Jehoshua is on the throne of David in New Jerusalem and He is the King of a New Israel
The Sonship of Jehoshua is the foundation of the Messianic Church. This is confirmed by Jehoshua in Matthew 16:13-20 where He tells Peter that his (Peter's) confession of Jehoshua's Sonship and Messiahship would be the rock that the Church would be built upon. Infact, it is only this Church that would overcome the gates of hell and also be given authority by Jehoshua to loose and bind on earth and heaven.
It is the belief in Jehoshua's Sonship that grants one to receive the indwelling of Jehovah God's Spirit and also grants one to be in covenant with Jehovah God (1 John 4:15). Those who have faith that Jehoshua is truly the Son of God overcome the world (1 John 5;4-5). Paul's first sermon after His encounter with the risen Messiah and subsequent conversion was that Jehoshua is the Son of God (Acts 9:20). The required belief that the Ethiopian had to have in order to be baptized by Phillip was that Jehoshua was the Son of God and Messiah of God (Acts 8:37). John the beloved thought it was anti-Messiah to deny the Father-Son relationships between Jehovah and Jehoshua ( 1 John 2:22-23). John penned his account of the gospel so that his readers would know that Jehoshua is the Son of God and Messiah of God (John 20:31). Paul says that the whole purpose of ministers was to bring the saints into the unity of the faith and knowledge of the Son of God (Ephesians 4:11-12). We see above the prominence given to the Sonship of Jehoshua by the apostles and Jehoshua Himself. These are only a few passages, there are an abundance of texts that speak of the Sonship of Jehoshua. No one in their right mind could come to the conclusion that Jehoshua in identity is not the Son of God, however it is in determining what makes Jehoshua the Son of God that must be investigated. This is important because a wrong understanding of how Jehoshua is the Son of God leads to having "another Jehoshua" that disqaulifies Him from being the rightful Messiah. Unfortunately most of Christendom has substituted the true meaning of "Son of God" for a gnostic pagan version of it's meaning. Traditonal Christianity's teaching of Jehoshua as Son of God is based off the Nicene creed which posits that Jehoshua was eternally begotten from the substance of God the Father. There are variations of this doctrine such as semi-arianism that teaches that at some point in eternity Jehoshua was begotten from the Father's substance. Arians believe that Jehoshua was created out of nothing by God the Father in eternity and that is how He is the Son of God. Some other beliefs such as Binitarianism and Tri theism deny any type of eternal begetting or creating of Jehoshua and attribute Him to being begotten by God at the virgin conception. These systems still hold to the preexistence of Jehoshua as God. Some of those who hold the above beliefs will acknowledge that it is Jehoshua being from David's line and His inheritance as the Davidic king that also makes Him Son however their view of Messiah's preexistence overshadows the Davidic connection to Jehoshua's Sonship. Many Christian's don't even know that it is the Davidic covenant that truly makes Jehoshua the Son of God and many have not even heard that there is such a thing as a Davidic covenant. They also don't realize that the anointed kings of Israel were considered God's sons and His messiah's. Let's go to the ultimate authority which is the bible and find out what truly makes Jehoshua the Son of God. Psalm 2:1-12 (ASV) 1Why do the nations rage, And the peoples meditate a vain thing?2The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against Jehovah, and against his anointed, [saying],3Let us break their bonds asunder, And cast away their cords from us.4He that sitteth in the heavens will laugh: The Lord will have them in derision.5Then will he speak unto them in his wrath, And vex them in his sore displeasure:6Yet I have set my king Upon my holy hill of Zion.7I will tell of the decree: Jehovah said unto me, Thou art my son; This day have I begotten thee. 8Ask of me, and I will give [thee] the nations for thine inheritance, And the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.9Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter`s vessel.10Now therefore be wise, O ye kings: Be instructed, ye judges of the earth.11Serve Jehovah with fear, And rejoice with trembling.12Kiss the son, lest he be angry, and ye perish in the way, For his wrath will soon be kindled. Blessed are all they that take refuge in him. Psalm 2 is an explosive passage of scripture that sheds light on the meaning of the title "Son of God" as applied to Jehoshua. The first few verses are about the trials of Jehovah's anointed king as the rulers of the earth conspire against Jehovah and His Messiah. David penned this psalm and it applies to him as an immediate application and any of the Davidic kings who would face similar opposition however it was to be ultimately fufilled in Jehoshua. The apostolic church attributed verses 1 and 2 of Psalm 2 to the persecution of Jehoshua by the Gentiles and Jews along with their rulers Pontius Pilate and Herod. Acts 4:23-28 (ASV) 23And being let go, they came to their own company, and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said unto them.24And they, when they heard it, lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, O