[Jesus, When He began His ministry, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi... the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God] (Luke 3:23-38, RSV).
To rephrase this, "Jesus’ father is Joseph, whose father is Heli, whose father is Matthat, whose father is Levi... whose father is Noah, whose father is Lamech, whose father is Methuselah, whose father is Jared, whose father is Mahalaleel, whose father is Cainan, whose father is Enos, whose father is Seth, whose father is Adam, whose father is God."
To put it still another way, it means that "Jesus was born of Joseph (Mary), born of Heli, born of Matthat, born of Levi... born of Noah, born of Lamech, born of Methuselah, born of Enoch, born of Jared, born of Mahalaleel, born of Cainan, born of Enos, born of Seth, born of Adam, born of God." Therefore, our Father in heaven is our real Father who has personally given birth to us.
< A QUESTION! >
You may ask, "In Genesis 1:26 God said, `Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness.' He never said He would give birth to us, so why do you insist that God has borne us personally from His body (womb)?" This is natural question. But I must still give the same answer; for the heavenly God is truly our real Father who personally gave birth to us.
Please allow me to clarify this fact.
Animals such as the cow or the deer bring forth their young that look just like themselves. In the same way, flying birds such as sparrows or pigeons also bring forth their young bearing resemblance to themselves. With humans also, they give birth to young (children) who perfectly resemble themselves. In all these examples, the young bear a close resemblance, if not identical to their parents. However, the process by which the young are brought forth among all the various species of God's creations are all considerably different. Animals such as the cow or the deer bear their young through their womb and nurture them through milk sac in their belly. But birds like sparrows, pigeons or chickens are different. As we know well, they bring forth their young from their bodies, not by means of the womb, but through an egg-sac, and not through the genital organs but through the anus. Their young are at first like a round stone with no eyes, nose, or mouth. Then they spend a period of time in the bosom of the brooding mother during which blood vessels, bones, eyes, nose, and feathers are formed; after which they hatch in considerable resemblance to their mother. Once out in the world, the are not fed on milk but manage to grow by pecking on worms and grain. Now, we can see that there are great incomprehensible differences between four-footed animals and birds with feathers in respect to their various methods of reproducing and breeding their young. And yet, the results are the same. They all end up having lovely offspring resembling themselves almost perfectly in character, shape, face and body. Only the way they bring forth and breed their offspring is entirely different.
Likewise, there is a complete difference in respect to producing lives between us bodily creatures and our heavenly Father, who is the bodiless Creator - [a Spirit] (John 4:24). While humans as bodily creatures like animals, give birth to babies by means of the womb in their bodies, God the Creator, because He is a bodiless Spirit, produces lives by means of His Creator's womb and raises them in His own unique way. It is through this Creator's womb that He produces and brings up His children. Understanding one another's methods of producing and breeding their young may be rather difficult as it is quite mysterious and strange. It is difficult for us bodily creatures to understand the way the Creator God, the bodiless Spirit, produces lives. But if we ponder upon it deeply, it is not that impossible to understand. For us, when a baby is born after a period of nine months in the womb of the mother, the baby is first fed on the liquid from the milk sac of her breast just like the four-footed animals. On the other hand, in the beginning, our heavenly Father gave birth to Adam and Eve by means of His spiritual Creator's womb, and fed them with coarse foods such as herbs yielding seeds, all fruits of the garden, and Fruit of the Tree of Life rather than milk, since He is a spiritual Father. Just as the flying birds have no breast and feed their young on coarse foods instead of milk, so our Father does it also. Flying birds and crawling animals are entirely different in their methods of giving birth to their young, but consequently, they all end up having young that resemble themselves perfectly. Likewise, the way we bodily men have our children is entirely different from the way God the Spirit, as the Creator has His children. But in the end, we both have children who perfectly resemble us.
