(Continued-Chapter XII-The Atonement)

A verse by verse exposition of this most marvelous passage would extend the size of this volume beyond the allotted space. I would therefore suggest that the reader procure a copy of my book, The Eternal God Revealing Himself to Suffering Israel and to Lost Humanity, and study chapter 18, which goes into the details of this matchless prophecy of the lamb of atonement. I wish, however, in concluding this phase of our study, to quote from this book (pp. 249-252 incl.) my own translation of the passage with explanatory notes interspersed by means of italics. The correct translation appears in roman type. By this means the text itself can be distinguished from the notes, which I believe will be of great value to the reader:

Author's Translation With Explanatory Notes

Behold, my Servant, King Messiah מְשִׁיחַ shall deal wisely during His life; notwithstanding His purity and innocence He shall be put to death, but shall rise from the dead, and be lifted up when He accepts the invitation of God to sit at His right hand according to Psa. 110:1,2 and shall be very high. Like as many were confounded at Thee because of the horrifying appearance of thy mutilated body (His visage was so marred more than the sons of men), so shall He startle many nations by His appearing in glory as King of kings and Lord of lords; kings who have renounced Him and thrown off His authority in the World Conference (Ps. 2) shall shut their mouths at Him and together with princes render divine worship (Isa. 49:7); for that which had not been told them, by those who had the Word of God and who should have proclaimed it to the world, shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they understand clearly.

Who among us Hebrews hath believed our message which was told to us by faithful competent witnesses? And to whom has the arm of the Lord, who is the Messiah, been revealed? For He, the Messiah, grew up before Him, i.e., God, as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground, which figures of speech indicate the low spiritual condition of the people among whom Messiah grew up; He had no form nor comeliness, i.e., He did not have the appearance and bearing of an earthly king; and when we saw Him, He had no beauty that we desired Him as our Messiah. He was despised with the greatest possible contempt and lacked men of influence and power among those who followed Him; a man of sorrows because of the lost spiritual condition of the world, and especially of the dearth of spiritual life among the Hebrews, and acquainted with sickness, both spiritual and physical; and like one from whom men hide their faces in disgust He was despised, and we considered Him as nothing, yea as a dreamer and a poor fanatical peasant whose opinions amounted to nothing.

But now after the lapse of many weary centuries of suffering and persecution in the worst of which we now are and which is called "the time of Jacob's trouble" (Jer. 30:7), we, having turned to God in our distress and having been brought to the point where we truly say "Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord," now see the great mistake which our forefathers made in rejecting the Messiah. Now we see the situation clearly, which is this: Surely our sicknesses both spiritual and physical he bore, and our grief's he as our scapegoat carried: but at that time we thought that He was plagued, smitten by God and afflicted because of His own sins and transgressions. The fact is that He was pierced, as the prophets by the spirit foretold (Ps. 22:16; Zech. 12:10), because of our transgressions and wounded because of our iniquities, and the chastisement of our peace; i.e., the suffering which had to be borne in order that we might enjoy peace was upon Him, and by the stripes, which He endured for us, healing is brought to us. We now confess that all of us, i.e., our entire Hebrew race like sheep strayed away from God and His Word; everyone of us turned to his own way; and yet the Lord caused to meet on Him the iniquity of all of us like rays of light focused on a single spot. When He thus suffered for us, those who were in authority violently treated Him and He was afflicted, but He did not open his mouth in protest against such treatment; as a lamb to the slaughter is led and a sheep before her shearers is dumb, He did not open His mouth. Out of prison and away from trial He was taken; and as to His generation, i.e., His contemporaries, who complained against such a miscarriage of justice, or who realized that He was cut off out of the land of the living because of the transgression of my people to whom the stroke of judgment was due, (or on account of the transgression of my people, the stroke of judgment fell on Him)? They in their plans made His grave with the wicked intending by so doing to heap ignominy and shame upon His name throughout all future generations, but by the overruling providence of God who says "thus far shalt thou go and no farther"; and who "hath His way in the whirlwind and in the storm" (Nahum 1:3), the wicked plan of His enemies was frustrated; hence with a rich man was He in His death because He had done no violence, neither was deceit in His mouth.

