What is a burnt offering?

 What is a Burnt Offering?

To verify whether burnt offerings are current or obsolete let us first of all find out the meaning and relevance of a burnt offering. According to the scriptures a burnt offering is the food for the Lord's offerings which one is required to offer to Him at the appointed time. For this is what the Lord says; “Give this command to the Israelites and say to them “See that you present to Me at the appointed time the food for My offerings made by fire, as an aroma pleasing to Me” (Numbers 28:2).

What is needed at this juncture is to prove whether this command is relevant to believers today, and if it is proven to be relevant, to hold fast to what is good. The first mistake one is apt to make is to believe that this command is applicable only to the physical nation of Israel, and therefore irrelevant for other nations. And secondly, this is a ceremonial law, and it is no longer applicable. But before jumping into conclusion, let us analyze this command carefully.

a. To whom the Lord gave this command?

This command was given to the Israelites to whom pertains the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen” (Romans 9:4-5).

But who are the Israelites to whom all these promises belong? According to the scriptures; “It is not as though God's word had failed, for not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham's children. On the contrary, it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” In other words, it is not the natural children who are God's children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring” (Romans 9:6-9).

Therefore, this command is applicable to the Israel of God, those who like the patriarch Abraham, “Believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the nations by faith, preach the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham” (Galatians 3:6-9).

Therefore, the command, “My offering, My food for My offerings made by fire as a sweet aroma to Me, you shall be careful to offer to Me at their appoint time,” is applicable to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.

Furthermore, the command to present to the Lord a burnt offering at the appointed time is applicable also to the stranger who sojourns with the Israel of God. For thus says the Lord; “All who are native born shall do these things in this manner, in presenting an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord.'

“And if a stranger sojourns with you, or whoever is among you throughout your generations, and would present an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord, just as you do, so shall he do. One ordinance shall be for you of the congregation and for the stranger who sojourns with you, an ordinance forever throughout your generations; as you are, so shall the stranger be before the Lord. One law and one custom shall be for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you” (Numbers 15: 13-16).

b. Who is the Lord who spoke to Moses?

The Lord who spoke to Moses saying, “Commanded the children of Israel and say to them; “My offering, My food for My offerings made by fire as a sweet aroma to Me, you shall be careful to offer to Me at their appointed time is no other than Jesus Christ Himself.

For according to the apostle Paul; “For even if there are so called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), yet for us there is only one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live” (1Corinthians 8:6).

Jesus said, “I have a greater witness than John's; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish...the very works that I do, bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me. And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me: You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form” (John 5: 36-37).

We can therefore conclusively say that, the Lord of the Old Testament, Who gave the command to the children of Israel was Jesus Christ, Who also was the spiritual Rock which followed them, “For they all drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ” (1 Corinthians 10: 4).

Since it can be proven that Jesus Christ is the one who said to Moses, “Give this command to the Israelites and say to them; “See that you present to Me at the appointed time the food for My offerings made by fire, as an aroma pleasing to Me.” And Jesus Christ Who is the same yesterday, today, and forever, has given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. I think it is imperative that we pay close attention to this ordinance, which was ordained to be observed forever, throughout the generations.

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To be continued, stay tuned

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

The relevance of burnt offerings

The Relevance of Burnt Offerings

In order to have a clear understanding of God’s plan for humanity even before the foundation of the world it is imperative that we understand the medium that has been established in order to fulfill the will of the Father, so I beg to ask the question, are burnt offerings relevant to Believers today? To the majority of believers, this question may seems rather preposterous, because not many are familiar with, and knowledgeable of the old testament examples which were written for our admonition, on whom the ends of the ages have come.

It is therefore not surprising for them to be totally oblivious on matters concerning burnt offerings, and the natural inclination is to be turned off, the moment one starts quoting from the Old Testament, and using terminologies such as burnt offerings, lamb, fire, meal offering, and drink offering.

