The Nugget:
Mic 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
My Comment:
This is the second time today that I have written this post. Facebook very inconveniently erases my work before it is saved by asking me to sign in to Facebook, for when I click the link Facebook provides, my work disappears. I wish there were a way around this but so far I have not figured that out. Might be the Devil playing his tricks, who knows? In any case, here is my continuing discussion that I engaged in this morning on the “Christianity and Islam Friendly Debate” group as best as I can reconstruct it. I hope my renewed efforts to re-create this post serve to kick the Devil hard where it hurts. He needs to be resisted (James 4:7).
The Muslim Question:
“How do you combine the two natures: the human and the divine, when these two natures are in complete contradiction to one another?”
My Reply:
Jesus Christ possessed two natures, a human nature and a divine nature, in one Person. This is in fulfillment of much Old Testament prophecy.
We know from the historical record in the New Testament that Jesus Christ was born as a man to the Virgin Mary (Matthew 1:22, 23) in Bethlehem in fulfillment of Bible prophecy in Isaiah 7:14 but also Genesis 3:15.
This is a Bible doctrine known as the Incarnation of Christ.
That the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem is predicted in Micah 5:2.
Mic 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
This prediction in Micah 5:2 asserts the deity of the Messiah because He is stated to exist “from of old, from everlasting,” or from “the days of eternity” (the marginal reading furnished by the KJV translators). Only God can be eternal. Since this attribute is ascribed to the Messiah, the Messiah must be God.
It was necessary that the Messiah be both man and God. He had to be a man or he could not die. The Bible clearly teaches that Jesus Christ died for our sins,
1 Corinthians 15:3
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
King James Version
But if Jesus Christ were merely a man, His death could not have the efficacy required in the Atonement, for if He were merely a man, His death could only atone for one person. Beyond this, since Jesus Christ was absolutely sinless, He did not need to atone for his own sins because he had none.
Hebrews 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Hebrews 7:22 By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.
Heb 7:23 And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death:
Heb 7:24 But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.
Heb 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
Heb 7:26 For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;
Heb 7:27 Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.
That the Messiah must be a man is clearly specified in the provisions of the Davidic Covenant and also the Abrahamic Covenant. Notice that the very first sentence in the New Testament relates to this fact:
Mat 1:1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
Psalm 80:17 specifies that the Messiah was to be a man:
Psa 80:17 Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself.
The Davidic Covenant directly promises that the Messiah will be a man and will sit forever upon the Throne of David:
2 Samuel 7:19
19 And this was yet a small thing in thy sight, O Lord GOD; but thou hast spoken also of thy servant’s house for a great while to come. And is this the manner of man, O Lord GOD?
King James Version
Psalms 132:11
11 The LORD hath sworn in truth unto David; he will not turn from it; Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne.
King James Version
That the Messiah will be divine may be deduced from the following two passages of Bible prophecy:
Luke 1:32-33
32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
King James Version
Isaiah 24:23
23 Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.
King James Version
The reign of Messiah will be centered in Jerusalem but will extend to the entire earth:
Zechariah 14:9
9 And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.
King James Version
The Messiah in Isaiah 24:23 is spoken of as the Lord of Hosts. This is proof of the divinity or deity of the Messiah. This truth is reflected in many places in the Bible and can be seen if the Bible is carefully studied.
If anything I have presented needs further clarification, please feel free to ask more good questions.