The prophet, having foretold the full and voluntary confession which the nation shall make when her blindness is removed, explains the great facts of the death of the Servant by saying that, in keeping with His eternal plan, the Lord was pleased to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief; when His soul shall make a trespass offering for sin, not His own but that of the world, He shall see seed, i.e., a spiritual seed, a host of redeemed men and women; He shall prolong His days after His death and resurrection; and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand, a reference to His making atonement for lost man, and to His regathering Israel into her own land and into fellowship with God. He shall see of the travail of His soul, i.e., results from His atoning suffering, and be satisfied; by the knowledge of Himself, both His knowledge of how to atone for man's sins and the knowledge of those who learn of Him and accept His sacrifice, shall my righteous Servant, who is the Lord our righteousness (Jer. 23:6), bring righteousness to the many, i.e., His righteousness shall be accredited to those who accept His sacrifice; and He shall bear, as the scapegoat, their iniquities. I will therefore divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, when He returns with glory and power to rule the world in righteousness; because He voluntarily poured out His soul unto death and was numbered with the transgressors, though He was pure and holy; yet He bore the sin of the many, and, in love made intercession for the transgressors while He thus suffered.

C. The Time For Messiah To Make The Atonement

24 Seventy weeks are decreed upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy. 25 Know therefore and discern, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the anointed one, the prince, shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: it shall be built again, with street and moat, even in troublous times. 26 And after the threescore and two weeks shall the anointed one be cut off, and shall have nothing: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and even unto the end shall be war; desolations are determined. 27 And he shall make a firm covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease; and upon the wing of abominations shall come one that maketh desolate; and even unto the full end, and that determined, shall wrath be poured out upon the desolate (Dan. 9:24-27).

According to Daniel 9:1,2, when this prophet was reading the writings of Jeremiah, studying them in the light of "the books" (probably the Kings and Chronicles accounts), he understood that the time was at hand for the captives to return from Babylon to the land of their fathers. (The time when he was reading the prophetic message of his contemporary was the sixty-eighth year of the Babylonian captivity.) Realizing that the day was near for the captives to return to their homeland, Daniel confessed his own sin and those of his people, imploring the mercy of God upon them.

It is quite certain that Daniel did not fully understand the import of that which he had read. The reason for this statement is this: The Angel Gabriel was dispatched from heaven and announced that he had been sent to give Daniel wisdom and understanding. He therefore urged him to consider every word that he spoke to him. Since Daniel was praying about Jerusalem, the Holy City, and his brethren the Jews, and since he did not have correct understanding regarding them, the angel gave him the information concerning his people and the Holy City and their being re-established in their own homeland. By the study of Jeremiah, chapters 25 and 29, which foretell the return after the seventy years of captivity, one will see that in chapter 29 Jeremiah blended the return from Babylon with his description concerning the regathering of Israel from all portions of the world and her being established in the land of her fathers permanently, which latter prediction will be fulfilled in the great Kingdom Age yet in the future.

Let us remember that the prophets of God were not always inspired--every moment. This is seen by the recurring statement that the word of God came to a certain prophet on a given day of a specific month of a definite year. When the Spirit of God was upon a prophet, he could not misunderstand that which he read. When, however, the Spirit was not upon him, he, like anyone else, could reach a wrong conclusion. As an example note the case of Nathan (II Sam., chap. 7). When David told him that he purposed to build a house to God's glory, the prophet approved the plan. That night the word of God came to him and reproved him for giving his sanction and commanded him to inform David that he could not build the Temple. From this account we can see how a prophet of God, when not under the influence of the Holy Spirit, could reach a wrong conclusion--as did Daniel in his reading the prophecy of Jeremiah.

