MESSIAH IS ETERNAL

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come forth for Me One to be ruler over Israel—One whose origins are of old, from the days of eternity.

Micah 5:2 (BSB)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning . . .The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1:1-2, 14 (BSB)

Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last, the Living One. I was dead, and behold, now I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of Death and of Hades.

Revelation 1:17b-18 (BSB)

Micah prophesied that the Messiah would be eternal, existing before the creation of the world and yet to come as Israel’s ruler. The Apostle John referred to Jesus as “the Word” and asserts that the Word not only was WITH God in the beginning but WAS God. In Revelation Jesus referred to Himself as the Alpha and Omega—the First and Last—the Living One. Jesus and God are One. Therefore, as God, Jesus has no beginning and no end. In the Gospel of John, Jesus made seven “I AM” statements which Jewish listeners would understand as Him asserting His deity, the fact that He is God:

• 1.       “I AM the Bread of Life” – John 6:35-48
• 2.       “I AM the Light of the World” – John 8:12; 9:5
• 3.       “I AM the Gate” – John 10:7
• 4.       “I AM the Good Shepherd” – John 10:11-14
• 5.       “I AM the Resurrection and the Life” – John 11:25
• 6.       “I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life” – John 14:6
• 7.       “I AM the True Vine” – John 15:1-5

In John 14:9, Jesus told His disciples, “Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father.” As the incarnate God-man, Jesus began as a baby born of a virgin in Bethlehem and suffered the cruelest death of the time, crucifixion. However, His death on the earth was not an end but a beginning because on the third day, He rose from the dead and now continues His forever life seated at the right hand of God the Father. Jesus’ resurrection completed His mission on earth, purchasing our redemption on the cross and paving the way for our resurrection into eternal life with Him by being the “firstborn of the dead” (Revelation 1:5). Since Christ was raised to life in bodily form, we, too, will be raised: “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. . . But each in his own turn: Christ the firstfruits; then at His coming, those who belong to Him” (1 Corinthians 15:20 & 23).

Jesus is eternal and offers us eternal life with Him. If you have trusted Him, you will enjoy life with Him when your life here on earth ends or He returns. If you do not entrust your life to Him, you will still live forever; but that life will be one of separation from God and from everything that is good. Have you surrendered your life to Jesus, the One who died to redeem you from sin and death and rose again to prepare a place for those who belong to Him? If not, see “The Jewels of Salvation” toward the end of this book or please contact us for more information!

SRSlade2009@gmail.com or www.PreciousJewelsMinistries.com

Father, we thank You for making joyous, eternal life with You available to us through Jesus’s incarnation, death, and resurrection from the grave! Thank You for drawing us and giving us the faith to entrust our lives to Christ.

Michael Card’s “The Final Word”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U768-gCY0ds