The True Lineage of Jesus Christ: Your Beginning Does Not Define Your Ending By Velyn Cooper PLEASE SHARE!

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1 The True Lineage of Jesus Christ: Your Beginning Does Not Define Your Ending By Velyn Cooper PLEASE SHARE! 1

2 ISBN-10: ISBN-13:

3 VC Productions INTRODUCTION The True Lineage of Jesus Christ: Your Beginning Does Not Define Your Ending, evolved out of my personal Bible Studies way back in I discovered it today, June 4 th, 2018, when I decided to check my flash drives to see what was on them. I was pleasantly surprised to find a variety of Bible studies I had done over the years. I spent a few hours fine tuning The True Lineage of Jesus Christ: Your Beginning Does Not Define Your Ending and then made a decision to make this, along with the others (once they are reviewed and published), available as free downloads on my social media pages. 3

4 Before reading this booklet write down what you know about the true lineage of Jesus Christ you can use a piece of paper 4

5 The Genealogy of Christ If we focus on the genealogy of Jesus Christ as listed in Matthew chapter 1, those of us with some biblical knowledge will know that the human race did not begin with Abraham, while others who are not familiar with biblical knowledge might assume that the population of the earth did indeed begin with Abraham. For this reason, I listed both recordings of the genealogy of Jesus Christ as listed in Matthew 1 and Luke 3. Matthew traces the lineage of Jesus from Abraham to Joseph, the husband of Mary the mother of Jesus. This lineage includes both male and female ancestors. Matthew 1 (Italics mine) 1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 2 Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren; 3 And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar; (his daughter-in-law) and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram; 4 And Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon; 5 And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; (Moabitess-direct descendant of Moab, the son of Lot and his oldest daughter) and Obed begat Jesse; 6 And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias; (David had Uriah killed after having an affair with and impregnating Uriah s wife Bathsheba) 7 And Solomon begat Roboam; and Roboam begat Abia; and Abia begat Asa; 5

6 8 And Asa begat Josaphat; and Josaphat begat Joram; and Joram begat Ozias; 9 And Ozias begat Joatham; and Joatham begat Achaz; and Achaz begat Ezekias; 10 And Ezekias begat Manasses; and Manasses begat Amon; and Amon begat Josias; 11 And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon: 12 And after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel; and Salathiel begat Zorobabel; 13 And Zorobabel begat Abiud; and Abiud begat Eliakim; and Eliakim begat Azor; 14 And Azor begat Sadoc; and Sadoc begat Achim; and Achim begat Eliud; 15 And Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Matthan begat Jacob; 16 And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. Luke traces the lineage of Jesus back to God. Luke 3:23-38 King James Version (KJV) 23 And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli, 24 Which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi, which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Janna, which was the son of Joseph, 6

7 25 Which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Amos, which was the son of Naum, which was the son of Esli, which was the son of Nagge, 26 Which was the son of Maath, which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Semei, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Juda, 27 Which was the son of Joanna, which was the son of Rhesa, which was the son of Zorobabel, which was the son of Salathiel, which was the son of Neri, 28 Which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Addi, which was the son of Cosam, which was the son of Elmodam, which was the son of Er, 29 Which was the son of Jose, which was the son of Eliezer, which was the son of Jorim, which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi, 30 Which was the son of Simeon, which was the son of Juda, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Jonan, which was the son of Eliakim, 31 Which was the son of Melea, which was the son of Menan, which was the son of Mattatha, which was the son of Nathan, which was the son of David, 32 Which was the son of Jesse, which was the son of Obed, which was the son of Booz, which was the son of Salmon, 7

