Relatives of Jesus

 

9 December 598 BC/BCE: Death of Jehoiakim/Eliakim (608-598 BC/BCE), ascension of his son, Jehoiachin/Jeconiah (ruled 597 BC/BCE), as King of Judah (for a three-month and ten-day reign). Jehoiachin is held captive in Babylon for 37 years. The Sheshbazzar, “prince of Judah,” mentioned in Ezra is believed to have been Shenazzar, a son of Jehoiakin. This man would have been the uncle of  Zerubbabel, an ancestor of Jesus.  Ezra 1:8ff, 5:1-2,14, 2:63; 1 Chronicles 3:18; 2 Kings 23: 1-24:16.

Jesus Primarily Spoke Aramaic

Jesus is believed to have primarily spoken a Galilean accented dialect of Aramaic since Aramaic was the most commonly spoken language of Judea in the first century AD. He also seems to have understood some Greek since he talked with Romans who would have primarily spoken that language.  Also, it was a point of pride and honor for a Jewish man to stand up in the synagogue and read from the Hebrew scriptures,

Biblical Hebrew,and most modern representations of the language, has an abjad writing system rather than an alphabet as in English. Abjabs are writing systems in which there are only consonants with no written vowels. The word is a technical term named for the fist four letters of the Arabic abjad in their original order of sequence: alif, ba, jem, dal. The first four letters in the Hebrew abjad retain the original Semitic sequence: aleph, bet, gimel, dalet.

The first widely used abjad was ancient Phoenician. It was much easier to learn and to write than the Egyptian hieroglyphics (a pictographic writing system). The Phoenician sea merchants quickly adopted the writing system for their business records.

The modern "alphabets" of Greek, English, Spanish, Russian, and other similar languages represent both consonantal and vowel sounds using their glyphs (aka letters). Each glyph represents a different sound.

The English word "alphabet"is derived from the first two letters of the Greek alphabet: alpha and beta.

Lead Me Not Into Temptation

I saw this printed on a hand towel. I do not know the source of this riff on The Twenty-Third Psalm.

"Lead me not into temptation ... oh, who am I kidding ... follow me, I know a shortcut."

We all know many shortcuts. Every human is tempted numerous times each day.  Even Jesus was tempted. The Bible records one major temptation episode that Satan launched against Jesus but surely there were many more.  Two are very obvious.

Jesus surely was tempted to heal his good friend Lazarus before the man died but he intentionally delayed his arrival. Lazarus' sister was angry and disappointed with their friend, but Jesus had a reason for his delay. Read the story at John 11: 1-44. "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"

Jesus clearly dreaded what was to come for him on the cross and he was probably tempted to do exactly the thing which he said he could do (Matthew 26:53). He did not do it because it would have meant that Satan had won. "But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen this way?"

Jesus is the only person who has ever live a life totally free of sin. Here is the hard part. He was tempted just like we are. Hebrews 4:15

Bible Printer's Errors: The Pilate's Tile Bible

These Bible Printers Errors are all in the English language.  They are from printed editions of the King James Version of the Bible created during the time when the printed text had to be hand set using individual letter keys. There are probably just as many variant printed texts in other languages created during the same time period.  Proofreading is very important.  Sometimes one word, or even one letter, changes the entire meaning of a passage.  The following is an example to prove the point.

WHAT IT SHOULD HAVE SAID:  

“And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

WHAT IT SAID:

“And Pilate wrote a tile, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS."

This is from the 1612 “Pilate’s tile” Bible. The text is from John 19:19.

Jesus Spoke Aramaic, Hebrew, and Greek

The New Testament is written in Greek, the common language of the Roman Empire at the time.  It was the Greek language which helped spread the gospel across the then known world. Some, myself included, believe that God arranged events so that at the arrival of Jesus there was one essentially global empire with one universally understood language. Communications across the Empire were much faster across great distances than we today would imagine.

The languages of the subjugated peoples were still in use and the Jews spoke Aramaic among themselves. The sacred language in use in their synagogues was Hebrew and they considered it to be a great honor to speak and read before the congregation.  Jesus would have been conversant in both languages and he also read before the congregation. The Samaritan Woman at the Well would have been speaking Hebrew. (Luke 2: 39-52; John 4:4-26: Luke 4:16-21)  Some of Jesus' sayings  in the New Testament are presented in untranslated Aramaic. ("Talitha cumi" and "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani!")

