As we have already seen, man, by the exercise of the God-given faculty of freedom of choice, transgressed God’s positive command, and sin entered the world. With it came death. Man was thus separated from God. The fellowship was broken. Should I speak in governmental terms, I would say that diplomatic relations were broken off. But this language is very inadequate to express what was done the day that man transgressed. I therefore shall make a further statement regarding it.<\/p>\n
God is the source of all life. He is the Absolute One. All things and beings derive their existence, power, light, and life from Him. When the fellowship between Him and man was broken by his deliberate sin, he was cut off from the light and life of the Eternal One. His present condition will result in his being cut off from God’s life and light eternally–unless something is done whereby he may be restored to fellowship with God, and the divine life again flows into his very being. The situation in which man found himself after his rebellion is set forth in the following discussion.<\/p>\n
We have already seen that the anointed cherub was the generalissimo of the hosts of the Almighty and was placed on the highest level of all the creatures of God. Since he remained in his own principality and did not leave his proper habitation (although he went over to the negative side of the will of God), he retained a certain amount of his original authority and was allowed under God’s government to function in the realm of evil and wrath, in the capacity for which he was then fitted. By his fall his nature was wrecked, and he became wholly possessed of the wrath of God, hating with a venom everything that is holy and divine. Since he was instrumental in bringing sin into the world, which brought about death, he still retained the right and prerogative over death. Since, however, God is the Sovereign Ruler, and Satan is under Him and can do only that which He permits, in his executing the death penalty, he is only doing that which the decrees of the Almighty demand.<\/p>\n
That we may see Satan’s position now in the government of God, let us again turn to Hebrews 2:14,15: „Since then the children are sharers in flesh and blood, he [Christ] also himself in like manner partook of the same; that through death he might bring to nought him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; 15 and might deliver all them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.“ From this quotation we see that the devil has the power of death–he is, under God, the minister of death. It is therefore his prerogative and duty to execute the death penalty on all upon whom the decree falls. He is therefore not the death angel by special appointment, nor for particular cases; but is the minister of death by reason of the high position which he occupies under God in His great moral government.<\/p>\n
„We know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in the evil one“ (I John 5:19). From the Fall to the present time darkness, spiritual darkness, has enveloped the globe. Men and women who do not know God are groping their way in this darkness, not knowing where they are going and not realizing the predicament in which they really are.<\/p>\n
From the transgression of Adam to the death of Christ upon the tree, there crossed the stage of human life and activity a constant procession of myriads of human beings who passed from this life through the portal of death. As this stream of humanity flowed along, the intelligent beings throughout God’s kingdom, in all probability, continually kept looking on and stood in amazement at what happened to these multitudes after they passed out through this exit. Confirmation of this supposition is found in I Peter 1:10-12: „Concerning which salvation the prophets sought and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: 11 searching what time or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did point unto, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glories that should follow them. 12 To whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto you, did they minister these things, which now have been announced unto you through them that preached the gospel unto you by the Holy Spirit sent forth from heaven: which things angels desire to look into.“ From Luke 16:19-31 we learn that there is a place which in the Greek language is called Hades, but which in the Hebrew is known as Sheol. When we study this subject as it is presented in the Scriptures, we see that this place is in the center of the earth. This fact is apparent to everyone who studies Psalm 16:8-11, which foretells that Messiah upon His death goes down to Sheol:<\/p>\n
\n8 I have set Jehovah always before me:
\nBecause he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
\n9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth:
\nMy flesh also shall dwell in safety.
\n10 For thou wilt not leave my soul to Sheol;
\nNeither wilt thou suffer thy holy one to see corruption.
\n11 Thou wilt show me the path of life:
\nIn thy presence is fulness of joy;
\nIn thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/p>\n
It is also apparent to one who compares this passage with Matthew 12:39,40, in which verses the Lord Jesus declared that, as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the fish, „so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.“ Since He went to Sheol upon death, and since, as He stated, He would be in the center, or heart, of the earth, it is apparent that Sheol, or Hades, is in the center of the earth.<\/p>\n
From Luke 16:19-31 we see that there were two apartments of Hades, separated by an impassable gulf. To one of these, Paradise, Abraham and the saved went; to the other, Tartarus, the rich man went, and all the lost still go.<\/p>\n
The angelic hosts, as they steadily looked on the passing out of humanity at the portal of death, saw that there was a separation immediately after the people passed through this exit. We may envisage the situation as follows: Some were turned to the right and went to that place to which Abraham and all the saved were assigned; the rest were turned to the left and descended to that place to which the rich man and other lost souls were directed.<\/p>\n
Why this separation? Why this discrimination? Why the ease and blessedness of those who were turned to the right, whereas there were misery and torment to those who were turned to the left? For example, Abraham–though his life had been exemplary in many particulars–on certain occasions had stepped down on a much lower level of ethics and morals. For instance, when he went down into Egypt, he coached his wife to tell a half-truth with the object of deception in mind. In order that Pharaoh might not kill him and take her, who was a beautiful woman, to be his wife, Abraham instructed her to declare that she was his sister. It is true that she was his half-sister, but it is also a fact that she was his wife. He wished her to withhold a certain element of the truth and to state that which was a half-truth in such a connection as to make a wrong impression. In the light of all the facts this man persuaded his wife to tell a deliberate lie. As another example, let us look at David, Israel’s ideal king–a man after God’s own heart. On one occasion he too stepped down from the high plane upon which he, as a ruler, lived to a very much lower level. He took Bathsheba, the wife of one of his faithful soldiers, who was fighting his battles against the Ammonites, as his own wife. When it became apparent that Bathsheba had become an expectant mother by the king, David attempted to cover up his crime by having Uriah brought from the battlefront to Jerusalem in order that he might be with his wife at that time. Thus David tried to cover up his adultery. Uriah’s high sense of honor and integrity, coupled with his patriotism, would not allow him to go to his own home and enjoy fellowship and association with his wife. He therefore refrained. This plot of deceitful strategy having failed in its purpose, the king gave instructions to Joab, his generalissimo at the front, to put Uriah in the most dangerous place of the battle and to order a retreat for his men without Uriah’s knowing it. He would therefore be left in the hottest of the fray and would be exposed to the greatest danger. Joab carried out the instructions to the letter. The result was that Uriah was killed. Thus David plotted the murder of one of his innocent, heroic soldiers. He then took Bathsheba to be his own wife and attempted to waive the matter by the light remark that the battle was no respecter of persons, and that it takes one as well as another.<\/p>\n
One sin unrepented of calls for another. If the two are not forsaken in genuine repentance, they call for a third, and for a fourth, and so on. Thus sin weaves a web around the one who does not repent of and forsake his wrongs. But we praise God that later the king did repent. Finally David passed off the stage of life through the portal of death and was led to the right hand to go to be with those who were in a blest, happy, restful condition in Sheol. In the heathen world there was, for example, Socrates, a great man, one of Greece’s greatest teachers and philosophers. So far as we know, he lived an exemplary life. There is not the least hint that he ever stooped to the low level of lying, adultery, murder, and hypocrisy. On the contrary, he, by his intellectual faculties, tried to solve the great problems that have been the subject of philosophy through the centuries. By his intellect and his own human efforts he was seeking to find the invisible God. He too crossed the stage of life, passed out by the portal of death; but doubtless, not knowing the true God, he was turned to the left and went to the place of the lost. Other Greek and Roman philosophers and moralists, whose lives were on the very highest plane on which pagans ever lived, also sought–in their own way by reasoning and not by faith as they should have–for the true and the living God, refusing to get down on the low level of sensuality, sin, and immorality. Upon their passing out of life, they no doubt likewise were turned to the left and went to the dismal chasm of the lost. Why this difference? Why the discrimination?<\/p>\n
Those who were turned to the right, and who went to be with Abraham after this life, were men and women of faith. For instance, Abraham believed God. When the Almighty promised that He would make his seed as numerous as the stars of the heavens, Abraham simply believed that promise and was counted as a righteous man. Thus stands the record in Genesis 15:6: „And he believed in Jehovah; and he reckoned it to him for righteousness.“ All those whose names appear in the roster of faith, as found in Hebrews, chapter 11, were men and women of faith. Of course there were myriads of others who also believed God. When life with them ended, they passed away and were admitted into the place of blessedness. But what did their faith do? Was it a determining factor as to where they would go after death? From the stand-point of merit and of conduct, faith could not compensate for that which was lacking in their lives. Why should exemption from the general fate that awaits the bulk of humanity be granted to these, and why should they be accorded the blessedness of being associated in bliss with others?<\/p>\n
