THE GIFTS OF THE MAGI AND OUR DESTINY
“. . . . . .And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him:
gold, frankincense, and myrrh” Matthew 2:11 NKJ
GOLD FRANKINCENSE MYRRH
As we approach the end of the Roman year, approximately two billion people the world over were busy preparing for one of their most important religious celebration, Christmas. Christianity according to the “New Book of Knowledge” is the largest religion in the world and is made up of Roman Catholics, Protestants and Orthodox churches. These churches are scattered in almost all nation of the world.
Being a protestant many years ago, I have participated innocently in a form of worship - known to be an abomination in the eyes of God. That worship service is called Easter Sunrise Service.
After being called into the Worldwide Church of God and being encouraged to read the book of Ezekiel chapter 8: - was a real eye opener “And He said to me, Turn again, and you will see greater abominations that they are doing.” So He brought me to the door of the north gate of the Lord's house; and to my dismay,
women were sitting there weeping for Tammuz. Then He said to me, “Have you sen this, O son of man? Turn again, you will see greater abominations than these.” So He brought me into the inner court of the Lord's house; and there, at the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty- five men with their backs toward the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east, and they were worshiping the sun toward the east. And He said to me, “Have you seen this, O son of man? Is it a trivial thing to the house of placecountry-regionJudah to commit the abominations which they commit here? For they have filled the land with violence; then they have returned to provoke Me to anger. Indeed they put the branch to their nose”(Ezekiel 8:13-17).
Eye opener indeed! It made me shudder to recall what we have done once a year on Easter Sunday many years ago. We thought we were worshiping Christ's resurrection. When “proving all things”- we have discovered that Jesus Christ was resurrected late on a Saturday afternoon not on a Sunday morning. We had to repent of that abominable act. We were told also that Christ was the “Sun of Righteousness”( Malachi 4:2).
Easter Sunday sunrise service was actually worshiping the sun god. And God said it is an abomination. But did you notice that it is not only during Easter that sun worship is done by Christians? They worship the sun also during Christmas. Note that December 25, when Julius Cesar placed Christ' natal [birth] day on the winter solstice. On this day the sun god Ra was said to have been born. This is the birthday of the sun. On this day, the waning sun will begin to wax and grow bigger. Placing Christ's birthday on this day was to be easier for pagans to absorb the new Christian religious teaching that placeCityConstantine wanted for uniting the kingdom. People worship the sun in the guise of worshiping the Son of God. Camouflaging is the devils contentment, he loves this arrangement.
Thus in this world's Christianity, sun worship is observed unknowingly. Christmas and Easter are this world's most important and biggest holidays. These two festivities oil the commercial industries. Could this be the luxury that placeCityBabylon the great offers and tempt God's chosen with? Notice Revelation 3:10. “Because thou hast kept the word of My patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.”
During Christmas one of the activities that many people enjoy and anticipate in is exchanging gifts. They have Christmas parties to celebrate the birthday of Jesus. Unlike the wise men from the east, who brought gifts to honor baby Jesus, they exchange gifts among themselves, when it was no ones birthday. Note that in Matthew 2:11 the magi or wise men presented their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to Jesus. There was no gift exchange between the wise men.
The nativity scene that the world today sees is not factual. They show shepherds, animals, and people, including the three wise men in a stable. The wise men brought with them three kinds of gifts. Note that in the Bible, the magi found the baby Jesus in the house, not in a stable of animals. So this could have happened a number of days after His birth.
The thing that interests us is in the gifts that these magi brought. The choice of gifts - gold, frankincense and myrrh was not happenstance; it was rich in significance.
Gold was an appropriate gift for a king. Notice what the magi said Matthew 2:2. “.. Where is He that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen His star in the east, and are come to worship Him.” The wise men knew they were entering into the presence of royalty. It was and still is customary to bring costly gifts on such an occasion. Gold as one of the three costly gifts presented to the future “King of Kings.”
The frankincense was a sweet perfume used by the priests in worship at the tabernacle (Exodus 30:34). In addition to being King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Revelation 19:16), Jesus is also a high priest (Hebrews 4:4-15). In His role as high priest He actively ministers in the heavenly temple on behalf of those who submit their lives to Him. He intercedes for them, makes atonement for them, sends them help when they are in need. Frankincense was a fitting gift for an infant who would became our high priest.
Myrrh was used to embalm the bodies of the dead. This little child Jesus was to grow up and one day be put to death for the sins of the world. It is His sacrifice which makes God's plan of salvation possible, for “without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins” (Hebrews 9:22). Myrrh was a gift for one who was destined to die for the sins of mankind.
We have now seen the value or importance of the gifts of the magi. This world did not understand. The gifts were a message of prophecy. Prophecy for our destiny, as it was for Jesus Christ.
God long ago had already given the world the guideline of how to worship Him. The festivals of the Bible are closely linked to the harvest seasons of the placeHoly Land, where Jesus Christ spent His human life.