8 which was the son of Naasson, 33 Which was the son of Aminadab, which was the son of Aram, which was the son of Esrom, which was the son of Phares, which was the son of Juda, 34 Which was the son of Jacob, which was the son of Isaac, which was the son of Abraham, which was the son of Thara, which was the son of Nachor, 35 Which was the son of Saruch, which was the son of Ragau, which was the son of Phalec, which was the son of Heber, which was the son of Sala, 36 Which was the son of Cainan, which was the son of Arphaxad, which was the son of Sem, which was the son of Noe, which was the son of Lamech, 37 Which was the son of Mathusala, which was the son of Enoch, which was the son of Jared, which was the son of Maleleel, which was the son of Cainan, 38 Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God. I wondered why the genealogies are listed differently and made an educated guess that the possible reason for this was due to the fact that a different generation of people came into existence beginning with Abraham. God called Abraham (Abram at the time) out of a pagan world in order that he might create a new breed of people - the Jews - through him (Genesis 12). This is a clear indication of how God uses imperfect people to accomplish His perfect will. 8

9 2 nd Corinthians 4: 7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us. Why did God do this? From the time of Adam to the time of Abram, the majority of the people lost their relationship with God, making it necessary for God to establish a new line of people who would be His chosen people. These people would come into existence through Abraham and his wife Sarah. (Genesis 12) God called Abram out of his natural surroundings and took him on a journey that continues to this day, leading to the New Jerusalem that will be realized at the return of Christ for His church. (Revelation 21) The True Lineage of Jesus You cannot serve that which you do not understand and you cannot follow that which you do not know. Many who say they are Christians are lost in their search for a true relationship with God, through His Son, Jesus Christ, simply because rather than putting in some time to search the Book produced by Him, to learn of Him, they go by hearsay, get differing opinionated views about Him and accept them all as fact, without researching the Book for themselves. 2 nd Timothy 2: 15 admonishes us to study the word of God for ourselves so that we can properly understand the word and in doing so, assist others in coming to a correct understanding of the Word of God. The Fairytale Begins I can remember so clearly, all of the Christmas plays telling the story of the birth of Christ but none ever telling the story of His true lineage. He was always presented in such a surreal manner, that it made it seem impossible to connect with Him in a real way and have a real relationship with Him. To me, He was just another 9

10 character from a cartoon show or some TV series that I could not connect with in any way, shape or form. He just wasn t real. As a child, I remember everyone in our community getting ready for Christmas. The houses had to literally be spotless from top to bottom, inside and out. Food and clothes galore were the order of the day. And don t forget the liquor for many, Christmas just wasn t Christmas without it. You had to have a beautifully decorated tree with specially wrapped boxes underneath even if some were empty because Christmas just wouldn t be Christmas without them. Where did all of this come from? Is it biblical? Is it just a tradition and if it is, who started it? Why do we continuously follow what we don t understand without seeking to gain understanding of what we are following? In a nutshell, the word Christmas is not even mentioned in the Bible. Furthermore, at the birth of Christ, gifts were presented, but they were presented by people to Christ and not to each other - and these gifts also bore significant meaning to the life of Christ. Matthew 2: 11 (KJV) 11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh. Imagine what would happen if instead of giving gifts to each other at Christmas we take our money that we would have used to buy gifts for each other and give it back to God as a special offering for all of His blessings upon us throughout the year. WE CAN GIVE IT BACK TO HIM BY BUYING FOOD FOR A NEEDY FAMILY OR MAYBE EVEN SOME CLOTHING, SHOES OR WHATEVER IS PRACTICAL OR BENEFICIAL FOR OTHERS IN NEED AT THE TIME. Please note also that there was never any mention of birthday celebrations by any follower of God before Jesus was born and none after He was born. The only birthday celebrations listed in the Bible referred to those by leaders who did not believe in God. 10

11 1. Genesis 40:20 (KJV) And it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, that he made a feast unto all his servants: and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants. (Pharaoh - leader of Egypt, non Jew, italics mine) 2. Matthew 14:6 (KJV) But when Herod's birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod. (Herod - non Jew, King of Judea italics mine) 3. Mark 6:21 (KJV) And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee; The Fairytale Ends Take note: when Christ was born, the gifts (gold, frankincense and myrrh) were brought to Him to recognize Him as King of the Jews as well as to point forward to the legacy of His life. The gift giving celebrating His birth was a one-time thing with heavy, future significance attached to each gift. Gold Significance of the Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh Most of us know what gold looks like and know that it s very valuable but do we understand the significance of this gift to the baby Jesus? According to Encarta online dictionary, gold is a soft, heavy, corrosion-resistant, yellow metallic element that is highly valued. When something is soft, it is pliable or flexible and can be easily bent or formed into whatever shape you want it to be. As a baby, Jesus represented the pliability 11

