WHERE WAS JESUS REALLY BORN?
It is easy to see why we misunderstand as much as we do about the birth of Christ, since Matthew 2:1 begins almost 2 years after he was born, when the Magi came bearing gifts. For the sake of this teaching we will turn to Luke chapter 2 to find some of the details prior to his birth. The following will be from Young’s Literal Translation:
Luke 2:2-7
2 And it came to pass in those days, there went forth a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world be enrolled — this enrollment first came to pass when Cyrenius was governor of Syria —3 and all were going to be enrolled, each to his proper city, and Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, that is called Bethlehem, because of his being of the house and family of David, to enroll himself with Mary his betrothed wife, being with child. And it came to pass, in their being there, the days were fulfilled for her bringing forth, and she brought forth her son — the first-born, and wrapped him up, and laid him down in the manger, because there was not for them a place in the guest-chamber. YLT
The guest-chamber (Inn in the KJV) in those days was a room adjacent to the house for the lodging of guests. These days some people have Guest-houses, while others may have Guest-rooms. The Greek word is kataluma. It is used 1 other time in Luke and once in Mark. In both instances it is translated ”guest-chamber” in the King James Version:
Mark 14:14
And wheresoever he shall go in, say ye to the goodman of the house, The Master saith, Where is the guest-chamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples?
KJV;
Mark 14:14 NASB & NRSV:
and wherever he enters, say to the owner of the house,’ The Teacher says, “Where is My guest room
Luke 22:11
And ye shall say unto the goodman of the house, The Master saith unto thee, Where is the guest-chamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples? KJV)
The Guest Chamber or room was part of the house, not an outbuilding like a barn or a shed. Joseph and Mary were not out in the cold with no place to go. They were at a friend’s house or at the very least a friend of a friend. They were like royalty, direct descendants of King David and they were in the city of David. They didn’t just arrive but had been there at least a few days already . Anyone would have been glad to have them in their home, let alone the fact Mary was in her 9th month of pregnancy. Let’s read verse 6 of Luke 2 again in the NASB:
Luke 2:6
And it came about that while they were there,
They weren’t just getting there on the back of a donkey like movies show. They had been in town a few, if not several days. Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words explains it the best:
kataluma (kata/luma, NT:2646), akin to kataluo (see Note above), signifies (a) “an inn, lodging-place,” Luke 2:7; (b) “a guest-room,” Mark 14:14; Luke 22:11. The word lit. signifies “a loosening down” (kata, “down,” luo, “to loose”), used of the place where travelers and their beasts untied their packages, girdles and sandals. “In the East, no figure is more invested with chivalry than the guest. In his own right he cannot cross the threshold, but when once he is invited in, all do him honor and unite in rendering service; cf. Gen 18:19; Judg 19:9,15.” These two passages in the NT concern a room in a private house, which the owner readily placed at the disposal of Joseph and Mary. (from Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, Copyright © 1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
Now, what is a manger? A Manger is the feeding trough for animals and a cozy place for a baby!
NT:5336 phatne (fat’-nay); from pateomai (to eat); a crib (for fodder):
(Biblesoft’s New Exhaustive Strong’s Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
So, there you have it; no barn, no stall, no cows, sheep or oxen, no donkeys (hee-haw)! No mean, old Inn-keeper! No snow on the ground, either.
Merry Christmas and may God Bless you all in the name of Jesus Christ!
The Mighty God
While studying Luke 1:32 I got stuck on the meaning of “his name.”
Luke 1:31-34
And behold, you will conceive in your womb, and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. 32 “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of his father David; 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and his kingdom will have no end.”
NASB
In the Christian Scriptures it is the Greek word *onoma, onomatos, to and means:
- universally: used of proper names, Mark 3:16
- used for everything which the name covers, everything the thought or feeling of which is roused in the mind by mentioning, hearing, remembering, the name,
In the Hebrew Scriptures as in Isa 9:6 is the word shem.
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.
KJV
*shem —
a) a name
b) a reputation, fame, glory
c) the Name (as a designation for God)
d) memorial, monument
Just the other day I got a Christmas card from a friend with Is. 6:9 on it. It sickens me that even at Christmas time the trinity has to be invoked. So, I decided to take a closer look at that little verse to get a better understanding.
Is. 9:6 should read:
For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;
And the government will rest on his shoulders;
And his name will be called wonderful counselor, mighty god,
everlasting father, the Prince of peace.
What determines whether or not something is capitalized is whether or not it is preceded by the Article “the.” The only words that he is called that are preceded by the article “the” are Prince of peace. The other “the’s” were added by the translators, the one before “mighty” and the one before “everlasting.”
