Jehoshua is on the throne of David in New Jerusalem and He is the King of a New Israel
The prophecy of the Messiah's birth and Kingship, dispelling the myth of the virgin birth.12/16/2018 Luke 1:26-27 (KJV)
26And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,27To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. Mary was a virgin at the time that the angel Gabriel paid her a visit. The word "virgin" comes from the Greek word "parthenos" (Strongs 3933) and means "a madien, by implication an unmarried daughter: - virgin." The meaning of the word virgin has a flexible meaning as it simply means a young woman, which could include a young woman who has never had sex. It could also mean a young woman of marriage age regardless of whether she has had sex or not. This meaning can even include a young woman who is married, as the meaning only implies a young daughter who is not married but doesn't limit the meaning to this. It's very important to remember that at the time of Gabriel's visitation, Mary was already espoused to Joseph (verse 27). The word "espoused" comes from the Greek word "mnesteuo" (Strongs 3423) and means "to give a souvenir (engagement present), i.e. betroth: - espouse. So according to scripture, Mary already knew the man Joseph as her betrothed (espoused) husband. This fact is important to remember as we continue through Luke chapter 1 in terms of the prophecy of Jehoshua's birth. Let's go to verses 28-30 of Luke 1 28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. We learn from the above verses that Mary was favoured by Jehovah God. She was blessed among the women of Israel due to her favor with Jehovah and the news she was about to recieve. This angelic visitation troubled Mary. Let's now to the amazing prophecy given to her by the angel Gabriel in Luke chapter 1: 31And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JEHOSHUA.32He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and Jehovah God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:33And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. The angel tells Mary that a son will be conceived (begettal process) in her womb and then subsequently she will bring Him forth out of her womb through labor in travail bearing the son to be born. Notice that the angel doesn't specify who will take part in conceiving the son in her womb but just states that it will happen. The natural conclusion that the one who would beget the son in her womb would be her betrothed husband Joseph who was mentioned in verse 27. The angel doesn't tell Mary in verse 31 that it will be God or the holy spirit doing the actual conceiving of the son. This is important to remember. His name would be Jehoshua (salvation of Jehovah) and He would be great and shall (future tense) be called the Son of God. There is absolutely no indication that Mary was pregnant at this point. Nothing in this passage even alludes to her being pregnant at this time. The angel says that her Son Jehoshua would be given the throne of His father David by Jehovah God. This prophecy is huge and should not be lost on the reader. So far she has hears that her Son will be great and given the divine name of God within His name and that He will (future) be called the Son of God. Now she is told that her Son will be given the throne of David by God. Now we can better understand why she is said to be highly favored by Jehovah. Mary's Son, that she will give birth to, will fulfill the Messianic prophecies of the old testament. Here the angel clearly states that David is the father of Jehoshua denoting that Mary's Son is from the family line of David. The only way Jehovah could give the throne to Jehoshua was for Him (Jehoshua) to be a descendant of David. Only David's lineage could make a rightful claim to the throne. The origin of the Messianic prophecy concerning the future King of Israel comes from 2 Samuel 7 which reads: 11....Moreover Jehovah telleth thee that Jehovah will make thee a house.12 When thy days are fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, that shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever.14 I will be his father, and he shall be my son: if he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men;15 but my lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee.16 And thy house and thy kingdom shall be made sure for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever. This is the foundation of the Davidic covenant. Here Jehovah makes a covenant with David that his (David's) seed (sperm) which comes out of his bowels (male sexual organs) will be established after David dies. While this applies to Solomon in it's immediate context it ultimately only applies to Jehoshua as Solomon died. Verse 13 of 2 Samuel chapter 7 says that David's offspring/seed would have His Kingdom established by Jehovah forever. This could only apply to Jehoshua as all other Davidic kings died and Jehoshua was resurrected to glory and received an eternal Kingdom (Hebrews 1:8-9; Daniel 7:13-14). The reference to David's seed and bowels show that the future Messianic King would have to come from a male descendant of David as only males have seed (sperm). The reference to bowels when used of a man refer to the seat of generation i.e. male sexual organs such as the penis and testicles. This is important to remember as we continue to read through Luke chapter 1. Verse 16 of 2 Samuel chapter 7 says that David's house (family dynasty), Kingdom and throne would be established forever. This could only apply to Jehoshua as all the other Davidic kings died