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Table
of Contents1Many people have tried to tell the story of what God has done among us. 2They wrote what we had been told by the ones who were there in the beginning and saw what happened. 3So I made a careful study [a] of everything and then decided to write and tell you exactly what took place. Honorable Theophilus, 4I have done this to let you know the truth about what you have heard.
William
Blake: “Zacharias and the Angel”
Image
Source
The
name Zechariah,
the father of John the Baptist, is also found spelled in English
Zachariah,
Zacharias,
Zachary,
and
Zakariya.
An Angel Tells about the Birth of John
5When Herod was king of Judea, there was a priest by the name of Zechariah from the priestly group of Abijah. His wife Elizabeth was from the family of Aaron. [b] 6Both of them were good people and pleased the Lord God by obeying all that he had commanded. 7But they did not have children. Elizabeth could not have any, and both Zechariah and Elizabeth were already old. 8One day Zechariah's group of priests were on duty, and he was serving God as a priest. 9According to the custom of the priests, he had been chosen to go into the Lord's temple that day and to burn incense, [c] 10while the people stood outside praying. 11All at once an angel from the Lord appeared to Zechariah at the right side of the altar. 12Zechariah was confused and afraid when he saw the angel. 13But the angel told him:
Don't be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayers. Your wife Elizabeth will have a son, and you must name him John. 14His birth will make you very happy, and many people will be glad. 15Your son will be a great servant of the Lord. He must never drink wine or beer, and the power of the Holy Spirit will be with him from the time he is born.
16John will lead many people in Israel to turn back to the Lord their God. 17He will go ahead of the Lord with the same power and spirit that Elijah [d] had. And because of John, parents will be more thoughtful of their children. And people who now disobey God will begin to think as they ought to. That is how John will get people ready for the Lord. 18Zechariah said to the angel, "How will I know this is going to happen? My wife and I are both very old."
19The angel answered, "I am Gabriel, God's servant, and I was sent to tell you this good news. 20You have not believed what I have said. So you will not be able to say a thing until all this happens. But everything will take place when it is supposed to."
21The crowd was waiting for Zechariah and kept wondering why he was staying so long in the temple. 22When he did come out, he could not speak, and they knew he had seen a vision. He motioned to them with his hands, but did not say a thing.
23When Zechariah's time of service in the temple was over, he went home. 24Soon after that, his wife was expecting a baby, and for five months she did not leave the house. She said to herself, 25"What the Lord has done for me will keep people from looking down on me." [e]
26One month later God sent the angel Gabriel to the town of Nazareth in Galilee 27with a message for a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to Joseph from the family of King David. 28The angel greeted Mary and said, "You are truly blessed! The Lord is with you."
29Mary
was confused by the angel's words and wondered what they meant.
30Then
the angel told Mary, "Don't be afraid! God is pleased with you,
31and
you will have a son. His name will be Jesus. 32He
will be great and will be called the Son of God Most High. The Lord
God will make him king, as his ancestor David was.
[Additional
translations of Luke 1:32
here]
33He
will rule the people of Israel forever, and his kingdom will never
end."
34Mary
asked the angel, "How can this happen? I am not married!"
35The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come down to you, and God's power will come over you. So your child will be called the holy Son of God. 36Your relative Elizabeth is also going to have a son, even though she is old. No one thought she could ever have a baby, but in three months she will have a son. 37Nothing is impossible for God!"
38Mary said, "I am the Lord's servant! Let it happen as you have said." And the angel left her.
Mosaic
on the exterior of the Ein Karem Church of the Visitation, located 5
miles (8 kilometers) west of the center of Jerusalem
Image
source
(enhanced here)
The
Latin inscription below the mosaic is Luke 1:39 from the
Latin:
Biblia Sacra Vulgata
Exsurgens
autem Maria in diebus illis abiit in montana cum festinatione in
civitatem Juda.
Luke
1:39 (Contemporary English Version) appears immediately below.
Link
to
more information about this church, said to be at the location of
Mary’s visit to the home of Zechariah and Elizabeth and near to
the place where Elizabeth hid John the Baptist safely from King
Herod’s soldiers during the slaughter of children two years old
and younger (as related in Matthew
2:16).
Link
to
information about how Elizabeth and Mary were related
Link
to
a map showing Nazareth in Galilee and Jerusalem and Bethlehem in
Judea at the time of Jesus
Mary Visits Elizabeth
39A short time later Mary hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea. [Additional English translations of Luke 1:39 here]
Lorenzo
and Jacopo Salimbeni: “Scenes from the Life of John the
Baptist, Visitation”
Image
source
40She
went into Zechariah's home, where she greeted Elizabeth. 41When
Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, her baby moved within her.
The Holy Spirit came upon Elizabeth. 42Then in a loud voice she said to Mary:
God has blessed you more than any
other woman! He has also blessed the child you will have. 43Why
should the mother of my Lord come to me? 44As
soon as I heard your greeting, my baby became happy and moved within
me. 45The
Lord has blessed you because you believed that he will keep his
promise.
Filippo
Lippi: “Madonna of the Rocks”
Image
source
Mary's Song of Praise
46Mary said:
With all my heart I praise the Lord, 47and I am glad because of God my Savior.
48He cares for me, his humble servant. From now on, all people will say God has blessed me.
49God All-Powerful has done great things for me, and his name is holy.
50He
always shows mercy to everyone who worships him.
51The
Lord has used his powerful arm to
scatter those
who are proud.
52He
drags strong rulers from their thrones and puts humble people in
places of power.
53God gives the hungry good things to eat, and sends the rich away with nothing.
54He helps his servant Israel and is always merciful to his people.
