Virgin Mary, The Mother of Jesus!
Introduction:
- Humanly speaking, with the intellect and feeling, what can go beyond the relationship between parents and children, and more specifically between mother and son?
- It is on this basis that the Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus, is considered the finest linkage of the people with Jesus Christ on matters of pleading for favors.
Pope Pius IX in his Ineffabilis Deus, on 8 December 1854 , promulgated the Immaculate Conception doctrine of the Blessed Virgin Mary:
“The most Blessed Virgin Mary in the first instance of her conception, by a singular privilege and grace granted by God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the human race, was preserved exempt from all stain of original sin."
(The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume VII Copyright © 1910 by Robert ..Appleton Company Online Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. Knight Nihil Obstat, June 1, 1910 . Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York )
Perhaps only a few have noticed that quite recently (150 years) is this pronouncement made regarding the immaculate conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. St. Thomas Aquinas, considered a prince of the Catholic Church, had his reservations long before the proclamation:
“St. Thomas Aquinas did not deny the sanctification of Mary while she was still in the womb of St. Anne before her birth, but he did express some difficulty extending this sanctification back to the first moment of conception.
Considered the greatest of the medieval scholastics, he refused to admit the Immaculate Conception, on the ground that, unless the Blessed Virgin had at one time or other been one of the sinful, she could not justly be said to have been redeemed by Christ.
i Summa theologia, part iiL, quaest. 27, art. 3; 6 In librum III. sententiarum distsnct. 3 quaest. I. art. 2; 1 In librum III. senlenhierum dist. 3 quaest. i. n. 4; Cfr.
A careful study of the Sacred Scriptures is in order following the Bereans how they were considered more noble in verifying everything they heard about the Sacred Scriptures (Acts 17:11) 1.
Let God speak. Telltale on matters pertaining to Him embraces everything that did not come from His words in the Sacred Scriptures. Since the subject is a sensitive spiritual issue, let God trace it since the creation of man. God who is a spirit (John 4:24 ) created man in His own image (Gen. 1:27) 2, and this representation definitely refers to Jesus Christ who is the image of the invisible God (Col. 1:14-15) 3. Jesus is symbolized by a “lamb” (John 1:29 ) 4, so also is man as our Lord called His Disciples my “sheep” (John 10:3) 5.
However, no longer was man in the image of a “sheep” at the Fall (Gen. 3:6-7) 6, but that of a “goat” as our Lord depicted the unsaved in His parable in Matt. 25:31-33 7. Man was separated from the Tree of Life. 8 Man’s spiritual history therefore covers the progression, “from sheep (at creation) to goat (at the fall) then back to sheep (for those embracing salvation).”
First, God needs to reveal the real nature of ORIGINAL SIN that we hear from preachers about Eve having eaten an apple? Sad to state, no such thing is written in the Sacred Scriptures. What is written is that God empowered Satan to perform wonders, like turning the rods of the wise men and sorcerers of Pharaoh into serpents (Exodus 7:10 -12) 9. Perhaps many people have not heard God addressing Satan as “man” in the following:
Eze 28:13 “Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God ; every precious stone was thy covering…”
Eze 28:2 “…Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man…”
Satan also called serpent (Gen. 3:1) 10 is a “man” according to God (Ezek. 28:13, 28:2)! 11 Definitely a counterfeit man as the rods of the wise men and sorcerers of Pharaoh are counterfeit serpents. Temptation occurred when Eve was alone waiting for Adam. Satan was able to convince Eve to eat the “forbidden fruit of the tree in the midst of the garden” (Gen. 2:17) 12. Who can explain the ORIGINAL SIN but God alone through His word. These are the clues gleaned from what is written:
First - Why did David say he is conceived in sin (Psa. 51:5) 13, when sin is non-transferable (Ezek. 18:20 ) 14, for “every man shall be put to death for his own sin” (Deut. 24:16) 15.
