2021 Nov-Dec Zion's Fire Magazine

A Classic Collection of Articles

by Marvin J. Rosenthal n

In His Image

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A Word of Hope

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The Incarnation

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In the Fullness of Time

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Unto His Own

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Forsaken

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This Is the Day Which the Lord Hath Made Of Him, Through Him, to Him

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NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2021 TABLE OF CONTENTS VOL . 32, NO.6

Divine Design: God’s Master Plan for Planet Earth A Classic Collection of Articles by Marvin J. Rosenthal

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Part 1 – In His Image

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Part 2 – A Word of Hope

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Part 3 – The Incarnation

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Part 4 – In the Fullness of Time

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Part 5 – Unto His Own

Zion’s Fire (ISSN 1052-2301, USPS 005423) is published bimonthly by Zion’s Hope, Inc., 146 West Plant Street, Suite 300, Winter Garden, FL 34787-3136.

Periodicals postage paid at Winter Garden, FL and additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Zion’s Hope, Inc., P.O. Box 783369 Winter Garden, FL 34778-3369 Printed in the USA by Print By Design, Inc. All photos, unless otherwise noted, are © by Shutterstock.com

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Part 6 – Forsaken

Our Purpose and Passion

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Part 7 – This Is the Day Which the Lord Hath Made

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Part 8 – Of Him, Through Him, to Him

Zion’s Fire Magazine Zion’s Fire is a publication of Zion’s Hope. © Copyright 2021 by Zion’s Hope, Inc., P.O. Box 783369 Winter Garden, FL 34778-3369

Production Staff Editor-in-Chief: Editor-in-Chief Emeritus: Graphic Design:

Copy Editors:

David Rosenthal Marvin Rosenthal Catherine LeMand Michael Feland Cheryl Philips Marbeth Rosenthal Michael Ufferman David Ettinger

Subscriptions A one-year subscription is $20. A two-year subscription is $30. Add $10 per year for foreign subscriptions.

407-654-ZION (9466) • 1-888-781-ZION (9466)

Identification

Zion’s Hope is a Bible-based ministry whose purpose is to proclaim to Jewish and Gentile people throughout the world their need for personal salvation through Jesus, the Messiah of Israel. We’re also committed to helping Christians grow in their understanding of biblical prophecy and the importance of Israel in God’s plan for the Last Days. To that end, we teach Scripture in its historical, geographical, and cultural context to prepare God’s people for end-time events and the return of Jesus Christ.

Giving

Your generous support for the ministry of Zion’s Hope is greatly appreciated. All donations will generate a tax-deductible receipt.

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The climactic, crowning act of God in creation was the creation of the human race. Created last in time, human beings were first in importance. To men and women were given the divine right to be rulers of the earth.

For many, “hope” is simply the balancing of probabilities. “I hope it doesn’t rain today” – but it might. In contrast, when the Creator of all things extends to humanity a word of “hope,” it is certain, absolute, and unalterable.

The birth of God’s Son was no accident. The Creator of all things is never caught off-guard. God does not respond to human events; He superintends them. Nowhere is this divine omniscience more clearly seen than in the birth of Jesus.

Love prompted God to become a man. This was no idle whim or last-minute effort to save humanity. In perfect timing God sent His Son to Earth. The Bible refers to this perfect timing as “the fulness of time” (Galatians 4:4).

Since Jesus was the rightful heir to the throne of David, Jesus offered Himself exclusively to the Jewish people as their King. For this reason, He told His disciples to “go not into the way of the Gentiles” (Matthew 10:5).

If loneliness is tragic, to be forsaken is far worse. “Forsaken” means “to be left; to be utterly abandoned.” Jesus was forsaken to a degree that no other man has ever known – He was forsaken utterly and utterly forsaken.

Did you think our Lord was caught unawares by Calvary?

Not at all. Jesus knew He would soon suffer and die. He knew His death would bring redemption to multitudes who, through the ages, would put their trust in Him. God is to be glorified. But how? Since the ultimate purpose for humanity’s existence is to glorify God, then an understanding of what that glory is should be our highest intellectual pursuit, and its outworking our greatest priority.

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Dear Beloved Friend of Zion’s Hope, I know your time is valuable. May I ask you to take a few minutes to read this letter through to the end? I’d like to share some important things with you.

The ongoing national paper shortage, which began in the fourth quarter of 2021, has created a significant challenge for us as we’ve sought to distribute ministry resources and communicate vital information to you. Approximately one-half of our ministry friends and subscribers to Zion’s Fire magazine either do not receive communication through digital means, or haven’t provided us their email addresses.

If you’re reading this issue of Zion’s Fire online, and you’ve not received a printed copy of Zion’s Fire in your mailbox for some time, please know we are doing all we can to rectify this problem.

My Dad Has Graduated to Glory With paper in short supply, I’m grateful for the opportunity to express my heart to you, but I do have some sad news to share.

My family and our ministry team here at Zion’s Hope experienced a great loss at the start of the year. In January, my father Marv Rosenthal, the Founder and President Emeritus of Zion’s Hope, graduated to glory to meet his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Though we are saddened by our loss, we are not sorrowing as the unsaved who have no hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13). On the contrary, we rejoice in the absolute certainty that he is in the presence of the God he loved.

Over the past several years, as my father’s health was in decline, I had the privilege of directing (at least in practical terms) the day-to-day ministry operation of Zion’s Hope. And then, in early 2021, under the Lord’s guidance, our Board of Directors saw fit to officially entrust me with the leadership responsibilities of this ministry. I am excited and humbled by the opportunity to build upon my father’s legacy.

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A Commemorative Issue In commemoration of his lifetime of faithful ministry service to the Lord, we’ve assembled a classic collection of insightful biblical articles penned by my father in past years, and included them for your edification in this special, expanded issue of Zion’s Fire magazine. This issue is intentionally different from anything we’ve done before.

Its clean, simplistic design is intended to emphasize the unity and continuity of the articles without distracting from their valuable content. I genuinely believe each article – and the collection as a whole – will minister to your soul.

Since my dad’s passing, my heart has been moved by the outpouring of love and support received from many friends of this ministry.

By God’s grace, and through your fervent prayers and faithful support of Zion’s Hope, I am confident He will bless our efforts as we reach out to our Jewish brethren with the Good News of Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus the Messiah).

In His Service and for His Glory,

David Rosenthal President, Zion’s Hope EDITOR’S NOTE: The November-December 2021 issue of Zion’s Fire was originally intended to be a special, expanded issue containing a classic collection of articles written by Marvin Rosenthal. Since this issue was not printed prior to the end of the year due to the ongoing paper shortage, our editorial team made the decision to announce the passing of Marvin Rosenthal (which occurred on January 8, 2022) and to include information related to his Memorial Service in this issue of the magazine.

The Memorial Service for Marvin J. Rosenthal Shortly after my father’s passing, we hosted a Memorial and Celebration of Life Service to glorify our Heavenly Father, honor my dad, and reflect on his years of faithfulness to the Lord. If you were not able to watch the live-stream of the Memorial, I invite you to watch the recording now and share it with a friend. You may view it online at www.ZionsHope.org or by visiting our Zion’s Hope YouTube channel.

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Every crushed heart, every broken body, every disturbed mind — the collective tears of the human race can trace their roots back to the sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

INHIS IMAGE And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them (Genesis 1:26-27).

People were created to proclaim

with their mouths

and demonstrate

with their lives

the intrinsic, eternal perfections of God and to enjoy Him forever.

The climactic, crowning act of God in creation was the creation of the human race.

Created last in time, human beings were first in importance. To men and women were given the divine right to be rulers of the earth. They were to have dominion – to give names to the animal creation – to rule and reign.

From among all of creation, only Adam and Eve were fashioned in the image and likeness of God. That is, they possessed mind, heart, and will – intellectual capability, emotional capability, and volitional capability. Adam and Eve could think God’s thoughts after Him, respond to God’s love, and do God’s bidding. The potential for an intimate, satisfying, eternal relationship with God, the Potter, was fashioned into the bosom of humanity, the clay. People were created to proclaim with their mouths and demonstrate with their lives the intrinsic, eternal perfections of God and to enjoy Him forever.

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It is in this solitary fact that men and women are set apart from and infinitely higher than the animal creation. It is this same fact which gives to humanity its dignity, nobility, and worth. Animals can think, feel, and do. Like people, they possess intellectual, emotional, and volitional capability, but this capability can only be exercised with great limitation horizontally toward the finite world. It cannot be exercised vertically toward the infinite God. Because human beings were created with the potential for a perfect and eternal relationship with God, the worth and dignity of humanity can only be understood to the degree that the greatness of God is comprehended. The psalmist wrote: By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.

He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him (Psalm 33:6-8).

Put negatively, if God is relegated to the position of being an opiate for the masses; if belief in a Creator is scoffed at as being the result of blind, unreasonable, and unreasoning faith; if people are simply the product of billions of years of evolution beginning with

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some unknown gasses or primeval slime and mud; then humanity is not to be significantly distinguished from the animal world from which it supposedly sprang, and life loses purpose and worth.