55The
Lord made this promise to our ancestors, to Abraham and his
family forever!
Lorenzo
and Jacopo Salimbeni: “Scenes from the Life of John the
Baptist, Mary Taking Leave of Elizabeth and Zechariah”
Image
source
56Mary
stayed with Elizabeth about three months. Then she went back home.
57When Elizabeth's son was born, 58her neighbors and relatives heard how kind the Lord had been to her, and they too were glad.
59Eight days later they did for the child what the Law of Moses commands. [f] They were going to name him Zechariah, after his father. 60But Elizabeth said, "No! His name is John." 61The people argued, "No one in your family has ever been named John." 62So they motioned to Zechariah to find out what he wanted to name his son.
63Zechariah asked for a writing tablet. Then he wrote, "His name is John." Everyone was amazed. 64Right away, Zechariah started speaking and praising God.
65All
the neighbors were frightened because of what had happened, and
everywhere in the hill country people kept talking about these
things. 66Everyone
who heard about this wondered what this child would grow up to be.
They knew that the Lord was with him.
18th
century Russian Orthodox icon depicting Zechariah holding a scroll of
the opening lines of Benedictus (Luke 68-79)
Image
source
with the above description
67The Holy Spirit came upon Zechariah, and he began to speak:
68Praise the Lord, the God of Israel! He has come to save his people.
69Our God has given us a mighty Savior [g] from the family of David his servant.
70Long ago the Lord promised by the words of his holy prophets
71to save us from our enemies and from everyone who hates us.
72God said he would be kind to our people and keep his sacred promise.
73He told our ancestor Abraham 74that he would rescue us from our enemies.
Then we could serve him without fear, 75by being holy and good as long as we live.
76You, my son, will be called a prophet of God in heaven above.
You will go ahead of the Lord to get everything ready for him.
77You will tell his people that they can be saved when their sins are forgiven.
78God's
love and kindness will shine upon us like the sun that rises in the
sky. [h]
79On
us who live in the dark shadow of death this light will shine to
guide us into a life of peace.
80As John grew up, God's Spirit gave him great power. John lived in the desert until the time he was sent to the people of Israel.
Footnotes:
Luke 1:3 a careful study: Or "a study from the beginning."
Luke 1:5 Aaron: The brother of Moses and the first priest.
Luke 1:9 burn incense: This was done twice a day, once in the morning and again in the late afternoon.
Luke 1:17 Elijah: The prophet Elijah was known for his power to work miracles.
Luke 1:25 keep people from looking down on me: When a married woman could not have children, it was thought that the Lord was punishing her.
Luke 1:59 what the Law of Moses commands: This refers to circumcision. It is the cutting off of skin from the private part of Jewish boys eight days after birth to show that they belong to the Lord.
Luke 1:69 a mighty Savior: The Greek text has "a horn of salvation." In the Scriptures animal horns are often a symbol of great strength.
Luke 1:78 like the sun that rises in the sky: Or "like the Messiah coming from heaven."
Heinrich
Hoffman: “Christ’s Image”
Image
source
The
words of Reverend Sun Myung Moon
“The
New Messiah and the Formula of God in History”
February
21, 1972
source
of this excerpt
Jacob had a son called Judah. Judah had a daughter-in-law named Tamar, who should have had children through her regular marital relationship. Realizing that this was not possible, though, she tempted her father-in-law Judah into an illicit relationship with her and children were conceived. In Chapter 38 of Genesis you will find the complete story of this particular event. Tamar, even at the risk of being stoned as an adulteress, conceived a child. She was fully determined to do God's will, putting her life on the line in this case. It was necessary for the providence that she be in this position of rejecting her very life, which had been received from the Satanic world. Thus, she had an affair with her father-in-law and conceived a child.
The struggle between the two brothers began before birth, in the womb of Tamar. Tamar, knowing this fact, came to the Lord. God gave her the same answer as He did Rebecca, saying that "You have two nations inside your womb, and the elder must serve the younger." As the time of birth drew near, the first son was ready to emerge, and his arm came out first. The midwife put a red string on his wrist. … In the womb, at that critical moment, the struggle continued. The elder son, Zerah, who had the red string on his wrist, went back inside and his younger brother Perez came out first. The name Perez comes from the expression "to push aside." So the struggle of restoration which God had intended for the brothers Cain and Abel, and then for the twins Esau and Jacob was now once more mysteriously repeated in the struggle between Zerah and Perez inside their mother's womb. So, God was victorious in restoring the birthright of the elder son before birth. For the complete fulfillment of this act, however, God had to wait quite some time, until the birth of Jesus. Jesus was destined to come from this lineage. It was necessary, however, that God wait until this line had passed through the tribal and racial levels and had become the nation of Israel.
Mary, to whom God gave the most important mission, that of giving birth to the Messiah, had to put herself, like Tamar, in a sacrificial position. In other words, she had to separate herself from the Satanic world. To do this, Mary had to undergo a grave risk.
Why was it that she and Joseph were still in the engagement state and not already married when the child was conceived? This was because Adam and Eve fell during their period of engagement, not after their wedding. During the engagement period, Adam and Eve were taken by Satan. Therefore, to restore this, it was necessary for the time of Mary's conception of the baby Jesus to be during the engagement period.
The baby Jesus was conceived in the womb of Mary, yet Satan could not claim his own blood in Jesus. This was so because God had already set the necessary conditions throughout history in the generations since Tamar and the affair of Zerah and Perez. Throughout the lineage of Jesus, God had already paid indemnity for Jesus' birth to be a special one. I wish I could have time to explain all the background information. However, it might take five hours or more, so I will not. What I am driving at is this: Jesus was born without sin. Jesus came without having anything to do with satanic blood. It had been completely separated from him. God had prepared this line for a long, long time, so that Jesus could come as a sinless child. Therefore, he was indeed able to claim, “I am the only begotten Son, the only Son of God.”
