Fascinating questions answered here like where does the Ark actually disappear in the Bible and why? Who has the Ark now? Where was the Ark during the time of Jesus visitation? And much more interesting Ark stuff...well worth the listen...
This was recorded on the 23rd of March 2016. If you would like to watch these sessions LIVE, please go to http://tv.khouse.org God Bless
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Showing posts with label Holy Days. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Holy Days. Show all posts
Apr 4, 2016
Apr 4, 2015
Passover - The 7 Feasts of Israel and Jesus - Amazing Revelation
This is an 8 minute stand-alone clip from the full one hour documentary "The Seven Feasts of Israel and Jesus." Watch this film until the end for some suprising and amazing revelations about this very special feast and a unique fulfillment in Jesus. From Stauros Films in conjunction with Ichthus Films. This film is under copyright from Stauros Films. January 2009. All Rights Reserved.
Nov 27, 2014
History of Thanksgiving
Ironically, the "Pilgrims" weren't known by that name until the 1820's, about 200 years after the "Separatists" as they were originally known arrived on the continent.
Although Thanksgiving celebrations dated back to the first European settlements in America, it was not until the 1860s that Abraham Lincoln declared the last Thursday of November to be a national holiday.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 - In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Jun 21, 2014
Feast of Purim: Festival With A Prophecy
By J.R. Church
This year, the Jewish festival of Purim Katan (Little Purim) will be observed on the 18th of February (the 14th day of Adar I) and the full holiday of Purim is scheduled for March 20 (the 14th day of Adar II). Purim commemorates the victory of Esther and Mordecai over Haman, in the days of the Jewish exile in the Persian Empire.
In a 1991 article on Purim, Gary Stearman reminded us, “If we count the festivals, beginning with Rosh Hashanah, Purim is the tenth festival out of 22 in the Jewish calendar. Alphabetically, Rosh Hashanah is the first feast, represented by the first letter, aleph (t), the letter of “creation.” This feast signifies “the birthday of the world.” Purim corresponds with the Hebrew letter yod (h), which refers the “unseen hand of God.” Perhaps, for this reason, the name of God does not appear in the book of Esther and, therefore, can only be seen hidden in the context of the story.”
The Story Is Set in Persia
For some strange reason, the original story of Haman’s plot to kill the Jews takes place in the court of Ahasuerus, king of the Persian Empire. And, today, a new plot to destroy the Jews is emerging from that same country — Persia/Iran. As we shall see, there are at least three historical references implying that Persia/Iran will be the country that leads the world into the final conflicts of the Tribulation Period.
The Abrahamic Covenant
When God first established a covenant with Abraham, He said that He would “bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curseth thee” (Gen. 12:3). That curse targets those nations who become the enemies of God’s Chosen People. Whatever a nation does to hurt Israel, God will do the same to that nation. God seems to promise “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” to any nation that attempts to curse the Jews. It is God’s ultimate plan for “turning the tables on one’s enemies.”
The original biblical story takes place in the palace of King Ahasuerus at Susa in the Persian Empire. At a banquet, the king calls upon Queen Vashti to display her beauty before his guests. She refuses and through a strange turn of events the Jewish maiden, Esther, finds favor in his eyes. Eventually, she becomes his queen.
Her cousin, Mordecai, is also favored at court when he uncovers a plot to kill the king. As a reward, those at court were told to honor him. But “Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite,” found it difficult to pay homage to a Jew. Haman was an Edomite, through Esau’s son, Amalek. Agag was the king of the Amalekites. Contrary to the direct order of God, King Saul allowed him to live after the Israelites had defeated the Amalekites.
As the story goes, Haman, a descendant of the Amalekites, developed a burning hatred for the Jews. He was made grand vizier above all other princes, and plotted to kill all the Jews, starting with Mordecai.
Haman was so anxious to annihilate the Jews that he cast lots for a whole year to determine the best time to execute his plan. The Assyrian word for lots is “puru,” which enters the Hebrew language as Purim. He built a gallows and planned to use it to make an example of Mordecai. But in the end, through a final, subtle twist of events, Haman and his sons were hanged upon that same gallows.
Haman stands as an example of the fate given to those who attempt to destroy the Jews. Down through the years, many have shared Haman’s fate. In our generation, one of the most interesting examples is that of Julius Streicher, one of the chief propagandists of the Nazi regime in World War II.
Streicher was the editor of a Nazi newspaper. As Hitler rose to power, his newspaper consistently spread a hatred for the Jews all over Europe. He was out to destroy the Jews. Like Hitler, he felt that the “final solution” to the world’s problems would be the complete annihilation of the Jewish people.
World War II ended with the defeat of Germany. Julius Streicher was captured, tried at Nuremberg and sentenced to be hung. As he walked to the gallows in preparation for execution, he uttered these final words: “Purim, 1946! Purim, 1946!” Streicher realized that he was repeating the plot of Haman. In his own way, he was belatedly acknowledging the truth of the Bible. God will always bless those who bless Israel, and curse those who curse the Jews.
The hanging of Haman was not the end of the story. Mordecai the Jew was given a place of honor by the king. His fame spread throughout all the provinces of the kingdom to such a degree that the provincial rulers feared him. And to their dismay, Ahasuerus issued a nationwide decree, stating that on the 13th day of the month Adar, the Jews could legally avenge themselves upon their enemies. Esther 9:5 tells what happened:
“Thus the Jews smote all their enemies with the stroke of the sword, and slaughter, and destruction, and did what they would unto those that hated them.”
Thereafter, the Jews began to commemorate Purim on the two days following their victory — Adar 14 and 15. The entire nation of Persia was not against the Jews, only a certain faction of their society. Thus it is today in Modern Persia. Most of the Iranians do not agree with the ruling faction of hardened enemies against Israel.
Read the rest of this article at - http://www.prophecyinthenews.com/feast-of-purim-festival-with-a-prophecy/
This year, the Jewish festival of Purim Katan (Little Purim) will be observed on the 18th of February (the 14th day of Adar I) and the full holiday of Purim is scheduled for March 20 (the 14th day of Adar II). Purim commemorates the victory of Esther and Mordecai over Haman, in the days of the Jewish exile in the Persian Empire.In a 1991 article on Purim, Gary Stearman reminded us, “If we count the festivals, beginning with Rosh Hashanah, Purim is the tenth festival out of 22 in the Jewish calendar. Alphabetically, Rosh Hashanah is the first feast, represented by the first letter, aleph (t), the letter of “creation.” This feast signifies “the birthday of the world.” Purim corresponds with the Hebrew letter yod (h), which refers the “unseen hand of God.” Perhaps, for this reason, the name of God does not appear in the book of Esther and, therefore, can only be seen hidden in the context of the story.”
Queen Esther exposing Haman’s plot to destroy her people all across the Empire.
For some strange reason, the original story of Haman’s plot to kill the Jews takes place in the court of Ahasuerus, king of the Persian Empire. And, today, a new plot to destroy the Jews is emerging from that same country — Persia/Iran. As we shall see, there are at least three historical references implying that Persia/Iran will be the country that leads the world into the final conflicts of the Tribulation Period.
The Abrahamic Covenant
When God first established a covenant with Abraham, He said that He would “bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curseth thee” (Gen. 12:3). That curse targets those nations who become the enemies of God’s Chosen People. Whatever a nation does to hurt Israel, God will do the same to that nation. God seems to promise “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” to any nation that attempts to curse the Jews. It is God’s ultimate plan for “turning the tables on one’s enemies.”
The original biblical story takes place in the palace of King Ahasuerus at Susa in the Persian Empire. At a banquet, the king calls upon Queen Vashti to display her beauty before his guests. She refuses and through a strange turn of events the Jewish maiden, Esther, finds favor in his eyes. Eventually, she becomes his queen.
Her cousin, Mordecai, is also favored at court when he uncovers a plot to kill the king. As a reward, those at court were told to honor him. But “Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite,” found it difficult to pay homage to a Jew. Haman was an Edomite, through Esau’s son, Amalek. Agag was the king of the Amalekites. Contrary to the direct order of God, King Saul allowed him to live after the Israelites had defeated the Amalekites.
As the story goes, Haman, a descendant of the Amalekites, developed a burning hatred for the Jews. He was made grand vizier above all other princes, and plotted to kill all the Jews, starting with Mordecai.
Haman was so anxious to annihilate the Jews that he cast lots for a whole year to determine the best time to execute his plan. The Assyrian word for lots is “puru,” which enters the Hebrew language as Purim. He built a gallows and planned to use it to make an example of Mordecai. But in the end, through a final, subtle twist of events, Haman and his sons were hanged upon that same gallows.
Haman stands as an example of the fate given to those who attempt to destroy the Jews. Down through the years, many have shared Haman’s fate. In our generation, one of the most interesting examples is that of Julius Streicher, one of the chief propagandists of the Nazi regime in World War II.
Streicher was the editor of a Nazi newspaper. As Hitler rose to power, his newspaper consistently spread a hatred for the Jews all over Europe. He was out to destroy the Jews. Like Hitler, he felt that the “final solution” to the world’s problems would be the complete annihilation of the Jewish people.
World War II ended with the defeat of Germany. Julius Streicher was captured, tried at Nuremberg and sentenced to be hung. As he walked to the gallows in preparation for execution, he uttered these final words: “Purim, 1946! Purim, 1946!” Streicher realized that he was repeating the plot of Haman. In his own way, he was belatedly acknowledging the truth of the Bible. God will always bless those who bless Israel, and curse those who curse the Jews.
The hanging of Haman was not the end of the story. Mordecai the Jew was given a place of honor by the king. His fame spread throughout all the provinces of the kingdom to such a degree that the provincial rulers feared him. And to their dismay, Ahasuerus issued a nationwide decree, stating that on the 13th day of the month Adar, the Jews could legally avenge themselves upon their enemies. Esther 9:5 tells what happened:
“Thus the Jews smote all their enemies with the stroke of the sword, and slaughter, and destruction, and did what they would unto those that hated them.”
Thereafter, the Jews began to commemorate Purim on the two days following their victory — Adar 14 and 15. The entire nation of Persia was not against the Jews, only a certain faction of their society. Thus it is today in Modern Persia. Most of the Iranians do not agree with the ruling faction of hardened enemies against Israel.
