Part 2: The True Mission of Jesus
In Part 1 of this series, we learned how the 'Holy Spirit' means the ‘Word of God.’ The words which God has placed in the mouth of His servants the prophets.
We learned how Jesus' birth was a fulfillment of the “Holy Spirit” or the Word of God spoken by the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 7 verses 13 to 15 about a descendant of David who will be born "out of wedlock."
Joseph made Mary pregnant with Jesus even before they got married, which is significant due to the strict laws of marriage during their time.
This means Jesus was never a direct Son of God but rather a descendant of David who was long before promised by God for the Jews.
Let us start with this question: Did God speak of this chosen one to King David before?
Let us read 2nd Samuel 7 verses 12 to 14.
When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom.
II Samuel 7:12 (NIV)
This is the promise given to David; a descendant will come from his bloodline. What will be the work of the descendant?
Let us read 2nd Samuel 7 verse 13.
He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
II Samuel 7:13(NIV)
The descendant's mission is to build a house for the name of God so the people of Israel can know and call on the Name of God.
What will be his reward once he is successful in his task?
Let us read 2nd Samuel 7 verse 14.
'I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands.
II Samuel 7:14 (NIV)
As the passage says: "I will be his father, and he will be my son." He will be given the title "Son of God" as a reward even though he is not a real 'Son of God.'
This also explains why the prophecy in Isaiah 7 verse 13 to 15 (refer to Part 1) said he will be given the title "Immanuel" or "God is with us" because, through his work in building a house for the Name of God, his fellow Israelites can now see and call on God's Name and have a direct relationship with God.
Question: Why is there a need to build a house for the Name of God? Why can’t God have His former prophets proclaim or verbalize His Name?
Let us read in Jeremiah 44 verses 24 to 26.
'Then Jeremiah said to all the people, including the women, "Hear the word of the LORD, all you people of Judah in Egypt. This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You and your wives have shown by your actions what you promised when you said, 'We will certainly carry out the vows we made to burn incense and pour out drink offerings to the Queen of Heaven.' "Go ahead then, do what you promised! Keep your vows!
But hear the word of the LORD, all Jews living in Egypt: 'I swear by my great name,' says the LORD, 'that no one from Judah living anywhere in Egypt will ever again invoke my name or swear, "As surely as the Sovereign LORD lives."
Jeremiah 44:24 to 26 (NIV)
The Jews made God angry with them when they worshipped the "queen of heaven". This is equivalent to the present-day Mary, mother of Jesus, who has the title of "queen of heaven and earth" (given by the religions), and who is still venerated to this day. As punishment, they were cursed by God, (who even swore an oath to Himself) that the Jews may no longer invoke or mention His Name.
This is why we should not believe what today’s Jewish preachers say that God’s real name is unpronounceable as it is holy to them. They cannot pronounce or say the Name because they were punished by God.
When God swears an oath, shall it stand? Let us read Isaiah 14 verse 24.
“The LORD has sworn, "Surely, as I have planned, so it will be,
and as I have purposed, so it will stand.”
Isaiah 14:24 NIV
Since God swore an oath that they (the Jews) may not invoke His Name as punishment for their false worship, it follows that God will not allow His Name to be said or uttered. Otherwise, God is not true in His oath!
We may now realize that the name Y-H-W-H that the Jews ascribe to God and its variations devised by the early scholars is NOT and NEVER the Name of God because God took away from them the knowledge of His Name as punishment for their false worship!
The Jews do not know the story because they were cursed by God. Their non-knowledge is proof of how true God’s oath to Himself is.
Is it true that when the people of Israel know the Name of God and call on His Name, they will be forgiven by God? Let us read Psalm 25 verses 10 to 11.
All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful toward those who keep the demands of his covenant. For the sake of your name, Lord, forgive my iniquity, though it is great.
Psalm 25:10-11 NIV
The reason why there was a need to build a house with the Name of God is that the Name of God may be shown to them by the chosen descendant of David without breaking God’s word! If the people of Israel repent and call on the Name of God, their sins will be forgiven by God. This is why the coming offspring of David is called a ‘savior.’ He will make known to the Israelites the Name of God through the said house or temple.