Many Jews probably spoke only Aramaic and Hebrew, but to function in the Roman environment it was very helpful to also speak and understand Greek. Jesus was able to talk to Pilate (John 18: 28-38) and the Roman soldiers  (Matthew 8: 5-13 ), answering them in Greek It is unlikely that Pilate or the centurions understood a single word of Aramaic.

Unusual Christian Places: Shingo, Japan

Shingo, Japan is a small village of 3000 people which claims that Jesus did not die during His crucifixion because the man who was crucified was actually Jesus’ younger brother. The Shingo legend says that Jesus settled in the village and went by the name Daitenku Taro. He became a rice farmer, married one of the local women, and had three daughters. The legend has him dying in Shingo at the age of 106.

Though many locals claim to be descendants of Jesus through his daughters, all but one (in 2013) are Buddhist or are followers of Shintoism.

Magic

After you read this post go back and watch this and this. You did not see what you thought you saw. Both are illusions. The first video is essentially an advertisement for a magic company's Floating Card Trick which they sell, with instructions, to stage magicians. The second is a video of illusionist Criss Angel.  I have no idea how he does this but it is an illusion and is not real supernatural magic.

The Egyptian priests in Exodus 7:8 - 8:7 were able to duplicate the miracles performed by Moses using what the Bible calls their "secret arts." Whether or not they actually performed supernatural acts or were merely skilled illusionists, we do not know. The effect, though, was to cause haughty unbelief in Pharaoh's heart. Because he did not believe, God hardened Pharaoh's unbelief.

Jesus does not appear to have been particularly impressed with His own supernatural powers. He expected belief because of who he was, not because he did "magic." He remarked that if the people did not believe Moses, why would they believe him? And he seems to have had what on the surface appears to have been a rather harsh attitude toward unbelief. Harsh unless he was who he clearly said he was.

“And he could do no miracle there except that he laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.” Mark 6:5 NASB®

"Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.” Matthew 7:6 NASB®

"Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet.” Matthew 10:14 NASB®

"And as for those who do not receive you, as you go out from that city, shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” Luke 9:5 NASB®

There is no biblical record that Jesus ever returned to Nazareth after that day.

These two sites discuss whether or not the unbelief in Nazareth actually limited Jesus' ability to perform miracles.

https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/872-was-christs-power-limited-by-mans-faith

http://home.earthlink.net/~ronrhodes/qjesusmiracles.html

Book Comment: The Secret Life of Angels

In The Secret Life of Angels: Who They Are and How They Help Us (2014), biblical teacher Ron Rhodes examines many of the prevalent modern pagan (yes, I said pagan) ideas about the existence, nature, and activities of angels. In the modern secular culture, there are far more people interested in angels than one might think. The main unifying theme in all of these secular culture views is that they diminish or totally eliminate Jesus from the discussion.

Some people, including some who call themselves Christians, would deny the existence of angels or would explain that what seems to be angelic activity is merely a manifestation of God. Rhodes points out that both the Bible and Jesus Himself are explicit in their statements that angels are real persons.

Teacher Rhodes discusses many of the erroneous prevalent beliefs about angels and shows how and why these teachings are at odds with the Bible's teachings.  He also points out that many modern angel beliefs include occultic activity and open one up to other types of contact. Some of the unbiblical views include:

1. Angels are the spirits of humans who have died and gone to Heaven.
2. Angels always present a positive uplifting message and their purpose is to bring meaning into our lives by helping us to feel loved.
3. Angels are never the instruments of God's wrath. They have nothing to do with the Old Testament image of a vengeful and wrathful God. (This plays into the unscriptural idea that the Gods of the Old Testament and of the New Testament are radically different persons.)
4. Angels are proper objects of worship.
5. Angels teach us that our true nature is divine.
6. Angel activity is increasing in modern times. This is an indication that the world is nearing an evolutionary change, a tipping point.
7. Angels protect all people regardless of their religious beliefs.
8. Angels can be summoned by humans.
9. If we tell an angel what we want, the angel will work to satisfy that desire.

