More details are given on the martyrdom of James the brother of the Lord by Eusebeus in Book II, Chapter XXIII of his Ecclesiastical History.
"The Jews, after Paul had appealed to Caesar, and had been sent by Festus to Rome... turn themselves against James, the brother of the Lord... Hegesippus... who flourished nearest the days of the apostles, in the fifth book of his Commentary gives the most accurate account of him, thus:"
"But James, the brother of the Lord... surnamed the Just by all... and indeed, on account of his exceeding great piety, he was called the Just... From which, some believed that Jesus is the Christ... As there were many therefore of the rulers that believed, there arose a tumult among the Jews, Scribes, and Pharisees, saying that there was a danger, that the people would now expect Jesus as the Messiah. They came therefore together, and said to James,
"'We entreat thee, restrain the people, who are led astray after Jesus, as if he were the Christ... For we and all the people bear thee testimony that thou art just, and thou respectest not persons. Persuade therefore the people not to be led astray by Jesus... Stand therefore upon a wing of the temple, that thou mayest be conspicuous on high, and thy words may be easily heard by all the people; for all the tribes (of Israel) have come together on account of the passover, with some of the Gentiles also.'
"The aforesaid Scribes and Pharisees, therefore, placed James upon a wing of the temple, and cried out to him,
"'O thou just man, whom we ought all to believe, since the people are led astray after Jesus that was crucified, declare to us what is the door to Jesus that was crucified.'
"And he answered... 'Why do ye ask me respecting Jesus the Son of Man? He is now sitting in the heavens, on the right hand of great power, and is about to come on the clouds of heaven.'
"And as many were confirmed, and gloried in this testimony of James... these same priests and Pharisees said to one another, 'We have done badly in affording such testimony to Jesus, but let us go up and cast him down, that they may dread to believe in him.' And they cried out, 'Oh, oh, Justus himself is deceived,' and they fulfilled that which is written in Isaiah, "Let us take away the just, because he is offensive to us; wherefore they shall eat the fruit of their doings' Is. iii...
"Going up therefore, they cast down the just man, saying... 'Let us stone James the Just.'
"And they began to stone him, as he did not die immediately when cast down; but turning round, he knelt down saying, 'I entreat thee, O Lord God and Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.'
"Thus they were stoning him, when one of the priests... cried out saying, 'Cease, what are you doing? Justus is praying for you.' And one of them... beat out the brains of Justus with the club... Thus he suffered martyrdom, and they buried him on the spot where his tombstone is still remaining, by the temple. He became a faithful witness, both to the Jews and Greeks, that Jesus is the Christ.
"Immediately after this, Vespasian invaded and took Judea. So admirable a man indeed was James, and so celebrated among all for his justice, that even the wiser part of the Jews were of opinion that this was the cause of the immediate siege of Jerusalem, which happened to them for no other reason than the crime against him."
Confirmation from Archaeological Evidence? Return to Index
Recently a limestone box, an ossuary (container for bones), dating from the first century A.D. was discovered in a private collection in Jerusalem, etched with an Aramaic inscription: "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus."According to an articles in Biblical Archaeology Review, Sept. 2002 and U.S.News & World Report, Nov. 4, 2002, p. 50, French and Israeli scientists who examined the box and the inscription on it found no evidence of forgery and dated it to about 63 A.D. But others now, including the director of Israel's Antiquities Authority call it a hoax. Though most Jews reject Jesus as the Messiah, they along with Protestant Christianity do accept that James was His brother (Mat 13:55-56; Gal 1:18-19), whereas Catholics believe Christ's mother, Mary, was a virgin all her life and say James was only a cousin.
Geneology and Birth of Jesus Return to Index
The geneologies of the parents of Jesus Christ, tracing His linage back to David, Abraham and Adam the son of God are recorded in the Gospel accounts by Matthew (Mat 1:1-17) and Luke (Lk 3:23-38). Matthew reveals the source of his geneology as from:
"The book of the geneology of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham."Family geneologies or linages were faithfully kept by many families and dynasties, especially the royal line of David and of the Levites and priests (Neh 7:5-7,39,43,64,73; 12:1,22-23,44-47). The royal family of Great Britain, for example, have kept their royal linage tracing it back to king David of ancient Israel.