The word mighty here is the Hebrew word *gibbor
as an adjective: 1) strong, mighty; as a noun, masculine:
2) a strong man, a brave man, a mighty man
*god is the word ‘el which means:
1) God, god-like one, the mighty one
a) mighty men, men of rank, mighty heroes
b) angels
c) a god, a false god, (demons, imaginations)
d) God, the one true God, Jehovah (Yahweh)
2) mighty things in nature
3) strength, power
Luke tells us above that God will give Jesus the throne of his father David. I know you’ve all heard the expression, “like father, like son.” David was a proven warrior and a hero to his people. He was a mighty man in the flesh, like Jesus was a mighty man in signs, miracles and wonders! They were both men of renown; their reputations preceded them!
In understanding everlasting father lets look at the meaning of father in Hebrew:
* ‘ab —
1) the father of an individual
2) used of God as Father of His people
3) the head or the founder of a household, a group, a family, or a clan
4) an ancestor
a) a grandfather, the forefathers – of a person
b) used of people (in general)
5) an originator or patron of a class, profession, or art
6) used of a producer, a generator (figuratively)
7) used of benevolence and of protection (figuratively)
8) used as a term of respect and honor
9) a ruler or a chief (specifically)
How many of those things can be attributed to Jesus? What else does Luke say above? It says that of his kingdom there will be no end, as in everlasting, right? In the Millennial Kingdom, he will be the king or ruler, the chief one. He’s also called the Prince of Peace, right? Prince’s rule don’t they? So, everlasting father also equates to everlasting Prince, everlasting King, everlasting Lord, etc. He could also be called the “father” of Christianity, I suppose.
When it comes to understanding the Bible, there is more than meets the eye. Having a Bible program of some sort is critical. I use PC Bible by Biblesoft. All my definitions are from the Lexicons mentioned in the parenthesis below. Jesus was conceived, born and named according to Luke. In Matthew 1:18 he was born, genesis, came into existence, and was named Jesus, the only-begotten Son of God.
God bless!
*(from The Online Bible Thayer’s Greek Lexicon and Brown Driver & Briggs Hebrew Lexicon, Copyright © 1993, Woodside Bible Fellowship, Ontario, Canada. Licensed from the Institute for Creation Research.)
Fallen Angels
Most of us have heard about “fallen angels” even though the Bible does not literally support it. If you research “fallen” you will only find one reference to an angel in Is.14:12, which is a prophecy of something to come. This scripture refers the “the Shining One, the Morning Star.”
Isa 14:12
“How you have fallen from heaven,
O star of the morning, son of the dawn! NASU
(The KJV adds the name Lucifer, but there is no such name in the most correct manuscripts).
The reason this verse is still future is because Rev. 12:9 is still future.
9 And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
NASU
“The fallen angels” refers to those mentioned in Jude 6 and 2Pe.2:4.
Jude 6
And angels–those who did not keep the position originally assigned to them, but deserted their own proper abode–He reserves in everlasting bonds, in darkness, in preparation for the judgement of the great day. Weymouth. This seems to be a free will decision to abandon (desert) their own dwelling place and because they did,
2 Peter 2:4
For God did not spare angels when they had sinned, but hurling them down to Tartarus consigned them to caves of darkness, keeping them in readiness for judgement. Weymouth
Because of their own actions, God cast them out of Heaven; they didn’t fall, they were thrown out!
What sin did they did commit to cause this? For those who may not know we can find that answer in Genesis.
Gen 6:1-4
Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, 2 that the sons of God (angels) saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. 3 Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” 4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. NASU
Gen 6:4
4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days and also later. That was when the sons of God had sexual relations with the daughters of human beings. These women gave birth to children, who became famous and were the mighty warriors of long ago. NCV
The offspring of these angels were/are the Nephilim. Goliath was a Nephilim, a member of a super race of people, continually evil, mighty warriors and famous men of renown. Nimrod was another. This is the sin that these particular angels committed. They have been in Tartarus ever since the Flood.
What Should Be #1 On Your Prayer List?
This will be my shortest Post ever. I am curious what you think we should be praying for more than anything else. One of the things I think should be a #1 concern is that the US Dollar remain the World Reserve Currency. If it ever loses that lofty position, it could lose 50-75% of its value overnight, if not more. When things lose value, it takes more of them to get less. What do you think is the most important thing to prayer for?
I CAN HARDLY WAIT TO DIE FOR CHRIST or Allah! (Conclusion)
(As you can see, it does not pay to take verses out of their context).
