Children's Stories For Adults

A Bible Study by Jack Kelley

On one occasion an expert in the Law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the Law,” Jesus replied, “How do you read it?” He answered: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind [Deut. 6:5] and love your neighbor as yourself [Lev 19:18].” “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied, “Do this and you will live.” But he wanted to justify himself and so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:25-29).

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Perspective by Jack  Kelley

In previous articles I’ve made the case that Jesus probably was born sometime in September so what really happened in December? Is Christmas just the result of overlaying Christian beliefs on a formerly pagan holiday as some believe, or is there more to it?

Happy Hanukkah

Maybe you’ve heard the story of Hanukkah. During the Maccabean Revolt (166-142 BC) the Jews recaptured their desecrated Temple from Syrian dictator Antiochus Epiphanes and undertook a rebuilding and cleansing process to make it fit for worship again. (Angry with the Jews and defiant toward God, Antiochus had sacrificed a pig on the altar and erected a statue of the Greek god Zeus in the Holy Place requiring them to worship it. This outrageous act rendered the Temple unclean and was known as the Abomination of Desolation.) Jewish tradition holds that when they prepared to cleanse the Temple not enough Holy Oil could be found to complete the required 8 day purification ritual. But the small supply they did have miraculously lasted for the full eight days making the Temple Holy again. This event gave rise to the popular 9 branched Hanukkah Menorah as distinguished from the 7 branched menorah ordained in Exodus 25:31-40. The Hanukkah Menorah has a single elevated branch representing the available supply of oil and 8 additional branches, one for each day of the purification ritual. It symbolizes the miraculous cleansing of the Temple and is often seen at Christmas time. Hanukkah is also referred to as the Festival of Lights for this reason.

By the way this Abomination of Desolation is an act destined to be repeated and will again trigger a revolt, this time with God himself as leader and the revolt called the Great Tribulation. When you see a Temple in Jerusalem you will know the time is near, and when you see the Abomination of Desolation standing in the Holy Place you will know that 3 1/2 years of the most terrible time man has ever known have begun (Matt 24:15-21). Whether you see this from Earth or Heaven will be determined by whether you’ve previously accepted the Lord’s death as payment for your sins.

What Day Is This?

As you know Hanukkah takes place around Christmas and I’m going to use this year’s intersection of the two events to make what some call an outrageous claim. I believe there’s a theological connection between Hanukkah and Christmas that does nothing less than state God’s position on the beginning of life.

Let’s have a look at the calendar and discover a fascinating possibility about December 25th. In all probability John the Baptist was conceived in what would have been mid to late June on our calendar and born the following March (see ). According to Luke 1:26-27 Mary conceived in the 6th month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy. That means that our Lord was conceived in late December and born the following September. Because the calendars are different the exact dates vary from year to year, but this year Hanukkah began on the evening of December 21st and runs until the 29th. Jesus is called “the True Light that gives light to every man” (John 1:9). Was Jesus, “The Light of the World” conceived during the Festival of Lights? Are we unknowingly celebrating His conception at Christmas, not His birth? If that’s the case do you realize what God is telling us?

When Did Christmas Begin?

The fact that Jesus is God incarnate is amply supported in Scripture, despite liberal theology’s views to the contrary. But when did He become God and why did He choose to come into the world the way He did? Jeremiah 1:4-5, Psalm 51:5 and 139:13-16 all allude to the fact that God knew us at the moment of conception, knew all the details of our lives and considered us human from that time. To merely be with us in human form Jesus could have arrived as a fully grown man, a teenager or even a baby, but He came as an embryo, a fetus, because that’s the way all humans come into the world.

Christmas began at the moment of divine conception. God the Father planned it, God the Holy Spirit planted the fertile seed in Mary, and at that moment God the Son took on human form … the form of an embryo, a fetus in the womb of a virgin. From that first moment of conception Jesus was very much alive, very much human, very much God. He didn’t become the Incarnate God somewhere along the path of His life, or even when He emerged from Mary’s womb. He had been such from the moment of conception (Luke 1:35). God could not have made any stronger statement about the sanctity of pre-born life.