Second - Why is it written that Eve is the "mother of all living" (Gen. 3:20) 16 when life comes from the spermatozoa of the father and not from the ovum of the mother? Is not this fact the reason why children bear the family name of the father?
Third - In tracing the genealogy of Joseph, the husband of Virgin Mary, from whom Jesus' own genealogy is linked, why can't we find the name CAIN, supposed to be the first-born son of Eve (Luke 3:23-38) 17?
Fourth - Why did God put a curse on the child bearing of Eve after the Fall (Gen. 3:16) 18?
Fifth - Why are there only seven (7) generations from ADAM to ENOCH, when it should have been eight (8) if Cain were included (Jude 1:14 ) 19?
Sixth – Why did Noah cursed the son of Ham by the name of Canaan , after Ham saw his father’s (Noah) nakedness (Gen. 9:18-19, 20-25)?
Seventh - Why did John the Apostle write, "Cain was of the wicked one” (1 John 3:12) 20, and the wicked one points to Satan?
Eighth - Why did Jesus Christ call His listeners, "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do..." (John 8:44)?
Ninth - Did not Jesus say that man should get rid of the part of the body that is causing him to commit sin? “If thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off…and if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire" (Matt. 18:8-9). Why did Eve cover her body after "eating" the forbidden fruit instead of her mouth (Gen. 3:7) 21?
Comparing these two episodes will give us the clue to the sin of Eve:
Gen. 4:1-2 " And Adam knew Eve his wife [this is the first reference to "carnal knowledge"]; and she conceived, and bare Cain…And she again bare his brother Abel..."
Gen. 4:25 " And Adam knew his wife again [second reference to "carnal knowledge"]; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth..."
Adam’s initial carnal knowledge with Eve bore Cain and Abel. His succeeding carnal knowledge with her bore only Seth. Relating the aforementioned clues with the birth of Cain and Abel, these children must be twins. Cain must be the product of Eve’s indiscretion with Satan called serpent but God referred to him as a “man!” This is superfetation (to conceive while already pregnant) when Adam had carnal knowledge with Eve. There are cases of superfetation in Germany and Norway where a woman gave birth to twins, one black and one white, and infidelity cannot be denied by DNA test.
God speaks in parables (Ezek 20:49 ) 22. Just as God is a spirit, so are His words spiritual. The fruit of the indiscretion of Eve is further proved when Noah took a wife. Cain married one of the daughters of Adam and Eve and produced progeny that were “fair” and were called “daughters of man.” The descendants of Adam and Eve were called “sons of God.”
Gen 6:2 “That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.”
These are the generations from Adam to Noah sans Cain:
Jude 1:14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying…
Gen. 5:1 -- ADAM, the 1st generation
Gen. 5:3 -- SETH, 2nd generation
Gen.5:6 -- ENOSH, 3rd generation
Gen. 5:9 -- CAINAN, 4th generation
Gen. 5:13 -- MAHALALEEL, 5th generation
Gen. 5:15 – JARED – 6th generation
Gen. 5:18 – ENOCH, 7th generation
Gen. 5:25 -- Methuselah, 8th generation
Gen. 5:28 – Lamech, 9th generation
Gen. 5:29 – NOAH, 1Oth generation
Lust is manifest in the progeny of Cain. A descendant by the name of Lamech (the same name as the father of Noah), took two wives Adah and Zillah (Gen. 4:23) 23. This trait we heard from our Lord Jesus when He said:
Joh 8:44 “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do…”
In the Sixth clue, why did Noah curse the son of Ham by the name of Canaan , after Ham saw his father’s (Noah) nakedness (Gen. 9:18-19, 20-25) 24? The meaning of the “nakedness” of Noah is uncovered in the following:
Lev. 18:8 "The nakedness of thy father's wife shalt thou not uncover: it is thy father's nakedness."
Lev. 20:11 "And the man that lieth with his father's wife, hath uncovered his father's nakedness..."
Deut 22:30 "A man shall not take his father's wife, nor discover his father's skirt."
