The Bible is absolutely clear that Jehoshua is the Son of God in indentity. In this study, we will look at the three events of Jehoshua's life that affirmed and validated His Sonship of Jehovah God.
Luke 1:32-35
32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High: and Jehovah God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33 and he shall reign over the house of Israel 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.
This is a rich passage that is filled with prophetic fulfillment in regards to the Davidic covenant. Here the angel Gabriel is giving Mary the good news that she will give birth to a Son who will fulfill the oath that Jehovah God made with David. In verse 32, the angel Gabriel connects the Sonship of Jehoshua with the throne of David. This paralells 1 Chronicles 28:
5 And of all my sons (for Jehovah hath given me many sons), he hath chosen Solomon my son to sit upon the throne of the kingdom of Jehovah over Israel. 6 And he said unto me, Solomon thy son, he shall build my house and my courts; for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father.
Notice here that David says that Jehovah chosen Solomon to sit on the throne of the Kingdom of Jehovah (throne of David) and that Jehovah has chosen Solomon to be His son. We clearly see here that sitting on the throne of David is equivalent to be chosen to be Jehovah's son. This goes back to the oath Jehovah made with David in 2nd Samuel 7:
13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. 14 I will be his father, and he shall be my son: if he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men.
The integral aspect of the Davidic covenant is the connection with the throne of David and being God's son. We see this in the above verses. Jehovah made a covenant with David's royal offsrping that He would be a father to them and they would be His son. This covenant wasn't made with all of David's sons, only those who would be established on the throne (verse 13).
Now we can see what is going on in Luke chapter 1, the angel Gabriel is announcing to Mary that she is going to have a Son and that he is going to fulfill the Davidic covenant. Just as the throne of David and the sonship of Jehovah are connected in 2nd Samuel 7 and 1 Chronicles 28 they are connected here in Luke 1.
Notice that the Sonship in verse 32 is future tense showing that Mary is not pregnant yet. Also, in verse 33 Jehoshua will reign over the Kingdom of Israel forever. This is another component to the Davidic covenant which is also connected to the Sonship of Jehovah is that the Davidic King would reign over the house of Israel. The Messianic King of bible prophecy was only promised one throne and one Kingdom and that was the throne of David and the Kingdom of Israel.
Jehoshua was not promised to be King over something called the Catholic Church nor the Protestant church. This is important to understand because it truly shows who Jehoshua is in identity and also the nature of the church i.e. eccesliology.
Mary wondered how this was going to unfold and in verse 35 the angel tells her that the holy Spirit is going to overshadow her and a child will be begotten in her. This is speaking of the conception process. Gabriel reiterates to Mary that this boy shall be (future tense) called the Son of God. Again. Mary was not pregnant here so this is something that is in the near future.
Let's go to Matthew 1 to see the fulfilment of this announcement by Gabriel:
Matthew 1:18-21
18 Now the birth of Jehoshua Messiah was on this wise: When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.19 And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.20 But when he thought on these things, behold, an angel of Jehovah appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is begotten in her is of the Holy Spirit.21 And she shall bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name JEHOSHUA; for it is he that shall save his people from their sins.
Mary was found with child of the holy Spirit just as the angel told her in Luke 1:35. Mary in this passage is pregnant. The angel of Jehovah comfirms to Joseph that which is begotten (conception) is of the Holy Spirit. So the begetting her is obviously the conception process as Jehoshua wasn't born yet. Verse 21 says that Mary shall (future tense) bring forth (give birth to) a Son. It's important to distinguish the conception of Jehoshua and the giving birth of him. The conception of Jehoshua is the moment He was begotten by Jehovah God via the holy Spirit.
Just as Jehovah directly involved Himself in the birth of Isaac and Jeremiah, He also directly involved Himself with the birth of Jehoshua but this time in a much greater way via begetting Jehoshua Himself.
Now let's look at a couple of prophecies from the lively oracles where Jehoshua's birth was foretold:
Isaiah 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"
The virgin is Mary and her conceiving is referring to Jehoshua being begotten in her. Her bearing a son refers to the actual birth of Jehoshua. His name shall be called "immanuel" meaning "God with us" as stated in Matthew 1:23. This doesn't mean that the child begotten would be literally God but rather that the birth of this Messianic child would be a sign that God remembered His promises to the nation of Israel especially the covenant He made with David. We will see the realization that Jehovah God has not forgotten His people when we look at how certain members of Israel reacted to the announcement of his birth and the birth itself. For now let's go to Isaiah 9:6-7;
6 For unto us a child is begotten, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of Jehovah of hosts will perform this.
The child being begotten refers to the work of the Holy Spirit begetting Jehoshua in Mary's womb. The Son being given refers to His birth. The government being placed upon his shoulder is the Kingdom of David (Isaiah 22).
This is another Isaiah prophecy about the birth of the Messiah. In verse 6 we see the titles he shall be called. It's important to understand that this propechy of the birth of Messiah is rooted in the promise that God made to David as it says that the increase of his government will be upon the throne of David (verse 7).
The zeal of Jehovah would perform this, meaning the Father would see to it that His oath made to David would be fulfilled no matter what. The Davidic covenant was an unconditional one.
Let's no go back to the gospels and see the significance of the birth of the Messiah and what it meant to the people of Israel:
Luke 1:54-55
54 He hath given help to Israel his servant, That he might remember mercy 55 (As he spake unto our fathers) Toward Abraham and his seed for ever.
This is part of Mary's song and she is praising Jehovah for giving help to the people of Israel by way of the Messianic Son that she was told she would give birth to. Mary as well as others understood the prophecies of the coming Messiah as the Saviour of Israel. For Mary, the announcement of the birth of the prophesied Davidic King was a sign that God was with her and her people (Isaiah 7:14). Mary mentions the covenant promise Jehovah made with Abraham.