He said, [You thought that I was one like yourself] (Ps. 50:21 RSV). But people have such limited and narrow minds that they are not willing to acknowledge or understand matters concerning God the Creator, who is a bodiless Spirit. Some even ridicule Him, as the flying birds laugh at the way four-footed animals produce their young, and the four-footed animals mock the flying birds with their stone-like eggs void of eyes, nose, or mouth, that will eventually be their young. But Jesus assures us, [Do not call anyone on earth your father, for one is your Father,] who has begotten you personally, [who is in heaven] (Matt. 23:9). And Malachi, who knew this fact, said,[Have we not all one Father?] (Mal. 2:10). That is why Jesus said, [Pray then like this: Our Father which art in heaven] (Matt. 6:9, RSV), and from now on call Him your [own (real) Father](John 5:18). While Jesus was on earth, He [called God His own (real) Father] (John 5:18). [Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him] (John 5:18), and eventually they did kill Jesus, the real Son of God.
Likewise, who can guarantee that in the last days also, those who have not accepted God as their real Father will not, out of jealousy and hate, persecute those who have accepted Him as their real Father? [But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, "This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance'] (Matt. 21:38). Jesus, the real Son of God, assures us again today that we are God's real sons and daughters as He is and says, [Go to My brethren and say to them, I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God](John 20:17).
But even regardless of all this, we have an inseparable blood relationship with God. We are His offspring and He is our real Father, because God gave birth to man (Adam), and man (Mary) gave birth to God (Jesus). Therefore, based on the Biblical genealogy as well as by blood ties, it is an undeniable truth that the only true God in heaven is our real Father. It would have been much better if the writer of the Bible had written Genesis 1:26 as [Let us give birth to man in Our image] rather than, [Let us make man in Our image, after Our likeness.] [The Lord (our heavenly Father) ... said to me, 'You are My son, today I have begotten you'] (Ps. 2:7).
Dear brothers and sisters of the world! Let us not pray spiritlessly as we used to while we did not know our real Father, but from now on let us offer powerful prayers which is our deserved right as His real sons, prayers that will touch the deep heart of our Father, by saying, [Our Father in heaven!] (John 5:18). [My Father in heaven!] (Matt. 26:39). [My real Father in heaven!] (John 5:18.) [My Daddy in heaven!] [My real Daddy in heaven!] (John 5:18, Gal. 4:6 in the Common Translation of the Korean Bible Society).
So let us not behave awkwardly as we kneel in prayer, as if we were foster sons and daughters, but act boldly with great dignity as real sons. If even the sons and daughter of the kings and presidents of this world behave themselves with such dignity and enjoy great privileges, how much more do we not deserve to be proud as princes and princesses of the King of heaven, the King of the universe, the King of kings and Lord of lords! But in spite of this incredible truth, if you my brethren are ashamed to testify to the world that the only true God in heaven is your real Father who has given birth to you, and has raised you, listen then to the word of God, [I tell you, everyone who acknowledges Me before men, (I) also will acknowledge before the angels of God; but he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God] (Luke 12:8, 9). I hope you will keep in mind that eternal life is given by the only true God to those who acknowledge and serve Him as their real Father.
In this world, there are many adopted sons and daughters, stepsons and stepdaughters under one father, and in orphanages, there are hundreds of sons and daughters under one president whom they all call their father. But there are only a few who can inherit the father's estate, his birthright, and succeed his line age - his real sons and daughters only. We all know this well so [what does the Scripture say? 'Cast out the bondwoman and her son; for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the (real) son of the freewoman.' So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free] (Gal. 4:30, 31). [Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has a great reward,] [for yet a little while, and He who is coming will come and will not tarry] (Heb. 10:35, 37). then Jesus will exclaim, [Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world] (Matt. 25:34). This joyful call will be heard only by God's real children. May we all meet together with Jesus then!
Praise the Lord! Glory to our real Father!
Our Prayer
"My real Father in heaven!
I am very thankful to You for showing me so plainly that the holy God in heaven is my real Father. Now all of heaven and earth, and everything in the universe has become new and is mine because the whole universe is Yours, my Father.
But Father, my real Daddy! Please send Jesus Christ, my eldest Brother quickly so that He can take my brethren and I back to our heavenly home, to be by Your side. I do not want to stay in this world any longer where abound innumerable evil spirits of Satan, for only in heaven are found everlasting joy, peace, and happiness. To my Father who has borne and brought me up, in the name of Jesus Christ, my Eldest Brother, I pray."
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