Matthew gives the geneology of Jesus' legal father, Joseph, son of Jacob, going back to David and Abraham (Mat 1:1-16), but reveals God as His real Father (vs. 18-23). Luke gives Mary's geneology, beginning with Joseph the son (in law) of Heli, Mary's father, going all the way back to Adam and God and he also reveals God as His real Father (Lk 1:23-38).
Many skeptics who have rejected the historical validity and accuracy of the biblical record have been chagrined over the years as archeologists and historians have uncovered records of the past verifying the biblical record.
Many of the events surrounding the life and time of Jesus Christ are no exception to this. Many have found the historical accuracy of Luke's and other Gospel accounts as verification of the events that they recorded.
Luke, for example, mentions that shortly before Jesus' birth, Caesar Augustus (emperor 27 B.C. - 14 A.D.) made a decree that all the world (Roman Empire) should be registered, and that this first census took place when Quirinius (Cyrenius) governed Syria. Quirinius ruled as proconsul of Asia two times, 4-1 B.C. and 6-10 A.D. as verified by a monument unearthed at Rome, which states:
"Quirinius as proconsul obtained Asia as his province. As legate of the deified Augustus a second time, he governed Syria and Phoenicia." This first census occurred between 4-1 B.C. Unger's Bible Dictionary pp. 199-200, 232-233).
"So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city" (Lk 2:1-7).This first census by Emperor Augustus required Joseph and Mary, living in Nazareth of Galilee, to travel to Bethlehem-Ephratah, "because he was of the house and linage of David..." which was the home of their ancesters Boaz and Ruth and king David who grew up there (Ruth 1:2,22; 2:1-12; 1 Sam 17:12).
"So it was that while they were there...she brought forth her firstborn Son" (Jesus), thus fulfilling the prophesy of Micah (Lk 2:6-7).
"But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel" (Mat 2:1-6; Mic 5:2)
Verification that Jesus Christ and His parents were registered in the census taken by Roman officials at the time that Jesus was born, is affirmed by an emperor who became an enemy of Christianity in the 4th century - Flavius Claudius Iulianus or Julian - a Roman emperor known as "the Apostate."
Julian was a nephew of emperor Constantine who had established and endorsed the "new Christianity" at the Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D. When Julian became emperor he tried to topple this new "Christianity" and restore paganism as the official religion of the Roman Empire in 361-63. Though having been brought up a Christian, he repudiated the new religion and called Christians, whom he held responsible for the slaughter of his family, "superstitious atheists" who worshipped "a new-fangled Galilean god." He said:
"Jesus, whom you celebrate, was one of Caesar's subjects. If you dispute it, I will prove it by and by; but it may as well be done now. For yourselves allow that he was enrolled with his father and mother in the time of Cyrenius. But Jesus having persuaded a few among you... has now been celebrated about three hundred years, having done nothing in his lifetime worthy of remembrance, unless anyone thinks it a mighty matter to heal lame and blind people, and exorcise demonics in villages of Bethsaida and Bethany" (Unger's Bible Dictionary, pp. 200, New Testament (Lardner's Works, vii, 626-627), and After Jesus, 1992, Reader's Digest, p. 240).
The census of the Jews was likely taken around the time of the Fall Feasts as Luke relates that shepherds in that area were still
"living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flocks by night" and that an angel of the Lord revealed to them good tidings of great joy... that "There is born to you this day in the city of David (Bethlehem) a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger" (Lk 2:8-12).
It is obvious that Jesus' birth "did not occur in the winter, since shepherds in Palestine customarily do not remain in the open with their flocks, except from spring to autumn" (Unger's Bible Handbook, p. 516).
Just When was JESUS Born? Return to Index
Many believe that Jesus was born on or around December 25 and they observe that as Christmas today. But the Catholic Encyclopedia admits,
"Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the church. Irenaeus (130-200 A.D.) and Tertullian (150-225 A.D.) omit it from their lists of feasts."That belief did not become established as part of "Christianity" until the latter part of the 4th century when the Roman Church began observing December 25th to celebrate the birthday of Christ (The Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. 3, p. 724, art. "Christmas"). It was originally the pagan winter Saturnalia festival of Mithraism, the largest pagan religious cult of the Roman and Greek worlds, celebrating the solar feast of Natalis Invicti - "Nativity of the Unconquered Sun" - on 25 December (p. 727). By the 5th century the church decreed the birth of Christ be forever observed on that date. The halo (Greek "helios," meaning sun) on paintings of Christ and the saints is a symbol of the sun god adopted from pagan sun worship. The Saturnalia feast, representing the birth of the sun god, was "christianized" by the Roman Catholic church,
"assimilating both his image and his birthday, December 25th. That date (first) came to be celebrated as the birthday of Jesus some time between A.D. 274 and 336" (After Jesus - The Triumph of Christianity, pp. 215, by Reader's Digest), to facilitate and appease the conversion of pagans to Catholic "Christianity."
