In connection with the conception and birth of Jesus Christ, who was conceived and born by the virgin Mary through the Holy Spirit, it's interesting to mention and unfold the meaning of time of the new kingship and priesthood in Jesus Christ (see Luke 1:30-35).

 

30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.

31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.

32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.

 

This kingship and priesthood is eternal and has its origin in the divine sonship according to the order of Melchizedek (see Hebrews 5:5-6).

 

5 In the same way, Christ did not take on himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father.”

6 And he says in another place, “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”

 

 

At the time of the conception of Jesus Christ up to His birth there were various influential movements which recognized through the influence of divine revelation, that a new king would be born or was born.

 

 

First of all, these were the magicians (note: wise men) who looked into the dark night sky and saw a bright star at their time and realized that a king would be born, so that they set off on their way to Jerusalem, the governmental capital of Israel, to meet the newborn King.

The wise men assumed that they would find Him in the capital, since it was where the seat of government was (see Matthew 2:1-2).

 

1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

 

 

I personally consider the dark night sky and the rising bright star as an open door, as John saw it in the Book of Revelation because the wise men had to look up into the night sky to see.

This door is related to the insight into the realm of divine government (note: throne room; see Revelation 4:1-2).

 

1 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”

2 At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.

 

Since Jesus said of Himself that He is the door, His birth is equal to the open door in heaven leading into the reign of the Heavenly Father (see John 10:9 i.c.w. John 14:6).

 

9 I am the gate (note: door); whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.

 

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

 

The birth of Jesus Christ marked the beginning of the new kingdom in the sonship of God which is the order of Melchizedek, that includes eternal kingship and priesthood.

 

 

The birth of Jesus Christ which can also be seen as the birth of the new wineskin in the form of the kingly – heavenly government (see Mark 2:22), brought a shock to the earthly government of Israel and its society (see Matthew 2:2-3).

 

… 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.

 

As a result, the Word of God was consulted by Herod to find out where the new King (note: eternal kingship) arose, which was in Bethlehem – “the house of bread” (see Matthew 2:4-6).

 

4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born.

5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: 6 “ ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

 

 

Even as king Herod asked the chief priests and the scribes for the birthplace of the new king (note: the eternal kingdom) on the basis of deceitfulness, nowadays his behavior should draw our attention to the fact that revelation/prophecy always goes in accordance with the Word of God (see 2 Peter 1:19-21).

 

19 We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.

20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things.

21 For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

 

 

It is interesting to note that leaders and influential persons reacted differently to Jesus' coming at the time of His conception and birth.

 

Through the right discernment of times, the wise men first recognized the time of Jesus' birth, because they looked into the dark night sky and saw the bright star which was a sign for them that a king was born.

 

 

Among other things, it were the stars that God created on the fourth day and which are to serve people as signs of special times, and days and years.

It is no coincidence that the number “4” is connected to the “open door”.

 

The Hebrew letter “Daleth” has the numerical value of “4” and means among other things “door”. Furthermore, the letter bears the pictographic representation of an “open tent door” (Genesis 1:14-19).

 

14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so.

16 God made two great lights – the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.

17 God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good.

19 And there was evening, and there was morning – the fourth day.

 

On the basis of the wise men's testimony of the birth of the new King, king Herod and Jerusalem's society were frightened so that he instructed the trained people in the Word of God to seek the truth.

The chief priests and scribes then searched in the Word of God and found the truth in the book of the prophet Micah (see Micah 5:2).

 

2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”

 

 

The shepherds, too, who guarded their sheep in the field, received open eyes of their hearts at the time of the birth of Jesus, so that they could look directly into the spiritual realm of the region and saw the angelic movement and heard the divine revelation.

As a result, they came to the birthplace of the new eternal kingdom and paid tribute to the new King Jesus Christ and spoke to men about His birth in the power of knowledge (see Luke 2:8-20).

 

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.

9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.

11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.

12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.

17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

 

 

At the time of the birth of Jesus, it were the wise men and the shepherds who, on the basis of revelation and a humble heart came on time to the birthplace of the kingship of Jesus in order to be first in the presence of Jesus Christ and to glorify Him on earth (see Matthew 2:9-11 i.c.w. Luke 2:15-20).

 

9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.

10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.

11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

 

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.

17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

 

 

It needs a humble attitude of heart and expectation to receive and walk in divine revelation for this time. If someone does not have this attitude, he/she is not able to understand the kingdom of heaven and the Father's high plans for this time.

 

This can even lead to the fact that one moves forward only in the power of the letter associated with death, which means that one opposes the new spiritual life that the Lord brings at this time (see 2 Corinthians 3:6).

 

6 He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

 

Amen and Amen.

 

In His Wisdom,

 

Daniel Glimm