Read the rest of this article at - http://www.prophecyinthenews.com/feast-of-purim-festival-with-a-prophecy/
Apr 17, 2014
Jesus Christ in the Feast of Unleavened Bread
Prophetic Holy Feasts | Unleavened Bread
Well made video explaining the symbolic significance of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (which begins the day after Passover) and how Jesus fulfilled every element of the Feast day as exemplified in His holy and sinless life (Hebrews 4:15, 9:28). Good stuff!
Well made video explaining the symbolic significance of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (which begins the day after Passover) and how Jesus fulfilled every element of the Feast day as exemplified in His holy and sinless life (Hebrews 4:15, 9:28). Good stuff!
As Scriptures instruct us to keep the Feasts of YHWH holy, we now look at this spring feast and also consider the determining of time via the moon cycles.
Hopefully, this presentation is a benefit for you and offers further insights on some things from the Hebrew Bible.
Apr 16, 2014
Christ Our Passover
An oldie but a goodie from the great Charles Spurgeon. So polish up your old English and take in words of life from one of the greatest preachers ever.
A Sermon (No. 54) Delivered on Sabbath Evening, December 2, 1855, by the
REV. C. H. Spurgeon
At New Park Street Chapel, Southwark.
HE more you read the Bible, and the more you meditate upon it, the more you will be astonished with it. He who is but a casual reader of the Bible, does not know the height, the depth, the length and breadth of the mighty meanings contained in its pages. There are certain times when I discover a new vein of thought, and I put my hand to my head and say in astonishment, "Oh, it is wonderful I never saw this before in the Scriptures." You will find the Scriptures enlarge as you enter them; the more you study them the less you will appear to know of them, for they widen out as we approach them. Especially will you find this the case with the typical parts of God's Word. Most of the historical books were intended to be types either of dispensations, or experiences, or offices of Jesus Christ. Study the Bible with this as a key, and you will not blame Herbert when he calls it "not only the book of God, but the God of books." One of the most interesting points of the Scriptures is their constant tendency to display Christ; and perhaps one of the most beautiful figures under which Jesus Christ is ever exhibited in sacred writ, is the Passover Paschal Lamb. It is Christ of whom we are about to speak to-night.
Israel was in Egypt, in extreme bondage; the severity of their slavery had continually increased till it was so oppressive that their incessant groans went up to heaven. God who avenges his own elect, though they cry day and night unto him, at last, determined that he would direct a fearful blow against Egypt's king and Egypt's nation, and deliver his own people. We can picture the anxieties and the anticipations of Israel, but we can scarcely sympathize with them, unless we as Christians have had the same deliverance from spiritual Egypt. Let us, brethren, go back to the day in our experience, when we abode in the land of Egypt, working in the brick-kilns of sin, toiling to make ourselves better, and finding it to be of no avail; let us recall that memorable night, the beginning of months, the commencement of a new life in our spirit, and the beginning of an altogether new era in our soul. The Word of God struck the blow at our sin; he gave us Jesus Christ our sacrifice; and in that night we went out of Egypt. Though we have passed through the wilderness since then, and have fought the Amalekites, have trodden on the fiery serpent, have been scorched by the heat and frozen by the snows, yet we have never since that time gone back to Egypt; although our hearts may sometimes have desired the leeks, the onions, and the flesh-pots of Egypt, yet we have never been brought into slavery since then. Come, let us keep the Passover this night, and think of the night when the Lord delivered us out of Egypt. Let us behold our Saviour Jesus as the Paschal Lamb on which we feed; yea, let us not only look at him as such, but let us sit down to-night at his table, let us eat of his flesh and drink of his blood; for his flesh is meat indeed, and his blood is drink indeed. In holy solemnity let our hearts approach that ancient supper; let us go back to Egypt's darkness, and by holy contemplation behold, instead of the destroying angel, the angel of the covenant, at the head of the feast,—"the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world."
I shall not have time to-night to enter into the whole history and mystery of the Passover; you will not understand me to be to- night preaching concerning the whole of it; but a few prominent points therein as a part of them. It would require a dozen sermons to do so; in fact a book as large as Caryl upon Job—if we could find a divine equally prolix and equally sensible. But we shall first of all look at the Lord Jesus Christ, and show how he corresponds with the Paschal Lamb, and endeavour to bring you to the two points—of having his blood sprinkled on you, and having fed on him.
I. First, then, JESUS CHRIST IS TYPIFIED HERE UNDER THE PASCHAL LAMB; and should there be one of the seed of Abraham here who has never seen Christ to be the Messiah, I beg his special attention to that which I am to advance, when I speak of the Lord Jesus as none other than the Lamb of God slain for the deliverance of his chosen people. Follow me with your Bibles, and open first at the 12th chapter of Exodus.
We commence, first of all, with the victim—the lamb. How fine a picture of Christ. No other creature could so well have typified him who was holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners. Being also the emblem of sacrifice, it most sweetly pourtrayed our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Search natural history through, and though you will find other emblems which set forth different characteristics of his nature, and admirably display him to our souls, yet there is none which seems so appropriate to the person of our beloved Lord as that of the Lamb. A child would at once perceive the likeness between a lamb and Jesus Christ, so gentle and innocent, so mild and harmless, neither hurting others, nor seeming to have the power to resent an injury.
"A humble man before his foes, a weary man and full of woes."
What tortures the sheepish race have received from us! how are they, though innocent, continually slaughtered for our food! Their skin is dragged from their backs, their wool is shorn to give us a garment. And so the Lord Jesus Christ, our glorious Master, doth give us his garments that we may be clothed with them; he is rent in sunder for us; his very blood is poured out for our sins; harmless and holy, a glorious sacrifice for the sins of all his children. Thus the Paschal Lamb might well convey to the pious Hebrew the person of a suffering, silent, patient, harmless Messiah.
Read the full sermon at - http://www.spurgeon.org/sermons/0054.htm
REV. C. H. Spurgeon
At New Park Street Chapel, Southwark.
"For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us."—1 Corinthians 5:7.
HE more you read the Bible, and the more you meditate upon it, the more you will be astonished with it. He who is but a casual reader of the Bible, does not know the height, the depth, the length and breadth of the mighty meanings contained in its pages. There are certain times when I discover a new vein of thought, and I put my hand to my head and say in astonishment, "Oh, it is wonderful I never saw this before in the Scriptures." You will find the Scriptures enlarge as you enter them; the more you study them the less you will appear to know of them, for they widen out as we approach them. Especially will you find this the case with the typical parts of God's Word. Most of the historical books were intended to be types either of dispensations, or experiences, or offices of Jesus Christ. Study the Bible with this as a key, and you will not blame Herbert when he calls it "not only the book of God, but the God of books." One of the most interesting points of the Scriptures is their constant tendency to display Christ; and perhaps one of the most beautiful figures under which Jesus Christ is ever exhibited in sacred writ, is the Passover Paschal Lamb. It is Christ of whom we are about to speak to-night.Israel was in Egypt, in extreme bondage; the severity of their slavery had continually increased till it was so oppressive that their incessant groans went up to heaven. God who avenges his own elect, though they cry day and night unto him, at last, determined that he would direct a fearful blow against Egypt's king and Egypt's nation, and deliver his own people. We can picture the anxieties and the anticipations of Israel, but we can scarcely sympathize with them, unless we as Christians have had the same deliverance from spiritual Egypt. Let us, brethren, go back to the day in our experience, when we abode in the land of Egypt, working in the brick-kilns of sin, toiling to make ourselves better, and finding it to be of no avail; let us recall that memorable night, the beginning of months, the commencement of a new life in our spirit, and the beginning of an altogether new era in our soul. The Word of God struck the blow at our sin; he gave us Jesus Christ our sacrifice; and in that night we went out of Egypt. Though we have passed through the wilderness since then, and have fought the Amalekites, have trodden on the fiery serpent, have been scorched by the heat and frozen by the snows, yet we have never since that time gone back to Egypt; although our hearts may sometimes have desired the leeks, the onions, and the flesh-pots of Egypt, yet we have never been brought into slavery since then. Come, let us keep the Passover this night, and think of the night when the Lord delivered us out of Egypt. Let us behold our Saviour Jesus as the Paschal Lamb on which we feed; yea, let us not only look at him as such, but let us sit down to-night at his table, let us eat of his flesh and drink of his blood; for his flesh is meat indeed, and his blood is drink indeed. In holy solemnity let our hearts approach that ancient supper; let us go back to Egypt's darkness, and by holy contemplation behold, instead of the destroying angel, the angel of the covenant, at the head of the feast,—"the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world."I shall not have time to-night to enter into the whole history and mystery of the Passover; you will not understand me to be to- night preaching concerning the whole of it; but a few prominent points therein as a part of them. It would require a dozen sermons to do so; in fact a book as large as Caryl upon Job—if we could find a divine equally prolix and equally sensible. But we shall first of all look at the Lord Jesus Christ, and show how he corresponds with the Paschal Lamb, and endeavour to bring you to the two points—of having his blood sprinkled on you, and having fed on him.I. First, then, JESUS CHRIST IS TYPIFIED HERE UNDER THE PASCHAL LAMB; and should there be one of the seed of Abraham here who has never seen Christ to be the Messiah, I beg his special attention to that which I am to advance, when I speak of the Lord Jesus as none other than the Lamb of God slain for the deliverance of his chosen people. Follow me with your Bibles, and open first at the 12th chapter of Exodus.We commence, first of all, with the victim—the lamb. How fine a picture of Christ. No other creature could so well have typified him who was holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners. Being also the emblem of sacrifice, it most sweetly pourtrayed our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Search natural history through, and though you will find other emblems which set forth different characteristics of his nature, and admirably display him to our souls, yet there is none which seems so appropriate to the person of our beloved Lord as that of the Lamb. A child would at once perceive the likeness between a lamb and Jesus Christ, so gentle and innocent, so mild and harmless, neither hurting others, nor seeming to have the power to resent an injury.What tortures the sheepish race have received from us! how are they, though innocent, continually slaughtered for our food! Their skin is dragged from their backs, their wool is shorn to give us a garment. And so the Lord Jesus Christ, our glorious Master, doth give us his garments that we may be clothed with them; he is rent in sunder for us; his very blood is poured out for our sins; harmless and holy, a glorious sacrifice for the sins of all his children. Thus the Paschal Lamb might well convey to the pious Hebrew the person of a suffering, silent, patient, harmless Messiah.