The lust of Mrs. Noah by bearing a son, named Canaan , to her son Ham, exposed to whose progeny she was. She was a descendant of Cain, the son of the Devil! Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japeth and “of them was the whole earth overspread” (Gen. 9:18-19). Therefore the “blood” of Cain could be traced to all mankind, the basis for David’s “behold in my mother’s womb did she conceived in sin.” Now it is clear why God made this sweeping statement in looking at man as “goat.”
Rom 3:10 “…There is none righteous, no, not one: 11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
Isaiah recognized this fallen nature:
Isa 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags;
Why the Immaculate Conception doctrine was formulated only 150 years ago? 25 Could it be that the Church recognized the physical sin of Eve, and only recently being set aside? But what is written cannot be ignored. Never did we hear Jesus Christ call Virgin Mary His mother, but simply called her “woman” (John 2:4, 19:26) 26. Virgin Mary could not have been the biological mother of Jesus! Otherwise, like Shem, Ham, and Japeth, Jesus would have been tainted with the “blood” of Cain. Virgin Mary is but a surrogate mother, like many cases we have today, where a fetus is place in the womb of a woman simply to give birth to a child. Now what can we say with this proclamation?
"The most blessed Virgin Mary, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin..."
The sin of Adam
If the sin of Eve was her carnal knowledge with Satan in the form of a “man” of his making, then what is the sin of Adam? This is the law of God that Adam violated:
Deu 24:1 “When a man hath taken a wife, and …hath found some uncleanness in her…4 …he may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled; for that is abomination before the LORD…”
Adam was not deceived 27, but for his love for Eve he took her back after being defiled. This he did to free her from punishment who took all to himself. Very clearly, Adam typifies Jesus Christ who loves the church, the people, and as a consequence suffered death on the cross.
Nakedness before and after the Fall
“Nakedness after the Fall” refers to the loss of the “garment of salvation.”
Isa 61:10 “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness…
That is why Adam and Eve took fig leaves to cover themselves:
Gen 3:7 “And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.”
“Nakedness before the Fall” refers to “nakedness from the robe of righteousness” for not eating the “fruits of the Tree of Life.”
Gen 3:22 “And the LORD God said… lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: 23 Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden…24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.”
The Assumption of Virgin Mary
The doctrine of the Assumption or ascension Virgin Mary to heaven body and soul is purely a religious tradition as shown in the following:
“Regarding the day, year, and manner of Our Lady's death, nothing certain is known. The earliest known literary reference to the Assumption is found in the Greek work De Obitu S. Dominae. Catholic faith, however, has always derived our knowledge of the mystery from Apostolic Tradition. Epiphanius (d. 403) acknowledged that he knew nothing definite about it (Haer., lxxix, 11). The dates assigned for it vary between three and fifteen years after Christ's Ascension. Two cities claim to be the place of her departure: Jerusalem and Ephesus. The first six centuries did not know of the tomb of Mary at Jerusalem .”
“The belief in the corporeal assumption of Mary is founded on the apocryphal treatise De Obitu S. Dominae. It is also found in the book De Transitu Virginis. If we consult writings in the East, it is mentioned in the sermons of St. Andrew of Crete, St. John Damascene, St. Modestus of Jerusalem and others. In the West, St. Gregory of Tours (De gloria mart., I, iv) mentions it first. St. John of Damascus(P. G., I, 96) thus formulates the tradition of the Church of Jerusalem .”
“St. Juvenal, Bishop of Jerusalem, at the Council of Chalcedon (451), made known to the Emperor Marcian and Pulcheria, who wished to possess the body of the Mother of God, that Mary died in the presence of all the Apostles, but that her tomb, when opened, upon the request of St. Thomas, was found empty; wherefrom the Apostles concluded that the body was taken up to heaven.”
“Today, the belief in the corporeal assumption of Mary is universal in the East and in the West; according to Benedict XIV (De Festis B.V.M., I, viii, 18) it is a probable opinion, which to deny were impious and blasphemous.”
