PROPHECY - SIGNS - NICE BIBLE STUDY!

[nChrist]

Prophecy - Signs
The Names Of Jesus
by A. Edwin Wilson

THE NAMES OF JESUS

The significance of names in the Scripture is apparent when one begins to study the Word of God. In Genesis 32:28, the Lord says to Jacob, "Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed." In John 1:42, He says to Simon Peter, "Thou art Simon the son of Jona; thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone."

Jacob, meaning supplanter, is changed to Israel, which means one who has power with God. Simon means fickle, shifting and vacillating; and it is changed to Cephas which means solid and stable as a rock. You will recall that Abram's name was changed to Abraham, and Sarai's to Sarah (Genesis 17:5, 15).

These few examples should be enough to remind us that all names of Scripture are of importance because of their inherent meaning. With this in mind, we call attention to seven names of our Lord, and the meaning of each:

1. JESUS (Matthew 1:21): The word Jesus means specifically Jehovah our Saviour. He was not called Jesus until He received His body of flesh, blood and bones from Mary; so that we know this name applies to His earthly life and is the name of His humiliation, His suffering and His sorrow. This is the name by which He was crucified: "And set up over His head His accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS" (Matthew 27:37). The body which He received from Mary is to be His throughout eternity; and likewise, the name of Jesus will be applicable to Him either alone or in association with some of His other names throughout eternity. The name Jesus is never used with adjectives. There are some groups who delight in using adjectives such as dear Jesus, precious Jesus, etc., but God Almighty never uses any of these because this is the name of His humiliation and suffering, and such adjectives are entirely out of place. In Acts 2:36, we learn that God has made this Jesus both Lord and Christ; and in Philippians 2:10, 11, we are told that it is at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that He is Christ and Lord.

2. CHRIST: The word itself means anointed and has to do with dominion, ruling and reigning. In Luke 2:26-32, we read that Christ is the One who was appointed to carry out the covenants God made with Israel, and to be a light unto the Gentiles. The Christ of the New Testament is the Messiah of the Old Testament. He came to Israel but was unrecognized, unknown and unacknowledged. Isaiah 53:1-3 tells us that He had no beauty that they should desire Him. He was rejected, crucified and ascended as the Christ. He has set aside His people Israel for awhile, but He has taken another people, Christians, and is spoken of as their Head, and they His body. They are also spoken of as being in Christ, quickened, and seated with Him; but Christians are never spoken of as being in Jesus. It was as the Christ, or as the Messiah, that God manifested Himself throughout the Old Testament from the Garden of Eden until the time of Malachi.

3. LORD: This word signifies one who owns, possesses, and has power and authority over all His own. All who are in Christ are under His Lordship whether they acknowledge it or not. Every realm of the daily walk of life is to be under His Lordship: (a) Marriage is to be in the Lord. I Corinthians 7:39 not only means that both contracting parties are to be Christians but they are to have the assurance also that it is the Lord's will for them to marry; (b) wives are to submit themselves to their own husbands as is fitting in the Lord (Colossians 3:18 ); (c) husbands are to love their wives even as the Lord loved the church (Ephesians 5:28, 29); (d) children are to obey their parents in the Lord (Ephesians 6:1); (e) servants are to obey their masters in everything as unto the Lord (Colossians 3:22, 23); (f) masters are to render justice and equity to servants in the Lord (Colossians 4:1); (g) a believer's relationship to Jesus Christ is to be in the Lord. The Lord's Supper (I Corinthians 11:26, 27-29) shows His death; and those who drink of the cup of the Lord could be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord; so that, to the believer, all things are of the Lord and unto the Lord; (h) no unbeliever can say that Jesus is Lord because this is done by the indwelling Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 12:3).
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[nChrist]

Prophecy - Signs
The Names Of Jesus
by A. Edwin Wilson

4. JESUS CHRIST: Here is the combination of two names. With the name Jesus appearing first, you will see the order is from the humiliated, suffering, sorrowing One, to Christ the anointed and exalted One. In Philippians 1:1, Paul speaks of the servants of Jesus Christ, and to all the saints in Christ Jesus. Those two combinations of names are different because of progression in the order. A servant believes in the name of Jesus who died for him in humiliation, and Who is yet to be the exalted One.

5. CHRIST JESUS: This combination shows the descent from the anointed One down to His humiliation and shame endured on the cross. All who believe are now spoken of as being in the One Who was exalted but humiliated Himself (Philippians 2:5-8 ). Whenever you see either of these two combinations of names, note the ascent or descent in the truth expressed - from glory to humiliation, or from humiliation to glory.