Read the full sermon at - http://www.spurgeon.org/sermons/0054.htm
Passover, the Temple Mount, and Jewish Sovereignty
Now that the current U.S.-brokered Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations are in trouble, Israelis can expect violent disturbances on the Temple Mount, initiated by angry Palestinians who are not willing to wait for peace with Israel. Palestinian leaders are already re-engaging in a diplomatic war against Israel due to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ decision to apply for the inclusion of “Palestine” in 15 international organizations and treaties. But, those tactics are nothing compared to what may soon happen in Jerusalem.
Jews are preparing for Passover, which begins on the eve of April 14. Last year, Member of the Knesset (MK) Moshe Feiglin was refused access to the Temple Mount on Passover. In previous years, religious Jews wishing to ascend the Mount were also refused access during this holiday. To the dismay of many who want to visit the Mount, Jews are subject to discrimination and humiliation by the Israeli police.
If the Palestinians decide to take out their aggressions this Passover, the Israeli police are guaranteed to remove Jews from the area. When compared with Muslim incitement on the Mount, the Jews are the path of least resistance. The Israeli government wants to keep the status quo, which means quiet at all costs.
Jeff Daube, Israeli Office Director of the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) believes that “unfettered access and freedom to pray at a holy site is a basic, universally recognized right, which certainly should be accorded to Jews in the Jewish State of Israel.” Daube sees this as guaranteed under Israeli law. “We have to assert our rights wherever they are threatened. The Temple Mount is the last place on Earth where Jews should tolerate this type of discrimination.”
In February 2014, for the first time in Israel’s history, more than 30 MK’s met to discuss the loss of Israeli sovereignty on the Mount. It stirred up the Arab world. Soon after, there were violent disturbances which Daube believes were provoked and directed by the Palestinian Authority. He says this behavior is “animated and exacerbated by more than four decades of Israel’s refusal to assert its own sovereignty and rights there.”
Israeli citizens have been educated to yearn for engagement with God in prayer at the Western Wall rather than on the Temple Mount. During the week of Passover, thousands of Jews participate in the Birkat Kohanim ceremony at the Wall. The traditional Aaronic Benediction is said and the House of Israel is blessed. Israelis seem satisfied conducting the ceremony at the Wall and not on the Mount.
According to Daube, “There’s a question about exactly where the Jewish Temple’s Holy of Holies had been situated. That is hallowed ground which only the High Priest on Yom Kippur could walk on. Any Jew walking there is in violation, even if unknowingly, and many believe that carries a heavenly death penalty. While the ultra-Orthodox have taken the position that Jews may enter the Temple Mount area only once the Messiah comes, more and more religious nationalist rabbis have suggested Jews are permitted to walk everywhere on the Mount except where the Dome of the Rock stands – which they think is the Holy of Holies site. These rabbis encourage Jews to visit the Temple Mount often.”
Yet, they are not allowed to pray there. They are not even allowed to move their lips in prayer without being ousted by Muslim authorities.
This Passover, Jews, along with Christians, can expect the Israeli police to keep them off the Mount rather than deal with another round of Muslim disturbances..
Jeff Daube, Israeli Office Director of the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) believes that “unfettered access and freedom to pray at a holy site is a basic, universally recognized right, which certainly should be accorded to Jews in the Jewish State of Israel.” Daube sees this as guaranteed under Israeli law. “We have to assert our rights wherever they are threatened. The Temple Mount is the last place on Earth where Jews should tolerate this type of discrimination.”
In February 2014, for the first time in Israel’s history, more than 30 MK’s met to discuss the loss of Israeli sovereignty on the Mount. It stirred up the Arab world. Soon after, there were violent disturbances which Daube believes were provoked and directed by the Palestinian Authority. He says this behavior is “animated and exacerbated by more than four decades of Israel’s refusal to assert its own sovereignty and rights there.”
Israeli citizens have been educated to yearn for engagement with God in prayer at the Western Wall rather than on the Temple Mount. During the week of Passover, thousands of Jews participate in the Birkat Kohanim ceremony at the Wall. The traditional Aaronic Benediction is said and the House of Israel is blessed. Israelis seem satisfied conducting the ceremony at the Wall and not on the Mount.
According to Daube, “There’s a question about exactly where the Jewish Temple’s Holy of Holies had been situated. That is hallowed ground which only the High Priest on Yom Kippur could walk on. Any Jew walking there is in violation, even if unknowingly, and many believe that carries a heavenly death penalty. While the ultra-Orthodox have taken the position that Jews may enter the Temple Mount area only once the Messiah comes, more and more religious nationalist rabbis have suggested Jews are permitted to walk everywhere on the Mount except where the Dome of the Rock stands – which they think is the Holy of Holies site. These rabbis encourage Jews to visit the Temple Mount often.”
Yet, they are not allowed to pray there. They are not even allowed to move their lips in prayer without being ousted by Muslim authorities.
This Passover, Jews, along with Christians, can expect the Israeli police to keep them off the Mount rather than deal with another round of Muslim disturbances..
Oct 12, 2013
October "Appointed Times"
Fascinating look at the Holy Feast Days of Leviticus 23 and where they fall this year. The creator here has her own interpretation of last days timing, which I don't agree with, but I think you can see what she's doing with taking legitimate Biblical signs and applying them to prophetic passages. The downside is, when you put specific dates on something like this, you are most likely wrong and end up discrediting yourself. The author here leaves a little wriggle-room, but I do think these are the types of things Christians should be aware of and certainly in prayer about.
Oct 10, 2013
"Thanksgivukkah" This Won't Happen Again For 79,043 Years
As only Paul Begley could present such information...welcome to the last Thanksgivukkah.
Oct 7, 2013
The Appointed Times - Chuck Missler
Important stuff here to understand why the holy days and feasts are so important in what the Lord is doing historically. It shows why the upcoming "blood moons" that fall on Holy Feast days in 2014 and 2015 are so important as being clearly signs appointed by God. The only question is what do these signs mean?
Sep 23, 2013
The Lunar and Solar Tetrads with Pastor Mark Biltz
Mark Biltz is credited with being the first one to notice the four eclipses occurring in 2014-2015 and the unique timing that has all four fall during one of the seven holy feast days of Israel as set out by the Lord in Leviticus 23. The result...very interesting stuff. Check it out and decide for yourself.
Jul 27, 2013
Mar 29, 2013
Christ in the Passover
by Chuck Missler |
Is Passover for Christians?
Whether or not a Christian celebrates Passover would be a matter of conscience for the individual Christian. Like all the Old Testament Jewish Feasts, the Passover Feast was a foreshadowing of Christ’s atoning work on the cross. Colossians 2:16-17 tells us that we should “let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.”
Christians are no longer bound to observe the Passover feast the way the Old Testament Jews were, but they should not look down upon another believer who does or does not observe the Passover or other special Jewish days and feasts (Rom 14:5).
While it is not required for Christians to celebrate the Passover, it is beneficial to study it, and it could be beneficial to celebrate it if it leads one to a greater understanding and appreciation for Christ’s death and resurrection. The Passover is a wonderful picture of Christ’s atonement for His people and His deliverance of us from the bondage of sin. That is something we should celebrate every day of our lives.
The Seder Plate
The Seder plate is the focus of the whole Seder service:
• Zeroth: a portion of the shank bone of a lamb to represent the paschal offering. Many Messianics do not include this because of Hebrews 10:9-14.
• Haroseth or Charoses: a mixture of apples, almonds, raisins and cinnamon mixed with a little wine. This symbolizes the mortar used by the Israelites during the Egyptian bondage.
• Karpas: either parsley, celery, lettuce, onion or potato, used to dip in the saltwater, a reminder of both the tears of hardship and slavery as well as the resolve and intense effort of the Jew.
• Hazereth: the green top of a bitter herb. Symbolic of lowly origins, suffering, and resolve.
• Baytzh: a hardboiled egg, which is the token for both grief over the destruction of the Temple and, at the same time, a symbol of the resurrection.
In addition to those mentioned above, more items are essential to the Passover Table: Unleavened Bread, Wine and the Haggadah.
Matzo: The Unleavened Bread. These are flat, bland, cracker-like wafers, which are both striped and pierced (Isa 53:5; Zech 12:10). There are three matzos and usually are placed in what is called a Matzo Tash, a square white silk bag that is divided up into three compartments for the three matzo wafers.
Why three matzos? The Jewish tradition is that the three represent or symbolize unity. Here are some theories: The Unity of the Patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; The Unity of Worship: Priests, Levites, and the Congregation; The Unity of the Crowns: The crowns of Learning, Priesthood, and Kingship. Or, another suggestion: The Unity of God: The Trinity-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Four Cups of Wine
The Four Cups and their meanings are taken from Exodus 6:6-7:
• Cup 1 - The Cup of Consecration: “I will take you out of Egypt.” Simply put … God delivers, He alone intervenes! All the miracles and the plagues were part of the plan of God to deliver Israel from Egypt. In spite of their hardships, He was with them. The same is true today!
• Cup 2 - The Cup of Deliverance: “I will take Egypt out of you.” Becoming the people of God takes work! Knowing what the Lord requires and then becoming like Him, representing Him to the world around us.
• Cup 3 - The Cup of Redemption: This is the cup that Jesus used to memorialize His blood. Without this cup we cannot be completely transformed into His image! (1 Cor 11:24-26).
• Cup 4 - I will take you to be My people: Jesus is waiting for the marriage feast before He drinks from this cup (cf. Mishnah, Pesahim 7:13). Passover wine was red and mixed with warm water. Why? It reminded them of the blood of the Passover lamb:
But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.
John 19:33-35
The HaggadahThe literal meaning is “telling” or “showing forth.” It is the same root used in Exodus 13:8. The Haggadah not only tells us what to do at the Seder, but also when, how, and why. The modern Haggadah is based on ancient writings in the Mishnah and dates back to the second century.
How the Seder Begins
The Haggadah book is opened and the Host reads from it. Everyone has a pillow in order to relax and to enjoy the celebration of their being freed from the bondage of slavery. The wife then has the honor of lighting the white Passover candles and saying a blessing:
Elijah?Blessed art Thou, O LORD our God, King of the Universe, who sanctifies us by Thy commandment and commands us to light the lights of the Passover.
Two cups at the table are usually larger and more elaborate than the others. This night they are silver (remember that silver symbolizes blood and, thus, redemption). One sits at the head of the table, the other at a prominent spot before an empty chair. It awaits the lips of Elijah. The Prophet is the invited guest to every Seder and who, according to Malachi, is to announce the coming of the Messiah.
