| Jesus: His nationality and Complexion by Alvin Mitchell Copyright 2005 by Alvin Mitchell |
| Consider also: 1) The Holy Trinity: Hoax, Hocus pocus, or, Holy Smoke? (click on the title above) 2) The Genealogy of Jesus Christ 3) The Gospel at a Glance 4) End of the World: why did Jesus not know? (To order any article on our sites, click here) |
Hey, Hayley! Thanks so much for visiting with us here at the BibleStudyHour.net and for giving us this opportunity to get involved in the resolution of your little “dilemma”. First off, I should like to say that I am African-American (at least, one-third or so! I shall also take the liberty of assuming that, from the “taint & tenor” of your e-mail, maybe you are as well?); albeit, Jesus of Nazareth, most assuredly was not. Nor was He born in Africa. The reality is that, while Jesus was born in an obscure little Judean town called “Bethlemen” Ephratah (Micah 5:2; Matt. 2:1-6, 8, 16; Luke 2:3-5, 11, 15), in the nation of Israel, well within the land Palestine, to an obscure peasant couple of Jewish descent (to a peasant woman, actually), Jesus was in fact a man without a nationality, strictly speaking—where blood was concerned [if you have not done so already, may I invite you to go back to www.biblestudyhour.net, find and click on the article titled “The Gospel at a Glance”, --for a "gospel overview"--and read. In my soon-to-be-released book “The Mystery: Christ Jesus”, I will include this narrative, greatly expanded, which will go into much more detail, all Bible based, about the birth of my Lord and Savior Jesus, the Christ of the God Who lives. If still, you miss the point, e-mail me again and I will be happy to do what I can to help out]. Please be mindful, that there is no greater authority on the Life and Times of the Man Jesus, than the written Word of the Living God, His True Father; His only Parent, in the strictest sense of the word (if you understand the “birthing” process at all, then you know that there was really no “blood” relationship between the Man from Galilee, and His earthly family. In the womb, He drew all of His sustenance, and nourishment from Mary’s blood, but—as is the case in all human conception—their “bloods” never mixed. Here’s trusting you understand why, and that you know that Joseph was not a factor in His conception. That is, while it is true that Mary (primarily a feeding and incubation chamber) carried the Creator of the Universe to term, there was in the end, no biological connectivity between Him and His family. The work of redemption had to be all God—including birth, life and mission, death and resurrection—in human flesh. Be sure to read or re-read the article above). So then, Jesus was not of African descent, nor was He born in Africa. However, Jesus and His earthly parents, Miriam (Mary) and Joseph did live for a time there in the north eastern part of the continent of Africa, somewhere in that state or division known as Egypt (Matt. 2:12-23—to the best of my knowledge, the Bible does not name a town or other specific locality, in terms of their abode. Here is where they fled, per the Mind and Will of the Father, as He sought to shelter the Lad from the murderous Herod, the Idumean gentile king (who should never have been ruler of the Jews)—and who, having heard that a rightful King for the Jews was recently born, sought to eliminate the perceived “Threat” by killing all Jewish males two years old and younger (Matt. 2:12-15). This passage suggests that Jesus must have been at least two years old when He and His family entered North Africa (Egypt). As for Jesus’ appearance, it seems that your impression is at best a “jumble” of a misrepresentation involving a number of images pulled out of context. The “feet like brass…hair…like a wool…” has, one might say, two biblical applications, descriptive of One Person in two (the second and fourth) of His four roles or manifestations: 1) God—at this time, still by nature a Spirit in being—in one of His many “Christophonic” Old Testament appearances (this one not actual, as rather it is a vision before the prophet Daniel in 7:9), where He is called the Ancient of Days; i.e., this is that Person of the OT Triune Godhead Who was birthed Jesus the Christ of the New Testament, having been “morphed” into a little clump of cells only nine months earlier [Yahweh Elohim: the Self-Existing, Eternal One, Hayah, (I) Exist (Ex. 3:14-15)], 2) God—the resurrected Jesus Christ—ascended, backed at the side of His Father in Heaven, His sinless body glorified, and—having been “retrofitted”, as it were, though no longer Spirit—everything in the physical that He had been with the Father and the Holy Spirit before the incarnation—albeit, in a visionary appearance on the island of Patmos, before the aged and physically deformed John in the Revelation, 1:13-15. At no point, needless to say, was this what Jesus looked like walking those dusty rods of Galilee, as the Man He was born to be (in the third of His four manifestations)—the One Who died for you, and for me! Regarding Jesus complexion, the biblical record makes no mention. While it is true that His skin may well have been dark, it need not have been due solely to His race, nor must dark skin necessarily imply “African”. Many of the people groups of that region of the world are, even today, of a dark “pigmentation”; some naturally, so that they are normally almost as black as any African; others chiefly because of the sun [remove them from the sun, and their skins may lighten considerably, while they may always give birth to relatively light skinned young (who likewise darken with age, over time due