Dispensation Bible Study #9

Approaching Grace - The Coming of Jesus Christ

Despite Adam’s sin with all of it’s effects on humanity, there still remained hope! Each dispensation of God’s dealings with man, helped to lead humanity to a place where God could redeem His people.

Gal 4:4-7 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. 6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. 7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

God used historical events to get everything exactly right for the Redeemer, but the Messiah did not come unannounced as God had used many prophetic utterances to announce that the Saviour was coming!

Gen 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

At the beginning of the Dispensation of Conscience, God prophesied that the “seed of the woman” would bruise the head of the devil. So the Messiah would be born of a woman!

Gen 22:7-8 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? 8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.

Remember the promises that God made Abraham, how that his seed would be blessed forever? God then tested Abraham’s loyalty by asking him to take his promised son and sacrifice him! As they approached the place of sacrifice, Issac noticed that they were missing the sacrificial lamb. Abraham’s prophetic response was “God will provide himself a lamb.” The Messiah to come would not only be born of woman to take our place, but would be God Himself!!

Micah 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

The Prophet Micah added further information about the coming Messiah: He would be from the tribe of Judah (also in Gen 49:10), and would be born in the small town of Bethlehem!

Dan 9:25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troubled times.

Daniel pinpointed the exact time of the Messiah’s birth from the rebuilding of Jerusalem after Israel’s exile under Babylonian and Persian rule.

God used another prophet, Isaiah, to reveal many things about the coming Saviour:

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

The Messiah would be born of a Virgin!!!! And His name would be called Immanuel (God with us).

Isa 9:6-7 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. 7 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 for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Isaiah also said the child to be born would be called Wonderful, a Counsellor, The Mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace! He would also be a king in the lineage of David!

There was hope! The Messiah was coming! A prophecy or foreshadow of Christ can be found in every book of the Old Testament. Throughout each dispensation, in each major event of Israel’s history, God was reminding them that hope was coming. During each major event of the dispensation of Law, a prophet’s voice would be heard reminding of the coming Saviour, and then suddenly God ceased speaking.

Mal 4:5-7 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: 6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. 7 THE END OF THE PROPHETS.

These are the last words of the Old Testament before 400 years of silence. No doubt Israel thought that God had forgotten them, but He was merely preparing everything for His coming! After 400 years of no miracles, prophecies, guidance, or angelic activity; Suddenly everything changed:

Luke 1:5-17 5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 7 And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years. 8 And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course, 9 According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense. 11 And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. 14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. 15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. 16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. 17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, 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.

After 400 years, an angel suddenly appears to a priest to inform him of his son’s coming birth! The greatest prophet was to be born, and he would prepare the way for the Messiah!

Luke 1:26-38 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. 29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. 30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 32 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: 33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. 34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? 35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. 36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing shall be impossible. 38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

Mary was to be the mother of the Messiah! Upon hearing this incredible news, Mary decided to visit her cousin Elisabeth in the country for a few months. Upon greeting Elisabeth, Mary learned more about the babe:

Luke 1:42-43 And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. 43 And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me

This promised child would be God himself born to a virgin just as had been prophesied. Three months later, Mary returns and informs her fiance’ that she is pregnant. Joseph is understandably troubled and is trying to decide what to do when he gets and angelic visitor:

Matt 1:19-25 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. 20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. 22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. 24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: 25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.

So Joseph married Mary and followed the angel’s instructions.

Luke 2:1-7 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. 2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. 6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

Joseph and Mary lived in the small town of Nazareth in Galilee. Caesar Augustus, the Roman Ruler, made a decree that all of his kingdom was to be taxed. To make it easier to organize the numerous Jews, taxes were to be paid in the person’s ancient homeland. Joseph’s was a descendant of King David (also prophesy fulfilled), and so had to travel to the town of Bethlehem. While in Bethlehem, Mary delivered her promised son fulfilling the words of the prophet Micah.

Luke 2:8-18 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. 15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. 16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. 17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. 18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

Such a monumental event couldn’t happen silently! God revealed it first to simple shepherds, not kings and politicians! Why? Shepherds, of course raise sheep. The sheep market was next to the temple for the convenience of those wishing to offer a lamb as a sacrifice. Through the shepherds, God revealed the birth of the Saviour to everyone visiting and working in the temple!

Matt 2:1-6, 9-12 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 2 Saying, 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. 3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. 5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, 6 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. ... 9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. 11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.

How did these wise men know that the Messiah was being born? Remember they had Daniel’s prophecies of the exact time! What faith they had in God’s word to begin a long journey because they understood the scriptures! Because they were looking, God showed them a star! If people are truly looking, and seek to understand scripture, God will lead them to the Saviour! Tradition states the there were only three wise men, because they offered three gifts. In those days of caravan travel, people rarely traveled in small numbers, however, so there were probably more. After the wise men had left, God warned Joseph in a dream that Herod would try to kill the baby, so they left and went into Egypt to await Herod’s death. Herod did kill every newborn male in Israel, but died soon after.

Few events are known about the life of Christ before age 30. One such event involved an old man named Simeon whom God had promised that he would see the Messiah before his death. When Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple to be dedicated as a child, Simeon took the child in his arms and said:

Luke 2:28-33 Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, 29 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: 30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, 31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; 32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. 33 And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.

The Messiah would also lighten the Gentiles! The Messiah was undoubtedly here! Also in the temple was a prophetess, Anna, who also took the child and prophesied:

Luke 2:38 And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

Very little else is known about Jesus’s childhood except for one incident at 12 years of age. Jesus had gone with His parents to Jerusalem like they did everyear at the Feast of the Passovers. This was a joyous time as friends and family were reunited for a time of festival in Jerusalem. While traveling home, with many friends, Mary and Joseph assumed that Jesus was with friends. After a day’s journey, they couldn’t find Jesus and frantically rushed back to Jerusalem. After 3 days of searching they finally came to the temple where they found the 12 year old boy teaching the teachers!

Luke 2:46-52 And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. 47 And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers. 48 And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. 49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business? 50 And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them. 51 And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.

One of the greatest miracles Jesus performed was that He submitted himself to his parents, learned a trade (carpentry) that he would never use, and waited until the time was right for His ministry to begin at age 30. He then increased in stature and wisdom and developed favor with God and man. He was raised an ordinary boy except he never sinned!