#4 -- TRUTH - Filled PROPHECIES

 

 Sheep in the Bethlehem hills

MICAH 5:2-4

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.

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It was of a NECESSITY that Joseph took Mariam to Bethlehem.

It was of a NECESSITY that she arrive there ON TIME to give birth to MESSIAH+ in that place and not along the way in some house more comfortable.

It was of a NECESSITY that Joseph and Mariam leave Nazareth , and thus, it was of a necessity that the Roman oppressors who ruled over the Jewish people in Israel ordered a tax to be levied at this specific point in time. 

It was of a NECESSITY that a specific, Messianic Prophecy, ordained of old, should be fulfilled. . .  and that the wicked, worldly, Roman government did not stop it. Indeed, even Rome’s wickedness was used to make sure the prophecy of the COMING KING+ over the kings of this wicked world and LORD+ over the lords of this world was accomplished.

 

The prophecy in Micah 5:2 could NOT have been fulfilled if Joseph and Mariam had stayed in Nazareth of Galilee of the Nations until after the Royal BABE+ arrived.

 

How tempting to remain in Nazareth until after His+ Birth !  How closely Joseph and Mariam were walking in HIS WILL !

 

Why, then, did The ELOHIM  [ The FATHER, SON+ , and HOLY SPIRIT ] choose a virgin girl of Nazareth and not of Bethlehem to carry the Royal BABE+ ?

 

The ELOHIM’S choice  of a Hebrew virgin of Nazareth was to fulfill yet another prophecy of old, re-stated in Matthew 2:23:

And he [ that is, Joseph, bringing Mariam and the Royal BABE+ back from Egypt ]   came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets,

HE+ shall be called a Nazarene.

[ In reference to Isaiah 11:1 ]

 

Isaiah 11:1 states:

And there shall come forth a ROD+ out of the stem of Jesse, and a BRANCH+ [ a “Netzar” , in Hebrew ] shall grow out of his roots

 

Moreover, the Micah 5:2 prophecy could NOT have been fulfilled at a different time.

Nor could it have been fulfilled in a different way.

Nor could it have been fulfilled by a different set of parents.

 

Both Joseph, of the tribe of Judah through the Legal Lineage of David, and Mariam, also of the tribe of Judah through the Royal Lineage of David, were specifically chosen to play a major role in the Incarnation of the MESSIAH+-King+.

 

PHOTO of Nazareth by KYLE POPE. See below for website.

And furthermore: BOTH Joseph and Mariam were of the inconsequential, forgotten city of Nazareth, so little and so insignificant that some sources say it was not mentioned in the Old Testament records nor in the historical accounts in later centuries.

 

MICAH 5:2-4

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.

+  +  +

Here is this famous MESSIANIC prophecy in Micah 5:2 from the Orthodox Jewish Bible, ( parenthetical phrases from the OJB ) :

 But thou, Beit-lechem Ephratah, though thou be little among the Alphei Yehudah ( Thousands of Yehuda) , yet out of thee shall He [ Moshiach ] come forth unto Me [ Hashem  ] that is to be Moshel Yisroel;  whose goings forth ( i.e., origins ) have been mikedem , (from everlasting; see Chabakuk 1:12) , mimei olam ( from the days of eternity.

No matter how it is worded, no matter how it is translated or even transliterated, this famous prophecy was established of old. The learned Jewish scribes and chief priests knew it well.

 

This prophecy from Micah was cited by the learned men called to answer Herod’s ill-intended question: Where was The CHRIST to be born ?

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LET US PRAY:

 O LORD GOD, YOU have fulfilled Your every Word in bringing forth the Promised MESSIAH+ .

 Against all odds, against all oppressive forces of a wicked foreign plus a wicked local government, Your ancient Prophetic Word accomplished that for which YOU sent It.

 Your Word still accomplishes whatever It is sent to do in world-wide prophecy and also in my own, indistinct life, working Your Will on earth, as it is in Heaven.

 O Holy FATHER, help me to stay close to YOU and close to Your SON+ JESUS, the Holy BRANCH+, this prophesied NETZAR+.   

Through much labor and many impediments, this Holy NETZAR+ came to earth, taking on the flesh of His own creation.

 O HOLY ONE+, I am sorry for the many impediments in my own heart, the place YOU+  are to abide. O, come! Abide with me and let me move Self out of the way so that YOU+  will  delight to abide with me !

 Help me to become a faithful, fruit-bearing branch on the True VINE+, the NETZAR+ Who+ came forth from the stem of Jesse, our LORD and SAVIOR+ JESUS CHRIST. Amen. 

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Kyle Pope photos of the cities in Israel  can be found at  http://ancientroadpublications.com/Photos/Bethlehem.html#top and may be used for educational purposes.