What Child Is This?

Everyone, Christians, those who are not practicing Christianity and unbelievers alike, are all beginning to hear references to Jesus being born in a manger in Bethlehem. They may see the following prophecy written on a Christmas card they send or receive, or on a poster in their local shopping mall: The prophecy is from Isaiah 9:6: “For unto us a child is born..." The remainder of the Prophesy read: "... 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.” Christians are celebrating, at this time of year, the birth of Christ, the long-awaited Messiah and Savior of the world. But there is an aspect of that baby boy that is not fully understood or appreciated. Tonight, I borrow the title of a Christmas Carol as I ask the question, “What Child Is This?” Unlike any and every other child born before Him and after Him, that babe in the manger not only had a pre-Existence, but a He also had an Eternal Title, Dominion and Power. First, let's focus on Jesus' pre-Existance, before He took on flesh and became a human being. We read of the wise men from the East inquired of Herod in Matthew 2:1: “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, 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. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it 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.” There are three big issues to consider, here: First, the Book of Micah was written seven centuries before the birth of Christ. Let's not dismiss this fact too quickly. Think of the scene that was just described in Matthew's Gospel: Wise men from the East arrive at the King's Palace, and are looking for directions. They ask, in essence, “Where,” (according to your 700 year old writings,) “is he that is born King of the Jews?” Do you realize that, as Americans, our oldest documents are less than 250 years old? And the Wise Men were asking directions from a 700 year old prophetic map, three times older than the Declaration of Independence! And they had the faith that whatever that parchment said was to be His birthplace, they believed that when they got there, they would find Him! And they did go there, and they did find Him! The second big issue to consider is this: What other person in history could that have been asked of? What other person in history could fulfill a 700 year old prophecy that foretold where on earth His mother would be when she gave birth to Him???!!! And the third and last big issue is the Prophecy itself, not merely in its miraculous ability to foretell where this child, born a King, was to be born, but how many people have read what else that Prophecy has to say about that child. Matthew's Gospel only lists the pertinent information that includes “where” since that was the main focus of the wise men's question. But the actual complete Prophecy is a most inspiring and sobering description of the child, Himself, that would rule out any and every other human being: Let's read it in Micah 5:2: “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” That is so powerful to me, and I so wish that Matthew had included that last little compelling phrase: “whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting”! That would have so effective to have there, for those people who claim that Christ's Divinity was added into the mix as an embellishment, centuries after the fact. How many people, even Christians, have ever gone back to read the original Prophecy in Micah to see if it really was a Prophecy for and about Jesus? Very few, I believe, or we would not have the kind of confusion about Christ that exists, today. But let's focus, now, and I mean really focus on Matthew's Account of the birth of Christ: We read beginning in Matthew 1:18: “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. 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. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” The name of the babe was to be called Emmanuel, which means “God with us.” God with us. Who was the only God that an ancient Hebrew prophet would have been referring to? The God of Israel. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The God of Our Fathers. The God of our Salvation. God. This babe was going to be called God with us, because He was going to BE God in the flesh. Notice this verse, again, about Joseph contemplating what was happening. We read in Verse 20: “But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream,” The angel of the Lord. That is a familiar phrase. We read it all the time in the Old Testament. And when we read it, we understand that it is an angel, a spiritual being created by God, who is, in this case serving as a messenger. And when we read “angel of the Lord” we recognize that “the Lord” is the God of Creation. Let's focus on "the Lord." In the New Testament, the word translated "Lord" is the Greek word "kurios." (It is Strong's number 2962.) When Jesus said in Matthew 22:37: "Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." The Greek word that Jesus used for "Lord" was the word "kurios." When Mary was still pregnant with Jesus, and she visited her cousin Elizabeth, we read the following Account beginning in Luke 1:39: "And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda; And entered into the house of Zacharias, and 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: And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" Elizabeth referred to Mary as "the mother of my Lord." And, she also used the word "kurios." Elizabeth knew Who that unborn baby was! It was the Lord God of Israel! Let's finish the Account and see that Mary also knew. She understood the significance of the name Emmanuel: "[i]God[/i] with us." Verse 44: "For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord. And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord..." and here, for Lord, Mary also uses the Greek word "kurios." These women [i]both[/i] believed that Mary's baby was God in the flesh. But perhaps they took the name "Emmanuel" literally, and shouldn't have. Perhaps they just misunderstood! Let's see if they did: Angels delivered a message of great joy to the shepherds on the night Christ was born. How did they refer to this babe in the manger? We read, beginning in Luke 2:8: “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. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” The angels identified the Christ child as "the lord." Did their announcement agree with the understanding of Mary and her cousin Elizabeth? Yes. The word the used for "Lord" was the Greek word, "kurios." The conclusion in unmistakeable and inescapable. I will speak for myself, here. For many many years I read and heard and sang those words “Christ the Lord” in the closing line of “O Come All Ye Faithful” and I never realized what it was saying: Christ... the Lord... kurios... God. In John 1 we read that "the Word was God." Later in Verse 14 John writes, "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us." God was made flesh and dwelt among us. Let's go back and look more closely at the prophecy I read at the beginning of tonight's Discussion: Isaiah 9:6: “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.” Here, one of the Names of this prophesied child is “The Mighty God.” There is a trend among Bible doubters that the whole notion of Jesus' Divinity was something that developed over the decades and centuries after Jesus walked on the earth. This is nothing less than revisionism, and heretical revisionism at that! And this conclusively proves it. Centuries before Jesus came to the earth, the Messiah was already being called “The Mighty God.” Jesus' Divinity was an established part of His Nature. It was NOT added by overzealous believers after His death on the cross, or any other time! But let's also notice that He is called, The everlasting Father. I have often wondered why “The everlasting Father” is included among these names that this child is given. In one of the commentaries that I read on the subject pointed out that Jesus said in John 10:30: “I and my Father are one.” So the obvious question is, One what? One God. Jesus was saying, “I and my Father are One (God).” There is an account recorded in which those who criticized and opposed Jesus, reached an absolutely correction conclusion regarding Him: We read in in John 5:18: “Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.” Claims of His Divinity both preceded Jesus by many Centuries, and were being made by followers and detractors alike while He was still on the earth! But just in case it is still not clear what I am saying, I need to make my point without any chance of misunderstanding: Jesus was indeed God in Heaven before His human birth. But since God is a Trinity. was He a silent member of the Trinity, waiting idly in the wings for His cue to come to the earth? Many people, maybe most people, assume that the Patriarchs and Old Testament Israelites worshiped that Member of the Trinity we currently refer to as the Father. And then most understand, or I should say misunderstand that the Father then introduced an entirely new Member to them when He sent His Son to the earth as a baby. Is this a correct understanding, or as I claimed, a misunderstanding. Consider this: If the Father HAD been the member of the Trinity Who was also the God of the Old Testament, and He was sending His heretofore unknown Son to the earth, then Jesus, as that new person with Whom the Israelites had no prior relationship, would never have made the following statement. Notice in: Luke 10:22: “All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him.” I hope you all caught that! Let me read it again: “All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him.” Jesus came to reveal the Father to, of all people, the Jews! But at the same time, if the Father had been the God of the Old Testament, making such a statement would have made no sense. The only logical conclusion that can be drawn is that the Jews were as yet unfamiliar with this unrevealed Person of the Trinity, or Christ would not have needed to reveal Him. By applying these and other New Testament Scriptures to Old Testament prophecies and references, we come to the startling realization that, before His Incarnation, Jesus was the God of the Old Testament! His name meant “God with us” because that is Who had taken on human flesh. The angels announced to the shepherds that a Savior was born Who is Christ the Lord! Tonight, I am going to attempt to prove to all of you that the very same Person of The Trinity Who created the Universe, kneeled down to breath into Adam's nostril's the breath of life, called out to keep Abraham from sacrificing Isaac, spoke to Moses from the Burning Bish, and then sent him to deliver the children of Israel from Egyptian bondage, was sung about and praised in the Psalms, sent the prophets to ancient Israel to bring them to repentance... and all of the other things we are familiar with... that Person of the Trinity, that Member of the Godhead was