Lord, thou that didst make the heaven and the earth and the sea, and all that in them is:25who by the Holy Spirit, by the mouth of our father David thy servant, didst say, Why did the Gentiles rage, And the peoples imagine vain things?26The kings of the earth set themselves in array, And the rulers were gathered together, Against the Lord, and against his Anointed:27for of a truth in this city against thy holy Servant Jesus, whom thou didst anoint, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, were gathered together,28to do whatsoever thy hand and thy council foreordained to come to pass. The apostolic church attributes this persecution as being subsequent to the anointing of Jehoshua which took place at His baptism. We can then say the first 5 verses of Psalm 2 took place during the earthly ministry of Jehoshua . Let's look at verses 6-7 of Psalm 2: 6Yet I have set my king Upon my holy hill of Zion.7I will tell of the decree: Jehovah said unto me, Thou art my son; This day have I begotten thee. We need to determine when the above took place in Jehoshua's existence. Since this is an exaltation passage this could only have taken place at Jehoshua's baptism or His ascension into heaven. The context of this passage is in regards to the conflict that Jehoshua faced from the kings of the earth after His anointing and His exaltation to Kingship in relation to that. This passage in Psalm 2 cannot have anything to do with preexistence or the birth of Jehoshua as it was only after His baptism that verses 1 and 2 apply to Him as qouted by the apostolic church. While some Christian's attribute Pslam 2:7 to the resurrection and ascension of Jehoshua let's look at another strong possibility. Let's look at a qoute from Origen who was one of the "church fathers" 230 AD AD (est.), Origen The same verse also once apparently existed in John’s gospel. In Origen’s Commentary on the Gospel of John, section 32, Origen (died 254) writes evidently quoting John’s gospel upon which he was commenting: “None of these testimonies, however, sets forth distinctly the Savior’s exalted birth; but when the words are addressed to Him, ‘Thou art My Son, this day have I begotten Thee,’ this is spoken to Him by God.” (Early Christian Writings) Apparently Pslam 2:7 was once a part of John's gospel. Below is account of Jehoshua's baptism as how it likely originally read in Matthew: -Baptismal Account in Hebrew Matthew In the Hebrew Matthew of 38 AD, there is a variant to the baptismal account which is different from a much later Greek text tradition. This earliest variant has God say from Heaven to Jesus at His baptism: "This Day I have begotten thee." As we shall see below, this earliest variant is validated by two quotes from the Epistle to the Hebrews in the NT, including Hebrews 5:5. This variant is also confirmed as originally present by numerous quotes by the early orthodox commentary of preachers. They relied upon the earliest Greek New Testament, but it was evidently changed later as these words were contrary to the "eternal son" doctrine that emerged in the 300s. So what did the Hebrew version of Matthew say -- the original version of our Gospel of Matthew? This Matthew, Jerome later explained, was translated into Greek. (Jerome in 393 AD explained the Ebionites-Nazarenes still maintained custody of that copy in a library at Caesarea.) Epiphanius recorded near 400 AD that this original Hebrew Matthew had God speak from heaven at the baptism "today I have begotten thee." - There is much more historically regarding the words uttered in the Matthew baptism account that prove the quotation of Psalm 2:7 to be the orignal words spoken by the voice from heaven. However, we will proceed with looking at Matthew 3:16-17: 16 After the people were baptized, Jesus also came and was baptized by John. And as Jesus came up from the water, Heaven was opened, and He saw the Holy Spirit descend in the form of a dove and enter into Him. 17 And a voice from Heaven said, ‘You are my beloved Son; with You I am well pleased.’ And again, ‘Today I have begotten thee. This is how Matthew 3:16-17 original read according to Epiphanius Panarion 30.13.7. - Luke 3:22 In Old Manuscripts The baptismal account of Jesus in Luke 3:22 in old manuscripts likewise had this account that the Father spoke from heaven to Jesus: "This day I have begotten you." A modern study Bible comments on Luke 3:22: "Other ancient authorities read You are my Son, today I have begotten you." (Wayne A. Meeks, Jouette M. Bassler, The HarperCollins Study Bible: New Revised Standard Version (HarperCollins: 1997) at 1962.). Even many modern study bibles footnote the baptism accounts of Matthew and Luke with a reference to Pslam 2:7 showing us that many bible scholars acknowledge Pslam 2:7 to be originally the words spoken by God at Jehoshua's baptism. This is huge as it sheds light on the meaning of Jehoshua's Sonship especially in regards to Him being God's only begotten Son. As stated by the Church in Acts 4:27, Jehoshua was anointed by Jehovah prior to His being persecuted by the rulers of the earth. Scripture cleary says that this took place at His baptism in fufillment of Isaiah 11: 1And there shall come forth a shoot out of the stock of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots shall bear fruit.2And the Spirit of Jehovah 