle's prayer for the church at Ephesus is now being fulfilled in all God's true people: "I pray God for you, that the eyes of your understanding opening, ye may be able to comprehend with all saints the heights and the depths, the lengths and the breadths, and to know the love of God, which passeth all understanding" (Eph. 1:18; 3:18, 19).

The name of Jesus signifies the power, the authority, the character of Jesus. His name was miraculously given by divine authority as signifying savior, deliverer. "He shall save his people from their sins." True, only those who come to a knowledge of the gospel, accept its terms and consecrate themselves to the Lord—only these, as yet, are saved; and they, admittedly, are few. They alone constitute the true church whose names are written in heaven—the bride class, who, at the second coming of Jesus, are to be united with him in his glory, honor and immortality. Their union, by the resurrection change, is figuratively styled "marriage" (Rev. 19:7).

However, the Lord declares, "Other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, that there may be one fold and one shepherd" (John 10:16). The other sheep of this promise are the non-elect, those who will come to a knowledge of the truth during the millennium. All such who heartily respond will get a blessing of life everlasting—a restitution blessing, restoring them to human perfection and restoring to them the earthly paradise lost through sin.

Blessed are all who have the hearing ears and obedient hearts in the present life, for they will obtain the heavenly reward. But how glad we are that God has promised that, eventually, all the blind eyes shall be opened, all the deaf ears shall be unstopped, and that unto Jesus every knee shall bow and every tongue confess, to the glory of God; and that all who will then refuse obedience will be destroyed from amongst the people in the second death (Acts 3:19-23).