As a poor, unwed teen-aged girl about to be ostracized from family and society, Mary met all the modern criteria for a therapeutic abortion. Had she and Joseph sought one, it would have been just as much the murder of the Messiah as was His death on the cross 33 years later. So the life of the Christ child really did begin at Christmas. Immanuel … God with us. And now you know the adult version.

Merry Christmas 12-24-00

A Bible Study by Jack Kelley

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea during the time of King Herod, Magi came from the East to Jerusalem and asked “Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews? We saw His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” (Matt 2:1-2)

Let’s Begin At The Beginning

This story actually began just over 600 years earlier during the life of Daniel the Prophet. As a teenager Daniel, a prince of Israel, was taken hostage by the King of Babylon to insure that the provisions of a peace treaty between Israel and Babylon would be obeyed. But Israel’s kings repeatedly violated the treaty and so the Babylonians burned Jerusalem and Solomon’s Temple to the ground and took all the Jews captive to Babylon where they remained for 70 years. Toward the end of this 70 year period, Daniel, now an old man, was praying to God, asking for the release of His people. While praying he was visited by the Angel Gabriel and given a message that has become the single most important piece of prophetic scripture in the entire Bible. This message is contained in Daniel 9:24-27. It revealed the time of the Messiah’s coming, His subsequent death and the destruction of Jerusalem, and an overview of the events leading up to the End of the Age.

Daniel had become the head of a group of royal advisors who were both wise and spiritual.  According to tradition he shared Gabriel’s message with them and admonished them to incorporate it into their wisdom, to be handed down from generation to generation until the time of Messiah’s birth. (He also entrusted them with the wealth he had acquired a lifetime of service to several kings to be delivered to the Messiah upon his birth.) Over the following 500 years this group became a powerful priesthood that was so influential in the affairs of the kingdom (now called Parthia) that no king could reign without their approval. Central to their philosophy was the belief handed down to them over the centuries that one day soon God would send One who would be born to the throne putting to an end all the intrigue that usually accompanied the appointment of a king. The general time of the coming of this King was known to them from Daniel’s teaching as was the sign they would be given. A special star would appear in the sky, marking His arrival (Numbers 24:17).

The Sign Of The Star

When the star appeared, a delegation of this Parthian priesthood, known as the Magi, set out for Jerusalem. There were undoubtedly more than three of them since dignitaries of the day traveled in a great entourage both for protection and as a sign of their importance. Plus in this case they were traveling through enemy territory since a few years earlier Parthia had repelled a Roman invasion and the Romans were now entrenched in Israel. No wonder Herod and indeed all Jerusalem were disturbed by their arrival (Matt 2:3). Keep in mind Herod was not even Jewish. He was an Idumean (Jordanian) who had been appointed by the Roman Senate, and now some powerful foreign king makers were coming to claim that there was one who was born to be King of the Jews. Surely this natural born king would have a more powerful claim to the throne than a foreign appointee. Imagine Herod’s fear then they came asking, “Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews?”

Will The Real King Please Stand Up?

When Herod summoned the Jewish scholars for information regarding this king, they concluded from Micah 5:2 that the Messiah would come from Bethlehem. Herod then met secretly with the Magi and determined the time when the star had first appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem in search of the child, hoping through them to learn of His whereabouts himself (Matt. 2:4-8). Guided by the star the Magi came to the house where Jesus and Mary and Joseph were staying. They presented Him with three gifts rich in symbolism and worshipped Him there. The gold they gave Him signified royalty and identified Him as a King, the frankincense spoke of His Priesthood, and the myrrh was a prophecy of His death since myrrh was known primarily as an embalming spice. These 3 gifts represented the 3 offices of the Messiah, Prophet, Priest and King and were from the treasure Daniel had left to Him. In the millennium, the Messiah will once again be given gifts, but this time only 2; gold and frankincense (Isa. 60:6). No more death.

The Magi, being warned in a dream, did not reveal the child’s location to Herod and returned home by a different route (Matt 2:9-12). When Herod realized he’d been ignored, he was furious and gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem who were 2 years old and younger in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. But Joseph had also been warned of Herod’s anger and took his family into Egypt, remaining there until Herod died (Matt 2:13-16). From this we can conclude that the Magi didn’t arrive in Bethlehem on the night Jesus was born. They probably set out on their journey when the star first appeared, indicating the Lord’s birth. Allowing time to confirm the sign of the star, make preparations to leave and then travel nearly 800 miles they could have arrived in Jerusalem as much as a year or two later. Hence the execution of all the boys in Bethlehem 2 years old and younger.

