 From the earliest times, we have recorded history that points to
an event that God was going to do something to redeem mankind
from the consequences of sin that mankind had brought upon
himself. When Adam and Eve chose to follow the words of the
Devil, who was in the form of a Serpent, and rejected the
Creator God through their disobedience, it sealed their fate and
the fate of all others in their posterity. God had expressly
warned Adam that death would enter His creation and mankind, His
crowning glory, and they would have to cease to exist if they
sinned.
Salvation was outside of Adam and Eve; they could do nothing in
this vast creation to save themselves. The sentence of death had
to be carried out. There was no hope for mankind to usurp the
decision of God and reverse the situation. The created being
could not challenge the sovereignty of the Creator God and force
Him to relent; especially from their weakened position of the
effects of their sin. Therefore, if salvation was to come in any
form it had to come from the Creator Himself.
Salvation through the “Seed” promised
Many theologians and commentators believe that we catch a
glimpse of God’s Grace, love and salvation in the very first
book of the Bible, Genesis. Satan, or the Devil, had appeared to
Adam and Eve in the form of a serpent. Through his cunning and
lying he convinced Eve first, then Adam to disobey God by eating
fruit that God had forbidden them to eat. Recorded for us in the
third chapter of Genesis is the following scene:
14 And Jehovah God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done
this, cursed art thou above all cattle, and above every beast of
the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat
all the days of thy life: 15 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. (Genesis
3:14-15).
This passage was written sometime from 1450 to 1410 B.C.; the
first book in the Bible, a book of Moses. God had given a clue
to the two who had sinned that something was planned already
that would provide a way for reconciliation and salvation for
mankind from their sin. That plan included the posterity of the
woman and the very essence of evil, Satan who was fighting for
the soul of God’s creation. The ultimate victory would be God,
but Satan would get in a hurtful blow before he went down.
As God revealed Himself more and more through the years He
inspired people to record and document what He had shown to
them. The “seed” of the woman continued through the centuries
and God worked through mankind to establish a nation through one
man, Abraham and watched it grow through Abraham’s and Sarah’s
offspring, with Isaac and Jacob, whose name was later changed to
Israel. Through four hundred years of slavery in Egypt to the
building of a great Kingdom through David and Solomon, and on to
countless times of defeat and captivity by outside nations that
captured Israel and Judea, God kept telling His story of the One
who would bring salvation to mankind.
Where the “Seed” was to be born
Even small, seemingly insignificant, details were spoken and
documented by the prophets. This One who was coming from God
Himself was foretold by the Prophet Micah and was documented in
a book in the Old Testament of the Bible that bears his name,
Micah, chapter 5:
2 But thou, Beth-lehem Ephrathah, which art little to be among
the thousands of Judah, out of thee shall one come forth unto me
that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth are from of
old, from everlasting. (Micah 5:2).
This passage was written sometime from 742 to 687 B.C. during
the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezehiah. This ruler in Israel,
who is everlasting, will be born in a town in Judea called
Bethlehem. This prophecy was made and recorded more than 700
years before the event occurred. One can see the working of a
Mastermind using the events of mankind as the foretold plan is
being played out.
Some work of the “Seed”
Further documentation in the Bible reveals what this “seed” to
be born in Bethlehem was going to do. We catch a glimpse of this
in the writings of a Major Prophet, Isaiah:
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for
our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and
with his stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)
This passage was written about 681 B.C. and declares that the
One who was coming was going to be a substitute for each of us.
He would be beaten and injured severely for the sins we have
committed. He would take the punishment that was meant for us
because of all of the things we have done wrong. He would
actually heal us with his life and sacrifice and give us a
chance to be whole again.
Transportation for the “Seed”
As time marched on God worked through His nation and the
activities in the world around it. With each year that passed
the time was being drawn nearer for the “seed” to appear and God
to enact the plan He had provided long before. The Great
Mastermind who had announced His plan for the provision of
mankind’s salvation provided a glimpse of the “seed” with even
more minuscule activities that would allow mankind to preview
the coming events. One of the Prophets named Zachariah recorded
for us to see one small, but significant behavior we could
expect to see:
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9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of
Jerusalem: behold, thy king cometh unto thee; he is just, and having
salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, even upon a colt the foal
of an ass. (Zachariah 9:9).