Paul was not saying, “hey let’s all go out and put ourselves in a dangerous place where we could to get killed, cuz, hey, then we will be with Christ!” What he was saying was that he himself was torn between wanting, desiring for the gathering together to be with Christ and continuing to do what he was doing, for their sake; not that he or us has any control over the return anyway. Paul goes on to say:
Phil 1:23 But I am pressed by both, having the desire for (the) departure and being with Christ, [for] [it is] very much better, Darby
More of the context of Philippians: Phil 2:16 Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain. KJV
Paul goes on to say in Phil 3:7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. KJV
Phil 3:10-11 That I may know him, and the power of his ability to raise the dead, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the rising from the dead. AT
Phil 3:20-21 for our commonwealth has its existence in [the] heavens, from which also we await the Lord Jesus Christ [as] Saviour, who shall transform our body of humiliation into conformity to his body of glory, according to the working of [the] power which he has even to subdue all things to himself. Darby
2 Thess 2:3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For it (the day of the Lord) will not be, unless the departure comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of destruction, WEB
Death is an enemy and will be an enemy until it is destroyed: 1 Cor 15:26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. KJV
Do you remember that Paul said in 1 Thess 4:13-17 that the dead are sleeping in Christ? Where are they sleeping? In Sheol, the grave. This is where the apostle Paul is now, and Peter and David and Moses as well as everyone who has ever lived and died, except Jesus Christ. Some are awaiting the Gathering Together of the Church of God, the Body of Christ; others are awaiting the Resurrection of the Just, some the Unjust and still others have no idea that they are waiting for anything. But, the fact remains, that they are dead and don’t even know it. Anyone who was ever any good for God, who are dead, are no longer. Death will find us all soon enough without us going out looking for it!
Eccl 9:10
Whatever your hand finds to do, verily, do it with all your might; for there is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol where you are going. NASB
I CAN HARDLY WAIT TO DIE FOR CHRIST or Allah! (Part II)
Part II of …..DYING FOR CHRIST or Allah
Phil 1:23
For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:
Webster
23 But I am pressed by both, having the desire for (the) departure and being with Christ, [for] [it is] very much better,
Darby
The following is taken from Adam Clarke’s Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright © 1996, 2003, 2005, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved:
[For I am in a strait betwixt two] Namely, the dying now, and being immediately (in a sense of time at the Rapture) with Jesus; or living longer to preach and spread the Gospel, and thus glorify Christ among men. ( if I died right now. the next thing I would be aware of is the Rapture!)
[Having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ] Teen epithumian echoon eis to analusai. It appears to be a metaphor taken from the commander of a vessel, in a foreign port, who feels a strong desire analusai, to set sail, and get to his own country and family; but this desire is counterbalanced by a conviction that the general interests of the voyage may be best answered by his longer stay in the port where his vessel now rides; for he is not in dock, he is not aground, but rides at anchor in the port, and may any hour weigh and be gone. Such was the condition of the apostle: he was not at home, but although he was abroad it was on his employer’s business; he wishes to return, and is cleared out and ready to set sail, but he has not received his last orders from his owner, and whatever desire he may feel to be at home he will faithfully wait until his final orders arrive. (Nicely put, eh?)
The word depart, analusai, is only used in one other place in the Bible in Luke 12:36 in regards to Christ’s return, specifically his 2nd Coming for Israel:
36 And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.
KJV
1 Thess 4:13-17 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep (dead), that you may not grieve, as do the rest who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, and remain until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep (the dead). 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. NASB
God can’t bring anyone with Jesus back to heaven, if everyone is already there! Come on people, the Bible has to make sense. There is no life immediately after death; there is no transmigration of the soul. (I’m not sure this knowledge would make any difference to the Islamo-facists group called ISIS, but it should). When Jesus drew his last breath, BAM he was dead! His soul no longer existed anywhere; no breath = no life. Anyone teaching anything contrary to this is in error. Every mortal who has ever lived and died with the exception of Jesus Christ is Resting in Peace.
R.I.P.
(TBC)
I CAN HARDLY WAIT TO DIE FOR CHRIST or Allah! (PART I)
In light of the many recent be-headings and murders of Christians by radicalized Muslims or Islamic Extremists, some in the Church are teaching that if you are in the place God wants you to be and this happens to you, then it is “gain,” because even Paul said it was better to be with Christ than to be ministering here on earth or so it is taught. Who really benefits when a Christian dies? Both Muslims and Christians hold the erroneous belief in life immediately after death. I think there would far fewer suicide bombers if they knew the truth.
Paul said in Phil 1:21 “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” When we look at this verse as it stands alone it leaves us with the impression that death is something to be gained, yet we know that death is and always will be an enemy; the greatest enemy of life. No one gains anything by being dead; not God, not Jesus and certainly not you. In order to “gain” a proper understanding of the preceding verse it must be seen in its context. In its context we must go back and read from the beginning of the chapter to the end of the Epistle. In verse 6 we read:
Phil 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
Phil 1:10 That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;
Phil 1:20 According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.