The Breaking of the Matzo
Early in the Seder, the Host takes the middle matzo and breaks it in two, leaving one half in the middle and puts the other half under the cloth for the “afikomen.” It is always wrapped in linen and hidden in a dark place.
The Four Sons
The Wise, Wicked, Simple, and Foolish Sons each play a part in the Seder meal by asking questions and getting instruction from the Host.
It’s Personal
In every generation each individual is bound to regard himself as if he had gone personally forth from Egypt. As it is said, “And you shall relate to your son on that day saying, this is on account of what the Eternal did for me, when I went forth from Egypt. Thus it was not our ancestors alone, whom the most Holy, blessed be He, then Redeemed, but us also did He redeem with them. As it is said, He brought us forth from thence in order to bring us in, that He might give us the Land He swore to our ancestors.”
Reflection
What has God done for you? Remember one of your weapons in witnessing is your testimony-your story! In general people don’t want to be preached to but they love to hear stories... “ Let me tell you what Jesus has done for me …”
Jesus is The Lamb of God, The Middle Matzo, The Afikomen, and The Third Cup of Wine. The only Greek word in the Haggadah is “afikomen” and its literal meaning is “He Came”! See our briefing, The Feasts of Israel for further study. Read more at - http://www.khouse.org/articles/2008/770/
Mar 25, 2013
The Lord's Supper, The Beginning of the New Covenant and the Four "I Wills" of the Passover
The Lord's Supper and The New
Covenant
What is a
covenant?
A covenant
is a treaty or binding agreement between two parties. The Hebrew word berith which is translated covenant
literally means cutting, implying the fact that a covenant was confirmed with the
shedding of the blood of a sacrifice. This meant that a covenant was a blood
oath.
The New
Covenant is primarily stated in contrast to the Old (Mosaic) Covenant. These
two covenants are the only conditional covenants God makes in the scriptures.
God’s promises in the covenants are eternal, but the agreement itself depends
upon men accepting the terms of agreement.
What are
some of the differences between the New and Old Covenants?
- The Old
Covenants terms/rules had to be learned (Exodus
24:12)
- The Old
Covenant had to be obeyed according to the ability of men (Romans 7:5)
- The Old
Covenant was confirmed with the blood of animals (Exodus 24:8)
- The Old
Covenant had severe consequences for failure to obey (Deuteronomy 28:15-68)
- The New
Covenant is Holy Spirit taught (Jeremiah
31:33-34)
- The
ability to obey the New Covenant is empowered by the Holy Spirit of God (Hebrews 9:14)
- The New
Covenant is confirmed by the blood of the Son of God (Matthew 26:28)
- The New
Covenant is crowned with God’s mercy and forgiveness for those times men fail
to obey (Hebrews 8:12)
The first Lord’s Supper was a
Passover observance by Jesus and His disciples. (Matthew 26:19-20) It was also the institution of the
New Covenant. It makes sense for us to honor the New Covenant on Passover.
During the
Passover observance, it was customary for the head of the feast (Jesus in this
case) to lead the table in remembrance of the four great “I WILLS”, promises of
God to Israel as stated in Exodus 6:6-7.
These were memorialized by the taking of a cup of wine for each declaration.
The four promises and cups were:
- I WILL
bring you out (the cup of sanctification)
- I WILL
bring you out of bondage (cup of deliverance/praise)
- I WILL
redeem you (the cup of redemption)
- I WILL
take you to me for a people (cup of acceptance/praise)
On the night of the first Lord’s
Supper, Jesus took the first three cups with His disciples. The last cup, the one in which He
said “this is my blood of the new testament (covenant) which is shed for many
for the redemption of sins” (Matthew
26:28) was the cup of redemption. Redemption (Hebrew gaal) means to be
purchased out of slavery, or to pay a ransom and free. It had to be done by
someone who was a kinsman (family). Jesus paid the purchase price (His blood) to
redeem us from slavery to sin (Romans
6:12-16).
Paul used
three different words to describe what redemption accomplishes for the
believer. The first, agorazo, meant to purchase out of the
market.
(Gal. 3:10) This was
describing the purchase of one who was a slave.
The second
word, ekagorazo, meant to purchase
and take home. (Gal. 3:13) This described
the extension of redemption beyond simply purchasing our freedom. The Lord then gives the believer a place to
call home, which He has provided.
The third
word is lutroo, and it meant to
purchase and give freedom. (Tit. 2:14, Gal. 5:14) The idea here is that the redeemed has now
been granted citizenship.
The
completion of this process is found in
Galatians 4:4-7, where we are told that redemptions final stage is
“adoption”, (uihothesia), where the
one who was once a slave is now legally and spiritually a child of the One who
purchased their redemption.
Jesus
refused to take the fourth cup (the cup of acceptance) because Israel had not
yet accepted Him as Messiah. (Matthew
27:20-25, Zechariah 12:10). The next time that He takes the cup will be
with all believers and redeemed Israel at the marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:7-9).
Some notes
on the Lord’s Supper taken from the early church -
- Important
passages for meditation before taking the Lords Supper include Matthew 26:26-28, John 6:22-71 and 1
Corinthians 11:20-34.
- The Lord’s
Supper was done weekly, sometimes with every meal
- The Lord’s Supper is a spiritual and
physical blessing to all who take it worthily
- The Lord’s
Supper brought sickness and death to believers who took it unworthily (1 Corinthians 11:20-34)
- Unleavened
bread (symbolizing purity) and red wine sometimes mixed with water were
normally used
- Because
the Lord’s supper was normally done in small groups, personal confession was
often practiced before taking it, to cleanse the conscience and help the
believer take it in a worthy manner
- The point
of the Lords Supper is to remember what Jesus did for us (Crucifixion) and to
remember our commitment to the New Covenant with Him
Understanding
the vital importance of taking the Lord’s Supper in a worthy manner, the key
phrase to focus on is found in Luke
22:19, where Jesus said that this act is done in “in remembrance of
Me”. To take the Lord’s Supper in a
worthy manner means to remember Jesus Christ and all He has done for us. His sinless life, His personal sacrifice,
everything. This is to take the Lord’s
Cup in a manner that is worthy.
Feb 15, 2013
Dec 12, 2012
Jesus and the Festival of Lights
Hanukkah – the Festival of Lights
Hanukkah is a happy, festive, joyous eight-day Jewish
celebration that starts on Kislev 25 on the Hebrew calendar (same as
November-December on the Gregorian calendar). It is also called the Festival of
Lights. The word Hanukkah means “dedication.”
Hanukkah is an important feast for the Jewish people, for it
reminds them of how God miraculously delivered their ancestors when they were
persecuted.
On the first day, the
shammash, the prominent branch of the Hanukkah Menorah, the
nine-branched lamp is lighted. The shammash, which means “servant,” is
usually in the center and is the tallest of the branches of the menorah. From it
each of the other branches is lighted on subsequent days, until all are lighted.
The Historical Events of Hanukkah
The Hanukkah celebrates freedom from oppression. It
commemorates the Jewish victory over the Hellenist Syrians.
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Hanukkah originated with the rededication of the Jewish
temple in B.C. 164, after the Syrian ruler Antiochus IV Epiphanes had desecrated
it. Antiochus reigned from B.C. 175 to 164, and had a burning desire to
Hellenize everyone under his rule. The Syrian-Greeks offered art, poetry and
literature to the lives of the Judeans, attempting to create in this way a new
mind-set of customs, traditions and pagan faith. Antiochus loved the Greek
customs, culture, philosophy, and religions and wanted every one of his subjects
to accept it. They attempted to impose their own religious values, dogma and
fanaticism upon the people. Some of the Jews welcomed the new ways, but most
rejected it.
In B.C. 170 Antiochus attacked Jerusalem and 80,000 Jews
perished, and that many more were sold into slavery. The Jewish Temple was
robbed. He tore down its wall, desecrated its temple by abolishing its
sacrifices and carrying away its furniture, banning Jewish religion, massacring
many, prohibiting the rite of circumcision, destroying copies of the Law, and
establishing the worship of Jupiter (Olympian Zeus) in the temple. During the time of
Antiochus it was a capital offence to possess a copy of the law, to circumcise a
child. Parents who disobeyed the law and circumcised their boys were crucified
with the son hanging around their necks.
In December B.C. 168, Antiochus brought matters to a climax
in Jerusalem. He sent his general, Apollonius, with twenty thousand troops under
orders to seize Jerusalem on a Sabbath. There he erected an idol of Zeus and
desecrated the altar by offering swine on it. This idol became known to the Jews
as "the abomination of desolation." He profaned the Temple and turned its
chambers into brothels for his soldiers. The ultimate abomination was offering
swine's flesh to the pagan gods on the Jewish altar.
The revolt against Antiochus began when Mattathias, an old
priest in the village of Modin, killed a royal commissioner of Antiochus along
with an apostate Jew who entered the town to offer heathen sacrifices.
Mattathias and his five sons then fled to the hills. In the next few months he
and two of his sons died, but the remaining three sons (Judas, Jonathan, and
Simon) led the insurrection. Judas was named the "Maccabee" (the hammer), and
under his leadership the Jews won major victories in B.C. 165 and 164. In
December of B.C. 164, Judas reclaimed the temple, cleansed it of its Syrian
pollution, and had it rededicated to God with the festival known today as
Hanukkah. The temple was rededicated on Kislev 25, B.C. 164, exactly three years
after Antiochus Epiphanes desecrated the temple (1 Mac. 4:52-29; 2 Mac. 10:6-8).
Judas Maccabaeus admonished the Jewish people: “The days of
the dedication of the altar should be kept in their season from year to year, by
the space of eight days, from the five and twentieth day of the month of
Chislev, with gladness and joy” (1 Maccabees 4:59).
One of the traditions in Judaism says one of the priests at
the dedication of the Temple in B.C. 164 found a small flask of unpolluted oil
sufficient for only one day. With menorah miraculously replenished for eight
days. This gave the Maccabees enough time to obtain new oil to keep the menorah
lit.
The Jewish people celebrated this great eight-day festival of
Hanukkah, sometimes calling it the “Festival of the Dedication of the Altar,”
“the Memorial of the Purification of the Temple,” and the “Festival of the
Lights.”