12 of His character in preparation to be used by God to fulfill the purpose for which He was born into this world. His pliability may appear to some as a form of giving up or giving in, where negative circumstances and situations regarding His life are concerned, but as you learn more about Him, you will realize that He never gave in. Instead of giving in, He gave way to negative circumstances and situations, allowing them to mold and shape Him into the person God created Him to be. This was not an easy journey for Jesus to take, as He carried the weight of the sins of the world in His body. That weight was fully borne upon His death on the cross, and fully released upon His resurrection in His new and glorified body the type of body we look forward to attaining when we are resurrected and caught up to meet Him in the air. (1st Thessalonians 4: 13-18) All that He suffered in His body prior to his death - the physical beatings that bruised Him; tore His flesh from His bones and left Him almost unrecognizable was not apparent at His resurrection. Death, which destroys us, could not destroy Him and He is the first fruit, or the first to be raised or resurrected from the dead in His new and glorified body, giving us hope in this life and in the life to come. All that Christ was when He was on earth shines through His gospel or good news message, as outlined in the New Testament of the Bible and is reflected in the lives of those who truly follow His teachings and live according to His lifestyle. Christ s life was the opposite of Adam s. Adam came into the world as a being powered by the Spirit power of God but died as a flesh and blood man, while Jesus went from having a body powered by blood (John 19: 34) to a body powered by the Spirit power of God after his resurrection. He went into the grave all bruised and scarred but came out three days later with only the nail prints in His hands and his feet, as identifying marks of His crucifixion (see Luke 24:39-40) What is so amazing is that like Adam, who ate while he was living in a totally Spirit powered body (Genesis 2:16-17), Jesus also ate after He was resurrected in his new totally, Spirit powered body (Luke 24: 39-43) 12

13 Prior to His actually appearing to the remaining eleven disciples after His death and resurrection, (Judas hanged himself after betraying Jesus, Matthew 27:3-5), Jesus was limited in His movements just like we are and either walked, travelled by boat or rode a donkey to get from point A to point B. After His resurrection, He would just appear out of nowhere (See Mark 16: 9-14) and vanish as quickly as He appeared (Luke 24: 13-31). When He as usual, just appeared out of nowhere, of course they were terrified, thinking they were seeing a ghost, until He assured them of who He was by showing them His hands and His feet. The fact that He had a physical body, as represented by the actual crucifixion imprints of the nails in hands and feet, meant that He was not a spirit (ghost). He assured them that spirits (ghosts) do not have flesh and bones like He had. (Luke 24: 39-40). The one thing Jesus did not mention was blood. At His resurrection, He was raised in His new, non dying, nondecaying body. He is now a Spirit being not in the sense that He is a ghost, as we consider ghosts to be, but a being now powered completely by the Spirit power of God. This is why He alone is the firstfruit of them that slept or died He is the first to be resurrected from the dead in His new and glorified body that can never get sick, grow old or die. (1 Corinthians 15: 1-23) This is the same type of body that Adam had before he sinned. Amazingly, he and Christ are diametrically opposed or direct opposites. Adam was blessed with eternal life while in the Garden of Eden, before he sinned. I say this because in Genesis 2: 21-25, when God made woman (Eve) from the rib of the man (Adam) and presented her to him as his wife, Adam responded by saying that Eve was bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh he never mentioned anything about blood. Why? At that time, his life was powered only by the Spirit power of God that God had breathed into his nostrils when He created him. (Genesis 2: 7) After Adam sinned, that spiritual connection to God was lost. Whereas he was operating totally on the spiritual level before, now he started operating at the physical level. Whereas he used to look forward to spending time with God in the cool of the day, now he was hiding from God (Genesis 3: 8). Not only that, Adam was created to live forever (flesh and bones) but not in an imperfect state (Genesis 3: 22). The end result was that the Garden of Eden could no longer be his 13

