Where we left off last lesson was very important to understand. Life begins at conception. The soul is placed by our father in the flesh. This is why in Ecclesiastics 12:6-7 reads.
Ecc.12:6] Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.
In other words when we die.
Ecc.12:7] Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
Also we need to remember Elisabeth and Mary were cousins. Their mothers were sisters, this will be very important in understanding ch.3. Now, let’s get back to Luke 1 and verse 42 reads.
Luke 1 part 2
Luke1:42] And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
[43] And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
[44] For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.
She is 6 Months pregnant. And they are cousins, meaning their mothers were sisters.
Luke1:45] And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.
Elisabeth knew that Mary believed, unlike her husband.
Luke1:46] And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,
[47] And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
[48] For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
[49] For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.
Humbled, she is giving all credit to the Lord.
Luke1:50] And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.
Fear is “love”. From that generation until the last generation.
Luke1:51] He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
[52] He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.
[53] He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.
Let’s go to Rev.2:8-9 and read.
Rev.2:8] And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;
Notice this is Jesus speaking.
Rev.2:9] I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.
I went there because He knows our poverty, but we are rich. Our eyes are opened, and we see truth. That is being rich spiritually, blessed and loved by God.
Luke1:54] He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;
[55] As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.
[56] And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house.
[57] Now Elisabeth’s full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son.
[58] And her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her.
And her cousins, Mary stayed with her until she gave birth.
Luke1:59] And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father.
8 days later would be the Passover.
Luke1:60] And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John.
Men have a way of butting in, but we hear the words of God and He alone will we serve. They only knew that there were no Johns in their family names. And thought to name him after his father.
Luke1:61] And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name.
[62] And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called.
[63] And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all.
[64] And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God.
Gabriel said he would be silent until John was born.
Luke1:65] And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judaea.
Fear is love, again. But they were so pleased knowing that indeed a prophet was born.
Luke1:66] And all they that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him.
[67] And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,
[68] Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,
[69] And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;
[70] As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:
When Zacharias spoke he quoted the prophets from the beginning (Moses) to Malachi. All the prophesies concerning the coming of the Christ.
Luke1:71] That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;
Salvation promised.
Luke1:72] To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;
For this we go to Micah 7:20, and it reads.
Mic.7:20] Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.
And the promise he made to Abraham. Gen.12:1-3 reads.
Gen.12:1] Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
It is at this point we were called Hebrews, those that crossed the river.
Gen.12:2] And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
[3] And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
Blessed because Christ would come through his seed. Back to Luke and verse 73 reads.
Luke1:73] The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,
[74] That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,
[75] In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.
[76] And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;
John would be called “the prophet of the Highest”, the highest is Christ. Not that he would be called the highest prophet. But being sent before Christ calling from the wilderness.
Luke1:77] To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,
John would teach repentance, and he would baptize by water.
Luke1:78] Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,
Christ is that “dayspring”, that living water. And he has visited us.
Luke1:79] To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Light and darkness, another reference to Jesus and the Serpent. Christ is our way, and it is his way we walk in.
Luke1:80] And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.
John received the Word from God while he was in the wilderness. Let’s go to the Gospel of St. John, and read 1:14.
John1:14] And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
What a blessing, from mother Eve to mother Mary, we have the key of David. This key will open our eyes to truth, and no man will be able to hide it from us.
Let’s go to his throne
Father, we thank you for your word and I ask that you bless all that love you in Jesus’s precious name, Amen.
KJV along with The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance Of The Bible