In the past I’ve explained why I believe Jesus probably was born sometime in September. If that’s the case then 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

To find the answer we begin with a look at the Jewish Feast of Hanukkah.   Maybe you’ve heard the story of Hanukkah, but if not here’s a brief summary.  In 165 BC, during the time of the Maccabean Revolt, 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 captured the Temple, sacrificed a pig on the altar, and erected a statue of the Greek god Zeus in the Holy Place requiring everyone to worship it on pain of death. This outrageous act rendered the Temple unclean and became known as the Abomination of Desolation.)

Jewish tradition holds that when they prepared to cleanse the Temple to make it fit for use again, the priests could not find enough Holy Oil to keep the Temple Menorah, a large 7 branched oil lamp, lit for  the required 8 day purification ritual. They only had enough for one day.  But they went ahead in faith and God multiplied that small supply so that it lasted for the full eight days making the Temple Holy again.

Since then, this miracle has been commemorated in the Feast of Hanukkah, an eight day celebration that includes the use of a special 9 branched candlestick called a Hanukkiah, short for Hanukkah menorah. The Hanukkiah  has a single elevated branch, representing the available supply of oil, and 8 additional branches, one for each day of the purification ritual.  Each day of the celebration an additional candle is lit, always using the flame of the elevated candle, until on the final day all the candles are burning. This reminds them that the light for each day came from the single day’s supply of oil they began with.   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 involving the whole world.  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 so I’m going to use the proximity of the two events to make what some would 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.

In Happy Birthday Lord Jesus I demonstrated that 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.  John’s mother and father were Elizabeth  and Zechariah. According to Luke 1:36 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 each year Hanukkah takes place in close proximity to Christmas.  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 instead of 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.  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 from the moment of our conception.  He 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 but He came as an embryo because that’s the way all humans begin their life.

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 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. But 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. And now you know the adult version of the Christmas story. 12-14-12

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).

In reply to this question, Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37) the obvious point of which is that our neighbor is anyone in need of our assistance. We all learned this point of the story as children.  But parables are heavenly stories put into an earthly context where every character is symbolic of someone or something else, and the Parable of the Good Samaritan is no exception. Therefore we should also expect to find a glimpse of Heaven contained there in.   The word parable literally means “to place along side” so the obvious “earthly” story has to be accompanied by a hidden “heavenly” one.   Put another way, if the obvious story is the children’s version then the hidden one is the adult version of the story.   Let’s find it.

Who Are The Samaritans?

First, a little background.  The Samaritans were the offspring of marriages between Jewish farmers  the Assyrians left behind when they conquered the Northern Kingdom in 721 BC and the pagans they re-located there.  Mixing up the conquered populations was standard procedure for the Assyrians  because it reduced the threat of organized rebellion.   The Samaritans were despised by the Jews because of these mixed marriages and because they had incorporated pagan rituals into their worship of God (both were forbidden by Jewish law.)  A generation or so before the time of Jesus, a son of the Jewish High Priest had run off and married the daughter of the King of Samaria, built a replica of the Temple on Mt. Gerizim and instituted a rival worship system which caused a huge scandal.  In her encounter with Jesus (John 4:4-42) the Samaritan “woman at the well” makes reference to this (vs. 19).

The region called Samaria was named after the capital city of the former Northern Kingdom and is located in what’s known today as the West Bank. Because their laws prohibit marrying outside their own, the Samaritan population has dwindled to a point where only about 700 exist today. They’re not Palestinians, but they’re not regarded as Jews either and keep pretty much to themselves. Some have equated the Jews’ treatment of Samaritans during the time of Jesus with the southern whites’ treatment of blacks in the 19th century in the US, so to have a Samaritan as the hero of this story must have gotten the attention of the Lord’s audience right away. By the way, the ruins of the Samaritan Temple were discovered about 10 years ago and are being excavated for public display.

The old Jericho Road was a steep narrow passage along one wall of a deep canyon.  In the 17 miles from Jerusalem to Jericho, it dropped 3200 vertical feet through a rough wilderness area fraught with danger from attacks by wild animals in the best of times.  In the Lord’s day there was also the threat of being attacked by robbers lurking in the rocks.  The Temple renovation was nearly complete and many workers had been laid off.  Having lost their source of income, some turned to stealing to provide for their families.  The people were all too familiar with reports of violence there, and had nicknamed this road Adumim, the Pass of Blood.  The area where the canyon opens up at the bottom, near Jericho, is traditionally known as the valley of the Shadow of Death, from Psalm 23.

