Here, that authority rested upon the angel of the LORD. He did not operate independently, nor merely as a messenger repeating instructions. He spoke with God’s voice, carried God’s judgment, and demanded obedience because God Himself was present in him. This is why rebellion against this messenger was treated as rebellion against God.
This principle does not stop in Exodus. It unfolds across the entire biblical story.
Israel itself was separated
for the Name: “So shall they put
my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.” (Numbers 6:27)
Later, James explains that God is gathering a people
for His Name (Acts 15:14). And Revelation looks forward to the day when that Name will be written in fullness upon the faithful:
“I will write on him
the name of my God.” (Revelation 3:12)
The trajectory is clear: God places His Name first on a messenger, then on a people, and ultimately on those who overcome.
But the center of this revelation is Christ.
Jesus explicitly said: “I have
manifested your name to the people whom you gave me.” (John 17:6)
“
I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known.” (John 17:26)
Christ did not merely
speak about God’s Name, He
embodied it. Paul confirms this with unmistakable clarity:
“For in him all the fullness of God
was pleased to dwell.” (Colossians 1:19) See the issue
@Lambano ?
“For in him the whole
fullness of deity dwells bodily.” (Colossians 2:9)
What was foreshadowed in Exodus, God placing His Name in a sent one, reaches its complete expression in Jesus. The angel bore the Name by delegation; Christ bears it in fullness. He is not simply authorized by God; He is the living manifestation of God’s character, purpose, and saving power in human form.
And remarkably, this is not where it ends.
Paul tells believers that this same fullness is God’s intention for us:
“That
you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:19) See the issue
@Lambano ????
Just as the Name was in the angel, and just as it dwelt bodily in Christ, so now God works to place His Name upon His people through Christ by the Spirit. We are being shaped into living carriers of that Name, representatives of God’s authority and character in the world.
This reveals a consistent divine pattern:
God places His Name in whom He sends.
God reveals Himself through that vessel/agent.
God then extends that same calling to His people.
So Exodus 23:21 is not an isolated curiosity. It is a cornerstone. It shows us how God works: He does not remain distant. He puts His Name in a messenger, His fullness in His Son, and His life in those who belong to Christ.
To belong to Him, then, is not merely to believe certain doctrines, it is to become a people marked by His Name, transformed by His fullness, and sent in His authority.
That is the true power of
“My name is in him.”
Will CTK understand these profound truths?
No...they won’t.
Will
@GodsGrace understand them either?
No....they won’t.
Why not?
Because their thinking is already shaped by error, and that misunderstanding spills over into this forum.