Teacher Rhodes then spends several chapters of the book in discussing the Biblical teachings concerning who God's angels actually are and their true nature and origin. He also discusses our proper relationship with the angels. He backs up each statement with numerous biblical quotations.

The Secret Life of Angels would be incomplete if it ignored one final element of angelology; the most controversial element. Teacher Rhodes points out that, just as the Bible and Jesus explicitly affirm the existence of God's angels, they also are explicit in affirming the existence of the fallen angels, the demons. Rather than being the imaginary stuff of superstition and ignorance, the demons are real persons just as real as the angels. The Bible gives us quite explicit instructions about how to deal with these persons.

___________________________________________________________________

A general caution: books may give you wonderful new insights and explanations of subjects, but you should never base your Christian beliefs on any one book or the teachings of one person, no matter who they are. All teachings must be consistent with scripture. Read as the Bereans did, with discernment. “… for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.” Acts 17:11 NASB

Any doctrines must be consistent with the historical full body of Christian thought. Doctrines or teachings inconsistent with scripture in any way must be rejected. You would not eat cheese which had a fuzzy fungus growing on it.

  

Are People Afraid of the Truth?

I was walking in to my workplace when a fellow employee whom I did not know spoke to me.

"Is that a murder mystery? ... That book you are carrying."

In my hand was The Case for the Real Jesus by Lee Strobel. I planned to do some reading in the book during my lunch break from work.

As we walked, I explained that the book was a work of apologetics. It responds vigorously to the numerous modern attempts to discredit the historical accuracy of the Bible and, more specifically, its depiction of Jesus.

A strange look spread across the face of the woman. She backed away and said, "It's because of all the translations and all the edits. That's why it doesn't have any credibility." The same unsupportable, incoherent, historical fact denying, vapid popular culture, anti-intellectual charges that we hear over and over and over!

She sped up and walked quickly away, probably to escape from the crazy religious person. She never looked back. Perhaps she feared for her life.

My thought was, "Wow! You really do need to read this book." Perhaps she was afraid that she might hear something which challenged her shallow postmodernist views.
 

Family Crosses

This last Sunday was Easter day. At the church which my son and his family attend, the families participated in a wonderful ceremony. The parents and their children built small crosses and wrapped them in burlap. Nails were placed in the cross at the points where the hands and feet of Jesus were positioned. The parents read a text explaining the meaning of the cross and the nails and said a family prayer.

Then the parents explained the Resurrection and the children and parents placed flowers and plant branches into the burlap to represent the beauty of life. The parents explained to the children that Jesus was really dead and then rose, defeating death forever.

Afterwards, the families carried the crosses home. There were as many different crosses as there were families. The crosses were all different. The crosses were all the same. The crosses were all beautiful. Just like us.

Film Comment: The Wild Dogs

There are several films carrying the title of The Wild Dogs. This is the 2002 film directed by Thom Fitzgerald in Bucharest (Bucuresti), Romania. The film won 4 awards in 2002 from the Atlantic Film Festival and 4 nominations from the Genie Awards and the Taos Talking Picture Festival. It is not of Oscar quality, but it definitely will make you think, and squirm.

Several stories are twined together into a slice of several days in the life of the rich elite and the poor beggars of Bucharest. It takes place during the period of the "cull" of the wild dogs which basically overran the city after the fall of the Communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. The characters include, a highly reluctant city-employed dogcatcher; a Canadian pornographer in town to photograph fresh, very young meat; a cynical and corrupt diplomat and his disillusioned lonely wife; bands of abandoned children; hideously deformed "freaks of nature;" gypsies; beggars; and, of course, the dogs.

Unless you are a veteran viewer of hard-edged films I really can't recommend that you watch this. Some of it will make you angry, some of it will make you cry. Some of the language will offend you. You will not believe that Dorutu (a human torso) and "Sour Grapes" (whose knees bend backward as he walks around on all fours like a large crab) are real people, but they are. There were no CGI special effects involved in filming these characters.

The film causes extreme disagreements among its viewers. Some hate it, some say it is an accurate reflection of Bucharest. One Romanian emigrant said online, "Every country they got their poors." Claudita_993, a Romanian who resettled in Canada, said of the dogs, "I felt sorry for them and I despised them at the same time."

