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Tag: child

  • The Christ Child bound in the womb of eternity

    The Christ Child bound in the womb of eternity

    A human life is bound in the womb of eternity. In one sense a child is not fully born by its mother into the fullness of life — but only into a helpless and limited mortal life — where babe may become child, child may become man or woman — this quick-passing human life bound in the confines of mortal time followed inevitably by death and judgment.

    Born once in a human womb

    And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

    Gospel of John 1:14

    adam bore both sin and death conceived in a womb of measured time, incomplete and nourished in the blood of our mother — growing to burst forth into a glory beyond the bounds of this place to which we have clung for such a brief time — measured time ended beyond the bounds of our dark inner existence.

    What once was death separated from our mortal time within these bounds inevitably becomes life beyond humanity’s brief prison lifted into a glory of the everlasting Light beyond.

    And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,

    Hebrews 9:27

    So Christ was born a son of man

    to bear the sins of many, AND JESUS the SON of GOD, who IS and was God,

    will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him. 

    See Hebrews 9:

    Ἐμμανουήλ

    Lexicon :: Strong's G1694  [click for pronunciation of the Greek word above- emmanouēl ]

    “BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL G1694,” which translated means, “GOD WITH US.”

    Christians (and even many unbelievers who have witnessed an annual Christmas pageant) know the Scripture well. But think of its implication as well as the impact of Almighty God entering measured time and mortal flesh.

    An anointed Virgin of the Eternal God will have a son by the Holy Spirit of God!

    This Son of the Everlasting One IS actually GOD [theos] WITH US [in mortal flesh and blood], BORN — as are all mankind AND who must suffer DEATH as is appointed to EVERY son of man.

    Emanu–el – Hebrew Gospel announced in Matthew’s manger

    Matthew addresses the genealogy of JESUS EMMANUEL as he would any line of adam.

    The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham:

    Gospel of Matthew 1:1

    I will not detail this linage of the promise of God through Abraham (who was childless) and David (whose Kingdom ended in defeat by Babylon) or that in his Gospel lineage Matthew designates Joseph as the husband of Mary. Matthew then adds that before she conceived JESUS, that is GOD WITH US, by the HOLY SPIRIT [v.18], however note that by these important names Matthew introduces of the LORD GOD in a fragile frame of a HUMAN CHILD.

    1:1 βίβλος γενέσεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ υἱοῦ Δαυὶδ υἱοῦ Ἀβραάμ

    Ἰησοῦ – iēsous –

    JESUS, in the now common language of the Roman Empire – JESUS, in Greek.

    [pronounced]

    JESUS Of Hebrew origin יְהוֹשׁוּעַ (H3091)

    You should recognize the name of an earlier savior who the LORD sent into the land promised to Abraham after the death of Moses.

    Joshua or Jehoshua = “Jehovah is salvation”

    From יְהֹוָה (H3068) and יָשַׁע (H3467)

    Joshua, almost literally Jesus IS Salvation from the Hebrew of Jacob [Israel], descendants of the promise of Yᵊhōvâ to save.

    [yeh-ho-shoo’-ah] יְהוֹשׁוּעַ

    יָשַׁע

    Χριστός

    Lexicon :: Strong’s G5547 – christos

    Christ (from the Greek) or Messiah (Hebrew)

    • The KJV translates Strong’s G5547 in the following manner: Christ (569x).
    • Outline of Biblical Usage [?]
      • Christ = “anointed”
        • Christ was [and is]1 the Messiah, the Son of God
        • anointed from χρίω
          • to anoint
          • consecrating Jesus to the Messianic office, and furnishing him with the necessary powers for its administration
          • enduing Christians with the gifts of the Holy Spirit

    And Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born, who is called [Messiah] Christ G5547.

    Gospel of Matthew 1:16 LSB

    Jesus’ Apostles witness Jesus as the Christ – Matthew 16 times in his Gospel and John 19 times in his Gospel plus 11 times in two brief letters and 7 times in Revelation.

    Χριστός Christós, khris-tos’;
    from G5548; anointed, i.e. the Messiah, an epithet of Jesus:—Christ. – BLUELETTERBIBLE.ORG

    The Christ child

    NO other term in the New Testament is used more than CHRIST [500+x] to characterize JESUS. ‘Christians‘ should not take lightly any replacement of CHRIST in Scripture with some less characteristic human title.

    Roger@TalkofJesus.com

    The Good News of Matthew:

    Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows:

    when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.

    And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly [divorcing his betrothed {with whom they ‘had not come together’}]. But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying,

    “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the One who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name

    Jesus,

    for He will save His people from their sins.”

    • Did you catch that?