to exposure to the same sun—which has no direct impact on that or those segments of the DNA molecule which controls skin color); others remain relatively dark, no matter what, and their off-spring are born just as dark]. Consider the Song of Solomon, where the King’s lover refers to herself as “black”, due to having been coerced to work the vineyards— under the hot, blazing sun—by her angry siblings (clearly, the implication here being such that she was normally one of lighter skin). On the other hand, he the King, was said to have been one light of coloration; he being as she was, “Jewish” (S. of S. 1:5&6; 5:10). So, there ya’ go, Mr. Hodges. I pray that my humble effort will be a blessing to you, as much as it has been a blessing to me and a pleasure to assist you in the resolution of these issues. Let me know if this treatise satisfactorily answers your questions. Moreover, I will also pray for God’s richest blessing upon you (and all others of like kindred spirits) in your search for enlightenment. In His Service, ALVIN MITCHELL Jesus' Heredity Was He genetically Human? Hi Pita: Why did the bible records the genology of jesus when he was not genetically human? One might say that the genealogy of Jesus is primarily a Jewish custom, employed here in scripture as a "tracking" tool to show and keep 'tabs' on God's promise to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and later Mose then King David. They were all issued the same basic promise, namely, One would come who being a descent of theirs would be a blessing to the whole world. He was in the womb of mary for nurioushment. However,he did not even have a DNA from his mother. He is totally GOD. Herein, Pita, lies the Mystery of all the ages, the one that God kept secret, even from the angels of Heaven, until the opportune time. The reality is, that He who originally existed as a Supreme, all-powerful Being who was altogether Spirit, was in fact 100% human being when He walked the dusty roads of Galilee—i.e., Jesus was genetically human. That is the marvel of His birth and conception: while His "roots" were altogether, undeniably God, His "morphing" or transformation to humanity was complete; He could, thereafter, only exist as a sinless human being (although He was free to request a retrofit at any time); He could no longer perform as God, on His own, left to His own power. Everything about Him was human, including His DNA and blood (neither of which owed its viability to any other human being of Adam's descendants, as rather the embryo from which He sprang was fashioned and shaped by the Holy Spirit of God, at His placement and conception in Mary's womb. Everything about that conception was totally independent of Mary and any man, except for His nourishment, by her body.). Read Philippians 2:5-8, and the first 17 chapters of John, and note the many times Jesus tried to impress upon His perplexed apostles the fact of His utter humanity: all the miracles He performed, everything He knew, was the product of the Father's instruction and the Holy Spirit living within Him. He could do nothing in and of Himself. Quite a contrast to the Old Testament appearances (called Christophonies) where He being Spirit, sometimes transformed temporarily into a man (so as to interact personally, mono au mono, with certain 'select' among His creatures), but retained all the attributes and characteristics of the God He was, demanding all the same respect. Now, however, as He sits yonder in the Heavenlies, beside the Heavenly Father, He is once again everything that He was in the 'beginning': Almighty God, exactly identical to the Father and the Holy Spirit, albeit, with a slight 'twist'--they are Spirit Beings, while He on the other hand is still Human Being. Everything He could not do on earth, as a totally 100% man, He can now do, by virtue of His being both God and Man, simultaneously (read Hebrews 1:1-4). Thus we understand, do we not Pita, that your understanding of the nature and humanity of the Man from Galilee is a bit 'askew', do we not? Let me know if this helps, ok? Thanks. Bye. Serving Him who is His total humanity was to His Father altogether lovely, Alvin Mitchell Supremacy of the Blood of Jesus Christ Name: = Your Name Here E-mail Address = Your URL (e-mail or web address) Here Comments: = SIR, MY NAMES ARE PASTOR EMMANUEL NELSON FROM NIGERIA. I AM LOOKING FOR THE MYSERIES THAT MAKE THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST POWERFUL THAN EVERY OTHER BLOOD.I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU SOONEST. GOD BLESS YOU. our comments, criticsms, questions, or suggestions No = on Yes = on Yes = on REMOTE_HOST: 193.219.221.141 Hello, Pastor Nelson: Nice of you to visit with us today and give us a chance to engage in you query, by your response. Thank you. There are no "mysteries" that make the blood of Jesus more powerful than any other, insofar as there is only one (and even that is no longer a "mystery" given that God has revealed it!): that, my friend would be His miraculous birth. That which gives the blood of our Lord its unique ability to eradicate the sin of all humanity is the fact that it is untainted by the sin of Adam, that is, while His was indeed human blood, by virtue of His being 100% human being, His was not at all the blood of our fallen humanity, by virtue of there being no male/female involvement in His conception (consider very carefully the beginning chapters of Matthew and of Luke). Jesus Christ was God, 'morphed' or transformed into a human body (see Philippians 2) by the miraculous intervention of the Holy Spirit of God upon the person and womb