Archive for Immanuel

Between Two Kings… Joshua of Ghana

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Joshua Ghana with tags , , , , , , , , on June 23, 2022 by paulthepoke

ISAIAH 7:10-25

“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).

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Ahaz was a weak-minded and idolatrous king of Judah. He reigned in the days of Isaiah the prophet. As a confederacy of the forces of the northern kingdom of Israel and the heathen nation of Syria made plans to attack Judah, the Lord showed up for deliverance. He asked Ahaz to ask for a sign concerning any troubling matter. But the king presented a façade of meekness, saying he would not ask for a sign nor “tempt the LORD.”

But the all-seeing Lord would not be fooled. God’s grand purpose to defeat the devil and save mankind will be done, regardless of some men’s shiftiness, tardiness or refusal to cooperate. So, He proceeded to give the sign. Ahaz lost the golden opportunity to be the vessel through whom the prophecy about the coming Savior of the world would have been made.

Hezekiah

A contrast came some decades later when another king of Judah, Hezekiah, was given the chance to ask for a sign following a sickness that was about to take his life. He called for a sign from the Lord who not only healed him, but also prolonged his life by fifteen years. Hezekiah was a righteous monarch, who was not afraid to present his supplication before the Lord; unlike Ahaz who was scheming to forsake the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob for an alliance with Assyria. Ahaz trusted in the Assyrian army, not the Lord of hosts.

Man is the loser when he turns down His Maker’s open invitation for a resolution of the conflicts in his life. The ‘Immanuel’ the Lord promised would establish heavenly peace in the hearts of those who believe in Him through His presence.

But wicked men and women, regardless of their status in society, will not enjoy His presence until they acknowledge Him and His signs, wonders and miracles; the greatest being the salvation He brought to the fallen.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Rejecting the sign of Immanuel leads to eternal regrets.

The Bible IN ONE YEAR: NUMBERS 16 – 18

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Born of a Virgin

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Christmas, Prophecy with tags , , , , , , , , on December 24, 2020 by paulthepoke

Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.

The message is straight forward and not confusing in the original Hebrew… the Lord Himself will give you a sign. The Hebrew word for “sign” is ‘owth’. According to Strong’s Concordance the word means: sign, signal, a distinguishing mark, banner, remembrance, miraculous sign, omen, warning, token, ensign, standard, miracle, or proof.

Virgin, this is the word where the debate is taking place. According To Strong’s Concordance the word means the following: virgin, young woman, of marriageable age, maid or newly married. The Hebrew word is almah. The word is generally translated as young woman or maiden.

The critic would argue that since this word is not translated “virgin” elsewhere and it does not literally mean “virgin”, that it is a reach to translate the word “virgin”.

70 Jewish translators and scholars of the Bible in the 3rd century B.C. translated the word “virgin” in Isaiah 7:14. This was before the birth of Jesus. One cannot accuse the scholars of translating to fit an agenda. The concept of a “virgin” conception/birth was made at least 200 years before the world even knew of Christ.

In Matthew 1:23, the apostle quotes Isaiah 7:14. He uses the word “virgin”. The fact that Mary is a “virgin” is restated in Matthew 1:25 but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus. The grammar of verse 25 in the Greek is indicative that Joseph did not have sex with Mary until after she gave birth to Jesus.

Previously in verses 18, 20, Matthew spells out that Joseph was aware Mary was pregnant prior to their marriage and she was a virgin.

Matthew 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.

In Matthew 1:20, an angel communicates to Joseph that Mary has conceived from the Holy Spirit. Translation, she physically did not have sex and had not had sex prior to this event of conception.  

Matthew 1:20 But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.

The name Immanuel means “God with us” or “with us is God” in the Hebrew.

In the final analysis, it does not matter what I think. It does not what anybody else thinks. What matters is what you think. Do you believe the Bible? Was a man, Jesus, who claimed to be God, born of a virgin?

Merry Christmas!