IV. BLOOD SACRIFICES
\n<\/span><\/center><\/center><\/p>\n When Adam and Eve sinned against God in Eden, they realized the great change that had come upon them. Their entire nature was corrupted by the Fall. As soon as they partook of the forbidden fruit, their eyes were opened and they knew evil from good and were aware of the fact that they were naked. Then they attempted to hide themselves from God and to hide their nakedness with aprons made of fig leaves. The Lord appeared and stripped them of their improvised clothing–a symbol of man’s efforts to hide his sin and failures. The Lord slew beasts, thus shedding animal blood, and made clothes for Adam and Eve from the skins. Evidently there was design and purpose in the Lord’s doing this. His motive becomes apparent in the light of the sacrifices which He commanded. At the time that God took the skins of animals to clothe Adam and Eve, He most probably instituted the blood sacrifices as a covering for their sin, for we see their son Abel offering an animal sacrifice, which was commanded by God: „And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto Jehovah. 4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And Jehovah had respect unto Abel and to his offering: 5 but unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. 6 And Jehovah said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? And why is thy countenance fallen? 7 If thou doest well, shall it not be lifted up? and if thou doest not well, sin coucheth at the door; and unto thee shall be its desire; but do thou rule over it. 8 And Cain told Abel his brother. And it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him“ (Gen. 4:3-8).<\/span><\/p>\n
The Lord rejected Cain’s offering but accepted that of Abel. Why the difference? The answer: „By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he had witness borne to him that he was righteous. God bearing witness in respect of his gifts: and through it he being dead yet speaketh“ (Heb.11:4). Obviously the Lord commanded the sacrifices and stipulated what should be brought. This conclusion is demanded by the fact that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Rom. 10:17). Abel’s offering was acceptable because he offered it by faith; Cain’s was rejected because he rejected God’s will and substituted his own judgment in its place–a vegetable offering instead of a blood sacrifice. The curse therefore fell upon him: „And now cursed art thou from the ground, which hath opened its mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand; when thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee its strength; a fugitive and a wanderer shalt thou be in the earth“ (Gen. 4:11,12). Being embittered by the disfavor of God and jealous of his brother, Cain slew Abel. When these two passed off the stage of activity, Abel was turned to the right whereas Cain was turned to the left.<\/p>\n
Though the record, being brief and touching only the salient points of those primitive times, gives us no information concerning the offering of the sacrifices from the days of Abel to the times of Noah, we have every reason to believe that God commanded that they should be offered by all those who called „upon the name of Jehovah“ (Gen. 4:26).<\/p>\n
The fact that Noah offered sacrifices* immediately upon his emerging from the ark after the subsiding of the Flood and the further fact that the Lord accepted them point to the conclusion that the offering of blood sacrifices to the Lord in worship was the normal procedure of the children of God in those days. These truths are apparent to anyone who realizes that Noah was a servant of God and a preacher of righteousness.<\/p>\n
In the Genesis account, from the days of Noah to the Exodus of Israel from Egyptian bondage, there are occasional references to offerings and sacrifices made to the Lord. In the law of Moses, given directly by God to Israel at Sinai, are instructions for the offering of an elaborate system of blood sacrifices. Throughout the Patriarchal Period there were various ones who made offerings and sacrifices to the Lord. Many of these–not all, of course–likewise, when they passed out of life, went to the place of rest. Moreover, when Israel left the land of Egypt, every family slew a lamb as a passover offering and sprinkled the blood upon the doorposts and lintels of their house–unless it was too small. In that case two of such small families went together and observed the passover. That night, when the death angel passed over the land of Egypt, the first-born in every house of the Egyptians was slain, whereas not a single person of the first-born of the children of Israel, who were screened behind the blood, was slain. Why the difference?<\/p>\n
At Sinai God commanded Israel to offer animal sacrifices to atone for sin: „For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh atonement by reason of the life“ (Lev. 17:11). So we see that God commanded the blood sacrifices as an atonement for sin; and those who offered the blood sacrifices were doing it by faith, looking forward to the time that God would provide a sacrifice that could adequately atone for sin.<\/p>\n
From Sinai and onward, literally tens and hundreds of thousands of bullocks, goats, and sheep, together with turtle-doves and pigeons, had been offered as sacrifices to Jehovah, the God of the universe. Myriads of people who thus engaged in these continual offerings and sacrifices, when they passed out of life, were accorded a place among the blest, whereas many of those who had engaged in these offerings and sacrifices were turned to the left and were sent into misery with the lost, which fact shows that the mere offering of animals as sacrifices was not sufficient to accord one a place with the blessed.<\/p>\n
From these facts we see that, from the fall of Adam through the centuries until the first coming of the Messiah, blood sacrifices were commanded by the Lord to atone for sin. Viewing these sacrifices in the light of the New Testament revelation, we see that they were typical of the sacrifice of the „Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world.“<\/p>\n
In many of the nations there were people who made sacrifices of animals to their various idols and bowed down to stocks and stones.\u00b9 Nevertheless, when they passed out of this life, they were turned to the left and went down among the condemned. Why was this? What is the cause of the discrimination?<\/p>\n
In what possible way could animal sacrifices affect spiritual and eternal realities? Man was placed on one level by his Maker. Animals with mere brute instincts were placed on a much lower level than man with his intellectual and spiritual endowments. It becomes immediately evident that in no way can the animal sacrifices bring about the cancellation of man’s sins and make a proper adjustment between him and God, against whom he has sinned. In no way can the blood of bulls and goats deal adequately with the sin problem. Such passages as Jeremiah 7:21-26 show that, although the sacrifices were commanded by the Lord at Sinai, obedience to the will of God was placed in a higher category than the mere observance of the ritualistic requirements. Such sacrifices could not adequately deal with the sin problem. Again we see in Hosea 6:6 that God desires goodness rather than sacrifice: „For I desire goodness, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt-offerings.“ If either one of these things–goodness, or offerings and sacrifices–had to be omitted, God every time would say omit the offerings and sacrifices, but would by all means insist on His people’s showing goodness and mercy. This bit of instruction proves that obedience and the showing of mercy are on a higher plane than that of observing some ritualistic service. This fact also proves, that sacrifices and offerings were not sufficient to deal with the question of sin.<\/p>\n
A luminous ray of light upon this most important, yet difficult, question of blood atonement may be gathered from the facts connected with God’s command to Abraham to offer up Isaac, his only son, as a sacrifice (Gen. 22:1-19):<\/p>\n
22 <\/b><\/span>And it came to pass after these things, that God did prove Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham; and he said, Here am I. 2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son, whom thou lovest, even Isaac, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt-offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. 3 And Abraham rose early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he clave the wood for the burnt-offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. 4 On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. 5 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass, and I and the lad will go yonder; and we will worship, and come again to you. 6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt-offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took in his hand the fire and the knife; and they went both of them together. 7 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, God will provide himself the lamb for a burnt-offering, my son: so they went both of them together.<\/span><\/p>\n
9 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built the altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. 10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. 11 And the angel of Jehovah called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. 12 And he said, Lay not thy hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto him; for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, from me. 13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt-offering in the stead of his son. 14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of Jehovah it shall be provided. 15 And the angel of Jehovah called unto Abraham a second time out of heaven, 16 and said, By myself have I sworn, saith Jehovah, because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, 17 that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is upon the seashore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; 18 and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. 19 So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba.<\/p>\n
