The Virgin Birth | 1

The Virgin Birth | 1

Introduction

 

Like most, I grew up believing that Jesus was born of a virgin. Nearly all of christianity affirms this. Recently, I was challenged by some friends to reevaluate my claim(s). This post is the first in a series on this topic.

 

The Torah: Lineage/ Descent Principle

 

The Books Numbers 1:1,2, and 18 and Ezra 2:59 reveals patrilineal descent:[1]

 


Num 1:1,2,18 AND THE HaShem spoke unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tent of meeting, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after the were come out of the land of Egypt, saying: 2 'Take ye the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, by their families, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, every male, by their polls; [...]18 And they assembled all the congregation together on the first day of the second month, and they declared their pedigrees after their families, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, by their polls.

 

Ez 2:59 And these were they that went up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsa, Cherub, Addan, and Immer; but they could not tell their fathers' houses, and their seed, whether they were of Israel:

This helps establish a basic principle of how to reckon descent.

 

The Prophecy

 

Not only do we see that Torah and the Prophets defines which line is accounted for when it comes to descent, we see that prophecy of Messiah is concerned with these details as well. Take Acts 2:30 for example:

30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up the Messiah to sin on his throne;[2]

 

Acts 2:30 reveals that Jesus was of promise through the seed (“fruit of his loins”) of David. Peter was referencing 2 Samuel 7:8-16, which says,

 

8 Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel: (*) 9 And I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are in the earth. (*) 10 Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime, 11 And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also the Lord telleth thee that he will make thee an house. 12 ¶And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.
14 I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: 15 But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. 16 And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.[3]

 

This language is identical to the language used by Peter in his sermon. The significance of this can't be underscored enough. Peter had already declared to his listeners,

 

You men of Israel, hear these words; Yahshua of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as you yourselves also know:[4]

 

These words plainly reveal what sort of Messiah Peter was declaring: a man with a truly natural birth who God used mightily for his purposes. To suggest otherwise is categorically antichrist.[5] 

 

Conclusion

 

It seems the Messiah was prophesied to be conceived literally of the seed of a man, an actual human. This would without doubt make Messiah a true human (and only human). It’s also plain that Jesus’ kingship and rightful claim to David’s throne isn’t due to any matrilineal descent whatsoever but is, rather, patrilineal. It has to be. Anything else is antichrist. 

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[1] Jewish Publication Society (JPS) Hebrew-English TaNaKh

 

[2] Proper Name Version of the King James Bible

 

[3] KJV; See also Isaiah 11:1,2

[4] Acts 2:22, PNV of the KJV

[5] 1 John 2:18-24; 4:1-3