So why not war? What’s a few hundred million lives in this overpopulated world of almost 8 billion? Let the bombs fall! And why not drugs? How important is it that a mind is destroyed and a body ruined? And why not physical crime? What’s the big deal if a man is killed or a woman is violated?

And why not a permissive society? After all, if there is no eternal God, surely there are no eternal principles of morality. And why not corrupt government and self-seeking politicians, many of whose primary concern is to perpetuate their power and longevity?

Never mind that millions of people are ripped off. And why not terminate a pregnancy? Who’s really hurt if an unwanted child is never born? If humanity is not to be distinguished from the animal, why not live like the animal?

And this is exactly where we are today.

Humanity has long ago lost its way, and life is dirt cheap. The human race is like a blind man in a dark room looking for a black cat that isn’t there, and unless the human race realizes it was created in the image of God, that people are individual beings, that they are accountable to their Creator, it will continue to sail its broken craft on a sea of despair and hopelessness, often unwilling to admit it has no map or compass for the journey. Its heart will continue to itch, but it won’t know how to scratch it.

The enormity of humanity’s need is only heightened by the reality that a sure remedy is available – available to all – free of charge. It is available for the reaching out and taking. However, with limited exceptions, most refuse to break the chains of pride that bind and acknowledge accountability to a higher Being. In the words of a once-popular song: “I did it my way!” without giving thought to the fact that if God should withhold the ability to breathe for but a few minutes, people would fall prone on their faces dead.

But make no mistake about it; humanity’s dilemma is of its own making.

Humanity is not a super-sophisticated

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computer that can only print out what was programmed in. Having created men and women in His own image with the ability to choose, God gave the human race a choice. One tree in the midst of the Garden of Eden – the tree of the knowledge of good and evil – was not to be eaten from.

Disobedience would bring death. God, in essence, told Adam and Eve:

Written by

Marvin J. Rosenthal

“Do you understand with your mind?”

If so, don’t eat.

“Can you feel with your heart?”

If so, don’t eat.

“Will you obey with your will?”

If so, don’t eat.

Adam and Eve chose to eat, and as the federal heads and, therefore, official representatives of humanity, they brought sin into the world. With sin came its inseparable companions of decay, weeds, pollution, disease, corruption, and death. Every crushed heart, broken body, disturbed mind – the collective tears of the human race – can trace their roots back to the sin of Adam and Eve. With that sin a chasm separated a God whose holiness is as a consuming fire and a people who, born with a sinful nature, commit sinful acts. If left to its just desserts, the epitaph over the human race could be written in a few words:

Humanity has long ago lost its way,

and life is dirt cheap.

World, here lies the man, Created to reign, He disobeyed God, Life was all in vain.

However, God did not leave humanity to its own just desserts. Instead, the all-powerful Creator revealed His eternal plan of redemption, a plan so simple the most unlearned can comprehend it. It is so profound the most educated cannot exhaust it. It is so loving that eternity itself will not be sufficient to proclaim it. It is so powerful no force in Heaven or Earth can withstand it. It is so mysterious it would take a Lamb that will one day roar like a Lion to unfold it.

Humanity’s extremity became God’s opportunity. u

The enormity of humanity’s need is only heightened by the reality that

a sure remedy is available –

available to all –

free of charge.

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Sin had entered front and center onto the stage of human history. Man’s image in the likeness of his Creator was marred, his fellowship with God broken, his right to rule as king over the earth forfeited – he was about to be expelled from the Garden of Eden to start his long, lonely, futile walk across the centuries. It was mankind’s darkest hour.

A WORD of HOPE F

or many people, “hope” is simply the balancing of probabilities. A man wants to play golf. He looks out the window and says, “I hope it doesn’t rain today” – but he knows it might. A college coed shares a concern with her roommate: “I hope I passed the exam” – but she knows she may have failed.

Sometimes hope is used as a synonym for despair. After visiting a terminally ill patient, a loved one remarks, “All she has left is hope.” That is, everything has been done which can be done, and only a miracle can delay the inevitable march toward death.

In marked contrast, when the Creator of all things extends to humanity a word of “hope,” it is certain, absolute, and unalterable, because God’s word of promise is rooted in His unchanging character and infinite arm of power.

GOD’S WORD of promise is rooted in His unchanging character and infinite arm of power.

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Sin had entered front and center onto the stage of human history. Humanity’s image in the likeness of its Creator was marred, its fellowship with God broken, its right hand to rule as monarchs of the earth forfeited – it was bound to be expelled from the Garden of Eden to start its long, lonely, futile walk across the centuries. It was humanity’s darkest hour. And, in the darkness of that hour, an eternal God, who does not change, gave to men and women a word of hope. Like a flaming meteor, it lit up the darkness of night to point to a glorious day. The hope was couched in the promise that a personality would one day appear. His coming would have three objectives: 1) to make it possible for men and women to be restored to the image of God with a mind that could think God’s thoughts, a heart which could respond to God’s love, and a will with which to do God’s bidding; 2) to recapture humanity’s lost destiny as monarchs of the earth; and

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Divine Design: A Word of Hope

3) to defeat Satan, the fallen angelic being who, through the serpent, beguiled Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

This promised Redeemer would be neither cherub nor seraph – a being from the angelic sphere would not do. God’s word of hope specifically referred to the Seed of a woman (Genesis 3:15). It was human beings who caused humanity’s dilemma – it would be a Man who resolved it: the God-Man. The God of creation, the God of eternity, the God who is all-knowing and all-powerful, knew the promised Seed could not be deterred from the divinely appointed task. And soon, in the active will of God, a man was summoned from Ur of the Chaldees in the Mesopotamian Valley. The “state religion” of Ur was idolatry. But for some reason, this man believed in the one true God. Abram, whose name would later be changed to Abraham, would become the first “Hebrew,” coming from a root word probably meaning “to cross over.”

In obedience to God, Abraham left his homeland and “crossed over” the Euphrates River on his way to the land of promise.

Through this man, God would begin a new nation. He would provide a land for this nation. Through this nation in this land, God would provide the Seed – the Seed promised in Genesis 3:15 – the Seed which could meet every need of the human heart for time and eternity. Because this Seed would one day deal Satan a fatal head wound, the destruction of the “chosen” people to prevent this Seed from being born would be one of Satan’s most vigorous undertakings. It is for this reason God said to Abraham and his descendants, “And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee” (Genesis 12:3). The welfare of humanity is inseparably woven into the fabric of the spiritual and physical well-being of the Jewish people.

God did not choose the Jewish people because they were a large nation. He said through Moses, “The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people” (Deuteronomy 7:7). Nor did He choose them because they were righteous, for He

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said, “Understand therefore, that the Lord thy God giveth thee not this good land to possess for thy righteousness; for thou art a stiffnecked people” (Deuteronomy 9:6).

God is sovereign in His universe. He doesn’t come down in the still of the night and call for a committee meeting. He doesn’t ask for national elections. He doesn’t ask humanity’s permission to execute His plan.

God does things according to His own good pleasure, and unless humanity realizes God is sovereign in His universe, it will always build its castles on foundations of sand, certain to eventually collapse.

God does things according to His own good pleasure, and unless humanity realizes God is sovereign in His universe, it will always build its castles on foundations of sand, certain to eventually collapse.

GOD CHOSE ISRAEL BECAUSE HE

CHOSE THEM. God chose Israel because He chose them. However, once He did, she became “the apple of his eye” (Zechariah 2:8), and woe unto angels, nations, or individuals who, knowingly or unknowingly, seek to frustrate the divine design for human redemption. The continuous, relentless persecution of the Jewish people has not been the result of abrasive character, disproportionate wealth, or great influence, but a satanic attempt to defeat God and His plan of redemption for fallen humanity. Make no mistake about it: Satan will fail!

The universe didn’t just happen; God created it. He placed the stars into space, spoke the earth into existence, fashioned Adam from the dust of the earth and breathed into him the breath of life, and from Adam’s rib God formed woman. It ought not, therefore, seem impossible or be thought unreasonable that when Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah 90, a miraculous child should be born to the godly couple. The child was Isaac, the second son

. . . once He did, she became “the apple of his eye” Zechariah 2:8

The universe didn’t just happen; God created it.

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God said, “. . . in Isaac shall thy seed be called” (Genesis 21:12).

of Abraham, and the Lord made it clear that Isaac, the second-born, would have the right of heirship. God said, “… in Isaac shall thy seed be called” (Genesis 21:12).

In manhood, Isaac and his beautiful wife Rebekah were the proud parents of twin sons. Perhaps never were twins more dissimilar. They were dissimilar in appearance – the elder was ruddy and hairy, the younger son was not. They were dissimilar in lifestyles – the elder son was a great hunter and a man of the field, the young son was a plain man dwelling in tents. They were dissimilar in that the elder son lived for the moment, and the younger son lived for the promise of the future. They were dissimilar in that the elder son was the object of Isaac’s affection, the younger son

gave them his “last will and testament,” forecasting what would befall each of the 12 tribes of Israel. To his fourth-born son, he said, “The scepter shall not depart from Judah” (Genesis 49:10). The scepter was the emblem of the King, and Jacob was saying that the promised Seed would come through the tribe of Judah and not the other 11 tribes.