It is not uncommon to see lights in the windows of Jewish
homes. There are two traditions among the Jewish people. Eight lights were set
in the window according to Shammai. One was removed each day until on the last
day only one was left burning. Hillel tradition begins with one light on the
first day and each day one is added until on the eighth day eight are burning.
This Festival of Lights celebrates the freedom that had
returned to Israel. For the next 100 years the people enjoyed this newfound
freedom, until the Romans conquered Judah in B.C. 64.
Josephus called this celebration "the festival of Lights"
because of the lighting of lamps in Jewish homes, "giving this name to it, I
think, from the fact that the right to worship appeared to us at a time when we
hardly dared hope for it." In ancient times it was also called "the dedication
of the altar" (1 Macc. 4:59).
In the Hanukkah celebration Jews play games, exchange gifts,
have family dinners, attend plays and concerts at synagogues and schools, and
light a candle on each of the eight evenings. In the center of the candles is a
more predominant ninth one, the "shammash," used to light the other
candles.
The First Century Hanukkah Celebration
The Hanukkah celebration is not mentioned in the Old
Testament because the historical event occurred during the 400-year period
between the two Testaments.
The Hanukkah is mentioned in John 10:22. "At that
time the Feast of the Dedication took place at Jerusalem" (John 10:22, NASB
1995). Here it is called the “Feast of Dedication” probably because the word
Hanukkah in Hebrew means “dedication.”
The apostle John tells us, "it was winter, and Jesus was
walking in the temple in the portico of Solomon. The Jews then gathered around
Him, and were saying to Him, ‘How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are
the Christ, tell us plainly’" (John 10:23-24).
Jesus, the Messiah, brought about an even greater deliverance
than Judas Maccabaeus could ever give. He delivers not only for time, but also
for eternity.
Jesus is also the “prophet” of whom Moses spoke (Deut.
18:15-19; Acts 7:37). He is also the Anointed of the LORD (John 4:25-26), and
the Son of God (John 10:29-30).
The True Light
A couple of months earlier Jesus had declared, “I am the
light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall
have the light of life” (John 8:12).
Soon thereafter Jesus gave light to the man born with a
congenital disease (John 9:1-41). The "light" given to the man born blind (John
9) testifies to a greater symbolism of Hanukkah, namely, the light of the Lord
shining on those who are spiritually blind.
The Hebrew prophet Isaiah spoke of the coming of the true
Light. "Arise, shine; for your light has come, And the glory of the Lord has
risen upon you. For behold, darkness will cover the earth And deep darkness the
peoples; But the Lord will rise upon you And His glory will appear upon you.
Nations will come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising"
(Isaiah 60:1-3).
Christ is the true Light that gives light to all who believe
on Him. He is the Light of life. He is the “light to lighten the Gentiles, and
the glory of Thy people Israel” (Luke 2:32). He alone can “light men into the
knowledge and presence of God.”
Jesus is the effulgence of the glory of God. "And He is the
radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds
all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He
sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high" (Hebrews 1:3).
For John, the "light" refers specifically to eternal life
which is available to all through Jesus Christ. Christ is “the light of the
world” (8:12; 9:5). He is come “a light into the world” (12:46). Indeed, the man
who follows Him “shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life”
(8:12). Men can be urged to believe in the light (12:36) just as they are urged
to believe in Him. For the Jews in Jesus' day the lights of Hanukkah related to
the temple and its dedication, but they would also have had lights in front of
their homes during this feast. The Mishnah--the collection of oral laws compiled
by Rabbi Judah the Prince (born in the year 135 of the Christian era)--states
that outside the entrance of each house the Hanukkah lamp was positioned to
affirm publicly the Hanukkah miracle. The lamps, inserted into glass lanterns to
prevent the wind from extinguishing them, were placed on pedestals.
Archaeological excavations show that these were common in antiquity. These
pedestal lamps may be referred to in Luke 11:33, "No one, after lighting a lamp,
puts it away in a cellar, nor under a peck-measure, but on the lampstand, in
order that those who enter may see the light." At the Feast of Tabernacles two
golden candelabra were lit in the court of the women in the temple. But why was
this done? Nothing in the Old Testament stipulates such an action. Alfred
Edersheim answers this question by showing the connection between the Feast of
Tabernacles and the Feast of Hanukkah.
There is also a tragic consequence for all who reject the
Light. "This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men
loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For
everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear
that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the
Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God" (John
3:19-21).
The Eternal City of Light
All believers in the Messiah Jesus, both Jewish and Gentiles,
will dwell forever with Him in the city of eternal light. This is what it will
be like: "And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for
the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will
walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. In
the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed"
(Revelation 21:23-25).
We will be in the presence of the bright and morning
star. "I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the
churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star"
(Revelation 22:16).
God wrought a great deliverance through the Maccabees over
2100 years ago, but He performed an even greater deliverance when Jesus, the
Light of the world, defeated the power of darkness.
One completed Hebrew stated it this way:
“I see that Jesus is our Messiah, the Son of God. He
must be, for He came the very time our Moses said He would come (Genesis 49:10),
and He came of the very tribe that Moses foretold (Genesis 49:8, 9). He came the
very way our great Isaiah said He would come, by way of the virgin’s womb
(Isaiah 7:14), and He was born in the very city our Micah predicted, Bethlehem
(Micah 5:2). Yes, and now I see He is the One of whom our Isaiah wrote in his
fifty-third chapter.”
Yes, this is true of all who come to the Light and believe in
Yeshua, and find all their darkness dispelled and sins forgiven. Jesus is the
Light of the world.
Hanukkah and Christmas have some similar features, such as
the time of year, lights, and the exchanging of gifts. However, the two
celebrations have no direct relationship to each other. Christmas celebrates the
birth of Christ approximately 160 years after the events that led to the
establishment of Hanukkah. Christmas, like Hanukkah, is not directly established
in Scripture. Yet, it can be used as an opportunity to declare who Jesus Christ
is. It can be celebrated because it testifies of Him. Similarly Jesus used
Hanukkah as an opportunity to proclaim who He is. "The Jews therefore gathered
around Him, and were saying to Him, 'How long will You keep us in suspense? If
You are the Christ, tell us plainly.' Jesus answered them, 'I told you, and you
do not believe; the works that I do in My Father's name, these bear witness of
Me'" (John 10:24-25).
Read more at - http://www.abideinchrist.com/christmas/hanukkah.html
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Dec 24, 2011
The Scepter Of Judah
The Scepter of Judah
by Chuck Missler
One of the most familiar "Christmas Card" verses is found in Isaiah:
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 for ever.
Isaiah 9:6-7
As we mentioned earlier, David's throne didn't exist in Jesus' day. Jeconaiah was the last of David's line to sit on the throne. (Remember the blood curse on his line.1 This curse was "side-stepped" by the virgin birth. Mary was of the line of David, but through Nathan, not Solomon.2 The legal line descended through Solomon to Joseph, but not the blood curse.)
There is another remarkable prophecy-in Genesis-concerning the rulership of the tribe of Judah.
The Scepter of Judah
In Genesis 49, Jacob prophesied over each of the twelve tribes. Among these seemingly cryptic riddles, the best known one concerns the royal tribe of Judah:
The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
Genesis 49:10
The term "scepter" refers to their tribal identity and the right to apply and enforce Mosaic Laws and adjudicate capital offenses: jus gladii. It is significant that even during their 70-year Babylonian captivity (606-537 B.C.) the tribes retained their tribal identity.3 They retained their own logistics, judges, etc.4
The term "Shiloh" was understood by the early rabbis and Talmudic authorities as referring to the Messiah.5
The Scepter Departs
In 6-7 A.D., King Herod's son and successor, Herod Archelaus, was dethroned and banished to Vienna, a city in Gaul. Archelaus was the second son of Herod the Great.6 The older son, Herod Antipater, was murdered by Herod the Great, along with other family members. (It was quipped at the time that it was safer to be a dog in that household than a member of the family!) Archelaus' mother was a Samaritan (1/4 or less of Jewish blood) and was never accepted. After the death of Herod (4 B.C.?), Archelaus had been placed over Judea as "Entharch" by Caesar Augustus. Broadly rejected, he was removed in 6-7 A.D.
He was replaced by a Roman procurator named Caponius. The legal power of the Sanhedrin was immediately restricted and the adjudication of capital cases was lost. This was normal Roman policy.7 This transfer of power is mentioned in the Talmud8 and by Josephus:
After the death of the procurator Festus, when Albinus was about to succeed him, the high priest Ananius considered it a favorable opportunity to assemble the Sanhedrin. He therefore caused James, the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, and several others, to appear before this hastily assembled council, and pronounced upon them the sentence of death by stoning. All the wise men and strict observers of the law who were at Jerusalem expressed their disapprobation of this act... Some even went to Albinus himself, who had departed to Alexandria, to bring this breach of the law under his observation, and to inform him that Aranius had acted illegally in assembling the Sanhedrin without the Roman authority.9
This remarkable passage not only mentions Jesus and His brother James as historical figures, it also underscores that the authority of the Sanhedrin had already been passed to the Romans.
Panic Reaction
When the members of the Sanhedrin found themselves deprived of their right over life and death, they covered their heads with ashes and their bodies with sackcloth, and bemoaned, "Woe unto us for the scepter has departed from Judah and the Messiah has not come!"10 They actually thought that the Torah, the Word of God, had failed! They should have known better.
The scepter had, indeed, been removed from Judah, but Shiloh had come. While the Jews wept in the streets of Jerusalem, a young son of a carpenter was growing up in Nazareth. He would present Himself as the Meshiach Nagid, Messiah the King, on the very day which had been predicted by the Angel Gabriel to Daniel five centuries earlier.11
(In fact, every detail of His life had been foretold centuries earlier.)
The Babe of Bethlehem
There is another passage that will catch our attention this Christmas season. As we recall the prophecy in Micah that prescribes that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem:
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.
Micah 5:2
This verse not only identifies the significance of Bethlehem, it also points to His eventual ruler-ship, and it also mentions His preexistence.
It is the remarkable Book of Ruth which connects the line of David with Bethlehem. As we recall this love story between Boaz (in the role of the kinsman-redeemer) and Ruth, who becomes his Gentile bride, it is interesting to consider the possibility that their fields may have been the very ones in which the shepherds were visited by angels that famous evening.12
His Political Destiny
At this moment, Jesus is sitting on His Father's Throne. The question is, will He ever sit on David's throne? Will the promise that Gabriel announced to Mary also be fulfilled? Of course. And much of what He is about to do is also predicted with the same accuracy.