And Now, Back To Our Story

You know how the story goes. A man traveling along the old Jericho Road is beset by robbers who strip him of his clothes, beat him and leave him half dead. First a priest and then a Levite pass by, but simply cross to the other side and ignore him. Then a Samaritan comes along. He comes to where the man is, binds up his wounds applying oil and wine, and places him upon his own donkey. He takes the man to a nearby inn and cares for him. The next day he pays the man’s present and future bill asking the innkeeper to look after him and promising to pay any balance due when he returns. The two silver coins he gave the innkeeper would have paid a man’s hotel bill for up to 2 months in those days.

So, understanding that there’s supposed to be a glimpse of Heaven here and that everyone in the parable is symbolic of someone else let’s look for the hidden meaning.

“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.”(Luke 10:30)

The man was an ordinary person who represents you and me on the road of life.  Who it is that would attack us, strip us of our clothing and leave us for dead? We know that our spiritual covering is often referred to in terms of clothing. “All our righteous works are as filthy rags,” says Isaiah 64:6 whereas the Lord clothes us with “garments of salvation” and “robes of righteousness” (Isa. 61:10).  So who would strip us of our covering of righteousness and leave us spiritually dead? Only Satan, the stealer of our soul.

A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. (Luke 10:31-32)

The priest and the Levite represent organized religion that in and of itself is powerless to restore spiritual life and leaves us just as dead as when it found us. The Lord had Isaiah say, “These people come near to me with their mouth  and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.” (Isaiah 29:13) Jesus didn’t come to start another religion.  He came so that God could be reconciled to His creation, to restore peace between the two.  But sadly, in some parts of the Church, the rules of men still carry more weight than the Word of God.

But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. (Luke 10:33)

And that leaves the Good Samaritan. Though despised and rejected by His countrymen, He comes to where we are after we’ve been attacked and beaten by our enemy, stripped of all our righteousness and left hopelessly dead in our sins, beyond the ability of all our religious works to restore us to God’s favor.

He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. (Luke 10:34)

He binds up our wounds (Isaiah 61:1), pours on oil and wine, and carries us to a place of spiritual comfort where He personally cares for us. Oil was used to aid in healing because of its  soothing and relaxing properties.  Applying it to the skin brings comfort. It represents the Holy Spirit, our Comforter.   Wine was an antiseptic, a cleansing agent.  It symbolizes His blood, shed for the remission of sin.  At the moment of salvation we receive the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of our inheritance and are washed clean in the  Blood of the Lamb.   He has taken up our infirmities and carried our sorrows (Isaiah 53:4) and will bring us to a place of comfort.   In Matt. 11:28 He said, “Come to me, you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ (Luke 10:35)

Before He left this earth He paid the debt of sin we owe to God (represented by the innkeeper), entrusting us to His care.  Silver was the coin of redemption (Exod. 30:12-15) .  Please notice that He also accepted responsibility for all of our future sins.  We weren’t just redeemed up to the time we became believers, but for all of our lives. (Col. 2:13-14)

So  the  Good Samaritan could only be the Lord Jesus,  our Savior and our Redeemer.

And what did the man do to deserve all of this? Nothing.  He neither earned his rescue nor provided any contribution to his restoration.   It was a gift, a manifestation of the grace in the Good Samaritan’s heart.   And so it is with us.  For when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. (Titus 3:4-7)

And now you know the adult version. 07-11-09

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.

On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there and Jesus and His disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to Him, “They have no more wine.” “Dear woman, why do you involve me,” Jesus replied, “My time has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever He tells you.”

Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind the Jews use for ceremonial washing, each holding from 20 to 30 gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water,” so they filled them to the brim. Then He said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”

They did so and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from although the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink, but you have saved the best till now.”

This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed in Cana of Galilee. He thus revealed His Glory and the disciples put their faith in Him. (John 2:1-11)

What Was That Again?