And so men and women looked, waited, wondered, and prayed for the One who alone could satisfy every requirement of the human race. Hundreds of years passed and it appeared God had forgotten His promise of a Redeemer or, worse, was powerless to bring His plan to fruition.

However, God was neither forgetful nor impotent.

. . .ISAAC AND HIS BEAUTIFUL WIFE REBEKAH WERE THE

PROUD PARENTS OF TWIN SONS. Perhaps never were twins more dissimilar.

With the passing of time, Jacob had 12 sons, and the 12 sons became the respective heads of the 12 tribes of Israel which bore their names.

of Rebekah’s love. They were dissimilar in that their stations in life were reversed – Esau, the older, was the heir-apparent, the one through whom the “promised Seed” should have come; but God declared, “… the elder shall serve the younger” (Genesis 25:23). Jacob, therefore, would be the lineage through which the promised Seed would come.

With the passing of time, Jacob had 12 sons, and the 12 sons became the respective heads of the 12 tribes of Israel which bore their names. How would the promised Seed be recognized when He appeared? For what good would it be to have the promise of a Redeemer but not be able to identify Him when He came into the world? Therefore, God continued to blaze a trail men and women of faith could follow. On his deathbed, Jacob summoned his 12 sons and

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With perfect precision and right on schedule, God reached down to a young lad who was the keeper of his father’s sheep.

This lad would become the king of Israel.

He was the 10th generation of the tribe of Judah – the tribe through which the promised Seed would come. His name was David, and it would be under him and his son Solomon that Israel would reach its zenith of power and glory, a glory unequaled in the past 3,000 years. God made a remarkable promise to David: And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. … And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy

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KING DAVID . . . UNDERSTOOD THE SEED OF THE WOMAN, PROMISED IN GENESIS 3:15. . .

Divine Design: A Word of Hope

throne shall be established for ever (2 Samuel 7:12, 16).

King David was so overwhelmed by the divine promise that, in characteristic humility, he responded: Who am I, O Lord God? and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto? … Wherefore thou art great, O Lord God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears. … And now, O Lord God, the word that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant, and concerning his house, establish it for ever, and do as thou hast said (2 Samuel 7:18, 22, 25).

King David rightly understood the Seed of the woman, promised in Genesis 3:15 – the Seed that would meet every need of the human race; the Seed that would come through his father Abraham, through Isaac not Ishmael, through Jacob not Esau, through Judah and not the other 11 tribes – was to come into the world through his family. What a glorious privilege was his!

Once more, long and seemingly endless centuries passed with sufferings and groanings, with dispersion and restoration of the chosen race. And somehow, miraculously, they were neither annihilated nor assimilated. Marching armies couldn’t stamp them out, and surrounding nations couldn’t integrate them. They were, as God had decreed, the indestructible Jewish people (Jeremiah 31:31-40). Then, when

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. . . the Seed that would meet every need of the human race . . .

everything was ready – in “the fulness of the time” (Galatians 4:4), which means at God’s precise moment – God sent His Son into the world. Miraculously born of the virgin Mary and, therefore, without the Adamic sin nature which was passed on to all of humanity through the earthly biological father, the Seed of the woman was now physically present among humanity. The endless dreams, hopes, and needs of suffering humanity could now find their solution in Him. Clearly, it was the noon hour of the human race.

The eternal God was now present among His creation. Now Satan could be defeated, fellowship between God and humanity could be restored, and God’s glorious kingdom could be established.

This unparalleled event is recorded in the first verse of the first chapter of the first book of the New Testament. It simply and sublimely states, “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” With Christ’s advent, the outlook for humanity never loomed brighter than it did at that moment. The Hope of the Ages was now present with the virgin birth of an infant Babe, dressed in swaddling clothes, born in a stable in the “little town of Bethlehem.” u

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To suggest mere men maneuvered and manipulated to make the myriad of events surrounding the birth of Christ fit the Old Testament pattern is ludicrous. Far easier would it be to disassemble a complex watch, throw the dismembered parts into a running clothes dryer, and believe in due course, given enough time, the watch would be whole, running, and on time — to the very second.

THE INCARNATION D

All men and women are born to live;

Jesus was born to die.

uring the course of human history, there have been many great individuals. A few, such as George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, have their birthdays remembered because those days have become national holidays.

None, however, have both their birth and death commemorated – none, that is, except for Jesus Christ.

In December, millions of people the world over remember His birth. In March or April, the same multitudes reflect on His death. All men and women are born to live; Jesus was born to die. His unique birth gives inexhaustible meaning and infinite worth to His death. The two are inseparable.

Each December, men and women look back more than 2,000 years to the birth of the Son of God. However, for more than 4,000 years, men and women living on the other side of the incarnation eagerly looked forward to this same event.

The birth of God’s Son was no accident; it was not the result of unforeseen or uncontrollable events. The all-knowing Creator and Sustainer of all things is never

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caught off-guard. God does not respond to human events; He superintends them.

Nowhere is this divine omniscience more clearly seen than in the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The eternal God, through the prophets of Israel, gave clear, detailed prophecies concerning the promised Seed who was to one day step onto the stage of human history. It has been stated that the Messiah had to come through the seed of Abraham, through the tribe of Judah, and through the family of David. Additionally, He had to have the legal right to the throne of David (Isaiah 9:7), be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14), be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), and be God (Isaiah 9:6). These identifying characteristics were clear, undeniable, and penned more than 500 years before Christ was born.

The Old Testament is replete with satanically inspired attempts to destroy the bloodline of the promised Messiah. Among them, the intermarriage of the “sons of God” and the “daughters of men” (Genesis 6:2) was an attempt to corrupt the human

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D i v i n e D e s i g n : T H E IN C A RN A T ION

race and prevent the coming of the Seed.

The decree of Pharaoh to kill all the newborn male children among the Jews (Exodus 1:22), the attempt of Athaliah to exterminate the royal seed (2 Kings 11:1), and the Egyptian, Assyrian, and Babylonian captivities with the attendant dangers of assimilation of the Jewish people were all attempts to keep the promised Seed from His appointed task.

Many times it appeared the coming of a Messiah who could meet the required conditions had been rendered impossible.

However, with infinite power, God overruled humanity’s wickedness and actually used it to serve His plan for human redemption. God made two unchangeable and irrevocable promises to King David.

First, He promised the throne of David would be everlasting and, second, that his physical Seed would sit on his throne (2 Samuel 7:16). David was unconditionally promised that lineal descendants of his would be preserved to sit upon the throne.

Ultimately, these promises would find fulfillment in the person of the Messiah – David’s greater Son. The Bible declares David had several sons. However, the legal right to sit upon the throne passed to only one of them, Solomon (1 Kings 1:30). Only those who were of the kingly throne inherited throne rights. Put another way, it was possible to be a physical descendant of David and yet have no legal right to sit upon the throne of Israel.

The first chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, written primarily to the Jewish population of the first century, lists the descendants of David who were in the royal lineage. This genealogy terminates with Joseph, the betrothed husband of Mary (Matthew 1:16). The 14th descendant of David in the royal lineage was a king called Jeconiah (Coniah). However, because of sin, God pronounced a curse upon Jeconiah: “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 placed on Jeconiah by God did not say he would never have any

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children, but that none of his descendants would “prosper” and fully occupy the throne of David. Here, then, was an apparently insoluble problem: those who had the legal right to the throne were barred from occupying it by the curse of Jeconiah.

Joseph, the espoused husband of Mary, was a direct descendant of Jeconiah. This means that, although Joseph inherited the legal right to the throne of David because he was of the kingly line of Solomon, he could not sit upon the throne because he came under the curse placed upon the descendants of Jeconiah. The implication is clear, critical, and irrefutable: if Jesus had been the biological son of Joseph, He too would come under the curse pronounced upon Jeconiah’s seed and would not be able to sit upon the throne of David and rule over Israel.

This posed a humanly impossible dilemma. Three main conditions had to be met to substantiate authenticity of the Messiah. These conditions appeared impossible to fulfill:

A Recommended Resource for Further Study

myth or miracle See Product Description on page 19

1. Jesus had to be a LINEAL descendant of David (in order to fulfill God’s promise to David that his Seed would sit upon the throne).

2. He also had to be the LEGAL son of Joseph in order to inherit the right to sit upon the throne of David.

3. Yet, He could not be the physical son of Joseph without coming under God’s curse on Jeconiah.

Had the inspired penmen written themselves into a trap with no possible way of escape? And since they claimed divine inspiration, was God Himself in error and impotent? Could such an apparent dilemma ever be resolved?

Indeed it could! However, it could only be resolved by an infinite God who solved the problem by the miracle of the virgin birth. In Matthew 1, the genealogy of David is traced to Joseph. Jesus, however, was not the biological son of Joseph. This can be stated with certainty because, at the time of the birth of Jesus, Joseph had never known Mary as his wife (Matthew 1:25). Jesus was,

... if Jesus had been the biological son of Joseph,

He too would come under the curse

pronounced upon Jeconiah’s seed and would not be able to sit upon the throne of David and rule over Israel.