Without a doubt the Lord tested Abraham’s faith. At the same time He was making a most wonderful revelation to him. The unthinkable command to offer as a sacrifice his son, in whom his seed was to be called–an order that eventually would make null and void the system of animal sacrifices inaugurated in Eden by God–is of such a nature that it instantly strikes one with its revealing character. The rescinding of the command by God, who does not change, likewise heightens the profound impression made by the command. The fact that the ram, which Abraham offered in lieu of Isaac, had been caught in the thicket at that very place and at that crucial moment can be interpreted only as an act of divine providence. These facts–viewed in the light of the Scripture which states that Abraham accounted „that God is able to raise up, even from the dead; from whence he did also in a figure receive him [Isaac] back“ (Heb. 11:19)–were clearly designed to make a new and startling revelation to Abraham.<\/p>\n
As we contemplate this subject, we must constantly bear in mind the warning which the Lord made to Adam: „The day that thou eatest thereof, dying thou shalt surely die“ (lit. trans.). Expressed in the words of another verse of Scripture, the thought is, „The soul that sinneth, it shall die.“ Every man must die for his sins–unless some provision is made in his behalf whereby there is a cancellation of the same. But we have already seen that it is irrational to suppose that the blood of animal sacrifices can make atonement for the sins of men, who were created on a much higher plane than were the dumb beasts, there being no moral or spiritual quality in such sacrifices. God indicated this fact by commanding Abraham to offer up Isaac as a sacrifice. In thus demanding a human sacrifice, He, by actions, which speak louder than words, showed that animal sacrifices, or the blood of animals, can never atone for man’s sin, although they had been authorized by divine decree, which facts prove the provisional and temporary nature of the same.<\/p>\n
In ordering Abraham therefore to sacrifice Isaac, God confirmed the position that it took the shedding of man’s blood\u00b2–and not that of animals–to atone for man’s sins; because it was upon man that the death sentence rested. In God’s staying Abraham’s hand and thus preventing the patriarch’s carrying out the command, He indicated the fact that the blood of a man born by natural generation–notwithstanding the fact that there was a miraculous element in Isaac’s birth–could not effect atonement; and in His promising under those conditions that He would provide a lamb for the sacrifice, which would be efficacious in atoning for sin, He gave a guarantee that He would at the proper time provide the man whose blood could and would make atonement for the sins of the entire world. As we shall see, the promise of the coming of this one who could make the perfect sacrifice, and whose blood can cancel sin, is expressed in a very definite manner.<\/p>\n
In Genesis 22:8 Abraham says to Isaac, „God will provide himself the lamb.“ This language is the figure of paronomasia, or a play on words. Isaac had asked about a literal lamb for the sacrifice. In the language which Isaac was using, Abraham declared that God would provide the lamb, meaning of course the human sacrifice that would be acceptable to God, and that would accomplish atonement. Since Isaac was miraculously born, and since God commanded him offered as a sacrifice, Abraham no doubt thought, until God stayed his hand, that the blood of Isaac would adequately atone for his own sin. The ram which was providentially caught in the thicket (Gen. 22:13), and which Abraham sacrificed, was of course of a temporary and provisional nature and could in no wise atone for sin.<\/p>\n
The fact that Abraham, who was a prophet (Ps. 105:9-15), did not protest against his being required to offer his son is mute evidence that he probably realized more fully than we have ever conceived the necessity for the sacrifice of a human being, whose blood could cancel sin and guilt. This probability is also heightened by the fact that he recognized, the miraculous element that entered into the birth of his own son. Isaac’s acquiescence in the whole matter points in the same direction, that he too realized that animal blood could not make adequate atonement for the sin of man, but that it would take the shedding of man’s blood. At the same time it is highly improbable that Abraham understood fully all the miraculous elements involved in the case of the one, the God-man, whose blood and sacrifice could atone for the sins of humanity. But even his partial comprehension of it enabled him to obey the divine command.<\/p>\n
As we have already seen, God’s ordering the sacrificing of Isaac, a miraculously-born son–not virgin-born–and His countermanding this order at the very moment when it was about to be put into execution pointed forward to one in the future who would, by virtue of His true nature, be able to make perfect and complete atonement. By analogy we can clearly see this truth. All the sacrifices, from Eden and onward, pointed forward to an all-sufficient sacrifice. The inadequacy and the typical character of animal sacrifices were shown by the fact that the same sacrifices were offered yearly. Had they been sufficient, there would not have been a need for repeating them every year. But since they were ordered to be made to atone for sin, it is clear that they made expiation only in a typical ceremonial sense, and that they pointed forward to an offering that would make complete atonement, or satisfaction, for sin.<\/p>\n
God’s ordering the sacrificing of Isaac and then countermanding the command in like manner naturally looked forward to the sacrifice of one whose birth involved the miraculous element in a higher and greater way than that of Isaac. This truth is seen by the fact that the sacrifice of Isaac was rejected because of its being insufficient to accomplish the purpose of sacrifices–the permanent removal of sin. His blood was inadequate in that he inherited from Abraham the sin-nature and death, which made it impossible for his blood to be efficacious as an atonement for sin. But in its being ordered by the Lord and in its being inadequate, there was implied the promise that God would at the right time send the one who could make the proper atonement–since He accomplishes and perfects all His works. This hope is seen in the promise, „God will provide himself the lamb for a burnt-offering“ (Gen. 22:8).<\/p>\n
There is therefore, figuratively speaking, a blending of the picture of Abraham’s attempt to offer Isaac with the offering of the „lamb“ which God promised to provide. Such a blending of pictures of persons or events, often far removed in point of time and space, is characteristic of the Scriptures. Isaac’s being offered therefore was typical and prophetic of the offering of Him alone whose sacrifice and blood can remove all sin.<\/p>\n
Thus far in this particular investigation I have been looking at only the facts and truths that are imbedded in the Books of Moses. When we turn to the statement of the Lord Jesus, „Abraham rejoiced that he should see my day; and he saw it, and was glad,“ (John 8:56, marginal reading), we find perfect confirmation of the interpretation of the facts connected with the offering of Isaac.<\/p>\n
From the statement of our Lord we properly infer that God promised Abraham to show him the day of Christ. The day of Christ embraces His life when He was on earth nineteen hundred years ago, with at least the general outline of His activities and principal events, and the thousand years of His glorious reign when He returns. It may also include the entire Christian Dispensation, which separates His first coming from His second advent.<\/p>\n
According to the Lord Jesus Abraham rejoiced in anticipation of seeing His day. When the promise made to him was fulfilled, he was glad. It is logical to believe that, in seeing the day of Christ, Abraham was shown the most important event–the one upon which the redemption of mankind rests. It is, therefore, highly probable that the glorious tragedy of Calvary was shown to Abraham, when he demonstrated his faith by obeying God in attempting to offer Isaac, his only son, as a sacrifice to God. In his doing this, he typically set forth God’s offering up His only begotten Son as the one and only sacrifice that can atone for sin and save the soul.<\/p>\n
When the revelation was made through David, which is contained in Psalm 40:6-10,\u00b3 and which was made earlier than the prophecies of Jeremiah 7:21-26 and Hosea 6:6, mentioned before, regarding the nonprofitableness of animal sacrifices, doubtless David and others at first wondered why these animal sacrifices should ever have been commanded. Moreover, in this passage they saw that those sacrifices had simply been authorized for the time being, and that, instead of their meeting the demands of God’s holiness with reference to sin and wrongdoing, they could not appease the divine wrath. At the same time, in this quotation, however, they could see that one in whose heart God’s righteousness is hidden volunteers to come to earth and to do the will of God with reference to sin, to fulfill the purpose for which sacrifices and offerings had been commanded. These facts show the provisional and temporary character of those offerings. Finally, when the revelation, found in Isaiah 52:13–53:12 quoted (next page),<\/i><\/span> was made relative to „the servant of Jehovah“ who offers His soul a sacrifice for sin and for transgression, thinking men realized that this suffering in some way would deal adequately with the problem of sin.<\/span><\/p>\n
Footnotes:<\/p>\n
*18 And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons‘ wives with him: 19 every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, whatsoever moveth upon the earth, after their families, went forth out of the ark. 20 And Noah builded an altar unto Jehovah, and took of every clean beast, and of every clean bird, and offered burnt-offerings on the altar. 21 And Jehovah smelled the sweet savor; and Jehovah said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake, for that the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more everything living, as I have done. 22 While the earth remaineth, seed-time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease (Gen. 8:18-22).<\/p>\n
\u00b9 Idolatry is a perversion of the original worship ordered by God<\/p>\n
\u00b2 Obviously the people who offered human sacrifices to atone for the sins of their souls instinctively recognized the inadequacy of animal blood to effect atonement for sins.<\/p>\n
\u00b3 6 Sacrifice and offering thou hast no delight in;
\nMine ears hast thou opened:
\nBurnt-offering and sin-offering hast thou not required.
\n7 Then said I, Lo, I am come;
\nIn the roll of the book it is written of me:
\n8 I delight to do thy will, O my God;
\nYea, thy law is within my heart.
\n9 I have proclaimed glad tidings of righteousness in the great assembly;
\nLo, I will not refrain my lips,
\nO Jehovah, thou knowest.