none other than the One Who became Jesus Christ the Lord. God with us! I invite as many of you as are willing to hear the proofs that I have prepared, to stay with me until the end of this Discussion. I welcome any and all questions as we go through this, but I want you also to keep two things in mind: First, since there is nothing that I will claim that is not clearly and inescapably supported by the Word of God, then Second, any objections you have must also be supported by Scripture. I think that is a fair set of ground rules. This subject may be one that some of you find "suspect" or even upsetting because it is so new and unfamiliar, or because it is unpopular. May I remind you that the Truth of God's Word is not the result of popular opinion? May I also remind you that we, as Christians, are called upon to grow in the Grace and Knowledge of Jesus Christ. Perhaps you can consider tonight's discussion an opportunity for such growth into Knowledge. Every person that has ever been introduced to Christ, or a Scriptural Truth that dispelled a myth or error, identified that information as something new. So don't let this newness dissuade you. It was new to me also when I had it proved to me many years ago. Let's look at the very first verse of Scripture. Genesis 1:1: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth...” If Verse is speaking of the Father, then there is a problem with some very consistent identifications in the New Testament as to which Person of the Trinity was the Creator: The Apostle John tells us of this same beginning in his Gospel Account in John 1:1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” Now you may say that there is some pronoun confusion in this verse. And when it says “All things were made by Him...” it is actually referring back to “the Word.” Notice the flow of the Verse, again, “...The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” OK... I will accept that reservation. But I will also direct you to a verse that has no such ambiguity or pronoun confusion. Let's turn to: Colossians 1:12-16: “Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.” Now consider, again: Genesis 1:1: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth...” If the Father, and not Jesus, were the God of the Old Testament, Who spoke to the Patriarchs, why would Jesus ever say what we find in John 8:56: “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.” Notice: whose day did Abraham rejoice to see? The Father's Day? No, Jesus said, "Your father Abraham rejoice to see [i]My[/i] day and was glad" (emphasis mine). Jesus would also never have lamented in Luke 13:34: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would [i]I[/i] have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!" (emphasis mine). Notice: Jesus did not say “... how often would My Father have gathered thy children...” He said, “ how often would I have gathered thy children...” The children of Israel interacted with the One Who became Jesus. Here is a proof that Christ was the God of The Old Testament, that is often overlooked by many Christians: Exodus 3:13-14: “And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.” But now carefully notice, if you will, beginning in John 8:56: “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.” Jesus used the very same Name and Designation of Himself in this verse that He did when He identified Himself to Moses from the burning bush! And while many Christians may miss the significance of Jesus saying “I AM,” but His original audience did not miss it at all, and their response proves that: To them He was speaking blasphemy, and they immediately took up stones to cast at Him! What other possible provocation was there for them to respond with stones? Someone's mere claim to being many centuries old would have inspired laughter and mockery, but they responded with stones because Jesus had taken to Himself the very Name of God! Psalms 62:7 tells us: “In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.” And the Apostle Paul identifies for us, Which Member of the Trinity was that Rock: We read in 1 Corinthians 10:4 “And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.” I indicated earlier that in Isaiah's Prophecy, one of the titles he gave the Promised Messiah was "the everlasting Father." Jesus' identity as both God and now the Creator in the Book of Genesis lends credence to this alternate explanation of Jesus' being called "the everlasting Father." The English translation "the everlasting Father" may not be a very good translation of the original Hebrew. Young's Literal Translation renders it "Father of Eternity." Think of that title as a incredibly power corroboration of Jesus being the Creator. As I said in the introduction, Micah 5:2 refers to the coming Messiah with the words, " whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting." Jesus existed [i]before[/i] there was a physical creation. When He brought the Universe into existence, time as we know it also began. That makes Jesus "the Father of Eternity." What does the first Verse of Psalm 23 tells us? Yes! “The Lord is my Shepherd...” The Lord is My Shepherd. And the angels told the human shepherds that Christ was the Lord. That links Jesus to being both Lord and Shepherd. And Jesus confirmed that in so many words, not once but twice: First in John 10:11 when He said: “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” And then in John 10:14, when He said “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.” The