14 home, so God sent him out of the garden, where he actually had to work the same ground from which he was made in order for him to have food to eat so that he could survive (Genesis 3: 23). Unlike life in the garden, where he had life made in the shade, life outside would be hard work that was not enjoyable. Adam went from flesh and bones powered by the Spirit of God, with no concept of nakedness, to flesh, bones and blood, with God having to make the first animal sacrifice to clothe him and Eve. (Genesis 3: 21) All of this points to Leviticus 4, where a young bull without blemish was offered as a sacrifice for sins. It is obvious that the animal that was sacrificed to provide covering for Adam and Eve was without any type of blemish, because the Garden of Eden was a place where there was no sin and therefore it was a place of perfection. Furthermore, Adam and Eve sinned, so the imperfection was with them and not the animals. Some people might say that as far as they are concerned, what God did was cruelty to animals. All I have to say about that is that none of us are in the position to tell a creator of something what they can and cannot do with what they have created. Also, some might ask where Adam and Eve got food from in order to survive, once they left the garden. Well, if parents look out for their children even after they have to sometimes put them out of the homes they have provided for them, why would we not expect God to look out for His children, after He had to put them out of the home He provided for them? I said all of what I said above to show that Adam started off as a spirit being (flesh and bones), with freedom of choice. He made a conscious decision to disobey God by going against the one law God established in the garden (Genesis 2: 15-17). The animal that was sacrificed to provide a covering for him had flesh, bone and blood because according to Hebrews 9: 22, without the shedding of blood, there is no remission or forgiveness of sins. When Adam sinned, he opened the doorway to a lower level of his character. Now, instead of an unbroken, intimate relationship with God in the spirit realm, he now had a broken relationship with God in the natural realm. The natural realm deals with flesh, bone and blood. 14

15 Jesus Christ came into this world to reconnect us to the place where Adam was in God, before he sinned - the place of perfect fellowship with God. He never committed one sinful act, and as a result, was able to offer Himself as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins by dying on the cross (which was really a stake). No other sacrifices had to be made, as with the continuous animal sacrifices that were made in the Old Testament. This is why when John the Baptist (the baptizer) saw Jesus for the very first time, he referred to Him as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1: 29, 36). He was actually referring to Jesus as the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of mankind. From the time of Adam s disobedience and even before his removal from the Garden of Eden, the human race was in trouble. Why? He is the seed from which we all came. We came after he sinned and therefore we inherited his sin nature his genes run through every human being who ever graces the face of this earth. It is therefore normal for us to sin, because that is our natural heritage. It is like negative material from ourselves or our minds that we transport and deposit into the lives of other people, sometimes without being aware of what we are doing because it is such a natural part our lives (see Mark 7: 21-23) Whereas, before his fall from grace, Adam had a direct connection with God, after the fall, there was static in the line. Whereas he was perfect and had a naturally perfect relationship with God, through him, we are now imperfect and struggle to maintain a good relationship with God. We can only continually strive for perfection in our relationship with God, even though we know we cannot attain it here, but the more we strive towards that goal the closer we will get to it. Thank God for His Son, Jesus Christ, who is the mediator to God on our behalf, because without Him, we would not have the relationship with God that we can have today. 1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Now, there is no need for us to be mad with Adam because some - if not all - of us have made mistakes that have had a negative impact on someone else s life. 15

16 Remember that in the Lord s Prayer - which so many of us recite without paying attention to what we are really saying we ask God to forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Matthew 6:12, JKV (Jesus Is Speaking) 12 And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors 14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. YOUR FORGIVENESS FROM GOD DEPENDS ON YOUR FORGIVENESS OF OTHERS. To bring this to a level that we can understand, we can look at the flesh as the covering, the bone as the physical support and the blood as the life sustaining substance. This was the reason for not eating food with blood. Leviticus 17:10-12(KJV) 10 And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, that eateth any manner of blood; I will even set my face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people. 11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. 12 Therefore I said unto the children of Israel, No soul of you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger that sojourneth among you eat blood. Frankincense Frankincense - an aromatic gum or resin used as incense, especially in religious ceremonies, and in perfumes. It is obtained from trees of the genus Boswellia, native to Africa (Encarta online dictionary) 16