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Gabriel: Jesus Is Coming

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Angels, Prophecy with tags , , , , , , , , , , , on February 9, 2020 by paulthepoke

Luke 1:31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.

To add to Mary’s intense anxiousness and confusion, Mary is being told she is the chosen vessel for the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy. Mary is going to be the promised sign.

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

A couple of word studies on His name. In the Hebrew of Isaiah 7, Immanuel means: with us is God.

The New Testament Greek name is Ἰησοῦς/Iésous. The Greek name is translated from the Hebrew Yehoshua or Yeshua which means “Yahweh saves” or “Yahweh is salvation”.

In English, we call Him Jesus or Joshua.

Behold… The English translation of ἰδού/idou does not grab the intensity of the term in the Greek. This is an imperative verb. Look! See! Gabriel is attempting to further gain Mary’s attention.

…you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.

Gabriel is going to give Mary four points of information.

  • You are going to get pregnant.
  • You are going to give birth.
  • The child will be a boy.
  • Name Him Jesus.

Luke 1:32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to Him the throne of his father David,

Then Gabriel goes on to explain the character of her Promised Son.

He will be great or μέγας/megas. This Greek term is where we get the English prefix “mega”. For example, lottery players hope to win “mega” millions. Jesus will be great in the grandest sense.

…will be called the Son of the Most High.

Gabriel is announcing Jesus is the Son of God or Most High or Highest. The point is, there is none above Him. He is Deity.

Definitions and translations provided by Strong’s Concordance.

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And the Lord God will give to Him the throne of his father David…

Gabriel connects the dots from Mary back to King David. The prophets foretold of a coming time when a ruler would come from the line of David. The boy to be named Jesus, who is about to be born, is the fulfillment of the promise God made to King David.

2 Samuel 7:12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish His kingdom.

Mary herself knew she was of the line of David. Luke points this out in his documented genealogy of Jesus from Mary back to David. See Luke 3:23-31.

Jeremiah 23:5 Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and He shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.

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Luke 1:33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.

Gabriel makes the point two times to Mary. When your earthly son assumes the role of King, it is His non stop. His kingdom will be without end.

The eternal nature of Christ’s kingdom is promised to King David in 2 Samuel 7 and multiple places in Psalms 45 and 89. The prophet Daniel in chapters 2, 4, 6 and 7 makes multiple, definitive and emphatic statements. His kingdom will never end.

Daniel 2:44 And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever…

The same promise Gabriel made to Mary over 2,000 years ago is true for us today. Jesus is coming. And when He comes back the second time, He will be firmly planted as King for eternity.

Isaiah 9:7 Of the increase of His government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over His kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

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Isaiah 7:15 Refuses Evil and Chooses Good

Posted in Isaiah with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 24, 2013 by paulthepoke

Isaiah 7:15 “He will eat curds and honey at the time He knows enough to refuse evil and choose good,

Curds and honey were foods of the common person. These foods were staples in the diet of the time. Typically, they are symbols of abundance. God referred to the land of Israel as a land flowing with milk and honey in Exodus 3:8a “So I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey… At this point in history with Ahaz as king, curds and honey are the only foods remaining. The food supply had been decimated.

The “He” in verse 15 is Jesus. These are the credentials of the One who was born of a virgin and named Immanuel in verse 14. He will eat the food, curds and honey, of the common man. He does not have the diet of royalty.

Christ was tempted by Satan in the wilderness in Matthew 4:1-11. Jesus was tempted with food when He was hungry. Satan tempted Him with His life. Jesus was tempted with absolute power if He would submit to Satan. The tempter tried to entice the Son to reject the words of the Father and follow him. He chose good and refused evil.

It is stated two times. He will refuse evil and choose good. Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.

Isaiah 7:16 “For before the boy will know enough to refuse evil and choose good, the land whose two kings you dread will be forsaken.