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Mary was a direct descendant of David,

not through the lineage of King Solomon, upon whom the curse of Jeconiah fell, but through another son of David named Nathan.

however, the legal son of Joseph and thereby inherited the right to the throne of David.

Jesus was the legal son of Joseph even though He was not his biological son. One condition, however, still posed a problem.

The prophets of Israel proclaimed the Messiah would be a lineal descendant of David. Was this condition met?

The answer is found in the Gospel of Luke, where the family tree of Mary, the mother of Jesus, is recorded. Mary was a direct descendant of David, not through the lineage of King Solomon, upon whom the curse of Jeconiah fell, but through another son of David named Nathan (Luke 3:23-31).

Therefore, the curse of Jeconiah did not affect Mary or her actual son.

Let’s summarize. Jesus was the LINEAL son of Mary and, therefore, a direct descendant of David. In Jesus, God’s promise to David (that he would always have a son to sit upon his throne) is fulfilled. Jesus was the LEGAL son of Joseph and thereby inherited the legal right to sit on the throne of David.

However, he was not the BIOLOGICAL son of Joseph and thereby escaped the curse on Jeconiah.

This was, of course, all made possible by the miraculous virgin birth of the Son of God. The virgin birth is not an option to be considered, but a truth to be believed. It is an essential part of the redemptive story.

Now, the question must be asked: Who worked out this amazing and wonderful mosaic of circumstances? To suggest mere men and women maneuvered and manipulated to make the myriad of events surround the birth of Christ fit the Old Testament pattern is ludicrous. It would be far easier to dissemble a complex watch, throw the dismembered parts into a running clothes dryer, and believe that in due course, given enough time, the watch would be whole, running, and on time – to the very second!

Design requires a designer. In the case of the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal God moved the events of the centuries to bring His Son onto the stage of human history exactly as He had promised. There is no intellectually honest alternative and no greater evidence of the faithfulness of God to His Word, which has been forever “settled in heaven” (Psalm 119:89). u

FATHER ABRAHAM Genesis 12:1-3

In the case of the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal

God moved the events of the centuries to bring His Son onto the stage

The Family of David 2 Samuel 7:16 The Messiah was to be

Born of a Virgin Isaiah 7:14

This was fulfilled

Through Mary, the Mother of the Lord Luke 1:30-33

of human history exactly as He had promised.

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The Tribe of Judah Genesis 49:10

The Messiah was to come from

Born in Bethlehem Micah 5:2

God in the Flesh Isaiah 9:6

Because of a In the Fullness decree that all of time, god sent be taxed in their his son ancestral city Galatians 4:4 Luke 2:4

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The atmosphere created by the peace, the travel permitted by roads, the communication enabled by a common language and philosophy, and the relentlessness engendered by a religious vacuum, all consorted to make that precise moment the fullness of time. Everything was ready at the moment when the Son of God chose to pay an “in-flesh” visit to the people of planet Earth.

IN THE

FULLNESS IME T A gifted musician framed a haunting melody around these words:

Love was when God became man, Locked in time and space, without rank or place.

Love was God, born of Jewish kin, Just a carpenter with some fishermen, Love was when Jesus walked in history, Lovingly He brought a new life that’s free …

It was love that prompted God to become a man, to walk in history. However, this was no idle whim or last-minute effort to salvage a lost creation. The only alternative to planning is to frantically respond to unexpected circumstances. Because God is

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the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last (Revelation 22:13), the One who alone knows all things, His timing is always perfect. God is never caught off-guard or unprepared.

It is because of this that, in absolutely perfect timing, God sent His Son into the world. The Bible refers to His perfect timing as “the fulness of time” (Galatians 4:4). At least 2,000 years before the Messiah’s appearing on Earth, the promise of His coming was given. Everything in the Old Testament Scriptures was moving toward that moment.

Several ingredients went into the recipe of the Messiah’s coming; these included the time, place, way, purpose, and position of His coming.

At least 2,000 years before the Messiah’s appearing on Earth,

the promise of His coming was given.

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The time of the Messiah’s coming was prophesied.

The time of Messiah’s coming was prophesied: “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem [445 B.C.] unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks [483 years]: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off [very likely in April]” (Daniel 9:25-26).

The place of the Messiah’s coming was proclaimed: “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).

The Messiah’s way of coming was described: “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).

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The Messiah’s purpose for coming was revealed: “It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6).

The position of the Messiah at His coming was designated:

A

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).

ISAIAH 9:6

CHILD IS BORN SON IS GIVEN

A

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In the seven yearly “appointments” (holidays or feasts) which God gave to Israel (Leviticus 23), the Messiah’s redemptive ministry was chronicled, from His death (Passover) until His second coming to dwell among humanity (Tabernacles). In addition, His redemptive work was chronicled in the priesthood and sacrificial system.

It is only reasonable, therefore, that the collective hopes and dreams of the ages met in that stable in the little village of Bethlehem in the Judean hills of the obscure land of Israel. It was the noon hour of human history – it was the fullness of time (Galatians 4:4). The infinite, eternal Creator was now walking among His creation.

Why was the timing of Jesus’ coming perfect – the fullness of time? There are several reasons: 1. It was the fullness of time because of world peace. For the first time in centuries, the civilized world knew a repose from fighting and killing.

The Roman army was cruel and ruthless, but its power was so great, its appearance so formidable, that no nation would dare challenge her “universal” rule. At the apex of Rome’s might and power, a lowly Babe was born who would one day rule the ages with a peace predicated on love, not hate; on justice, not inequity; on righteousness, not force.

2. It was the fullness of time because of Roman roads. To keep peace in the world it had captured, Rome sent its legions throughout its far-flung empire. Whenever Roman soldiers marched, Rome’s engineers built highways. “All roads lead to Rome” is not some empty cliché, but a statement of fact. Travelers to Europe and the Middle East can still see vestiges of those same roads and the skill of Rome’s engineers. However, Rome’s roads were not just for their armies; they were open to all inhabitants of the empire, including followers of the Messiah who

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would joyfully spread the message of their King. Roman roads were a major factor for the rapid spread and growth of Christianity in the centuries immediately following Christ’s death, burial, resurrection, and ascension.

3. It was the fullness of time because of Greek culture. Before the rise of Rome, between the years 356 B.C. and 323 B.C., Alexander the Great conquered much of the known world. Whatever lands Greece conquered, Alexander would send his philosophers, educators, and artisans there. He spread the Greek language and culture far and wide.

This spread of a one-language, one-worldview culture made the

Manmade religion can never satisfy or quench the deepest needs of the soul.

soul. Historians and theologians tell us that religious anticipation was intense and widespread. There was a spiritual void. Into that vacuum the Son of God came.

The atmosphere created by the peace; the travel permitted by the roads; the communication enabled by a common language and philosophy; and the restlessness engendered by a religious vacuum all consorted to make that precise moment the fullness of time. Everything was ready at the moment when the Son of God chose to pay an “in-flesh” visit to the people of planet Earth. The “day star” (2 Peter 1:19) had now appeared with “healing in his wings” (Malachi 4:2). u

It was the fullness of time because of: n n

job of sharing the Gospel that much easier. There was no need to spend two years in language study.

Courses in culture were unnecessary. Travel was much safer, and the stranger was subject to less hostility.

4. It was the fullness of time because of great religious expectation. In the ancient world, worshiping false gods, participating in mystery religions, and dubious spiritual activity was widespread. However, manmade religion can never satisfy or quench the deepest needs of the

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n n

World Peace Roman Roads Greek Culture Great Religious Expectation

Everything was ready at that moment when the Son of God chose to make an “in-flesh” visit to the people of planet Earth.

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The one requisite for establishing His earthly kingdom was that Israel turn from their sin. At the Temple, the pulse and heartbeat of the nation could be felt as nowhere else. Had they met the one prerequisite? Had they repented?

UNTO HIS OWN T

In time, on planet Earth, in the insignificant land of Israel, in the obscure village of Bethlehem, a Child was born.

he Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of God (Matthew 3:16-17). He is also the Son of David (Matthew 1:1). The prophet Isaiah captured this dichotomy in his inspired and oft-quoted words: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given” (Isaiah 9:6). In time, on planet Earth, in the insignificant land of Israel, in the obscure village of Bethlehem, a Child was born. But that Child was also the preexistent Son of God (Micah 5:2). Luke made this same observation when he recorded the angelic message to Mary: “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 1:32). From a divine standpoint, He would be “the Son of the Highest”; from a human standpoint, He would be given “the throne of his father David.”

Jesus Christ, as the Son of David (both His physical mother Mary and His legal father Joseph were of the lineage of David –

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Matthew 1; Luke 3) was the rightful heir to the throne of Israel.

At His birth, wise men came from the East inquiring, “Where is he that is born King of the Jews?” (Matthew 2:2); and at His death, the Romans had these words placed on His cross: “This is Jesus the King of the Jews” (Matthew 27:37).

It was customary in biblical times for kings to send out a herald, or forerunner.

