PROPHET - PRIEST - KING CHRISTMAS AND PROPHECY
In the study of Scripture pertaining to the birth of our Lord, we have accustomed ourselves to thinking of only manger scenes and childhood scenes
with a devotional slant on the Scriptures; however, each one of the so-called
Christmas stories is deeply prophetic. For instance, in the second chapter of
Matthew we read of the wise men coming from the east to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He that is born King of the Jews?" The literal interpretation
of this is, "Where is He that is born TO BE King of the Jews?" which gives
a future aspect to their announcement. The entire Book of Matthew is
subsequently given over to establishing the fact that Jesus of Nazareth is
King of the Jews. He presented Himself as such at His so-called Triumphal
Entry. Israel rejected Him as her King and crucified Him with the inscription on the cross in Hebrew, Greek and Latin, THIS IS JESUS THE KING
OF THE JEWS. The particular passage which we want to discuss in this ar.
ticle because of its prophetic aspect is Luke 1:30-33: ., And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favour with God. And behold, thou
shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call His name
JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the
Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David; And He shall
reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of His kingdom there shall be no
end."
What a different concept Christians would have of our Lord and His
ministry if they would but study and understand just this one passage of
Scripture. Seven things are mentioned by the angel in this prophecy and at
once one has to decide whether he is going to take the Word of the Lord
literally or figuratively. There should be no trouble at all in taking the entire
Bible literally except in those instances where it is designated by the Lord
to be a parable or a figure of speech, symbol or type. Let us consider these
seven phases of this prophecy and see if we can determine whether it is
literal or figurative.
Here are the seven statements of the prophecy: (1) Thou shalt conceive in
thy womb and bring forth a son; (2) and shalt call His name JESUS; (3) He
shall be great; (4) and shall be called the Son of the Highest; (5) and the Lord
shall give unto Him the throne of His father David; (6) and He shall reign
over the house of Jacob forever; (7) and of His kingdom there shall be no
end.
An elementary and fundamental rule of interpretation is consistency. If
part of this prophecy is literal then all must be literal. If part is figurative
then all must be figurative. The Lord Himself never confused them, but
always distinguished the literal and the figurative interpretation.
Let us consider the first phase. Was the conception and birth of Jesus
literal? We read in Matthew 1:18-25 that when Joseph realized that Mary
was with child before they were married, he naturally supposed she had
been untrue to him and was minded to put her away privately. The law
made provision for a public stoning of those guilty of infidelity, but Joseph
was a good man and was not going to make a public spectacle of the one he
loved. The fact is that Mary's conception of Jesus was known to all people.
One of the many tragedies of our Lord's life was that often when He was in a
crowd, the Pharisees would ask the insulting question, "Who is thy father?"
insinuating that He was born out of wedlock. The point is that Mary actually, literally and physically conceived and brought forth a Son. In all of the
arguments presented by Satan against Christianty, we have never en.
countered a denial of the existence of Mary and of the fact that she gave
birth to a Son named Jesus.
This brings us to the second point: "And shalt call His name JESUS."
Renan, the French infidel, has written extensively on the life of Jesus.
Josephus, in his Antiquity of the Jews, speaks of Him and some of His ex.
periences. The point we are making is that infidels, atheists, modernists, ra.
tionalists, Mohammedans and Buddhists all acknowledge that there was ac.
tually, literally and physically a person named Jesus of Nazareth. Their
denial pertains to His Deity, not to His humanity. He was called Jesus
because He was to be the Saviour. God Almighty has set forth one of the
most important questions facing man, "What think ye of Jesus? Whose Son
is He?" To acknowledge that He is the Son of the living God means eternal
life. To deny it means eternal damnation.
The third statement of the prophecy is, "He shall be great." We were in.
terested a number of years ago in an article appearing in the AMERICAN
MAGAZINE entitled "The Ten Greatest Men Who Ever Lived." The
author condescended to name Jesus first. He called Him the greatest man
that ever lived. Judaism, modernism, atheism, secularism, and all realms of
thought are at one in saying that Jesus was great-great in His life, great in
His teaching, great in His example. He is acknowledged by one and all to be
great; and the prophecy that He shall be great has been literally and actual.
ly fulfilled.
The fourth statement, "He shall be called the Son of the Highest," was ac.
tually and literally fulfilled at the time of His baptism. "And Jesus, when He
was baptized, went up straightway out of the water; and 10, the heavens were
opened unto Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and
lighting upon Him. And 10, a voice from heaven saying, This is my beloved Son,
in whom I am well pleased" (Matt. 3:16, 17). And again on the Mount of
Transfiguration (Matt. 17:5) we have the Lord God from heaven speaking,
"This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased: hear ye Him.'; Again, here
is a prophecy actually, literally and audibly fulfilled. He was called by the
Highest the Son of the Highest.
