The Message

Meaning of Amen

Amen.

Do you have to tell Amen to end a prayer? Do you understand why you say Amen? Do you say Amen in the middle of the prayer? Do you say Amen before the prayer begins? It is more a term of agreement when people pray together. Only say Amen if you agree to what has been said or prayed. 

When Jesus prayed, no matter how he said it or what he said, he was reliable, trustworthy, and accurate. So, in that alone, he does not need his followers to say “Amen,” but they say Amen anyway because it was Jesus praying.

Isaiah 65:16 says, “the God of truth” or “the God of amen.” Here it is being addressed to the Father.  Jesus often used undoubtedly, also amen, to emphasize his own words. In John’s Gospel, “verily, verily I say unto you.” Truly or honestly is another word for Amen. There are times when a single amen is used, and there is a time amen is said twice: Amen and Amen.

Another word for Amen

The word “amen” is an Ancient Hebrew word used at the end of a prayer, and it means “I affirm”;  and other faith, it is transliterated in many ways: agreed, indeed, yes, of course, exactly, I agree, I’ll say, so be it, indeed, certainly and many more to mention. It is safe to say that every time prayer has to be ended, it should be clear or in agreement with what the speaker said in the prayer before giving the Amen. We also need to let the speaker know whether the listener agrees. Sometimes people say Amen to get it over with and a quick about-face rush to get out. This is a sign of long service or prayer, and they want to go home.

All prayers are supposed to be good and acceptable to many hearers. Still, sometimes the speaker is overdoing it, making it too long, with repetitive flowery words that make hearers uncomfortable. Prayer must be a blessing and not a yawning experience. Sometimes, when the speaker is also being carried away because of overflowing attendees instead of praying wholeheartedly, the focus becomes a performance to impress the attendees.

The Amen in Christian prayers signifies the end of a blessing and could also be to some other religions. The Jewish use of Amen was adopted by the Christians, who have uttered the same word ever since I can remember. Jesus’ name Yeshua should never change like the Amen. 

Amen is an expression of agreement, confirmation, and unity among believers during worship. Jews, Christians, and Muslims use the word Amen at the end of prayer as they see it “to be reliable” and “trustworthy.”

In Revelation 3:14, Jesus is referred to as “the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation.”

Revelation 7:12, ESV: “saying, “Amen! Blessing, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” This God Almighty God is the Amen.

Nehemiah 8:6, ESV: “And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.” LORD is the Father.

Psalm 41:13, NIV: “Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen.” LORD is the Father, and He is the Amen.

2 Corinthians 1:20: “For as many as are the promises of God, in Him, they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us.”

According to The Expanded Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, the word “amen” is translated from Hebrew into Greek and English. The word’s meaning is closely associated with the ideas of truth (correspondence to reality) and faithfulness (reliability) but can change slightly depending on the context. For example, when God says “amen,” it means “it is and shall be so,” affirming the absolute truth and reliability of the idea(s) conveyed. When a man says “amen,” it means “so let it be,” which affirms his surrender to the truth of the idea(s) conveyed.

Jesus often began His statements with the word “amen,” and he spoke with absolute given to Him by the Father; he told only what was taught by the Father (John 8:28). Every time he uttered a message, it was him that said it, but the news came from the Father. So when he said he is the Amen that said it in Revelation 3:14.   We have the full assurance and confidence that His words are genuine and trustworthy and our response is, “Amen – so let it be.”

When someone is praying, our obedience is to listen and to agree or disagree with what is said in prayer, and it is between our understanding of the message and our submission. There are closing prayers only centered on one person in the Trinity and prayers involving the Trinity, which others do not agree with. We may have differences of opinion, but we only have one Amen to say at the end of the day.

Bishop Joseph

Dr. Joseph Vitug, Ph.D. - Bishop Emeritus

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