The Holy Scriptures do not reveal the exact date of Jesus Christ's birth, obviously for the reason that His birthday was not to be worshipped, the reason of which will be made clear in the next chapter. Many pagan God's are worshipped on their birth dates and many pagan calendars were so ordained for this purpose, which fact (their birth) only proves that they are not Eternal Gods at all.
But Old Testament Prophesies do reveal when the Messiah would come, and the New Testament gives clues as to the approximate time He was born as the Son of Man. Daniels prophecy (Dan 9:25-27) and the Gospel accounts reveal that Jesus ministry lasted 3 1/2 years and that He was crucified in the spring at the time of the Passover (John 18:39). This places the beginning of His ministry in the fall and at that time Jesus was 30 years of age (Lk 3:23), the age required in the OT to enter the ministry (Num 4:3). If He turned 30 in the fall, then His birthday was in the fall 30 years earlier, around the time of the Feast of Trumpets. The Feast of Trumpets is a memorial of the Day of the Lord when the Lord (Jesus "Jehoshua"), the Messiah (Christ) shall come again in power and glory as "King of kings and Lord of lords" (Joel 2:1; Zech 9:14-16; Rev 1:10; 11:15).
Luke reveals some interesting details confirming the time of His birth.
Luke also reveals certain details about rulers of the Roman government and the Jewish priests of the time:
"It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus (meaning lover of God - Theophilus was the name of one of the high priests in his time),He then tells us that this "was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea" (vs. 5) when Jesus was born. King Herod (the great) ruled Judea from 37 B.C. till his death in 4 B.C., meaning Jesus was born in 4 B.C. or before.
"that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were [informed]" (Lk 1:1-4).
After Jesus was born, wise men (it doesn't say how many) from the East (they were Israelites or Jews from Parthia or Media where they had been deported in the captivities of Israel and Judah centuries before - 2 Kgs 17:5-24; 25:1-12; 2 Chr 36:15-21; Acts 2:9) came to Jerusalem, saying,
"Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.
"When Herod the king heard these things, he was troubled...
He gathered the chief priests and scribes together and inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
"So they said to him, 'In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet..." (Mat 2:2-5).
Shortly after Herod heard this he had all the children two years old and under in Bethlehem put to death (Mat 2:1-2,16). Herod died soon after this and was buried at Herodium (see picture). His son Archelaus reigned (4 B.C. - 6 A.D.) over Judea in his stead (Mat 2:19-22).
Luke reveals that Jesus was begotten by God the Father six months after John the Baptist was conceived.
"Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin (Mary) betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David."
The angel told her, "Behold, you will conveive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give Him the throne of His father David. And He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His Kingdom there shall be no end.
"Then Mary said to the angel, 'How can this be, since I have not known (had intercourse with) a man?'
"And the angel answered... 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born shall be called the Son of God.' Now, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible" (Lk 1:26-37).
Luke also reveals the approximate time that Elizabeth conceived. Her husband was a
"priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah... So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord...
"Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him...
"The angel said to him...your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name John...
"He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.
"And he shall turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.
"He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, 'to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,' and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord...
"and so it was, as soon as the days of his service were completed, that he departed to his own house.
"Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived..." (Lk 1:5-24).
The clue revealed by Luke is the time Zacharias served in the temple. The division of Abijah was the 8th of 24 orders, each order serving two weeks at a time in the temple and all serving during the Holy Days as established in king David's time (1 Chron 24:1,7-19; Neh 12:4). The order began in the first month, Abib (Nisan - March or April) of the year (Ex 12:2; 13:4; Est 3:7). (MacArthur Study Bible, note pp. 589, 677). The 8th order would have served after Penetecost (sometime in June or July), so Elizabeth would have conceived soon after this when Zacharias returned home and John the Baptist would have been born nine months later in the spring, March or April, around Passover or soon after. Six months after this would be in the fall, September or October, around the fall Holy Days.