The natural tendency, and response from many people on topics of such nature is, these things have been done away with; sacrifices and burnt offerings are no longer necessary. In one sense it is absolutely true because the scripture states clearly that; “when He (Jesus Christ) came into the world, He said: "Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. Then I said, 'Behold, I have come --- In the volume of the book it is written of Me --- To do Your will, O God.' Previously saying, "Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them" (which are offered according to the law)” (Hebrews 10: 5-8).

But the most important question is, burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin is it a complete abolition, or a reformation?

Let us therefore with an open mind examine this question, without prejudice, because Christians are missing out from the true life of God, mainly because of ignorance, the hardening of the heart, and insensitivity to the word. For this reason we have been admonished saying; “I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more” (Ephesians 4:17-19).

Before giving a definite answer to this question, one needs to know, and be able to define what a burnt offering is, whether it has been abolished or reformed and what is rationale, objective, purpose and significance of the burnt offering.

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To be continued, stay tuned

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

 

The established will of God

To those with a fair knowledge and understanding of grace should take heed to the Apostle Paul’s admonition which states; “We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.” Because of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace: For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (2Corinthians 6:1; John 1:16-17).

The grace of God is reciprocal in that it is intended to help us fulfill the established will of God which was ordained even before the foundation of the world as it is written; "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:3-6).

The established will of God is for humanity to be holy, blameless, and irreproachable in His presence, but how could sinful man who cannot say I have no sin or, I have not sinned be blameless, perfect and irreproachable before God? Until the advent of the second Adam this was unattainable and what was in place was a substitute or a shadow of the reality. Before the advent of the second Adam what was in store was, an earthly tabernacle, the animal sacrifices and the Levitical priesthood which were all symbolic, shadows and copies of the reality, thy all served the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For he was told, "See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain."

But now, once and for all, Jesus Christ the second Adam has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises. Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: "Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure.

Then I said, 'Behold, I have come --- In the volume of the book it is written of Me --- To do Your will, O God.' Previously saying, "Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them" (which are offered according to the law), then He said, "Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God." He takes away the first that He may establish the second. By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:5-10).

The apostle Paul’s final plea to the church in Thessalonica was, “Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus.’

“For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness: Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit” (1Thessalonians 4:1-8).

The rationale for receiving the grace of God is that we be righteous, holy and blameless before Him all the days of our lives because, the oath which the Lord swore to our father Abraham is to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life” (Luke 1:73-75).

But in order to achieve this goal there is a protocol in place which has to be followed, a copy and shadow of the reality was instituted before the advent of the second Adam, but since the arrival of the second Adam he said; “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God." He takes away the first that He may establish the second. By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all and every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified” (Hebrews 10:9-14).

So the logical question for all of us who have received the grace of God, are the established will of God for His manifold graces being fulfilled in us and if yes how? Remember the foreordained will of God is that we be holy, blameless and irreproachable in His sight.

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To be continued, stay tuned

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

 

Justified by His grace

 Justified by His grace

I do hope by now that we have a clear understanding and are able to stand firmly between the extremity of the rough and turbulent waters of legalism and the extremity of the calm, placid, but extremely toxic waters of liberalism because both are detrimental to our spiritual growth and can result in vain worship, idolatry, irreverence and provoking the Lord to jealousy.

Justification by grace does not nullify, or make obsolete the way of life which has been ordained for man to follow, neither has it given man the license to worship God according to the customs and traditions of men, for as it is written: “What then? Shall we sin (transgress the laws of God) because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that when you yield yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either slaves of sin, which leads to death, or slaves of obedience to the law of God, which leads to righteousness” (Romans 6:15-16).

The crux of the matter is, God has ordained one way of life for man to follow. For thus He said, “I gave them My statutes and made known to them My judgments, which, if a man does, he shall live, aspire, flourish by them” (Leviticus 18:5, Ezekiel 20:11, 13).