Aside from the fact that changing water into wine requires supernatural ability, the most astonishing thing about this miracle is that because of it “He thus revealed His Glory and the disciples put their faith in Him.” Helping a friend with a beverage problem as a favor to His mom? Many commentators put this miracle way down their list of great things Jesus did, if they include it at all, but John put it first and attached considerable significance to it. Must be more going on here than meets the eye.

By the way, a couple of interesting bits of trivia will help in our understanding. The 3rd day of the week is Tuesday on the Jewish calendar and is still the preferred day for weddings in Israel. That’s because on the original 3rd day, God pronounced things “good” twice; the only time He did so in the 7 days of Creation. Therefore the 3rd day is known as a day of double blessing, the best day of the week to begin a new life. Also Jewish wedding feasts lasted for 7 days, and to run out of wine so early would have been embarrassing to say the least. That’s probably why Mary asked Jesus to get involved in something that was really not their concern.

And lastly the stone jars held water normally used only for ceremonial washing, a symbolic act of cleansing from sin, not for cleaning off the dust of the road or other dirt. They were placed at the door so a person would not enter a friend’s house in a ceremonially “unclean” state and contaminate the house. By dipping their fingers into the water and wiping them dry, a person would symbolically “wash away their sins” and be ceremonially clean. When we say, “I’m washing my hands of this matter,” we really mean we’re trying to absolve ourselves of any responsibility for it. The phrase comes from this practice, which was soon to be immortalized by Pontius Pilate in the matter of Jesus’ trial and conviction. Some believe that this water would also have contained a sprinkling of ashes from a red heifer, in case anyone had inadvertently touched something dead (see Numbers 19).

Let’s Get Mystical

John was a mystic. His Gospel is highly symbolic in the way it presents facts about the Lord and His ministry. He made no attempt to portray events in their chronological order, chose only 7 miracles, followed by 7 discourses and 7 “I am” statements:
I am the Bread of Life … 6:35,
I am the Light of the World … 8:12,
I am the Gate … 10:7,
I am the Good Shepherd … 10:11,
I am the Resurrection and the Life … 11:25,
I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life … 14:6, and
I am the Vine … 15:1.

His entire gospel covers only about 21 days out of 3 1/2; years, devotes 10 chapters to just one week and nearly 1/3 (237) of the 879 verses of John’s Gospel describe just one day. The richness of John’s symbolism makes his gospel a favorite among those who view scripture from a high level of inspiration, and his story of the wedding at Cana is the crowning touch. Let’s look at it through his eyes.

Jesus commanded unnamed servants to completely fill 6 (the number of man) jars that were stone, cold, and empty (a model of our unregenerate hearts; Ezek. 36:25-27) with water. In John 16:5-14 the Holy spirit is described as One who would not speak of himself, but only of Jesus. In fact the only name by which we know the Holy Spirit is actually His job description; Comforter (KJV) or Counselor (NIV). This title is derived from the Greek word parakletos, which can also be translated intercessor or advocate. These servants are a model of the Holy Spirit, Who accomplishes the work of regeneration in our hearts (Titus 3:4-7), filling us with Living Water (John 7:37-39).

The water, normally used for ceremonial cleansing, immediately turned to wine and so that which had formerly only temporarily cleansed a person from sin now became symbolic of the Blood of Jesus that washes us clean forever (Luke 22:20). The master of the banquet remarked that the bridegroom had saved the best till last signifying that the New Covenant that permanently cleanses us (represented by the wine), is far superior to the Old Covenant that only temporarily set aside our sins (represented by the water). Thus by this miracle Jesus truly did reveal His Glory and you can see why the disciples put their faith in Him.

And now you know the adult version.

After Assyria conquered the Northern Kingdom in 722BC all that was left of Israel was a small portion around Jerusalem called Judah. In spite of the judgment experienced by their cousins in the north, Judah also fell into a state of idolatry and so the Lord permitted Babylon to conquer them as well (Jer. 25:8-9). In his first siege of Jerusalem in 605BC the King of Babylon took hostages from the Royal family to his capital in an effort to assure the compliance of those he left in place as vassals to govern Judah according to his wishes. (This plan was ultimately unsuccessful and so in 586BC after 2 more sieges, he completely destroyed Jerusalem including the Temple Solomon had built and carried off all its inhabitants into slavery.)

