Glimpses of the Cross Even At His Birth
December 22, 2013
No where does the bible
say to spiritually celebrate Christ's birth as it does
his death and resurrection.
There are no holy days in the
church (Gal. 4:10).
Jesus was not born December 25th.
- Centuries ago the
church "baptized" some heathen customs of sun worship when the solstice occurred this time of year and
the days began getting longer again, and they pleased heathens and Christians
together in Rome.
- The word teaches
against combining heathen ways with the things of God.
Ezekiel. 20:7-9; 16-18; 21-22;
28-29; 20:39-41.
So, we do not worship God with
these things at Christmas time.
- But we can take
advantage of what the world does and point them to Jesus.
- One preacher told
me that since we incorporate heathen customs of Christmas into the church then we can do so with First
Nation religions, etc.
- But man put heathen
customs of Christmas into church, after the early church did nothing of the sort.
- It was never taught
in the New Testament.
- There is a message
found in Christ's birth, though.
But it is of his cross!
Luke 1:30 And the angel said unto
her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
Luke 1:31 And, behold,
thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
Luke 1:32 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:
Luke 1:33 And he shall
reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
Luke 2:7 And she
brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger;
because there was no room for them in the inn.
Luke 2:21 And when
eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which
was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
Luke 2:22 And when the
days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to
Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord;
Luke 2:23 (As it is written in the
law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the
Lord;)
Luke 2:24 And to offer
a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or
two young pigeons.
Luke 2:25 And, behold,
there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout,
waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.
Luke 2:26 And it was
revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's
Christ.
Luke 2:27 And he came
by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for
him after the custom of the law,
Luke 2:28 Then took he
him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,
Luke 2:29 Lord, now
lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:
Luke 2:30 For mine
eyes have seen thy salvation,
Luke 2:31 Which thou
hast prepared before the face of all people;
Luke 2:32 A light to
lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
There are a series of events that
occurred with Jesus after his birth that are mentioned in scripture for a reason.
- These details are
not mentioned very much when speaking of his birth, but they definitely must hold a significance
since they are distinctly mentioned in Luke.
Firstly, Jesus was named before his
birth like Solomon but not declared JESUS until His circumcision.
And this was eight days after His
birth.
- The reason
circumcision of the child occurred on the boy's eighth day was due to info found in Lev 12.
Lev 12:1 And the LORD spake unto
Moses, saying,
Lev 12:2 Speak unto the children
of Israel, saying, If a woman have conceived seed, and born a man child: then she
shall be unclean seven days; according to the days of the separation for her
infirmity shall she be unclean.
Lev 12:3 And in the eighth day
the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.
He could not be circumcised until
she was involved in purification that lasted seven days.
Luke 2:21 And when eight days
were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which
was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
Luke 2:22 And when the days of
her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to
Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord;
After these seven days, the
circumcision occurred along with 33 more days of purification.
Lev 12:4 And she shall then
continue in the blood of her purifying three and thirty days; she shall touch no hallowed
thing, nor come into the sanctuary,
until the days of her purifying be
fulfilled.
She could not come into the temple
during those next 33 days.
That is why we read:
Luke 2:21 And when eight days
were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which
was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
Luke 2:22 And when the days of
her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to
Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord;
Luke 2:23 (As it is
written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the
Lord;)
Luke 2:24 And to offer a
sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or
two young pigeons.
This occurred according to Mosaic
Law.
Lev 12:6 And when the days of
her purifying are fulfilled, for a son, or for a daughter, she shall bring a lamb of
the first year for a burnt offering, and a
young pigeon, or a turtledove, for
a sin offering, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the
priest:
Lev 12:7 Who shall offer
it before the LORD, and make an atonement for her; and she shall be cleansed from the issue
of her blood. This is the law for her
that hath born a male or a female.
Lev 12:8 And if she be not able
to bring a lamb, then she shall bring two turtles, or two young pigeons; the one
for the burnt offering, and the other for
a sin offering: and the priest
shall make an atonement for her, and she shall be clean.
Every firstborn was the Lord's
property due to the Passover events in Exodus.
Numbers 3:13 Because all the
firstborn are mine; for on the day that I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I
hallowed unto me all the firstborn in
Israel, both man and beast: mine
shall they be: I am the LORD.
Exodus 13:2 Sanctify unto me all
the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of
man and of beast: it is mine.
Compare with:
Luke 2:23 (As it is written in
the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the
Lord;)
SHALL BE CALLED HOLY is written in
Exodus as IT IS MINE.
- That is what HOLY
means.
- BELONGING TO.
So, 33 days occurred after the
circumcision and naming of Jesus before Mary could enter the temple with Joseph and
present Him to The Lord.
33 days of purification occurred.
- We have seven days
of uncleanness, followed by 33 days of purification where the first of the 33 days, the eighth day
after birth, Jesus was circumcised.
- We know Joseph was
poor because law said that the poor did not have to offer a sacrifice of a lamb, pigeon and turtle
dove, and could offer two turtle doves and two pigeons instead.
- That is what Luke
said they did.
Luke 2:24 And to offer a
sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or
two young pigeons
Then, after those 40 days, the
entered the temple and were ready to make the ritual, when SIMEON is moved by the Holy
Ghost that day to come to the temple.
Luke 2:25 And, behold, there was
a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout,
waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.
Luke 2:26 And it was revealed
unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's
Christ.