As we enter the new year, we each will struggle to remember to write 2000 when we date our checks. The entire world measures its calendar from that singular, incomparable event.
The world will soon be in for a series of surprises! The world wishes it could go on without the reactionary Christians; God will soon give them what they want.
And it may come sooner than any of us realize. So as we reflect on the prospects of the coming year, let us all remember that, fundamentally, we are neither Republicans nor Democrats: we are monarchists! We look for our Coming King !
Merry Christmas and Happy New Millennium!
* * *
Sources:
1.Jeremiah 22:30; See also Footprints of the Messiah briefing package, Koinonia House, 1994.
2.Lk 3:31; 2 Sam 5:14; 1 Chr 14:4.
3.Josh MacDowell, Evidence that Demands a Verdict, pp. 108-168.
4.Ezekiel 1:5,8.
5.Targum Onkelos, Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, and Targum Yerusahlmi, The Messiah: An Aramaic Interpretation; The Messianic Exegesis of the Targum, Samson H. Levy, Hebrew Union College Jewish Institute of Religion, Cincinnati, 1974.
6.Josephus, Antiquities, 17:13.
7.This transfer of power was recorded by Josephus, Wars of the Jews, Bk 2, Ch. 8 Also, The Jerusalem Talmud, Sanhedrin, folio 24.
8.The Jerusalem Talmud, Sanhedrin, folio 24.
9.Josephus, Antiquities, 20:9.
10.Babylonian Talmud, Chapter 4, folio 37; also, Augustin Lemann, Jesus before the Sanhedrin, 1886, translated by Julius Magath, NL#0239683, Library of Congress #15-24973.
11.Daniel 9:24-27. See also Daniel's Seventy Weeks, Koinonia House, 1993.
12.Luke 2:8-20.
by Chuck Missler
One of the most familiar "Christmas Card" verses is found in Isaiah:
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 for ever.
Isaiah 9:6-7
As we mentioned earlier, David's throne didn't exist in Jesus' day. Jeconaiah was the last of David's line to sit on the throne. (Remember the blood curse on his line.1 This curse was "side-stepped" by the virgin birth. Mary was of the line of David, but through Nathan, not Solomon.2 The legal line descended through Solomon to Joseph, but not the blood curse.)
There is another remarkable prophecy-in Genesis-concerning the rulership of the tribe of Judah.
The Scepter of Judah
In Genesis 49, Jacob prophesied over each of the twelve tribes. Among these seemingly cryptic riddles, the best known one concerns the royal tribe of Judah:
The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
Genesis 49:10
The term "scepter" refers to their tribal identity and the right to apply and enforce Mosaic Laws and adjudicate capital offenses: jus gladii. It is significant that even during their 70-year Babylonian captivity (606-537 B.C.) the tribes retained their tribal identity.3 They retained their own logistics, judges, etc.4
The term "Shiloh" was understood by the early rabbis and Talmudic authorities as referring to the Messiah.5
The Scepter Departs
In 6-7 A.D., King Herod's son and successor, Herod Archelaus, was dethroned and banished to Vienna, a city in Gaul. Archelaus was the second son of Herod the Great.6 The older son, Herod Antipater, was murdered by Herod the Great, along with other family members. (It was quipped at the time that it was safer to be a dog in that household than a member of the family!) Archelaus' mother was a Samaritan (1/4 or less of Jewish blood) and was never accepted. After the death of Herod (4 B.C.?), Archelaus had been placed over Judea as "Entharch" by Caesar Augustus. Broadly rejected, he was removed in 6-7 A.D.
He was replaced by a Roman procurator named Caponius. The legal power of the Sanhedrin was immediately restricted and the adjudication of capital cases was lost. This was normal Roman policy.7 This transfer of power is mentioned in the Talmud8 and by Josephus:
After the death of the procurator Festus, when Albinus was about to succeed him, the high priest Ananius considered it a favorable opportunity to assemble the Sanhedrin. He therefore caused James, the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, and several others, to appear before this hastily assembled council, and pronounced upon them the sentence of death by stoning. All the wise men and strict observers of the law who were at Jerusalem expressed their disapprobation of this act... Some even went to Albinus himself, who had departed to Alexandria, to bring this breach of the law under his observation, and to inform him that Aranius had acted illegally in assembling the Sanhedrin without the Roman authority.9
This remarkable passage not only mentions Jesus and His brother James as historical figures, it also underscores that the authority of the Sanhedrin had already been passed to the Romans.
Panic Reaction
When the members of the Sanhedrin found themselves deprived of their right over life and death, they covered their heads with ashes and their bodies with sackcloth, and bemoaned, "Woe unto us for the scepter has departed from Judah and the Messiah has not come!"10 They actually thought that the Torah, the Word of God, had failed! They should have known better.
The scepter had, indeed, been removed from Judah, but Shiloh had come. While the Jews wept in the streets of Jerusalem, a young son of a carpenter was growing up in Nazareth. He would present Himself as the Meshiach Nagid, Messiah the King, on the very day which had been predicted by the Angel Gabriel to Daniel five centuries earlier.11
(In fact, every detail of His life had been foretold centuries earlier.)
The Babe of Bethlehem
There is another passage that will catch our attention this Christmas season. As we recall the prophecy in Micah that prescribes that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem:
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.
Micah 5:2
This verse not only identifies the significance of Bethlehem, it also points to His eventual ruler-ship, and it also mentions His preexistence.
It is the remarkable Book of Ruth which connects the line of David with Bethlehem. As we recall this love story between Boaz (in the role of the kinsman-redeemer) and Ruth, who becomes his Gentile bride, it is interesting to consider the possibility that their fields may have been the very ones in which the shepherds were visited by angels that famous evening.12
His Political Destiny
At this moment, Jesus is sitting on His Father's Throne. The question is, will He ever sit on David's throne? Will the promise that Gabriel announced to Mary also be fulfilled? Of course. And much of what He is about to do is also predicted with the same accuracy.
As we enter the new year, we each will struggle to remember to write 2000 when we date our checks. The entire world measures its calendar from that singular, incomparable event.
The world will soon be in for a series of surprises! The world wishes it could go on without the reactionary Christians; God will soon give them what they want.
And it may come sooner than any of us realize. So as we reflect on the prospects of the coming year, let us all remember that, fundamentally, we are neither Republicans nor Democrats: we are monarchists! We look for our Coming King !
Merry Christmas and Happy New Millennium!
* * *
Sources:
1.Jeremiah 22:30; See also Footprints of the Messiah briefing package, Koinonia House, 1994.
2.Lk 3:31; 2 Sam 5:14; 1 Chr 14:4.
3.Josh MacDowell, Evidence that Demands a Verdict, pp. 108-168.
4.Ezekiel 1:5,8.
5.Targum Onkelos, Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, and Targum Yerusahlmi, The Messiah: An Aramaic Interpretation; The Messianic Exegesis of the Targum, Samson H. Levy, Hebrew Union College Jewish Institute of Religion, Cincinnati, 1974.
6.Josephus, Antiquities, 17:13.
7.This transfer of power was recorded by Josephus, Wars of the Jews, Bk 2, Ch. 8 Also, The Jerusalem Talmud, Sanhedrin, folio 24.
8.The Jerusalem Talmud, Sanhedrin, folio 24.
9.Josephus, Antiquities, 20:9.
10.Babylonian Talmud, Chapter 4, folio 37; also, Augustin Lemann, Jesus before the Sanhedrin, 1886, translated by Julius Magath, NL#0239683, Library of Congress #15-24973.
11.Daniel 9:24-27. See also Daniel's Seventy Weeks, Koinonia House, 1993.
12.Luke 2:8-20.
Why A Virgin Birth?
Why a Virgin Birth?
by Chuck Missler
Every Christmas season our thoughts turn to the birth of Christ and to his mother, Mary. To some extent, we all take the nativity for granted. But why was Jesus born of a virgin? One answer, of course, is to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14: "Behold the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."
But that's more descriptive than causal: why was it necessary in the first place? There are, of course, many profound theological issues inherent in the virgin birth. One way to view this issue is to address one of the problems it solves.
The Problem
God announced very early that His plan for redemption involved the Messiah being brought forth from the tribe of Judah1, and specifically from the line of David2. The succession of subsequent kings proved to be, with only a few exceptions, a dismal chain. As the succeeding kings of Judah went from bad to worse, we eventually encounter Jeconiah (also known as Jehoiachin), upon whom God pronounces a" blood curse" :"Thus saith the Lord, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah."(Jeremiah 22:30)
This curse created a rather grim and perplexing paradox: the Messiah had to come from the royal line, yet now there was a"blood curse" on that very line of descent! (I always visualize a celebration in the councils of Satan on that day. But then I imagine God turning to His angels, saying,"Watch this one!")
The Solution
The answer emerges in the differing genealogies of Jesus Christ recorded in the gospels. Matthew, as a Levi, focuses his gospel on the Messiahship of Jesus and presents Him as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. Thus, Matthew traces the legal line from Abraham (as any Jew would) through David, then through Solomon (the . royal. line) to Joseph, the legal father of Jesus3.
On the other hand, Luke, as a physician, focuses on the humanity of Jesus and presents Him as the Son of Man. Luke traces the blood line from Adam (the first Man) through to David-- and his genealogy from Abraham through David is identical to Matthew's. But then after David, Luke departs from the path taken by Matthew and traces the family tree through another son of David (the second surviving son of Bathsheba), Nathan, down through Heli, the father of Mary, the mother of Jesus4.
Zelophehad
One should also note the exception to the law which permitted inheritance through the daughter if no sons were available and she married within her tribe5.
The daughters of Zelophehad had petitioned Moses for a special exception, which was granted when they entered the land under Joshua.
I believe it was C.I. Scofield who first noted that the claims of Christ rely upon this peculiar exception granted to the family of Zelo-phehad in the Torah. Heli, Mary's father, apparently had no sons, and Mary married within the tribe of Judah. Jesus was born of the virgin Mary, of the house and lineage of David and carrying legal title to the line, but without the blood curse of Jeconiah. [I believe that every detail in the Torah -- and the entire Bible -- has a direct link to Jesus Christ. "The volume of the book is written of me." (Psalm 40:7) [For a more detailed discussion, watch for our new book, Cosmic Codes -- Hidden Messages from the Edge of Eternity, presently in publication.]