Among the royal hostages were Daniel, a future prophet of Israel whom the King renamed Belteshazzar, and three friends, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah renamed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. These four were given training and education in the ways of Babylon and otherwise prepared to serve the King in his court (Daniel 1:1-7). They proved to be excellent students and within a few years, following Daniel’s interpretation of a dream that had troubled the King, were appointed to positions of administrative authority over the Province of Babylon (Daniel 2).

You Shall Have No Other Gods Before Me

Sometime later the King decided to have a gigantic golden statue of himself placed in a prominent place on the plains of Dura outside the city. It was sixty cubits (90 ft.) tall 6 cubits wide and according to tradition stood on a pedestal six steps high and here you have the first clue of what’s really going on in this children’s story (666). The King required all his subjects to bow down and worship the statue and decreed that anyone refusing to do so would be thrown into a fiery furnace and burned alive (Daniel 3:1-7).

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had maintained their covenant relationship with the God of Israel and refused to bow down and worship anyone other than Him. This act of disobedience was reported to the King and though fond of them he was furious. When they rejected his offer of a 2nd chance to comply with his command, saying that their God was able to rescue them but even if He didn’t they still wouldn’t worship anyone else, he had them bound and thrown into the furnace (Daniel 3:16-23).

Apparently this furnace was constructed in a public place so that the punishment could be witnessed by all, because the King saw his three disobedient subjects in the fire. But he was shocked to see a 4th figure in there as well; one who looked like “the Son of God”, and all four were walking around in the fire unbound (Daniel 3:25). The King called Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to come out of the furnace and to his utter amazement discovered that they were totally unharmed, not even the smell of smoke on their clothing, and the only things burned up were the ropes that had bound them. The King gave praise to the God of Israel and decreed that from that time on anyone who said anything against Him would be executed “for no other god can save in this way” (Daniel 3:28-29).

Types And Shadows

In addition to recounting an actual event from Israel’s history and being a favorite of children for ages, this story prophesies of a time yet future to us. One day soon another world ruler will make an image of himself and require that every one in the world bow down and worship before it on pain of death (Rev 13:13-18). The King of Babylon therefore becomes a model for the antichrist, and the fiery furnace represents the Great Tribulation. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego fore shadow the remnant of Israel preserved through the judgment (Rev 12:13-14) and freed from the bondage of their religion for a closer walk with their Messiah (Zech. 12:10-11)

Any Questions?

The often-unasked question regarding this story is “Where was Daniel?” Daniel and the King of Babylon had developed a special relationship starting from the time he had interpreted the King’s dream. It was at Daniel’s suggestion that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were given positions of responsibility (Daniel 2:49). He was their benefactor and like them had remained faithful to his covenant with God. Yet he appears nowhere in this story. Daniel is one of only 2 Biblical characters about whom nothing critical is ever said (the other is Joseph) so it’s unlikely that he bowed down and worshipped the statue. And since he had really embarrassed the other “wise men” in the King’s court by being the only one who could interpret his dream, it’s also hard to believe that they would let him get away with disobeying the King’s command.

The only plausible explanation is that Daniel had gone away during this time, and perhaps it was his absence that gave the others the courage to report Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego for their non-compliance. If so then Daniel becomes a remarkable type of the church whose disappearance before the tribulation begins removes us from the time and place of judgment (Rev. 3:10) releases the restraint against evil in the world (2 Thes. 2:7) and begins the time of Israel’s greatest persecution (Matt 24:21).

You can’t base a pre-tribulation rapture doctrine on this, but if you’re already so inclined, the story of the three boys in the fiery furnace takes on added meaning. It becomes another one of those beautiful models the Lord has built to instruct and encourage us with events from Israel’s history. For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope (Rom. 15:4).

And now you know the adult version.

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) right before His accusers’ eyes.  The immediate healing was 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 into 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 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 tribal 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 an interesting bit of information.  Matthew’s account shows that Joseph descended through Solomon, the royal but cursed line, and his father is listed as Jacob.  But in Luke 3:23 Joseph’s father is called Heli, and the line is different all the way to Solomon’s brother Nathan before joining Matthew’s account at King David.  It turns out that Heli was Mary’s father and therefore Joseph’s father in law.  Both Mary and Joseph were descendants of King David.

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 both Mary’s right of inheritance to her family’s land, and her son’s claim to David’s throne.