6. SON OF MAN: This is the name used to emphasize the human nature of the second person of the Godhead. As Son of man, He was the second Man and also the last Adam.

7. SON OF GOD: This expression denotes His divine nature and sets forth His relationship to God the Father.
 
There are two other names used to designate our Lord which have particular significance and should not be overlooked: 1) In Matthew 1:1, He is called the SON OF DAVID, which sets forth the truth that He is the Heir, as Son of David, to all the promises made to David as well as to all the covenants pertaining to the Throne of David. (See Luke 1:32; Acts 2:29, 30; II Samuel 7:12-17.) 2) SON OF ABRAHAM sets forth the truth that Jesus Christ inherits the promises covenanted to Abraham which pertain to the land (Genesis 13:14-18; 15:18 ). Note also in this connection, Luke 1:33.

With these brief comments about the names of our Lord you will want to watch for each of His names as they appear and see the particular meaning in the context, remembering especially Romans 10:9.
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[nChrist]

Prophecy - Signs
Could Our Lord Have Sinned?
by A. Edwin Wilson

COULD OUR LORD HAVE SINNED?

Since the time of our Lord's temptation, theological schools have been divided into several camps about the teaching of the temptation of our Lord. There are those who contend that Satan is not a person, therefore the temptations were not from without - the temptation under these circumstances simply being a struggle within the bosom of our Lord between His desire to do right and His desire to do wrong. Another school of thought contends that if our Lord could not have sinned, then the temptation was not real and could serve no purpose at all. Another school contends that our Lord possessed two distinct personalities and that whereas He could not sin as the Son of God, He could have sinned as the Son of Man.

Still another school contends that, according to the Scripture, it was a spiritual, physical and psychological impossibility for Jesus to have sinned. I must concur with this last school of thought on the basis of the teaching of the Word of God. I want to dispose of the first three schools of thought and then consider the fourth.

First, Satan is real. That is to be noted in Genesis 3:14, 15; Job 1:6ff. If Satan is not a distinct personality, then personality cannot be predicated to anyone in the Scripture, including God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Satan is a real personality and the temptation of our Lord came from without. The temptation of Jesus could not have come from within because there was nothing within Him of a sinful nature to respond to the stimulus from without.

In James 1:14, 15: When an individual is tempted to sin he is drawn away of his own lust; then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin. There was no lust within Jesus, neither of the world, the flesh or the devil. He had no capacity nor desire for self-indulgence in any of its many aspects, neither was there desire for the pride of life nor of the lust of the eyes. Satan in his three approaches in tempting Jesus appealed to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. Since man was conceived in iniquity and brought forth in sin, he has his own lust within him. Adam, being created by God, also had the possibility of sin within him, as did the angels. But Jesus, being begotten by God the Father, had within Him no lust nor tendency or possibility to sin.

In answer to the second school of thought - that if Jesus could not have sinned, then the temptations were not real - that is like saying that if a diamond is real it cannot be tested to prove its purity; that if money is not counterfeit neither can it be tested. Jewels, precious metals, currency can be tested to prove their genuineness. A close study of the temptations of Jesus reveals that they were testings or trials of His faith and God permitted these temptations at the hands of Satan to prove once and for all that Jesus was the eternal Son of God, absolutely incapable of sin; therefore He could be our Redeemer - if He chose. . . and we praise the Lord, Jesus chose to die for the sins of the world and is our Redeemer.

The third school of thought was established by Nestorius in the fifth century. He contended that Jesus and Christ were two distinct persons. The human person of Christ could act independently of the divine person and vice versa. That is to say the human person of Jesus Christ could sin but the divine person could not. The philosophy of this school of thought falls to the ground with the teaching of Scripture in Luke 1:35: "And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God." This verse of Scripture reveals that that which was conceived by the virgin Mary was a "holy thing." It was not a person but a thing. So that Jesus Christ is not two persons with separate human and divine personalities. He is one person with two natures. He is God manifested in the flesh. He is the Godman, not man and God.
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[nChrist]

Prophecy - Signs
Could Our Lord Have Sinned?
by A. Edwin Wilson

In I Corinthians 15 we read that the fundamental content of the gospel is that Christ died for our sins. Christ the divine nature, as well as Jesus the human nature, died for our sins. Jesus Christ is one Person and one Person alone. The Spirit of the Lord has expressed it as plainly as can be through the Apostle Paul in I Timothy 2:5: "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." Christ Jesus is one man, one person, not two.