In human history, this was the first time a sinless child was born on earth. “I am one with God,” Jesus said. “The person who has seen me has seen the Father,” he said. In the 14th chapter of the book of John, verse 20, Jesus says, “I am in my Father and you in me; and I in you. He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me; and he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” So Jesus came to restore the sinless position of love, the love which had been lost since the time of Adam. This fact has not been known until now.
There is a reason, a most important reason, why no one could come to the Father except by going through Jesus. He is our only bridge, our only hope, our only channel for reaching God. Therefore, Jesus proclaimed, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, and without going through me, no one reaches the Father.”
There have been in human history many saints, many religious geniuses, many wise men. But no one else could play the role of Jesus, who alone brings us to the Father. This is because he came in a stainless, sinless position which no one else has. He is the only channel to reach God. Though Buddha, Confucius and Mohammed were all religious saints, yet they did not have the same relationship with God that Jesus had. Therefore, the birth of Jesus as the Messiah was the day of hope for all mankind.
Rembrandt
van Rijn: “The Visitation”
Image
source
and enlargement
Elizabeth
greets Mary as she arrives on her visit
The words of Reverend Sun Myung
Moon
“God’s
Love Partner”
February
13, 1997
World Mission Center, New York City, New York, United
States
source
of this excerpt
There are two different lines of lineage. On Satan's side there is the elder son, elder king and elder parents. This group has to be restored back in order to rejoin the heavenly lineage. Simply speaking, we have to restore the secular families back to the heavenly families. This is what is needed. From God's point of view there are two different kinds of mothers and children. In order to restore them it requires that the younger son take the elder son's position. Father should become the son and the son should become the father. This kind of reversal is needed.
Adam was in the position of head of the family. Jacob was in the position of head of the tribe. In Jacob's time, he had to implement this course of restoration which was the reverse course. In the Garden of Eden, Eve cheated God's elder son, Adam and God. Through this she turned over the entire family to Satan. Therefore at the time of Jacob, Isaac's wife Rebecca, who was the mother of Jacob, cheated her husband, father and elder son figure, Esau. Rebecca took this family back to the elder son and God. This was the reversal of this course. That is the course of indemnity. Rebecca, in Eve's position, had to take the indemnity way and reverse the course.
Israel means victory. What is the
meaning of this victory? The reversal of the lineage from Satan back
to God's side. At the time
of Tamar,
she was married to two of Judah's sons. Both of them died without
leaving children. Tamar felt the importance of the
continuation of
this lineage and wanted to marry the third son. However, Judah
forbade
it. Risking her life, Tamar deceived Judah,
her father-in-law,
into having a sexual relationship with her by disguising herself as a
prostitute in order to continue this lineage.
She
conceived twins who fought in her womb to be born first. God told her
that two nations were fighting in her womb. The
restoration which
took place at the time of Jacob between the elder and younger
brother, now took place directly inside the womb
of Tamar between
her two sons.
Through this complicated course
of restoration through indemnity, then at the time of Jesus was the
time when mother Mary had
to reverse the course of Tamar before
she could give birth to Jesus. This is the brief history of the Old
Testament era and the
dawning of the New Testament era. By the
time Jesus was born the Roman Empire had spread throughout the world.
Therefore
Jesus needed the national level foundation in order to
deal with the Roman Empire. If Jesus had not died, but rather had
been
supported and accepted by the Israelites and Judaism, upon
that foundation he could have conquered the Roman Empire within
seven
years. However, he was crucified.
We need to clearly understand the
relationship between mother Mary and Zachariah's family. If Jacob's
family was the starting point
at the tribal level,
then Mary and Zachariah's family were the starting point of the
national level providence. In the family of Jacob,
Rachel should
have become the first wife, not Leah. However, Leah became the first
wife. Therefore, in this regard, that particular
providence
failed. The mother was supposed to assist her daughters so that order
could be established in the correct way. However,
this was
reversed. If Rachel's mother had been totally united with Rachel and
had pushed Leah away, then at the tribal level Rachel
could have
become the first wife of Jacob. The same mistake took place at the
time of Jacob, because of these two wives, just like at
the time
of Adam and Eve. Eve was supposed to become the first wife of Adam,
but only after she had made a relationship with Satan did she become
Adam's wife. This meant the order was reversed. Also within Jacob's
family the order was reversed.
At the time
of Jesus, on the national level, in the family of Zachariah this
order had to be straightened out. The position of the
original
wife was taken by Elizabeth, Zachariah's wife. Elizabeth's
son
was John the Baptist. However, through them alone there was
no way
to complete the restoration. There had to exist the younger sister's
position in order to establish the heavenly lineage. Because of the
Fall of Man, restoration always has to come about through the second
wife, the concubine line. That has been the history of
restoration.
In Jacob's
family, Leah hated her younger sister Rachel and she completely
dominated Jacob and produced ten children, whereas
Rachel had only
two children. However, Elizabeth, the wife of Zachariah actually
volunteered to introduce Mary to Zachariah because of her revelation
from God. She allowed Mary to stay in her family for three months. A
woman doesn't become pregnant through
staying
overnight. If you really dig into the Bible you will see this.
Therefore, after three months of staying in Zachariah's household
Mary became pregnant. However, Mary had the responsibility to
indemnify the failure of Eve as well as the failure of Rachel and
Leah. Therefore whilst she was pregnant she had to deceive her
husband figure (Joseph) as well as her father figure.