The forerunner’s job was to go before his king and announce to the people that the king was coming. The multitudes were then, as it were, to sweep the sidewalk, whitewash the fence, bring in the children’s bicycles, straighten up the porch – in general, clean the area through which the king would be coming, for this was the king’s highway. During a visit of an American President to the former Soviet

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D i v i n e D e s I G N : U N T O H IS O W N

Union and China, those nations spent millions of dollars beautifying the highway between the airport and the place where the President would be staying. Truly, there is little new under the sun.

It was the privilege of John the Baptist to be the herald of the Lord Jesus Christ. His responsibility was to announce the King’s coming. His ministry fulfilled the words of the prophet Isaiah: “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain” (Isaiah 40:3-4).

As the herald of the King, John the Baptist pled with Israel to “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2). He was not, however, speaking of external cleansing, but internal cleansing. The One whose coming he heralded was both human and divine, and the kingdom which John spoke of was at hand in that, if the nation repented of its sin, Jesus, as the Son of David and heir to the throne of Israel, would establish a literal kingdom on Earth. The form of government by which Jesus would govern was presented in His Sermon on the Mount. First, He identified the character of those who would become citizens of the kingdom (Matthew 5:1-16); second, He established the principles of righteousness in the kingdom (Matthew 5:17-7:12); and finally, He invited people into the kingdom (Matthew 7:1327).

Following John’s beheading by Herod, which was the beginning of the handwriting on the wall (that repentance – the one requisite for establishing the kingdom – would not be met), Jesus continued proclaiming the same message as that of His forerunner: “Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). And still later, he commanded His disciples to share the very same message of hope: “Go not into the way of the Gentiles … But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go,

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preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 10:5-7).

Since Jesus was the rightful heir to the throne of David, it was to the Jewish people exclusively that Jesus was offering Himself as King. For this reason, He told His disciples to “go not into the way of the Gentiles” (Matthew 10:5). Did Jesus not die for all humanity? Was He not the Savior of the Gentiles as well as the Jews? Why then this prohibition? A statesman running for the office of President of the United States of America cannot be elected by Canadian and British votes. It is American citizens who can, by their votes, place him into office. Jesus had the proper credentials to rule over Israel, but the people would have to demonstrate their desire to have Him rule by turning to God from their sin.

The conflicts and skirmishes between Jesus and the Jewish leadership could go on no longer. A clash was imminent.

On Palm Sunday, one week before the Jewish feast of Passover, Jesus descended the Mount of Olives, passed through the Kidron Valley, climbed the hill on the other side, entered Jerusalem through the Eastern Gate, and made His way to the Temple.

The one requisite for establishing His earthly kingdom was that Israel repent. At the Temple, the pulse and heartbeat of the nation could be felt as nowhere else. Had they met the one requisite? Had they repented?

At the Temple, Jesus found sellers of animals and changers of money. Passover was one of the three yearly Jewish festivals (the other two being Pentecost and Tabernacles) when the people were commanded by the Mosaic Law to worship at the Temple in Jerusalem (Deuteronomy 16:16). Many, living out of the land of Israel, had to make long, difficult, and often dangerous journeys to reach the Temple.

Carrying a sacrificial lamb hundreds of miles for Passover was impossible – a lamb would have to be purchased, and foreign currency had to be exchanged, if the visiting worshiper was to go about making his sacrifice. At the Temple, the cost of purchasing an “acceptable” Passover lamb (one without spot or blemish and with priestly approval) was excessively high, and

It was the privilege of John the Baptist to be the herald of the Lord Jesus Christ. His responsibility was to announce the King’s coming.

The form of government by which Jesus would govern was presented in His Sermon on the Mount.

First,

He identified the character of those who would become citizens of the kingdom

Second,

He established the principles of righteousness in the kingdom

and finally,

He invited people into the kingdom

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D i v i n e D e s I G N : U N T O H IS O W N

The one requirement for His setting up a kingdom was

repentance –

that one requisite was not forthcoming.

A Recommended Resource for Further Study

The

the exchange rate in currency became a money-making scheme for the Temple leaders. Here, then, were devout Jews who had made the trek to Jerusalem to worship the God of Israel, and they were being ripped off by their own religious leaders.

When Jesus saw the corruption, in righteous indignation He turned over the tables of the “merchandisers,” drove them out of the Temple, and said, “It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves” (Matthew 21:13). It was then that elements from within the national leadership (not the common people) began to seek His life.

Jesus of Nazareth had become a threat to their corrupt practices and distorted theology.

The one requirement for His setting up a kingdom was repentance – that one requisite was not forthcoming. From a human perspective, the Jewish leadership was responsible for the rejection of their Messiah. From a divine perspective, to this end God had appointed them (Romans 11:8-11). Now the good news of salvation through Christ’s death and resurrection would go to both Gentile and Jew, and the promise made to Abraham that “in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 22:18) would be fulfilled.

Jesus went out of the city, and from the depths of His loving and compassionate heart, He wept. Soon He would say, “If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes” (Luke 19:42). And again, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not [have me]!”

(Matthew 23:37).

A poet captured something of the pathos and tragedy of Israel’s rejection of her greatest Son with these words:

Blindness of Israel:

Jerusalem, Jerusalem!

Enthroned once on high, Thou favor’d home of God on earth, Thou heaven below the sky!

Now brought to bondage with thy sons,

Mystery or Misunderstood

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A blighting curse to see; Jerusalem, Jerusalem!

Our tears shall flow for thee.

O, hadst thou known thy day of grace; And flock’d beneath the wing Of Him who call’d thee lovingly, Thine own anointed King; Then had the tribes of all the earth Gone up thy bliss to see; And glory dwelt with thy gates; And all thy sons been free.

Jerusalem, Jerusalem!

Until thou turn again, And seek with penitence of heart, The Lamb thy sons have slain; Till to the Savior of mankind Thou humbly bow the knee; Jerusalem, Jerusalem!

Our tears shall flow for thee. 1 But, did Israel stumble that she should fall? Is God vindictive? Was it the divine intent to simply punish Israel? Hear the answer from one of Israel’s greatest sons and history’s towering personalities. The apostle Paul wrote: “God forbid [a strong idiom meaning, ‘Don’t even think such a thought’]: but rather through their fall salvation is come to the Gentiles” (Romans 11:11). In the very stumbling of Israel, God’s redemptive plan for all of humanity would be implemented (Romans 11:12).

Precisely as promised in the Abrahamic Covenant, God had promised the patriarch that in his Seed all the nations of the earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:3).

Concerning the divine plan, the inspired penman could only write: “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!”

(Romans 11:33). u

1

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem,” Attributed to Reginald Heber, 1783-1826.

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Israel in History & Prophecy Marv Rosenthal traces the people, events, and theological truths that explain God’s sovereign decision to bring salvation to all humanity through the Jewish people. As each facet of God’s plan is presented, you’ll see His masterpiece unveiled!

The Virgin Birth: Myth or Miracle God created man from the dust of the earth. From this man’s rib, God fashioned Eve. When Abraham was 100 years old, his wife Sarah, miraculously conceived when she was 90. If God can author such remarkable deeds, what is the difficulty for God in having a young, godly, Jewish virgin conceive?

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His cup was not yet full. As Christ hung on the cross between Heaven and Earth, He had to drink to the bitter dregs the agony of forsakenness. For there on that cruel tree, Jesus was forsaken by His eternal Father.

FORSAKEN L

… if loneliness is tragic, to be forsaken is far worse.

oneliness is a tragic thing to experience. Ask the woman who does her shopping at four food stores, buying a few items at each stop so she can chat for a moment with a clerk. Ask an elderly man whose wife is deceased and whose children live in faraway places, as he stares listlessly out the window. Ask the teenager whose parents are too busy to give time or show affection.

But, if loneliness is tragic, to be forsaken is far worse. “Forsaken” means “to be left; to be utterly abandoned.” Jesus was forsaken to a degree that no other man has ever known – He was forsaken utterly and utterly forsaken.

John wrote: “All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made” (John 1:3). The Bible opens with this statement: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). He came to the world He fashioned by the word of His power, but the world said, “No thank you, we’re not interested.” The world would not receive Him (John 1:10).

Jesus Was Forsaken by the Nation From Which He Sprang

Jesus Was Forsaken by the Brothers With Whom He Grew Up

He was from the seed of Abraham, the tribe of Judah, and the family of David. He

Mary and Joseph had other children.

They were half-brothers to Jesus (Matthew

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Jesus Was Forsaken by the Village in Which He Lived He was called a Nazarene because He lived in the village of Nazareth nestled in the beautiful Galilean hills 15 miles west of the Sea of Galilee. There He spent His childhood days running and playing and growing into manhood. There He, no doubt, helped His father in the carpentry shop. But in Nazareth, in adulthood, He could do no mighty miracles because they did not believe in Him (Luke 4:23-24).

Concerning Nazareth, Jesus would say, “A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country” (Matthew 13:57), or put positively, “A prophet has honor except in his own country.” In Nazareth, Jesus preached His first recorded sermon (Luke 4:16-24) and left, never to return. And so, He was forsaken by the village in which He lived.

Here is an amazing example that all too often “familiarity breeds contempt.”

Forsaken means to be left; to be utterly abandoned.

was a Jew according to the flesh. If any nation should have been open and responsive to His message and person, it should have been Israel, but, “He came unto his own [creation], and his own [nation] received him not” (John 1:11).