In other words, Ahaz relax. Syria and the northern kingdom are toast. You all will be okay. Historically, Syria and the northern kingdom alliance get theirs way before the birth of the One who refused evil and chose good.

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Isaiah 7:10-14 What if God Personally Granted You a Request?

Posted in Isaiah with tags , , , , , , , , on February 16, 2013 by paulthepoke

Isaiah 7:10 Then the LORD spoke again to Ahaz, saying,

Now imagine if this was you in Ahaz’s position. The God of the universe is approaching you personally and talking to you. This is not a televangelist who claims to have the inside track on talking to God. This is the real deal. What if God really approached you? This happened to Ahaz.

Isaiah 7:11 “Ask a sign for yourself from the LORD your God; make it deep as Sheol or high as heaven.”

God places no limits on the request. Whatever you want to know! What would you ask God? Have you thought about it?

Isaiah 7:12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, nor will I test the LORD!”

For starters, Ahaz is not answering God’s question. God is not asking to be tested. God is granting him a request. God is not impressed with the piety. This is not a challenge or a test for God.

Isaiah 7:13 Then he said, “Listen now, O house of David! Is it too slight a thing for you to try the patience of men, that you will try the patience of my God as well?

At this point, Isaiah interjects with Ahaz. Wake up! Isaiah is reminding Ahaz he is in the promised and protected line of the kingdom. Ahaz is in the family tree of David. This is what God promised David and his house. 2 Samuel 7:8-16. “Now therefore, thus you shall say to My servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, “I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make you a great name, like the names of the great men who are on the earth. I will also appoint a place for My people Israel and will plant them, that they may live in their own place and not be disturbed again, nor will the wicked afflict them any more as formerly, even from the day that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. The LORD also declares to you that the LORD will make a house for you. When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men, but My lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.”

God then reveals to Ahaz His own sign. This leader and king I am speaking of, He will be born of a virgin. Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.

Talk about testing the guy’s faith…

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Isaiah 7:14 Born of a Virgin

Posted in Christmas, Isaiah with tags , , , , , , , , , , on December 16, 2012 by paulthepoke

Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.

The message is straight forward and not confusing in the original Hebrew… the Lord Himself will give you a sign. The Hebrew word for “sign” is ‘owth. According to Strong’s Concordance the word means:  sign, signal, a distinguishing mark, banner, remembrance, miraculous sign, omen, warning, token, ensign, standard, miracle, or proof.

Virgin, this is the word where the debate is taking place. According To Strong’s Concordance the word means the following: virgin, young woman, of marriageable age, maid or newly married. The Hebrew word is almah. The word is generally translated as young woman or maiden.

The critic would argue that since this word is not translated “virgin” elsewhere and it does not literally mean “virgin”, that it is a reach to translate the word “virgin”.

70 Jewish translators and scholars of the Bible in the 3rd century B.C. translated the word “virgin” in Isaiah 7:14. This was before the birth of Jesus. One cannot accuse the scholars of translating to fit an agenda. The concept of a “virgin” conception/birth was made at least 200 years before the world even knew of Christ.

In Matthew 1:23, the apostle quotes Isaiah 7:14. He uses the word “virgin”. The fact that Mary is a “virgin” is restated in Matthew 1:25 but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus. The grammar of verse 25 in the Greek is indicative that Joseph did not have sex with Mary until after she gave birth to Jesus.

Previously in verses 18, 20, Matthew spells out that Joseph was aware Mary was pregnant prior to their marriage and she was a virgin.

Matthew 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.

In Matthew 1:20, an angel communicates to Joseph that Mary has conceived from the Holy Spirit. Translation, she physically did not have sex and had not had sex prior to this event of conception.  But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.

The name Immanuel means “God with us” or “with us is God” in the Hebrew.

In the final analysis, it does not matter what I think. It does not what anybody else thinks. What matters is what you think. Do you believe the Bible? Was a man, Jesus, who claimed to be God, born of a virgin?

Merry Christmas!

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