[Note: By promulgating the Bull Munificentissimus Deus, 1 November, 1950 , Pope Pius XII declaredinfallibly that the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary was a dogma of the Catholic Faith. Likewise, the Second Vatican Council taught in the Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium that "the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all stain of original sin, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, when her earthly life was over, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things (n. 59)."]
It is written that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven.
1 Cor 15:50 “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God ; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.”
Even then Jesus had to die, but because He is spotless and unblemished with sin, His body did not suffer corruption:
1 Pet 1:19 “But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”
Psa 49:9 “That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption.”
Ever Virgin?
Let God speak through His word. Could the brothers/brethren in the following be Christ’s Disciples?
Mar 6:3 “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us?...”
Joh 7:2 “ Now the Jews' feast of tabernacles was at hand. 3 His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judaea , that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest. 4 For there is no man that doeth any thing in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, shew thyself to the world. 5 For neither did his brethren believe in him.”
Mat 12:46 “While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him. 47 Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee.”
Spiritual telltales are addition to the written word of God. These are more appealing to the senses, intellect, and feeling than what is written that is challenging to these faculties.
Spiritual over physical relationship
Jesus emphasized spiritual over physical relationship as shown in the following:
Mat 12:46 “But while He yet talked with the people, behold, His mother and His brothers stood outside, desiring to speak with Him. 47 Then one said to Him, Behold, Your mother and Your brothers stand outside, desiring to speak with You. 48 And He answered and said to him who told Him, Who is My mother? And who are My brothers? 49 And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, Behold, My mother and My brothers! 50 For whoever shall do the will of My Father in Heaven, the same is My brother and sister and mother.”
Perhaps many people have overlooked or have not heard that Jesus first showed Himself to Mary Magdalene at His resurrection from the dead:
Mar 16:9 “And when Jesus had risen early the first day of the Sabbath, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.”
Since the doctrines of the Immaculate Conception, the Assumption, and Mary the wife of Joseph remained ever virgin are but religious traditions, it is worth noting what the Sacred Scriptures warn about this:
Prov 30:6 “Do not add to His Words, lest He reprove you and you be found a liar.”
Col 2:8 “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy… after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”
Since the prophets and the apostles are the foundation of truth (Eph. 2:20 ) 28, let us heed this warning:
Gal 1:8 “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.”
Miracles vs. Wonders
Who can distinguish “miracles” from “wonders” but God alone through His words? This was demonstrated in the Old Testament when Aaron’s rod turned into a serpent, so were the rods of the wise men of Pharaoh:
Exo 7:10 And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the LORD had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent.
Exo. 7:11 Then Pharaoh also called the wise men… they also did in like manner with their enchantments. 12 For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods.
Miracle comes from God and is superior to wonder. Wonders are thought to have come from the power of God, but are actually the work of His enemy. In the New Testament, again miracle is distinguished from wonder in the following. Jesus performed a wonderful miracle on a man who was blind since birth by “opening his eyes.” The man was cast out by the Pharisees because they did not believe Jesus.
Joh 9:35 “Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and finding him, He said to him, Do you believe on the Son of God? 36 And he answered and said, Who is He, Lord, that I might believe on Him? 37 And Jesus said to him, You have both seen Him, and it is He who is speaking with you. 38 And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshiped Him.”
Joh 9:39 “And Jesus said, I have come into this world for judgment, that they who do not see might see, and that they who see might be made blind. 40 And those of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, Are we also blind? 41 Jesus said to them, If you were blind, you would have no sin. But now you say, We see. Therefore your sin remains.”
In this miracle of Christ, people who only see the LITERAL opening of the eyes have “not seen” the SPIRITUAL so as to clearly identify Jesus, according to Him:
Joh 8:19 “…Jesus said to them, You neither know Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also.”
The Pharisees who were not literally blind did not recognize Jesus! He called them, “blind leading the blind.”