Jesus Was Forsaken by the World He Created

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Divine Design: Forsaken

13:55-56). Having been raised in the same house, seeing Him up close, knowing the reality of the Holy Spirit’s comment, “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man” (Luke 2:52), it would be reasonable to assume they would have embraced Him. However, the Word of God declares they did not believe in Him until after His death, burial, and resurrection (John 7:5). Tragically, He was forsaken by the brothers with whom He grew up.

Jesus Was Forsaken by the Disciples He Trained For three years they ate with Him, slept with Him, and were taught by Him. They saw Him feed the hungry, heal the lame, raise the dead, and control the elements. When He declared all would forsake Him, Peter, with a sincere but all-too-human bravado, proclaimed, “Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended” (Matthew 26:33).

A few hours later and less than a mile away, Peter would respond to an inquiry concerning his association with Jesus by saying, “I know him not” (Luke 22:57). Nor was Peter alone. Long centuries before, the inspired penman wrote, “smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered” (Zechariah 13:7). And with His death, the disciples fled in fear and defeat – their world had come unglued. He was forsaken by His disciples.

Jesus Was Forsaken by His Eternal Father His cup was not yet full. As Christ hung on the cross between Heaven and Earth, He had to drink to the bitter dregs the agony of forsakenness. For there on that cruel tree, Jesus was forsaken by His eternal Father. In the anguish of that moment, the Son of God cried out, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). The agony, the emotion, the pathos of that event can never be fully comprehended by mere mortals. In that instant, the sins of the world were placed on the spotless Lamb. He who knew no sin was made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). And, a holy God Z i o n ’ s f i r e | NOVE M B ER - D E C E M B ER 2 0 2 1

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who is a consuming fire could not look upon His Son who bore our sins in His own body on a tree (1 Peter 2:24).

The Sovereign of the Universe, the One who created all things by the word of His power and through whom all things adhere, walked on planet Earth and among His people for roughly 33 years. u

The Sovereign of

the one

He was forsaken by the world He created.

the Universe,

who created all things … walked on planet Earth … among His people for roughly 33 years

He was forsaken by the nation from which He sprang.

He was forsaken by the village in which He lived.

He was forsaken by the brothers with whom He grew up.

He was forsaken by the disciples He trained.

He was forsaken by the Father with whom He had eternally fellowshipped.

Jesus was forsaken that you and I, through faith in Him, need never be forsaken.

Here then is grace – grace greater than all our sin!

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He had not yet been betrayed . . . but He knew He was soon to die.

He knew the precise moment, the exact location, and by whose hand.

T HIS I S D AY W the LORD HATH M the

D

“This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24).

id you ever think the death of Christ on Calvary was a crushing defeat?

Did you perhaps think the situation had gotten out of control? Did you think God was caught off-guard? Did you think the crucifixion of the Son of Man was unplanned or unanticipated? If you did, think again!

A few short hours before the Lord’s crucifixion, He commanded His disciples to make ready the Passover (Matthew 26:18).

He expressed His feelings this way: “With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer” (Luke 22:15). The main element of the Passover was the lamb.

It was slain and it suffered, but through that suffering it brought redemption to multitudes of Jews enslaved in Egypt.

Jesus knew He would soon suffer and die as the Passover Lamb. He knew through His death He would bring redemption to countless multitudes who, through the ages, would put their trust in Him. But first, He wanted to eat the Passover lamb before He became the Passover Lamb. It would be a source of encouragement – a vivid reminder that His death would not be in vain. He had not yet been betrayed. He had not yet been taken captive. He had not yet been tried.

However, He knew He was soon to die. He knew the precise moment, the exact loca-

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tion, and by whose hand.

So, in obedience, the disciples made ready the Passover, and they ate together. Following dinner, they sang a hymn and went out into the Mount of Olives (Matthew 26:30). Did you know that we today – so long removed from that event – know the song they sang?

It has been sung by Jews down through the centuries in connection with the Passover. It is called the “Great Hallel” and is taken from Psalm 118. In the official book (Haggadah) detailing the observance of Passover and produced under the supervision of the Chief Rabbi of Israel, two verses of Scripture from Psalm 118 must be recited twice during the Passover dinner.

The first verse is, “This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24). Many people think this is a verse for all seasons. There is the man who bounds out of bed on a glorious day. He feels good, the sun is shining, he has a pleasant schedule, and he gleefully exclaims, “This is the day which the Lord hath made; I will rejoice and be glad in it!”

Then, there is the man who takes the other tack. He climbs out of bed, it’s cold and dreary, his schedule is not a particularly pleasant one, but with bulldog determination and with stiff upper lip, he exclaims, “Well, in spite of it all, this is the day which the Lord

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D i v i n e D e s I G N : T H IS IS T H E D A Y W H I C H T H E L OR D H A T H M A D E

hath made; I will rejoice and be glad in it.”

Both miss the glorious point to be made.

Jesus was not singing about any day or every

resonance – nothing flat, nothing sharp, and nothing discordant. And the lyrics – they were words of absolute victory, for He sang, “The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner” (Psalm 118:22). The Stone was Christ. The builder was Israel. They had rejected His messianic claims, and now He knew He would die. But, through His death, the true Church, including both Jew and Gentile, would spring forth into life. He Himself would be its Cornerstone. A sovereign God was using Israel as His instrument for worldwide blessing – as He had promised – even during her period of sin and disobedience.

What, then, was the commentary of the Lord of Glory only hours before His death which would turn the sky dark at noon? Permit a solemn paraphrase: “I am here by the active design and power of My Father, and through My death I will become the Cornerstone upon which the true Church – My eternal bride – will be built.”

The psalmist could only comment, “This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvellous in our eyes” (Psalm 118:23).

With the death of Christ, the Jewish leaders thought they had finally gotten rid of a rabble-rouser; the disciples thought their hopes and dreams had come to an insoluble end; Satan thought he had finally destroyed the Seed who was to bruise his head and recapture humanity’s lost destiny as king over the earth. Over His cross Rome wrote, “The King of the Jews.” Satan thought he had God’s Son checkmated, a word coming from Hebrew and meaning, “The King is dead.”

But Satan’s glee was premature and ill-advised. Only God knew the truth. His Son’s physical death would consummate in His bodily resurrection – on the third day Christ rose from the grave. The King was very much alive.

Calvary was not an ignominious defeat but an indescribably glorious triumph.

Are you sharing in it? u

Y WHICH H MADE day. He was speaking of a specific day, a definitive day – the day He would die on the cross of Calvary for the sins of the world. He fully understood the physical pain and spiritual agony to be endured – He realized that for the first time in all of eternity, the sins of the world would be placed on Him, and He would be separated from His heavenly Father.

But Jesus also knew He was there for a divine appointment. Had He not said, “For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45)? And, “No man taketh it [my life] from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again” (John 10:18). And again concerning His death, He said, “for this cause came I into the world” (John 18:37). Since He was there in the plan and program of His Father, and since His death would provide redemption for those who put their trust in Him, He could sing in triumph, only hours before His death, “This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”

How utterly amazing!

And, as if this were not enough, He sang a second verse. And since He was both perfect Man and eternal God, His voice must have been beautiful with perfect pitch and

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. . . through His death, the true Church, including both Jew and Gentile, would spring forth

INTO LIFE.

He Himself would be its Cornerstone.

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Man was created to glorify God, and that is accomplished as he allows his life to be an instrument through which the intrinsic, eternal perfections of God are displayed.

OF HIM,THROUG S

“For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory forever. Amen” (Romans 11:36).

inger Jane Froman was at the height of her career when on February 22, 1943, she was aboard a USO airplane heading toward an overseas military base to entertain American troops. She was not alone. The Boeing 314 named “Yankee Clipper” was carrying 39 passengers. Suddenly, a wingtip caught a wave, causing the plane to crash into the Tagus River in Lisbon, Portugal. One of just 15 survivors, Froman’s life would never be the same as she sustained numerous injuries which would require her to undergo 39 surgeries until her death in 1980. Her life story was popularized through a fulllength motion picture called With a Song in My Heart.

Besides the great physical and emotional pain she suffered as a result of the plane crash, Froman was also brokenhearted in her romantic life. In the midst of those circumstances, she recorded a new song.

The lyrics seemed to me to issue from the deepest recesses of her being. In anguish she sang, “Why was I born? Why am I living?

What have I got? What am I giving?” I can still see the searching expression on her face and hear her cry for help.

Her questions are not new – men and women have asked them since time immemorial. What is life – or living – really all about? Should people, like the hedonist, seek pleasure as the highest good? Is it true

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that “he who dies with the most toys wins?”

Or is the view of the stoic, who with a stiff upper lip grins and bears life’s adversities, the path to follow?

Is there rhyme and rhythm, meaningful purposes to humanity’s pilgrim journey? Or, is life simply the rotating of the roulette wheel? Round and round it goes, but where it stops, nobody knows. Must men and women play the hand they are dealt? Is life, after all, simply blind fatalism?