\n10 I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart;
\nI have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation;
\nI have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great assembly (Ps. 40:6-10).<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\nThat we may see the beauty, force, and power of this most graphic and soul-satisfying revelation, I shall give my own translation interspersed with explanatory notes.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
Authors Translation of Isaiah 52:13–53:12 With Interspersed Explanatory Notes<\/p>\n
(The words in roman type are the translation of the original Hebrew, whereas those in italics are the interspersed explanatory notes of the author,–gathered from the teachings of related passages of scripture–which are thus placed in order to clarify the text for the reader.)<\/p>\n
Behold, my Servant, King Messiah<\/i> \u05de\u05b8\u05e9\u05c1\u05b4\u05d9\u05d7\u05b7 <\/b><\/span>shall deal wisely during His life; notwithstanding His purity and innocence He shall<\/i><\/span> be put to death, but<\/i> shall rise from the dead,<\/i> and be lifted up when He accepts the invitation of God to sit at His right hand<\/i> according to Ps. 110:1,2<\/i> and shall be very high. Like as many were confounded at Thee because of the horrifying appearance of<\/i> thy mutilated body<\/i> (His visage was so marred more than the sons of men), so shall He startle many nations by His appearing in<\/i> glory as King of kings and Lord of lords;<\/i> kings who have renounced Him and thrown off His authority in the World Conference (Ps. 2)*<\/i> shall shut their mouths at Him <\/span>and together with<\/i> princes render divine worship (Isa. 49:7);<\/i> for that which had not been told them, by those who had the Word of God and who<\/i> should have proclaimed it to the world,<\/i> shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they understand clearly.<\/span><\/p>\n
Who among us Hebrews<\/i> hath believed our message which was told to us by faithful competent witnesses?<\/i> And to whom has the arm of the Lord, who is the Messiah,<\/i> been revealed? For He, the Messiah,<\/i> grew up before Him, i.e. God,<\/i> as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground, which figures of speech indicate the low<\/i> spiritual condition of the people among whom Messiah grew up;<\/i> He had no form nor comeliness, i.e., He did not have the appearance and bearing of an earthly king;<\/i> and when we saw Him, He had no beauty that we desired Him as our Messiah.<\/i> He was despised with the greatest possible contempt<\/i> and lacked men of influence<\/i> and power among those who followed Him;<\/i> a man of sorrows because of the lost spiritual condition of the world, and especially<\/i> the dearth of spiritual life among the Hebrews,<\/i> and acquainted with sickness, both spiritual and physical;<\/i> and like one from whom men hide their faces in disgust<\/i> He was despised, and we considered Him as nothing, yea as a dreamer and a poor fanatical peasant whose opinions amounted to nothing.<\/i><\/p>\n
But finally after the lapse of many weary centuries of suffering<\/i> and persecution in the worst of which we now are, and which is<\/i> called „the time of Jacob’s trouble“ (Jer. 30:7),\u00b9 we, having<\/i> turned to God in our distress and having been brought to the point<\/i> <\/span>where we truly say, „Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the<\/i><\/span> Lord,“ can see the great mistake which our forefathers made in<\/i><\/span> rejecting the Messiah when He came and which our nation has<\/i> made from that time to the present by refusing to listen to His claim<\/i> to being our Messiah. Now we see the situation clearly, which is<\/i> this:<\/i> Surely our sicknesses both spiritual and physical<\/i> He bore, and our griefs He as our scapegoat<\/i> carried; but at that time<\/i> we thought that He was plagued, smitten by God and afflicted because of His<\/i> own sins and transgressions. The fact is that<\/i> He was pierced, as<\/i> the prophets by the Spirit foretold (Ps. 22:16; Zech. 12:10),<\/i> because of our transgressions and was wounded because of our iniquities, and the chastisement of our peace; i.e., the suffering which had to be borne in order that we might enjoy peace,<\/i> was upon Him, and by the stripes, which He endured for us,<\/i> healing is brought to us. We now confess that<\/i> all of us, i.e., our entire Hebrew race,<\/i> like sheep strayed away from God and His Word;<\/i> everyone of us turned to his own way; and yet<\/i> the Lord caused to meet on Him the iniquity of all of us like rays of light focused on a single spot. When He thus suffered for us,<\/i> those who were in authority<\/i> violently treated Him and He was afflicted, but He did not open his mouth in protest against such treatment;<\/i> as a lamb to the slaughter is led and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, He did not open His mouth. Out of prison and away from trial He was taken. As to His generation, i.e., His contemporaries, that complained against such a miscarriage of Justice,<\/i> who of them clearly<\/i><\/span> realized that He was cut off out of the land of the living because of the transgression of my people to whom the stroke of judgment<\/i> was due, (or on account of the transgression of my people, the stroke of judgment<\/i> fell on Him)? They in their plans<\/i> made His grave with the wicked intending by so doing to heap ignominy and<\/i> shame upon His name throughout all future generations; but by the<\/i> overruling providence of God, who says, „Thus far shalt thou go<\/i> and no farther“, and who „hath His way in the whirlwind and in the<\/i> storm“ (Nahum 1:3), the wicked plan of His enemies was frustrated; hence<\/i> with a rich man was He in His death because He had done no violence, neither was deceit in His mouth.<\/span><\/p>\n
The prophet, having foretold the full and voluntary confession<\/i> which the nation shall make when her blindness is removed, explains the great facts of the death of the Servant by saying that,<\/i> in keeping with His eternal plan,<\/i> the Lord was pleased to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief; when His soul shall make a trespass offering for sin, not His own but that of the world,<\/i> He shall see seed, i.e., a spiritual seed, a host of redeemed men and women;<\/i> He shall prolong His days after His death and resurrection;<\/i> and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand–a reference to<\/i> His making atonement for lost man, and to His regathering Israel<\/i> into her own land and into fellowship with God.<\/i> He shall see of the travail of His soul, i.e., results from His atoning suffering,<\/i> and be satisfied; by the knowledge of Himself, both His knowledge of how to atone for man’s sins and the knowledge of those<\/i> who learn of Him and accept His sacrifice,<\/i> shall my righteous Servant, who is the Lord our righteousness (Jer. 23:6),<\/i> bring righteousness to the many, i.e., His righteousness shall be accredited to those who accept His sacrifice;<\/i> and He shall bear, as the<\/i> scapegoat,<\/i> their iniquities. I will therefore divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, when<\/i> He returns with glory and power to rule the world in righteousness;<\/i> because He voluntarily<\/i> poured out His soul unto death and was numbered with the transgressors, though He was pure and<\/i> holy;<\/i> yet He bore the sin of the many and, in love,<\/i> made intercession for the transgressors while He thus suffered\u00b2<\/i><\/p>\n
The prophecy contained in Isaiah 52:13-53:12 found its fulfillment, so far as the Servant’s making atonement for man is concerned, in Jesus of Nazareth, who sacrificed Himself in behalf of the redemption of the world. These facts will be brought out in Chapters VI and VII.<\/p>\n
Footnotes:<\/p>\n
* 2 <\/b>Why do the nations rage,
\nAnd the peoples meditate a vain thing?
\n2 The kings of the earth set themselves,
\nAnd the rulers take counsel together,
\nAgainst Jehovah, and against his anointed, saying,<\/i>
\n3 Let us break their bonds asunder,
\nAnd cast away their cords from us.<\/p>\n\u00b9 From a study of the prophetic word, it becomes evident that Israel will have at the end of the Tribulation Period–the seven years with which the present age closes–made the oral confession which is found in Isaiah 53:1-9.<\/p>\n
\u00b2 Quoted from my volume, The Eternal God Revealing Himself to Suffering<\/i> Israel and to Lost Humanity.<\/i> I have taken the liberty to change some of the punctuation for the sake of clarity, and also a word or two.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\nCHAPTER VI<\/span><\/center>THE PROBLEM OF HUMAN REDEMPTION<\/p>\n As we have seen, the fellowship between God and humanity was broken by the disobedience of the one man Adam. But by the light of the revelation that came through Moses and the prophets, from Adam to Christ, it was not absolutely clear–although disclosed in a general way–how God would act and what He could do to prevent the entire human family from going off into everlasting death–separation from God and the glory of His might forever and ever in the place of incarceration for the wicked. Since the human family in the person of Adam sinned, as we learn in Romans 5:12,13 („Therefore, as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin; and so death passed unto all men, for that all sinned:–13 for until the law sin was in the world; but sin is not imputed when there is no law“), what could God do to retrieve the situation? How could He act in regard to the situation that had developed?<\/span><\/p>\n
We must at this juncture of our investigation remember what we learned of God’s moral government in Chapter III. We have seen that, whatever the Lord did, He, being the omnipotent Sovereign that He is, would have to respect the principles of His moral government, all of which are of course in accordance with the basic attributes of His eternal existence–His righteousness, holiness, love, and truth.<\/p>\n
Had He chosen to do so, He had the power to deal summarily and drastically with man and could have banished him into the regions of darkness to remain there forever. In His doing so, He would have prevented the perpetuation and the continuance of sin in the human family. Had He chosen to pursue this course, His actions would have been an admission of utter defeat. Such an idea is unthinkable. For God, who is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient, would not originate a plan, a system, or a project that could be a failure. Humanly speaking, what then was left for Him to do under the circumstances?<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I. THE LOSS MUST BE RETRIEVED ON THE HUMAN LEVEL AND IN THE REALM OF THE WILL<\/span><\/center> <\/p>\n Under God’s moral government the losses sustained by man must and can be retrieved only on the human level and within the realm of the will. Since Adam and Eve on the human level frittered away their high position, the losses sustained must, under the divine moral government, be retrieved on the same plane. Justice to all and fair play under such an ethical regime as the one which God instituted demand that some being regain the lost position and restore the race. Since God banished man from His presence there must be a mediator, a being who can intercede to God for man: „For there is one God, one mediator also between God and men, himself<\/i> man, Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all …“ (I Tim. 2:5,6). Moreover, since it was in the realm of the will that Adam and Eve were defeated the regaining of their standing with God had to be in the same sphere.<\/span><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
