And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: 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 unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto hisbrethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.
And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.
Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?
And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.
Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.
And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.
(1) THE INCARNATION OF CHRIST- What is the Incarnation?
The term incarnation is of Latin origin, and it means “becoming in flesh.” While the word incarnation is not contained within Scripture, the doctrine of the Incarnation certainly does convey scriptural truth. The Christian doctrine of the Incarnation teaches that the Eternal Word, the second person of the Trinity, without diminishing His deity took upon Himself a fully human nature. Specifically, this doctrine implies that a full and undiminished divine nature as well as a full and perfect human nature were united in the historical person of Jesus of Nazareth. According to the Bible, Jesus Christ is God the Son, in human flesh.
THE INCARNATION OF CHRIST- The Foundation of Christian Doctrine
Since Jesus Christ is the center of Christian doctrine and truth, His identity is of surpassing importance. It follows therefore that the doctrine of the Incarnation which reveals His identity is the foundation on which all of Christian doctrine is built. This is clearly seen when you take some time to analyze the central tenets of the historic Christian faith. For example, God’s existence: without the Incarnation, talking about or knowing God personally is mere speculation. The Trinity: the other two members of the Trinity (Father and Holy Spirit) are only really understood and appreciated in light of the person and nature of Christ. Atonement: only Jesus Christ, who is the God-man, is able to reconcile a holy God with sinful humanity. Resurrection: a bodily resurrection which conquers death is only possible for the God-man. Justification: our state before God rests totally in our faith (personal trust) in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
(2) The word Incarnation (from the Latin caro, “flesh”) may refer to the moment when this union of the divine nature of the second person of the Trinity with the human nature became operative in the womb of the Virgin Mary or to the permanent reality of that union in the person of Jesus. The term may be most closely related to the claim in the prologue of the Gospel According to John that the Word became flesh—that is, assumed human nature. (Seelogos.) The essence of the doctrine of the Incarnation is that the preexistent Word has been embodied in the man Jesus of Nazareth, who is presented in the Gospel According to John as being in close personal union with the Father, whose words Jesus is speaking when he preaches the gospel.
Belief in the preexistence of Christ is indicated in various letters of the New Testament but particularly in the Letter of Paul to the Philippians, in which the Incarnation is presented as the emptying of Christ Jesus, who was by nature God and equal to God (i.e., the Father) but who took on the nature of a slave and was later glorified by God.
The development of a more refined theology of the Incarnation resulted from the response of the early church to various misinterpretations concerning the question of the divinity of Jesus and the relationship of the divine and human natures of Jesus. The Council of Nicaea (AD 325) determined that Christ was “begotten, not made” and that he was therefore not creature but Creator. The basis for this claim was the doctrine that he was “of the same substance as the Father.” The doctrine was further defined by the Council of Chalcedon (AD 451), at which it was declared that Jesus was perfect in deity and in humanity and that the identity of each nature was preserved in the person of Jesus Christ. The affirmation of the oneness of Christ with God and with humanity was made while maintaining the oneness of his person.
Subsequent theology has worked out the implications of this definition, although there have been various tendencies emphasizing either the divinity or the humanity of Jesus throughout the history of Christian thought, at times within the parameters set by Nicaea and Chalcedon, at times not. It has commonly been accepted that the union of the human nature of Christ with his divine nature had significant consequences for his human nature—for example, the grace of great sanctity. The union of the two natures has been viewed by theologians as a gift for other humans, both in terms of its benefit for their redemption from sin and in terms of the appreciation of the potential goodness inherent in human activity that can be derived from the doctrine of the Incarnation.
Richland County deputies are investigating an incident where one person was shot and later died.
Deputies say they were called to the McDonald’s located at 7011 Parklane Road around 4 a.m. following an argument that led to a person being shot outside in the restaurant’s parking lot.
The victim, identified as James K. Copeland III, 30, of Cumming, GA, was taken to Palmetto Health Richland in critical condition but later died.
Detectives say Sultan Battle was the man who shot Copeland, but the sheriff’s department and the 5th Circuit Solicitor’s Office ruled the incident a justifiable homicide.
