Affirmation
Contents
Hebrew Affirmation:
The "heathen" are the Goyim or Gentile nations. Israel's non-Hebrew neighbours have so often allied themselves against Israel; but, even more, the hatred of the heathen against the Almighty is demonstrated by their open rebellion against His Law, which the heathen view as only overly restrictive bonds and cords-- fit only to be broken.
"2 For, lo, Thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate Thee have lifted up the head.
3 They have taken crafty counsel against Thy people, and consulted against Thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against Thee:
6 the tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes;
7 Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre;
8 Assur also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot. Selah"
(Psalm 83:2-8).
Christian Confirmation: Jesus, Who is called Christ, was historically scourged and crucified by the Romans, just as He predicted; but, He also certified that He would do what only God could perform-- Rise from the dead.
"32 For He [Jesus] shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on:
33 And they shall scourge Him, and put Him to Death: and the third day He shall Rise again"
(Luke 18:32-33). And, it was not for impure conduct that Jesus was opposed by His Jewish counterparts, but for their perception that He committed blasphemy by claiming that He is the Great I Am. "Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I Am"
(John 8:58).
"30 I and My Father are One.
31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.
32 Jesus answered them, Many Good Works have I shewed you from My Father; for which of those Works do ye stone Me?
33 The Jews answered Him, saying, For a Good Work we stone Thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that Thou, being a man, makest Thyself God"
(John 10:30-33). Those Jews were entirely within their right to stone Jesus, if He were not truly God of Very God.
"36 Say ye of Him, Whom the Father hath Sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?
37 If I do not the Works of My Father, believe Me not.
38 But if I do, though ye believe not Me, believe the Works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in Me, and I in Him" (John 10:36-38).
"4 He that sitteth in the Heavens shall laugh: the LORD shall have them in derision.
5 Then shall He speak unto them in His Wrath, and vex them in His sore displeasure" (Psalm 2:4-5).
Hebrew Affirmation:
Ancient Hebrews properly understood that God was their Father, i.e., "Thou, O LORD, art our Father, our Redeemer; Thy Name is from everlasting" (Isaiah 63:16), and they worshipped the Almighty as their King, i.e., "For the LORD is a Great God, and a Great King above all gods"
(Psalm 95:3). Further, it was understood that Jehovah, the Judge of All the Earth, would finally and conclusively pass Judgment upon all the Earth on Judgment Day, i.e., "Before the LORD: for He cometh, for He cometh to judge the Earth: He shall judge the world with Righteousness, and the people with His Truth"
(Psalm 96:13) and "I will send My messenger, and he shall prepare the way before Me: and the LORD, Whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His Temple, even the Messenger of the Covenant, Whom ye delight in: behold, He shall come, saith the LORD of Hosts.
2 But who may abide the Day of His Coming? and who shall stand when He appeareth? for He is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap"
(Malachi 3:1-2), then those judged to be Righteous would serve Him forever.
"13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of Man came with the clouds of Heaven, and came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him.
14 And there was given Him Dominion, and Glory, and a Kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve Him: His Dominion is an Everlasting Dominion, which shall not pass away, and His Kingdom that which shall not be destroyed" (Daniel 7:13-14).
Christian Confirmation:
Again, if Jesus was to be rightfully condemned, it could only have been for falsely proclaiming Himself to be the Anointed One, if He was not the King of the Jews, "The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace"
(Isaiah 9:6). The Christian New Testament records that Jesus, Who identified Himself as the Son of Man (as in Daniel 7:13), claimed to be the King in His Glory. "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"
(Matthew 25:31). He claimed to possess the Right to all Judgment normally associated with the Father. "For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all Judgment unto the Son"
(John 5:22). In short, Jesus claimed to be the Omnipotent One. "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, ALL Power is given unto Me in Heaven and in Earth"
(Matthew 28:18).
"6 Yet have I set My King upon My holy hill of Zion. 7 I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto Me, Thou art My Son; this day have I begotten Thee" (Psalm 2:6-7).
Hebrew Affirmation:
Only through an incomprehensible act could the Everlasting Father be said to beget the Eternally Begotten Son, "Whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting" (Micah 5:2). It was the great understanding of the Ancient Jew that God is One. "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD"
(Deuteronomy 6:4). But, to be sure that His people would seek Him by a Living Faith and not a dead tradition, He progressively revealed Himself, i.e., "And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the Tree of Life, and eat, and live for ever"
(Genesis 3:22), as the Thrice Holy God-- "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of Hosts"
(Isaiah 6:3)-- Whom Christians now worship as the Triune God-- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. "Come ye near unto Me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I [Jehovah the Son]: and now the Lord GOD [the Father], and His Spirit, hath sent Me [Messiah the Son]"
(Isaiah 48:16). Undoubtedly, Abraham faced misunderstanding and possibly the persecution of the surrounding pagan, polytheists for his refusal to worship but the One True God; in the same way, Christians are misunderstood by some modern monotheists as blasphemously worshipping multiple gods, i.e., the Father, the Saviour, and the Comforter. "The Stone which the builders refused is become the Head Stone of the Corner"
(Psalm 118:22). Knowing of such future misunderstandings, the Almighty foretold Himself to become a Stumbling Stone and Rock of Offense to Israel and Jerusalem.
"13 Sanctify the LORD of Hosts Himself; and let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread.
14 And He shall be for a sanctuary; but for a Stone of Stumbling and for a Rock of Offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem" (Isaiah 8:13-14).
Christian Confirmation: Gabriel appeared to Mary to inform her that she had been chosen to be the human mother of the Messiah. Being without a human father, He would be the Son of God.
"26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
27 to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the LORD is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a Son, and shalt call His name JESUS.
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.
34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the Power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God"
(Luke 1:26-35).
"8 Ask of Me, and I shall give Thee the heathen for Thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the Earth for Thy possession.
9 Thou shalt break them with a Rod of Iron; Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel" (Psalm 2:8-9).
Hebrew Affirmation:
We see in the Psalms that it is promised to Jehovah that all the world shall worship before the Living God. "All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before Thee"
(Psalm 22:27). The Seventy-Second Psalm of Solomon begins with a request for the "king's son" (verse 1), alluding to himself as the son of David the former king, but by verse eight, he is referring to a kingly dominion larger than that of Israel and Judah, much larger, i.e., "He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the Earth"
(Psalm 72:8), driving one to the conclusion that this refers to the the Messiah, the Son of David. Undoubtedly, the ancient Jew was promised that the Messiah would crush all of His opposition at the end Judgment of the nations, i.e., those who refused submission. "For the nation and kingdom that will not serve Thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted" (Isaiah 60:12).