Introduction

 

In our Biblical journey to gaining wisdom, let us take a look at two great new testament most powerful and strong men of God in order to identify their offices and or calling.

Who are these powerful men of God in the New order of our Big Book of Wisdom?

 

• Jesus Christ and;
• John the Baptist.

 

Lets commence discussion on them starting with our Lord Jesus Christ.  The question is:

Who is Jesus Christ?

To write about Jesus we  must commence from the point when prophecies were given concerning His coming into the world.  I don’t want to go deeper into the beginnings of things but the most common prophecies.  In this regard I will be citing well-known verses from the Old Testament.

Isaiah 7:10-14 states that: “Moreover the Lord spoke again to Ahaz saying, “Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God; ask it either in the depth or in the height above”.  But Ahaz said “I will not ask nor will I test the Lord.”  Then he said, “Hear now O house of David, Is it a small thing for you to weary men but will you weary my God also?   Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign.   What is this sign?  That “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel

 

Can we digress as to know when this prophecy was given to the time it was fulfilled?

According to research; Isaiah (the Prophet of God) was believed to have lived for about 700 years before the birth of Jesus Christ.

 

The notable or visible signs in these verses are:  Since King Ahaz refused to ask for a sign, God Himself was giving them the sign which is that a Virgin will conceive and bear a son whose name shall be Immanuel (meaning God with us).  This means in essence that God Himself will come and dwell with us His children.  In the past He dwelt in their midst but not physically.  This time He was coming like anyone of us to dwell among us, to know pain,  sorrow and every other sufferings of this world.

 

The good news is that because He was both God and man; the nature of God – loving, caring; helping the needy; healing the sick; and those suffering from one problem to the other- He gave succor to them; and also came for a special assignment which differs his nature from the ordinary man.

 

Let’s cite another prophecy in that same isaiah 9:6-which says thus:  “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder.  And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom….  The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this”

 

Here we saw other names He will be known with and no other will bring this to pass but the zeal of the Lord of Host will perform it.  Also the government will be upon His shoulder signifying His sufferings in the hands of those in authority.

 

Another prophecy states that:  There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots.  The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.

 

The family  our Lord Jesus was to come from was also indicated and how the spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel and might, knowledge and fear of God will all rest upon Him during His life time.  All these were prophesied so that we will know when such child will be born.  Micah 5:2 is relevant.  Let us take note that His birth alone was not prophesied but His functions, suffering and also His death were all indicated.  Let’s see what they are.

 

He will bring light to those who walk in darkness and in the shadow of death (Isaiah 9:2).  Isaiah 61:1-3 highlighted some of His functions  which are:

• 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 captive;  And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;  To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord; and the day of vengeance of our God;  To comfort all who mourn;  To console those who mourn in Zion;  To give them beauty for ashes;  The oil of joy for mourning; The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;  “That they may be called trees of righteousness;  The planting of the Lord that he may be glorified..  These were His functions stipulated when the Christ shall come will perform.

 

Also, let’s take the last part of the prophecy which is about his suffering and death as highlighted in Isaiah 53:1-12.  It says:  Who has believed our report?  And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?  For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground.  He has no form of comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him.

 

He is despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrow and acquainted with grief.  And we hid as it were our faces from Him;  He was despised and we did not esteem Him.  Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted.  But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities;  The chastisement for our peace was upon Him.  And by His stripes we are healed….  And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.  He was oppressed and He was afflicted yet H e 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.  He was taken from prison and from judgment.

And who will declare His generation for He was cut off from the land of the living (I say none since He had no offspring as He was cut short at His prime- but Glory be to God because He is the Savior and Master of all)-   For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.  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.  Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him;;  He has put Him to grief.  When you make His soul an offering for sin…

 

We can see here how He will be oppressed and stricken.  How He will become a man of sorrow and will bear the iniquities of the whole world.  Now, lets see what the New Testament has to offer concerning this great and powerful son of the Most High God.

What does the New Testament say about these Prophecies? or the outcome or results of the prophecies

 

We are going to beam our search light to its writings to see if these prophecies manifested.  Let’s turn our Big Book of Wisdom to Matt 1:1-25.  This passage highlights the genealogy and birth of Jesus.  We shall cite some of the verses which corroborates with the prophecies.  The Bible says He will come from the stem and root of Jesse:

 

“The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham…. Obed begot Jesse and Jesse begot David the King; David begot Solomon….And Jacob begot Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ.  So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are 14 generations and from captivity until the Christ are 14 generations.  It continues in verse 18 to narrate about his birth and I quote:

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows:  After the mother Mary was betrothed to Jesus before they came together she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.  Then Joseph her husband being a just man and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.  But while he thought about these things, behold an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.  And she will being forth a son and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”  So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:

 

“Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son and they shall call His name Immanuel, which is translated- God with us.”  Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife and did not know her till she had brought forth her first son.  And he called His name Jesus.