Now considering the fourth school of thought - the absolute impossibility of Jesus Christ's sinning - I want to call your attention first of all to the fact that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and for ever (Hebrews 13:8 ). If Jesus Christ could have sinned when tempted of Satan, He could have sinned in the eternal council chambers of God before the universe came into existence, because He has always been. John 1:1, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (Colossians 1:17; 2:9). "In Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily." If Jesus Christ could have sinned when tempted of Satan, He can still sin (Hebrews 13:8 ). He is "the same yesterday, today and for ever." Hebrews 4:15 reveals unto us that Jesus was tempted in all points as we are except that He was not tempted to sin (preferred translation). Jesus was not tempted to sin because He was very God of very God, and though He had a human nature it was impossible for God to be tempted with evil to sin (James 1:13).

Here is the tragedy of all of the teaching that Jesus could have sinned. Were it possible for Him at any time of His existence from eternity to eternity to have sinned, then it is still possible for Him to sin, and the whole scheme of redemption still hangs in the balance and will continue to do so throughout eternity because of the possibility of Jesus' sinning and rendering null and void His sacrificial death on Calvary's cross. If Jesus Christ could have sinned at any time in His entire career from eternity to eternity, then He is not the Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world; neither is He God's eternal sacrifice for sin and we have no redeemer, but are putting our trust in one with a sinful nature who Himself needs a redeemer.

But thanks be to God, the Lord Jesus Christ could not have sinned and it was demonstrated beyond any shadow of a doubt when Satan tempted the Lord Jesus Christ and He could not be reached with any of the temptations, because there was no lust within Him to respond to the outside stimuli.
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[nChrist]

Prophecy - Signs
The Impeccable Jesus
by A. Edwin Wilson

THE IMPECCABLE JESUS

I still receive correspondence and other forms of inquiry regarding the possibility of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ sinning. Perhaps these Scriptures will help those who are still in doubt concerning the fact that it was absolutely impossible for Jesus to have sinned. I John 3:9, "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." This verse brings out in no uncertain terms that whosoever is born of God cannot sin. Luke 1:35, "And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God." Matthew 1:20b, "'. . . for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost." John 3:16a, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son. . ."

These Scriptures show beyond any shadow of a doubt that Jesus was begotten by God of the virgin Mary. Now what is the conclusion of these Scriptures above quoted? Jesus was begotten of God, and since that which is born of God cannot sin, Jesus was absolutely, unconditionally and irrevocably impeccable. That is, He could not have sinned. Do not try to draw an analogy between Adam and Jesus in this realm, because Adam was a created being but Jesus was begotten by God the Father and no analogy can be drawn between their two natures.
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[nChrist]

Prophecy - Signs
Does Jesus Know?
by A. Edwin Wilson

DOES JESUS KNOW?

As I have been privileged to travel over the country and give messages on prophecy, especially on THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES, there have always been some who would come to me after the service and comment on the foolishness of such preaching since the BIBLE says that even Jesus does not know when He is to return. Of course, they are referring to a verse found in Mark 13:32, "But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father." Some teach that in the incarnation Christ divested Himself of His deity and was human only; others teach that He could turn on and off His deity as you and I would a water faucet.

God the Father being God could never cease for one moment to be God. God the Son being God could never for one moment cease to be God. God the Holy Spirit being God could never for one moment cease to be God. Omnipotence (all power), omniscience (all knowledge) and omnipresence (present everywhere at once) belong to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Many seem to be disturbed about God being omnipresent and still being seated on a literal throne. God the Holy Spirit is the omnipresent manifestation of the Godhead. Since Jesus Christ is God and OMNISCIENT, what does Mark 13:32 mean? The late Archbishop Trench, one of the greatest authorities on words, when lecturing to a London college, called attention to the fact that in the last part of this verse ("but the Father"), the two Greek words "ei me," translated "but" really mean "if not." Thus the Greek word "ei" equals "if" and the Greek word "me" equals "not." He called attention to the fact that any good Greek concordance would reveal the same. Archbishop Trench understood this verse to mean, "If I were Not God as well as Man, even I would not know the day nor the hour."

Mark 13:32 corrected will read thus: "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son if not the Father." In other words, Jesus says that if He were not the Father He would not know. We have the same truth in John 9:33 with the same two Greek words "ei me" translated "if not" - "IF this man were NOT of God, He could do nothing."

Does Jesus know when He is to return? Of course He does, and He has always known.
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[nChrist]

Prophecy - Signs
He Is White
by A. Edwin Wilson

HE IS WHITE

I receive a number of inquiries concerning the Lord Jesus Christ and what He is like. One speaking recently in Africa told the natives that Jesus was black. One speaking before a Polynesian group told them that He was neither white nor black but a mixture. There have been some workers among the Indians who told the children that Jesus was red. Some among the yellow children have told them that Jesus was yellow. The same is true of the black children. Too many people today seem to think that Jesus Christ is a figment of the imagination and whatever they imagine Him to be, that is what He is.
 