Apostle Peter also draws the analogy of Christ being a Shepherd in 1 Peter 2:25: “For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.” Next, there is, what amounts to, an airtight case linking Jesus to being the Shepherd of His people. We read in Hebrews 13:20: “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant.” There is a lesser known Psalm that also refers to God as a Shepherd, but which also has even deeper and startling ramifications: Notice Psalms 80:1: “Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.” This is a clear reference to the picture in Heaven where God was sitting on His throne between cherubims, as depicted on the lid of the Ark of the Covenant. We read in Exodus 25:18: “And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat. And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof.” Psalms 80:1 places the Shepherd of Israel dwelling between the cherubim and shining forth. Notice Verse 22: “And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.” That shining is known as the Shekina Glory: From the Jamieson, Faussett and Brown Bible Commentary we read: “The Shekinah, or symbol of the Divine Presence, rested on the mercy seat, and was indicated by a cloud, from the midst of which responses were audibly given when God was consulted on behalf of His people. Hence God is described as "dwelling" or "sitting" between the cherubim.” This was the Shepherd of Israel... Again, Psalms 80:1: “Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.” And Who was that? The Shepherd of Israel was Jesus! There is only one Shepherd of Israel: Jesus points out that He is not merely one shepherd among many. Notice in John 10:16: “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.” If the Psalms refer to God as the Shepherd of Israel, and Jesus says there is only One Shepherd, and that He is the Good Shepherd, can I make any clearer a connection as to Who the God of the Old Testament was? Let me introduce another Psalm for you to consider: When David wrote in Psalms 8:3-4, he was speaking to the One Who became Jesus: “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?” What is man? To Jesus, mankind is the creation that He loves... and loved enough to set aside all of the majesty, privileges and glories of Heaven, to willingly become a sacrifice and shed His blood for us. Here is another point to consider carefully: John 5:37: “And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Yehave neither heard his voice at any time , nor seen his shape.” When I read this verse, considering all of the verses we have covered so far that clearly places Jesus in the Role of the God of the Old Testament, I understand it when Jesus says that “ye have neither heard his voice at any time, that “ye” represents all of mankind throughout history, who has never heard the Father's voice at any time... But according to the Book of Genesis, God clearly did speak to Adam and Eve, and they heard Him when He spoke! Notice what we read in Genesis 3:8: “And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.” Jesus said “ye have never heard His voice at any time,” but God spoke to Abraham in Genesis 18:13: “And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?” I mentioned this earlier, but it bears repeating in this context: Jesus said “ye have never heard His voice at any time,” but God spoke to Moses in Exodus 3:4: “And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.” Now, notice this very interesting prayer to the God of the Old Testament in Job 14:14: “If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come. Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands.” Here we have Job telling God in the context of the Resurrection, “Thou shalt call, and I will answer Thee...” And in the New Testament, we see Jesus very clearly declaring that the One who would be calling the dead back to life would be Himself: We read in John 5:25: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.” Then we read in Psalms 45:6: “Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre.” Notice Hebrews 1:8: The Psalm is repeated, but that Person of the Trinity referred to in this Psalm is specifically identified: It reads, “But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.” The whole idea may be new to you, it may be unfamiliar to you and unpopular to multiple millions as a belief, but the Bible clearly tells us that Jesus is the Creator of Genesis 1:1. And God, the Creator of everything that ever existed, knelt down over the lifeless formed shape of Adam, and breathed into his nostrils, the breath of life. But that Creator is also the God that became our flesh and blood Saviour, and died the shameful and dishonorable death of the cross to pay for our sins, so that we might share Eternal Life with Him. As we are told in Philippians 2:7-8: "But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." Revelation 13:8 identifies Jesus as “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” This Christmas Season, as we celebrate the birth of Christ, let us apply this deeper understanding of Jesus before His Incarnation, and add to it, a deeper appreciation and a more heart-felt worship as we come to realize how thoroughly He has been involved with His Creation, and just how dearly and intensely He loves us. What Child Is This? It is Emmanuel... God With Us... Christ, the Lord. This ends this Evening's Discussion, “What Child Is This?” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZD9He8k4M8