Luke also carefully chronicles the time both John the Baptist and Jesus began their ministries with the rulers of that time. (See chart)"Then in the fifteenth year (26 A.D.) of the reign of Tiberius Caesar (he reigned from 14-37 A.D. but co-reigned from 11 A.D. [11 + 15 = 26 A.D.] until the death of Augustus on August 19, 14 A.D. - MacArthur Study Bible, pp. 1517), Pontius Pilate being governor (procurator) of Judea (he was govenor A.D. 26-36), Herod Antipas... (who killed John the Baptist) being tetrarch of Galilee (4 B.C.-39 A.D.), his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis (4 B.C.-34 A.D.), and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,
"Annas and Caiaphas being high priests (Joseph Caiaphas was appointed high priest (18-36 A.D.) by Valerius Gratus, procurator (15-26 A.D.) and was the acting official, while Annas his father-in-law was ex officio high priest and very influential - John 18:13,24), the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.
"And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, as it is written in the book of... Isaiah the prophet, saying:
"The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight..." (Lk 3:1-6).
Old Testament Prophecies Fulfilled by JESUS! Return to Index
The Old Testament, considered a Jewish Book by most "Christians" contains many prophecies of the Messiah who was to come to deliver Israel and all mankind from sin and death. Though most Jews do not accept Jesus as their Messiah, the fact that He fulfilled all the prophesies concerning His first coming is an astounding proof of His Messiahship. Some of the prophesies include:
Genesis 22:8,14 - "And Abraham said, 'My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.'...And Abraham called the name of the place Jehovah-jireh (meaning the Lord Will Provide); as it is said to this day, 'In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided." The place was the same place Solomon later built the Temple of God. Jesus Christ became the Lamb that God provided as the offering (John 3:16-17; 11:47-53).
Genesis 49:10-11 - "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh (an epithet of the Messiah) comes; and to Him shall be the obedience of the people." Jesus Christ, the coming King of kings, was born of the tribe of Judah through whom the rulership was promised (Lk 3:33; John 19:19; Heb 7:14; Rev 19:16).
"Binding His donkey to the vine, and His donkey's colt to the choice vine; He washed His garments in wine (symbol of His blood), and His clothes in the blood of grapes." Jesus fulfilled this riding into Jerusalem on the donkey and then gave His life (blood) to cleanse the sins of many (Zech 9:9; Mat 21:1-11; 26:28; Rev 7:14).
Exodus 12:5-7,11 - "Your lamb shall be without blemish... Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth of the (first) month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it... And take of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses... It is the Lord's Passover." Jesus was the Passover Lamb without blemish (without sin - Heb 4:15; 1 Pet 2:21-24) killed by the whole congregation of Israel though neither Pilate nor Herod found any fault in Him (Lk 23:13-25; 1 Cor 5:7).
Leviticus 23:10-12 - "...you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest. He shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted on your behalf; on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. And you shall offer on that day, when you wave the sheaf, a male lamb of the first year, without blemish, as a burnt offering to the Lord." Jesus Christ fulfilled the offering of the wave sheaf and the lamb without blemish, becoming the first of the firstfruits of God's spiritual harvest. This was offered after the Passover on the day after the Sabbath, the first day of the week, during the Days of Unleavened Bread. Jesus ascended to heaven on the first day of the week after His crucifixion to appear before the Eternal with His blood to be accepted on our behalf to make atonement for us (John 20:1,11-17; 1 Cor 15:20; Heb 9:11-12,24,28).
Deut 18:15-18 - "The Lord your God shall raise up a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear... And I will put My words in His mouth..." Jesus is that Prophet and spoke only as the Father directed Him (John 5:30; 6:14; 8:28-29; 14:10).
Psalm 22:1,7-8 - "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, and from the words of My groaning? ...All those who see Me laugh Me to scorn; ...they shake their head saying, 'He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him; let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!" Jesus experienced the feeling of being mocked and forsaken by everyone when He suffered the shame and agony of the cross for man's sins (Mk 15:27-37; Lk 23:35-37; Heb 12:2).
Isaiah 7:14-16 - "Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. Butter and honey shall He eat, that He may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good. For before the Child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that You abhore shall be forsaken of both her kings." Jesus was begotten by God conceived in the virgin Mary hundreds of years after both Israel and Judah were taken into captivity (Lk 1:26-35). God's Spirit was with Him from birth so that He would know and choose good over evil even when tempted by Satan himself (Mat 4:1-11).