An incident took place in a northern store during the week before Christmas which I thought was very revealing. The management of the store, in a desire to please all people, employed a colored Santa Claus. When the colored children were directed to him they burst into tears and ran out. To them Santa Claus was white and not black.

Does the Bible tell us anything about Jesus? In the Song of Solomon, chapter 5, vv. 9-16, we have a twelvefold description of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ - the Fairest of Ten Thousand, the Rose of Sharon, the Lily of the Valley. Twelve is the number of completion or perfection pertaining to the rule of government; and since Jesus Christ is to reign as the King of kings and Lord of lords, His description is given in a twelvefold manner.

1. HE IS WHITE - showing the sinlessness of His deity - exemplifying His spotless character - He is in the world but not of it - He is impeccable - it was an absolute impossibility for Him to sin because He was and is God Almighty.

Whiteness among the races is the color which best accords the dignity of man - pure, delicate whiteness is a mark of high rank and hereditary nobility. Lam. 4:7, which records the appearance of the nobles in the streets of Jerusalem, likens their whiteness to that of the snow and of milk, and their redness to the coral. Sin is symbolized by blackness - purity and cleanliness by white. The Hebrew word translated white means illuminated by the sun. Every ray of light is white. Jesus is light - Jesus is white.

2. HE IS RUDDY - a redness with white - the oldest and most impressive emblem of the humanity which our Lord took upon Himself when He became man was the redness or ruddiness which was a likeness of Him the last Adam to the first Adam whose name meant "of the earth." Jesus Christ is very Man of very Man and very God of very God, symbolized by His white skin over His red flesh.

3. HE IS THE CHIEFEST AMONG TEN THOUSAND - He is the Standard Bearer - He is the One who goes before - He is the Commander - He is the Leader - He is the Head of the church - He is the Head of the human race. "This is My Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear ye Him."
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[nChrist]

Prophecy - Signs
He Is White
by A. Edwin Wilson

4. HIS HEAD IS PRECIOUS, FINE GOLD - that is refined gold - pure gold freed from all inferior metals - gold symbolizes His deity and His sovereignty as the Lord God Almighty. He was and is coexistent with God" the Father and God the Holy Spirit from eternity unto eternity.

5. HIS LOCKS ARE BUSHY, AND BLACK AS A RAVEN - bushy or curled hair indicates the headship of the individual and on the Son of Man indicates His headship over His entire creation - His bushy locks signify His youth and the prime of His young manhood - approximately thirty-three years old when He proclaimed His work on Calvary FINISHED.

BLACK - as a raven, which was an unclean bird, showing forth the solemn truth that He who knew no sin was made sin for us, that He who had no sin took our sins upon Himself that we might have life - black speaks of the darkness of the night - the blackness of the three hours He hung on the cross and cried out, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?"

6. HIS EYES LIKE DOVES ' - pure, chaste and loving - it is said that the eyes of a dove dilate at the sight of its mate - the eyes symbolize the office of the Overseer - the One who has oversight of the work. The eyes signify omniscience. He guides with His eyes - Israel is the apple of His eye - His eyes are as rivers of waters - fountain of tears - Jesus wept. His eyes were washed with milk, symbolizing that He is for the youngest believer. He is described as being set by full streams, symbolizing He is also for the mature believer.

7. HIS CHEEKS ARE AS A BED OF SPICES - beautiful - fragrant - anointing oil ran down the hair of His head onto the beard and face. To smite a person on the cheek was the greatest indignity. . . they spat on His cheeks - they struck Him on the cheeks - they plucked the beard off of His cheeks. All this shame and suffering was for us.

8. HIS LIPS LIKE LILIES - pure and undefiled - gentle - the dripping of the sweet smelling myrrh typifies His suffering consummated by His death for us. Nothing but the purest words passed from His lips - His words were wholesome and fragrant - never spake man like this. He said, "Be thou cleansed - Be thou healed - Receive thy sight - Rise up and walk."

9. HIS HANDS ARE AS GOLD RINGS SET WITH BERYL - the gold ring is a symbol of Sonship . . . note the ring the prodigal son received. The gold ring is a symbol of authority - note the ring Pharaoh gave Joseph, symbolizing his authority over all Egypt. Jesus said, "All power in heaven and in earth is given unto Me" - He was and is Omnipotent. Once again I call your attention to the fact that the gold symbolizes His deity and His sovereignty - He is the King of kings, and Lord of lords.