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. Her son Jesus legally became Joesph’s son as well.  This made him an heir to the throne but  since he wasn’t Joseph’s biological son, He escaped the curse.  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.  These are 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.  It will be fulfilled at the 2nd Coming when “the Son of Man comes in His glory and all the angels with him” to “sit on His throne in heavenly glory”.   Finally “the Lord will be King over the whole Earth.” (Matt. 25:31 & Zech. 14:4-9).

And now you know the adult version.

Now the whole earth was of one language and of one speech. And it came to pass as they journeyed from the east that they found a plain in the land of Shinar and they dwelt there (Gen. 11:1-2).

The story of the Tower of Babel begins in Genesis 11 but gives us the reason for the formation of the 70 prime nations or ethnic groupings outlined in Genesis 10. The Lord had told Noah and his family to “be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth” (Gen. 9: 1). But Noah’s descendants had decided to remain on the plains of Shinar and build a civilization for themselves there, following the pattern of the Cainites before them (See ). They determined to “build ourselves a city with a tower that reaches to the heavens so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the earth” (Gen. 11:4). This was contrary to God’s instructions of course and guaranteed to cause problems.

Where Are We?

Here’s something I find interesting. They settled on the plains of Shinar an area we know as Mesopotamia, modern Iraq. They had come from the east, or Iran, where the ark had settled (see ). Beneath this area today lies some of the world’s largest known oil reserves. Oil comes from the decomposition of vegetation, and the Tigris and Euphrates rivers that border the area (Mesopotamia means between the rivers) are mentioned in the Creation account as flowing through the Garden of Eden. When it came to building materials for their city and tower, the people chose tar as a substitute for mortar, there being no cement handy. Put all this circumstantial evidence together and you can surmise that the Garden of Eden encompassed the whole region, and was buried under tons and tons of sand after the flood. The weight of the sand compressed the decaying vegetation and helped produce the oil that then bubbled up out of the ground as tar. But that’s another story.

But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the men were building (Gen. 11:6). Enough of the ruins of the Tower of Babel have been discovered to permit archaeologists to speculate on its appearance and purpose. It covered 4 acres at its base and was 153 feet tall. There were 7 stages, each one smaller than the one below, giving it the appearance of a gigantic weeding cake. Each stage was dedicated to one of the then known planets, and a tower at the top had the 12 signs of the zodiac inscribed in the walls. It was apparently intended as a combination observatory and temple to enable the people to worship the celestial bodies and practice astrology.

What Sign Are You?

The 12 signs of the zodiac are a perversion of the Hebrew Mazzaroth. By tradition Adam, Seth, and Enoch named 12 constellations of the stars in such a way as to foretell the gospel story. As shepherds lay under the stars at night fathers could use them to instruct their sons on the Lord’s plan of redemption for His fallen people (Read “The Gospel in the Stars” by J.A. Seiss). The “horror-scope” in your newspaper lists the Babylonian names of these constellations. In reading it you are inadvertently following the false religion that originated with the tower of Babel and that denies everything the Bible says about the relationship that began with your Creator at the moment of conception. These corrupt names are virtually the same in every known language except Hebrew where the true names and meanings of the 12 signs can be learned. This is why the study of astrology (observer of times KJV) was an offense punishable by death in Israel and was given as one of the causes for the Canaanites’ expulsion from the land (Deut. 18:9-11).

Justice and Mercy

Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other. So the Lord scattered them from there all over the earth and they stopped building the City. That is why it was called Babel – because the Lord confused the language of the whole world (Gen. 11:7-9). Once again an act of judgment contained an element of mercy. By stopping things when He did the Lord prevented the people from going entirely astray and bringing about their complete destruction. Confusing their language curtailed their misplaced spirit of cooperation and so they separated, accomplished God’s purpose, and escaped a much greater penalty. Hidden in every human effort to unite in common cause you’ll find Satan’s strategy of separating us from our Creator. If achieving God’s will is not the overriding issue whether in a group of individuals or a community of nations, Satan orchestrates our utter defeat by simply appealing to our sense of pride and self-determination.

Are We Related?

I believe God first separated the people by physical appearance based on their family lines. The children of Ham became the Egyptian and other African races, those of Shem became the Arabs and Jews, and those of Japeth became the Chinese, Russian and European peoples. Within a generation or two inbreeding caused the dominant and recessive genetic patterns of each group to make them even more easily distinguishable from one another. Language differences completed the separation into the 70 nations listed in Genesis 10 (see ), and for a time sinful man’s natural inclination to rebel against God was thwarted.