One can see in the answer which Gabriel brought to Daniel a reflection of his misunderstanding. Daniel supposed that the final restoration of Israel to the Land and to fellowship with God in the glorious Kingdom Era would be at the end of captivity. Gabriel informed him that it would not be at that time; on the contrary, he said that "Seventy weeks are decreed upon thy people and upon the holy city, to finish transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy." In substance Gabriel replied, Daniel, the Millennial Age will not come at the end of this seventy years of captivity; on the contrary, it will come at the end of a period of seventy sevens of years. Why did I insert the phrase "of years" in this passage? The Hebrew of this verse translated seventy weeks simply means seventy sevens. One must gather from the context the units or the objects, the number of which is seventy sevens--490. From verses 1 and 2 we see that he was reading about years--the years of the desolation of Jerusalem. He was thinking in terms of years, concluding that the glorious era of the future would be ushered in at the end of those seventy years of the captivity. The angelic visitor said in effect, No, Daniel, that will not be. That great Kingdom Era will be ushered in at the expiration of seventy sevens of years, or after 490 years.

When did that period of 490 years begin? Let me say that there is a great controversy regarding the initial date. According to verse 25 which reads: "Know therefore and discern, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the anointed one, the prince, shall be seven weeks, and three-score and two weeks: it shall be built again, with street and moat, even in troublous times," the beginning of this period was the year of the issuing of the decree for the rebuilding of Jerusalem. When and by whom was this decree issued? According to Isaiah 44:24-28 Cyrus, king of Persia, would issue the decree for the rebuilding of both the city of Jerusalem and the Temple of Jehovah: "Thus saith Jehovah, … I am Jehovah, … that saith to the deep, Be dry, and I will dry up thy rivers; that saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure, even saying of Jerusalem, She shall be built; and of the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid." This prediction is very clear and unmistakable. The inspired prophet said that Cyrus would issue the decree. In order to see the full import of this prediction, I ask the reader to study Isaiah 44:24-45:13. The context makes clear that Cyrus was the one appointed of God to issue the decree for the rebuilding of the Holy City and the reconstruction of the Temple at Jerusalem. Since the word of God cannot fail, I am thoroughly convinced that Cyrus issued that decree. In Ezra 1:1-4 we see one draft of his edict. In it only the Temple is mentioned. Some scholars have concluded therefore that he did not issue the decree for the rebuilding of the city, which is specifically mentioned by Daniel in 9:25 of his prophecy. That permission was granted to Zerubbabel and to the Jews returning under his leadership to rebuild the city as well as the Temple is clear from the fact that they armed with this decree, not only attempted to build the Temple, but they did actually rebuild Jerusalem and the walls around about it. This fact is reflected in the letter written by the enemies of the Jews to Artaxerxes, who was none other than Pseudo-Smerdis, the usurper to the Persian throne and successor to Cambyses, and whose reign of seven months was in the year 522 B.C. of the Ussher chronology. In this letter the enemies of the Jews declared to the king, "Be it known unto the king, that the Jews that came up from thee are come to us unto Jerusalem; they are building the rebellious and the bad city, and have finished the walls, and repaired the foundations" (Ezra 4:12). The Jews would never have attempted to rebuild that city and finish the walls unless permission had been included in the decree. In the light of all the facts pertaining to the entire situation, one cannot escape the conclusion that Cyrus the Persian king was the one who, according to Isaiah's prophecy, did issue the decree for the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Temple. (For a full discussion of this point, see my volumes, Messiah: His First Coming Scheduled and The 70 Weeks of Daniel.)

There is a discrepancy of eighty-two years between the biblical chronology of the Persian and Greek periods and the commonly accepted chronology of Ussher. That this situation exists, I have demonstrated in the two volumes mentioned above.