The point of the film, from a Christian perspective, is that the people in the film were the actual wild dogs, aimless and hopeless, scrounging each day just to survive, living utterly without purpose. There are no innocent people in the film, not even the children. The only innocents are the dogs. It is a powerful presentation of the sheer lostness of the world living without Jesus Christ.

What They Think of Us: Zombie Nativity

Jasen Dixon says that he did not intend to offend anyone with his zombie nativity scene. There is now a fundraiser under way and a Facebook page for what supporters are calling a “wonderful piece of artwork.” Hostile online posters derisively said “… Jesus is the most famous zombie the world has ever known.  …  I thought that Jesus being a zombie was pretty much the central tenet of the religion.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/23/zombie-nativity-jason-dixon_n_6374428.html

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/12/23/ohio-homeowner-told-to-take-down-his-zombie-nativity-scene/

http://www.wptv.com/news/local-news/water-cooler/jasen-dixon-man-has-to-remove-zombie-nativity-scene-due-to-zoning-violation

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/12/24/1224-zombie-nativity.html

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Zombie-nativity-scene/365944350233282

http://io9.com/zombie-nativity-scene-is-possibly-the-greatest-thing-ev-1674937583

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2014/12/23/ohio-conservative-christians-freak-out-over-homeowners-zombie-nativity-scene-threatens-lawsuit-video/

Does 12-13-14 Have Any Special Meaning?

I imagine that the numerologists are very busy today looking for arcane messages in today’s date, 13 December 2014. This date can be represented as 12-13-14.  This alignment of dates will not happen again for 100 years.  Surely it must have some cosmic significance! Personally, I think it is just a coincidental arrangement of numbers due to our current dating system.

When I noticed the 12-13-14 arrangement, I thought about the significance of numbers, especially in the Bible, which does use numbers as symbols. Think of the numbers 3, 7, 666, and 1000. Some people think that they see beyond the obvious symbolic use of numbers and that they can detect many numerological messages secretly embedded in the text by God. This is on the same order as belief in the controversial Torah Bible Codes.

The hidden messages which do undeniably exit in the Bible were of human origin. For instance, investigate ATBASH. An example occurs at Jeremiah 25:26. These messages were meant by the writers to obscure the true meaning from hostile governmental authorities who might read the texts. The idea is "to hide in plain sight." Also investigate the use of acrostics, an intentional literary form used by some of the Old Testament writers. Two examples of biblical acrostics occur at Proverbs 31:10-31 and Psalms 119.

I do not believe that the Bible is full of hidden supernatural messages. That is a pagan Gnostic idea. God inspired the writing of the various books of the Bible as a coherent whole and it is intended to be understood. It is a tool, a book of revelation about the nature of God, not a book of puzzles.

The Bible tells us that God is not a man and that His ways are not our ways. God is totally other, unknowable, and perfect.  He moves in the sub-atomic places and in the cosmic places. The Bible is part of God’s effort to make the utterly unknowable (Himself) understandable, at least partly, to our inadequate tiny little minds. Over and over we are told, “the Kingdom of God is like ….” I believe that God has used the entire Jewish religious and cultural system to explain what He is like. The entire Bible points toward Jesus, Who is the ultimate revelation of Who God is.

Book Comment: Judaism for Everyone and Why the Jews Rejected Jesus

Two books this time: Judaism for Everyone (2002) and Why the Jews Rejected Jesus (2005). These two books are two sides of the same coin and discuss some of the same issues.

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, the author of eleven books with titles like Kosher Sex, The Rabbi and the Psychic, and The Jewish Guide to Adultery, wrote Judaism for Everyone as an apologetic work  (but, he emphatically points out, not as an evangelistic effort). The secondary title of the book is Renewing Your Life Through the Vibrant Lessons of the Jewish Faith.

David Klinghoffer says that he wrote Why the Jews Rejected Jesus as an explanation to his well-meaning Christian friends who cannot understand why he would reject the free gift of salvation offered by the Gospel.

For both authors the idea reduces down to one point: they do not believe that Jesus fulfilled the requirements for being declared the Messiah. Christians, of course, see the same things, but come to an entirely different interpretation *.