Now you know the adult version.

And the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes and be ready by the third day because on that day the Lord will come down on Mt. Sinai in the sight of all the people” On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning with a thick cloud over the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Mt. Sinai was covered with smoke because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace and the whole mountain trembled violently and the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder. Then Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him. (Exodus 19:10-11 and 16-19)

In the following verses God gave the children of Israel His Ten Commandments (not suggestions), basic laws that were later expanded into a total of 613 in the Torah (5 Books of Moses). I have previously shared my view that the giving of the Commandments was part 2 of God’s four part rebuttal to an accusation Satan had hurled at Him before the beginning of time (read ) and have also noted the incredible similarity between the details surrounding the giving of the law and the Rapture of the Church (read ).

When asked which were the greatest of all these laws, Jesus replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind (Deut 6:5). This is the first and greatest commandment and the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself (Lev 19:18). All the Law and Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matt 22:37-40). The phrase Law and Prophets referred to the entire Old Testament, but those two commandments particularly summarize the ten given at Mt. Sinai. The first four define how we should love the Lord our God (four is the number of Creation), and the last six how we demonstrate love for each other (six is the number of man).

God Is The Same, Yesterday, Today, And Forever (Hebr 13:8)

Although He required the Israelites to obey His commandments, the Bible has said all along that they were given to expose the motives of man’s heart and show the need for a Savior. God’s standard is simply too high for sinful man to achieve. The Old Testament sacrifice of innocent animals pointed to this coming Savior whose Blood alone would purchase their pardon and was meant to confirm their need for Him. The Lord Jesus made this abundantly clear in His Sermon on the Mount when He explained that even thinking about violating the law is tantamount to doing so. He also made it clear that He hadn’t come to abolish the law but rather to fulfill it (Matt 5:17-18). God’s laws are still in force, we are still subject to them, and Jesus is the ransom for our souls as well as theirs.

Through out the Old Testament the true purpose of the law is explained. The prophet Micah asked, ‘With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with 1000s of rams, with 10,000 rivers of oil? Shall I offer my first born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” (Micah 6:6-7) The Lord had Micah give this answer. “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, and to love mercy and walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8).” Only by loving the Lord with all their heart and soul and mind and then loving their neighbors as themselves could they hope to accomplish this and no amount of external compliance with the law could suffice in its absence.

King David, after committing adultery with Bathsheba and causing the death of her husband, prayed, “Have mercy on me O God according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. You do not delight in sacrifice or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit. A broken spirit and a contrite heart O God You will not despise.” (Psalm 51: 1-2 and 16-17). David admitted that he had broken the law. But he knew that with sincerity and humility he could ask for and receive forgiveness, and that God would prefer this to an empty gesture of sacrifice. The prophet Nathan later explained to David that he could be forgiven in Heaven but that didn’t necessarily relieve him of the earthly consequences of his behavior (2 Sam 12:1-12). (Those who run around saying, “I’m under grace not the law” would do well to remember this)

Everything That Was Written The Past Was Written To Teach Us (Rom 15:4).

The children of Israel had promised to do “everything the Lord has said” (Ex 19:8). Yet before Moses could get down off the mountain with the 10 commandments they had broken most of them. Centuries later Paul admonished us, “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). Just as a speed limit sign lets us compare our speed with the legal limit, the Commandments let us compare our behavior with God’s requirements. When we’re exceeding the speed limit the sign prompts us to slow down. When we’re not meeting God’s requirements the Law prompts us to seek forgiveness.

Now you know the adult version.

The similarities between the Books of Joshua and Revelation are striking. In fact some call Joshua a model for Revelation, especially where it describes the battle of Beth Horon in chapter 10. The Israelites were confronted by a coalition of 5 Amorite kings led by someone who called himself Adoni-zedek, or Lord of Righteousness (a model of the anti-christ?). There were signs in the sun and moon as in Rev. 6:12, 8:12, and 16:8-11, and large hailstones fell from the sky as in Rev. 8:7 and 16:21. The 5 Amorite kings hid in caves for fear of the Israelites just as in Rev 6:15 the kings of the earth will hide in caves for fear of the wrath of the Lamb. At the end of Joshua, the land is dispossessed of its usurpers, at the end of Revelation the earth is dispossessed of its usurpers and as I indicated last time, the name Joshua is derived from the same Hebrew root as Yeshua, the Hebrew name for Jesus. But to me the most dramatic similarity is hidden in the story of Rahab. Hence the title of this article.