Generally speaking we do not encounter much opposition to these four
phases of prophecy being accepted literally, but when it comes to the re-
maining three there is a wide divergence of interpretation; but if the first
four are literal, these remaining three must also be literal. If the latter are
not literal, then the former are not literal.
The fifth phase of the prophecy is, "The Lord God shall give unto Him the
throne of His father, David." Did David actually and literally have a throne
upon which he sat and from whence he administered the affairs of an earthly
kingdom? In II Sam. 5:5, we read: "In Hebron He reigned over Judah seven
years and six months: and in Jerusalem He reigned thirty and three years over
all Israel and Judah." Was this throne promised or prophesied to our Lord
Jesus Christ? It surely was. In Acts 2:29, 30 when Peter preached on the
day of Pentecost he said, "Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of
the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with
us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn
with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he
would raise up Christ to sit on his throne." Has Jesus ever ascended David's
throne to rule and to reign? No! Must the prophecy yet be fulfilled? Yes!
Not one jot or tittle shall fail of fulfillment. Is not Christ seated on David's
throne today? No! He is seated on His Father's throne at His right hand. Is
not He ruling on David's throne when He reigns in our hearts? No! David's
throne is not in our hearts. It was in Hebron and then Jerusalem, and it will
be in Jerusalem when Jesus takes over the Throne of His father David. That
will be actually and literally fulfilled when Jesus returns as the King of
kings, and Lord of lords.
The sixth phase of the prophecy is, "He shall reign over the house of Jacob
forever ." Many today try to interpret that as meaning the church, and
Christ as reigning over the church, but Scripture never speaks of Christ as
King of the church nor reigning over the church. Christ is the Head of the
church, and the church is His bride-the consort Queen which shall rule and
reign with Him. Is there a house of Jacob? In II Sam. 7:14-17 we have the
Lord's prophecy through Nathan that He is going to make a house of David,
who was a descendant of Jacob, and that over this house, designated in the
Scripture as the house of Israel (Jacob's name after he met the Lord at the
brook Jabok), the Seed of David, which is Jesus, should reign forever. Scripture becomes absolutely meaningless unless the Lord Jesus Christ returns
and reigns over the literal house of Jacob.
The seventh and last phase of the prophecy has to do with the fact that
"of His Kingdom there shall be no end." The second chapter of Daniel tells of
four world-wide kingdoms that are to exist here on the earth, and these
kingdoms will be destroyed and supplanted by the Kingdom of our Lord at
the time of His return. His Kingdom, described as a rock cut out of a mountain without hands, grows until it fills the whole earth; and having
established His reign over the earth, He shall then continue to reign over
the new earth, and of this Kingdom there shall be no end.
Our Lord told us to pray, "Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth
as it is in heaven." The Spirit of the Lord breathed this prayer in closing the
scriptures: "Even so, come, Lord Jesus," and we await the literal, physical
return of our Lord and the establishment of His literal, physical Kingdom
on the earth.
THE KING OF THE JEWS
Matthew 2:1-12
The quietness of everyday life in the city of Jerusalem was suddenly
broken about 1900 years ago with the appearance of some wise men from
the east. It was not just their appearance, but the question they asked
which disturbed the whole city. They asked, "Where is He that is born King
of the Jews? for we have seen His star in the east, and are come to worship
Him." These wise men knew from some God-given source that the appearance of the star in the east heralded the birth of the Messiah. The ancient fathers believed that the prophecy of Balaam in Numbers 24:17 referred definitely to the appearance of a star in time to announce the Messiah's
advent. Astronomers and historians are familiar with the appearing of the
star but have never been able to account for its singularity. Amos 3:7 tells
us that God always reveals His secrets to His servants the prophets, and we
know full well that His advent of necessity must be announced. According
to the Scriptures the star simply appeared in the east, the wise men saw it,
they knew that Christ had been born and they set out to Jerusalem to see
Him who had been born King of the Jews. The star did not lead them to
Jerusalem, neither was it visible during the intervening time. After its appearance in the east they did not see it again until it appeared in Jerusalem
and led them from Jerusalem to Bethlehem.
