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(Matthew 1:20-23). No eternal Son of God is in any way implied in these accounts, or in other parts of the scriptures. The doctrine of the eternal Son of God has no biblical foundation. The mystery and reasons of His birth and humiliation were only revealed for the writers of the scripture (Ephesians 3:5,9). The humiliation was that God the Father is become God-man, by incarnation in the Word that became flesh, to die in flesh eind swallow up death in Victory. (Revelation 19:13).
8.2 Reasons for the Manifestation of God in the Flesh
There are several reasons why God the Father became God-Man.
1 To Confirm God's Promises
God the Father became God-Man in order to confirm the promises He made to Eve and to the fathers, and to show mercyand loveto both theJews and the Gentiles (Genesis 3:15; Ronuins 15:8-12). Scripture says, ''Unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope tocome..." (Acts 26:7). Isaiah's rendering of the promise is as follows: And he said. Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also? Therefore the Lord (Jehovah) himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a vugin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:13-14, cf Matthew 1:21-23). Micah also says, "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 ever lasting. Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which tra- vaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel. And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shaU abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth" (Micah 5:2-4).
A careful examination of the scripture reveals that there are actually three lines of predictions converging on that same event
• "Whosegoingforthhavebeenfromold,fromeverlasting"meansit was the promised Word of God that became flesh, as attested in John 1:1-14.
• God, manifested in the flesh, comes as a Saviour.
• He comes to establish His Kingdom. The following scriptures point to His everlasting Kingdom on earth beginning from the birth of the church. (Luke 1:32-33; II Samuel 7:12-13, 19; Psalms 89:20-36; n Chronicles. 13:8; Isaiah 9:6; Daniel 2:44, 7:13-14; II Peter 1:11; Revelation 11:15)
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