 

Let us see how St. Luke’s Gospel recorded Christ birth in His book Chapter 1 from verses 26 through 56 and  Chap. 2:1-52.  In this  lengthy reading; I shall summarize the story and only quote where necessary.  Verse 26 has it that when Elizabeth (John”s mother) was six months in her journey to womanhood at her old age; the angel Gabriel visited Mary who was then betrothed to Joseph with a greetings.  The angel said to her and I quote “Rejoice highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women”

The Bible recorded that Mary was troubled at His sayings and greetings but He told her not to be afraid for she has found favor with God and that she will conceive and bring forth a son, and shall call His name Jesus.  That the child will be great and will be called the Son of the Highest and the Lord  God will give Him the throne of His father David and  He will reign over the house of Jacob forever and of His kingdom there will be no end.

 

Mary questioned the angel how this can be since she was still a virgin but the angel told her and I quote; “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will over shadow you; therefore also that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.The angel went further to inform her of Elizabeth her relative who had also conceived a son in her old age and the month she was in and told Mary that with God nothing will be impossible.”   After hearing these words, she succumbed and said “Behold the maidservant of the Lord!  Let it be to me according to your word.  Hence the angel departed from her.

Mary arose and visited Elizabeth and on hearing her greetings the Babe in Elizabeth’s womb lept and she was filled with the Holy Spirit thus she spoke these words to Mary:  “Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb.  But why is this granted to me that the mother of My Lord should come to me?  For indeed as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.  Blessed is she who believed for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord and Mary also worshiped the Lord with her own song.

Chap.2 of Luke Gospel narrated how His birth took place and I state as follows:  “It came to pass in those days that a degree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.  This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria so all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.

 

Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth into Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David to be registered with Mary his betrothed wife who was with child.  So it was that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered.  And she brought forth her firstborn son and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths and laid Him in a manger because there was no room for them in the Inn.

 

Now there were in that same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flocks by night.  And the angel of the Lord stood before them and the glory of the Lord shone around them and they were greatly afraid but the angel told them not to be afraid for He brings to them good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.  For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord and a sign was given to them to identify Him.  That “You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a Manger.”

 

Suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of heavenly host Praising God and saying; “Glory to God in the Highest.  And on earth peace, goodwill toward men”   So when the angels were done and gone back to heaven; the shepherds said to one another; Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.  So they left and came to the place where Mary and Joseph are and saw the babe lying in a manger so they broadcast all that they heard and saw and all that heard it marveled.  The shepherds returned from their journey glorifying and praising God for all the things they heard and saw as it was told them.

 

Usually every male child was circumcised eight days after birth.  Jesus was circumcised and Naming carried out as well where the Name Jesus was officially given to Him according to the instruction from God through the angel.  And after the days of her purification; the child was presented to the temple being the custom of the Jews or instruction from God to Moses and His people that “Every male who opens the womb shall be holy to the Lord.  So it was with Jesus too and the necessary sacrifices were also carried out

It was during this time that Simeon – a just and devout man of God in Jerusalem who had been directed by the Spirit of God that he would not see death until he had seen the Lord Christ came in being led by the Holy Spirit into the temple.  Ad as the parents brought in the child Jesus; he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:  “Lord now You are letting Your servant depart in Peace according to your word; For my eyes have seen You Salvation which You have prepared before the face of all peoples.  A Light to bring revelation to the Gentiles and the Glory to Your People Israel.

 

After making this prayer to God to let him return to Him since he has seen the revelation of God based on His promises to him; he turned to Jesus’s parents and blessed them but told Mary his mother that; “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against.  He said further that “Yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also ie. foreseeing His sufferings and death and what she will pass through.

 

Another person that witness this presentation at the temple was Anna, a prophetess… a widow who dedicated her life to the service of God.  As at this time she was 84 years of age.  She too met the scene and gave thanks to God and spoke of Him to all looking for the redemption of Jerusalem  Thereafter they returned to Galilee to their own city and the child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom and the grace of God was upon Him.

 

From the passages  highlighted above, we could see that the prophecies concerning Jesus birth and place of birth have been fulfilled.  God is not a man that He should lie.  If He says a thing, He brings it to pass.

 

What are you waiting for, You too can do more than this in your area of interest or choice or passion and become successful.  What is more important is changing your generation and becoming a blessing to your environment.  Join me Here let’s make a difference in our world.

 

I am  going to continue  my next write-up with;  Who John the Baptist is as not to bore you on this piece of writing.  Don’t forget the writing is continuing and i want to see you reading as there are some questions that will further increase your knowledge in the word as we study together by answering those questions.  I will be expecting You.  Don’t fail to drop your comments if this article lifts your spirit.

 

LJacob