and are asleep in their graves. Jehoshua was resurrected to glory recieving the throne of David (Acts 2:29-36) and also recieving a Kingdom (Colossians 1:12-14) and forever preserving the Davidic dynasty and family line (Revelation 22:16). Nathan the prophet spoke this vision to David (verse 17). Now back to Luke chapter 1, now we can understand better the weight of what Mary was told. As an Israelite she knew the prophecies concerning the future Messiah so this had to hit her like a ton of bricks. This was no small thing. Verses 32 and 33 of Luke 1 link Jehoshua being the Son of God with His Davidic Kingship and not anything else, virgin birth included. Verse 33 of Luke 1 echoes what Nathan told David in 2 Samuel 7:16 which is that His seed's Kingdom would be established forever. This confirms that Jehoshua and no one else was the ultimate fulfillment of the oath made to David by Jehovah God. It would be His (Jehoshua's) Kingdom that would be an everlasting Kingdom. Solomon and the others were only partial fulfillments of the Davidic covenant. Mary has just received the biggest news of her or anyone else's life. Her shock must be understood in order to understand how she is about to respond. Let's go to verses 34 and 35 of Luke chapter 1: 34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? 35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. Verse 34 has been misunderstood by many as Mary referring to sexual relations by saying "I know not a man" yet verse 26 clearly says she already knew a man named Joseph who she not only knew but was her espoused husband. To say that verse 34 has to do with sexual relations makes no sense for a couple reasons. One, Mary is never said to be pregnant in this passage of Luke 1:26-35 where the angel appears to her. All pregnancy and child references are made in the future tense. Two, why would Mary question how this child would come into existence when she was already espoused to a man? Common sense says that if a woman is engaged to be married to a man, then her future children would come from that man. She would not react to talk of future children with wonderment of how she will have them if she is already engaged to be married. Also, the question that Mary poses to the angel has nothing to do with the actual birth of this child as that was discussed in verse 31. Her question follows verses 32-33 that have to do with the Messianic prophecies concerning the future King of Israel. There is no reason for Mary to question the angel regarding how she will give birth to a Son as that happens everyday between a man and a woman and she is betrothed to a man so it's reasonable to conclude that this aspect of the prophecy was easily understandable to her. The miraculous aspect of the prophecy that has left Mary amazed at how this will happen has everything to do with her future Son being the King of Israel and reigning over the House of Israel forever and being given an everlasting Kingdom. This had to imply to Mary that her Son would live forever either by never dying or resurrecting. Do you now see why she was left i amazement at Gabriel's proclamation? A Davidic king had not sat on the throne of Israel for some time and the current king (Herod) was an illegitimate king as he was not from the line of David. Also, the nation of Israel was under the occupation of the Roman empire. By the time of Mary's angelic visitation, things looked bleak for the Davidic dynasty and the nation of Israel as a whole. Mary's question to the angel of not knowing such a man can now be better understood. The word "know" comes from the Greek word "ginosko" (Strongs 1097) and means "allow, be aware (of), feel, (have) know(-ledge), perceived, be resolved, can speak, be sure, understand." Nowhere in the meaning of "know" even hints of sexual relations. This destroys the Catholic/Protestant interpretation of this verse that "know" means that Mary had not sexually known a man. Even if it did, it wouldn't prove anything as nowhere in the angels announcement to Mary is she said to be pregnant as all the pregnancy references are spoken of in the future tense. The fact that all the pregnancy references are in the future tense then eliminates the likelihood that Mary's question to the angel had anything to do with sexual relations as that question wouldn't make sense being that she was not pregnant yet. The man that Mary did not know was the man that the angel just described to her in verses 32 and 33 that would be called the Son of God (future) and would be given the throne of David by God and reign over the house of Israel forever as it's everlasting King. Mary had trouble fathoming such a man due to the Davidic dynasty being in ruins and the political climate of that time which featured an illegitimate king on the throne of Israel under the rule of a pagan empire. The angel then gives Mary the answer in regards how the prophecy will be accomplished through her future Son. Verse 35 of Luke chapter 1: 35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. Many use this verse to refer to the virgin birth doctrine however when we look closely at this verse there is absolutely no hint of a virgin birth. The angel answers Mary's question of how this prophecy of her future Son will be accomplished and says that "the Holy Ghost shall come upon thee". For some reason this is understood by many to mean that the Holy Ghost will impregnant Mary or cause her to be pregnant without a man's participation via sexual relations. Let's look at the meaning of the word "come" in the Greek: The word "come" comes