17 Resin (substance from plants) a semisolid substance secreted in the sap of some plants and trees. It is used in varnishes, paints, adhesives, inks, and medicines. Myrrh Myrrh - an aromatic resinous gum obtained from various trees and bushes that are native to Africa and southern Asia. Use: in perfume, incense, and medicinal preparations (Encarta online dictionary) THESE GIFTS REPRESENTED SIGNIFICANT THINGS IN THE LIFE OF CHRIST. YOU CAN GET MORE INFORMATION ONLINE. This is why it is so important to: Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 nd Timothy 2: 15, emphasis mine) Do you know why Abraham and his people were so different from all the rest of the people they came in contact with? Instead of conforming to their surroundings, they transformed their surroundings by living according to the standards set by God. Now, once they forgot God s standards for them and started adapting the standards and lifestyles of those around them, God gave them the opportunity to live that lifestyle in full force. How, you may ask? Instead of living that lifestyle separated from the people, God allowed them to be enslaved by the same people whose lifestyle they chose to adopt. Some of you may have a problem with that but be honest, what do you do with your children especially the ones who are adults but are still living at home - who want to live according to their own standard or bring someone else s rules into your home? You don t have to tell me, just be honest with yourself. Now, if you have a right to make decisions regarding the rules of your home, shouldn t God, the creator of all mankind, have the right to make decisions regarding the rules of His creation that are living in His world? 17

18 In order for me to truly connect to God, through His son, Jesus Christ, I had to get to the root of the truth of who Christ really is. This led me beyond the fairytale of the birth of Christ to His true heritage his true lineage - as outlined in the Word God the Bible. 18

19 LOT AND HIS DAUGHTERS The true legacy of Christ goes back to Lot and his daughters, after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. (Genesis 19) Genesis 19:30-37 (KJ V) 30 And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar: and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters. 31 And the firstborn said unto the younger, Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth: 32 Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father. 33 And they made their father drink wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose. 34 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the firstborn said unto the younger, Behold, I lay yesternight with my father: let us make him drink wine this night also; and go thou in, and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father. 35 And they made their father drink wine that night also: and the younger arose, and lay with him; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose. 36 Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father. 37 And the first born bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day. Ruth, a Gentile, was a Moabite. She married Boaz, a Jew. Jesus Christ is a direct descendant of Boaz and Ruth, meaning that His ancestry encompasses both Jew and Gentile and He identifies with both. Now, in today s world view, the world is made up of a multiplicity of nationalities but in God s biblical view of things there are only two nationalities Jew or 19

20 Gentile. No matter which country you came from back then or now, you were and still are either a Jew or Gentile. The natural Jews are of the lineage of Abraham but do not accept Christ as the Son of God and Saviour of the world. The Gentiles are not of the lineage of Abraham. The Spiritual Jews are the natural Jews who believe that Christ is the son of God and Saviour of the world and follow His teachings. The Gentiles do not. (The Jews who believed in Christ and accepted Him as the Messiah were given the name CHRISTANS, in Antioch). Acts 11:25-26 (KJV) 25 Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek Saul: (who is also called Paul, Acts 13:9) 26 And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples (those being taught by Saul) were called Christians first in Antioch. When you believe in someone, you learn all you can about them and follow them according to their standards and not your own. GENTILES CAN BE GRAFTED IN THE GREAT THING ABOUT ALL OF THIS IS THAT GENTILES CAN BE GRAFTED INTO THE SPIRITUAL LINEAGE OF ABRAHAM BY BELIEVING, ACCEPTING AND FOLLOWING THE TEACHINGS OF JESUS CHRIST, AS OUTLINED IN THE BIBLE. (ROMANS 11) No matter who you are and no matter your heritage, you are valuable to God and He can and will take your life and turn it around for good, if you simply trust Him. Do not mind the talks of the people who berate you and tell you there is no hope for your life, they are speaking of their own lives and they do not want you to move forward with your life and leave them behind because misery loves company. 20

21 If you would like to contact the author, please send your questions or comments to: Velyn Cooper P. O. Box F42524 Freeport, Grand Bahama Bahamas 21