To these kinds of questions, knowledgeable Bible teachers have a correct and totally satisfying answer, even if for some the answer may sound old-fashioned and like a cliché: “The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” The apostle Paul, clearly one of the most brilliant thinkers and influential personages of history, in writing of the purpose of life to the Christians in Rome, said: “For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory forever. Amen” (Romans 11:36). For Paul, all things are of Him. God quite literally spoke the universe into existence. For Paul, all things are through Him. He is the Sustainer. By His power all things adhere. If it were not for that sustaining power, the universe would disintegrate.

For Paul, all things are to Him. He is the Consummator. Only in God can life become a completed and perfect symphony of meaning, purpose, and satisfaction.

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Divine DesIGN: of him, through him, to him

Only in God do all things have their origin, movement, and consummation.

As Creator, Sustainer, and Consummator of all things, God is to be glorified.

But how is God to be glorified? The psalmist said, “The heavens declare the glory of God” (Psalm 19:1). But what are the heavens declaring? Both angels and ascended saints

the definition. Again, the question is asked: Since the purpose for man’s existence is to glorify God, what is the glory of God? The Hebrew root from which the word “glory” is derived is kabod, which means “weighty.” That which gives “weight” to God is His nature and attributes. When the nature and attributes of God are revealed in

are heard to proclaim, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power” (Revelation 4:11). But what is the Lord receiving? At the birth of the Son of God, angelic messengers announced to men and women on Earth: “Glory to God in the highest.” But what is it God is receiving?

What is the thing called the “glory of God”?

Since the ultimate purpose for man’s existence is to glorify God, then an understanding of what that glory is should be humanity’s highest intellectual pursuit, and its outworking our greatest priority.

In anticipation of preparing a sermon on God’s glory, I asked some friends to define God’s glory for me. I wanted to see how this important term was commonly understood by believers. Some suggested God received glory through the saving of souls; others quoted verses that made reference to the glory of God, but ventured no definition.

A few thought the glory of God related in some way to the holiness of God. These were vague responses and underscore the fact that the concept of God’s glory is difficult for most of us to clearly define.

We know it is important, but there remains vagueness about it. A major theological reference book gave this definition: “God’s glory is that which makes Him glorious.” This observation really doesn’t help much. The principle remains: One cannot define a word by using the word in

and by His creation, God is glorified.

I am grateful to a beloved friend, now with the Lord, who many years ago shared a definition of God’s glory which has, for me, stood the test of time. “God’s glory,” he suggested, “is the sum and substance of His intrinsic, eternal perfections.” By saying God’s glory is “intrinsic,” it is meant that God’s glory (whatever it is, for the moment) emanates wholly from within His own being. It is not dependent upon anything external to Himself.

We sometimes speak of precious metals and say they have intrinsic value. Before the artisan shapes the metal into something beautiful; before precious gems are added, we speak of the intrinsic worth of the metal itself. God’s glory is intrinsic; it is not dependent on any outside influence.

Humanity can neither add to nor diminish from God’s glory. God’s glory is intrinsic.

It is His and His alone. God has proclaimed: “My glory will I not give to another” (Isaiah 42:8).

In saying God’s glory is “eternal,” attention is being called to the duration – or longevity – of God’s glory. There was never an instant in the past, nor will there be an instant in the future, when the universe is without God’s glory. It has always been, and will always be. The

Since the purpose for man’s existence is to glorify God, what is the glory of God?

UGH HIM, HIM

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We sometimes speak of precious metals and say they have intrinsic value.

GOD’S GLORY is intrinsic; it is not dependent on any outside influence.

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In saying God’s glory is His “perfections,” in view are the ingredients which compose the divine Being.

psalmist wrote, “From everlasting to everlasting, thou art God” (Psalm 90:2).

In saying God’s glory is His “perfections,” in view are the ingredients which compose the divine Being. These ingredients include His existence, essence, personality, sovereignty, decree, and attributes. These are the words of the theologian, but let’s take a closer look at them.

FIRST

THERE IS HIS DIVINE EXISTENCE

FIRST

EXISTENCE there is His Divine

SECOND

ESSENCE

there is His Divine

THIRD

PERSONALITY there is His Divine

FOURTH

SOVEREIGNTY there is His Divine

FIFTH

DECREE

there is His Divine

SIXTH

ATTRIBUTES there are His Divine

1. God is

God is without beginning and without end. All things have an origin except God. He alone is uncaused, but is the cause of all else. Think of any beginning, and God was there. A billion years ago? God was there.

A trillion years ago? God was there. One of the things which gives God “weight” is His eternal existence. Simply stated, God is.

People were, people are, people will be.

Only God is.

SECOND

THERE IS HIS DIVINE ESSENCE

2. God is a spirit Being

Here the emphasis is not on spirituality, but on God’s basic essence. If there is existence, there is substance or essence. Humanity’s essence is corporeal (in human form), mortal, and corruptible – a physical substance. God’s essence is noncorporeal (not in human form), immortal, incorruptible – a spirit substance. God is spirit. Therefore, those who worship Him must do so in spirit and in truth. It is because God is spirit that Israel was prohibited from making any graven image or likeness of God (Exodus 20:4; Leviticus 26:1; Deuteronomy 16:22). What likeness can men give to a spirit essence?

THIRD

THERE IS HIS DIVINE PERSONALITY

3. God possesses intellect, emotion, and will

God can think, feel, and act. He is not an impersonal force like an “it” or “mother

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nature” (every believer should despise these kinds of terms), and therefore without any emotional ties to His creation. In marked contrast, God possesses perfect personality.

Humanity was created in the image of God; not a physical likeness (God is spirit), but with a likeness that gives to humanity the ability to interact with its Creator with its mind (intellectual), heart (emotional), and will (volitional).

FOURTH

THERE IS HIS DIVINE SOVEREIGNTY

4. God does things according to His own good pleasure

God does not come down in the still of the night, shake someone by the shoulder and say, “I’ve got a good idea, is it okay with you?” Nor does He say, “Let’s have a committee meeting and reach a consensus.”

God does things “according to His own good pleasure” without asking for permission or calling an election. A doctrine, philosophy, or worldview built on any foundation other than that of divine sovereignty will one day crumble and turn to dust. God’s will shall be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. Mark this fact well, color it red, circle it – and never forget it.

FIFTH

THERE IS HIS DIVINE DECREE

5. God originates and executes,

either actively or permissively, all that comes to pass

Someone has said, “Aim at nothing, and you will hit it every time.” God doesn’t aim at nothing. He has a plan for history.

It is His decree, and He is bringing it to pass in every detail – right on schedule.

God is never caught by surprise and never has to respond to unanticipated circumstances.

SIXTH

THERE ARE HIS DIVINE ATTRIBUTES

6. God is in perfect harmony with His own character

There are certain things we know about God. Things we know about God

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Divine DesIGN: of him, through him, to him

we attribute to Him. These things we attribute to God, the theologian calls God’s “attributes.”

Some of the attributes of God can be seen in Creation, such things as His existence, wisdom, and power. However, the divine attributes are known more fully through God’s self-revelation in the Bible.

On the basis of that revelation, it can, among other things, be said that God is infinite, eternal, immutable (unchangeable), omnipresent (everywhere), omniscient (all-knowing), omnipotent (all-powerful), true, righteous, just, gracious, loving, good, merciful, and faithful.

God must always function in perfect harmony with His attributes. Apply infiniteness to God and understand that because He is eternal, He will never end.

Because God is immutable, His character will never change. Because God is omnipresent, His presence will never be absent.

Because God is omniscient, His wisdom will never diminish. Because God is omnipotent, His power will never fail.

While God’s glory is intrinsic because it belongs to Him the same as light and heat belong to the sun, it is the divine plan that His glory be both proclaimed and demonstrated on the stage of planet Earth, through the outworking of human history.

It should not be inferred (as some may be inclined to think) that, because the glory of God is the pinnacle and consummation of all things, God is Himself self-seeking or self-centered. Rather, because God by His very nature seeks the highest and best, and because He IS the highest and best, He must bring all things to completion in Himself (Romans 11:36).

GLORIFYING GOD Humanity was created to glorify God. This is accomplished as we allow our lives to be an instrument through which the intrinsic, eternal perfections of God are displayed. In light of this truth, the fundamental problem of humanity, from which all else springs, can be summed up quite easily. Social scientists inform us the most-used word in the English language is “I.” It should be “Him.” Humanity is

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self-centered instead of God-centered.

Our frame of reference is all wrong. Our philosophy, values, and deeds are all directed toward self-gratification and contrary to our Creator and the purpose for which we were created. It all goes back to the Garden of Eden where Satan said to the parents of all humanity: “… in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5).

It was God who breathed into man the breath of life so he became a living soul.

For those from among humanity who know and seek to submit to the will of God, there is perfect peace, joy unspeakable, and highest destiny. For those who reject the will of God, there is only distress and eternal anguish.

It was God who breathed into man the breath of life so he became a living soul.

THE HEAVENS

But now, back to an earlier quotation: “The heavens declare the glory of God.” In what way do the heavens declare God’s glory?

declare the glory of God.

n First, they reveal His existence;

creation requires a Creator.

n Second, they reveal His wisdom;

design requires a Designer.

n Third, they reveal His power;

movement requires a Mover.

n Fourth, since the universe is

endless, the heavens reveal God’s infiniteness.