The Lord also said to Moses, “One ordinance shall be for you of the congregation and for the stranger who sojourns with you, an ordinance forever throughout your generations; as you are, so shall the stranger be before the Lord. One law and one custom shall be for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you” (Numbers15:15-16).

Man is a slave to either the insatiable desire of the flesh called sin, or a slave to obedience to the law of righteousness. One should not misconstrued the statement, “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes,” to mean that He is the end of the law of righteousness to everyone who believes. For it is written, “Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law” (Romans 3:31).

The reality is, having been made free from the power and master of sin, one becomes a slave to righteousness; and having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, one has his fruit to holiness, and the end everlasting life. In other words, obedience leads to righteousness (the keeping of God’s commandments) produces holiness, and holiness culminates into everlasting life.

 When one is a slave to sin [man’s sinful nature] he is free or far removed in regards to righteousness. In like manner, when one is a slave to righteousness he is free or far removed from sin. One must not negate practical righteousness which leads to holiness because of imputed righteousness as we have been admonished saying, “Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who practices righteousness is righteousness just as He Jesus Christ is righteous” (1John 3:7).

We have also been warned saying, “Whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew5:19).

On the other hand the legalists ought not to impose their strict observance to the law as though one’s salvation or eternal life hinges on them. Both extremes are wrong and dangerous. The law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine” (1Timothy 1:9-10).

The reason why the law is not for the righteous man it is because, the law as the tutor, guardian, school master, spiritual mirror, and revelator of sin has already pointed him/her to Christ, and since he/she has believed, he/she is now living within the confines of the law, by faith. The purpose for the grace of God is to cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. Because what we are is a gift from God, and what we become is a gift to God.

Because it was when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:4-7).

Therefore, if one desires to express his/her reverence, gratitude, adoration love and thanksgiving to God, it should be done on the day He has ordained and set aside for His glory and honor, for this is what the Lord says; “Keep My Sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary. I am the Lord.” This is how those who have turned the grace of God into licentiousness have denied the one and only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ who said, “The Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

Nevertheless, one has no right to command, coerce, or compel another to do what has been taught because, “The grace of God that bring salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness, and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope – the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good.

The eagerness and desire to do what is good is derived not from law, command, coercion or compulsion but by faith and love. As it is written, “If you love Me keep My commandments,” and the eagerness to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Yes, let the grace of God cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God: Come, let us bow down in worship. Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, the flock under His care. Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.

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With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

The purpose of Grace

The purpose of grace

It is clear to me that the major cause of the divisions that exist in the church, the body of Christ and the catalyst for being guilty of such sins like irreverence, idolatry and provoking the Lord to jealousy stems from the misunderstanding and the improper application of grace:

Grace as we should know is a terminology that is frequently used in the religious circle, but it is unfortunately misapplied by many. Grace, is God’s unmerited favor, mercy and compassion which He bestowed upon man for a distinctive purpose but it stands between two extremes.

1. The extremity of the rough and turbulent waters of legalism

Legalism is where God’s grace has been received in vain by those who attempt to be justified by the works of the law, and have unfortunately fallen from grace. Because, as it is written, “If anything is by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. And if anything is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work” (Romans 11:6).

2. The extremity of the calm, placid, but extremely toxic waters of liberalism

Liberalism is when the grace of God has been turned into a license for disobedience, and even denying the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ, by those who are using their liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, and as a pretext for evil. The grace of God is simply His unmerited, undeserved favor, compassion, and mercy which He bestowed upon humanity without their help and participation, for their ultimate salvation. This undeserved favor is descriptive of:

a.       The favor of His only Begotten Son who reconciled us to the Father even when we were dead in trespasses and sins.

b.      His gift of eternal life which according to the apostle John is that, we may know the Father, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom the Father have sent and that we can grope for Him and find Him,

c.       His forgiving mercy, by forgiving us of the sins of the past, and being faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness if we confess our sins.

d.      His divine gifts and talents, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue. He has given to all without exception, life, breath and all things.

e.        The Gospel, the medium by which we can grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Because without faith it is impossible to please God, and faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Grace therefore establishes the foundation by which man can serve God, without his/her own input and involvement, so that no one can boast.