10. HIS BELLY AS BRIGHT IVORY OVERLAID WITH SAPPHIRES - the whiteness of the ivory suggests the spotlessness of His humanity - His impeccability. God cannot be tempted to do evil, neither does He tempt anyone to sin and thus do evil. He said, "Which of you convicteth Me of sin? - What wrong have I done?" These are questions Jesus Christ, the everlasting God, could ask without fear.

OVERLAID WITH SAPPHIRES - the blue of heaven symbolized by the blue sapphire brought out the whiteness or the purity and sinlessness of His whole being. As a little bluing in the wash brings out the white of the garments, so does the blue of the sapphire symbolize the heavenly whiteness of His purity.
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[nChrist]

Prophecy - Signs
He Is White
by A. Edwin Wilson

11. HIS LEGS ARE LIKE PILLARS OF MARBLE - legs speak of His walk - marble symbolizes durability - "legs like marble" reveals the eternal and durable walk or life of Him who stepped out of eternity into space and time. His strength failed not and He turned to neither side as He went to the cross. In Him are to be found a durable and eternal peace and safety forever.

HIS COUNTENANCE IS AS LEBANON, EXCELLENT AS THE CEDARS - the majesty - dignity - excellence - fragrance - fruitfulness of the majestic pines with their tops lifted toward heaven revealed the same characteristics of Him of whom it is said, ". . . of His kingdom there shall be no end."

12. HIS MOUTH IS MOST SWEET - the fragrance of His breath reveals the sweetness of His innermost being - His joy imparted to us is unspeakable and full of glory.

YEA, HE IS ALTOGETHER LOVELY - beautiful in character - beautiful in life - saving the lost - healing the sick - raising the dead - comforting the sorrowing - teaching His disciples - blessing the little children. All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Him, and He is ours.

Surely the above description of our Lord is but an exposition of Exodus 15:11: "Who is like unto thee, 0 Lord, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?"

What is Jesus like? The above from the Song of Solomon is a wonderful description of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
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[nChrist]

Prophecy - Signs
Prophet - Priest - King
Christmas And Prophecy
by A. Edwin Wilson

PROPHET - PRIEST - KING
CHRISTMAS AND PROPHECY

In the study of Scripture pertaining to the birth of our Lord, we have accustomed ourselves to thinking of only manger scenes and childhood scenes with a devotional slant on the Scriptures; however, each one of the so-called Christmas stories is deeply prophetic. For instance, in the second chapter of Matthew we read of the wise men coming from the east to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He that is born King of the Jews?" The literal interpretation of this is, "Where is He that is born TO BE King of the Jews?" which gives a future aspect to their announcement. The entire Book of Matthew is subsequently given over to establishing the fact that Jesus of Nazareth is King of the Jews. He presented Himself as such at His so-called Triumphal Entry. Israel rejected Him as her King and crucified Him with the inscription on the cross in Hebrew, Greek and Latin, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. The particular passage which we want to discuss in this article because of its prophetic aspect is Luke 1:30-33: ., And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favour with God. And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call His name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David; And He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end."

What a different concept Christians would have of our Lord and His ministry if they would but study and understand just this one passage of Scripture. Seven things are mentioned by the angel in this prophecy and at once one has to decide whether he is going to take the Word of the Lord literally or figuratively. There should be no trouble at all in taking the entire Bible literally except in those instances where it is designated by the Lord to be a parable or a figure of speech, symbol or type. Let us consider these seven phases of this prophecy and see if we can determine whether it is literal or figurative.
 
Here are the seven statements of the prophecy: (1) Thou shalt conceive in thy womb and bring forth a son; (2) and shalt call His name JESUS; (3) He shall be great; (4) and shall be called the Son of the Highest; (5) and the Lord shall give unto Him the throne of His father David; (6) and He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; (7) and of His kingdom there shall be no end.
 
An elementary and fundamental rule of interpretation is consistency. If part of this prophecy is literal then all must be literal. If part is figurative then all must be figurative. The Lord Himself never confused them, but always distinguished the literal and the figurative interpretation.