The more pure science advances, the more its discoveries testify of God’s existence. Evolution, on the other hand, is the product of irrational pride.

The gaze of humanity, however, should be centered not so much on the heavens above, but on the earth below. On this planet, the fullest manifestation of the glory of God is seen. The heavens may reveal God’s existence, wisdom, power, and infiniteness, but His holiness, justice, love, mercy, goodness, and faithfulness are proclaimed and experienced on Earth.

It was the holiness of God from which Adam and Eve fled after sinning in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:8). And in the

. . . His holiness, justice, love, mercy, goodness, and faithfulness are proclaimed and experienced

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Moses was about to climb Mount Sinai for the second time.

clothing of the first couple, in the skin of animals, the justice of God was exhibited (Genesis 3:21). Blood had to be shed – one had to take the place of the other, and punishment had to be meted out. God could only forgive sins on the basis of His justice.

The entrance of sin through the permissive will of God (God is not the author of sin) and man’s direct disobedience was essential if certain of the divine attributes such as holiness, justice, mercy, long-suffering, and grace were to be displayed.

Moses was about to climb Mount Sinai for the second time. He had already been to the top of the mountain once to receive the Ten Commandments. However, many within Israel had sinned during Moses’ absence, and the tablets of the Law were broken. God commanded Moses to descend the mountain a second time. Moses was tired. He needed a fresh glimpse of God – a renewing in his inward man. He requested, “Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight” (Exodus 33:13).

Moses wanted to know what God was like. He continued, “I beseech thee, shew me thy glory” (Exodus 33:18). God told Moses no one could look on His face and live – to view the fullness of His glory, which included holiness, righteousness, and justice while still in an unglorified state would mean certain death. Therefore, God placed His servant in the cleft of the rock.

God would pass by and let Moses see His back, His non-consuming attributes of mercy, grace, longsuffering, goodness, and truth (Exodus 34:6). Moses needed no more incentive. He would descend from the mountain with the reflection of the glory of God on his face, ready for the task ahead (Exodus 34:29).

In time, God chose to dwell among His people and manifest His glory to Israel in the Tabernacle in the wilderness, and later in the Temple on Mount Moriah at Jerusalem. This was a self-disclosure of His presence and perfection among His people (Exodus 40:34; 1 Kings 8:11).

In due course, the age of Law gave way

OF GOD...

He needed a fresh glimpse

“Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way . . .”

(Exodus 33:13).

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to the age of Grace. The Old Covenant gave way to the New Covenant. A people were called into the “Church,” the body of Christ.

Indwelt by the Holy Spirit, the believer is in a unique position to be a vessel fit for the Master’s use. At Calvary, grace and truth kissed. At Calvary, ultimate love was revealed. At Calvary, the holiness of God was eternally propitiated (satisfied). The believer, having experienced those attributes firsthand at the cross, is to reflect the character of his God to the world.

GOD’S GLORY REVEALED IN OTHER WAYS

The glory of God has been revealed in the Creation, in the Garden of Eden, on the face of Moses in connection with the giving of the Law, in the Tabernacle, in the Temple, and in the life of the believer. However, only the Jewish people are referred to

by God as “My glory.” He declared, “I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory” (Isaiah 46:13). The fullest reflection of the intrinsic, eternal perfection of God is to be seen in His relationship with Israel. The world has little understood this fundamental truth. God’s existence, essence, personality, sovereignty, decree, and attributes are showcased most completely in the election, dispersion, preservation, future restoration, and glorification of His chosen people. For this reason, God calls them, “My glory.”

See God’s dealing with Israel, and you will see His sovereignty.

See God’s dealing with Israel, and you will see His power.

See God’s dealing with Israel, and you will see His grace.

See God’s dealing with Israel, and you will see His longsuffering.

See God’s dealing with Israel, and you will see His faithfulness.

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Divine DesIGN: of him, through him, to him

See God’s dealing with Israel, and you will see His love.

See God’s dealing with Israel, and you will see His immutability.

There is, however, one further way whereby God’s glory is preeminently seen.

The apostle John wrote, . . . “the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory …)” (John 1:14). Of course, John was referring to Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In this vein, the apostle Peter said, “For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty” (2 Peter 1:16).

John “beheld,” and Peter was an “eyewitness”. They were both speaking of the occasion when they were with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration, and His eternal glory shone out of His humanity (Matthew 17:2).

The writer to the Hebrews, speaking of Christ’s unsurpassing glory, said He was the very effulgence (brightness of the glory) of the Father. That is, unlike other manifestations of God’s glory, which were mirror-like reflections, Christ was the exact reality and substance of that glory, for Jesus was God in flesh (Hebrews 1:3). For this reason, He could say, “… he that hath seen me hath seen the Father” (John 14:9). Humanity can see the attributes of the invisible Father in the person of the visible Son. How then, should the children of God respond to the paramount truth of his Father’s glory?

FIRST, they should respond as did the prophet Isaiah who, when confronted with the glory of God, cried out: “Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts” (Isaiah 6:5).

Men and women only see themselves as they really are when they first see God as

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He really is. The intrinsic, eternal perfection of God (His glory) is the only platinum yardstick by which to measure life. Here is the absolute standard by which every thought and deed may be appraised. And herein is the bedrock problem of the present hour of history. America has loosed herself from the moorings of God’s Word

“. . . the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us,

(and we beheld his glory . . .)”

(John 1:14). and now finds that she is hopelessly adrift in a broken craft with a storm brewing.

If a man, in his relationship with his wife, fulfilled the purpose for which he was created, he would proclaim and demonstrate God’s intrinsic, eternal perfections.

He would be holy, just, loving, good, merciful, and longsuffering toward his mate. In raising a child, doing business, or conducting foreign policy, the same principle applies. In other words, if men fulfilled the purpose for which they were created, the earth would be a paradise.

“Ah,” someone interjects, “if others did it to me, I would do it in return. If my husband were good to me, I would be good to him. If he were longsuffering with my shortcomings, I would be with his.”

However, this is precisely the point.

God created humanity to reflect His glory, regardless of the circumstances, and no matter how others may respond. It is the exact opposite of “I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine.” The difficulties of life provide us the opportunity to show forth the attributes of God. God loved humanity while it was unlovely, alienated, and an enemy. It was because of this love that He died for humanity. How men and women choose to respond has nothing to do with His action.

How then, should the children of God respond to the paramount truth of his

FATHER’S GLORY? FIRST

they should respond as did the prophet Isaiah . . .

SECOND

they should purpose in their heart to fulfill the design for which they were created.

THIRD

the child of God should fall prostrate before the divine wisdom . . .

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Divine DesIGN: of him, through him, to him

“Whatever therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the

SECOND, they should purpose in their heart to fulfill the design for which they were created. The apostle Paul summed up the entire thrust of this article in a few words: “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). He said the same thing on another occasion, in a somewhat different way: “For to me to live is Christ [that is, by word and deed to show forth His glory], and to die is gain [to win]” (Philippians 1:21).

THIRD, the child of God should fall prostrate before the divine wisdom, remembering that “… my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9).

The Bible teaches that unregenerate men and women are enemies of God and under divine condemnation (Romans 1:1-3:20). By grace through faith in Christ’s redemptive work at Calvary, they are justified (Romans 3:21-5:21). As they yield to the indwelling Holy Spirit, they are being sanctified (Romans 6:1-8:27), and one day they are going to be glorified (Romans 8:28-30). God never leaves things half done.

What He begins, He finishes. He begins with condemned men and women and molds and shapes them until they are one day conformed to the glory of God. He takes men and women who were enemies and makes them exalted, eternal sons and daughters. Paul put it this way: “… whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified” (Romans 8:30).

When God completes His work in and through His redeemed child, that child will reflect fully and perfectly his Father’s intrinsic, eternal perfections throughout the timeless ages. It is in this potential that the dignity, nobility, and worth of humanity are to be seen. Jude, half-brother of the Lord, summed it up this way: “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to

GLORY OF GOD” (1 Corinthians 10:31).

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present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever.

Amen” (Jude 24-25).

Even a stellar personality such as Moses could not, in his unglorified state, look full upon the glory of God and survive. However, when the Lord is finished with His blood-bought sons and daughters, we will be perfected (glorified). Because we will then be “faultless,” we will be able to stand in the presence of His glory (and not be consumed) with exceeding joy. Only our wise God and Savior can accomplish that feat. Therefore, to Him alone “… be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever.”

Jane Froman asked: “Why was I born?

Why am I living? What have I got? What am I giving?”

Why was I born?

Why am I living?

What have I got?

What am I giving?

The Bible provides the answer. To humanity has been afforded the incomparable privilege of demonstrating with their lives and proclaiming with their lips the intrinsic, eternal, perfections of God – of glorifying Him and enjoying Him forever. u

To humanity has been afforded the incomparable privilege of demonstrating with their lives and proclaiming with their lips the intrinsic, eternal, perfections of God – of glorifying Him and enjoying Him forever.

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