10 | To the Jew First
A second passage that I also believe speaks clearly of the Messiah
as being God in the flesh was penned by a contemporary of
Isaiah, the prophet Micah. In Micah 5:2, the prophet describes
the coming Messiah, the ruler in Israel, as follows: “But as for you,
Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings
forth are from long ago from the days of eternity.”
There is no need to belabor an explanation of this passage.
The ruler in Israel would be born in Bethlehem, which is further
defined by the word Ephrathah as referring to the Bethlehem
located a few miles from Jerusalem. This was the ancestral home
of David and the birthplace of Jesus the Messiah. This ruler is
described as being eternal in nature. We understand the passage
in this way because the two Hebrew phrases translated from long
ago and from the days of eternity, when used elsewhere in the
Old Testament, always refer to God.
There are other passages in the Hebrew Scriptures, which I also
believe clearly indicate that the Messiah would be God. You will find
a list of these Scriptures and further information in the back pages
of this booklet that I know will bless you and strengthen your faith.
Ultimately, the Word of God convinced me that Jesus is the
Messiah and God in the flesh. This makes the holiday season a
very special time of joy for me as I am surrounded by reminders
that, in the words of C.S. Lewis, “the Son of God became a man to
enable men to become the sons of God.”
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO HANUKKAH
I remember the first time I read the New Testament like it was
yesterday. I was attracted to the book, especially to the words of
Jesus, but had sweaty palms as I turned each page. Everything I
knew about Judaism was Orthodox and nobody needed to tell me
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