“The LORD says, "Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are one of the smallest towns in Judah, but out of you I will bring a ruler for Israel, whose family line goes back to ancient times." (Micah 5:2)
Ephrathah appears to be the ancient name for Bethlehem. It was the smallest town and insignificant in commerce, but rich in Israeli history. Jacob buried Rachel near there. Ruth lived there. And David was born there. God chooses little insignificant Bethlehem as the place for important events, eventually the birth of Jesus, the Promised Messiah. “God purposely chose what the world considers nonsense in order to shame the wise, and he chose what the world considers weak in order to shame the powerful. He chose what the world looks down on and despises and thinks is nothing, in order to destroy what the world thinks is important. This means that no one can boast in God's presence.” (1Corinthians 1:27-29)
Many don’t believe Jesus is the Messiah because it is evident, He is not ruling. They err because they don’t read the Scriptures thoroughly. They read about His reign and the miraculous peace in the world, but they failed to read the prophesies of the suffering Messiah.
Jesus will return and He will reign. Daniel in his vision sees the Son given dominion. “During this vision in the night, I saw what looked like a human being. He was approaching me, surrounded by clouds, and He went to the One who had been living forever and was presented to Him. He was given authority, honor, and royal power, so that the people of all nations, races, and languages would serve Him. His authority would last forever, and His kingdom would never end.” (Daniel 7:13-14) When the angel visited Mary to tell her about the son she would have, he said, “and He will be the king of the descendants of Jacob forever; His kingdom will never end!" (Luke 1:33) This promise was given to King David. His kingdom would never end. It will be fulfilled when Jesus reigns forever. “You will always have descendants, and I will make your kingdom last forever. Your dynasty will never end.' " (2Samuel 7:16) This kingdom will be eternal, never ending. That cannot happen in the natural. It’s a divine kingdom with a divine ruler. That ruler is Jesus Who is a descendant of David.
The prophet Micah prophesied about Jesus. There are over 400 prophesies and references to Jesus in the Old Testament. Matthew 1:1-17 traces His lineage back to Abraham. But the term that Micah used, “whose family line goes back to ancient times” refers to eternity. Jesus was in eternity with the Heavenly Father before creation and during creation. “In the beginning the Word already existed; the Word was with God, and the Word was God. From the very beginning the Word was with God. Through Him God made all things; not one thing in all creation was made without Him.” (John 1:1-3)
John writes the vision given to him for the church concerning the Last Days in Revelation. One thing that strikes me is the appearance of Jesus. We always see these paintings of what Jesus looked like. People who have seen Jesus, have seen Him as He has been depicted. But in reading John’s description, Jesus looks nothing like any of those paintings. “It (the voice) said, "Write down what you see, and send the book to the churches in these seven cities: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea." I turned around to see who was talking to me, and I saw seven gold lampstands, and among them there was what looked like a human being, wearing a robe that reached to His feet, and a gold band around His chest. His hair was white as wool, or as snow, and His eyes blazed like fire; His feet shone like brass that has been refined and polished, and His voice sounded like a roaring waterfall. He held seven stars in His right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came out of His mouth. His face was as bright as the midday sun. When I saw Him, I fell down at His feet like a dead man. He placed His right hand on me and said, "Don't be afraid! I am the first and the last. I am the living one! I was dead, but now I am alive forever and ever. I have authority over death and the world of the dead.” (Revelation 1:11-18) That two-edged sword that is coming out of His mouth is the Word of God. John’s vision gives us a different description of Jesus. Daniel gives a similar description in Daniel 10:5-6.
Jesus says in the verses above in Revelation that He has “authority over death and the world of the dead.” He has triumphed over death. Paul explained it beautifully to Timothy. “He saved us and called us to be His own people, not because of what we have done, but because of His own purpose and grace. He gave us this grace by means of Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but now it has been revealed to us through the coming of our Savior, Christ Jesus. He has ended the power of death and through the Gospel has revealed immortal life.” (2Timothy 1:9-10)
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