On the other hand, the inspired patriarchs were Christians even before Christ became incarnate. The mystery of God and the Mystery of Christ are related in that God's ancient mystery revealed the mysterious Christ! Although the ordinary Jew didn't, righteous men of old knew Jesus. He was the Word whose Voice spoke to them (John 1). Another part of the mysterious Christ is that he presented himself as both angels and men: He was "the angel of God" who wrestled with Jacob, and apparently Melchizedek to whom Abraham tithed.
Ironically, another possible mystery of Christ, according to the Jews, is that Melchizedek and Shem buried Adam at Golgotha which is identified as Calvary. If that is the case, then Jesus buried his brother Adam where he would someday die. My entire book, The Skull of Adam, is based on that premise. God had a detailed plan all along, and most people missed the clues!
I believe there are clues in Jesus's and God's "names". God is without name but just Is. The English transliteration (the tetragrammaton) of God's name is JHVH or JHWH from which Jehovah and Yahweh are derived. The "place keepers' in the Hebrew JHVH makes Adonay in English. In the Ethiopian Magical Scrolls Jesus refers to himself as "Yawe". In Hebrew, Jesus is Yeshua or "JHVH saves". ("שׁוע", Ernest Klein, A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the Hebrew Language New York: MacMillan Publishing Company 1987). Thus, one of the mysteries of Christ is that as God, "JHVH saves! In other words, even what he is called - "Jesus", validates that Jesus indeed is God. It is no coincidence, I think, that Yahweh and Yawe, as Jesus referred to himself as mentioned before, are essentially the same!
It appears that God enjoys Creating Word puzzles!
Of course, the Name of Jesus is not important as His identity. "JHVH saves" in reference to Jesus is the important idea here. In other words, God Himself became Man, was tempted as we are, and then died in our place. That thought should change a person. God tasted death just as we will. The curse He put on Adam, He felt as well.
Part of the mystery is that although Jesus always existed, He is also the Son of God. Let's put that in the modern vernacular. In a sense, God cloned himself. The difference is that it was not the flesh he cloned, but the same Spirit. When Jesus's Spirit feels agony, God's does as well for they are the same Spirit.
Ephesians 4:4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.These passages point out that Jesus was born of the Spirit, and his Spirit is the same as God's Spirit. Jesus's Holy Spirit is identical to God's, and thus, He Is God! On the other hand, Jesus is of the flesh. Because he was Created, like Adam, Jesus is God's Son. Let me be frank: When the Holy Spirit hovered over Mary, Jesus was Created from her elements - the dust. Jesus was not naturally conceived- or as David called it in Psalm 51:5 - "shapen in iniquity". Jesus was Created by combining the material of Mary with God's Holy Spirit. He was the Son of Man(kind) through Mary, and the Son of God through JHVH. How God can do that is another mystery.
The Virginity of Mary was important because she was without sin for this special purpose for this one occasion only. The "dust" that God used was pure, just as when He created Adam, because the earth had not yet been defiled. Then God added a portion of Himself, and voila - the Son of Man and the Son of God whose identity is Emmanuel - "God With Us".
Not in a human sense but a divine one, Jesus is the older Brother as the Son of God. He stands firmly and is reliable. On the other hand, Adam is the younger prodigal son of God. He took his inheritance and ran with it. The older Son remained true to the Father. By grace the Lovesick Father (JHVH) took his younger son back into the Family on good terms. Adam became a new person because God covered his shame with the shedding of blood! With the adoption of his son Adam, the younger son who had emancipated himself was restored to his original condition. What's more, after Adam was restored, he shared the same Spirit with which Christ was filled.
1 Corinthians 6:17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.Adam's adoption, as mine and yours, means that we become brothers to Christ just as Adam was. Jesus and those born-again with the propitiation of the blood of Jesus, share the same Spirit. We are brothers who serve each other - Him the elder Brother, us the many younger prodigal sons. We too are Sons of God, but unlike Jesus we are not Gods! Jesus was perfect and His cup was filled with the Holy Spirit. Since we are sinful brothers, we have the Holy Spirit imbued in our Temple. Jesus is Holy because God Is Holy. We are Holy, not because we are Gods but because the Holy Spirit substitutes for us. Jesus is Holy, and his sacrifice makes us Holy; it is not of ourselves. The sin within the temple, God purifies by residing there. He doesn't cohabitate with sin but constantly cleanses it. He, however doesn't force Himself on us. He asks for our cooperation. That is loving and obeying Him.
The entire Old Testament is a mystery because even the Jewish apostles failed to understand it until Paul's conversion and Peter's dream. With that, it became clear - Jesus died for "whosoever" meaning everyone not just the Jews, and it was not by the Law but was always by grace.
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