Because of
Mary's success in reversing the course that had failed at the time of
Eve, Rebecca and Tamar, now the son she had in her womb at the
national level was completely sanctified. That is why she was able to
give birth to the holy son of God, Jesus. Jesus was born completely
free of satanic accusation. God controlled everything concerning his
conception and birth. He was God's begotten true son.
“The
Visitation”
Image
source
A
translation of the words of Reverend Sun Myung Moon, from the
book
“The
Life and Love of Jesus Christ”
source
of this excerpt
When
Mary received the angel's revelation, she went to Zechariah's house
for counsel. Zechariah's wife, Elizabeth, was pregnant
with John
the Baptist. When Mary visited their home, Elizabeth testified that
Mary was going to give birth to the messiah. This was her testimony
to the messiah. Thus, the couples of Zechariah
and Mary were central.
Jesus was conceived in
Zechariah's family home. God has to abide by the principle of
creation. He had already created the means to
become pregnant, by
the coming together of man and woman. So, becoming pregnant in
Zechariah's home, who should be the father? Elizabeth was Zechariah's
wife; in that sense, Mary was a prostitute, or, actually, second
wife. The messiah should be the child of a second; this is related to
the restoration situation. Satan took the elder, so to set His blood
lineage God could not start with the elder, but had to
go from the bottom to top.
So He had to work through the second wife's body to create His son,
Jesus.
So Elizabeth, Mary and Zechariah
and John the Baptist
should have served Jesus. This is why John is called Elijah. Mary was
in Rachel's position and Elizabeth in Leah's position. In Zechariah's
family, Elizabeth should have restored the failure of Leah to submit
to the
younger wife. By Elizabeth doing so, Mary could become
pregnant. But later, Elizabeth could not 'receive that situation.'
And the
younger brothers and sisters of Jesus had the original sin
because they were conceived in the normal way, not the providential
way.
Mary stood in the position of the second wife to Zechariah. [Father draws on the board to illustrate] Why, in the Last Days, does God permit divorce? The culture of hippies was that of no home, no partnership, no property and no traditional birth. They were without virtue. Those who followed the path of the Unification Church out of this culture were all turned around 180 degrees. Unificationists have a connection to everything, just like God. God desires such a love partnership. Every human being should hold the concept of kingship and queenship. Without that you are unable to connect with God.
That kind of ambition originates in God. That kind of value concept was completely lost because of Satan. The fallen history of humanity has been one of lost value and the inheritance of hell. You have to know that. How can we permit Satan to continue in this world? No matter how difficult our situation might be, we cannot permit that. We have to clean up our actions and our concepts. Who has to have that kind of concept? True Parents' children do. God cannot clean up this world alone. He needs the cooperation of His children. He has endured with agonizing suffering, waiting for this time to come. The principle does not allow God to take action on the Earth. The appearance of the True Parents is needed. True Man, True Woman, True Love and True Ideal centered upon God.
Two thousand years ago, John the Baptist testified to Jesus. He understood who Jesus' father was. They shared the same father. At the fall there came about two directions, two roots. In the time of restoration one root has to be established again. The only way is for the elder brother to welcome and serve the younger brother. Zechariah, Mary, Jesus. What should Mary have done centering upon Jesus? She should have been concerned with assisting him in bringing about his marriage. Two kinds of marriage took place within one household. [Father illustrates on the board] This is the elder position and this is the younger position. God, Adam, Cain and Archangel. Adam should absolutely follow God. The Archangel should absolutely follow Adam. This was the original ideal course.
John the Baptist did testify to
Jesus at the Jordan River. Heaven opened and he received the
revelation from God and he saw the dove
descend upon Jesus' head.
When he felt the spirit of God, he testified to Jesus. However,
afterward he was blocked by allowing himself to think from his own
viewpoint. Elizabeth was Mary's elder sister. God claimed back the
elder sister's husband through Mary. Mary then stood in a position to
be stoned to death through this action. That is the kind of
atmosphere that surrounded Elizabeth and Mary. Within three months
Mary conceived Jesus. This is an historical concept, not Father's
concept. Jesus' father was Zechariah. Mary was in the position of the
second wife, or concubine. John the Baptist understood that Jesus was
the son of his father's concubine. The original wife, John the
Baptist's mother, suffered so much agony through this.
From a human viewpoint, John the Baptist felt unable to recognize Jesus as the Messiah. Also Jesus spoke of having to marry within one family. In Eden, Satan took Adam's younger sister. In the course of restoration, the true Adam, Jesus, had to take back that younger sister. This was the same situation, only 180 degrees different. John the Baptist was in the position of Cain and his younger sister was to be Jesus' bride. She stood in the position of Eve, younger sister. Jesus stood in the position of Adam, elder brother. John stood in the position of the Cain side elder brother. Jesus was the first true father to appear on the Earth. Jesus' wife would have been true mother. Once the true father and true mother embrace as one, then the true tradition would have been established.
Had Jesus' family established such a foundation then automatically it would have expanded to the tribe, nation, world and cosmos. Adam's position is that of the king. Through the true Adam, God would have dominion over the whole universe. Centering upon God such a foundation could have easily overturned the Roman Empire. Satan divided the world at every level. However, God is the absolute settlement pillar of the one True Love world.
Which side did Jesus' mother Mary stand on? Was she in the position of Jesus' mother or his daughter? Mother's position? (No.) There was only one mother, Eve; and only one father, Adam. On the national basis there is only one husband and one wife. From that viewpoint which side is Mary standing on? (Daughter.) What kind of daughter? Mary, Zechariah, Elizabeth and John the Baptist were all obstacles to Jesus and caused him to travel the road of indemnity. All of them, as a family, were supposed to automatically follow behind Jesus. Mary was supposed to help him in his marriage. This was her mission. Seven times Jesus explained his marriage situation to Mary. He urged her to assist him.
