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Introduction

“And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me” (Luk 24:44).

This edition of our Newsletter seeks to present some prophecies about the life of Christ Jesus that were told by the Old Testament Prophets, and how they have been fulfilled.

The Virgin Birth of Christ

“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isa 7:14). This scripture speaks of the birth of Jesus as cited in the book of Matthew where the meaning of the name ´Emmanuel´ is explained as “God with us” (Mat 1:23).

It is read that an Angel appeared to a virgin by named Mary in Nazareth. The Angel informed her that she shall conceive and bear a son and call his name Jesus. It was again declared by the Angel that ” He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end” (Luk 1:26-33).

The promise was to a virgin, but according to Webster, being a virgin does not necessarily mean a woman who has had no carnal knowledge of a man, but it could also imply a young woman of marriageable age. This makes it difficult for unbelievers to accept that Mary was a virgin. Some people believe that Mary was a rape victim, but the story of the birth of Jesus was cooked up only to cover up her shame. Isaiah would ask “Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? (Isa 53:1).

The virgin birth of Christ is not doubtful. Because, when Mary was told of God´s plan for her,  she wanted to know how it was going to happen since she had not slept with any man (Luk 1:34). She did not tell a lie because the Angel already knew of her virginity. To work against all odds and Natural Science, the Angel told her, “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God” (Luk 1:35).

The truth is that denial of the virgin birth of Christ, is a complete rejection of the Divinity of Christ, a foundation that holds the Christian faith in place. Those who deny the virgin birth of Christ are apostates. It is evident, “By this, you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the antichrist you heard is coming, and even now is already in the world” (1Joh 4:2-3).

Emmanuel: God with us

As indicated above, the name of the Son of God was to be ´Emmanuel´ (Isa 7:14) which means “God with us” (Mat 1:23). This makes some people ask that “If the Bible is consistent, why one says Emmanuel and another says, Jesus”? It should be known to all, that, the Holy Bible does not contradict itself. `Emmanuel´ simply means God has come down to us in a fleshly form. That is, in the person of Christ Jesus, to live with us. It is read that:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (Joh 1:1) “And the Word became flesh, and tabernacled among us. And we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and of truth” (Joh 1:14).

God came down and tabernacled or dwelled among us, thus fulfilling the meaning of Emmanuel.

Conclusion

The Books of the Prophets explicitly testify and reveal the entire life of Christ to humanity before His incarnation. One clear example is His virgin birth. The Bible is clear on what it teaches, but humans have forced it to support their own preconceived or misconceived ideas and beliefs, even where it does not actually mean what they think.

Prayer: Dear Lord God, may your Holy Spirit guide and help us to understand and accept your word as you would want us to comprehend it. In the name of Christ Jesus, our Lord. AMEN!

Introduction

In the book of Numbers, Moses was instructed to raise a brazen serpent on a tree. In this essay, the significance of this act is discussed.

The Brazen Serpent

The people of Israel complained about their long journey through the wilderness to the promised land, and they spoke against God and Moses. The anger of God was, therefore, kindled against them (Num 21:1-5). Because of this,

“The LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; much people of Israel died. Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten when he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived” (Num 21:6-9).

It was only those individuals who looked unto the brazen serpent in faith that got healed. This image that was lifted up by Moses was not to be a permanent object of worship. It was to bring temporal deliverance to those who looked at it in faith. But the Israelites decided to worship it until it was destroyed by Hezekiah (2Ki 18:4). Therefore, it is only the lifted Christ who brings eternal salvation to mankind ought to be worshipped eternally, as detailed below.

The Crucified Christ

Jesus applies the above scripture to himself. This is evidenced in His words in the passage that reads:

“And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so, must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life” (Joh 3:13-15).

Moses did not explicitly write that the Christ would go through this mode of suffering and death on the cross, but it looked into the future redemption of humankind. It has been established that salvation is not found in any object, creed, religion or person (Acts 4:4) but it is obtained only by grace through faith in Christ Jesus (Eph 2:8). It must be stated that Christ Jesus is not an alternative way to heaven, but the only way to heaven (Joh 14:6). Every individual who desires to be saved must look unto Christ Jesus (Isa 45:22).

Conclusion

The Book of Moses is a shadow of that which was to come to save the world from sin and death, but the reality is Christ. The brazen serpent was only a shadow of Christ who has brought complete freedom to those who believe in Him. Thus, all people need to look up to Jesus Christ in faith to be saved.

Prayer: May the Lord God favor all of us and help us to come to His saving knowledge. In the name of Christ Jesus, our Lord. AMEN!