Earlier Glimpse
This was no afterthought or post facto remedy, of course. It was first announced in the Garden of Eden when God declared war on Satan: " I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."(Genesis 3:15)
The"Seed of the Woman" thus becomes one of the prophetic titles of the Messiah. This biological contradiction is the first hint -- in the early chapters of Genesis -- of the virgin birth.
John also presents a genealogy, of sorts, of the Pre-Existent One in the first three verses of his gospel6. The Prophet Micah also highlights this:" 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."(Micah 5:2)
1.Genesis 49:10.
2.Ruth 4:22; 2 Samuel 7:11-16.
3.Matthew 1:1-17.
4.Luke 3:23-38.
5.Numbers 26:33; 27:1-11; 36:2-12; Joshua 17:3-6; 1 Chronicles 7:15.
6.John 1:1-3.
by Chuck Missler
Every Christmas season our thoughts turn to the birth of Christ and to his mother, Mary. To some extent, we all take the nativity for granted. But why was Jesus born of a virgin? One answer, of course, is to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14: "Behold the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."
But that's more descriptive than causal: why was it necessary in the first place? There are, of course, many profound theological issues inherent in the virgin birth. One way to view this issue is to address one of the problems it solves.
The Problem
God announced very early that His plan for redemption involved the Messiah being brought forth from the tribe of Judah1, and specifically from the line of David2. The succession of subsequent kings proved to be, with only a few exceptions, a dismal chain. As the succeeding kings of Judah went from bad to worse, we eventually encounter Jeconiah (also known as Jehoiachin), upon whom God pronounces a" blood curse" :"Thus saith the Lord, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah."(Jeremiah 22:30)
This curse created a rather grim and perplexing paradox: the Messiah had to come from the royal line, yet now there was a"blood curse" on that very line of descent! (I always visualize a celebration in the councils of Satan on that day. But then I imagine God turning to His angels, saying,"Watch this one!")
The Solution
The answer emerges in the differing genealogies of Jesus Christ recorded in the gospels. Matthew, as a Levi, focuses his gospel on the Messiahship of Jesus and presents Him as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. Thus, Matthew traces the legal line from Abraham (as any Jew would) through David, then through Solomon (the . royal. line) to Joseph, the legal father of Jesus3.
On the other hand, Luke, as a physician, focuses on the humanity of Jesus and presents Him as the Son of Man. Luke traces the blood line from Adam (the first Man) through to David-- and his genealogy from Abraham through David is identical to Matthew's. But then after David, Luke departs from the path taken by Matthew and traces the family tree through another son of David (the second surviving son of Bathsheba), Nathan, down through Heli, the father of Mary, the mother of Jesus4.
Zelophehad
One should also note the exception to the law which permitted inheritance through the daughter if no sons were available and she married within her tribe5.
The daughters of Zelophehad had petitioned Moses for a special exception, which was granted when they entered the land under Joshua.
I believe it was C.I. Scofield who first noted that the claims of Christ rely upon this peculiar exception granted to the family of Zelo-phehad in the Torah. Heli, Mary's father, apparently had no sons, and Mary married within the tribe of Judah. Jesus was born of the virgin Mary, of the house and lineage of David and carrying legal title to the line, but without the blood curse of Jeconiah. [I believe that every detail in the Torah -- and the entire Bible -- has a direct link to Jesus Christ. "The volume of the book is written of me." (Psalm 40:7) [For a more detailed discussion, watch for our new book, Cosmic Codes -- Hidden Messages from the Edge of Eternity, presently in publication.]
Earlier Glimpse
This was no afterthought or post facto remedy, of course. It was first announced in the Garden of Eden when God declared war on Satan: " I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."(Genesis 3:15)
The"Seed of the Woman" thus becomes one of the prophetic titles of the Messiah. This biological contradiction is the first hint -- in the early chapters of Genesis -- of the virgin birth.
John also presents a genealogy, of sorts, of the Pre-Existent One in the first three verses of his gospel6. The Prophet Micah also highlights this:" 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."(Micah 5:2)
1.Genesis 49:10.
2.Ruth 4:22; 2 Samuel 7:11-16.
3.Matthew 1:1-17.
4.Luke 3:23-38.
5.Numbers 26:33; 27:1-11; 36:2-12; Joshua 17:3-6; 1 Chronicles 7:15.
6.John 1:1-3.
Who Were The Magi?
Who Were the Magi?
by Chuck Missler
Each year, as we approach the holiday season, our preparations for Christmas include revisiting the events surrounding the birth of Our Lord. Bethlehem,1 the shepherds, and the angels are familiar to us all. But not much is generally known about the mysterious "Magi" who came to worship the infant Jesus. The following background may be helpful to stimulate conversations around the fireplace as our thoughts turn to this incredible event from which we measure our very calendar.
Traditions
Most of what we associate with the "Magi" is from early church traditions. Most have assumed there were three of them, since they brought three specific gifts (but the Biblical text doesn't number them). They are called "Magi" from the Latinized form of the Greek word magoi, transliterated from the Persian, for a select sect of priests. (Our word "magic" comes from the same root.)
As the years passed, the traditions became increasingly embellished. By the 3rd century they were viewed as kings. By the 6th century they had names: Bithisarea, Melichior, and Gathaspa. Some even associated them with Shem, Ham and Japheth-the three sons of Noah-and thus with Asia, Africa, and Europe. A 14th century Armenian tradition identifies them as Balthasar, King of Arabia; Melchior, King of Persia; and Gasper, King of India.
(Relics attributed to them emerged in the 4th century and were transferred from Constantinople to Milan in the 5th century, and then to Cologne in 1162 where they remain enshrined.)
These are interesting traditions, but what do we really know about them?
The Priesthood of the Medes
The ancient Magi were a hereditary priesthood of the Medes (known today as the Kurds) credited with profound and extraordinary religious knowledge. After some Magi, who had been attached to the Median court, proved to be expert in the interpretation of dreams, Darius the Great established them over the state religion of Persia.2 (Contrary to popular belief, the Magi were not originally followers of Zoroaster.3 That all came later.)
It was in this dual capacity, whereby civil and political counsel was invested with religious authority, that the Magi became the supreme priestly caste of the Persian empire and continued to be prominent during the subsequent Seleucid, Parthian, and Sasanian periods. 4
The Role of Daniel
One of the titles given to Daniel was Rab-mag, the Chief of the Magi.5 His unusual career included being a principal administrator in two world empires-the Babylonian and the subsequent Persian Empire. When Darius appointed him, a Jew, over the previously hereditary Median priesthood, the resulting repercussions led to the plots involving the ordeal of the lion's den.6
Daniel apparently entrusted a Messianic vision (to be announced in due time by a "star") to a secret sect of the Magi for its eventual fulfillment. But first let's review some historical background.
Political Background
Since the days of Daniel, the fortunes of both the Persian and the Jewish nation had been closely intertwined. Both nations had, in their turn, fallen under Seleucid domination in the wake of Alexander's conquests. Subsequently, both had regained their independence: the Jews under Maccabean leadership, and the Persians as the dominating ruling group within the Parthian Empire.
It was at this time that the Magi, in their dual priestly and governmental office, composed the upper house of the Council of the Megistanes (from which we get the term "magistrates"), whose duties included the absolute choice and election of the king of the realm.
It was, therefore, a group of Persian-Parthian "king makers" who entered Jerusalem in the latter days of the reign of Herod. Herod's reaction was understandably one of fear when one considers the background of Roman-Parthian rivalry that prevailed during his lifetime.
Rome on the Rise
Pompey, the first Roman conqueror of Jerusalem in 63 B.C., had attacked the Armenian outpost of Parthia. In 55 B.C. Crassus led Roman legions in sacking Jerusalem and in a subsequent attack on Parthia proper. The Romans were decisively defeated at the battle of Carrhae with the loss of 30,000 troops, including their commander. The Parthians counterattacked with a token invasion of Armenia, Syria, and Palestine.
Nominal Roman rule was reestablished under Antipater, the father of Herod, who, in his turn, retreated before another Parthian invasion in 40 B.C.
Mark Antony reestablished Roman sovereignty in 37 B.C. and, like Crassus before him, also embarked on a similarly ill-fated Parthian expedition. His disastrous retreat was followed by another wave of invading Parthians, which swept all Roman opposition completely out of Palestine (including Herod himself, who fled to Alexandria and then to Rome).
With Parthian collaboration, Jewish sovereignty was restored, and Jerusalem was fortified with a Jewish garrison.
Herod, by this time, had secured from Augustus Caesar the title of "King of the Jews." However, it was not for three years, including a five months' siege by Roman troops, that Herod was able to occupy his own capital city! Herod had thus gained the throne of a rebellious buffer state which was situated between two mighty contending empires. At any time his own subjects might conspire in bringing the Parthians to their aid. At the time of the birth of Christ, Herod may have been close to his final illness. Augustus was also aged, and Rome, since the retirement of Tiberius, was without an experienced military commander. Pro-Parthian Armenia was fomenting revolt against Rome (which was successfully accomplished within two years.)
The Tensions in Parthia
The time was ripe for another Parthian invasion of the buffer provinces, except for the fact that Parthia itself was racked by internal dissension. Phraates IV, the unpopular and aging king, had once been deposed and it was not improbable that the Persian Magi were already involved in the political maneuvering requisite to choosing his successor. It was conceivable that the Magi might be taking advantage of the king's lack of popularity to further their own interests with the establishment of a new dynasty, which could have been implemented if a sufficiently strong contender could be found.
At this time it was entirely conceivable that the Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament, culminating in the writings of Daniel, one of their own Magians, was of profound motivating significance. The promise of a divinely imposed world dominion at the hands of a Jewish monarch might be more than acceptable to them. (Their own Persian and Medo-Persian history was studded with Jewish nobles, ministers, and counselors; and in the great Achaemenid days, some of the kings themselves were of Jewish blood.)
The Entourage to Jerusalem
In Jerusalem, the sudden appearance of the Magi, probably traveling in force with all imaginable oriental pomp and accompanied by an adequate cavalry escort to insure their safe penetration of Roman territory, certainly alarmed Herod and the populace of Jerusalem.
It would seem as if these Magi were attempting to perpetrate a border incident which could bring swift reprisal from Parthian armies. Their request of Herod regarding the one who "has been born King of the Jews"7 was a calculated insult to him, a non-Jew8 who had contrived and bribed his way into that office.