Let us consider the first phase. Was the conception and birth of Jesus literal? We read in Matthew 1:18-25 that when Joseph realized that Mary was with child before they were married, he naturally supposed she had been untrue to him and was minded to put her away privately. The law made provision for a public stoning of those guilty of infidelity, but Joseph was a good man and was not going to make a public spectacle of the one he loved. The fact is that Mary's conception of Jesus was known to all people. One of the many tragedies of our Lord's life was that often when He was in a crowd, the Pharisees would ask the insulting question, "Who is thy father?" insinuating that He was born out of wedlock. The point is that Mary actually, literally and physically conceived and brought forth a Son. In all of the arguments presented by Satan against Christianity, we have never encountered a denial of the existence of Mary and of the fact that she gave birth to a Son named Jesus.
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[nChrist]

Prophecy - Signs
Prophet - Priest - King
Christmas And Prophecy
by A. Edwin Wilson

This brings us to the second point: "And shalt call His name JESUS." Renan, the French infidel, has written extensively on the life of Jesus. Josephus, in his Antiquity of the Jews, speaks of Him and some of His experiences. The point we are making is that infidels, atheists, modernists, rationalists, Mohammedans and Buddhists all acknowledge that there was actually, literally and physically a person named Jesus of Nazareth. Their denial pertains to His Deity, not to His humanity. He was called Jesus because He was to be the Saviour. God Almighty has set forth one of the most important questions facing man, "What think ye of Jesus? Whose Son is He?" To acknowledge that He is the Son of the living God means eternal life. To deny it means eternal damnation.

The third statement of the prophecy is, "He shall be great." We were interested a number of years ago in an article appearing in the AMERICAN MAGAZINE entitled "The Ten Greatest Men Who Ever Lived." The author condescended to name Jesus first. He called Him the greatest man that ever lived. Judaism, modernism, atheism, secularism, and all realms of thought are at one in saying that Jesus was great - great in His life, great in His teaching, great in His example. He is acknowledged by one and all to be great; and the prophecy that He shall be great has been literally and actually fulfilled.

The fourth statement, "He shall be called the Son of the Highest," was actually and literally fulfilled at the time of His baptism. "And Jesus, when He was baptized, went up straightway out of the water; and 10, the heavens were opened unto Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon Him. And 10, a voice from heaven saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:16, 17). And again on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:5) we have the Lord God from heaven speaking, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased: hear ye Him.'; Again, here is a prophecy actually, literally and audibly fulfilled. He was called by the Highest the Son of the Highest.

Generally speaking we do not encounter much opposition to these four phases of prophecy being accepted literally, but when it comes to the remaining three there is a wide divergence of interpretation; but if the first four are literal, these remaining three must also be literal. If the latter are not literal, then the former are not literal.

The fifth phase of the prophecy is, "The Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father, David." Did David actually and literally have a throne upon which he sat and from whence he administered the affairs of an earthly kingdom? In II Samuel 5:5, we read: "In Hebron He reigned over Judah seven years and six months: and in Jerusalem He reigned thirty and three years over all Israel and Judah." Was this throne promised or prophesied to our Lord Jesus Christ? It surely was. In Acts 2:29, 30 when Peter preached on the day of Pentecost he said, "Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne." Has Jesus ever ascended David's throne to rule and to reign? No! Must the prophecy yet be fulfilled? Yes! Not one jot or tittle shall fail of fulfillment. Is not Christ seated on David's throne today? No! He is seated on His Father's throne at His right hand. Is not He ruling on David's throne when He reigns in our hearts? No! David's throne is not in our hearts. It was in Hebron and then Jerusalem, and it will be in Jerusalem when Jesus takes over the Throne of His father David. That will be actually and literally fulfilled when Jesus returns as the King of kings, and Lord of lords.

The sixth phase of the prophecy is, "He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever ." Many today try to interpret that as meaning the church, and Christ as reigning over the church, but Scripture never speaks of Christ as King of the church nor reigning over the church. Christ is the Head of the church, and the church is His bride - the consort Queen which shall rule and reign with Him. Is there a house of Jacob? In II Samuel 7:14-17 we have the Lord's prophecy through Nathan that He is going to make a house of David, who was a descendant of Jacob, and that over this house, designated in the Scripture as the house of Israel (Jacob's name after he met the Lord at the brook Jabok), the Seed of David, which is Jesus, should reign forever. Scripture becomes absolutely meaningless unless the Lord Jesus Christ returns and reigns over the literal house of Jacob.

The seventh and last phase of the prophecy has to do with the fact that "of His Kingdom there shall be no end." The second chapter of Daniel tells of four world-wide kingdoms that are to exist here on the earth, and these kingdoms will be destroyed and supplanted by the Kingdom of our Lord at the time of His return. His Kingdom, described as a rock cut out of a mountain without hands, grows until it fills the whole earth; and having established His reign over the earth, He shall then continue to reign over the new earth, and of this Kingdom there shall be no end.