Originally, Mary risked her own
life in order to conceive Jesus, according to God's directive. She
could have been stoned to death and so
Mary declared that she
conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit. Mary explained it that
way. Who guided her to explain it that way? Zechariah. Mary did not
want that kind of concept. Mary was engaged to Joseph. She traveled
to visit with the family of Zechariah for three months. When she
returned she was pregnant. Automatically Joseph asked whose baby was
she carrying. It is natural that he would. God intervened by giving
Joseph a revelation in a dream not to be afraid to take Mary as his
wife. Therefore, Mary and Jesus were protected.
Because Joseph took this kind of action the Bible refers to him as a righteous man. It was God's desire that Zechariah, Elizabeth and John the Baptist surround and protect the Messiah no matter how difficult their family situation might be. None of them wanted to protect Jesus. Zechariah, Elizabeth and John the Baptist all knew how Jesus was conceived. They all were opposed to Jesus marrying their younger daughter.
Carl
Bloch: “The Visitation”
Image
source
The
words of Reverend Sun Myung Moon
“The
Time Of Liberation For The Family Of World Peace”
September
8, 1996
Belvedere
International Training Center, Tarrytown, New York, United
States
source
of this excerpt
Because of the Fall of Man, before God there existed fallen mother and children and restored mother and children relationships. But in this world where Satan dominates is this fallen mother lineage, this fallen lineage here [indicating to the diagram on the board]. In order to restore this lineage back to God it is not possible to do so horizontally. This lineage has to go down vertically and restore it back again. In order to accomplish this restoration process, God comes in the position of concubine and eventually He has to restore His position as the original spouse. There cannot be two lineages in the Kingdom of God. There can be only one line, not two. That is the reason the second mother and the younger son are in the position to play the central role to lead to the Kingdom of God. This is what we see so clearly throughout the history of God's providence. If this relationship continues in the way in which Satan has set up, it means the original wife's path is towards Hell.
However, when this is turned around 180 degrees, then the first wife becomes the concubine and the second wife becomes the original wife. By the same token, the first son from the first wife takes the position of the second son and the second son from the concubine takes the first son's position. In that relationship, the first son should offer absolute obedience to the second son. The first wife's lineage is the satanic father's lineage. However, even though this second wife took the first wife's position this lineage is a good lineage from God. These particular phenomena took place in Jacob's family. [Father draws on the board to illustrate] Originally, Rachel should have become the first wife of Jacob. Leah was supposed to be the concubine. But as you recall, Leah somehow took the first wife's position. In the Old Testament era, the rule was "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth." When it comes to restoration between the first and second wife, it followed that same rule.
As in the Garden of Eden, in the family of Jacob, Rachel who was originally supposed to become the first wife of Jacob, became the second wife instead. Leah was not supposed to be in the position of the first wife but she took that position, just as Eve took the first wife's position by the Fall. This was not the original wife's position. But with two mothers and two children's lineages they cannot enter the Kingdom of God. That is why the restoration has to take place within this family. In order to return to God, not just directly from Leah to Rachel, but through their children, it has to go around and eventually return to God. When Jacob was in Haran, Laban tried to destroy Jacob by giving his daughters to Jacob and claim all the wealth of Jacob. However, on the contrary, Jacob was wise enough to take both wealth and daughters from Laban and return to his family.
So remember, Laban who tried to prevent Jacob from taking away his wealth and possessions, eventually offered his servants and three servant's maids to Jacob. Through them ten sons were born, and from Rachel there were two sons. This became the twelve tribes. From this point the struggle between the northern ten tribes and southern two tribes began. [Father again draws on the board to illustrate] This is tribal level [indicating to the board]. However, on the family level at the time of Jesus, centering upon Zachariah and Elizabeth, his wife, and his son John the Baptist and Mary and her son Jesus, this same phenomena took place. Elizabeth was in the position of the first wife and Mary was in the position of the second wife to Zachariah. Just like Jacob's wives, Leah and Rachel. But unlike the time of Jacob where Leah took the first wife's position, at the time of Jesus, Elizabeth actually introduced Mary to her husband Zachariah. This was completely opposite to Leah who desired to occupy Jacob and his family, whereas Elizabeth's desire was how to save God's providential foundation within their family. Because of God's revelation she invited her younger sister Mary to take the position of wife to her husband.
John the Baptist was in the position to offer his absolute obedience to Jesus. God's providence of restoration took place at the time of Jesus in this relationship [indicating to the board]. Originally, Zachariah's lineage was going in this way [indicating to the diagram] but this was cut off and Mary and Jesus took the position of the first wife and first son. By doing so, Jesus took the position of the elder sonship and Mary took the position of the elder wife. That is how this satanic lineage was restored back to God. By doing so vertically, from one parent, same parents, one mother line, one lineage was established. The main reason that John the Baptist could not follow Jesus with his whole heart and soul, was because John the Baptist knew that Jesus was his half-brother.
In the Garden of Eden the Archangel took Eve who was in the position of the younger sister. Therefore Jesus was supposed to take the younger sister of John the Baptist as his bride.
Jesus' position was the
completion level Adam. In the Garden of Eden the Archangel, in the
Cain position, took Eve the younger sister of Adam. At the national
level, Jesus in the position of Adam, was to take the sister of Cain
(John the Baptist). This is how restoration was supposed to have
taken place. In the mind of John the Baptist do you think it was
tolerable that Jesus, his half-brother, should marry his own sister?