Now we understand that God had never commanded us to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. This could have been the reason why God never revealed the actual day of Christ's birthday. The Scripture reveals that only pagans celebrate birthdays. King Herod was the classic example for celebrating birthdays. Matthew 14:6-11 and Mark 6:21-28 records that when King Herod celebrated his birthday, it resulted in the death of John the Baptist. John was beheaded and his head was placed on a platter as a gift to Herodias for her request on the occasion.
We have learned that pagan leaders had placed Christ's birth during winter solstice to coincide with the sun's birth. Unknowingly, when people celebrate Christ's birth they were actually worshiping the sun. A subtle yet serious error.
God had long ago already given His people the days wherein people should worship Him. Yet even this had been muddled by people who are stiff neck and disobedient. They thought they knew better than God. They postponed God's true appointed days because of the inconvenience it caused them. They don't want a back to back Sabbath to occur.
God had also given people appointed days to come before Him not empty handed. Present churches of God disobey God on this command. They require themselves to come not empty handed on all seven feasts of God. This is simple disobedience. God is explicit on this command, naming even the three feasts that His people should come not empty handed. I have mentioned in one of my articles last May/June 2006 issue of this magazine that these three feasts are harvest seasons. To further clarify this command notice Exodus 23: “Three times you shall keep a feast to Me in the year: You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread (you shall eat unleavened bread seven days as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt; none shall appear before Me empty); “ and in the Feast of Harvest, the first fruits of your labors which you have sown in the field; and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you have gathered in the fruit of your labors from the field. Three times in the year males shall appear before the Lord God” (Exo23:14-17).
People may have taken these commands for granted or they may not have realized these verses as direct commands from God! Many thought that only the Ten Commandments are commands for them.
Coming from a splinter group of the placePlaceTypechurch of PlaceNameGod wherein the local elder require us to give offering in all seven feasts of God including Atonement. The only exception is Passover. He keeps on telling us that we sin against God if we don't give on these feasts. He further stressed that the least that we should give every feast is ten percent of our income.
It is only now that I learned God only requires us to give three times in one year. Of course it is not sin to give a free will offering. This brings thoughts about obeying God. “.......Behold to obey is better than sacrifice,.......” (1 Samuel 15:22). Instead of celebrating Christmas which God never commanded us to do, God had provided us in His instruction book, the Bible, days or appointed Feasts to keep. We know these feasts would give us more hope to salvation which Christmas could never give. The message of these feasts were also given us in part by the gift of the Magi that we have already discussed.
The first harvest of barley is called the Days of Unleavened Bread. It is the first time we are to come before God, not empty handed. This feast pictures the first of the first fruit, Jesus Christ, being resurrected or harvested from the barely harvest. He then is waved before God the Father, He is the wave sheaf cut or sacrificed for our sins, as the first of the first fruit barley harvest. After God the Father accepted Him, we begin counting for the next feast, Pentecost.
Seven Sabbaths plus one after that cutting and waving of the sheaf of barley comes the next feast of Harvest. The crop of wheat is harvested. This crop is also known as first fruit. The wheat coming from this harvest is however, baked with leaven before waved before God. This harvest picture Christ's chosen remnant. And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”(Rev. 12:17). They will be called or resurrected ahead of the rest of humanity (1 Thessalonians 3:13).
The third harvest that we are to come before God not empty handed is during the feast of Tabernacle. This harvest is of the general crop, pictured by harvest of fruits, nuts, olives and the like.
This feast picture the hope of mankind to salvation. Notice that God has a harvest for all people. These three harvest reveal God's plan for all humanity. Our God is a merciful God, not wanting that any should be left or unaccounted for.
This world's festivities do not picture any plan of redemption. On the other hand God's feasts offer obedient and submissive people hope for eternal life.
Our ultimate destiny lies yet ahead, when God gives us dominion and stupendous destiny over all His marvelous creation. “What is man that You are mindful of him, Or the son of man that You take care of him? You have made him a little lower than the angels; You have crowned him with glory and honor, And set him over the works of Your hands. You have put all things in subjection under his feet”(Heb 2:6-8).
This is where you and I and all of humanity are headed. It's time to put away keeping the festivities that the world is observing and keeping. It's time to understand the gift of the Magi and how it is tied to our ultimate destiny.
This December, recall that gold is a gift fitting to give for kings. We are to become kings and priest of our God. Gold will be given to us in the future when we assume this promised position.
As future priest we are worthy to use sweet essences such as frankincense in our worshiping God. And in the process of following Christ, we die daily. Myrrh reminds us of this. The world does not know this. The human destiny is hidden in the things they keep for granted. “Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive” (Matt 13:13-14).
That is the world today, meanwhile, we who see and hear these things, and have blessed eyes and ears, obey and follow God. We know our God, we can ask forgiveness of our sins, and to Jesus Christ we give our faith and allegiance as King (Acts 20:21).
We are not to be carried by the gaiety of this world. We are not to be tempted by its promised luxury as Revelation 3:10 says. We have to get out of this world's ways. A brighter and surer and glorious destiny awaits us.
Sotero Sonza