Bible Study Seattle

After hearing another Christmas sermon about the Nativity Scene including lots of animals, shepherds, and the wise men, I got to thinking.  First of all, the magi were not present at the birth of Jesus.  That would have been extremely difficult and impractical for Mary & Joseph.  Imagine just giving birth and the very next day fleeing the country for your life!  No.  Joseph and Mary had about a year and a half of peacefully raising their baby until the wise men show up.  This becomes apparent by Herod’s actions:  “Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi.”  Matthew 2:16

John the baptist was born about 6 months before Jesus around Passover.  Jesus was born during the fall feasts; trumpets or atonement or tabernacles.  It is likely that the magi were planning on visiting Jerusalem as they were likely Persian Jewish converts, of the school of Daniel.  They probably knew this prophecy:  “Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place.  So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress.”  Daniel 9:24-25

The magi were probably expert chronologists.  The only question was when was the decree issued to rebuild Jerusalem?  Cyrus issued the decree, but the work was stopped.  It then had to be reissued.  The other problem is how would they know the Messiah’s death would finish the transgression?  And even if they knew that, how old would the Messiah be upon death?  Hence, other signs were required for the magi to know when the birth occured.

But why did the Magi visit at all?  Would YHWH have prevented the slaughter of the innocents if they hadn’t visited?  Perhaps not.  Perhaps at some point, word would have made it to Herod that a pretender to the throne was living in Bethlehem.  We can’t know at this point.  But the Magi’s visit made Mary & Joseph instantly wealthy.  It enabled them to leave very fast when Herod came hunting.  Bethlehem is only 7 miles from Jerusalem.  Mary & Joseph probably had no more than 2 days to flee.  It is appropriate that the night shepherds were told about Jesus’ birth.  No one would really care what they said.  But very wealthy Persians visiting Herod for information about the birth location of a new king, got Herod’s attention.  The magi were probably visiting during one of the high seasons in Jewish life: Tabernacles.  This may be shown by: “And the Word became flesh, and did tabernacle among us, and we beheld his glory, glory as of an only begotten of a father, full of grace and truth.”  John 1:14 YLT

The women went to Jesus’ tomb the day after the Sabbath, as going to the tomb on the Sabbath was not in line with their faith.  The morning of the first of the week is half way through the day already.  Hebrew days start at sundown.  Therefore it is impossible to know if Jesus rose on the Sabbath or on the 1st of the week (which might be considered the 8th day).  Might this be on purpose?  Will the resurrection happen in the great Sabbath or will it happen in the great Jubilee?  Or both?

“So the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead, continued to testify about Him.  For this reason also the people went and met Him, because they heard that He had performed this sign.  So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are not doing any good; look, the world has gone after Him.”  John 12:17-19

“But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’  But he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’ But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”  Luke 16:29-31

Jesus declared that the Pharisees wouldn’t be moved to faith even upon seeing someone rise from the dead!  Apparently this will be repeated in the future, because billions will rise, yet a significant number will still follow Satan to fight the saints at Jerusalem.

It is very hard if not impossible to predict the future.  The U.S. election of Donald Trump came as a surprise to many.  But what does YHWH see?  The two forces of centralization and decentralization continue their war.  If the rising water of Noah’s flood is a prophecy for our time, the rising flood of truth via the internet and other sources should continue for a while.  This no doubt frustrates the elites no end.  President Obama has ceded control of ICANN to the UN.  This seems to be a move to eventually control the internet.  But technology moves fast.  The thrust to go cashless is really gaining steam, but this author thinks the elites will be frustrated in their plans.  The true cashless world will probably have to wait many decades.  Hopefully freedom will remain and decentralization will hold sway.  Faith in institutions continues to slide.

“Then Moses commanded them, saying, “At the end of every seven years, at the time of the year of remission of debts, at the Feast of Booths, when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God at the place which He will choose, you shall read this law in front of all Israel in their hearing.  Assemble the people, the men and the women and children and the alien who is in your town, so that they may hear and learn and fear the Lord your God, and be careful to observe all the words of this law.  Their children, who have not known, will hear and learn to fear the Lord your God, as long as you live on the land which you are about to cross the Jordan to possess.”  Deuteronomy 31:10-13

The Sabbath year in particular was a time that all the people must hear the law.

“Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Booths.”  Zechariah 14:16

No doubt, the people will hear the law read when they go to the Feast of Booth (Sukkot) in the future.  The law was even more read by the king:

“Now it shall come about when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests.  It shall be with him and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, by carefully observing all the words of this law and these statutes, that his heart may not be lifted up above his countrymen and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, to the right or the left, so that he and his sons may continue long in his kingdom in the midst of Israel.”  Deuteronomy 17:18-20

“So Moses numbered all the firstborn among the sons of Israel, just as the Lord had commanded him; and all the firstborn males by the number of names from a month old and upward, for their numbered men were 22,273.”  Numbers 3:42-43

“These are the numbered men of the sons of Israel by their fathers’ households; the total of the numbered men of the camps by their armies, 603,550.”  Numbers 2:32

How could there only be 22,273 firstborns among a population of 603,550?  The answer lies in the redemption price.

“For the ransom of the 273 of the firstborn of the sons of Israel who are in excess beyond the Levites, you shall take five shekels apiece, per head;”  Numbers 3:46-47

“But if they are from a month even up to five years old, then your valuation shall be five shekels of silver for the male, and for the female your valuation shall be three shekels of silver.”  Leviticus 27:6

22,273 firstborn is counting only the boys from one month to five years old.

“Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and they saw the God of Israel; and under His feet there appeared to be a pavement of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself.  Yet He did not stretch out His hand against the nobles of the sons of Israel; and they saw God, and they ate and drank.”  Exodus 24:9-11

This happened just after the first Feast of Weeks, the fiftieth day after leaving Egypt.  Is this picturing the completion of the church?  This scripture sounds something like:

“and before the throne there was something like a sea of glass, like crystal; and in the center and around the throne, four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind.”  Revelation 4:6

“And I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, holding harps of God.”  Revelation 15:2

Interestingly, immediately after this, YHWH instructs the Israelites to construct the tabernacle to offer sacrifices.  This should be the pattern; after the bride is complete, the temple can be set up.

“Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.”  Ephesians 2:20-22