According to the prediction of the Angel Gabriel, at the end of sixty-nine weeks of years--483 years--the Messiah would be cut off and have nothing. In other words, in the four hundred and eighty-third year after the issuance of the decree by Cyrus for the reconstruction of the city and the rebuilding of the Temple, the Messiah of Israel would be cut off: "And after the threescore and two weeks shall the anointed one be cut off, and shall have nothing: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and even unto the end shall be war; desolations are determined." As we have already seen in a previous chapter, Messiah was to be born of a virgin of the house of David. The birth, therefore, had to be long enough prior to the expiration of the 483 years for Him to grow to manhood and accomplish the work that was scheduled for Him to perform. There is not any intimation as to the time when He was to be born.

In view of this definite prediction we may be absolutely certain that the Messiah came and was cut off 483 years after Cyrus issued his decree for the Jews to return from Babylon. Without question it is quite obvious that Messiah has already come and has been cut off in fulfillment of this prophecy.

Did the seventieth week of this prediction follow immediately the sixty-ninth? If it did, the six items mentioned in verse 24--"to finish transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy"--were introduced seven years after the cutting off of Messiah. An examination of these six items reveals the fact that they are a description of the conditions which will exist in the great Kingdom Age. But these things were not brought about 490 years after Cyrus issued his decree. For this reason, I know that the seventieth week of the prophecy did not follow the sixty-ninth. There is therefore a period of time separating the sixty-ninth from the seventieth week of these years. We are told that God's clock stops when Israel is out of fellowship with Him. This is true as I have proved beyond dispute in the two volumes already mentioned. This interval of time will logically be followed by the seventieth week, "the time of Jacob's trouble." At the end of this time of judgment, the great Kingdom Age will be introduced, and peace and righteousness will be the order of the day.

But the main point which we wish to bear in mind in this connection is that the Messiah--typified by all the sacrifices of Israel--was scheduled to suffer and die, to be cut off, and have nothing at the end of the four hundred and eighty-third year after the issuing of the decree of Cyrus. Recognizing all these facts, we know that the atonement by the Messiah has already of necessity taken place. We shall therefore now turn to the New Testament to investigate the facts as they are there presented.

III. THE ATONEMENT IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

The evidence, as we saw in Chapter II, proves that the Bible--the thirty-nine books of the Old Testament and the twenty-seven books of the New Testament--constitutes the revelation of Almighty God to man. We can therefore come to the teachings of the New Testament and accept them with the same assurance and authority with which we receive those of the Old Testament.

In our study of the messages of the prophets we learned that God announced a proposed visit to man, for his good. David in Psalm 8 elaborated on it and its significance. How can the Almighty make this visit to man for his good and not overpower Him by His almighty presence and majesty? Should He suddenly appear upon the earth in His unveiled glory, exhibiting his unlimited power, everyone of His creatures would be cowed by fear and paralyzed by the awesomeness of His divine presence. Thus men would not have an opportunity to exercise their freedom of choice. For example, when the Apostle John was on the Isle of Patmos, the Lord Jesus appeared to him in His glorified form. Although John, during the personal ministry of Christ, was closest to Him and possibly understood Him better than any of the disciples, he nevertheless fell down as one dead, being overawed and overcome by His divine majesty.

How then can Messiah come in such a way and pay man a visit so that he may thus not be overawed, but may in quietness weigh evidence and make his own free choice? I will answer this question by the use of the following illustration: Suppose I were Deity and had sufficient power to create a universe somewhat similar to the present one. Let us further assume that I create a certain species of insects, for example, the ant. I endow this little creature with the power of choice; I wish to communicate with him in an efficient manner, but am unwilling to overawe him in any way. Nevertheless I am very eager to give him my message of love. How could I do this? The only reasonable, rational way to accomplish my purpose would be to assume the form of the ants, to dwell among them, and to show by my life and actions my great concern for them. At the same time I would have to give absolute and positive proof that I was not an ordinary ant, but that I was their creator who had assumed their form--for their good. Those that would be unprejudiced and that would desire and truth above all other considerations would be able to see my great concern for them. They would also recognize my higher nature by the proofs which I would furnish in the form of works which no other ant could accomplish. In thus approaching them, I would demonstrate my love, prove my divine nature, and stir in their hearts a desire to do my will. At the same time I would leave them free to make their own choices.

