Bible Matters 310 – We Three Kings

Was the New Testament message of salvation for the Jews and Gentiles – Planned or unplanned?  Let’s see! 

Throughout the Old Testament, salvation was for the Jews.  The Gentiles were dogs.  Despite the blessings, the Jews never gave God their heart.  Each of the three Gentile women in the lineage of Jesus Christ, choose God and gave him their heart.  Their offspring continued the blood line from Abraham until the birth of Christ.  These were:  Rachab (Rahab), Ruth and Bath-sheba.  Rachab was of Jericho, a harlot who protected the Jewish spies, married Salmon and begat Boaz (Booz).  Ruth was a Moabite who married Boaz and begat Obed.   Bathsheba was a Gilonite, who married David and begat Soloman.

Ruth 1:16 – And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:

2 Samuel 12:24 – And David comforted Bath-sheba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay with her: and she bare a son, and he called his name Solomon: and the Lord loved him.

The Ark of the Covenant was built to house the commandments given to the Israelites during Moses time at Mt Sinai.  The last mention of the Ark was by the prophet Jeremiah.  The Jews forgot about the ark.

2 Chronicles 6:11 – And in it have I put the ark, wherein is the covenant of the Lord, that he made with the children of Israel.

Jeremiah 3:16 – And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the Lord, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the Lord : neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it ; neither shall that be done any more.

Forward to the New Testament. 

Jesus was born in the humble town of Bethlehem.  Not one Jew, staying comfortably in the inn, offered a room to the birth of a baby.  No love of neighbor.  Two years later, during the reign of Herod, God sent three Gentile wise men / kings to share gifts with the King of the Jews.  These Gentiles obeyed God and listened to a dream.  They returned unto their own country a different way.  These Gentile gifts provided Joseph the funds to take Mary and Jesus to Egypt, as directed by God, also in a dream.

Matthew 2:1-3,11-13 – Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.  When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.  And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.  And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.  And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.

Jesus first witness was a Gentile woman from Samaria or half Jew and half Gentile.  The Jews considered people from Samaria also as Gentile dogs.  Jesus told his disciples that he must go through Samaria on the way from Judah to Galilee.  Her belief and witness led many Samaritans to Jesus. 

John 4:4,7,9-10,15,21,23-25,28,39-42 – And he must needs go through Samaria.  There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.  Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.  Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.  The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.  Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.  The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.  The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men,  And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.  So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days.  And many more believed because of his own word;  And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.

Miracle after miracle did Jesus perform during his ministry.  His most notable of great faith was for a Gentile with the healing of a centurion servant.  At this point, Jesus openly welcomed Gentiles into the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 8:5-8,10-12 – And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him,  And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.  And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.  The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.  When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.  And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.  But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The impact of Gentiles onto the kingdom of God, finished with several Gentile believers.  None of the Apostles were there to carry the cross.  Jesus was telling the Gentiles to take up his cross and follow him.  Salvation is for the Gentile.  Simon, a Cyrenian, was ready. 

Mark 15:21-22,24 – And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross.  And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull.  And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take.

Jesus’s death on the cross was dramatic.  His side was pierced by a Gentile or Roman soldier.  Out flowed blood and water.  This cut into the lung would have drained the body of Jesus. 

John 19:34 – But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.

The veil of the temple was split and the rocks rent.

Matthew 27:50-51 – Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.  And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;

A lowly Gentile, gave the sleeping Jesus a place to lay his head.

John 19:36,38 – For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken.  And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus.

A death on the cross for the King of the Jews.  The Jews hated him.  The Gentiles loved him.  1940 years later, a Gentile by the name of Ron Wyatt, told God to use him for his honor and glory.  God directed Ron to find, Noah’s Ark, the Red Sea crossing, Mt Sinai, Sodom and Gomorrah and the Ark of the Covenant.  While Ron was walking outside the walls of Jerusalem, God directed Ron where to dig and to find the Ark of the Covenant.  In an area filled with loose rock, like as a dump, Ron found the original site of where Jesus was crucified.   At the base of the cross, the rock was rent or cracked as described in the bible at the time of the death of Jesus.  In a cave immediately below this crack, Ron had found the Ark of the Covenant covered in dried blood.  He scrapped the blood and filled a film cannister.  The blood was reconstituted in saline at body temperature stirring for 17 hours and it became alive with white blood cells.  This is not normal.  The white blood cells contained only 24 chromosomes and not the normal 46.  23 chromosomes were from Mary and only 1 (a Y chromosome) from the Holy Ghost.  The other 22 chromosomes, normally from a male, were not there.  With physical characteristics, as of Mary, Jesus was no ordinary man.  Only half Jew, like as a Samarian.  The Jewish leaders covered up the Ark of the Covenant and said it would be unveiled when the temple was finished.  Documentaries by Ron Wyatt and his friend Kent Hovind are on the web, describing Ron’s find.  The Jews hated Jesus.  The Gentiles loved him.  Will you believe in God’s work.   Will you fall in love with God this Christmas season, and follow him?  Don’t judge anyone.  Love everyone!

To God be the glory in all you do, Amen.