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Messiah Wars: Round 3

            A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.... In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious. (Isaiah 11:1 & 10)
            “The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land." (Jeremiah 23:5)
            Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.
            Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)
 
            Fast forward 500 years from yesterday to today. Having already eliminated all of the contenders for Messiah who are not Jewish and of the tribe of Judah, God continues to narrow the field. Not only did the Messiah have to be a son of Judah, but he had to be a son of Jesse and of David. Oh, and did you notice? "He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom...from that time on and forever." Even in the Old Testament, the godhood of the Messiah was established.
            The last of the genealogical prophecies is that He would be born of a virgin. Of the list of contenders there are claims of virgin births for Mithras and Attis. The claim for Attis is more than a little odd because it involves his mother, Nana, and an almond , which is, of course, a seed. The almond tree from which it fell was said to have grown from the blood spilled when a demon, Agdistis was castrated. Of course, both those have already been eliminated from contention for other reasons anyway.
            Friends have noted that the term translated "virgin" can mean simply a young girl. That doesn't change the fact that Mary, a descendant of David, who was a young girl (not a goddess) claimed to be a virgin. And Joseph believed her, because he didn't end their relationship or have her killed as an adulteress. He postponed consummating their marriage until after Jesus was born, and probably until 40 days after Jesus was born in accordance with Jewish purification laws. That rules out a second (or third, or fourth) time those who were ruled out before.
            We're just getting started.

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