Arrival Of The Christ-1

ARRIVAL Of The CHRIST-I—Luke 2:1-20

Luke records for us the revelatory/telling circumstances/events surrounding the arrival/birth of Christ the Lord.

The circumstances/events surrounding/dealing with the arrival/birth of Christ the Lord are revelatory.

What are the revelatory/telling circumstances/events surrounding/dealing with the arrival/birth of Christ the Lord?

3 revelatory events surrounding the 1st arrival of Christ the Lord.

A revelatory event of Christ the Lord’s arrival is His...

1—Christ the Lord is revealed thru His...

BIRTH(:1-7)

Explanation: (:1-7)Timing/Providence

“1—“And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.”

“In those days”

In the days of John the Baptist’s birth.

He & Jesus were kin(Lk. 1:36)They were at least 6 mths. apart by birth (Lk. 1:36).

“A decree went out from Caesar Augustus”

During the rule of Caesar Augustus:

Who was born Gaius Octavianus. His great-uncle(thru Octavianus’ mother) was Emperor Julius Caesar. He took the name Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus (Octavian) in 44 B.C. after the murder of his great uncle. In his will Caesar had adopted Octavian & made him his heir. The title ‘Augustus’(exalted) was bestowed on him by the Senate in 27BC(36yrs.) upon his being proclaimed emperor of Rome, & he reigned until his death in A.D. 14.

“...Caesar who was far removed from the little village Bethlehem & utterly removed from the purposes of God & utterly ignorant of the Word of God. But nonetheless he was a main player in bringing the prophecy to pass which shows the mighty, incomprehensible, providential work of Almighty God.”—John MacArthur

“Decree/Doctrine/Ordinance”—dogma—1) Doctrine, decree, ordinance—1a) Of public decrees, 1b) Of the Roman Senate, 1c) Of rulers; 2) The rules & requirements of the law of Moses; carrying a suggestion of severity & of threatened judgment; 3) Of certain decrees of the apostles relative to right living. Dogma is an authoritative conclusion, a proposition which it is expected that all will recognize as universally binding. Strong—A law (civil, ceremonial or ecclesiastical):-- Decree, ordinance.

“All the world/inhabited earth”—

All of the land under the scrutiny of Rome.

This included: Portions of all countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea & all of Italy, Spain, Greece, Syria & Palestine.

“Inhabited earth”—oikoumenh—fem. participle present passive of —oikew(to dwell in.)—1) The inhabited earth—1a) The portion of the earth inhabited by the Greeks, in distinction from the lands of the barbarians, 1b) The Roman empire, all the subjects of the empire, 1c) The whole inhabited earth, the world, 1d) The inhabitants of the earth, men; 2) The universe, the world.

“Decree....that all the world should be registered.”

*“It was a census, not a taxing, though taxing generally followed & was based on the census.”—RWP

Augustus apparently called for “a series of censuses apparently at 14-year intervals.”—John MacArthur

“Registered/Taxed/Census”(See :3, 5)—apografw—1) To write off, copy (from some pattern); 2) To enter in a register or records—2a) spec. To enter in public records the names of men, their property & income, 2b) To enroll. Strong—To write off (a copy or list), i.e. Enroll:-- Tax, write. Used 4X.

:2—“This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria.”

“The census first took place”—There were either segmental aspects to this census OR there were at least 2 censuses or both.

It is amazing how historians can be so arrogantly certain of the background regarding particular events, when the reality, much of the time, reveals a hugely different path.

“While”—in the midst of Quirinius’ tenure as governor of Syria(6-9BC) or As administrator of Syrian census.

“Syria was the region in which Judea exists(From Turkey to the Sinai Peninsula). So when it says Quirinius was the governor of Syria, that would include Judea was a component of Syria large.”—John MacArthur

Evidence suggests Augustus may have initiated a series of censuses at 14 yr. intervals.

“Publius Sulpicius Quirinius. He was known to have governed Syria,” from “A.D. 6 to 9...”...“A well-known census was taken in Palestine in A.D. 6”(due to an insurrection it caused) recorded by the historian Josephus. “Since that one occurred in 6 A.D.”, then 14 yrs earlier is 8 B.C.”—MacArthur

Obviously Quirinius [governed] sometime prior to 6 A.D. as well OR our extant records are off.

“Augustus probably made the decree in 8 B.C. but Judea didn't comply with it until two to four years later... It was actually carried out in Palestine two to four years later, most likely because of political difficulties between Rome & Herod & conflicts.”—John MacArthur

“Quirnius”—Kurhniov—Cyrenius = "warrior"—1) the Greek form of the Roman name Quirinus. His full name is Publius Sulpicius Quirinus. He was consul B.C. 12., & was made governor of Syria after the banishment of Archelaus in A.D. 6. He was probably twice governor of Syria; his first governorship extended from B.C. 4 (the year of Christ's birth) to B.C. 1. It was during this time that he was sent to make enrollment which caused Joseph & Mary to visit Bethlehem. The second enrollment is mentioned in Acts 5:37.