For it is written; “But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior ” (Titus 3:4-6).

It is by grace we have been, and are being saved, through faith (hearing the word of God and believing), and this is not from ourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast. But the reason why everything is by and through the grace of God it is because, “We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for the purpose of good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

We have been saved by grace so that those who have trusted in God by hearing and believing His word may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone. Doing what is good is not according to each man walking after the imagination of his/her own heart or doing what seems right in his/her own eyes, but doing and walking according to the good which has been prepared in advance for us to do. Because, there is a way which seems right to a man, but the end thereof is the way of death. 

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To be continued, stay tuned

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

Can the date of Christ's birth be verified

 

•           The Ministry of Jesus Christ

In case that there are people who are still not convinced about the date of Christ’s birth let us take a look at one more proof. The scriptures state clearly that; “Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli.” His ministry officially began during the Feast of Tabernacles for we are told that; “His brothers said to Him, "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing. For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world."

For even His brothers did not believe in Him. Then Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready. The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil. You go up to this feast. I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come" (John 7:3-8).

But later we are told; “But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret. Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, "Where is He?" Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught” (John 7:10, 14).

Now if the ministry of Jesus Christ officially began at the age of thirty (30) during the Feast of Tabernacles and His ministry lasted for three and half (3 ½) years which ended on the fourteenth day of the first month of the year, I beg to ask the question, when was Jesus Christ born?

Obviously, if Christ’s ministry which He Himself began at the age of thirty began during the Feast of Tabernacles and it lasted for three and a half years, ending on Passover, the fourteenth day of the first month of the year, six months from that date will bring us to the fifteenth day of the seventh month which is the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles, a day specifically ordained to worship the King the Lord of hosts.

This festival is so indispensable that in the future, every nation will be required to come and worship the King, and those who refuse to worship the King will be severely punished, for it is written; “And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.'

“And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, on them there will be no rain. If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall have no rain; they shall receive the plague with which the Lord strikes the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. That day "HOLINESS TO THE LORD" shall be engraved on the bells of the horses. The pots in the Lord's house shall be like the bowls before the altar” (Zechariah 14:16-20).

Now there is a definite date, and time of the year for this celebration and commemoration, for it is written; “The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles seven days to the LORD. On the first day there shall be a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it. For seven days you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation, and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. It is a sacred assembly, and you shall do no customary work on it” (Leviticus 23: 34-36).

I therefore beg to ask a question, what is so mysterious or concealing in this doctrine that we are unable to comprehend? Even those who are observing the Feast of Tabernacles and having people to live in temporary dwellings during those days, a requirement which should be only for native Israelites and not for Gentiles are themselves not associating the Feast of Tabernacles with the birth and circumcision of Jesus Christ.

Imagine being so devout in practicing a scripture which clearly states; “All who are native Israelites shall dwell in booths, that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God'" (Leviticus 23:42-43).

And still unable to perceive that, the rationale for observing the Feast of Tabernacles is to honor and worship the King of kings and Lord of hosts, and the Eighth Day to commemorate His circumcision granting us the opportunity of becoming joint citizens with the commonwealth of Israel. God truly has winked over this time of ignorance and now commands all men everywhere to repent.

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With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

Significance of the Eighth Day observance

The Eighth Day

In the event that one is not familiar with the Feast of Tabernacles I would like to point out that there is an Eighth day that is associated with this festival as we have been duly admonished saying; "Speak to the children of Israel, saying: 'The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the LORD. On the first day there shall be a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it. For seven days you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation, and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. It is a sacred assembly, and you shall do no customary work on it” (Leviticus 23:34-36).