Battle has been charged with kidnapping and armed robbery for the moments leading up to the shooting. Detectives say Battle met a woman at the Quality Inn at 8140 Two Notch Road with the intent to have sex with and rob her. Battle stole cash and a cell phone from the victim and ran away.
The victim called an acquaintance and they tracked the phone down to the McDonald’s on Parklane Road. The victim’s friend demanded the stolen items back from Sultan and pulled a gun on him. Sultan pointed a gun at him in return and shot him.
Battle is booked to the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center where he will await a bond hearing.
A woman trying to kill bed bugs accidentally set a multi-family home ablaze in Avondale late Friday, Cincinnati fire officials said.
Three people were taken to a hospital and 10 were displaced from the residence on Hutchins Avenue, said District 3 Fire Chief Randy Freel.
Flames broke out about midnight Friday when a woman in a first floor unit tried to kill bedbugs with rubbing alcohol that ignited near an open flame, either a candle or burning incense, he said.
Fire was shooting from the first floor when fire crews arrived about midnight, Freel said.
Firefighters helped an elderly woman walk out of the building who could not see through the smoke, Freel said.
Three adults were overcome with smoke inhalation and went to a hospital for treatment, he said. They are expected to recover.
In all, seven adults and three teenagers were displaced from the five-unit multi-family home.
The American Red Cross is helping them with temporary lodging, clothing and meals.
Damage was set at $250,000.
Fire officials have a word of advice for anyone wanting to get rid of the persistent pests:
“Get a professional,” Freel said.
“When I got here the whole house was on fire,” said one of the residents, Kamaron Lyshe.
Bed Bugs are nasty
He rushed home from work when someone called to alert him and shot a Facebook Live video as fire tore through the building and shot through the roof.
He was in shock Saturday morning as he stood looking at what was left of the building.
“I’m kind of dealing with it now. I’ll start from scratch,” he said. “It’s like a dream….everything is burnt. I’ll start fresh. It’s all we can do now.”
This is the second major residential fire in two weeks set by someone trying to kill bedbugs, according to the Cincinnati Fire Department.
Report reveals 92 percent of foreign nationals in federal prisons are illegal immigrants
A new report published Thursday by the Trump administration shows that 92 percent of foreign nationals in federal prisons are in the U.S. illegally — a revelation that Attorney General Jeff Sessions said proves why the U.S. needs to follow through on President Trump’s proposed immigration reform.
The 2017 report, from the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security, found that more than one in five individuals imprisoned were not born in the United States. In addition, 94 percent of foreign nationals in the custody of either the Federal Bureau of Prisons or the U.S. Marshals Service entered the U.S. illegally.
Sessions said in a statement that Americans “are being victimized by illegal aliens who commit crimes. … The simple fact is that any offense committed by a criminal alien is ultimately preventable. One victim is too many.”
The attorney general also noted that, based on sentencing data, “non-citizens commit a substantially disproportionate number of drug-related offenses, which contributes to our national drug abuse crisis.”
By the end of the 2017 fiscal year, 58,766 known or suspect foreign nationals were imprisoned in the United States.
Newly-confirmed Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen added that the report highlights “that more must be done,” and added the department “will continue to pursue President Trump’s immigration priorities.”
The report did not include information on incarcerations in state prisons or local jails. “State and local facilities do not routinely provide DHS or DOJ with comprehensive information about their inmates and detainees—which account for approximately 90 percent of the total U.S. incarcerated population,” the report said.
This past October, the Trump administration announced it was seeking several major changes to the country’s immigration system, as the president pushes forward with his plans for a wall along the Mexico border. The requests included additional crackdowns on “sanctuary cities” that protect illegal immigrants; reducing the number of incoming refugees; 10,000 more Customs and Border Patrol agents; and new initiatives curbing the number of unaccompanied immigrants who come to the U.S. illegally as children. Democrats already have said many of the White House’s terms are off the table.
It remains unclear when the wall might actually go up. Trump campaigned on building it and set an ambitious timetable for construction. But aside from potential funding and political complications, there have been court challenges from geologists.
Critics also have said the barrier would be ineffective and costly. On the campaign trail, Trump said Mexico would pay for the bill, which Mexico has flatly denied. The actual cost of the wall has not been clear.