Luke 2:27 And he came by the
Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for
him after the custom of the law,
Luke 2:28 Then took he him up in
his arms, and blessed God, and said,
Luke 2:29 Lord, now lettest thou
thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:
Luke 2:30 For mine eyes have
seen thy salvation,
Luke 2:31 Which thou hast
prepared before the face of all people;
Luke 2:32 A light to lighten the
Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
When they were to GIVE JESUS TO THE
LORD because firstborn children belonged to
- The Lord being holy
to Him due to EXODUS, SIMEON shouts that Jesus is God's salvation!
- JESUS means GOD IS
MY SALVATION.
- SALVATION or
SAVIOUR.
- And Simeon is
actually fulfilling that law of presentation to God!
God promised him that he would see
the messiah before he died.
- But that could not
occur until Jesus was already alive 40 days and Mary was in seven days of uncleanness followed by 33
days of full purification so she could enter the temple.
- It's like the
actual revelation of MESSIAH occurred after those days of required purification.
- Simeon was not led
by God to the stable and manger to declare Him as Messiah!
- It had to be after
the purification.
- After the
circumcision.
And the wonderful thing about this
is that it seems to mirror the last days of Jesus on earth!
Resurrection was actually
considered Jesus' having been BEGOTTEN of the Father.
We read of a word of His King
having been begotten of God.
Psalm 2:7 I will declare the
decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
This was when God set His King upon
ZION in Psalm 2.
Acts 13 interprets that for us.
Act 13:32 And we declare unto
you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers,
Act 13:33 God hath fulfilled the
same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also
written in the second psalm, Thou art my
Son, this day have I begotten thee.
His resurrection is like having
been begotten!
- Like being BORN
AGAIN, after having been born in Bethlehem 33 years earlier.
- (Note the similar
number 33 in the time of Mary's purification)
And like the circumcision occurred
8 days after His birth, due to uncleanness for the first seven days, we read of an
eighth day after Jesus' resurrection.
We read of the resurrection day
being the first day of the week:
John 20:1 The first day of the
week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth
the stone taken away from the sepulchre.
John 20:19 Then the same day at
evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples
were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and
saith unto them, Peace be unto you.
John 20:20 And when he had so
said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when
they saw the Lord.
John 20:21 Then said Jesus to
them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.
John 20:22 And when he had said
this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:
John 20:23 Whose soever sins ye
remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.
John 20:24 But Thomas, one of
the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.
John 20:25 The other disciples
therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall
see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the
nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.
Then we read:
John 20:26 And after eight days
again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors
being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.
John 20:27 Then saith he to
Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and
thrust it into my side: and be not
faithless, but believing.
John 20:28 And Thomas
answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.
No note of Jesus being with
them for the days between the previous first day of the week and this next one.
- But he purposely
shows up on this eighth day!
- The same day after
a boy's birth when circumcision occurred.
- The same day when
the boy was NAMED!
It's like an uncleanness existed in
the embryonic stage of the church before Pentecost after Christ resurrected for
seven days with a man disbelieving for
an entire week that He actually
resurrected.
Is there any reference to the
overall forty days after His resurrection like there is after his birth when he was
presented to God as God's property?
Yes!
Act 1:1 The former treatise have
I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
Act 1:2 Until the day in which
he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto
the apostles whom he had chosen:
Act 1:3 To whom also he shewed
himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them
forty days, and speaking of the things
pertaining to the kingdom of God:
The events we read about in John 20
are part of the forty days Jesus showed Himself alive.
In fact, John said as much:
John 20:29 Jesus saith unto him,
Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not
seen, and yet have believed.
John 20:30 And many other signs
truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this
book:
John 20:31 But these are
written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that
believing ye might have life through his name.
THAT WE MIGHT BELIEVE without
having seen!
All so that we might have LIFE
through his name!
At the end of forty days when Mary
took Jesus to the temple, Simeon cried out to God that HE SAW GOD'S SALVATION!
The property of God!
All firstborn were to be given to
The Lord since they were His property!
Simeon said he finally saw God's
salvation!
God's JESUS!
40 days after His resurrection,
Jesus ascended into Heaven and truly was God's salvation!
The KING WAS ENTHRONED!
Salvation was accomplished!
Then it hit me.
- If the eighth day
saw a parallel between Christ's eighth day after resurrection, and the 40th day did the same with
Christ's presentation to the Lord as the 40th after resurrection, what about the day
of His birth?
The day of His birth, the shepherds
saw angels.
Luke 2:8 And there were in the
same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
Luke 2:9 And, lo, the angel of
the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they
were sore afraid.
Luke 2:10 And the angel said
unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall
be to all people.
Luke 2:11 For unto you is born
this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
Luke 2:12 And this shall be a
sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
Luke 2:13 And suddenly there was
with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Luke 2:14 Glory to God in the
highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
Luke 2:15 And it came to pass,
as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to
another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to
pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
Luke 2:16 And they came with
haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
The day of His resurrection, the
people saw angels.
John 20:11 But Mary stood
without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the
sepulchre,
John 20:12 And seeth two angels
in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of
Jesus had lain.
John 20:13 And they say unto
her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my
Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.
John 20:14 And when she had thus
said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.
Luke 24:1 Now upon the first day
of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the
spices which they had prepared, and
certain others with them.
Luke 24:2 And they found the
stone rolled away from the sepulchre.
Luke 24:3 And they entered in,
and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.
Luke 24:4 And it came to pass,
as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining
garments:
Luke 24:5 And as they were
afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the
living among the dead?
Luke 24:6 He is not here, but is
risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,
Luke 24:7 Saying, The Son of man
must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day
rise again.
Luke 24:8 And they remembered
his words,
Luke 24:9 And returned from the
sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest.
They found him lying in a manger
the first day of his birth, but the first day of his resurrection they did not find
Him lying...