The Jews list these reasons for rejecting Jesus:

1.     Jesus never fought the Romans. * Chrisians say that Rome clearly saw Jesus as a threat.

2.     Jesus did not establish a physical political messianic kingdom.  * Christians say that Jesus established His kingdom in the hearts of His followers, an idea which Jews utterly reject.

3.     A new Temple was not built in Jerusalem.  * Christians say that Jesus Himself is the new Temple and its priest.

4.     The world did not recognize God as Lord.  * Christians say that at the Second Coming every head will bow and every knee will bend in acknowledgement of God.

5.      A New Covenant based on restored commitment to observance of the Law was not given to the Jews. * Christians say that the New Covenant based on Faith in the Saving Grace of Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law.

6.     There was no ingathering of the Jewish exiles.  * Some Christians see the fulfillment of this requirement in the establishment of the modern State of Israel.

The Jews saw the claims of Jesus and His Christian followers to be blasphemous.  Klinghoffer points out that to the Jews, blasphemy is abusing God’s name for a forbidden purpose. Boteach clarifies what the Jews see as that forbidden purpose: He declares that the idea that God can be Human is the ultimate heresy. *Christians, of course, insist that Jesus was fully divine and fully human.

I urge you to read both of these books. Christianity and Judaism have major differences between them.  A Christian, for example, cannot echo Rabbi Boteach in saying, “Doing the right thing for the wrong reasons is far more important than waiting for the right motivation.”

Even with the differences, there is agreement on the vast majority of our two worldviews and an understanding of Jewish history, symbolism, and theology is absolutely essential for a proper understanding of Christianity. Jesus was an orthodox Jew.

Also, since God does not change, all of His promises to Israel still stand. He is not finished with the Jews.  The Bible tells us that in the end days “all Israel shall be saved.”

___________________________________________________________________

A general caution: books may give you wonderful new insights and explanations of subjects, but you should never base your Christian beliefs on any one book or the teachings of one person, no matter who they are. All teachings must be consistent with scripture. Read as the Bereans did, with discernment. “… for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.” Acts 17:11 NASB

Any doctrines must be consistent with the historical full body of Christian thought. Doctrines or teachings inconsistent with scripture in any way must be rejected. You would not eat cheese which had a fuzzy fungus growing on it.

Spiritual but Not Religious

A current phrase I hear often is “I am spiritual but not religious.”  This is usually uttered in response to any mention of Jesus. I believe that these people are consciously or unconsciously trying to avoid having anything to do with organized religion.  I think that what they are actually trying to avoid are the demands that a real involvement with Jesus would place upon them. They would rather have a vague and shallow numinous feeling about the universe and the self-congratulatory feeling that since they feel “something” they are good people and that they are justified in living their lives in any way they wish. This is a rejection of God and the glorification of the Self.

What They Think of Us: The Success of United States Soccer Goalie Tim Howard Spawns Jesus Jokes

Tim Tebow found out what happens when a celebrity is open about their faith.

United States Soccer goalie Tim Howard gave the world a brilliant performance versus Belgium in the World Cup round of 16, making a record sixteen saves on some point-blank close-in shots. He has openly declared his allegiance to Jesus and has dedicated his play to Jesus’ glory. Soon afterwards, people began calling him “Bald Jesus” for his numerous saves.  Then the jokes started appearing.

http://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/29syvs/whats_the_difference_between_tim_howard_and_jesus/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/worldcup2014/article-2677575/Tim-Howard-virals-The-best-internet-pictures-praising-USA-goalkeepers-great-display-against-Belgium.html

http://theodysseyonline.com/charleston/tim%20howard-%20more%20saves%20than%20jesus%20christ/60993

What They Think of Us: The Blasphemy Board Game

Board games are known to have existed since at least 3500 BC/BCE.  The first known was Senet in ancient Egypt.

Board games most often involve flat board surfaces marked with paths, trails, or countries and have a predetermined set of game play rules.  Game pieces are moved along the paths on the board toward a set goal.  Many board games involve the idea of battle and are played based on strategy or chance (often the roll of a set of dice) or a combination of the two.