Joh 8:54 Jesus answered…it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say that He is your God. 55 Yet you have not known Him…”
The SPIRITUAL opening of the eyes is superior to the LITERAL because the former pertains to the SOUL, while the latter to the BODY that only turns back to dust. Now we can understand why Jesus rebukes those who can only duplicate the LITERAL “miracles,” for these are but “wonders,” like literal opening of the eyes, ears, paralytic walk, even resurrecting a dead person.
Mat 7:22 “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy by thy name, and by thy name cast out demons, and by thy name do many mighty works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you…”
How could Jesus promise the following?
Joh 14:12 Truly, truly, I say to you, He who believes on Me, the works that I do he shall do also, and greater works than these he shall do…”
How could Jesus expect the believers to surpass the LITERAL opening the eyes, ears, making the paralytic walk, and raising a dead person to life again? Definitely Jesus is referring to the SPIRITUAL significance of these miracles! Thus, raising Lazarus from the dead applied to me:
In my prayers, I have been asking God to show me if indeed my name is written in the Book of Life. As a Roman Catholic, the priests told us that our names are written in that book. I met other people belonging to other denominations and they claim the same thing. I was wondering how people of varied religious beliefs, and following "different ways" of salvation have a common claim to eternal life that is contrary to:
Galatians 1:8 "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
First, I wanted God to reveal to me the Book of Life. As I read the Holy Bible, I came across:
Psalms 40:7 (Our Lord speaking) "Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me."
I concluded the Sacred Scriptures is the Book of Life, for no other book can we find showing the Way to eternal life. God answered my first question. This is confirmed by Bible characters like Abel, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, the Apostles, and Disciples of our Lord whose names, I know, are all written in the Sacred Scriptures. All of a sudden Lazarus came to my mind that was dead for four days and entombed in a cave covered with a stone:
John 11:17 "Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already."
As if God wanted to satisfy my obsession, little by little I began to see myself in Lazarus whom our Lord said was only "asleep:"
John 11:11 "…he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep."
Actually Lazarus was "dead."
John 11:14 "Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead."
Reading Proverbs 21:16 validated what I am thinking of myself, "The man that wandereth out of the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead." As a Natural Man, I have to admit that I am "dead" in the eyes of our Lord because I cannot clearly understand the message of God in His words.
1 Cor. 2:14 "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned ."
Lazarus' body stinks due to corruption for he had been dead for four (4) days:
John 11:39 "… Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days."
Like Lazarus, God revealed to me how I "stink" with all the abominations in His sight:
Rom. 3:10 "There is none righteous, no, not one: 11There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one."
Isa. 64:6 "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags…"
Lazarus is in the dark tomb. I am in this dark world. Otherwise our Lord would not have said, "I am the light of the world." A stone covered the tomb, so is my "heart as firm as a stone" that prevents the "light of the gospel" from penetrating my soul or human spirit.
Job 41:24 "…heart is as firm as a stone; yea, as hard as a piece of the nether millstone."
However, Jesus said:
John 11:39 "Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days."
So my "heart of stone" is set aside:
Ezek. 36.26 "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh."
Lazarus heard the shout of our Lord:
John 11:43 "And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth."
John 11:44 "And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go."
I also rose from "spiritual death" when I heard the truth that gives "spiritual life". It was then that I realized I was "born in Spirit."
John 3:5 "Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God ."
Forthwith, I realized I was "spiritually bound with human doctrines, religious traditions, and human ways." Just as Jesus said unto the people around, "Loose him, and let him go," the power of truth from the mouth of my brethren unbound me from erroneous religious teachings taken from the word of God. From then on Lazarus walked with our Lord, as I now walk on the Way.
Lazarus was alive as I have "spiritual life". This is God's confirmation that, indeed, my name is written in the Book of Life. I cannot only see myself in Lazarus, but in Abel, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, the Apostles and Disciples of our Lord. I am given the great privilege afforded to them:
Mark 4:34 "But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples."