from the Greek word "eperchomai" (Strongs 1904) and means "to supervene i.e. arrive, occur, impend, attack, (figuratively) influence: - come (in, upon)." All we can conclude in this verse is that the Holy Spirit in some way will be with Mary during the process of conceiving and giving birth to this child (Jehoshua). The meaning of the word "come" (eperchomai) means to supervene i.e. arrive. At some point prior to Mary conceiving Jehoshua the Holy Spirit arrived upon her. It also means to influence and of course it's reasonable to conclude that the Holy Spirit influenced the conception and birth of Jehoshua. It also means to come in and/or upon and certainly the Holy Spirit came upon her during the whole process. However, what's noticeable about the meaning of "come" is the absence of getting pregnant or begetting a child (conception) as part of it's definition. There are other scriptures that prove that the Holy Spirit can be involved in the conception and birth of a child without being the one to impregnate or directly cause the impregnation of the woman with that child without the use of the man via sexual relations. Let's look at some instances where the Holy Spirit was involved in the conception and/or birth of a child. Genesis 18:13-14 13 And Jehovah said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? 14 Is any thing too hard for Jehovah? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. After the angel of Jehovah told Abraham that he and Sarah in her old age would have a son, Sarah laughed as she couldn't believe it. Jehovah reiterated to Abraham that indeed it was true that they, Abraham and Sarah, would have a child. Jehovah stated that at the appointed time (when this promise was to be fulfilled), that He would return to Abraham and Sarah according to the time of life. The reference to "the time of life" is likely referring to Sarah's ovulation cycle which is the time when women's eggs are the most fertile making them ready to be impregnated by the seed (sperm) of a man. Let's go to Genesis 21 to read the fulfillment of this miraculous birth: Genesis 21:1-4 1And Jehovah visited Sarah as he had said, and Jehovah did unto Sarah as he had spoken.2For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.3And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac.4And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him. This passage is very revealing and helps to refute the idea that just because the Holy Spirit came to Mary and overshadow her that a Virgin birth is needed. Here in Genesis 21, It says that Jehovah visited Sarah and did as He had spoken in Genesis 18:13-14. Remember, Jehovah said He would visit Sarah according to the time of life (her ovulation cycle). This is what Genesis 21 is describing which is that Jehovah visited Sarah during her ovulation cycle so that she can conceive a child and bare a son. Jehovah's visiting Sarah was the cause of her pregnancy yet no one believes this was a virgin birth. Of course, it wasn't a virgin birth as it didn't need to be for Jehovah to accomplish what He told Abraham. The progression of Jehovah visiting Sarah and then her conceiving and baring a son is the exact progression that the angel of Jehovah told Mary what would take place with her in regards to the conception and birth of Jehoshua. Just as Isaac's birth didn't have to be the result of a virgin birth neither did Jehoshua's. Let's break down the first few verses of Genesis 21 closely: Jehovah visited Sarah according to the time of life meaning her ovulation cycle. The word "visited" comes from the Hebrew word "paqad" (Strongs 6485) and means "to visit (with friendly or hostile intent); by analogy, to oversee, muster, charge, care for, miss, deposit, etc.: - appoint, at all, avenge, bestow, (appoint to have, the, give a) charge, commit, count, deliver, to keep, be empty, enjoin, go see, hurt, do judgment, lack, lay up, look, make, by any means, miss, number, officer, (make), overseer, have (the) oversight, punish, reckon, (call to) remember(-brance), set (over), sum, surely, visit, want." Basically "visited" means to oversee, visit and appoint. This is pretty much the same thing as when the angel of Jehovah told Mary that the Holy Spirit would come upon (visit) her and overshadow (oversee) her. In Genesis, it is Jehovah that comes upon and overshadows Sarah and in Luke it is the Holy Spirit that comes upon and overshadows Mary. We know that Jehovah is everywhere present by His Spirit and that the Holy Spirit is the actual Spirit (power and presence) of Jehovah God not a third person. The new testament even says that Jehovah is that Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 17Now the Jehovah is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of Jehovah is, there is liberty.18But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of Jehovah, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of Jehovah. The above is corraborated by Jehoshua as in the gospel of John chapter 4 He says: 24God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. The Holy Spirit in the birth narratives of Jehoshua is eqauted with the power of the Most High God (Jehovah). In both cases (Sarah and Mary), Jehovah visited them in their time of life (ovulation cycle) and overhshadowed (oversaw) them during the conception (when they became pregnant) process and then also when they bore (birthing process) their sons. In other words Jehovah formed both Isaac and Jehoshua from the womb as He did Jeremiah the prophet (Jeremiah 1:4-5).
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