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 Jehovah. First came the sprouting up of the Branch out of David's family heritage i.e. the stock of Jesse which refers to the Messiah's birth from the seed of David and then His subsequent childhood and young adulthood in which He beared fruit waxing (increasing) in the Spirit. Second came the anointing (without measure) of the Branch which was the Spirit of Jehovah God resting upon Him and entering in Him. This is when Jehoshua was endowed with all the qaulities of Jehovah God's perfect Spirit. Biblically, when a royal descendant of David was anointed by Jehovah with the Holy Spirit it meant that they were now installed into office as king of Israel. Should it be any different with Jehoshua? Take note that David was anointed three times as king, after the first time David did not sit on the throne right away and was actually persecuted by the sitting king of Israel named Saul. The second time David sat on the throne of Judah, the third time He finally sat on the throne of all Israel. Solomon was anointed twice to be king so we shouldn't think it strange that Jehoshua was also anointed twice as King, once at His baptism and also at His ascension. Psalm 2:7 is not only quoted twice in reference to Jehoshua's baptism but also twice in regards to His ascension. Psalm 2:7 is also qouted in Acts 13 which could be a reference to either His baptism or His ascension. The Kingdom of Jehoshua appears to have begun at His enthronement in heaven after His ascension (Hebrews 1:8-9). However, we can learn from the story of David that the anointing of the king often happened prior to the king being sat upon the actual throne. Let's look at 1 Samuel 16:13 "Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of Jehovah came mightily upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah." The oil was symbolic of the Holy Spirit, who empowered David for his service (1 Samuel 10:6). The Spirit of Jehovah came upon David. The Hebrew has the idea of rushing upon. Here David was anointed by Jehovah to be the king of Israel. His being anointed by Jehovah was when the Holy Spirit mightily came upon him. Now let's look at a parallel event in the life of Jehoshua which is His baptism. Matthew 3:16-17 16 After the people were baptized, Jesus also came and was baptized by John. And as Jehoshua came up from the water, Heaven was opened, and He saw the Holy Spirit descend in the form of a dove and enter into Him. 17 And a voice from Heaven said, ‘You are my beloved Son; with You I am well pleased.’ And again, ‘Today I have begotten thee. Jehoshua here is being installed into office as King of Israel as the word "begotten" as used in the Hebrew, the language that Pslam 2:7 was originally written in, has the meaning "to declare pedigrees" or "to be installed into office. It doesn't always mean literal birth. If Psalm 2:7 is originally the words spoken at Jehoshua's baptism then it is crystal clear that He was anointed King of Israel at this event and was begotten by God the Father at His baptism. Does this mean Jehoshua wasn't already God's Son prior to His baptism? No it doesn't mean that. Psalm 2:7 is the declaration of one who is already God's Son and that this Son's pedigree is being declared i.e. begotten. It's a pedigree of Sonship and Kingship that Jehovah is declaring for His anointed one. It's an installation into office which also carries the meaning of being begotten. When a king was installed into office he was anointed by Jehovah with the Holy Spirit as confirmation of his kingship. The king then entered into a covenant relationship with Jehovah God as His son. Here in Psalm 2:7, Jehovah is initiating Jehoshua into the Davidic covenant relationship of Father-Son. Jehoshua already the Son of God prior to this now enters a deeper phase of Sonship as Jehovah's covenant (begotten) Son. It is post baptism where we read of Jehoshua being the only begotten Son for the first time. It is post baptism where Jehoshua speaks of oneness with His Father. The phrase "only begotten Son" applies to the baptism of Jehoshua which is when He was anointed with the full measure of the Father's Spirit and when He was begotten into the office of King and begotten into covenant relationship with Jehovah God per the promise made to David. Let's look at John 1:14 for proof of this: 14And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth. Here in view is the baptism of Jehoshua. Many say this verse has to do with the incarnation, however chronologically this verse follows the ministry of John the Baptist. Also, John didn't behold the glory of Jehoshua until after His (Jehoshua's) baptism. John did not know the Messiah until after His baptism so verse 14 is a post baptism account of John the beloved's viewing the glory of the only begotten Son. All the verses that refer to Jehoshua as the begotten Son of God are post baptism references. We will go through those verses later in the study. Shortly after Jehoshua's baptism, He has an encounter with an Israelite named Nathaniel. Let's read a part of the discourse between them: John 1:49-50 (ASV) 49Nathanael answered him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art King of Israel. 50Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee underneath the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these.
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