What I would do then in behalf of my creatures, in the case just supposed, this very thing the second person of the Holy Trinity did for fallen humanity. Moses and the prophets foretold that God would do this very thing for us. The writers of the New Testament, as we shall presently see, affirm that He did this when He appeared upon the earth in the first century of the present era.

A. Preparation For The Atonement

As we have seen, God has a plan and a purpose which runs through the ages. Through the centuries He has been guiding the affairs of men--tribes, groups, and nations--toward one great consummation. The Apostle Paul spoke of the pre-Christian centuries as a time of preparation for the coming of the Messiah. Hear him, "So we also, when we were children, were held in bondage under the rudiments of the world: but when the fullness of the time came God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, that he might redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons" (Gal. 4:3-5). Figuratively speaking, the world was ripe for the coming of the Son of God. The Lord had used the Greeks, and later the Romans, in preparing the world for the launching of the great message of redemption to mankind. There were a universal language (the Greek), a well-organized, strong, and centralized government (Roman), and an excellent travel and communication system. The world was borne down by the terrific sense and load of sin and the recognition of a need for redemption. There is no wonder that our Lord said, "The harvest indeed is plenteous, but the laborers are few" (Matt. 9:37). And again, "lift up your eyes, and look on the fields, that they are white already unto harvest" (John 4:35).

1. The Virgin Birth of King Messiah

As has already been seen, the virgin birth of the Messiah is faintly heard in God's announcement to the serpent (Gen. 3:15). Again, it is echoed in Psalm 22 in that the mother of the Messiah is spoken of and nothing is said of a father. This fact alone does not necessarily imply the virgin birth, but it is in perfect harmony with the teaching of other more explicit statements. Isaiah was very bold in proclaiming that Messiah would be born of a virgin (Isa. 7:14): Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." That the word in the original rendered virgin or literally, the virgin, does mean exactly what our English word connotes, I have shown conclusively in my book Messiah: His Nature and Person. There I examined the context of every occurrence of this word. In all places beside Isaiah 7:14 the facts of each context show beyond a question that the prophet referred to a young, unmarried woman, a virgin. Moreover, I showed from the context in Isaiah, chapter 7, that the facts demanded the same supernatural miracle of the virgin birth of Messiah. Any other interpretation clashes with the facts of this context. For a full discussion of this point, therefore, I suggest that the reader procure the volume just mentioned.

Matthew wrote his record of the life of Jesus of Nazareth for his Hebrew brethren. He assumed on their part an acceptance of the Old Testament teachings. He did not argue with them regarding prophecy. He simply assumed that they, as well as he, believed and received the Hebrew Scriptures as the very word of the living God. He bore witness to the things which he had seen and heard personally. He was simply a biographer, narrating in a simple and straight forward manner the life and teachings of our Lord and showing that what He was and what He did was in fulfillment of the Hebrew Scriptures.

Matthew presented the genealogy of Jesus Christ--His royal lineage--through David to Abraham. Following this, he gave an account of the birth of Jesus (Matt. 1:18-25). Mary, His mother, was espoused to Joseph. Before their marriage "she was found with child of the Holy Spirit." When Joseph discovered her condition, he thought of putting her away privily. As he meditated upon the situation, an angel of the Lord appeared to him and explained the whole matter, telling him "that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit." She, said the angel, shall bring forth a Son, and "thou shalt call his name JESUS; for it is he that shall save his people from their sins." Matthew then affirmed that the virgin birth of Jesus was in fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14, which he quoted in verse 23.

Matthew assumed on the part of his readers a belief in the virgin birth of the Messiah, for he simply stated the facts regarding Mary's condition and asserted that this was the fulfillment of the prophecy. He then informed them concerning the birth of our Lord (Matt. 1:24,25).

