Disciples Global Network

The Prologue of the Gospel of John presents key themes that are expanded in the Book. Most critically, Jesus is the Logos , the “ Word become flesh ” in whom Life and Light are revealed to penitent men and women. He is the true “ Tabernacle” where God’s “Glory ” resides, not the tent in the wilderness or the Temple building in Jerusalem. John employs imagery from the history of Israel to illustrate what God now provides us in His “ only born Son .”

In the first chapter of Matthew , an angel informed Joseph that the child carried by Mary was “ begotten of the Holy Spirit ,” and he instructed him to name the child ‘Jesus’ - “ Call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins .” This name pointed to the saving act of God for His people which He was about to reveal. In the Nazarene, the salvation promised to Israel and the nations had arrived. “ Good News ” indeed!

The Gospel of Matthew calls Jesus the “ Son of David .” In his life and death, he demonstrated what it meant to be the King of Israel and the “ Son of God .” Traditionally, this last designation was linked to the House of David; but in Matthew’s account, the old understanding of the Messiah is altered radically. The Greater “ Son of David ” is far more than the Ruler of Israel or the Nations. He is a King and Messiah of a very different kind.

Not only does Jesus play the central role in revealing the nature of God, but he also is the very heart and foundation of his Father’s creative and redemptive efforts, especially the deliverance of humanity from enslavement to Sin and Death. He is the only One in whom the glory of the Creator of all things is seen, and the only One who is qualified to interpret His Father. In the Nazarene, all the promises of God to and for His children find their significance and fulfillment, their “ Yea ” and “ Amen .”

According to the Apostle John, “ life ” is found in the “ Word ” or ' Logos ', and this life is the “ Light of men .” It is “ shining in the darkness ,” and the darkness “ cannot seize ” or suppress it. This same “ Word ” has become the Living Word in Jesus of Nazareth. In him, the glory and life of God are fully manifested - (John 1:1).

The Incommunicable Name of God, its meaning and significance, according to Joseph Bryant Rotherham .  The following article is from the Introduction to the 1902 edition of the  Emphasized Bible  by Joseph Bryant Rotherham ( Public Domain ). It explains the background and meaning of the Hebrew name of God, Yahweh, and the key reasons why it has been lost to a great many Christians over the centuries - [ Photo by  Will van Wingerden  on  Unsplash ]. In what follows, I have preserved as much of the original formatting as possible.  ( The Emphasised Bible, A New Translation , by Joseph Bryant Rotherham, Published originally in 1902 { Public Domain }).