    The angel of the Lord appears to Joseph in a dream as commands his to call the child, JESUS.

    JESUS, unlike Joshua of the same name before, “Jehovah is salvation,” not only is not born of an earthly father but is NOT sent to SAVE the sons of Abraham from earthly enemies or lay claim to an earthly land as a king.

    NO, Jesus, a son of man ONLY by the virgin Mary, “will save His people from their sins,” a mercy ONLY God can grant to a condemned son of adam.

    The Good News of John

    We began consideration of the Apostle’s Christian logic behind the birth of Jesus into time and human flesh. Today I end with his explanation of what also seems convincingly logical from the Savior who John calls ‘The Word‘ (λόγος – logos).

    Thirty years later -- from the Gospel of John 3:

    “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”

    “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born [from above] he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

    “How can a man be born when he is old? ..

    Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”

    Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

    “That which has been born of the flesh is flesh, and that which has been born of the Spirit is spirit.

    “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

    Will you be born again (though we are old)?

    “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words [logos] will not pass away.

    A word of Jesus Christ from the Gospel of Matthew 24:25

    Here is the significance of the Christ child in a manger and the Son of Man Jesus on the cross who was born to save His people from their sins.

    manger with shadow of cross falling across

    Pilate said to them,

    “Then, what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?”

    Gospel of Matthew 27:22a LSB

  • A voice was heard in Ramah

    A voice was heard in Ramah

    A baby born in a manger..  What a peaceful scene to make us think of children.

    What does Christmas, in the year of our Lord, 2015, have to do with the birth of Christ in a manger in Bethlehem?

    Thus saith the LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rachel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not.  

    – Jeremiah 31:15

    Matthew 2:

    the-visit-of-the-magiNow after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

    6 “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
        are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
    for from you shall come a ruler
        who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

    7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” 9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was.

    What has war between the nations changed over the millennia, except the suffering of innocents by the hands of the sinful?

    King Herod of Judea was a ruthless and savvy political leader, not unlike those who vie for power over the innocents in this post-modern day.

    Herod had already executed his brother-in-law and High Priest Aristobulus III and also ended the rival rule of the Hasmonean kings of Judea by killing Hyrcanus II.  source  

    After the three Wise Men from the East (Jews from former Seleucid lands) came with news of the Messiah, Herod did what any ruthless ruler does (then and even now). He sought to kill off any King who might come against him and take away his power. Herod ordered a killing of innocents.

    Herod Kills the Children

    16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:

    18 “A voice was heard in Ramah,
    weeping and loud lamentation,
    Rachel weeping for her children;
    she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”

    c. 5 B.C. at the time following the birth of Jesus Christ

    • Best estimates of the number of children under two ordered to be killed by Herod was 20

    Persecution
    IS – Voice of the Martyrs

    crying child UNHCR

    December 2015

    • 265 Children under age one have been killed in the war in Syria since 2011.
    • One in eight babies are born in conflict zones, 16.6 million in all
    • Violence has forced 60 Million people from their homes
    • Victims of Muslim sectarian violence & Christians must flee or pay a tax to live in fear at home
    • Up to 50% of IS & terrorist funding comes from forced taxes & they control all local trade
    • More than 980,000 people have applied for asylum in EU countries this year alone!

    Syrian, Saudi, Iranian and Russian despots are no less ruthless than King Herod. Yet the LORD God Almighty sent his only Son, Christ Jesus, into a place and time of danger – a humble manger in Bethlehem of Judea.

    What has this changed for the world?

    Did Jesus rule with an iron fist and the Power of Almighty God for a mere few acres of earth in the Middle East?

    NO! A loving God our Father sent his Son, the Messiah of Israel and the hope of the Nations (including atheist and arab nations) to save beloved chosen individual souls from our sin and from eternal punishment and death. Jesus Christ did not fight for a homeland, but for Heaven above. Christ Jesus lived and died that you may have life eternal.

    Joseph and Mary rescued baby Jesus from Bethlehem and Herod. They fled with the Messiah to Egypt.

    The baby Jesus was a refugee.

    Matthew 2:

    19 But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” 21 And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. 23 And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.

     

    Just two more thoughts: first about IS, Boko Haram & other evil men, and secondly, the refugees of 2015 who have fled from violent and powerful leaders of nations, from violent and powerful zealous misled Muslims:

    Love Your Enemies

    Matthew 5:43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?

    Show your love to a child like Jesus

    Matthew 25:37-38

    Then the righteous will answer him, saying,

    ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?

    And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?

    When did we help?

    When did you?

    Help Syrian Refugees

    To be contimued

    This post is part of the continuing series of post for Christmas, in the year of our Lord 2015, by Roger Harned.