In chapter 2 he set forth the details regarding the visit of the wise men who brought their gifts--gold, frankincense, and myrrh--when they came to worship Him who was born King of the Jews. These men from the East naturally supposed that the King would be born in the royal palace at Jerusalem. They therefore went to Herod and told him of their having seen His star in the East and of their having come to worship the newborn King. This report troubled Herod and stirred Jerusalem greatly. He therefore called for the scribes and inquired concerning the prediction regarding Messiah's birth. They informed him that, according to Micah, the Christ should be born in Bethlehem of Judah. The wise men immediately left Jerusalem, went southward to Bethlehem, and offered their gifts in worship and praise to the royal child. Herod, moved with jealousy, attempted to destroy the Christ child by ordering the slaying of all the babes of Bethlehem, who were under two years of age. Before the issuance of this decree and its execution, the Lord warned Joseph and Mary to flee with the child into Egypt, where they stayed until after the death of Herod. These facts are found in Matthew, chapters 1 and 2.

Let us now turn to the account of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth as found in the third Gospel. Luke, the writer, was a highly educated physician, a real scientist, who possessed the scientific spirit and adopted the scientific method. He took nothing for granted, but did personal and thorough research work before he wrote his account. Of course he was guided by the Holy Spirit and wrote down only those things which the Divine Spirit led him to record.

The account in Luke is evidently from the standpoint of Mary. Those who know the niceties of the Greek language tell us that there is evidence of the sensitiveness of the feminine touch in chapters 1 and 2. This fact has led devout scholars to believe that Luke consulted Mary and got firsthand information from her regarding the marvelous birth of her firstborn. The Holy Spirit then led him to narrate certain of those things which he had learned from her and to leave with us an infallible record concerning that wonderful event.

The Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and announced to her that she was to be the mother of the Messiah. To her he spoke the following message:

30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God. 31 And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33 and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. 34 And Mary said unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? 35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee: wherefore also the holy thing which is begotten shall be called the Son of God (Luke 1:30-35).

When this annunciation is laid beside the record at which we have just looked (Matt. 1:18-25), we see immediately that there is perfect harmony and agreement in the two accounts. Each, however, supplements the other. Luke's record of the birth of Jesus is found in the following words.

2 Now it came to pass in those days, there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be enrolled. 2 This was the first enrollment made when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to enroll themselves, every one to his own city. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David; 5 to enroll himself with Mary, who was betrothed to him, being great with child. 6 And it came to pass, while they were there, the days were fulfilled that she should be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn son; and she wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn (Luke 2:1-7).

Luke has tied up his narration with world events as is seen by the synchronisms found in 2:1 and 3:1. In this connection, may I say that Luke has been proved to be an historian of the highest character, who did accurate and thorough research work, and whose statements which have been tested by the acid facts of historical research have been found to be absolutely correct. Those who are especially interested in his accuracy should procure the volumes, Luke the Physician by Sir William Ramsay, and Luke the Historian in the Light of Historical Research by the late Dr. A. T. Robertson. They should also read Was Christ Born in Bethlehem? by Sir William Ramsay. Indisputable facts are presented by these two scholars that will show beyond the peradventure of a doubt that Jesus of Nazareth was born just as is recorded by both Matthew and Luke.

The miraculous conception and virgin birth of Jesus should not be considered incredible by any Jew or Gentile who accepts the biblical account of the miraculous birth of Isaac. As we have already seen, when Abraham and Sarah were past the age of parenthood and their bodies, as far as procreation is concerned, were the same as dead, nevertheless, in fulfillment of His promise, the Lord performed a biological miracle on their bodies which made possible the birth of Isaac. This is not an exactly parallel case. I merely call attention to this instance in order to show that God, for the carrying out of His plans and purposes, has in the past intervened in a supernatural manner. If one grants a miracle in connection with the birth of Isaac, he has no logical grounds to call in question the reasonableness of the virgin birth of Jesus of Nazareth, of whom Moses and the prophets spoke.

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