II. COULD GOD HAVE CREATED ANOTHER MAN TO REDEEM MAN?
\n<\/span><\/center><\/center><\/p>\n Had the Lord created another Adam, He would have made a duplicate, a precise copy of the first man, who, as a human being was perfect. God would not create an imperfect creature Hence the man whom He would have created would have been exactly like the first Adam. Being like him, he would have yielded to temptation as Adam had done. Thus Satan would have tricked him as he did Adam. Conditions then would have been exactly as they were after Adam sinned. It is therefore inconceivable that God could retrieve the loss by the creation of another man.<\/p>\n
III. COULD ONE OF ADAM’S DESCENDANTS REDEEM THE RACE?<\/center> <\/p>\n After the Fall Adam begat sons and daughters in his likeness in the likeness of his fallen nature. Man’s nature was contaminated by the poison of resistance against the divine will. Man has transmitted his fallen nature to all his descendants. The heart of man is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked (Jer. 17:9). In harmony with this statement is one by the Apostle Paul, an exhortation to Titus that he urge Christians „… to speak evil of no man, not to be contentious, to be gentle, showing all meekness toward all men. 3 For we also once were foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. 4 But when the kindness of God our Saviour, and his love toward man, appeared, 5 not by works done<\/i> in righteousness, which we did ourselves, but according to his mercy he saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit …“ (Titus 3:2-5). The entire human family, Jew and Gentile alike, has inherited the fallen nature from its foreparents. Another vivid picture of the condition of the human heart is set forth in the following passage: „And you did he make alive, when ye were dead through your trespasses and sins, 2 wherein ye once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the powers of the air, of the spirit that now worketh in the sons of disobedience; 3 among whom we also all once lived in the lusts of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest“ (Eph. 2:1-3). Every man stands condemned at the bar of his own conscience. Having the fallen nature, he is utterly unable to keep the law of God in holiness and truth.<\/p>\n
But is there such a thing as progress and advancement in human nature to the extent that there may be born someone who will be of such a character that he can withstand the temptations of Satan, can champion the cause of man, and become victorious against the forces of evil? We have heard much about man’s steady progress upward and the development of a super race. If such a thing as this were possible, certainly there would have appeared some indications heralding the advent of such a superman–before this time. Admittedly every creature produces after its own kind. This is an unvarying law. Water cannot seek a level higher than that at which it stands, by and in virtue of its own power. Man cannot lift himself by his own bootstraps. No man, therefore, is able to redeem his brother, himself, or anyone else.<\/p>\n
\n6 They that trust in their wealth,
\nAnd boast themselves in the multitude of their riches;
\n7 None of them<\/i> can by any means redeem his brother,
\nNor give to God a ransom for him
\n8 (For the redemption of their life is costly,
\nAnd it faileth for ever),
\n9 That he should still live alway,
\nThat he should not see corruption (Ps. 49:6-9).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\nIV. COULD A CELESTIAL CREATURE REDEEM THE RACE?<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
If one of the angels had offered to champion man’s cause and to match swords with Satan, could not he have defeated this great enemy of God and humanity and accomplished man’s deliverance? As has been seen under Chapter II, the battle had to be fought on the human plane and in the realm of the will. Had it been possible under God’s ethical regime for such a celestial being to champion man’s cause, this one could not have won the fight; for Satan, his adversary, who is the wisest and most powerful of all creatures (Ezek. 28:11-19), would have tricked him. As further evidence of this truth, note the fact that Michael, the archangel–the highest and doubtless the wisest and most powerful of all the hosts of angels remaining faithful to God–would not match swords with Satan, but turned him over to the Lord: „But Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing judgment, but said, The Lord rebuke thee“ (Jude 9). Of course Michael had respect for the authority and dignity of Satan’s position. At the same time we learn that this archangel turned the devil’s case over to the strong Son of God to deal with him as He saw fit. From all the facts we conclude that no angelic being could have matched wits and swords with Satan in an attempt to bring him who had the power of death to nought (Heb. 2:14). Thus no angel could have accomplished man’s redemption.<\/span><\/p>\n
If a seraph, a celestial being, had volunteered to come into the human realm and champion man’s cause, he too would have been powerless to cope with Satan. Moreover, he could not have taken the keys of death and Hades away from Satan and released the righteous dead from Sheol.<\/p>\n
Should a cherub, one of the highest order of the heavenly hosts, who was created on the same plane with the anointed cherub, but lower in order and rank, have volunteered to come into the human realm by virgin birth to champion man’s cause–to die in his stead, to pay his death sentence–could he have done so? He could have come and might have obeyed perfectly the will of God. He also could have given the blood from his human body to redeem man, could have died in man’s stead–passed out of this life through the portals of death, the same avenue through which man leaves it–and could have passed into Sheol. But there he would have remained, because he would not have had the power to take the keys of death and Hades from Satan, who is the minister of death. He therefore would have had to remain in Sheol and could not have delivered man from the death grip Satan had on man.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\nV. COULD GOD CREATE ANOTHER BEING POWERFUL ENOUGH TO REDEEM MAN?<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
In Ezekiel 28:12b we have these words: „Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.“ What do these words mean? Concerning the anointed cherub, God declared that he sealed up the sum, or, as the marginal reading of the Revised Version states, „sealed up the pattern.“ God, figuratively speaking, had a pattern, according to which He created this anointed cherub. This pattern included the sum of all perfections which could be possessed by a created being. To strengthen the idea that, according to the pattern, this one possessed the totality of personality and perfections, the Lord used the figurative expression „sealed up.“ In the ancient world when documents were completed, they were closed with a seal, the signet therefore indicating completeness, the fullness of that which was written. Thus the plans and specifications, figuratively speaking, which constituted the sum, or pattern, according to which this creature was brought into existence, comprehended all wisdom, power, beauty, and excellencies possible to a created being.<\/span><\/p>\n
Had the Lord decided to create a being to champion man’s cause and to accomplish his deliverance, He could not have brought into existence a creature higher than this anointed cherub who, possessing equal powers, would have checkmated him at every turn. The contest therefore between them would have been a stalemate.<\/p>\n
Thus another created being could have died for man’s redemption, but he would have had to descend into Sheol and snatch the keys of death and Hades from Satan in order to deliver those who were held as captives there and to bring life and immortality to light by the resurrection from the dead. This thing he would not have had the power to do. He too would have had to remain in Sheol, as Satan would have had the mastery over him by possessing the keys of death and Sheol.<\/p>\n
In the light of these facts we can see that no created being whatsoever could accomplish man’s redemption.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\nVI. THE GOD-MAN<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Since another Adam created perfect by the hand of God would have failed, since no man born by natural generation could redeem his brother, since no celestial being could bring deliverance, since God could not create a being that could bring deliverance, and since man must be redeemed upon the human plane and in the realm of the will, there was, under God’s great moral government, left open to Him only one avenue of redeeming the race: This was for some being to come to earth, to enter the human realm, who could absolutely meet the demands of the broken law, who could do the will of God perfectly with reference to the problem of sin, and who could withstand the connivings and onslaughts of the devil.\u00b9 Such a one would of necessity have to enter the human realm, not by natural generation, but in such a manner that He would not be tainted by the least trace of sin and be affected by it, so that He could fulfill the demands of the law of God perfectly. Since man begets his progeny in the likeness of his own fallen nature, the Redeemer of man cannot have a human father. But since He is to fight redemption’s battle on the human level, He must be born of a woman. These facts indicate most positively that the only way for God to redeem the human family was by His bringing into the world a Saviour by miraculous conception–as opposed to natural generation–and by virgin birth. Is such a thing as this possible? In answering this question, I wish in the first place to call attention to the fact that there is such a thing as parthenogenesis\u00b2 among some of the lower forms of life. Could not the same God who created all life, and who is the author of parthenogenesis, also bring a being into the world by miraculous conception and virgin birth? Certainly God, who could create man originally and breathe into his nostrils the breath of lives\u00b3 in order that he might become a living soul, could bring a man into the world in such a miraculous manner. But should He thus have brought such a man–a sinless man capable of keeping the law perfectly–into being for the express purpose of redeeming the race, Satan–being the wisest and most powerful creature under God and being wholly possessed of wrath toward God and man–would have tricked such a one and would have wrecked his plan of redeeming the race. Because of this fact, it was necessary that one of the divine personalities–who alone could circumvent Satan in his diabolic maneuvers, and who could, under God’s moral government, see that no foul measures were adopted by the devil to sabotage the divine plan to redeem the race–enter the world by miraculous conception and virgin birth, champion man’s cause, and accomplish his redemption and final glorification.<\/span><\/p>\n
This is exactly what God announced to the serpent that He would cause to be done. In talking to the serpent the Lord said, „And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed: he shall bruise thy head and thou shalt bruise his heel“ (Gen. 3:15). In this passage we find an expression which does not appear anywhere else in the Hebrew Scriptures: „the seed of the woman.“ Genealogies are always reckoned after the male and never after the female, but here is a departure from this ordinary usage. This fact marks this expression as unique and distinctive. In speaking of Him who is to conquer Satan, the Lord called Him the „seed of the woman.“ This one is to conquer the great enemy of man, the anointed cherub, who is, as we have seen, the most powerful and the highest of all God’s creatures. What He is to do to Satan is compared to a crushing knockout blow administered upon the head of a victim. As we have seen above, the facts demand that a Redeemer of man should come, one who is on the human plane, but who does not inherit the weaknesses of the race that are passed on from generation to generation by human fathers. Since this one is such, the mighty conqueror and deliverer of the race, and since He is spoken of as „the seed of the woman,“ we may know that He has no human father. At the same time we know that He is perfectly human because He is „the seed of the woman.“<\/p>\n
