THE HISTORICAL MESSAGE OF CHRISTMAS NUMBER 2
NUMBER 2 OF A 2 PART BLOG SERIES
THE PROMISE OF THE BIRTH OF THE MESSIANIC SEED
KING DAVID’S STAR WHO WAS TO COME
December 24, 2007
In our last Blog I indicated it would be continued.
This is the second part of a two part series. In the last Blog it was stated that, by 600 B.C., Daniel described the details of what would be accomplished by the Seed from the time of his first coming to his Second Advent. He also gave the clearest picture of the Seed’s kingdom, and his saints living in it during his earthly reign of 1000 years.
Daniel 9:24 – Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
Daniel 7:13,14,27 – I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.
[14] And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. [27] And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.
We now know, of course, that his is the kingdom to which Luke referred as containing the throne of King David, upon which the Seed would set in his millennial kingdom.
Luke 1:30-33 – And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. [31] And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. [32] 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: [33] And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
Daniel’s ministry to the Babylonians, and the events of Israel’s coming King prophesied by the Old Testament Prophets up to 600 B.C., when correlated, yield some interesting results. We know that Daniel had the writings of Jeremiah, because he based his 70 weeks of chapter 9 on his prophecies. And it is more than reasonable to assume he had Isaiah and Micah’s writings, as well as others who wrote before 600 B.C. We also know he had the first five books of the Old Testament, because he quoted from Moses. I do not believe that Daniel sat around on his duff and kept God’s word secret from the Babylonians. I believe he shared the writings of God with the WISE MEN of Babylon.
After all, he was, for some time, chief of the governors over all the WISE MEN of Babylon.
Daniel 2:48 – Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon.
Daniel 5:8 – Then came in all the king’s wise men: but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof.
I believe some of these WISE MEN believed the Scriptures that Daniel said came from the God of Israel. In one of the Scriptures Moses had written was recorded a prophecy by a man who was certainly not a good prophet, but nevertheless a prophet, that is, the prophet Balaam.
Numbers 24:14-17 – And now, behold, I go unto my people: come therefore, and I will advertise thee what this people shall do to thy
people in the latter days. [15] And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said: [16] He hath said, which heard the words of God, and knew the knowledge of the most High, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open: [17] I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.
Of course, Jacob was renamed Israel by God, so both the Star and the Sceptre are associated with the same future descendant of the man Israel, which I believe was the Messiah, Jesus Christ, born King of Israel in a manger in Bethlehem, the city of David, as the son of Israel through Heli, the father of Mary. Christ w as the Seed of Isr
ael as a Lion of Judah and the Star of David. Joseph came through David’s son Solomon and Mary came through David’s son Nathan, and both of these lines met in the man Zerubbabel, to whom the following message concerning a headstone of grace was delivered by Zechariah.
Zechariah 4:7 – Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.
I Peter 2:6 – Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. [7] Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,
A new star, in many ancient cultures, was the symbol of a king’s birth, and his sceptre was the rod he carried as the symbol of his power to pass judgment, grant favors, direct battles, etc. The sceptre or scepter, when he sat on his throne, was usually positioned between his knees, and rested between his feet on the floor surface.
Amos 5:26 – But ye have borne the tabernacle of your Moloch and Chiun your images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves.
Acts 7:43 – Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan, figures which ye made to worship them: and I will carry you away beyond Babylon.
Revelation 22:16 – I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches.
I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
Hebrews 1:8 – But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
Matthew 28:18 – And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven
and in earth.
Hebrews 1:13 – But to which of the angels said he at any times, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?
When Christ returns he will cause Israel to possess the lands occupied by all those mentioned in Numbers 24:17 & 18, and Israel will claim all the Abrahamic land grant promised in Genesis 15:18, and that promised in Ezekiel 47:17 & 19. All these prophecies were in the distant future when they
were made. Balaam knew the Star who would hold the Septre was “not now,” nor was he “nigh.” But he knew the Star would one day come on the scene whose Sceptre of power would rule the world.
Numbers 24:17,18 – I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth. [18] And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies; and Israel shall do valiantly
Genesis 15:18 – In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:
Ezekiel 47:17,19 – And the border from the sea shall be Hazar-enan, the border of Damascus, and the north northward, and the border of Hamath. And this is the north side. [19] And the south side southward, from Tamar even to the waters of strife in Kadesh, the river to the great sea. And this is the south side southward.
I believe the word of God Daniel had, while in Babylonian captivity, he shared with any wise men that would listen, and they in turn taught it to their descendants. So, when a new Star finally arose to the west of their country, they immediately set out for Israel to welcome the one who was born as the King of Israel. What is truly ironic, no, rather what is tragic, is the fact that only a handful were looking for a Messianic King to come to Israel. And Herod had to send to have all the chief priests and scribes assembled to inquire of it.
Most of Israel wasn’t looking for a Messiah in 6 B.C., and most of the Gentile world is not looking for him today. The fictional tales of tradition had replaced the Scripture descriptions of his first coming, what he would be like, what he would do, and the purpose of his coming. Fictional tales have been distributed by the millions over the past 100 years, and have accelerated in the last 32 years. Many who are saved will be as unknowing of the details of his second coming as was Israel at his first coming.
Matthew 2:1-6 – Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, [2] Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. [3] When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. [4] And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. [5] And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, [6] And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
Well, Christ did not get to rule on his first trip to earth, but he will when he returns to bring in his kingdom as the Lion of Judah and the morning star of David. He will share the power of his scepter as
the morning star with the overcomers in his true churches. The overcomers of the present age in which we now serve are those who are faithful to him to the end in his churches. Many of those who are saved are not faithful after they are saved.
Their degree of faithfulness after salvation does not get them to heaven, but it does get them rewards when they arrive in heaven.
Revelation 2:25-29 – But that which ye have already hold fast till I come.
[26] And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: [27] And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. [28] And I will give him the morning star. [29] He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Is a person saved by grace through faith an overcomer of the world by the new birth? Yes, because Christ overcame the world for that person.
I John 5:4,5 – For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. [5] Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
Do all overcomers go to heaven? Yes, because they are made overcomers by faith in the one who overcame the sins of the world for them.
But the degree to which the overcomer’s soul yields to God determines the degree to which he rules with Christ in the ages to come. The pattern of yielding to God after one is made an overcomer is found in (2) and (3).
(1) Receive the word of grace in Christ to be made an overcomer.
(2) Be added to one of Christ’s churches by way of Baptism according to Scripture.
(3) Continue faithful in one of Christ’s churches as Scripture directs.
Acts 2:41,42 – Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. [42] And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
Matthew 28:19,20 – Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: [20] Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of
the world. Amen.