Our Lord told us to pray, "Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." The Spirit of the Lord breathed this prayer in closing the scriptures: "Even so, come, Lord Jesus," and we await the literal, physical return of our Lord and the establishment of His literal, physical Kingdom on the earth.
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[nChrist]

Prophecy - Signs
The King Of The Jews
by A. Edwin Wilson

THE KING OF THE JEWS

Matthew 2:1-12 The quietness of everyday life in the city of Jerusalem was suddenly broken about 1900 years ago with the appearance of some wise men from the east. It was not just their appearance, but the question they asked which disturbed the whole city. They asked, "Where is He that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen His star in the east, and are come to worship Him." These wise men knew from some God-given source that the appearance of the star in the east heralded the birth of the Messiah. The ancient fathers believed that the prophecy of Balaam in Numbers 24:17 referred definitely to the appearance of a star in time to announce the Messiah's advent. Astronomers and historians are familiar with the appearing of the star but have never been able to account for its singularity. Amos 3:7 tells us that God always reveals His secrets to His servants the prophets, and we know full well that His advent of necessity must be announced. According to the Scriptures the star simply appeared in the east, the wise men saw it, they knew that Christ had been born and they set out to Jerusalem to see Him who had been born King of the Jews. The star did not lead them to Jerusalem, neither was it visible during the intervening time. After its appearance in the east they did not see it again until it appeared in Jerusalem and led them from Jerusalem to Bethlehem.

Word of the presence and demeanor of the wise men soon reached Herod the King, and when he heard these things "he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him." Herod was troubled because of the announcement that a successor to him had been born, and he immediately began to speculate upon a course of procedure to remove the heir apparent to the throne. All Jerusalem was troubled because of the uneasiness of her conscience in the presence of the announcement that the Messiah had come. The same thing results today every time a Spirit inspiring message is preached on the second coming of Christ. The fact that they may face Him soon disturbs each and every individual who is in any way out of fellowship with Him.

Herod's first step was to gather the chief priests and scribes together and demand of them where Christ should be born. It has always been an interesting thought to me that Herod, an unbeliever, recognized at once that the King of the Jews was the Christ! I say interesting, because while speaking on this subject last summer at a prominent Bible conference I had some of the religious leaders try to tell me that Christ was not the King of the Jews!

Another point of interest is that these scribes and chief priests replied immediately without having to look in the Scriptures: "... In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus is is written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel."

Having ascertained the place of His birth, Herod's second step was to determine the time of His birth. This he did by privately calling the wise men aside and inquiring very diligently concerning the time of the appearance of the star. Then he told them to go on to Bethlehem, find the Child, and come back and tell him, so that he too might go and worship Him. After they left the king the star which they had seen in the east appeared once more. The ninth verse shows that it did not lead them to Jerusalem - it simply appeared in the east announcing the birth of the Messiah and then it was seen no more until it appeared in Jerusalem to lead them from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. Subsequent events reveal that it took them approximately two years to make the journey from their home in the east to Jerusalem. They went there because that was the capital of Jewry and surely that was where the King would be born. Little did they realize the lowly estate by which the King of kings and Lord of lords would come into the world at His first advent.
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[nChrist]

Prophecy - Signs
The King Of The Jews
by A. Edwin Wilson

The joy produced by the appearing of the star at Jerusalem is further evidence that it had not been visible for sometime, It led them to a house where the young Child was with Mary, His mother. The Greek word translated Child is an entirely different word to that of the Babe in Luke 2:12.

The events that followed cause us to believe that very likely the Child Jesus was about two years old when the wise men found Him in the house and fell down and worshiped Him, Their worship was manifested in the presentation of gifts. These are highly symbolic and provide a fruitful study. There was the gold which symbolized the Godly sovereignty and Kingship - a confession on the part of the wise men that this was God the King in the flesh, The incense which was offered is described in Revelation as intercessory prayers of the saints in connection with the Lord Jesus Christ. It shows the faith of the wise men in confessing Christ to be their High Priest and Intercessor, The myrrh, always used in connection with the preparation of bodies for burial, bespeaks the faith of the wise men in the sacrificial death of this One for their sins. The three gifts revealed the three offices of our Lord: Myrrh, Prophet; frankincense, Priest; gold. King, This is a truth which many purported religious leaders today have not yet learned in their studies of Christ - that He WAS Prophet, IS NOW Priest, and when He comes again WILL BE King.

The wise men were then warned of God not to go to Herod, so they went home in another direction. Joseph also was warned in a dream of Herod's scheme to take the young Child's life and was told to take Him with His Mother and go down into Egypt, that the Scripture ", , , out of Egypt have I called my Son . . ." might be fulfilled, When Herod saw that he had been mocked by the wise men not returning, he slew all the children in Bethlehem that were two years old and under, The Scripture says he did this because of the time of the appearing of the star which he had learned from the wise men. This incident seems to confirm the thought that the wise men appeared somewhere around two years after the birth of Christ.