Isaiah 9:6 - "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder. And His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Jesus is the Child, both Son of God and Son of man that God gave to be man's counselor and God to bring salvation and peace to mankind (Mat 16:13,16,27-28; John 3:16-18).
Isaiah 35:4-10 - "Say to those who are fearful-hearted, 'Be strong, do not fear!' Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God; He will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb sing... And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing, with everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away." Jesus preached salvation and healed many at His first coming, but this prophesy relates mostly to His second coming when the Kingdom of God will be established on the earth (Dan 2:44; Mk 1:14-15, 32-34,38-45; Rev 11:15; 20:6; 21:1-7).
Isa 52:13-15 - "Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently, He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high. Just as many were astonished at you, so His visage (appearance) was marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men; so shall He sprinkle many nations. Kings shall shut their mouths at Him; for what had not been told them they shall see, and what they had not heard they shall consider." Jesus, when on the earth, was wise and prudent so that "no one was able to answer Him..." (Mat 22:46) Many worshipped Him, but when He allowed Himself to be taken as a sacrifice, He was brutally beaten and marred, and the blood of His sacrifice shall cleanse many nations of peoples of their sins when they come to understand and consider and repent (Mat 27:26-35; Mk 14:65; 15:16-20; Heb 13:12; Rev 1:5-7).
Isaiah 53:2-12 - "For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him." Jesus looked like an ordinary Jew of His day. He was not easily recognized so that Judas had to point Him out to His captors (Mk 14:44-46).
"He is despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him." He came to His own and they rejected Him (John 1:11). The religious leaders dispised Him and turned the people against Him (Mk 15:9-15; Lk 23:10-25).
"Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted." They railed against Him saying,"He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said 'I am the Son of God" (Mat 27:40-44), but He was suffering all our griefs and sorrows to make intercession for us to God (Heb 2:9-11; 4:14-16; 5:5-9)."But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed." He was afflicted and suffered as we, and as an example for us, thereby learned great compassion to make intercession for our healing (1 Pet 2:21-25; 4:1,13)."Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had power of death, that is the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage... Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest... to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted" (Heb 2:14-18)."All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all." Jesus, who never sinned, suffered the results of the sins of all mankind,"the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God" (1 Pet 3:18)."He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth." Jesus ws reviled, but He never reviled back (Mk 15:1-5; John 19:7-11).He "for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame... Therefore consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin" (Heb 12:2-4)."He was taken [by constraint through judgment]; who will declare His lifetime? For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of My people He was stricken." Jesus was seized, accused, judged, condemned and put to death on false charges for our transgressions (Mat 26:57-68; Lk 23:1-25,33). Who will stand up and declare the truth of His life?
"And they made His grave with the wicked - but with the rich at His death, because He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth." Though Jesus only bear witness to the truth, He was condemed with the wicked, but because He did not sin He was placed in the tomb of the rich man Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the Sanhedrin council (Lk 23:32-33,50-53; John 18:37).
"[He pleased the Lord in His affliction; having been put to grief; when He made] His soul an offering for sin. He (God) shall see His Seed (Son), He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand." God was well pleased in Jesus His firstborn Son:"For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross" (Col 1:19-20; 2 Pet 1:16-18)."He [can] see [through] the travail of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge (understanding) My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities." Jesus learned through experience and travail and therefore can understand our suffering and help us in our need to be justified (made right)."For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Heb 4:14-16)"Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and He made intercession for the transgressors." Because Jesus Christ poured out His soul unto death to make intercession for the transgressors,"Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow... and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil 2:9-11).Isa 61:1-2 - "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
And He is pleased to share the spoil, His glory and inheritance, with those who stand strong with Him in faith,
"For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of One, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren" (Heb 2:10-11).
"In whom also we have obtained an inheritance" (Eph 1:11-14).
"To proclaim an acceptable year of the Lord..." Jesus read this Scripture before the synagogue at the begining of His ministry and said to them, "This day (it was the Day of Atonement beginning the Jubilee Year - Lev 25:8-10) is this Scripture fulfilled in your hearing" (Lk 4:14-21). He came to call many to be freed from captivity to sin.