Consulting his scribes, Herod discovered from the prophecies in the Tanach (the Old Testament) that the Promised One, the Messiah, would be born in Bethle-hem.9 Hiding his concern and expressing sincere interest, Herod requested them to keep him informed.
After finding the babe and presenting their prophetic gifts, the Magi "being warned in a dream" (a form of communication most acceptable to them) departed to their own country, ignoring Herod's request. (Within two years Phraataces, the parricide son of Phraates IV, was duly installed by the Magi as the new ruler of Parthia.)
Daniel's Messianic Role
Living six centuries before the birth of Christ, Daniel certainly received an incredible number of Messianic prophecies. In addition to several overviews of all of Gentile world history,10 the Angel Gabriel told him the precise day that Jesus would present Himself as King to Jerusalem.11
It is interesting that Daniel's founding of a secret sect of the Magi also had a role in having these prominent Gentiles present gifts at the birth of the Jewish Messiah.
The Christmas Gifts
The gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh were also prophetic, speaking of our Lord's offices of king, priest, and savior. Gold speaks of His kingship; frankincense was a spice used in the priestly duties; and myrrh was an embalming ointment anticipating His death.
In the Millennium, He will also receive the gifts of gold and frankincense;12 but no myrrh: His death was once and for all.
What gifts are YOU going to give Him this year? Discuss it with Him.
* * *
1.For background on Bethlehem, study the Book of Ruth, our briefing package, The Romance of Redemption, or Chuck's Expositional Commentary on Ruth and Esther.
2.Oneiromancy, not astrology, is their key skill mentioned by Herodotus, I.107, 120; VII.19.
3.Encyclopedia Britannica, 7:691.
4.Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, 4:31-34.
5.Daniel 4:9; 5:11.
6.Daniel Chapter 6.
7.Matthew 2:2.
8.Herod was Idumean (an Edomite), a traditional enemy of Israel.
9.Micah 5:2. (Revealed by Holy Scripture, not astrology.)
10.Daniel 2 and 7. See also, An Empire Reborn?.
11.Daniel 9:24-26. See also, Daniel's 70 Weeks.
12.Isaiah 60:6.
by Chuck Missler
Each year, as we approach the holiday season, our preparations for Christmas include revisiting the events surrounding the birth of Our Lord. Bethlehem,1 the shepherds, and the angels are familiar to us all. But not much is generally known about the mysterious "Magi" who came to worship the infant Jesus. The following background may be helpful to stimulate conversations around the fireplace as our thoughts turn to this incredible event from which we measure our very calendar.
Traditions
Most of what we associate with the "Magi" is from early church traditions. Most have assumed there were three of them, since they brought three specific gifts (but the Biblical text doesn't number them). They are called "Magi" from the Latinized form of the Greek word magoi, transliterated from the Persian, for a select sect of priests. (Our word "magic" comes from the same root.)
As the years passed, the traditions became increasingly embellished. By the 3rd century they were viewed as kings. By the 6th century they had names: Bithisarea, Melichior, and Gathaspa. Some even associated them with Shem, Ham and Japheth-the three sons of Noah-and thus with Asia, Africa, and Europe. A 14th century Armenian tradition identifies them as Balthasar, King of Arabia; Melchior, King of Persia; and Gasper, King of India.
(Relics attributed to them emerged in the 4th century and were transferred from Constantinople to Milan in the 5th century, and then to Cologne in 1162 where they remain enshrined.)
These are interesting traditions, but what do we really know about them?
The Priesthood of the Medes
The ancient Magi were a hereditary priesthood of the Medes (known today as the Kurds) credited with profound and extraordinary religious knowledge. After some Magi, who had been attached to the Median court, proved to be expert in the interpretation of dreams, Darius the Great established them over the state religion of Persia.2 (Contrary to popular belief, the Magi were not originally followers of Zoroaster.3 That all came later.)
It was in this dual capacity, whereby civil and political counsel was invested with religious authority, that the Magi became the supreme priestly caste of the Persian empire and continued to be prominent during the subsequent Seleucid, Parthian, and Sasanian periods. 4
The Role of Daniel
One of the titles given to Daniel was Rab-mag, the Chief of the Magi.5 His unusual career included being a principal administrator in two world empires-the Babylonian and the subsequent Persian Empire. When Darius appointed him, a Jew, over the previously hereditary Median priesthood, the resulting repercussions led to the plots involving the ordeal of the lion's den.6
Daniel apparently entrusted a Messianic vision (to be announced in due time by a "star") to a secret sect of the Magi for its eventual fulfillment. But first let's review some historical background.
Political Background
Since the days of Daniel, the fortunes of both the Persian and the Jewish nation had been closely intertwined. Both nations had, in their turn, fallen under Seleucid domination in the wake of Alexander's conquests. Subsequently, both had regained their independence: the Jews under Maccabean leadership, and the Persians as the dominating ruling group within the Parthian Empire.
It was at this time that the Magi, in their dual priestly and governmental office, composed the upper house of the Council of the Megistanes (from which we get the term "magistrates"), whose duties included the absolute choice and election of the king of the realm.
It was, therefore, a group of Persian-Parthian "king makers" who entered Jerusalem in the latter days of the reign of Herod. Herod's reaction was understandably one of fear when one considers the background of Roman-Parthian rivalry that prevailed during his lifetime.
Rome on the Rise
Pompey, the first Roman conqueror of Jerusalem in 63 B.C., had attacked the Armenian outpost of Parthia. In 55 B.C. Crassus led Roman legions in sacking Jerusalem and in a subsequent attack on Parthia proper. The Romans were decisively defeated at the battle of Carrhae with the loss of 30,000 troops, including their commander. The Parthians counterattacked with a token invasion of Armenia, Syria, and Palestine.
Nominal Roman rule was reestablished under Antipater, the father of Herod, who, in his turn, retreated before another Parthian invasion in 40 B.C.
Mark Antony reestablished Roman sovereignty in 37 B.C. and, like Crassus before him, also embarked on a similarly ill-fated Parthian expedition. His disastrous retreat was followed by another wave of invading Parthians, which swept all Roman opposition completely out of Palestine (including Herod himself, who fled to Alexandria and then to Rome).
With Parthian collaboration, Jewish sovereignty was restored, and Jerusalem was fortified with a Jewish garrison.
Herod, by this time, had secured from Augustus Caesar the title of "King of the Jews." However, it was not for three years, including a five months' siege by Roman troops, that Herod was able to occupy his own capital city! Herod had thus gained the throne of a rebellious buffer state which was situated between two mighty contending empires. At any time his own subjects might conspire in bringing the Parthians to their aid. At the time of the birth of Christ, Herod may have been close to his final illness. Augustus was also aged, and Rome, since the retirement of Tiberius, was without an experienced military commander. Pro-Parthian Armenia was fomenting revolt against Rome (which was successfully accomplished within two years.)
The Tensions in Parthia
The time was ripe for another Parthian invasion of the buffer provinces, except for the fact that Parthia itself was racked by internal dissension. Phraates IV, the unpopular and aging king, had once been deposed and it was not improbable that the Persian Magi were already involved in the political maneuvering requisite to choosing his successor. It was conceivable that the Magi might be taking advantage of the king's lack of popularity to further their own interests with the establishment of a new dynasty, which could have been implemented if a sufficiently strong contender could be found.
At this time it was entirely conceivable that the Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament, culminating in the writings of Daniel, one of their own Magians, was of profound motivating significance. The promise of a divinely imposed world dominion at the hands of a Jewish monarch might be more than acceptable to them. (Their own Persian and Medo-Persian history was studded with Jewish nobles, ministers, and counselors; and in the great Achaemenid days, some of the kings themselves were of Jewish blood.)
The Entourage to Jerusalem
In Jerusalem, the sudden appearance of the Magi, probably traveling in force with all imaginable oriental pomp and accompanied by an adequate cavalry escort to insure their safe penetration of Roman territory, certainly alarmed Herod and the populace of Jerusalem.
It would seem as if these Magi were attempting to perpetrate a border incident which could bring swift reprisal from Parthian armies. Their request of Herod regarding the one who "has been born King of the Jews"7 was a calculated insult to him, a non-Jew8 who had contrived and bribed his way into that office.
Consulting his scribes, Herod discovered from the prophecies in the Tanach (the Old Testament) that the Promised One, the Messiah, would be born in Bethle-hem.9 Hiding his concern and expressing sincere interest, Herod requested them to keep him informed.
After finding the babe and presenting their prophetic gifts, the Magi "being warned in a dream" (a form of communication most acceptable to them) departed to their own country, ignoring Herod's request. (Within two years Phraataces, the parricide son of Phraates IV, was duly installed by the Magi as the new ruler of Parthia.)
Daniel's Messianic Role
Living six centuries before the birth of Christ, Daniel certainly received an incredible number of Messianic prophecies. In addition to several overviews of all of Gentile world history,10 the Angel Gabriel told him the precise day that Jesus would present Himself as King to Jerusalem.11
It is interesting that Daniel's founding of a secret sect of the Magi also had a role in having these prominent Gentiles present gifts at the birth of the Jewish Messiah.
The Christmas Gifts
The gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh were also prophetic, speaking of our Lord's offices of king, priest, and savior. Gold speaks of His kingship; frankincense was a spice used in the priestly duties; and myrrh was an embalming ointment anticipating His death.
In the Millennium, He will also receive the gifts of gold and frankincense;12 but no myrrh: His death was once and for all.
What gifts are YOU going to give Him this year? Discuss it with Him.
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1.For background on Bethlehem, study the Book of Ruth, our briefing package, The Romance of Redemption, or Chuck's Expositional Commentary on Ruth and Esther.
2.Oneiromancy, not astrology, is their key skill mentioned by Herodotus, I.107, 120; VII.19.
3.Encyclopedia Britannica, 7:691.
4.Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, 4:31-34.
5.Daniel 4:9; 5:11.
6.Daniel Chapter 6.
7.Matthew 2:2.
8.Herod was Idumean (an Edomite), a traditional enemy of Israel.
9.Micah 5:2. (Revealed by Holy Scripture, not astrology.)
10.Daniel 2 and 7. See also, An Empire Reborn?.
11.Daniel 9:24-26. See also, Daniel's 70 Weeks.
12.Isaiah 60:6.
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