May the Lord bless you this Christmas season and grant to you insight into the Person and work of our blessed Lord - that you may see in Him your Prophet, Priest, and King.
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[nChrist]

Prophecy - Signs
A Child Is Born
by A. Edwin Wilson

 

A CHILD IS BORN

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this" (Isaiah 9:6, 7).

This is a description of the coming Messiah who shall rule and reign upon the throne of David in Jerusalem for a thousand years. Not only shall the government of the nations be upon His shoulders, but the government of each individual citizen of His kingdom. There is also the possibility and the choice of His government being the rule of each individual Christian's life today. See Colossians 3:15 and Luke 6:46.

Consider also His names: (1) WONDERFUL: This means that He Himself is a miracle and that He Himself possesses miraculous and supernatural powers which belong only to the Almighty God. See Matthew 28:18.

(2) COUNSELOR: As Christ He is the Wisdom of God; therefore, He can admonish, advise, teach and instruct. See Colossians 2:3; James 1:5.

(3) THE MIGHTY GOD: As The Mighty God not only is He the source of all power but He is all powerful in and of Himself. There is no power outside, neither apart from Him whose name is The Mighty God.

(4) THE EVERLASTING FATHER: He is from eternity to eternity; all plans and purposes, for all that is, come from Him as The Everlasting Father. To me the most precious thought in this connection is that not only is our Mighty God also our Father, but He has said that, "Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him (Psalms 103:13). Selah. This word in the Hebrew means "Just think of that." So I want you to just think of the fact that the Almighty God is our Father. For that reason Jesus said, After this manner pray ye, "Our Father. . ."

(5) PRINCE OF PEACE: There is no peace apart from the grace of God, and, of necessity, the Lord Jesus Christ must come and manifest the grace of God in dying for the sins of the whole world. Each individual Christian can have the peace of God and peace with God by virtue of faith in His atoning sacrifice. But the world as such can never have peace until, the Prince of Peace returns, puts down every enemy and establishes His personal reign of peace.

This is the One of whom we sing and in whose name we pray when we think of the Babe in the manger.
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[nChrist]

Prophecy - Signs
The First Christmas Gifts
by A. Edwin Wilson

THE FIRST CHRISTMAS GIFTS

Usually the first thoughts in our minds associated with Christmas are about Christmas gifts - what to give, and wondering what will be given to us. Seldom do individuals think of the Gift of gifts.

When the wise men from the East came to Jerusalem seeking Him who was born King of the Jews, they came to worship Him. They did not find Him until the Star of the East led them from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. There in a house with His mother Mary, they found the Child Jesus and fell down and worshiped Him. Part of their worship was the presentation of gifts. Of course the Lord Jesus Christ was God's love Gift to the world, and in appreciation of this wonderful Gift from the Heavenly Father, they gave gifts to the Christ Child. The gifts which they presented were gold, frankincense and myrrh. It was not so much the intrinsic value of the gifts, neither our Lord's need of them, but it was the symbolism expressed which enhanced the meaning of these gifts. GOLD symbolizes the Deity and Sovereignty of Almighty God. FRANKINCENSE, used as a sweet savor with the sacrifices, symbolizes the priesthood and its system of sacrifices. MYRRH, which was used in the embalming of the dead, symbolizes death.

When the wise men presented the three gifts to the Child Jesus they prophesied the threefold ministry of our Lord. Taken in the chronological order of His life, when they gave Him myrrh they showed a belief in His prophetic ministry which was fulfilled in His living and teaching the Word of God while on earth. This ministry culminated in His crucifixion as an atonement for the sins of the world.

When the wise men gave to the Child Jesus frankincense, it brought to light their belief in the Priestly ministry of our Lord. He is now at the right hand of God the Father as our great High Priest, making intercession for those who have accepted Him as Saviour.

When the wise men gave the Child Jesus gold, they expressed to the whole world their conviction that this Child was Almighty God. The Sovereign God, receiving the Kingly gold, is yet to be manifest as the King of kings, and the Lord of lords. That phase of our Lord's ministry will not be fulfilled until He returns to the earth to rule and reign for one thousand years.
 
Now in a sentence - the presentation of the gifts by the wise men expressed to all creation their belief that this Child was Prophet, Priest, and King - God manifest in the flesh. And because the Lord has given Himself for us, what better gift can we give Him than to acknowledge before the whole world that He is our Prophet, Priest, and coming King? This is done by expressing a personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the power of His Holy Spirit, living for His honor and glory.
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