Jeremiah 23:5-6 - "Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, that I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; a King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. In His days Judah shall be saved, and Israel will dwell safely. Now this is the name by which He shall be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS." This is the Messiah that the Jews were expecting in Jesus time, but this prophecy refers to His second coming. His own disciples asked Him after His resurrection,"Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? And He said to them, 'It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has appointed to His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:6-8).Jeremiah 31:31-34 - "Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah,
"not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the days that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord.
"But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
"No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more." When Jesus fulfilled the Passover sacrifice, He established the new covenant, beginning the forgiveness of sins with his disciples, the New Testament Church - the called out ones (Mat 26:26-28). It will be established with all Israel at His return (Mat 23:37-39; Rom 10:11-13,21; 11:1,,7,25-27; Heb 8:7-13).
Daniel 7:13-14 - "I was watching in the night visions, and Behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days. And they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a Kingdom, that all peoples, nations and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His Kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed." Jesus Christ, the Son of Man, returned to heaven to receive a Kingdom (Lk 19:12). When He returns to earth He will re-establish the Kingdom of God here on the earth (Rev 11:15; 12:10).
Daniel's Amazing Prophecy of the Messiah! Return to Index
Daniel 9:24-27 - God sent His angel Gabriel to Daniel to reveal an amazing prophecy of when the Messiah was to come:"Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make and end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy.
"Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until the Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times." The 70 weeks in this prophecy, which is 490 years, each week being 7 years in prophecy (Lev 25:8) summarizes (seals up the vision) the Messiah's mission to make reconciliation and eliminate sin and establish righteousness on the earth. The prophecy contains two parts, the 69 weeks (7 and 62 weeks), which reveals when the Messiah would come the first time, and the 70th week after the 69 weeks. Jesus Christ, The Messiah, began His ministry 69 weeks (483 years) from the commandment given to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem - given by Artexerses in the 7th year of his reign (458-57 B.C. - Ezra 7:1,7-26). 483 years from 457 brings us to 27 A.D. (457 B.C. - 483 = 26 A.D. + 1 because there was no year 0 = 27 A.D.).
"And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, and till the end of the war desolations are determined.
"Then He shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wings of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate." The 70th week is here divided into two parts, each of 3 1/2 years. Jesus began His ministry after the 69 weeks, in which He confirmed the covenant with many. His ministry lasted 3 1/2 years and He was "cut off" in the "midst of" the 70th (last) prophetic week of 7 years, as well as in the midst (Wednesday, the 4th day) of a literal 7 day week, when He fulfilled the sacrifice for sins required to make reconciliation for iniquity and brought "an end of sacrifice and offering." After this Jerusalen and the temple were destroyed and a series of beast governments would rule until the final beast and false prophet that bring on 3 1/2 years of great tribulation and make war with the returning Messiah (Rev 13 & 17). The final 3 1/2 years of Jesus' ministry to confirm the covenant will apparently be fulfilled at the end during the time of great tribulation - possibly as He works through the angelic messenger from heaven, His church and His two witnesses (Rev 10:1-11; 11:1-12).
Malachi 3:1 - "Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight. Behold, He is coming, says the Lord of hosts." John the Baptist was the messenger who prepared the way for Jesus' first coming (Mat 3:10-11; 11:9-10; Lk 3:1-4; John 3:22-36).
JESUS' Ministry Return to Index
John the Baptist began his ministry in 26 A.D., as shown above, preaching repentance, preparing the way for Jesus Christ (Lk 3:1-4,15-18). Jesus was baptized by John shortly before He began His ministry (Lk 3:21-22). "Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil..." (Lk 4:1-13). After Jesus' temptation by Satan,"He returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. And He taught in their synagogues... And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place (Isa 61:1-2) where it was written (and read): 'The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me...' Then He closed the book... And He began to say to them, 'Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing'" (Lk 4:14-21).This was the Day of Atonement beginning the year of Jubilee when Liberty was to be proclaimed (Lev 25:8-11). It was also the beginning of the fulfillment of the 70 weeks (the 7 weeks and 62 weeks and the first 3 1/2 years of the 70th week) prophecy of Daniel 9:24-25 (explained under Daniel 9:24-27).