Word of the presence and demeanor of the wise men soon reached Herod
the King, and when he heard these things "he was troubled, and all
Jerusalem with him." Herod was troubled because of the announcement
that a successor to him had been born, and he immediately began to
speculate upon a course of procedure to remove the heir apparent to the
throne. All Jerusalem was troubled because of the uneasiness of her conscience in the presence of the announcement that the Messiah had come.
The same thing results today every time a Spirit inspiring message is
preached on the second coming of Christ. The fact that they may face Him
soon disturbs each and every individual who is in any way out of fellowship
with Him.
Herod's first step was to gather the chief priests and scribes together and
demand of them where Christ should be born. It has always been an interesting thought to me that Herod, an unbeliever, recognized at once that
the King of the Jews was the Christ! I say interesting, because while speaking on this subject last summer at a prominent Bible conference I had some
of the religious leaders try to tell me that Christ was not the King of the
Jews!
Another point of interest is that these scribes and chief priests replied immediately without having to look in the Scriptures: "... In Bethlehem of
Judaea: for thus is is u'ritten by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, in the
land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall
come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel."
Having ascertained the place of His birth, Herod's second step was to
determine the time of His birth. This he did by privately calling the wise
men aside and inquiring very diligently concerning the time of the appearance of the star. Then he told them to go on to Bethlehem, find the
Child, and come back and tell him, so that he too might go and worship
Him. After they left the king the star which they had seen in the east appeared once more. The ninth verse shows that it did not lead them to
Jerusalem-it simply appeared in the east announcing the birth of the
Messiah and then it was seen no more until it appeared in Jerusalem to lead
them from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. Subsequent events reveal that it took
them approximately two years to make the journey from their home in the
east to Jerusalem. They went there because that was the capital of Jewry
and surely that was where the King would be born. Little did they realize
the lowly estate by which the King of kings and Lord of lords would come into the world at His first advent.
The joy produced by the appearing of the star at Jerusalem is further
evidence that it had not been visible for sometime, It led them to a house
where the young Child was with Mary, His mother. The Greek word
translated Child is an entirely different word to that of the Babe in Luke
2:12,
The events that followed cause us to believe that very likely the Child
Jesus was about two years old when the wise men found Him in the house
and fell down and worshipped Him, Their worship was manifested in the
presentation of gifts. These are highly symbolic and provide a fruitful
study. There was the gold which symbolized the Godly sovereignty and
Kingship-a confession on the part of the wise men that this was God the
King in the flesh, The incense which was offered is described in Revelation
as intercessory prayers of the saints in connection with the Lord Jesus
Christ. It shows the faith of the wise men in confessing Christ to be their
High Priest and Intercessor, The myrrh, always used in connection with the
preparation of bodies for burial, bespeaks the faith of the wise men in the
sacrificial death of this One for their sins. The three gifts revealed the three
offices of our Lord: Myrrh, Prophet; frankincense, Priest; gold. King, This is
a truth which many purported religious leaders today have not yet learned
in their studies of Christ-that He WAS Prophet, IS NOW Priest, and when
He comes again WILL BE King.
The wise men were then warned of God not to go to Herod, so they went
home in another direction. Joseph also was warned in a dream of Herod's
scheme to take the young Child's life and was told to take Him with His
Mother and go down into Egypt, that the Scripture ", , , out of Egypt have
I called my Son . . ." might be fulfilled, When Herod saw that he had been
mocked by the wise men not returning, he slew all the children in Bethlehem
that were two years old and under, The Scripture says he did this because of
the time of the appearing of the star which he had learned from the wise
men. This incident seems to confirm the thought that the wise men appeared somewhere around two years after the birth of Christ.
May the Lord bless you this Christmas season and grant to you insight into the Person and work of our blessed Lord-that you may see in Him your
Prophet, Priest, and King.
A CHILD IS BORN
"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. Of the increase of
His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and
upon His kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with
justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform
this" (Isa. 9:6, 7).
This is a description of the coming Messiah who shall rule and reign upon
the throne of David in Jerusalem for a thousand years. Not only shall the
government of the nations be upon His shoulders, but the government of
each individual citizen of His kingdom. There is also the possibility and the
choice of His government being the rule of each individual Christian's life
today. See Col. 3:15 and Luke 6:46.
Consider also His names:
(1) WONDERFUL: This means that He Himself is a miracle and that He
Himself possesses miraculous and supernatural powers which belong only
to the Almighty God. See Matt. 28:18.
(2) COUNSELLOR: As Christ He is the Wisdom of God; therefore, He
can admonish, advise, teach and instruct. See Col. 2:3; James 1:5.
