CHRISTMAS AND PROPHECY
By
A. Edwin Wilson
In
the study of Scripture pertaining to the birth of the 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?"
(2: 2). 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 phrases 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 phrase. Was the conception of the 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.
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 lo, the heavens were opened unto Him, and He saw the
Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon Him. And lo, a voice from heaven saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased"
(Matt. 3: 16, 17). And again in the
Mount of Transfiguration (Matt. 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 those 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 [on this earth] upon which he sat and from whence
he administered the affairs of an earthly kingdom? In 2 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 [its] 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 [and
reigns upon this earth] 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 is 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 2 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.
[* It would be better to have
written: ‘Christ is the Head of the Church; and He will select out of His Church the Bride,
who shall rule and reign with Him.’
Not all who are in the Church will reign with Christ in His Millennial
Kingdom. If the Church includes all the
redeemed called out from the world; the “Church of the Firstborn” (Heb. 12: 23), must include all who have been called
out from the redeemed, who have a double portion of their Father’s
inheritance. That is, firstborn sons of
God will inherit the Millennial Kingdom 1,000 years before the eternal
inheritance in ‘a new heaven and a new earth’ (Rev. 21: 1); which is the single portion of the
Father’s inheritance promised to all who are redeemed and eternally
saved. Compare Heb.
12: 16, 17 with Gen. 27: 1-38.]
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 over His kingdom there shall be no end.
[* The millennial kingdom will end
after the last rebellion and Christ “hands over the
kingdom to God the Father after He has has destroyed
all dominion and power” (1 Cor. 15: 24); but in the “new
earth” there will be no sea: and the Son will rule for ever and ever.]
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 [Millennial]
Kingdom on the [this] earth.
* *
* * *
* *
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 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
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 Judea: for thus is it 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 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
would be born. Little did they realize the lowly
estate by which the King of kings the Lord of lords would come into the world
at His first advent.
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 worshipped Him. Their worship was manifested in the
presentation of gifts. These are highly symbolic and provide a fruitful
study. There was 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 to go down
to 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.
*
* * *
* * *
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, Counsellor, 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
establishment 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 Col. 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 the supernatural
powers which belong only to the Almighty God. See Matt.
28: 18.
(2)
COUNSELLOR: As
Christ He is the Wisdom of God; therefore, He can admonish, advise,
teach and instruct. See Col. 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
not only our Father, but He has said that, "Like
as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth
them that fear Him" (Psalm 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 [lasting] 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.
* * *
* * *
*
THE
FIRST CHRISTMAS GIFTS
Usually
the first thoughts in our minds associated with Christmas are about 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 worshipped 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.
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 had 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 honour and glory.
-------
FOOTNOTE
[The 'wise
men from the east' (Matt. 2: 1) were not the 'shepherds' who
were living in the fields nearby (Luke 2: 8).
It was the latter group (the shepherds) who visited the stable to 'find a babe' (Luke 2: 12, R.V.) lying
inside; the wise men from the east arrived a considerable time later to "see the young child with Mary his mother"
(Matt. 2: 13, R.V.)"]