The Gospel in Joshua

As the Israelites gathered along the east bank of the flooded and swollen Jordan, they were closely watched by the people of Jericho, only a few hundred yards from the river’s western shore. They had heard how the Lord had parted the Red Sea to allow the Israelites to escape the Egyptian army, and how He had helped them to utterly defeat the 2 Amorite kings east of the Jordan. In Rahab’s own words, “When we heard of it our hearts melted and everyone’s courage failed because of you for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and earth below.” (Josh 2:11). Then the people of Jericho stood aghast as the God of Israel stopped the flow of the raging river, allowing them to cross on dry ground.

When Joshua sent 2 spies into Jericho they found their way to Rahab’s home and sought refuge there, which she granted in return for their guarantee of safety for her and her family. They agreed and told her that if she marked her home with a scarlet cord, she and anyone in the house with her would be spared in the coming battle (Josh 2:12-21). On the day of battle the city was captured and everyone within its walls died, except for Rahab and her family. She had gathered her family in her home and marked it with the scarlet cord as they had agreed. Before burning the city to the ground, Joshua had the 2 spies go to Rahab’s home and bring her and all her family out to dwell among the Israelites. (Josh 6:22-25). By the way, can you picture this? Her house was built into the city wall, which of course came tumbling down at the shout of the Israelite army. Of all the massive stone work protecting the city of Jericho, only that portion containing the home of Rahab was left standing. What a witness to the power of God, who “knows how to rescue Godly men from trials, and to hold the unrighteous for the Day of Judgment while continuing their punishment” (2 Peter 2:9). (See also 1 Thes. 1:10)

By Grace We Are Saved, Through Faith

The name Rahab means proud, but among the people of Jericho, all of whom knew of the God of Israel, only Rahab humbled herself before the 2 spies and confessed Him as “God in Heaven above and Earth below.” And speaking of the spies, what about them? Except for reporting that all the people of Jericho were scared to death did the spies bring Joshua any intelligence that helped develop the battle plan? No, the Lord had already determined the battle plan and they contributed nothing to it (Josh 6:2-5). So what was their true purpose in His plan? Seems like they were really 2 witnesses sent to hear Rahab’s confession, save her from destruction, and give her a place among the Lord’s people.

From that time on, Rahab dwelt with the Israelites. She married a man from the tribe of Judah named Salmon and had a son whom they named Boaz. Boaz took a gentile bride from Moab named Ruth and they had a son named Obed, who had a son named Jesse who had a son named David who became King of Israel (Ruth 4:13-22). And 26 generations later, two distant cousins who were both descendants of King David (and therefore of Rahab and Salmon) married and became the earthly parents of our Lord Jesus. And so when you read the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew, you’ll find Rahab listed there (Matt 1:5).

It’s Not What You Know, But Who You Know That Matters

Everyone in Jericho had heard about the God of Israel and all but Rahab were destroyed on the day of battle. Rahab’s faith saved her. When she believed in her heart that only One Who is God in Heaven above and Earth below could have done the things she had heard about, He went to great lengths to reveal Himself to her, sending 2 witnesses to testify of His power and love. Immediately after confessing Him as God, she was marked with a sign that guaranteed her security (Ephe. 1:13-14), called out from all the others in Jericho (Rom. 8:29-30), hidden on the day of battle (Isa. 26:20-21 & Rev. 3:10), and brought alive into the family of the Redeemer (1 Thes. 4:16-17). Just like you and me.

And now you know the adult version.

Let’s pause in our series on Children’s Stories to get a better look at the great adversary who stands behind every effort to thwart God’s will in these events. Since he is a created being (Eze. 28:13) whose creation is not mentioned in the Genesis account we’ll assume that it took place, along with the other angelic beings, in the gap between Gen. 1:1 and 1:2 (see ). All we know by way of introduction is that he turns up in the Garden in the form of a “serpent” (Hebrew enchanter) to beguile our first parents (see ). But from Isaiah 14:12-20 and Ezekiel 28:11-19 we can piece together a profile of this great adversary, his origin, fall and destiny.

