Eternity to Bethlehem
Micah 5:2 “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”
In Matthew 2, when the religious leaders were asked the birthplace of the coming Messiah King, they answered "In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet." When considering Luke 2:1-6, it is incredible to comprehend the whole sequence of events that brought Joseph and Mary some 70 miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem at the exact moment of the birth of Jesus. Jehovah God worked through the supreme leader of the Roman Empire to assure that this would happen! Is there any doubt that Jesus fulfilled this Messianic prophecy? None at all. But, the point of this study is to consider the other part of Micah 5:2, which reveals something even more amazing about the Messiah.
Upon reading Micah 5:2, the reader is struck by a certain phrase that surpasses the description of a normal man, “whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” What an incredible statement! This prophecy clearly presents the Messiah as coming from the city of Bethlehem, from the tribe a Judah…a human being, a Jew. Yet, the prophecy also presents the Messiah as been actively working ("whose goings forth") from eternity past! In other words, the Messiah is eternal.
Accomplishment:
Did Jesus ever reveal that he is eternal, that he has been at work since eternity past? Consider three ways by which Jesus presented himself in this way:
Jesus said that he came down from heaven:
If we follow the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, we find him making some incredible statements that clearly indicate that he existed in heaven before his conception. No mere man could make such a claim. Consider a couple of these statements:
John 3:13 “And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.”
John 6:38 “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.” (John 6:33, 41-42, 50-51)
Jesus said that he was the “I am” of the Old Testament:
John 8:56-59 “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.”
Explanation: The name "I am" indicates one who has always been, who is, and who will always be -- the self-existing, eternal one. It is also the personal name reserved uniquely for God, the Creator of the universe. In Exodus 3:14-15, God presents Himself as “I am.”
“And God said unto Moses, I Am That I Am: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you. And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, the Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.”
In the John 8 text, Jesus clearly presents himself as "I am," the Eternal-One -- a name reserved for God alone. What Jesus claims is so unmistakable to his contemporaries that they tried to stone him to death!
Jesus said that he shared glory with God the Father before the world was in existence:
John 17:5 “And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.”
Consider for a moment a few truths that this verse is teaching us. (1) Jesus Christ existed before his birth. (2) Jesus Christ existed before the world was created. (3) Jesus Christ shared the glory of the Father before creation ever took place.
The last of these truths is remarkable when we consider that Jehovah clearly stated that He would share His glory with no other: Isaiah 42:8 "I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images."
Resumé:
According to these texts, Jesus clearly presented himself as possessing an eternal nature. Were his claims true? As we find in other texts in the Gospels, God presented several proofs which validated everything that Jesus said, taught, and claimed, i.e. the words of John the Baptist, his own miracles, the words from the Father (John 5:31-39).
Our only conclusion can be that the prophecy of the Old Testament prophet Micah was perfectly fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus, while fully being a human being, was also eternal. This conclusion leaves us with a key question, who is the only one "whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”? Even the angels are not eternal in this way! God created them. There is only one being in the entire universe who is eternal, Jehovah, the Great I AM.
After considering this prophecy and its fulfillment in Jesus Christ, we are left with one big question, "Why?". Jesus himself gave the answer to this question when he stated, "Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28). Have you come to trust in Jesus Christ alone for salvation? He came from heaven to die for your sins and He promises salvation to all who believe.