Listen To What Isn’t Said

Sometimes what isn’t said in Scripture is as revealing as what is. Even after reading the prophecy in Micah 5:2 and receiving the dual confirmation of the star and the arrival of the Magi, neither Herod nor the Jewish spiritual and political leaders went to Bethlehem themselves. We can understand Herod’s response; he wasn’t even Jewish and feared the discovery of a rival claim to the throne. But Israel had waited for centuries for the Messiah, and these leaders had the same knowledge as the Magi. The prophecies were written in their own Scriptures, and were being fulfilled right before their eyes. The problem was that the Jewish leadership had long before departed from a literal interpretation of Scripture, and the ruling Sadducean party had rejected predictive prophecy as unreliable and not meant for their time. Having deemed it irrelevant they ignored it and missed the event they had longed for. The spiritual and political leaders of our generation have made the very same mistake, only this time it’s for keeps; there’s no prophecy of a 3rd coming. So once again it’s proven true: the only thing we learn from history is that we learn nothing from history.

And now you know the adult version.

Some call it a magic trick, to others it was a casual favor to a friend, but to John it was the way in which Jesus showed forth His glory.

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Another case where events from Israel’s past foretell the future of the world.

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A Bible Study by Jack Kelley

Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign. The virgin shall be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14).

There is perhaps no prophecy in the Old Testament more controversial than this one. Many liberal theologians reject the notion of the virgin birth of Jesus as being simply legend, Jews flatly deny its validity and non-believers scoff at it as the best example of the mindless belief necessary for Christianity to flourish.

Yet a careful study of the history of Israel, the laws of inheritance, and the promises by God to King David lead even the most skeptical student to conclude that Jesus had to be supernaturally conceived to be both God and human, and therefore qualified to redeem mankind, and have a legitimate claim to the Throne of Israel.

The God Man

Jesus had to be God to forgive our sins. No mere human can do that. One of the charges levied against Him was that He committed blasphemy by claiming the authority to forgive us, a power reserved for God alone (Mark 2:1-7). To prove He had that authority, Jesus healed a paralytic (Mark 2:8-12) the immediate healing being incontrovertible evidence of His authority, derived as a direct descendant of God.

But He had to be human to redeem us. The laws of redemption required that a next of kin redeem that which was lost. (Lev. 25:24-25) This so-called kinsman redeemer had to be qualified, able and willing to perform the act of redemption. When Adam lost dominion over planet Earth and plunged all his progeny in to sin, only his next of kin could redeem the Earth and its inhabitants. Since Adam was a human whose Father was God (Luke 3:23-38), only another direct Son of God could qualify. This is why Paul referred to Jesus as the last Adam (1 Cor. 15:45). Since the Laws of sacrifice required the shedding of innocent blood as the coin of redemption, only a sinless man was able (John 1:29-34). Since the kinsman redeemer’s life was required, only someone who loves us the way God does would be willing (John 3:16). This is the real test of the kinsman redeemer. Seeing Jesus as qualified and able to redeem us isn’t a great problem. After all He’s the Son of God. But recognizing that He was also willing to step down from His Heavenly Throne to trade His perfect life for ours should really humble us. What kind of love did it take to voluntarily suffer the pain and humiliation required to redeem us?

The Man Who Would Be King

To my logical mind the issue of royalty is the most intriguing factor related to the virgin birth. The opposite of the mindless belief of which Christians are accused, this one is blatantly logical. Does Jesus have a legitimate claim to the Throne of David under the rules of succession? The answer hinges on two technicalities.