In perfect alignment with this primeval promise and hope is the prediction made by Isaiah the prophet in the following forecast:<\/p>\n
„Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign:4<\/sup> behold, a virgin5<\/sup> shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel“ (Isa.7:14). Here we are told that God would perform a miracle which would consist of a virgin’s conceiving and bearing a son.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
In keeping with the idea of the miraculous conception and virgin birth of this child is the name which is given to Him—Immanuel, which means God with us,<\/i> or God is with us.<\/i> Thus we have in this marvelous prediction a prophecy that God would enter the human realm through miraculous conception and virgin birth and would live on the human plane.<\/p>\n
In perfect keeping with this prediction is the one found in Isaiah 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, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to establish, it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from henceforth even for ever.“ Note the fact in verse 6 that this child is born to the nation of Israel. This statement connotes a special relationship to the whole nation that no other child bears. It likewise immediately arouses our curiosity to see why He thus sustains such a unique relation to the whole Hebrew race. In verse 7 we learn that the government of Judah will rest upon the shoulders of this one, and that, when it does, He will be recognized as „Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.“ In this passage is a prophecy that there will appear upon the historic scene the Miracle One who is able to counsel everyone, who is God the Hero, championing man’s cause, who is the Everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace–the one who alone can establish peace in a war-weary world.<\/p>\n
To some scientists the miraculous conception and virgin birth of Messiah are unthinkable. The principal reason for this attitude is found in their conceiving of the earth and all things therein as a closed system, in which law reigns supremely. According to this theory everything in this world is in some way related to other things by the law of cause and effect. To those holding this mechanistic, materialistic idea regarding all things, a miracle is impossible–not even Deity, the Creator, can break into their closed system.<\/p>\n
While the true believer recognizes the fact that the material universe is governed and controlled by laws to which the Creator has subjected it, he believes that the Almighty can and does step into the natural order, so to speak, and for good and sufficient reasons performs what nature unaided could never accomplish. Such acts we designate as miracles. The omniscient, omnipotent creator, the author and enforcer of all nature’s laws, including that of cause and effect, can perform whatever He in His wisdom knows is best for all and for the carrying forward of His eternal purposes. To the one who recognizes that the Creator is greater than His creation, and that He does all things well, miracles are both reasonable and possible. History confirms this position. We therefore can logically accept the scriptural teaching regarding the virgin birth of the Messiah, the Son of God.<\/p>\n
The absolute necessity for the miraculous conception and the virgin birth of the Redeemer of man and the Messiah of Israel is made to stand out in bold relief by the fact that Deity had to become a man, as we have already seen–a sinless, perfect man–in order to champion man’s cause and to defeat Satan.<\/p>\n
There is only one way of becoming a member of the human race–by being born of a woman. God ordained no other way. Every human being–the species, anthropos erectus<\/i>–has been born of a woman. A person’s being born of a woman makes him a human being. This fact is a deduction from the following general proposition: A creature’s being born of a female makes it a member of the species to which the mother belongs.6<\/sup> This biological principle is clearly set forth in the biblical phrase, „after their kind,“ which occurs in various statements that both plants and animals reproduce „after their kind,“ after their species (Gen 1:12,21,24).<\/p>\n
But, as we have seen, man begets his progeny in the likeness of his own fallen nature. The Redeemer therefore cannot have a human father who is a member of our race. The only door left open even to Deity himself of coming into the world as a man who could champion man’s cause and redeem the race was for Him to create a germ, pure, perfect, and holy, in the womb of the woman whom He would choose. This seed would unfold and develop according to nature, being nourished by the mother. At the proper time He himself would unite with this being–„the holy thing which is begotten“ (Luke 1:35)–thus becoming the one who would redeem man.<\/p>\n
Such a procedure is most reasonable and logical to everyone who will look at all the facts involved. The God who created the universe, of which this earth with all its teeming life is but a very small part, certainly could create a germ of the species, anthropos erectus,<\/i> in the womb of the one selected that it might unfold, and develop into the God-man who was able to redeem the race. It is universally acknowledged that man has the power in his own body to generate the germ which in conjunction with that of the woman produces his offspring. Cannot the great Creator produce a germ that can unfold into a human? Cannot He place that germ where it can be nourished and developed into the God-man? Every unbiased person will answer these questions in the affirmative.<\/p>\n
The possibility and the plausibility of His doing this very thing become apparent to everyone who believes the Genesis account of the birth of Isaac, and who will dispassionately consider all the facts which I am presenting. Abraham, according to Moses, was ninety-nine years of age and Sarah, his wife, was eighty-nine. Hence they were both past the age of parenthood. Nevertheless, God performed a biological miracle upon their bodies which made possible the birth of Isaac. (See Genesis 21:1-7, and Romans 4:16-22.)7<\/sup> This miracle is called an act of creation: „But now thus saith Jehovah that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed thee; I have called thee by thy name, thou art mine“ (Isa. 43:1). If we believe the facts regarding the birth of Isaac, we are logically bound to accept the proposition regarding the possibility of the virgin birth of Messiah, the Son of God.<\/p>\n
From the purely scientific view we can see the possibility of Deity’s entering into the human realm by miraculous conception and virgin birth. We can, therefore, accept at face value those predictions which foretell His entry into the human realm to redeem lost humanity. (For a sane scholarly treatment of this subject see The Virgin Birth of Christ,<\/i> by J. Gresham Machen. Also consult my volume, Messiah: His Nature and Person,<\/i> for additional facts.)<\/p>\n
We have already examined the prophecies of Genesis 3:15,16 and Isaiah 7:14, in which God promised that one of the persons of the Godhead, as the Redeemer of humanity, would enter the human realm by miraculous conception and virgin birth. These passages show that, while He is a man, He is more than a man–He is the God-man, and she (the mother) „shall call his name Immanuel,“ which means God is with us<\/i>.<\/p>\n
The problem that confronts one is not so much that God did become incarnate, but rather how<\/i> He did it, without inheriting the sinful nature. The man in the street who interests himself in the matter and the student of the sciences, such as genetics, biology, and chemistry–these and others–want to know how. How could sinless Deity completely identify Himself with sinful mankind and yet become sinless man? God’s Word declares that, following the fall of man, sin passed upon all men; and of course Mary, the mother of Jesus, herself, was not immune from sin and its results. She acknowledged herself as being a sinner by saying, „Blessed be God, my Saviour!“ Only sinners need a Saviour. How could a sinless person come from such a source on the human side, even by virgin birth? How could Deity appear in sinless humanity when the avenue of the entrance into the human realm was itself tarnished by sin–not only by the Adamic sin, but by conscious sins? The answer to this question lies in the realms of biology, psychology, genetics, and chemistry, as well as in the realm of theology.<\/p>\n
The virgin birth itself is a miracle; it is a unique manifestation. It has never occurred before nor since. But the second miracle is equally remarkable, one that also has never happened before; namely, a sinless man issuing from a mother–a member of our fallen race. Although the problem is deeply embedded in genetics, I may state it simply thus: There had to be a true and essential blood descent from Mary in order for the Lord Jesus to possess two vitally important factors: one prophetical, the other redemptive. He had to be a true blood descendant in order to be the prophetic son of David, the victorious King Messiah; and He had to be a true blood descendant in order to be a real human being to redeem fallen human beings. One might ask, „If ought of the blood or being of Mary was inherent in the person of the Lord Jesus, would not sin be transmuted? On the other hand, would He really<\/i> be true<\/i> humanity–true<\/i> son of David–if the blood and being of Mary were not inherent in Him?“<\/p>\n
It is admitted and recognized that there are certain laws and principles in the purely physical realm. Many of these laws we have by scientific research discovered. We now know that the material universe is, generally speaking, under the dominance and control of the law of cause and effect. But let me hasten to add that this general statement does by no means exclude the possibility of interposition on the part of the Creator into the realm of His universe, whenever He sees fit thus to inject Himself–for purposes of a moral and spiritual nature.<\/p>\n
In addition to the physical cosmos there is manifestly a realm, invisible to the human eye, which is the counterpart or complement of the material order. This sphere is likewise governed by laws and principles workable in such an ethereal realm. Many of these are now discovered by those who have labored in this field. As science–true science, not wild-eyed speculation and guessing–labors in these fields, it continually brings forth new light on many things. The more we learn, the more we are convinced that the laws governing both the visible and invisible realms are essentially of like nature. This statement being true, we can reason quite accurately and logically from the well-known to that which is less-known.<\/p>\n
In the realm of matter, for instance, elements are capable of classification. Their properties are known. They can be seen, tasted, handled, and smelt. Since that which is seen obeys certain known actions and reactions, which we call forces, it is also certain that these forces themselves, though unseen, possess characteristics and reactions: for instance, magnetism, gravitation, and the like. Though unseen, these are definite forces, obeying specific laws. I am fully persuaded that love also, and prayer, are examples of definite forces. I am very confident that there are forces unseen. The study of psychology, especially extrasensory perception and psychokinesis, may possibly give added confirmation of this. Now I am convinced that back before<\/i> the creation of man, in God’s original glorious creation, all forces were good and none evil. Whence then came evil?<\/p>\n
