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"He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him" (Daniel 2:22).

What is the name of the Lord?  Is it a three letter word (i.e., GOD), or is it a five letter word (i.e., Jesus)?  What does it mean to take the Lord's name in vain?

"And he was clothed in a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God" (Revelation 19:13). Hence, his name is not a name in the same sense as we commonly think of a name.  Rather, his Word is his name.  As he states in the Gospel According to John, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God..." (1:1). "And the Angel of the Lord said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret?" (Judges 13:18). So, if his Word is secret, how can we know him? When Jesus was baptised in Jordan, the Spirit descended and God said, "Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Mark 1:11). Therefore, the revelation that Jesus is the Son of God is made by the Spirit; the Holy Ghost.

So, we have learned that the name of the Lord is the Word of God, and that the Word of God is secret.  We have also learned that the secret is revealed to us by the Holy Ghost, which is the Spirit of truth. Jesus is quoted in the Gospel of Matthew as saying, "Blessed are they which hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled" (Matthew 5:6). Moreover, he said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6). That is becaues Jesus is the Living Word and it is impossible to attain enlightenment by any other means. Jesus also said that the kingdom of heaven is like hid treasure (Matthew 13:44). So, how do we find this hidden treasure? "And I say unto you, Ask and it shall be given you; seek and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you" (Luke 11:9). "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth...(John 16:13). So, it is on you to desire to know the truth, to seek it diligently, and to ask Jesus to reveal it to you by the Holy Ghost.

To take the Name of the Lord in vain is to use it out of context. That is, the Word without the Spirit is not God or Christ; it is the law of carnal commandments, by which one can never be saved. Remember that the Word is the seed and the seed is sown that it might bring forth fruit unto perfection. Hence, when we use his Word for any purpose other than the purpose for which God intended, we take the Name of the Lord in vain.

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