Eusebius' Ecclesiastical History Return to Index
Written records giving evidence and eyewitness accounts have been found, which provide proofs of the miraculous works of Christ and His disciples down throught the ages. Some early records of their letters and works have been preserved by the fourth century historian Eusebius Pamphilus (264-340 A.D.), a Bishop of Cesarea in Palestine, who became a close friend and advisor to Constantine, emperor of the Roman Empire. He collected and recorded many early letters in his Ecclesiastical History. Two such letters that he records are of correspondence between king Agbarus of Edessa and Jesus the Christ. Eusebius writes:
"Agbarus, who reigned over the nations beyond the Euphrates with great glory, and who had been wasted away with a disease, both dreadful and incurable by human means when he heard the name of Jesus frequently mentioned, and his miracles unanimously attested by all, sent a suppliant message to him, by a letter-carrier, entreating a deliverance from his disease. But though he did not yield to his call at that time, he nevertheless condescended to write him a private letter, and to send one of his disciples to heal his disorder...
"Of this, also we have the evidence, in a written answer, taken from the public records of the city of Edessa, then under the government of the king. For in the public registers there, which embrace the ancient history and the transactions of Agbarus, these circumstances respecting him are found still preserved down to the present day. There is nothing, however, like hearing the epistles themselves, taken by us from the archives, and the style of it as it has been literally translated by us, from the Syriac language.
"Copy of the letter written by King Agbarus, to Jesus, and sent to him, at Jerusalem, by Ananias, the courier:"Agbarus, prince of Edessa, sends greeting to Jesus the excellent Saviour, who has appeared in the borders of Jerusalem. I have heard the reports respecting thee and thy cures, as performed by thee without medicines and without the use of herbs. For as it is said, thou causest the blind to see again, the lame to walk, and thou cleansest the lepers, and thou castest out impure spirits and demons, and thou healest those that are tormented by long disease, and thou raisest the dead. And hearing these things of thee, I concluded in my mind one of two things: either that thou art God, and having descended from heaven, doest these things, or else doing them, thou art the son of God. Therefore, now I have written and besought thee to visit me, and to heal the disease with which I am afflicted. I have, also, heard that the Jews murmur against thee, and are plotting to injure thee; I have, however, a very small but noble state, which is sufficient for us both.""The Answer of Jesus, to King Agbarus, by the courier, Ananias:"Blessed art thou, O Agbarus, who, without seeing, hast believed in me. For it is written concerning me, that they who have seen me will not believe, that they who have not seen, may believe and live. But in regard to what thou hast written, that I should come to thee, it is necessary that I should fulfill all things here, for which I have been sent. And after this fulfilment, thus to be received again by Him that sent me. And after I have been received up, I will send to thee a certain one of my disciples, that he may heal thy affliction, and give life to thee and to those who are with thee.""To these letters there was, also, subjoined in the Syriac language:"After the ascension of Jesus, Judas, who is also called Thomas, sent him Thaddeus, the apostle, one of the seventy... When the report was circulated concerning his arrival, he became publicly known by the miracles which he performed, it was communicated to Agbarus, that an apostle of Jesus had come thither, as he had written.
"Thaddeus, therefore, began in the power of God to heal every kind of disease and infirmity; so that all were amazed. But when Agbarus heard the great deeds and miracles which he performed, and how he healed men in the name and power of Jesus Christ, he began to suspect that this was the very person concerning whom Jesus had written, saying, 'after I have been received up again, I will send to thee one of my disciples, who shall heal thy affliction'. Having, therefore, sent for Tobias, with whom he staid... Tobias, then, returning to Thaddeus, said to him, 'Agbarus the king having sent for me, has told me to conduct thee to him, that thou may heal his disorder...'
"When he came... he then asked Agbarus whether he were truly a disciple of Jesus the Son of God, who had said to him, 'I will send one of my disciples to thee, who will heal thy sickness, and will give life to thee and to all thy connexions'?
"And Thaddeus answered, 'Since thou hast had great confidence in the Lord Jesus, who hath sent me, therefore, I am sent to thee. And moreover, if thou believest in him, with increasing faith, the petitions of thy heart shall be granted thee, as thou believest.'
"And Agbarus replied, 'So much did I believe in him that I had formed the resolution to take forces, in order to destroy those Jews who had crucified him, had I not been deterred from my purpose by a regard for the Roman empire.'
"Thaddeus replied, 'Our Lord and God, Jesus the Christ, hath fulfilled the will of his Father, and having fulfilled it, was taken up again to his Father.'