No. It is unimaginable even that Mary literally took Elizabeth's
husband and assumed the first wife's position. Then Jesus, the
half-brother of John the Baptist, wants to marry his own half-sister,
the younger sister of John the Baptist. Can you imagine such a thing?
At that time they could be stoned to death for such action. The
entire tribe could have been stoned to death. That is why Jesus was
unable to receive his bride. Then he had to leave his home in order
to establish his spiritual foundation in the wilderness. When that
failed,
he had to take the road to the cross.
Jacopo
Comin, known as Tintoretto: “The Visitation”
Left
to right: Joseph, Mary, Elizabeth and Zechariah
Image
source
Founder’s
Address
The
words of Reverend Sun Myung Moon
“View
of the Principle of the Providential History of Salvation”
Presented
at the Inaugural Banquet of the Washington Times Foundation
April
16, 1996
– Washington, DC, United States
source
of this excerpt
Mary, when she was engaged to Joseph, received from the Archangel Gabriel the surprising message that the Messiah would be born through her. (Luke 1:31) [link to Luke 1 Revised Standard Version] In those days, if an unmarried woman became pregnant, she would be killed. But Mary accepted the will of God with absolute faith, saying, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." (Luke 1:38)
Mary consulted with the priest Zechariah, who was her relative and was highly respected. Zechariah's wife Elizabeth, with the help of God, was pregnant with John the Baptist. She said to Mary, "Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" (Luke 1:42-43)
With these words she testified to the coming birth of Jesus.
In this way, God let Mary, Zechariah, and Elizabeth know about the birth of the Messiah before anybody else. All of them had the absolutely crucial mission of following the will of God and serving Jesus. Zechariah's family let Mary stay in their house. Jesus was conceived in the house of Zechariah.
Elizabeth and Mary were cousins on their mothers' side. But according to God's Providence, they were considered sisters, with Elizabeth as the elder (Cain) and Mary as the younger (Abel). Mary received Elizabeth's help in the presence of Zechariah. Through this cooperation, Zechariah's family, on the national level, indemnified the lack of unity between mother and son with Leah and Rachel in Jacob's family. (Genesis 29-30) This allowed Jesus to be conceived. For the first time in history, there could be born on earth, free of satanic accusation and through a prepared womb, the seed of the Son of God -- the seed of the True Father. In this way, the only begotten Son of God, the owner of the first love of God, was born for the first time in history.
Mary had to achieve something that could not be understood by common sense, nor easily tolerated under the law of those times. Mary, Elizabeth, and Zechariah had been spiritually moved. They followed the revelation that came from God, and unconditionally believed that it was the will and desire of God.
Although the Son of God could be born on earth, he needed a wall of protection to grow up safely in the satanic world and fulfill the will of God. God had hoped that these three people in the family of Zechariah would establish that protective foundation. There are many points to consider with regard to how seriously the three had to dedicate themselves to protecting and serving the Son of God, and how long they should have been united with each other.
In the Bible it is recorded, "And Mary remained with her [Elizabeth] about three months, and returned to her home." (Luke 1:56) After that, there is no biblical record of any further communication between Mary and Elizabeth and Zechariah. From the time Mary left Zechariah's house, difficulties began for Mary and Jesus. The family of Zechariah should have been the wall of protection for Jesus until the very end.
A short time later, Joseph discovered that Mary was pregnant. How great must have been his shock at that moment! Mary, his beloved fiancée, without having had any relationship with him, had become pregnant after a three-month stay in another place. It was natural for Joseph to question Mary about who the baby in her womb belonged to. What would have happened if at that time Mary had explained everything candidly? If she had exposed everything, it could have been the end of a clan. So Mary simply responded that she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit.
Mary's pregnancy began to show, and the people of the surrounding area became aware of it. What would have happened if Joseph had declared that he didn't know anything about it? But Joseph was a righteous man. He believed in the revelation of God and defended Mary, saying the pregnancy was his responsibility. Mary may have been ridiculed for becoming pregnant during her engagement, but she had avoided death by stoning.
Joseph, who loved Mary, protected her this way in the beginning. However, there was a great deal of anguish deep in his heart. Once Jesus was born, Joseph's suspicions about the father of Jesus only increased and his heart ached. As Jesus grew older, the two became more and more distant in heart. And because of this, family problems frequently arose. Jesus was viewed as an illegitimate son, and lacking the protection of Zechariah's family and the love of Joseph, he grew up with an indescribable loneliness in his heart.
According to the distinctive
teachings of the Unification Church, which does not accept the virgin
birth, Zechariah was Jesus' father. The angel Gabriel who directed
Mary to Zechariah's house also instructed her to perform the duty
with the elderly Zechariah that would make her the vessel for the
birth of Christ. Elizabeth, who was likewise visited by the angel,
consented to it. The method of conception was that of a normal human
being, but spiritually it was purified by the unusual circumstances
of the act, done entirely at God's behest without any hint of desire.
Zechariah, Elizabeth, and Mary subsequently should have protected
Jesus, who could have grown up as a child of privilege in their
priestly home. However, dissension may have broken out among them,
and Mary had to leave Zechariah's house when she was only three
months pregnant for an uncertain future with Joseph. This would
unfortunately expose Jesus to allegations that he was illegitimate.
Their estrangement also created distance between Jesus and
Elizabeth's son John the Baptist, which later would predispose John
to doubt Jesus' ministry (Matt. 11:4-11). From this perspective,
Zechariah did well at first, but later fell short of God's
expectations.