We can see that the context preceding verse 21 is “the day of Jesus Christ” when he returns to gather us together to heaven. This was Paul’s earnest expectation and hope and should be ours as well. The words “earnest expectation,” is the Greek word apokaradokia, to watch with intense anticipation, and is used in one other place in regards to the creation:
Rom 8:18-19 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. NKJV
When are the sons of God revealed? When they/we return with Jesus for the Battle of Armageddon.
The second word Paul uses in conjunction with earnest expectation is his “hope,” elpis. Hope is often associated with the return of Jesus Christ:
Col 1:5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, NASB
1 Thess 2:19-20 For who is our hope or joy or crown of exultation? Is it not even you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? 20 For you are our glory and joy. NASB
Phil 1:23
For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:
Webster
(TBC, see Part II)
The Birth (genesis) of Jesus Christ, Part I
The following is taken from pages 161-171 of my latest book “Rightly Dividing The Word of Truth.” (Copyright Protected).
When one makes Jesus their Lord, God creates His seed in that individual. As was discussed in Chapter III, we become born again of incorruptible “seed” (1 Peter). The word “seed (spora)” implies parentage.3 Spora and sperma 4 both come from speiro (4687) and spao (4685). It is easy to see that these words are the roots of the English words spore and sperm,
which are both used to describe reproduction; the sowing of seed. To gain a better understanding of the birth of Christ, consider the usage of words in following passage:
“An account of the beginning, origin,(genesis, 1078) 5 of Jesus the Messiah,
son of David, son of Abraham” (Mt 1:1). AT
Here, genesis is a noun that means origin, source, or beginning; it comes from the word ginomai (1096): to come into being. Similarly, “And Jacob begat (gennao, 1080) Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born (gennao) Jesus, who is called Christ or Messiah” ( Mt 1:16).
Here is what the KJV says: The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
This should be particularly troubling to everyone, in that the very first verse of the New Testament is corrupt! The word “generation” 1074 is the word genea and is translated as such 31 of 37 times, but it is not used in this verse at all.
Matthew 1:18 should read, “The beginning, genesis (with one “n”), or origin of Jesus Christ happened this way,” not, “Now the birth (gennesis, with a double “n”) of Jesus Christ happened in this way.”6 The earliest and best manuscripts agree in introducing the passage with the words “The beginning.” Some manuscripts have “<1078> accompanying the word genesis.The reason for this is that other manuscripts use the word gennesis (1083). One thing that further sets these two words apart is that genesis can also mean creation. Genesis and “now” also fl ow with the context of Matthew 1:1. Now the beginning (genesis, 1078) of Jesus Christ was on this wise: his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of holy spirit (no article the). But [while] he thought on these things, behold, [the] angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, son of David, fear not to take Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of 7 holy spirit (no article the). (Mt 1:18, 1:20) It says this is the beginning, the genesis, of Jesus Christ. You either believe it or you do not. If you do not, then there is no reason to believe anything else the Bible has to say.
3
NT:4701 spora (spor-ah’); from NT:4687 (speiro); a sowing, i.e. (by implication)
parentage. Strong’s
4
NT:4690 sperma (sper’-mah); from NT:4687; something sown, i.e. seed (including
the male “sperm”); by implication, off spring; specifically, a remnant (figuratively,
as if kept over for planting). Strong’s
5
NT:1078 genesis, geneseoos, hee; 1. source, origin; 2. used of birth, nativity, in Mt
1:18; 3; of that which follows origin, viz. existence, life Jas 3:6. Thayer’s
6
Bart D. Ehrman, Th e Orthodox Corruption of Scripture: Th e Effect of Early
Christological Controversies on the Text of the New Testament. (Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 1993).
7
NT:1537 ek (ek) or ex (ex); a primary preposition denoting origin (the point whence
action or motion proceeds), from, out of (place, time, or cause; literal or figurative;
direct or remote. Strong’s
Making Merchandise
Some interesting facts.
Part II of Identifying the False Prophet; the Predecessor of the Antichrist
One of the keys to understanding who is what in the book of Revelation being able to see the different Greek words from which our English words are translated. Beast for example is translated from either zoon or therion:
NT:2226 zoon(dzo’-on); neuter of a derivative of NT:2198; a live thing, i.e. an animal: KJV – beast. NT:2198 zao (dzah’-o); a primary verb; to live (literally or figuratively).
NT:2342 therion (thay-ree’-on); diminutive from the same as NT:2339; a dangerous animal: KJV – (venomous, wild) beast. NT:2339 thera (thay’-rah); from ther (a wild animal, as game); hunting, i.e. (figuratively) destruction: KJV – trap.
Zoon is used 7 times and therion is used 37 times in Revelation. Here we can see that therion is not just any living animal, but a wild, dangerous and destructive one as well.
Rev 13:11-17 describes this Beast from the Earth
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