How You Have Fallen From Heaven, O Lucifer

His name comes from Isaiah 14:12 (KJV). It’s actually the Latin translation of a Hebrew phrase that means to shine in the sense of making a show or celebration or (foolish) boast and recalls the title “shining one.” Ezekiel 28:12-14 indicates he was created as “the model of perfection, full of wisdom and beauty” and anointed as the guardian cherub on the holy mount of God. In the Septuagint translation of the Hebrew scriptures all the stones contained on the breast plate of Israel’s High Priest are listed in Eze 28:13 perhaps hinting at his responsibilities. Combining the Ezekiel and Isaiah passages we can infer that he was head of the congregation of Angelic beings, charged with leading them in the worship of the Almighty and guardian of His Throne.

The “foolish boast” part of his name came to bear when wickedness was found in him (Eze 28:15). Excessively proud of his beauty and wisdom, he rebelled against God and uttered his infamous “five I wills” culminating in a declaration that he would make himself “like The Most High” (Isa 14:13-14). This was the first of countless repetitions wherein the sin nature of man prompts him to emulate Lucifer, exalting, glorifying and even deifying himself. The next time it happened was in the Garden when Adam & Eve were deceived into thinking they could “become like God” (Gen. 3:5), and the name by which we know our adversary was born. The Hebrew word for deceiver is satan.

Satan’s rebellion led to a judgment upon him and the seat of his throne, Planet Earth, leaving Earth an uninhabitable ruin for who knows how long. As I’ve said, many believe this all took place in the apparent gap between the first 2 verses of Genesis. If so it helps reconcile the conflict between a geologically proven old earth (10 billion years) and the Biblically described young civilization (6000 years). I should also note that recent measurements of the speed of light indicate that it may have been gradually slowing down over time. If that’s proven true then all our speculation about the age of Earth’s ancient past goes out the window. But that’s another story.

Satan Is Alive And Well On Planet Earth

Hal Lindsey, is his book so titled speculates that at his judgment Satan hurled 2 accusations at God: “You’re not just and You have no love.” In response to these accusations God did the following.

1. He created man, a being vastly inferior to the angels but sharing with them the properties of intellect, agency (power of choice) and eternal life, and gave him dominion over Planet Earth.
2. He gave man a set of rules to live by, and ordained that obedience to them was a requirement for life. Any violations (sins), even those committed only in the mind, would be punishable by death. There were no loop holes, and no one would escape judgment. Perfect justice.

3. He sent His Son to live a life in total compliance to these rules, the only man ever to do so, granting Him the right to govern the universe and receive all its worth as His inheritance.
4. He gave His Son’s life to purchase a pardon for all whose sins would require judgment, decreeing that by accepting His death as payment for their sins they would also receive eternal life and share in this inheritance as His adopted children. Perfect Love.

What Do You Say To That?

Satan’s response was to immediately steal control of Planet Earth and contaminate the human gene pool with a sin nature making it impossible for man to obey God’s rules, condemning us all to death. And then he used all his powers of deception to try and prevent us from ever learning about the pardon God had purchased for us. Or failing in that, to trick us into thinking we don’t qualify by infiltrating the church (2 Cor. 11:13-15) to promote his false doctrine (Gal 1:8, Col. 2:8, 1 Tim 4:1). In that way he thinks he can cause so many to be condemned that God out of His love for us will have to bend His rules and overlook our sins. If He bends for man, He’ll have to bend for Satan.

Satan is the god of this age (2 Cor. 4:4), and the prince of this world (John 121:31, 14:30, 16:11), having the whole world under his control (1 John 5:19). But the deceiver has deceived himself. Too proud to apologize to God, he thinks to defeat Him (foolish boast), even though his own defeat was determined at the cross. While the church currently restrains his authority over earth (2 Thes, 2:5), during the Great Tribulation he’ll be free to do his worst. But it won’t be enough and having been expelled from Heaven (Rev 12:7), he’ll be bound in the Abyss for 1000 years (Rev 20:1-3) and finally cast into the eternal fire (Rev 20:10).

And now you know the adult version.