Here is
a link to the same
beautiful recording of Mary’s “Song of Praise”
(also called “Magnificat”), the words of which come from
Luke 1:46–55. This video
version
of Mary’s song includes
simultaneous translation into English. Again, it was
composed by Arvo Pärt and is performed in Latin by the Robert
Shaw Chorale. To listen, click on
this
link
♫
Book Eight - Sin and
Restoration Through Indemnity
Chapter Three - The Formula for
Indemnification and Restoration
Section 1. The Works of Rebecca,
Tamar and Mary from the Viewpoint of the Restoration of
Motherhood
1.3.
The mission of Mary in the course of Jesus
Excerpt:
In what manner did
Jesus, who had right of kingship over all kings, enter the world? He
came inheriting the victorious tradition by which the lineage had
been changed. That is why when he was conceived in Mary's womb Satan
could not say, "That is my son.” Mary conceived Jesus on
the national-level foundation that had been inherited from the
historical tradition of heart left by Tamar. Through this, Mary was
able to restore through indemnity Eve's failure and to stand in the
position of having brought forth fruit, which had been the hope of
women throughout history. Since Jesus conception took place based on
the completed restoration of the right of the eldest son, from the
time of his conception Satan could not claim him as his own. At the
time of Tamar, Perez could not claim to be the firstborn son on God's
side while he was in the womb, but only after his birth. (139-309,
1986.1.31)
Link
to Book 8, Chapter 3, Section 1
2. Mark Gibbs: Secrets of the Holy Family
Review
Wayne Miller:
“New Book Challenges
Doctrine of the Virgin Birth”
Two
excerpts of this
review:
In Secrets
of the Holy Family
(The Vineyard Press,
2009), Unificationist Mark Gibbs endeavors to show that the authors
of the New Testament Gospels knew perfectly well that Jesus of
Nazareth, at least from a physical standpoint, was a completely
normal human being, with a biological father as well as a biological
mother. Gibbs makes the claim that many ancient texts would sometimes
convey information indirectly, using hints, symbols, and innuendoes,
when such information was considered too inflammatory to be
explicitly stated. In Gibbs' retelling of the nativity story, it is
clear that the information surrounding the conception of Jesus would
definitely have been scandalous if publicly revealed, and so he
contends that, therefore, the Gospel authors sought to convey the
truth indirectly, rather than directly.
In the case of the birth of
Jesus, Gibbs argues that the Gospel authors knew that the priest,
Zacharias (Zechariah), the father of John the Baptist, was also the
father of Jesus. Gibbs points out that the author of the Gospel of
Luke takes great pains to draw a parallel between Zacharias and
Abraham, the patriarch of the nation of Israel. All Jews would have
been aware of the fact that Abraham had children with two different
women -- Ishmael who was the product of his relationship with the
maid, Hagar, and Isaac who was born from his wife, Sarah. Gibbs
enumerates several points in the Lukan narrative concerning Zacharias
that directly correspond to the tale of Abraham, and which lead up to
Zacharias' wife, Elizabeth, becoming pregnant. Immediately
afterwards, Luke tells of Mary's revelation that she would be the
mother of the Messiah, at which point she heads immediately to the
house of Zacharias, where she, too, becomes pregnant. Thus, according
to Gibbs, Luke is attempting to lead the discerning reader to the
conclusion that, like Abraham, Zacharias was the father of two
children, i.e., of both John and Jesus.
Gibbs
also draws our attention to the rather odd genealogy presented in the
Gospel of Matthew.
He points out that one’s lineage in ancient Israel was based on
male ancestry, yet in Matthew’s account of the genealogy of
Jesus, in addition to forty generations of male ancestors, the Gospel
author mentions four women. What makes this even more noteworthy is
that all four of these women – Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and
Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah – all left their husbands or
kinsmen in order to have what appears to have been adulterous or
illicit relationships, but which in each case resulted in a male
child who was to be one of the ancestors of Jesus. Immediately after
this genealogical list, Matthew relates that Mary, who was engaged to
Joseph, was suddenly found to be pregnant, even though she and Joseph
had never had sexual relations. In light of this, Gibbs makes the
claim that, as with the Lukan narrative, the structure of Matthew’s
Gospel is designed to lead us to the conclusion that Mary had acted
in the same manner as the four women mentioned and had conceived
Jesus through an extramarital relationship.
. . .
…Gibbs' book is certainly worth reading for anyone who cares about the origins of Christianity. Although he falls short in his failure to document his interpretation of Renaissance art, he gets very high marks for the depth and breadth of his research, especially with regard to ancient religious texts. He should also be commended for presenting such an overwhelming amount of material in an easily readable and understandable fashion. So, although Mr. Gibbs may face some criticism for his tone and his lack of citations, these are problems which could be easily remedied in a revised edition of the book. Nevertheless, in the meantime, he has produced a thought-provoking, serious, and revolutionary essay on a topic that may eventually shake the foundations of modern Christian dogma.
~~~~~~~
Brief
Overview
of
the book Secrets
of the Holy Family by
Mark Gibbs
An
excerpt:
One
evening in the spring of 1980, a skeptical Mark Gibbs went along with
two friends to Waterloo Spiritualist Church where a visiting medium
was due to speak. On his way out, Mark was pulled by the medium who
told Mark that his mission was to write “whatever it is you
discover.”