"Agbarus said to him, 'I have believed both in him and in his Father.'
"Then said Thaddeus, 'Therefore. I place my hand upon thee in the name of the same Lord Jesus.' And this being done, he was immediately healed of the sickness and sufferings with which he was afflicted. And Agbarus was amazed, that just as he had heard respecting Jesus, so in very deed he received it through his disciple and apostle Thaddeus, who had healed him without any medicine and herbs, and not him only, but Abdas also, the son of Abdas, who was afflicted with the podagra...
"Many of the same city were also healed by the same apostle, who performed wonderful and great deeds, and proclaimed the word of God. After this, said Agbarus, 'Thaddeus, thou doest these things by the power of God, and we are filled with wonder. But beside these things, I request thee, also, to inform me respecting the coming of Jesus, how he was born, and as to his power, with what power he performed these things which we have heard.'
"Thaddeus answered, '...tomorrow assemble all thy citizens, and before them I will proclaim the word of God, and will sow among them the word of life, both respecting the coming of Jesus, as he was, and respecting his mission, and for what purpose he was sent by the Father; also, concerning the power of his works, and the mysteries which he declared in the world; by what power, also, he did these things, concerning his new mode of preaching, his lowly and abject condition, his humiliation in his external appearance, how he humbled himself, and died, and lowered his divinity; what things, also, he suffered from the Jews; how he was crucified, and descended into hell, (hades,) and burst the bars which had never yet been broked, and rose again, and also raised with himself the dead that had slept for ages... And how he sitteth at the right hand of God and the Father, with glory, in the heavens; and how he is about to come again with glory and power, to judge the living and dead.'
"--Agbarus, therefore, commanded his subjects to be called early in the morning, and to hear the annunciation of Thaddeus; and after this, he commanded gold and silver to be given him; but he would not receive it..." (Ecclesiastical History, Chapter XIII).
Expectations of the Messiah! Return to Index
Though most Jews reject both Jesus Christ and the New Testament, many in His time were hoping and expecting the Messiah to come during that time, as had been prophesied by the prophets of the Old Testament, to deliver them from the oppression of the Roman Empire.
Even His closest disciples believed that Jesus was the One who would deliver Israel at that time. Before Jesus' crucifixion, Peter was ready to fight to protect the Messiah (Mat 26:50-56; John 18:1-14). After His crucifixion and resurrection, they asked Him:
"Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?
He replied, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority,
"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:6-8).
John the baptist, when he was thrown into prison by Herod, began to doubt that Jesus was that Messiah to come. He sent his disciples to ask Jesus,
"Are you the coming One (the Messiah), or do we look for another?" (Mat 11:2-4).
Jesus replied, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind receive their sight and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them" (vs. 4-5).
The apostle John also testified, "And truly Jesus did many other miracles in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name...
And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen" (John 20:30-31; 21:25).
The MESSIAH Will Come Again! Return to Index
Many prophecies reveal that the Jesus Christ will come again to set up the Kingdom of God and rule over this earth as the "King of kings and Lord of lords". Most of these prophecies will be covered later. But before He returns, God promises that He will send a prophet to again prepare the way and let the world know - even as Noah warned the world before the flood.Malachi 4:5-6 - "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse ("cherem," meaning utter destruction)."
This is a prophecy of one who was to come and "restore all things" (the knowledge of the truth) to prepare the way before Christ's second coming. Jesus disciples asked Him,
"Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first? And Jesus answered and said to them, 'Elijah truly shall come first and will restore all things. But I say to you that an Elijah has already come, and they knew him not'" (Mat 11:14; 17:11-13).
But Jesus also warned:
"But of that day and hour no one knows, no, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know (understand or really believe) until the flood came and took them all away, so also shall the coming of the Son of Man be" (Mat 24:36-39).
Has God already sent one in the spirit and power of Elijah in our day? Would you recognize and believe if you heard? (See "Elijah Shall Come in Our Day" in Ch 7 of "Mysteries of God - Revealed"). For Jesus also warned,
"False christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders, so to deceive, if possible, even the very elect (chosen)" (Mat 24:24).
To avoid being deceived, you need to know Jesus Christ, Who He really is, His message and who His true and faithful servants are! Part 2 reveals Who Jesus Christ Is.
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Next installment: Chapter 2 - Who Jesus Christ?
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