This is why the task to build a house with the Name of God on it is so important, so that the Name of God may be known by the people of Israel.
Let us now pay attention to what God said in 2nd Samuel 7 verse 14.
In 2nd Samuel 7 verse 14 the passage clearly says that when the descendant of David does wrong, God will punish him with the "rod of men, with floggings inflicted by men."
This would mean that the prophesied one is a man who can commit wrongdoing against his fellow men and therefore should avoid doing evil. God's warning to David about how the chosen one can commit wrong is consistent with the prophecy in Isaiah 7 verse 13 to 15 where it reads:
‘Then Isaiah said, "Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God also?
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. He will eat curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right.’
Isaiah 7: 13 to 15 NIV
The passage says that the chosen one must "reject the wrong and choose the right." which means he should avoid committing evil or iniquity against his fellowmen.
Who was the first choice for the prophecy in 2 Samuel 7 verses 12 to 14?
Let us read in 1st Chronicles 22 verses 9 to 13.
“But you will have a son who will be a man of peace and rest, and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side. His name will be Solomon, and I will grant Israel peace and quiet during his reign. He is the one who will build a house for my Name. He will be my son, and I will be his father. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever."
1st Chronicles 22:9 to 10 (NIV)
As we can read from the passage: The first choice for the title “Son of God” was the real son of David, King Solomon – called a man of peace.
As prophesied, he was to be called a “Son of God” for building the house with the Name of God.
To continue our reading in 1st Chronicles 22 verses 11 to 13.
“Now, my son, the LORD be with you, and may you have success and build the house of the LORD your God, as he said you would. May the LORD give you discretion and understanding when he puts you in command over Israel, so that you may keep the law of the LORD your God. Then you will have success if you are careful to observe the decrees and laws that the LORD gave Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged.”
1st Chronicles 22:11 to 13 (NIV)
This was the reminder that King David gave his son Solomon - for him to be strong and to obey the Commandments that God commanded thru the prophet Moses.
Question: Was Solomon successful in making his people know the Name of God?
Let us read in 1st Kings 11 verses 1 to 8.
“King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh's daughter -Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites.
They were from nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, "You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods."
Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love.
He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been.
He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites. Thus, Solomon did evil in the eyes of the LORD, he did not follow the LORD completely, as David his father had done.
On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable god of Moab, and for Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites.
He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods.”
1st Kings 11: 1 to 8 (NIV)
King Solomon was successful in building the house with the Name of God, but when he grew old his many wives had turned him away from our Lord God.. Solomon also made temples for the gods of his other wives.
Instead of making his people Israel know the true Name of God, his people continued to worship other gods
Let us continue our reading in 1st Kings 11 verses 9 to 12.
“The LORD became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice.
Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the LORD's command. So the LORD said to Solomon, "Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates.
Nevertheless, for the sake of David your father, I will not do it during your lifetime. I will tear it out of the hand of your son.”
1st Kings 11: 9 to 12 (NIV)
Solomon disobeyed God, and what would be the punishment according to the prophecy given before? Let us read again in the prophecy given to his father David in 2nd Samuel 7 verses 12 to 14.
When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands.
II Samuel 7:12 to 14 NIV
With what he had done, we know Solomon was not punished by men, nor was he killed in any manner.
Question: Why did God not have punished Solomon with the floggings inflicted by men as stated in the prophecy?
Answer: Let us read God’s word in 2nd Samuel 7 verse 15.
But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you.
II Samuel 7:15 (NIV)
Is it true God was merciful to Solomon? How did he die? Let us read 1st Kings 11 verses 41 to 43.
As for the other events of Solomon's reign - all he did and the wisdom he displayed - are they not written in the book of the annals of Solomon? Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years. Then he rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of David his father. And Rehoboam his son succeeded him as king.
1st Kings 11:41 to 43 (NIV)
Solomon died a natural death; he was not punished by men. Solomon was the direct descendant of David, God was merciful to him because of his father, and said that only his kingdom will be taken away from him.