First, God promised David that someone from His family would reign in Israel forever. David wanted to build God’s house, but God declined, saying He needed a man of peace and David was a man of war. So God chose David’s son Solomon to build the Temple and during Solomon’s reign Israel experienced peace as never before (or since). To alleviate David’s disappointment, God promised to build him a “house” making his dynasty everlasting (1 Chron. 17:1-14). From that time forward a descendant of David’s through Solomon’s branch of the family tree would sit on the throne in Jerusalem as King of Israel. But by the time of the Babylonian captivity 400 years later, these kings had become so evil and rebellious toward God that He finally said, “Enough”, and cursed the royal line, saying no son of their line would ever reign over Israel again (Jer. 22:28-30). The last legitimate King of Israel was Jehoiachin, also called Jeconiah, who reigned for only 3 months in 598 BC. Did God break His promise to David?

The second technicality involves the right of inheritance in Israel. God had ordained that Israelites could never sell or give away the allotment of land given to their families during the time of Joshua. “The land is mine,” He declared, “You are but tenants.” (Lev. 25:23) It’s from this declaration that the rules of inheritance and redemption came forth. Family land was passed from father to son through out the generations. If a son lost his land, his brother was to redeem it, so the family wouldn’t lose their inheritance. So far so good.

Read The Fine Print

At the end of the Book of Numbers an interesting loophole emerged. A man died without a son, leaving 4 daughters. They came to Moses complaining that they would lose the family land since there was no son to inherit it. Moses sought the Lord Who decreed that if there was no son in a family daughters could inherit family land providing they married within their own tribal clan. In effect they had to marry a cousin to keep the land in the “family.” This made sense since land was allotted first by tribe then by clan then by family. Marrying within the clan kept the families in close proximity and preserved the tribal allotment. (Num. 36 1:13)

Now compare the 2 genealogies of Jesus in Matthew 1:1-17 and Luke 3:23-38, and you’ll discover that Mary and Joseph were both of the tribe of Judah and descendants of David. Joseph descended through Solomon, the royal but cursed line, while Mary’s line was through Solomon’s brother Nathan.

Here’s the tricky part. Mary had no brothers, and so was entitled to inherit her family’s land as long as she married someone also descended from David. Joseph fit the bill and being in the royal line had a claim to the throne, but carried the blood curse. No biological son of his could ever legally qualify as Israel’s king, but Joseph could secure Mary’s right of inheritance.

When Mary accepted Joseph’s offer of marriage she preserved her family’s land and also made good her son’s claim to the throne of Israel. Jesus was in the royal succession through Joseph but escaped the curse since he wasn’t Joseph’s biological son. But He was a biological descendant of David’s through his mother and therefore of the “house and lineage of David.”

This whole issue revolves around the facts that
a) God has bound Himself to His own laws and
b) He keeps His word; facts that should give you great comfort.
God is not a man that He should lie, nor a son of man that He should change His mind (Num. 23:19). Legally, a virgin birth was required to produce a sinless man who would be qualified and able to serve as our Kinsman Redeemer, and God longed to redeem us. A virgin birth was also required to sidestep the blood curse on the royal line, fulfilling God’s promise to David that a biological descendant of his would sit on the throne of Israel forever.

We’ll Return After This Pause

But what about the 2500 years that have passed since Israel had a King? Remember Jehoiachin was Israel’s last real King. In Ezekiel 21:25-27, written while a descendant of David’s still sat on the throne in Jerusalem, God declared that He was suspending the Davidic line of succession “until He comes to whom it rightfully belongs” a clear reference to the Messiah. This declaration was confirmed to Mary. The Angel Gabriel promised that her coming son would sit on David’s throne and rule over the house of Jacob (Israel) forever (Luke 1:30-33). But all during the life of Jesus, a member of the Herod family served as King of Israel. Herod was an Idumean (Jordanian), a friend of Caesar’s who was appointed to serve as King. So this promised reinstatement is still to come, and will be fulfilled at the 2nd Coming when “the Son of Man comes in His glory and with all the angels with him” to “sit on His throne in heavenly glory” and finally “the Lord will be King over the whole Earth.” (Matt. 25:31 & Zech. 14:4-9).

And now you know the adult version.

A story of rebellion and false religion.

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Therefore no one will be declared righteous in His sight by observing the Law, rather through the law we become conscious of sin. (Rom 3:20)

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It’s not what you know but who you know that matters.

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He’s not a horned guy in a red suit with a pitch fork and tail. He’s much more sinister.

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