of the young virgin Mary. Thus, Pastor Nelson, the blood of the Man from Galilee was untainted and sin-free. Let me invite you to return to our sites at your earliest convenience, and consider also the following articles/pages: www.biblestudyhour.com/Jesus_OurPresbyter.html www.biblestudyhour.net/JesusGenealogy.html www.biblestudyhour.com/Trinity.html www.biblestudyhour.net/Jesus_GospelataGlance.html Let me know if this is of any help to you, ok, Pastor? Thanks again. Bye. Serving the Lamb whose blood was all together without blemish, Alvin Mitchell Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2005 02:32:17 -0700 (PDT) From: "chike emmanuel" <chikemmanel2@yahoo.com> View Contact Details Yahoo! DomainKeys has confirmed that this message was sent by yahoo.com. Learn more Subject: Re: The Blood of Jesus Christ! To: "Alvin Mitchell" <amitchell@biblestudyhour.net> Beloved Mitchel Thanks for your practical explanation on the Supremacy of the Blood of Our Saviour Jesus Christ.What a Privilege we have in Him.I am grateful to God for this wonderful opportunity to know someone like Jesus Christ. Once again,thanks for your Biblical information on this regard.Remain profitable to God and Humanity.Feel free to communicate me any time.God bless you. Pastor Nelson, Gods Chosen Generation Ministry, Ejigbo Lagos,Nigeria. 2348033871665. |
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| Click on icon to enlarge and survey front and back covers of this new book on The Biblical Jesus as portrayed only in the Bible free from denominational distortions |
| Learn more about Jesus Christ at www.kingjesuslives.com |
| Jesus: In His own Words Christian, you must know your Savior. You must know the Man God presented before the world 2000 years ago, as He is presented in your Bibles today—not according to the perverted view(s) espoused and pandered by today’s educated, elitest, evangelical/fundamentalists and others religionists. All roads and views do not lead to God. “I feel, I think, thus I believe, therefore ‘thus saith the Lord’”, is not a recipe for theological and spiritual success. This is the anti-God, anti- Christ formula wielded and propagated by American church leadership of virtually every stripe and which has served so well as a buffer to isolate and keep the seeking soul in all churches, black, white and otherwise, from ever connecting with the word of the Living God. Any view that fails to consider and weigh thoroughly Jesus's own words concerning His person, both now and then, is in fact a perverted view. It is a distortion. Click the title above to read more. Consider also these topics: The Humanity of Jesus: Fact or Fiction? Every Christian knows that He lived and died a sinles Man. But, what of His humanity? Was the constituency of His physical being such that He, like Adam, could have sinned? A rebuttle to the arguments of the so-called "Bible answer-man". Jesus: In the Father's Eye When the Father looked upon the Son in His earthly humanity, He did so with supreme delight, and great satisfaction. What did He see? Jesus: The Absolute Necessity of His Full Humanity God the Almighty, as such, could never die for the sins of men. He cannot die, nor does He have blood to shed. Angels have no blood, and, that of animals will not cleanse from sin. Hence, they cannot take away man's sin. Only a sinless Man, fully human in being, could accomplish this task. |
| The Morphing of God There is, of course, no way we can ever know with any real certainty, how it is that Almighty, all-powerful God was transformed fully into a sin-free being with less power and authority than the least of the angels He Himself created! By coagulation of or pulling together Biblical clues in the form of descriptive words and phrases God applies to Himself with our knowledge of how our world and the universe operates (thanks to vastly increased understanding in an area of phyics called quantum or particle physics), we can however piece together a glimpse of what the Master wants us to perceive about His Being, and, how the Old Testament Christophonies as well as the incarnation were possible. |
| Jesus in the eyes of the People His promise was that He would return to earth someday in all the glory, power and majesty of the Father. What demands did He place upon His followers while He walked the dusty roads of Galilee? How did they view Him? What was His evident expectation of them? Given that He was keenly aware of their various assumptions and perspectives, why did He appy so little effort toward changing them? |
| Jesus Christ: God, or Son of God? Were Jesus' claims regarding His person explicit or implicit? That is the sum of the issue raised by a Mr. Ghazali, after having read a book written by a Mr. Abdullah, challenging common teachings with regard to Jesus' perception of Himself. "...Mr. Abdullah is quite right in his assertion that Jesus never explicitly declared Himself to be God. The reason for this quite simply has to do with the fact that during His earthly sojourn, Jesus, functionally, was in fact not God...He never made one direct, explicit claim to the effect that He was God...He clearly alludes to and made unmistakable overtures regarding His beginning as one having roots in Deity and that He intentionally led others to believe that He was the Son of God". Click the title above to read more. |
| The Adam/Christ Connection What were the differences and similarities between the body God created in Adam, and the Body born a Baby in Bethlehem's feeding trough, having blossomed from an embryo prepared and implanted into a virgin's womb, by the Holy Spirit of His Father? |