From then on, God revealed many things that only now do I clearly understand them, examples:
Matthew 11:25 "At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes."
2 Timothy 3:15 "And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus."
Thereafter, I was delivered from spiritual hypocrisy because God's standard of righteousness is clearly distinguished from man's standard, which I followed before:
Romans 10:2 "For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. 3For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God."
From thereon, I come to God through His words for He is being represented thereto. Never was I contented praying and praising Him only with my lips, but rather of sustaining my relationship with Him through the truth in His words:
Isaiah 29:13 "Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me…and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: 14Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid."
Lord, how could I express my eternal gratitude to You for this wonderful "miracle?" I could only praise and glorify You through Your words:
Psa 56:10 "In God will I praise his word: in the LORD will I praise his word."
Clear recognition of Jesus and His warning in the following now presents a much wider perspective from a deeper point of view:
Mat 24:23 “Then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ! Or, There! Do not believe it. 24 For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders; so much so that, if it were possible, they would deceive even the elect.”
Mat 7:22 “Many will say to Me in that day, Lord! Lord! Did we not prophesy in Your name, and through Your name throw out demons, and through Your name do many wonderful works? 23 And then I will say to them I never knew you! Depart from me…”
END
footnotes...
1 Act 17:11 “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”
2 Gen 1:27 “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him…”
3 Col 1:14 “In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: 15 Who is the image of the invisible God”…
4 Joh 1:29 “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”
5 Joh 10:3 “To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name…”
6 Gen 3:6 “And when the woman saw… she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. 7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.”
7 Mat 25:31 “When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: 32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: 33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.”
8 Gen 3:24 “So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims ,
and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.”
9 Exo 7:10 “And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the LORD had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent. 11 Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt , they also did in like manner with their enchantments. 12 For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods.”
10 Gen 3:1 “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden”?
11 Eze 28:13 “Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God ; every precious stone was thy covering…”
Eze 28:2 “…Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God…”
12 Gen 2:17 “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”
13 Psa 51:5 “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.”
14 Eze 18:20 “…The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.”
15 Deu 24:16 “The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.”
16 Gen 3:20 “And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.”
17 Luk 3:23 And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli, 24 Which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi, which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Janna, which was the son of Joseph… was the son of Nathan, which was the son of David… Arphaxad, which was the son of Sem, which was the son of Noe, which was the son of Lamech, 37 Which was the son of Mathusala, which was the son of Enoch, which was the son of Jared, which was the son of Maleleel, which was the son of Cainan, 38 Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.”
18 Gen 3:16 “Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children…”
19 Jude 1:14 “And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of…”
20 1 John 3:12 “Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one…”
21 Gen 3:7 “And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.”
22 Eze 20:49 “Then said I, Ah Lord GOD! they say of me, Doth he not speak parables?”
23 Gen 4:23 “And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech…”
24 Gen 9:18 “And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan . 19 These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread. 20 And Noah… planted a vineyard: 21 And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent. 22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father…24 And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him. 25 And he said, Cursed be Canaan ; a servant of servants shall he be…”
25 “St. Thomas Aquinas did not deny the sanctification of Mary while she was still in the womb of St. Anne before her birth, but he did express some difficulty extending this sanctification back to the first moment of conception. Considered the greatest of the medieval scholastics, he refused to admit the Immaculate Conception, on the ground that, unless the Blessed Virgin had at one time or other been one of the sinful, she could not justly be said to have been redeemed by Christ.
i Summa theologia, part iiL, quaest. 27, art. 3; 6 In librum III. sententiarum distsnct. 3 quaest. I. art. 2; 1 In librum III. senlenhierum dist. 3 quaest. i. n. 4; Cfr.
26 Joh 2:4 “Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.”
Joh 19:26 “When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!”
27 1 Tim 2:14 “Adam was not beguiled, but the woman being beguiled hath fallen into transgression.”
28 Eph 2:20 “And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone.”