This passage was written about 480 B.C. and pictures the King coming
to the people riding on a small donkey. The people were told to
rejoice because the One who possessed salvation for all was coming
to Jerusalem and would be doing so in such a way that all would see
and know it was Him. He would be the Just One with righteousness and
salvation for all who believed in Him. From our perspective
centuries later, it is easy for us to play this scene over and over
in our mind: We know it as Palm Sunday, just one week before He was
crucified, the day Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey.
The “Seed” is conceived
These are just a few of the writings that foretold the coming of the
One Who was to be the fulfillment of God’s plan of salvation for all
mankind. From the New Testament perspective and Christians who are
alive in the 21st Century, millennia later, we read the account of
the time when God came to earth to dwell with us:
26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a
city of Galilee, named Nazareth,27 to a virgin betrothed to a man
whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name
was Mary.28 And he came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art
highly favored, the Lord is with thee.29 But she was greatly
troubled at the saying, and cast in her mind what manner of
salutation this might be.30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not,
Mary: for thou hast found favor with God.31 And behold, thou shalt
conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name
JESUS.32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most
High: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father
David:33 and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of
his kingdom there shall be no end.34 And Mary said unto the angel,
How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?35 And the angel answered
and said unto her, 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
1:26-35).
This passage was written about A.D. 60 as a recording of the entry
of the seed of the woman. Throughout the history of man the “seed”
of woman had been carried. Notice that the Provision of God did not
include the “seed” of the man. It was God Himself through the Holy
Spirit that provided the fertility to the womb of the virgin maiden.
Again, God had provided a glimpse even to this:
14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: behold, a virgin
shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
(Isaiah 7:14).
The “Seed” arrives
Finally there came the right time for God’s promise to be fulfilled.
When the time was absolutely right, when everything had been
fulfilled that had been written about the Provision of God regarding
the promised “seed” the beginning of a brand-new time was put in
motion. At Christmas we read the very familiar passage from the New
Testament Bible in the Book of Luke:
4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth,
into Judaea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem,
because he was of the house and family of David;5 to enroll himself
with Mary, who was betrothed to him, being great with child.6 And it
came to pass, while they were there, the days were fulfilled that
she should be delivered.7 And she brought forth her firstborn son;
and she wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger,
because there was no room for them in the inn.8 And there were
shepherds in the same country abiding in the field, and keeping
watch by night over their flock.9 And an angel of the Lord stood by
them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they
were sore afraid.10 And the angel said unto them, Be not afraid; for
behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all
the people:11 for there is born to you this day in the city of David
a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.12 And this is the sign unto you:
Ye shall find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a
manger.13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the
heavenly host praising God, and saying,14 Glory to God in the
highest… (Luke 2:4-14).
This passage was written about A.D.60 depicting the fulfillment of
the promise God had provided in the Garden of Eden.
Summary
We can celebrate this Provision from God every day of the year and
every day of our lives. It is the fulfillment of a promise God made
back during the very early days when mankind still lived in the
Garden of Eden to deliver His creation. It really does not make any
difference on what day we celebrate the birth of Jesus. His
sacrifice for us has ushered those of us who believe in His birth,
life, sacrifice, resurrection, and ascension a hope that someday we
will be with Him in eternity and will once again walk with Him like
our early ancestors did in the Garden.
Therefore, on December 25 of each year we can celebrate the birth of
God’s promised “Seed” and the provision He has made through Jesus
His Son to redeem us from death and give us the gift of eternal
life. Further, we can celebrate the work Jesus did on the cross by
shedding His blood each day of our lives as we yield to Him, accept
Him and follow Him as our LORD and Savior.
[By JIM KILLEBREW]
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