I am of the opinion that God warned Satan, who is called the anointed cherub in Ezekiel 28:11f, not to interfere with the laws and forces of the original creation; but he, through pride, introduced into the universe, by an unauthorized intrusion into and interference with those good forces, sin–and the force, or power of evil, was the tragic result. But how could this be? It seems quite logical that he combined two or more forces, or powers, which, in their pure state, contributed to the well-being of all of God’s creatures. But by his manipulating and combining these forces, he produced a new power in the universe, which has proved to be a disruptive, destructive, and tragic element, and which in God’s Word is called sin.<\/i> The Apostle Paul declared that sin, a mighty power, existed before the Fall. Adam transgressed God’s law. Then this power, sin, entered the world. As a result of its entrance into the human realm, death came unto all men. The graveyards bear silent testimony to the disastrous effects of this power called sin.<\/p>\n
In a discussion with two physicians whom I interviewed on one of my conference tours, I illustrated my points by calling attention to several examples from the field of chemistry–how various primary elements are combined in different proportions, and how they result in different substances.<\/p>\n
I said one could combine two good forces and could produce a new force with characteristics entirely opposite to or different from the two out of which it was produced. One could give interesting illustrations from chemistry. The chemical formula for water is we know, H2<\/sub>O, that is, two atoms of hydrogen and one of oxygen in the molecule. Both hydrogen and oxygen are gaseous, but combined they become an entirely new thing with different characteristics, which is water–a liquid. If the atoms of oxygen are increased to four and sulphur is added to the formula, the result is H2<\/sub>SO4<\/sub>–sulphuric acid. Let us take just one more fact from chemistry: Take that strange metal–which sizzles, sending forth sparks when plunged into water–known as sodium. Add to that the gas chlorine (which was used as a deadly weapon in the first world war); and when combined in chemical action, they become sodium chloride, common table salt.<\/p>\n
In chemistry there is a force or agency which is known as a catalyst, though it is little understood. There are instances known to chemists when one can take two elements, or a combination of elements, and measure them or weigh them by every medium of measurement known to the chemist and try to effect a chemical action without any success whatsoever. But if one brings this other element to bear upon these two, which were immovable, it is discovered that the presence of this third element brings about the action chemically that was desired of the first two. Now, this is really the point: When one examines this third element, or catalyst as chemists call it, it is found that, in so far as they have been able to discover, this third element, surprisingly, has remained unaffected in the slightest degree. This new force or action, though little known or understood, produces this amazing chemical action between the first two elements which were found otherwise to be immovable; and at the same time it, the catalyst, may be recovered practically unchanged at the end of the reaction.<\/p>\n
As I suggested before, there are the psychic and spiritual realms with their laws and forces. To these spheres belong, for instance, love, that, in the thirteenth chapter of First Corinthians, is clearly set forth as a force, a power and is in conformity with the nature of the realm to which it belongs:<\/p>\n
Footnotes:<\/p>\n
\u00b9 From these statements it is clear that no creature could cope with the situation that arose from Satan’s rebellion, and that led to man’s sin with the loss of his high position, for which he was created. Only one of the persons of the Godhead could solve the problem and retrieve the loss. But in order to do this, Deity would have to enter the human realm and champion the cause of man on the human plane. This He did, as we shall see in continuing our investigation.<\/p>\n
\u00b2 Natural parthenogenesis typically involves the development of eggs from virgin females without fertilization by spermatozoa.<\/p>\n
\u00b3 „Jehovah God formed man … and breathed into his nostrils the breath of lives“ (Gen. 2:7, lit. trans.).<\/p>\n
4<\/sup> The word translated „sign“ in this passage has two connotations; (1) It sometimes refers to natural phenomena. For instance, the sabbath is said to be a sign between Israel and God. (2) In many other instances it is seen from the context in which this word appears that it connotes a miracle. For example, see Exod. 4:1-9, relating to God’s calling Moses to lead the nation of Israel out of Egyptian bondage: „And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice; for they will say, Jehovah hath not appeared unto thee. 2 And Jehovah said unto him, What is that in thy hand? And he said, A rod. 3 And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. 4 And Jehovah said unto Moses, Put forth thy hand, and take it by the tail (and he put forth his hand, and laid hold of it, and it became a rod in his hand); 5 that they may believe that Jehovah, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee. 6 And Jehovah said furthermore unto him, Put now thy hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, as white as<\/i> snow. 7 And he said, Put thy hand into thy bosom again. (And he put his hand into his bosom again; and when he took it out of his bosom, behold, it was turned again as his other<\/i> flesh.) 8 And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign. 9 And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe even these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land.“ The facts of the context of Isa. 7:14 show conclusively that here it signifies a miracle.<\/p>\n
5<\/sup> The word rendered „virgin“ is <\/b>\u05e2\u05dc\u05de\u05d4 <\/span><\/b>‚almah<\/i> and appears seven times in the Hebrew text. In the other six places where it occurs, it unquestionably refers to a young woman of marriageable age who is a virgin. A young married woman’s giving birth to a child is not a miracle. But since the context of Isa. 7:14 indicates that the birth of this child is a miracle, we therefore conclude that „virgin“ here means exactly what the word connotes in other places. For a full discussion of this point see my volume, Messiah: His Nature and Person.<\/i><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n
6<\/sup> The mule, which is a cross between the horse and the ass, is no exception to this principle. It cannot propagate its kind, because it is sterile. Hence this hybrid, though born of the female of the species, horse, cannot logically be recognized as being of that species. The facts connected with its birth and all others similar to it therefore have no bearing upon this general biological principle.<\/p>\n
7<\/sup> And Jehovah visited Sarah as he had said, and Jehovah did unto Sarah as he had spoken. And Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac. And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. And Abraham was a hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him. And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh. Every one that heareth will laugh with me. And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should give children suck? For I have borne him a son in his old age (Genesis 21:1-7).<\/p>\n
For this cause it is<\/i> of faith, that it may be<\/i> according to grace; to the end that the promise may be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all (as it is written, A father of many nations have I made thee) before him whom he believed, even<\/i> God, who giveth life to the dead, and calleth the things that are not, as though they were. Who in hope believed against hope, to the end that he might become a father of many nations, according to that which had been spoken, So shall thy seed be. And without being weakened in faith he considered his own body now as good as dead (he being about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb; yet, looking unto the promise of God, he wavered not through unbelief, but waxed strong through faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what he had promised, he was able also to perform. Wherefore also it was reckoned unto him for righteousness (Romans 4:16-22).<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n\n
(Continued-Chapter VI-The Problem of Human Redemption)<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
13<\/b> If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have the gift<\/i> of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And if I bestow all my goods to feed the poor,<\/i> and if I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profiteth me nothing. 4 Love suffereth long, and<\/i> is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not its own, is not provoked, taketh not account of evil; 6 rejoiceth not in unrighteousness, but rejoiceth with the truth; 7 beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. 8 Love never faileth: but whether there be<\/i> prophecies, they shall be done away; whether there be<\/i> tongues, they shall cease; whether there be<\/i> knowledge, it shall be done away. 9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part; 10 but when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away. 11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child: now that I am become a man, I have put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know fully even as also I was fully known. 13 But now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; and the greatest of these is love.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
The spirit of a person acts and reacts to these spiritual laws just as elements in the physical realm act and react to the laws and forces of the material world. This statement is very important to the proper understanding of this subject and must be kept in mind.<\/p>\n
As we keep all of this scientific data in mind, let me restate the problem on which I feel sure I have seen new light. All Christians believe in the biological law (expressed in biblical language) that all types of life, both plant and animal, produce „after their kind.“ After the Fall, Adam begat sons and daughters „in his own likeness, after his image,“ that is, in the likeness of his fallen nature. Both the father and the mother contribute their nature to the offspring. This fact, all unbiased thinkers will concede. Chemically and biologically speaking, the father therefore contributes a certain element to his progeny; the mother, her part. Obviously, that which the father contributes is different from the maternal contribution. This fact is unquestionable. The union of these two elements produces offspring in the image of the fallen parents.<\/p>\n
Here is the crux of the whole matter: If the part contributed by either of the parents is in one state, or condition, whereas that supplied by the other is in a different state, the result of the union of these elements will be different from what issues forth if the elements contributed by both parents are in the same condition–as we learned from the illustration in the chemical realm.<\/p>\n