~~~~~~~
The
Table of Contents of
the online
edition of
Mark Gibbs: Secrets
of the Holy Family
Cover, Contents, Preface, and Introduction (pdf)
Chapter 1. Supremacy of Blood (pdf)
Chapter 2. The Family of the New Abraham (pdf)
Chapter 3. Zacharias and Mary (pdf)
Chapter 4. Angel of the Lord (pdf)
Chapter 5. The Kingmakers (pdf)
Chapter 6. Sibling Rivalry (pdf)
Chapter 7. Dead Sea Scrolls (pdf)
Chapter 8. Legacy of Messianic Conflict (pdf)
Chapter 9. Conclusion (pdf)
Lorenzo
and Jacopo Salimbeni: a detail from “Scenes from the Life of
John the Baptist, Visitation”
Image
source
Mary
the Mother of Jesus arrives at the home of her relative Elizabeth and
Elizabeth’s husband Zechariah
An excerpt from
Chapter
2
of
Secrets
of the Holy Family
“The Family of the New Abraham,” (page 13/15 of the pdf
file):
This
artist(s) depicted Mary’s “Visitation” to send a
specific message. Though forbidden for Jews to touch women in public,
Mary holds hands with Zacharias, as Elisabeth “introduces”
her to him. A pregnant woman behind Mary makes a hand sign suggestive
of the female sexual part. The man above Zacharias folds his hands in
an “X,” a traditional esoteric symbol for the union of
masculine and feminine.
~~~~~~~
An excerpt from Chapter 3 of Secrets of the Holy Family “Zacharias and Elizabeth”(pages 18 – 20 of the pdf file):
Inside the Museum of Fine Arts in
Dijon, France, is an anonymous fifteenth century woodcarving believed
to be of south German origin. It is an astonishing wood sculpture of
Zacharias holding a type of shrine in the form of a miniature house
or room. Inside the shrine is a bed [Plate 10a
shown
below]. On the
exterior, the figures of Elizabeth and Mary are painted together
in greeting -- the famous Visitation
scene from Luke.
Zacharias looks down at the two women, as he holds the bedroom
‘shrine.’ The meaning implied by this sculpture is
self-evident, as is the reason why the artist remained incognito.
15th
Century Sculpture,
Sueddeutsch
School:
Saint
Zachary,
husband
of Elizabeth,
mother
of Saint John Baptist.
In
his hand, Saint
Zachary [Zechariah]
holds a shrine with a bed inside and, painted on the outside, the
Visitation.
Image
source
3.
Bret Moss, editor: Ten Biggest Myths
Myth #
1: Jesus came into the world by “virgin birth” and has
no biological father.
Fact: Jesus Christ was conceived according
to the natural laws that govern human conception: with a sperm and an
egg.
Excerpt: “Let
us imagine ourselves in that time when the younger sister Mary
actually took away Elizabeth's husband and became pregnant.”
Link
to the article
the
inspiration behind this Christmas greeting
Jonathan Wells’ discussion of Trinity according to the Divine Principle
Excerpt: According to Divine Principle's untraditional use of "trinity," if Adam and Eve had not fallen, they would have formed a union with God just as substantial and inseparable as the subsequent union of Jesus with God. Divine Principle maintains that Jesus, as the second Adam, would have taken a bride if he had not been prevented from doing so by the crucifixion, since God's image is both masculine and feminine: "male and female He created them." (Genesis 1:27) But Jesus incarnated only God's masculinity, so at the time of the second coming a couple known as the True Parents will form the substantial trinity with God that Adam and Eve should have formed in the beginning. In the ensuing kingdom of heaven on earth, all married couples will eventually form such unions.
Although the idea that Adam and Eve might have formed a union with God comparable to that of Jesus may sound strange to some modern Christians, early Christian fathers such as Irenaeus taught that if Adam had not fallen he would have become like Jesus, and that God became man in order that man might become God.
5. The Islamic View that Mary (Maryam) was under the care of her uncle Zechariah (Zakariya), who served as a guardian to her in her youth. This was a few years prior to the birth of Jesus (Isa). Mary (Maryam) had a room in the temple and Zechariah (Zakariya) would visit her there.
Excerpt
from “The
Story of Maryam
[Mary]
and Al-Masih
(`Isa)” [Jesus]:
Every
time Zakariya entered the Mihrab
[her
chamber]
to
(visit) her, he found her supplied with sustenance. He said: "O
Maryam! From where have you got this'' She said, "This is from
Allah.'' Verily, Allah provides to whom He wills, without limit.)
[3:37] It has been mentioned that he would find her with winter fruit
during the summer and summer fruit during the winter.
Source
of
the above excerpt
Link
to various translations of Quran 3:37
Link
to
interpretation (tafsir) of the Quran “Maryam
Grows Up; Her Honor is with Allah”
6. The five women with life stories easily misunderstood as disreputable among the ancestors of Jesus: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary.
Link
to
the brief overview
7.
Kevin McCarthy: The Master Plan
The Change of Blood Lineage
Excerpt:
While Mary
was engaged to Joseph, she
was suddenly and unexpectedly
taken to God’s side,
just as when Eve was engaged
to Adam, she was
suddenly and unexpected taken to Satan’s side. In the case
of Eve, it produced a dead
Adam. In the case of Mary, it
produced a mighty reversal
- the
birth of the living sinless Son
of God, the new Adam,
Jesus.
Link
to the slide show with notes
Mission
of Jesus, Part Two “Jesus and John the Baptist”
Excerpt:
We can see
that despite the extensive preparations in the House
of Joseph and the House of
Zechariah, just a few months
later Jesus is born into a
most threatening
circumstance with what
appears to be very little support.
It suggests that the
intense spiritual preparations in these two
families did not take
root. We will see evidence throughout the
course of the relationship
of Jesus and John the Baptist.
Link
to the slide show with notessir7
this
link
♫Link
to a review of this
carol and its lyrics
Merry
Christmas!