One important question we should all be asking is what is the objective or rationale for the eighth day observance? In biblical perspective an eighth day observance is associated with cleansing, the offering of the first born and circumcision, so obviously the Eight Day of the Feast of Tabernacles has to do with the offering of the first born and the circumcision of Jesus Christ. I therefore beg to ask the question why this Eighth Day festival hasn’t been associated with the birth of Jesus Christ even by those who are observing the Feast of Tabernacles.

  I personally observed this festival from 1970 for over twenty five (25) years before I came to the understanding that the Feast of Tabernacles does indeed commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ and that the eighth day commemorates His circumcision and His dedication to the Father as the first born.

Now, considering the significance of this day I wonder why even those who are observing it does not associate it with the circumcision of Jesus Christ a day which means so much for humanity, a day which should be commemorated not because the law says to observe it but observing it in gratitude and appreciation for what this day mean to humanity especially we Gentiles who at one time were without God in the world.

The significance and spiritual intent of this Eighth Day festival is to commemorate the day that the Lord was given the name JESUS, the name which is above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10-11)?

It is also commemorates the day on which Gentiles became fellow citizens with the commonwealth of Israel as we have been duly admonished saying: “Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh --- who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands ---that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:11-13).

It is also a day which foreshadows eternity when Jesus Christ delivers the kingdom to God the Father and when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power, for He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.

I therefore beg to ask the question why a day of such significance not being observed and commemorated in thanksgiving and appreciation for what the Lord has done for humanity. Why pretend and deceive others in believing that no one knows the date of Christ’s birth and substituting it with the pagan festival of Christmas? God has overlooked this time of ignorance and now commands all men everywhere to repent.

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To be continued, stay tuned

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

Is the date of Christ's birth unknown? (part 5)

 

The visitation of the wise men

Another undeniable proof as to when Jesus Christ was born is the visitation of the wise men from the East to Jerusalem. For as it is written; “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him" (Matthew 2:1-2).

Please note carefully that, the wise men did not inquire about one who is born to be King of the Jews which would suggest that His kingship was futuristic, instead they asked, where is He who has been born King of the Jews, meaning that His Kingship was from birth.

Even the presents that were presented by the wise men when they met the young child Jesus was also an indication of His Kingship from birth, for we have been duly instructed saying; “And when they (the wise men) had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” The gift of gold was to honor Him as a King, the gift of frankincense was to honor Him as God and the gift of myrrh was to honor Him as man (Matthew 2:11).

I believe that the main reason why people are claiming not to know the date of Christ’s birth it is because they are unwilling to honor and worship Him as the King of kings and the Lord of lords, because in addition to the wise men who came to Jerusalem asking where is He who has been born King of the Jews, Jesus Himself confirmed to Pilate when He was asked; “Are You the King of the Jews?" Jesus answered him, "Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?"

Then Pilate answered, "Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?" Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here." Pilate therefore said to Him, "Are You a king then?" Jesus answered, "You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice" (John 18:3-37).

I therefore beg to ask the question, if the reason why Jesus Christ was born and came into the world was to be King and there is a Feast which commemorates the King of kings and Lord of lords who is this feast honoring and what is the rationale for commemorating it?

So let us note carefully what the scripture says, it states; “And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, on them there will be no rain.

If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall have no rain; they shall receive the plague with which the LORD strikes the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacle” (Zechariah 14: 16-19).

Again, I beg to ask the question, what is the main objective or rationale for observing the Fest of Tabernacles? Is it not to worship the King the Lord of hosts and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles? So when was the kingship bestowed on Jesus Christ, was it not from birth? Remember, when Pilate asked Him, “Are You a king then?" Jesus answered, "You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice."

 So what is so hidden or kept secret regarding the date of Christ’s birth? Or why should a day ordained by God to bring good tidings of great joy to all people be hidden or kept secret from them? If it is the question is by whom?