Keeping this fundamental principle in mind, now let us look at the scriptural statement regarding our Lord’s birth. The angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would become the mother of the Messiah. To him the Virgin replied by asking, „How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?“ His answer was, „The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee: wherefore also the holy thing which is begotten shall be called the, Son of God“ (Luke 1:35). This passage affirms that the Virgin Mary would be overshadowed by the Holy Spirit and thus become the mother of Jesus the Messiah. That which was contributed by the mother would naturally issue forth from her, being influenced by her natural, sinful nature. Had her first child, the Lord Jesus, been begotten by a human father, He would have been begotten in the likeness of His father’s fallen nature. But He was not, for the Holy Spirit by an act of creation begat Him, thus introducing an entirely different element. Hence, „the holy thing begotten“ was not affected by sin; for the sinful nature of a child, begotten and conceived by parents in the fallen state, is the result of the action and interaction of the sinful nature of both the mother and the father. Since the Lord Jesus, according to the prophetic announcement of Isaiah 7:14, and according to the historical accounts in the New Testament, was begotten by the Holy Spirit and was conceived by the Virgin Mary, there were no action and reaction of two sinful natures on the part of two earthly parents, to produce in Him a sinful nature. Thus the „holy thing“ begotten in this manner was to be called the Son of God and was unpersonal<\/i>, as the old Greek theologians expressed the thought, until the union of the divine nature with this „holy thing“ begotten would be effected. Then the „holy thing“ begotten would come to consciousness, would be born, and would become recognized as the Son of God–the Son of God in a special and unique sense in which such thoughts could not be applied to any mortal born by human generation. This logical and incontrovertible conclusion regarding the sinlessness of our Lord becomes crystal clear in the light of the scriptural statements and the facts of science, at which we have already looked. But let us take a final glance at the relentless, irrefutable logic afforded by one of the examples drawn from the field of chemistry. We must have two atoms of hydrogen, one of sulphur, and four of oxygen in order to have sulphuric acid–that deadly fatal poison. If any one of the constituent parts is lacking, the combination is not sulphuric acid. In a manner analogous to this illustration from chemistry, the absence of the taint of sin on the part of the Holy Spirit, who did the begetting of Messiah Jesus, made it absolutely impossible for Him to have the sinful nature. It was as the angel said: That which was begotten was holy; hence free from the least taint of sin.\u00b9-\u00b2<\/p>\n
Messiah Jesus therefore stands upon the historic horizon as the spotless, sinless, perfect Man–the God-man–the Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world. He is the one Mediator between God and man. He is the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father except by Him (John 14:6).<\/p>\n
John the Baptist, son of Zacharias the priest, broke the silence of approximately four hundred years by announcing that the time was fulfilled and that the kingdom of God had drawn near. In his clarion call to the nation to repent, he declared that one was coming after him who would winnow the chaff from the wheat and thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor (Matt. 3:1-12). This language indicated that this mighty one would follow immediately. In the light of all the facts this prediction is evidently a reference to King Messiah. The people had a logical right to expect His appearance at that time. Paul in Galatians 4:4,5 echoes the same in the following words: „… but when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 that he might redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.“<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
A careful study of the life of Jesus of Nazareth reveals the fact that there was a single personality in Him. Also, as I have pointed out from time to time, there was overwhelming evidence of the union of the divine and human natures–nevertheless there was but one personality. Thus Jesus could say, „Before Abraham was born, I am“ (John 8:58)–meaning that He existed before Abraham was born.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
In John’s record of the Gospel we have the statement, „In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. … And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth“ (John 1:1,14). Here we are told that the Word, which was eternal and divine and in perfect fellowship with God the Father, became flesh and dwelt among us. The process of becoming here referred to indicates the Word’s assuming human form–by miraculous conception and virgin birth.<\/p>\n
1<\/b> In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him; and without him was not anything made that hath been made. 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness apprehended it not. 6 There came a man, sent from God, whose name was John. 7 The same came for witness, that he might bear witness of the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came<\/i> that he might bear witness of the light. 9 There was the true light, even the light<\/i> which lighteth every man, coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world knew him not. 11 He came unto his own, and they that were his own received him not. 12 But as many as received him, to them gave he the right to become children of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth. 15 John beareth witness of him, and crieth, saying, This was he of whom I said, He that cometh after me is become before me: for he was before me. 16 For of his fulness we all received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him<\/i> (John 1:1-18).<\/p>\n
The Word of God, the second person of the Trinity, the Son of God, entered the world by miraculous conception and virgin birth. Though He–for the purpose of entering the world as a human being to work out man’s redemption–voluntarily limited Himself during the incarnation, He was co-equal with the other two personalities of the Holy Trinity, each of them being given, in the Scriptures, the name Jehovah–the Self-existing Uncaused Cause of all things. „Hear, O Israel! Jehovah, our Gods [Jehovah the Father, Jehovah the Son, and Jehovah the Holy Spirit], is Jehovah, a Unity“ (lit. trans. Deut. 6:4). Though each of these is co-equal and co-eternal with the others, there is a relationship existing between two of them which is expressed by the human terms of Father and Son. This thought is found in the following quotation:<\/p>\n
\nWho hath ascended up into heaven, and descended?
\nWho hath gathered the wind in his fists?
\nWho hath bound the waters in his garment?
\nWho hath established all the ends of the earth?
\nWhat is his name, and what is his son’s name, if thou knowest? (Prov. 30:4).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\nIn Isaiah 9:6 we read,
\nFor 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, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\nThe Book of Isaiah–with the exception of the historical section, chapters 36:1 to 38:9 and 38:21 to 39:8–is put in poetical form, the fundamental principle of which is known as Hebrew parallelism, thought rhyme. The Child<\/i> in the first line is the Son<\/i> of the second. In the third line this one is Ruler of Israel<\/i>; and in the fourth He is the Prince of Peace<\/i>. This Child that is given is designated as the Son of Him who gives Him to the nation. According to lines 3 and 4 this future Ruler of the Jews is to be God, the Prince of Peace. When the ideas of the four lines are blended, the complete thought is that God promises to give His Son in the form of a child to mount the throne of David and to establish peace in Israel. He begins His universal reign as King of the Jews. According to verse 7 other nations are added to His empire until His reign becomes universal. „7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with Justice and with righteousness from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of Jehovah of hosts will perform this“ (Isa. 9:7).<\/p>\n
In perfect alignment with this teaching is that which is set forth in John 3:16: „For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life.“ This is He who is called the only begotten Son and who is sent by the Father into the world. The same thought occurs in John 1:14: „And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth.“ Words to this same effect are found in I John 4:9, „God has sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him.“ This one personality of the Trinity is called „the Word“ and also „the only begotten Son,“ which terms are used to refer to Him in His pre-incarnate state, and which, as already seen, connote eternal relationships existing between Him and the one who is called the Father. Since the Son is declared unequivocally to have been co-eternal, „in the beginning was the Word …“ (John 1:1), and co-equal with the Father, „who [Christ Jesus], existing in the form of God, counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped“ (Phil. 2:6), we see that the terms Father and Son connote a relationship similar to that of father and son in the human realm but radically different from it in other ways. These human terms of father and son are employed to convey to our limited understanding a faint idea of this divine relationship. Whenever therefore the Lord Jesus is called the Son of God, we are to understand that reference is made to this eternal relationship. Nevertheless since our Lord Jesus used the terms, Father and Son, continually in speaking of the relationship that existed between the Father on the one hand and Himself as the God-man, Christ Jesus, on the other, we are to understand that this usage is also an echo of His becoming incarnate.<\/p>\n
The Word in the person of Jesus of Nazareth was the only one who was begotten by Deity into the human realm. From this special viewpoint He is called the only begotten of the Father.<\/p>\n
In Matthew 1:18-25 we have the record of the virgin birth of Christ which reads as follows:<\/p>\n
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. 19 And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. 20 But when he thought on these things, behold, an 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 Spirit. 21 And she shall bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name JESUS; for it is he that shall save his people from their sins. 22 Now all this is come to pass, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, 23 Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, And they shall call his name Immanuel; which is, being interpreted, God with us. 24 And Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took unto him his wife; 25 and knew her not till she had brought forth a son: and he called his name JESUS (Matt. 1:18-25).<\/p>\n
Here Jesus is called Immanuel. He is also named Jesus, „for it is he that shall save his people from their sins.“<\/p>\n
In these Scriptures we see the fulfillment of what was announced by the Lord to the serpent originally (Gen. 3:15), was foretold by Isaiah the prophet (Isa. 7:14 and 9:6,7), and was recorded as a historical fact by Luke, who has proved to be a most reputable and accurate historian,\u00b3 and by Matthew, the apostle, an eye-witness of the Lord Jesus. Those features which characterize them as historians can be accounted for only upon the basis of their having been divinely inspired.<\/p>\n
We have seen that, under God’s moral government, man lost everything on the human level and in the realm of the will; that the only way the loss could be retrieved is by one who champions man’s cause on the human plane and in the realm of the will; and that no ordinary man, born of natural generation, could accomplish man’s restoration. On the contrary, according to the divine revelation, we see that man’s redemption would be worked out by Deity, who enters the human realm by miraculous conception and virgin birth. We are now in a position to take another step forward in our investigation.<\/p>\n
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Footnotes:<\/p>\n
\n\u00b9 While the analogies presented in this discussion point most clearly to a possible solution of the problems involved in the question regarding the origin and essential nature of sin as a force and power in the universe and in the additional question regarding the sinlessness of the Lord Jesus, I feel certain that there is further light for us which the Lord will enable us to see at the proper time. Let us all pray and labor for further light on these matters.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\u00b2 The facts drawn from science, especially chemistry, and the arguments based upon them, I first used in a private conversation with two physicians. Then I introduced this material into a message on the sinlessness of Christ, which was broadcast over KGER, Los Angeles. It was published in the Biblical Research Monthly. Finally, I recast it into its didactic form as it here appears.<\/p>\n
\u00b3 See Luke the Historian<\/i> by A. T. Robertson.<\/p>\n