Question: Who would continue the work of making the people of Israel know the Name of God that was written on the house that King Solomon built? Would the people of Israel be forever cursed for not knowing the Name of God? Did the prophecy end there, or did God give another chance to the people of Israel?
Let us read the answer in 1st Kings 11 verse 13.
Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom from him, but will give him one tribe for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen."
1st Kings 11:13 (NIV)
God gave them another chance. He did not take away the chance of making His Name known to the people of Israel. The man who would come from the “one tribe” would point to the real house with the Name of God from among the many temples that King Solomon built.
Question: What did God mean when He said: “for the sake of Jerusalem?.”
We can read the answer in 2nd Kings 21 verse 7:
“He took the carved Asherah pole he had made and put it in the temple, of which the LORD had said to David and to his son Solomon, "In this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my Name forever.”
2nd Kings 21:7 (NIV)
God mentioned “Jerusalem” because it is in the said place where King Solomon built the temple that the people of Israel can know His Name.
We can now understand that King Solomon was the first choice to fulfill the task stated by God in 2nd Samuel 7 verses 12 to 14.
King Solomon was able to build the house with the name of God as was written in 1st Chronicles 22 verse 9 to 13, but he failed to make known God's name to his fellow Jews because he built other temples for the gods of his foreign wives as was written in 1st Kings 11 verses 1 to 13.
When King Solomon failed, God chose another from the line of David, and the sign to identify the next "Chosen One" is that he will be born out of wedlock as mentioned by the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 7 verses 13 to 15 and we already learned how it came into fulfillment through the birth of Jesus. This revelation was already shown in part 1 of this series.
Question: Is it true that Jesus was the son of Joseph and Mary? Let us read again in Luke 1 verse 27.
“to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary.”
Luke 1:27 (NIV)
Joseph was the one who came from the house of David, and not Mary, thus making him the father of Jesus.
What is the proof that Jesus was the son of Joseph who came from the house of David, and that he was not the true “son of God”? Let us read in Luke 1 verses 31 to 32.
“You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.” He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,”
Luke 1:31-32(NIV)
Jesus was never a real “son of God,” because his father was Joseph who came from the house of David.
Christians were made to believe that it is Mary who is of the line of David but as we can read it is Joseph and not Mary, who is of the house and lineage of David.
Also, if we read again what God said in 2nd Samuel 7 verse 12.
When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom.
2nd Samuel 7: 12 (NIV)
God did not say that “I will raise up My offspring” because if He said such a thing, then Mary is indeed from the line of David because she will bear His Son.
What God clearly said in the prophecy is THAT HE WILL SEND AN OFFSPRING OF DAVID, a man who will be born of David’s own flesh and blood, a pure man. Since God spoke of a coming offspring of David and not HIS literal Son, only purports that what is written that Joseph is from the line of David is true.
Going back to Jesus’ mission, Jesus no longer needs to build another temple for the Name of God because it was already been built by King Solomon. What Jesus only has to do is to lead his fellow Israelites in knowing the Name of God through the said temple- that is without invoking God’s Name. If successful in his task, God’s curse upon the people of Israel will be lifted. Their sins will be forgiven by God and he (Jesus) will be rewarded with the title “Son of God” even though he was just a man.
Now let us consider the prophecy in 2nd Samuel 7 verses 12 to 14. God said that if the descendant of David commits a wrong or an iniquity he will be punished with the rod of men.
Let us now read what happened to Jesus- In Matthew 27 verses 25 to 26.
All the people answered, "Let his blood be on us and on our children!" Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.
Matthew 27:25 to 26 (NIV)
Indeed, Jesus was flogged by men, as God stated in His prophecy in 2nd Samuel 7 verse 14 - I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod of men, with floggings inflicted by men.
For the last two millennia, we were led to believe that Jesus died for our sins. However, by reading closely what God Himself said in the prophecy, we can discover that his painful death is a result of his own wrongdoing.
What were the wrongs which Jesus committed that made him be punished by the rod and floggings inflicted by men? That we will learn in Part 3 in our series.
Back to Reading Map Proceed to: Part 3
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