Prophets – James G. Owen, Author

Many people through the ages have asked this question. Many have found the answer by reading the bible given to them, heard many preachers, teachers, and disciples of the Lord Jesus tell of him. So, I asked myself the question and how I would explain the God of Israel, the God that Christians also call Jesus. Here are my thoughts.

God is Elohim. Elohim, a Hebrew word that is plural. Throughout scripture we see the definition of Elohim taught as the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost. In the Old Testament we do see the trichotomy mostly in symbolism involving the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Father is direct in the Torah and the Tanach. The Son is spoken of, for instance, as the Captain of the Hosts and also as messiah types like Moses. The Holy Spirit is seen as water, wine, and oil in these scriptures. As we move along to the New Testament, which is a renewed covenant we see all three working through these writings being directly spoken of in context. God is made up of three persons, yet he is One. We are made in his image as body, soul, and spirit—three, yet one.

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
Genesis 1:1 KJV

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
John 14:26 KJV

God is Light. In the beginning of creation, God presents himself as light. He is the light of creation until he creates the sun to provide a light through the seasons. In the new earth to come God returns as the eternal light where his people dwell forever. We also see in his person that God is light, in which there is no darkness, meaning God is perfect, life is in himself, and in his being sin is not found. He is holy. With his light and knowledge he reveals the deep and hidden things, which he has written into his word, the bible for man to find. When we need strength, encouragement, wisdom and knowledge we can go to the scriptures and find light for the soul which quenches the thirst we have for our spiritual needs. Within him is light. He is made up of light, and light dwells within him. He is bright, and so bright that no man can physically look upon him and live. This he tells Elijah so that he can go into the creft of the rock and God can show his back to him because God’s glory—his light, the shekinah would strike him dead. Why? Because we do not live in glorified bodies. Our bodies are corrupted by sin that came through the sin of Adam and Eve.

This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
1 John 1:5 KJV

He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.
Daniel 2:22 KJV

God is Light and Salvation. When I need light I go to Jesus to ask for strength and his light to light my paths so that I may stay and live in righteousness, for God is my strength that I need daily to ward off evil. He is life, and life on earth depends upon light to continue, and we must need light to continue living within our spirit man, the spirit that God breathed into us. When we are living righteously, we have his light and his light is sensed by all in the world, both those who live for Jesus, and by those who don’t. When we read his word, listen for his voice to guide us, with these paths we see his light and his goodness and love.

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lordis the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
Psalm 27:1 KJV

For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.
Psalm 36:9 KJV

This is how I would describe God to anyone in the world. There is only one path to eternal life, and that is through Jesus the Son of God, the logos—the Word.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:1 KJV

The Messiah birthed in Bethlehem probably during the time of the Feast of Tabernacles to Hanukkah. Whenever he was birthed it would be six months after the child of a Temple priest named John. This child is the one who cries in the wilderness, the forerunner of the Messiah, and he brings all who come to him to salvation through baptism—the act of sanctification, and foretelling a resurrection to come through the Messiah.

But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
Micah 5:2 KJV

Six months later, Miriam whom we know as Mary gave birth to a child in Bethlehem Ephrahthah, which means the House of Bread and Fruitful. This child was foretold to be birthed in this tiny country town in Micah 5. He would be transferred after the Roman census to be raised in Nazareth as a Nazarene, and this child would be raised in the synagogue yeshivah’s, the bible schools of the day. As he begins to mature we find him in the synagogue reading aloud, answering questions, and astonishing those present. Would he become fruitful? Would he be dispensing bread among the people of Israel, the Gentiles, and through the ages to our current world? The answer would be yes because of his ministry of shepherding to the people, teaching them the law, of God, and salvation. We read about him training his disciples the same law and counseling them so that they would be ready for the world when the Holy Ghost would come to dwell within men. He was readying the disciples and disciples from that day to ours the same ministry we would find in the Holy Ghost, and from the ministries we have authority through his name-Yeshua—Jesus.

The meaning of the House of Bread, Bethlehem begins to be tied together in scripture as he declares his identity as Messiah in the book of John by stating in the I AM’s, ” I AM the bread of life.” His fruitfulness is in his works of the thousands of healings, casting out demons, and raising of the dead that defines him as the Messiah that was to be birthed in Bethlehem. This babe went to be this man, and he gave his life on a cruel cross outside of Jerusalem on Golgotha, the hill of the skull, the place that David buried the skull of Goliath of Gath.

And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
John 6:35 KJV

I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
John 6:51 KJV

This babe that was birthed in Bethlehem whom was prophesied of through the prophets is the Messiah we celebrate in this season of Lights! May those who know the Messiah be blessed, and for those who do not know him currently I ask you to discover Jesus and come to know him as Messiah and God.

Notes: All Scripture used is taken from the King James Bible Public Domain Biblegateway

Category: Prophets

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The Messiah Birthed in Bethlehem