(3) THE MIGHTY GOD: As The Mighty God not only is He the source of
all power but He is all powerful in and of Himself. There is no power outside,
neither apart from Him whose name is The Mighty God.
(4) THE EVERLASTING FATHER: He is from eternity to eternity; all
plans and purposes, for all that is, come from Him as The Everlasting
Father. To me the most precious thought in this connection is that not only
is our Mighty God also our Father, but He has said that, "Like as a father
pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him (Psalm 103:13).
Selah. This word in the Hebrew means "Just think of that." So I want you
to just think of the fact that the Almighty God is our Father. For that
reason Jesus said, After this manner pray ye, "Our Father. . ."
(5) PRINCE OF PEACE: There is no peace apart from the grace of God,
and, of necessity, the Lord Jesus Christ must come and manifest the grace
of God in dying for the sins of the whole world. Each individual Christian
can have the peace of God and peace with God by virtue of faith in His atoning sacrifice. But the world as such can never have peace until, the Prince of
Peace returns, puts down every enemy and establishes His personal reign of
peace.
This is the One of whom we sing and in whose name we pray when we
think of the Babe in the manager.
THE FIRST CHRISTMAS GIftS
Usually the first thoughts in our minds associated with Christmas are
about Christmas gifts-what to give, and wondering what will be given to
us. Seldom do individuals think of the Gift of gifts.
When the wise men from the East came to Jerusalem seeking Him who
was born King of the Jews, they came to worship Him. They did not find
Him until the Star of the East led them from Jerusalem to Bethlehem.
There in a house with His mother Mary, they found the Child Jesus and fell
down and worshipped Him. Part of their worship was the presentation of
gifts. Of course the Lord Jesus Christ was God's love Gift to the world, and
in appreciation of this wonderful Gift from the Heavenly Father, they gave
gifts to the Christ Child. The gifts which they presented were gold,
frankincense and myrrh. It was not so much the intrinsic value of the gifts,
neither our Lord's need of them, but it was the symbolism expressed which
enhanced the meaning of these gifts. GOLD symbolizes the Deity and
Sovereignty of Almighty God. FRANKINCENSE, used as a sweet savor
with the sacrifices, symbolizes the priesthood and its system of sacrifices.
MYRRH, which was used in the embalming of the dead, symbolizes death.
When the wise men presented the three gifts to the Child Jesus they prophesied the threefold ministry of our Lord. Taken in the chronological order
of His life, when they gave Him myrrh they showed a belief in His prophetic
ministry which was fulfilled in His living and teaching the Word of God
while on earth. This ministry culminated in His crucifixion as an atonement
for the sins of the world.
When the wise men gave to the Child Jesus frankincense, it brought to
light their belief in the Priestly ministry of our Lord. He is now at the right
hand of God the Father as our great High Priest, making intercession for
those who have accepted Him as Saviour.
When the wise men gave the Child Jesus gold, they expressed to the whole
world their conviction that this Child was Almighty God. The Sovereign
God, receiving the Kingly gold, is yet to be manifest as the King of kings,
and the Lord of lords. That phase of our Lord's ministry will not be fulfilled
until He returns to the earth to rule and reign for one thousand years.
Now in a sentence-the presentation of the gifts by the wise men expressed to all creation their belief that this Child was Prophet, Priest, and
King-God manifest in the flesh. And because the Lord has given Himself
for us, what better gift can we give Him than to acknowledge before the
whole world that He is our Prophet, Priest, and coming King? This is done
by expressing a personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the
power of His Holy Spirit, living for His honor and glory.
GOLD, FRANKINCENSE AND MYRRH
When the wise men from the East found the Child Jesus, they fell down
and worshiped Him. Their worship was manifested in the presentation of
gifts. These are highly symbolic and provide a fruitful study. There was the
gold which symbolized the Godly Sovereignty and Kingship-a confession
on the part of the wise men that this was God the King in the flesh. The incense which was offered is described in Revelation as intercessory prayers of
the saints in connection with the Lord Jesus Christ. It shows the faith of the
wise men in confessing Christ to be their High Priest and Intercessor. The
myrrh, always used in connection with the preparation of bodies for burial,
bespeaks the faith of the wise men in the sacrificial death of this One for
their sins. The three gifts revealed the three offices of our Lord: Myrrh, Prophet; frankincense, Priest; gold, King. This is a truth which many purported
religious leaders today have not yet learned in their studies of Christ-that
He WAS Prophet, IS NOW Priest, and when He comes again WILL BE
King.