Modern board games include Checkers, Chess, Parchisi, Risk, Candy Land, Go, Stratego, Hungry Hungry Hippos, Battleship, Monopoly, Rummikub, Jenga, Mouse Trap, Gnip Gnop, Scrabble, Sorry!, Twister, and many others.  There seems to be a board game for almost every taste. Here is one for people who think that Christianity is a joke.

The Blasphemy Board Game

http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/33125/blasphemy

Each of the game pieces is a different colored Jesus.  The first Jesus to get himself killed wins the game.  Images of the game pieces:

http://boardgamegeek.com/image/275830/blasphemy

http://boardgamegeek.com/image/1193364/blasphemy

http://boardgamegeek.com/image/696983/blasphemy

What They Think of Us: Adolf Hitler

“Christianity is an invention of sick brains; one could imagine nothing more senseless.” Adolf Hitler

23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness;

24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:

27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;  (1 Corinthians 1:23-27)

Messianic Prophecies from the Bible: The Virgin Birth

"Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." Isaiah 7:14, KJV

"almah" עַלְמָ֗ה  is a Hebrew word for “young woman" or "virgin.”  There is much controversy over the translation of this word as “virgin.” Hebrew scholar Michael L. Brown has pointed out that a young maiden in Isaiah’s time was expected to be a virgin.  Another Hebrew word, “betulah” בְּתוּלָ֕ה  (used in Genesis 24:16) more properly means “virgin” but can also mean “young woman” or “maiden.”

Many Jews point out that the context of the verse seems to show this as being a sign given to Ahaz, King of Judah, who lived centuries before Jesus. (Ahaz was a descendent of the line of David, as was Jesus). They also say the prophecy cannot refer to Jesus because He was not named Immanuel.

Professor Brown answers that Ahaz was addressed in two verses in the plural. (The divine right of kings or were two persons being addressed?).  Brown sees this as “a promise to the house of David as a whole” and says that “the birth of Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz seems to take the place of the Immanuel prophecy in terms of the immediate historical context.”

The “virgin” translation was used in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures which was in use during New Testament times.  The Greek word used here is “parthenos” ( “παρθένος” ; “virgin”).  The Septuagint was translated hundreds of years before Jesus was born and was quoted by Matthew. 

That not all Jews object to the translation of “almah” as “virgin” is shown by a quotation from the respected rabbi Rashi: :”And some interpret that this is the sign, that she was a young girl and incapable of giving birth.”  Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitschaki, 1040-1105) did not himself believe that Isaiah predicted a virgin birth.

(A Jewish rabbi discusses this question here.)

http://www.outreachjudaism.org/uploads/pdf%5CDUALVIRgin%20website.pdf

(A Christian response.)

http://www.aboutbibleprophecy.com/isaiah-7-14-ahaz-sign.htm

It is true that Jesus was not literally named Immanuel (Eμμανουηλ), which in Greek means “God with us,” but this is exactly what Christians believe about Jesus.

“Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” Matthew 1:23, KJV

.....................................................................
The Virgin Birth narratives occur in Matthew 1:18-25 and Luke 1:26-38.   Michael L. Brown is quoted from The Case for the Real Jesus (2007) by Lee Strobel.

Messianic Prophecies From the Bible: A Jew Will be Born Who Will be the King of the Jews. He Will be Called God, the Father, and The Prince of Peace.

Jews and Christians disagree on whether or  not Isaiah 9:6 is a reference to The Messiah.  Christians see this verse as clearly pointing to Jesus.  Jews insist that we are taking the verse out of context.  They say the verse refers to the birth of Hezekiah (740? – 692? BC/BCE), King of Judah.  Hezekiah cleaned and reopened the Temple.

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”  Isaiah 9:6

Jews number the verse differently (as Isaiah 9:5) and say that the verse should be translated as “For a child has been born to us, a son given to us,  and the authority is upon his shoulder, and the wondrous advisor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, called his name, “the prince of peace.”

A literal word for word translation of the Hebrew words of the verse: “For to us a child is born to us a son is given to and shall be the government on his shoulder and called his name Wonderful Counselor the God mighty the everlasting the Prince of Peace.”  Written ancient Hebrew contains no punctuation marks and all the letters are run together with no spaces between words.