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To be continued, stay tuned

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

Is the date of Christ's birth unknown (part 4)

4.                 The day of Christ’s birth

If we are still not convinced of the date of Christ’s birth let us continue by examining the actual date of His birth. On the day Jesus Christ was born we are told that; “there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.

Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" (Luke 2:8-14).

I therefore beg to ask the question, how could a day which is designated to bring good tidings of great joy to all people be a secret, hidden or be unknown: Except there is a conspiracy or malicious intent to conceal it?

Now the shepherds having witnessed this historic event did not keep it to themselves, for we are told that, “So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us." And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds” (Luke 2:15-18).

I again beg to ask the question, if the shepherds made widely known the saying which was told concerning this Child and all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told to them by the shepherds, how can this day be unknown except here is a conspiracy to conceal it?

•           The circumcision of Jesus Christ

We can now examine the circumcision of Jesus Christ for it is stated clearly that; “And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb” (Luke 2:21).

We can also look at His presentation to the Father, for it is written; “Now when the days of her purification according to the Law of Moses were completed, they brought Him (Christ) to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord").

So again, if the date of Christ’s birth is unknown how would they know when He was eight days old to circumcise Him and when He was thirty three days old to present Him to the Father?

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 To be continued stay tuned

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

 

Is the date of Christ's birth unknown? (part three)

1.                  The birth of John Baptiste

Let us continue digging for the truth concerning the date on which Jesus Christ the Son of Man was born. It should be absolutely clear to all that John Baptist was six months older than Jesus Christ and so, if we can find out when John Baptist was born we should have no difficulty knowing when Jesus Christ was born. So the question is do we know when Elizabeth the mother of John Baptist was conceived and gave birth to John Baptist?

The scriptures state clearly that; “There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years. So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord” (Luke 1:6-9).

We are further told that during Zacharias’ turn to burn incense he was visited by the angel Gabriel who said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, 'to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,' and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord" (Luke 1:13-17).

The rest of the story we should all be well acquainted with which relates to Zacharias doubting what the Angel said to him which resulted in the angel saying to him; “But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time" (Luke 1:20).

But later,we are told that; “So it was, as soon as the days of his service were completed, that he departed to his own house. Now after those days (of service burning incense at the altar) his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying, "Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people" (Luke 1:23-25).

What is imperative for us to know at this juncture is, when was Zacharias scheduled to perform his priestly service at the altar? Well, according to the scriptures the priestly service was divided into twenty four (24) divisions and Zacharias turn to perform his priestly service was number eight (8) because he descended from the division of Abijah whose division was number eight. (1 Chronicles 24:7-19).

Now since there were 24 divisions and the custom was that the first division starts his tour of duty on the first month of the year obviously, two divisions had to serve every month and since Abijah’s division under which Zacharias served was number eight, this means that Zacharias turn of service was during the last two weeks of the fourth month of the year and as soon as his tour of duty which was at the end of the fourth month was completed he departed to his house mute and unable to speak and after the days of his service we are told that his wife Elizabeth was conceived.

Although the scriptures does not say precisely how long after the days of his service was Elizabeth conceived, but having been away for two weeks and being mute and unable to speak because of doubting what the angel said to Him which was; “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.” And since it was because of doubting what the angel said that the angel said to him; “But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time."

I want us to note carefully what the angel said to Zacharias, he said to him; “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son.” Meaning that, what he prayed for has been approved. Therefore, one has to conclude that Elizabeth became conceived during the fifth month of the year, which means that, John Baptist was born during the first month of the following year and since he was six months older than Jesus Christ it means that, Jesus Christ was born during the seventh month of the year.

If you still do not know when Jesus Christ was born, I implore you to stay tuned because I will leave no stone un-turn in order to expose this massive lie and deception which has blinded the eyes of many and causing them to disregard the commandments of God in order to keep the customs and traditions of men, what a travesty! 

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To be continued, stay tuned

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph