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Tag: joseph

Hail Mary, humble wife of GOD
And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
Gospel of Luke 2:16 King James Version

Mary an Introduction
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Christians, Jews and unbelievers know parts of the iconic scene unfolding in Bethlehem through a virgin Jewish mother. 

Today I honor Mary most appropriately by retelling her story of Christmas mostly from the King James Version of the Holy Bible.
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Mary, Eve of the Virgin Birth

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem..

.. with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

Gospel of Luke 2:4-5 KJV excerpt

And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

Mary, wife of Joseph?

Not quite, according to custom and Jewish law.
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Do YOU know any young woman who has been pregnant (even near full term) yet not married to the man she knew?
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μνηστεύω – Strong’s G3423 – mnēsteuō – from a derivative of G3415; to give a souvenir (engagement present), i.e. betroth:—espouse.
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Recall that GREEK is the common language not only of Luke the Physician but also of all of the Roman Empire ruled by Caesar Augustus. 
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Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused G3423 to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

Gospel of Matthew 1:18 KJV

SCANDELOUS !

(as least in the A.D. First Century)

Mary, ENGAGED to Joseph

AND they both know that the Virgin Mary had NEVER come together with Joseph her fiancé!

Joseph, an honorable man
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(like his namesake and ancestor, Joseph, son of Jacob, who the LORD used to rule Egypt under Pharaoh.) 
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Gospel of Matthew 1:19- KJV

Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying,

Joseph, thou son of David,
fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife:
for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
Matthew 1:20b KJV

And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS:

for he shall save his people from their sins.

Gospel of Matthew 1:21 KJV

An angel of the Lord speaks to you!

What to do?

The adoptive father of JESUS believes God (of course). And Joseph is a righteous and honorable man.

Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:

And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.

Gospel of Matthew 1:24-25 KJV

Signs and Witnesses

Prophesy of Isaiah and others centuries Before Christ.

Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Isaiah 7:14 KJV

a Failure of Kings Advent 4 of Christ

Witness by a heavenly host of Angels – Luke 2:8 KJV

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Gospel of Luke 2:8-14 King James Version

Witnesses and worship

And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. .. Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,

Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:

For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,

Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;

A light to lighten the Gentiles,

and the glory of thy people Israel.

Gospel of Luke 2:25-32 KJV excerpt [context]

Signs before Jesus’ birth

There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.

And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.

And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his course, According to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.

And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.

Gospel of Luke 1:5-11 King James Version
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An Angel of the Lord standing beside the Priest of God right inside the Holy of Holies! A pretty big deal.

Briefly, what happens next is a foretelling prophetic birth of JOHN the BAPTIST, preparing the way for the Lord Jesus, the consolation of Israel and Messiah sent of God the Father. 
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Elisabeth, John and the Holy Spirit
- Zacharias the Priest of God continued to serve his term in the Temple unable to speak.
  - Daily worshipers in Jerusalem must have know that something was up.
- He returns home.
- Elisabeth conceived.
- An angel of the Lord then appears in Nazareth prior to their trip to register for the census of Caesar and also tells Mary:
And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible.

Gospel of Luke 1:36-37 KJV
- And Mary went into the hill country of *Juda
- And entered into the house of Zacharias
- and (knowing the the angel had revealed) saluted Elisabeth.
And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary,

the babe leaped in her womb;

and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:

Gospel of Luke 1:41 KJV signs confirming the Messiah when Mary greeted the mother of John the Baptist

In the Year of the most controversial birth in history

Jesus Christ born in a manger

Church fathers, theologians who study such things, took a few centuries to articulate the trinitarian Christology from the Apostles recorded in Scripture from the A.D. first century.

Creeds, Catechisms, Confessions & Christ – What do you believe?

The clarity of their CREEDS and CONFESSIONS of FAITH define our hope of eternal life in the Lord Jesus Christ.

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made.
Who, for us men for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary,
and was made man…
Nicene Creed excerpt
AD 325 & AD381

Born of the Virgin Mary

Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?

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.

Gospel of Luke 1:34-35 King James Version

εὐλογέω – eulogeō

.. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.

Luke 1:42b KJV

κύριος – kyrios

And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,

And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden:

for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.

Gospel of Luke 1:46-48 KJV [familiar beginning of the Magnificat of Mary]

As were Joseph and others to whom the Lord sent His angels:

The soul of Mary is humble, as is JESUS from her womb to the Cross.

For he that is mighty hath done to me great things;
and holy is his name.
And his mercy
is on them that fear him
from generation to generation.
Gospel of Luke 1:49-50 King James Version – from the Magnificat of the Virgin Mary declaring that the Lord is mighty and holy is His Name.

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December 24, 2024
A look back at a Treasurer of Egypt – צָֽפְנַת פַּעְנֵחַ
Zaphnath-paaneah

This Egyptian ruler was not unlike a later Candace of Ethiopia encountered by the evangelist Philip.

Philip the Evangelist – a first century evangelical Christian

Thus Joseph stored up grain in great abundance like the sand of the sea, until he stopped measuring it, for it was beyond measure. – Genesis 41:49 LSB

You know this treasurer of Egypt as Joseph

At first glance of Acts of the Apostles we hardly notice so many parallels in encounters between important men of the past. Men like Philip (who is not even an Apostle) called to meet with a eunuch reading Isaiah. Or similarly a lost son of Israel turning up in Pharaoh’s administration of all Egypt.

The Spirit of the Lord led these men to the places where they obediently follow God’s will and do the Lord’s gracious work.

Today’s Summer Scriptural rerun takes a more detailed look at Joseph’s ascent to power as a leading administrator of Pharaoh doing the LORD’s work by preparing for a great famine millennia before Christ.

A River of Redemption Flowing from Eden – Joseph

July 31, 2018 – from a series on Genesis

Summer 2021 AD {Scriptural} Reruns
- CLICK “…Continue reading ” above,
- THEN Ask a question or comment at the end of this post
- OR email Roger@talkofJesus.com with your reaction, questions & comments.
Stay tuned from more Summer of 2021 Reruns from talkofJESUS.com

(ditto: Summer 2022 – more to come)
August 2, 2022
Predictions of Prophets and missions of gods
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Cover photo: statue of Emperor Claudius as the Greek god Jupiter.
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Some Prophets from Jerusalem

Now in those days, some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch.
ACTS 11:27 Legacy Standard Bible

A believer in Christ, follower of a false prophet, worshiper of an ancient god or iconic contemporary might easily miss the significance of these four verses from ACTS of the Apostles.

As you may recall from our previous look at ACTS 11:26, we have been in Antioch for a year now.

https://talkofjesus.com/an-antioch-blueprint-of-church-evangelism/
Antioch was 3rd largest city in the Roman Empire, a commercial center of trade with all the world

‘Christians‘ – a label by outsiders

The followers of Jesus were so different from the culture around them.. Clearly the followers of the
Way’ .. people of all cultural backgrounds, weren’t Jews. Gentile observers called them, “little Christs.”
Tony Merida – Christ-centered Exposition – Exalting Jesus in Acts [p. 162]

As we observed last time these events took place around A.D. 40 just a few years after the resurrection of Jesus. But these are also tumultuous times for the Roman Empire ruling over a largely Greek-speaking world once ruled by Alexander the Great just three centuries earlier.

Conquering Roman leaders would march their captives into Rome and be worshiped as gods. These mere men likened themselves to the many idols of Rome and gods of ancient Greece and eastern lands where Jews were also led as captives centuries before.

“Only gods may choose new gods.
Claudius, as he refused the request of Alexandrian Greeks to dedicate a temple to his divinity
Tiberius Claudius Nero Caesar Drusus (1 August 10 BC–13 October 54), originally known as Tiberius Claudius Drusus Nero Germanicus, was the fourth Roman Emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, ruling from 24 January 41 to his death in 54. – source

Claudius

On 24 January 41, Caligula was assassinated in a broad-based conspiracy involving Cassius Chaerea – a military tribune in the Praetorian Guard – and several senators..

The Senate quickly met and began debating a change of government, but this eventually devolved into an argument over which of them would be the new princeps. When they heard of the Praetorians’ claim, they demanded that Claudius be delivered to them for approval, but he refused, sensing the danger that would come with complying.

Source: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Some historians, particularly Josephus, claim that Claudius was directed in his actions by the Judean King Herod Agrippa..

[Who we will meet later in Acts of the Apostles during upcoming missions of the Apostle Paul.]
Claudius was the first emperor proclaimed on the initiative of the Praetorian Guard instead of the Senate [of Rome]
source [more below]

Claudius was concerned with the spread of eastern mysteries within the city and searched for more Roman replacements.. He expelled foreign astrologers, and at the same time rehabilitated the old Roman soothsayers (known as haruspices) as a replacement..

Claudius forbade proselytizing in any religion, even in those regions where he allowed natives to worship freely. [Freedom from {other} religion – sound familiar?}]

It is also reported that at one time he expelled the Jews from Rome. [SEE ACTS 18]

In the world you will have tribulation..

Claudius restored the status of the peaceful Imperial Roman provinces of Macedonia and Achaea as senatorial provinces.

Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. – Acts 11:1

“And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ – Acts 11:16

Acts 11 continued

27 Now in those days, some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. And one of them named Agabus stood up and indicated by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine all over the world. And this took place in the reign of Claudius.

The bold prophesy of future desolation

Who has ever heard of this prophet?

And what brashness to predict some future disaster coming to all the inhabited world!

A POWERFUL prince may predict what disaster he will bring upon the lands he will invade or a lord of legions may cause the devastation of his own citizens, but who can say what the Lord God will do to the whole world?

And who would believe it anyway?

(What can mere mortal men do even knowing of such disasters yet to come?)

Ἄγαβος? (Never heard of him.)

Agabus is a Christian prophet.

Luke’s account of this prediction reveals the power behind Agabus’ prediction of famine is none other than the Holy Spirit of God, Who has already intervened with some frequency in Acts of the Apostles.

From their own history the Jews know that God will certainly do what he reveals through his prophets.

دانيال (Daniel) 5 :: Open New Arabic Version (NAV)

When Belshazzar tasted the wine, he said to bring the gold and silver vessels which Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem.. They drank the wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.
Suddenly the fingers of a man’s hand came out and began writing opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, and the king saw the back of the hand that did the writing.
.. Then Daniel was brought in before the king..
“This is the interpretation of the message: ‘MENĒ’—God has numbered your kingdom and put an end to it.
Daniel 5:2a,4-5,13a,26 LSB

Joseph – a similar prophecy from Scripture

Even though you may not know of Agabus you likely know the preparation of Egypt due to the prophesy of Joseph. The Church, too, will take Agabus at his word through the Spirit and prepare itself from the famine yet to come.

التكوين (Genesis) 41 :: Open New Arabic Version (NAV)

Now it happened at the end of two full years that Pharaoh had a dream.. And the ugly and [lean of flesh] thin cows ate up the seven sleek and fat cows. Then Pharaoh awoke.
..seven ears of grain came up on a single stalk, plump and good. And behold, seven ears, thin and scorched by the east wind, sprouted up after them.
And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, but no one can interpret it; yet I have heard it said about you, that you hear a dream and that you can interpret it.”
Genesis 41:1a,4,5b-6,15

Joseph, Daniel, Agabus & the true Prophets of God

What is it that ALL these true Prophets of the Lord God have in common?

Daniel had reminded Belshazzar son of Nebuchadnezzar how the LORD had given his father power to rule.

“[lit. You king] O king, the Most High God granted the kingdom, grandeur, glory, and majesty to Nebuchadnezzar your father.
Daniel 5:18 LSB

Joseph, Son of Israel (Jacob) gives Pharaoh a similar answer:

Joseph then answered Pharaoh, saying, “It is not in me; God will answer concerning the welfare of Pharaoh.”
Genesis 41:16 LSB

The prophesies of the true prophet of God are neither self-serving nor words of their own AND the prophesy of the LORD will always take place as the Lord has revealed to his prophet.

Then Pharaoh named Joseph Zaphenath-paneah [the god speaks and he lives; treasury of the glorious rest; savior of the age]
Genesis 41:45a; link above to Strong’s H6847

The hundreds of disciples of the risen Christ who had received the Holy Spirit all knew that the prophesy of Agabus would be fulfilled, just as prophesies of saviors of their past had come true.

THEREFORE

Like Joseph, the disciples of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (whom some present had witnessed after the Lord’s resurrection) obediently prepared for their certain future.

And as any of the disciples had means, each of them determined to send a contribution for the service of the brothers living in Judea.
Acts 11:29 LSB

.. and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. Acts of the Apostles 11:25b NASB

These men and women joined in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit believed this prophesy of Agabus that a famine was about to come upon the whole Roman world. They must support the Apostles of Jesus and fellow followers of The Way in Jerusalem. For these men would be blamed more than most and persecuted as Christians have already suffered even more so in these days to come.

And as for their contribution for fellow saints in Judea:

And this they did, sending it in charge of Barnabas and Saul to the elders.

These are politically troubling times not only in Jerusalem but in Rome and throughout the Roman Empire.

King Herod (as we have just learned) is all caught up in the politics and religion issues with Claudius, Emperor and lord Caesar of the whole world; which, of course, includes Jerusalem.
To be continued.. NEXT: in Jerusalem
August 1, 2022