We see the gospel of the only begotten Son given as a sacrifice in an object lesson in Genesis 22. Because of Abraham's faith, it was granted to him that through his seed all nations of the earth would be blessed and that he would be a father of many nations. As Paul mentions in Galatians, those in Messiah are the true seed of Abraham. Jehoshua is the seed singular (Gal 3:16) meaning the federal head (only begotten) of the many offspring (seed) of Abraham i.e. those baptized in Messiah (Gal 3:27).
Luke 1:67-74
67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying, 68 Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel; For he hath visited and wrought redemption for his people, 69 And hath raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of his servant David 70 (As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets that have been from of old),71 Salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; 72 To show mercy towards, our fathers, And to remember his holy covenant; 73 The oath which he spake unto Abraham our father, 74 To grant unto us that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies Should serve him without fear,
Zacharias prophesied after the birth of his son John the Baptist, praising Jehovah God for visiting His people by sending them redemption through the house of David. Again, notice here the visiting of Jehovah God isn't in reference to God literally coming down and being born but rather Jehovah visiting Israel by Him keeping His prophetic promises to them. "Horn of salvation" is a reference to a King's great power and this "horn of salvation" was prophesied to come through the dynasty of David. Here Zacharias is speaking of the coming birth of Jehoshua Messiah.
Zacharias own son's birth was a sign that God was raising up to Israel the messiah they had long anticipated. The eschatological Davidic King was to be the Saviour of Israel and deliver them from their enemies. Zacharias, like Mary, references the Abrahamic covenant.
Jehovah's plan was for the Davidic shepherd to deliver Israel from their enemies so that they can worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24).
Luke 2:10-11
10 And the angel said unto them, Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all the people:
11 for there is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Messiah the King.
This is the angel of the Holy Spirit speaking to the shepherds giving them the good news that the Davidic of bible prophecy is born. This was the hope of Israel which is that a Davidic Savior would be raised up Jehovah God to redeem them.
Luke 2:25-6
25 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed unto him by the Holy Spirit, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Jehovah`s Measiah.
Simeon like others in Israel was eagerly anticipating the arrival of the Davidic Messiah referred to here as the consolation of Israel. The coming Davidic Shepherd was to be the comforter (consolation) of His people (1 John 2:1). Notice in verse 26 that there is a clear distinction between Jehovah and His Messiah. To be the Messiah of Jehovah means you are not Jehovah but rather His anointed one. Jehovah does not need to be anointed by anyone for He does the anointing.
Luke 2:34-35
34 and Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the falling and the rising of many in Israel; and for a sign which is spoken against; 35 yea and a sword shall pierce through thine own soul; that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed.
The arrival of the Messiah would be a double edged sword to the nation of Israel. Those who would fall would be the religious establishment of Judea culminating in the destruction of the temple and the city in A.D. 70. Even later than that the synagogue system endorsed a false messiah (Bar Kochba) who led a revolt against Rome which caused the Jews to be exiled from the land permanently in 135 A.D.
The rising of many would be those poor in spirit (Matthew 5:5,10). It was oftentimes the one's looked down on by the religious establishment that were taken to victory on eagles wings. Those who realized their need and were humble enough to acknowledge it were raised to newness of life in Messiah and given the Kingdom being made kings and priests (Ephesians 1:4; 2:6).
A sword would even pierce the soul of Mary as she would have to witness the persecution, passion and death of her son. Not only that seeing him go full time into the ministry would be tough for her initially.
Matthew 2:1-2
1 Now when Jehoshua was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, Wise-men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, 2 Where is he that is born King of the Judeans? for we saw his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
As prophecy stated the Kingship would be from the tribe of Judah. The wise men of the east had come to Jerusalem to ask where was the newborn king. They had come to worship the future King of Israel. They followed a eastern star to where the Messiah was born:
Numbers 24:17
"I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not nigh: There shall come forth a star out of Jacob, And a sceptre shall rise out of Israel, And shall smite through the corners of Moab, And break down all the sons of tumult"
This was a prophecy of the Messianic kings to rise out of Judah but namely Jehoshua. In the new testament Jehoshua is called the day star and the bright and morning star. The sceptre represents Kingship. It is fitting that the wise men would locate the new born king by following a star.
Matthew 2:5-6
5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written through the prophet, 6 And thou Bethlehem, land of Judah, Art in no wise least among the princes of Judah: For out of thee shall come forth a governor, Who shall be shepherd of my people Israel.
Herod was inquiring where the king was to be born so that he could kill him as the coming Davidic King was a threat to his puppet throne. The chief priests and scribes answered him by quoting Micah 5:2 which shewed that the eschatological Davidic King would be born in Bethlehem in the land of Judah. It's important to note here that the prophet Micah said this future King would rule over Israel. Again, Jehoshua is not the King of the Protestant-Evangelical church, Catholic church or Orthodox Church. This is why it's important to identify ourselves as Israelites not the aforementioned names of the various Gentile churches.
Matthew 2:14-15
14 And he arose and took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt; 15 and was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Jehovah through the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt did I call my son.
After Herod sent a flood of persecution after Jehoshua his father took him to Egypt to escape. After Herod died, Joseph by a dream was told by the angel of the holy Spirit to bring back Jehoshua and Mary back into the land of Israel (Matthew 2:19-20).
This was to fulfill prophecy as noted in verse 15 of Matthew 2, as Jehovah called His Son out of Egypt (Hosea 11:1):
"When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt"
Israel made the first born son of Jehovah by election:
Exodus 4:22-23
22 And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith Jehovah, Israel is my son, my first-born:23 and I have said unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me; and thou hast refused to let him go: behold, I will slay thy son, thy first-born.
Jehoshua being called out of Egypt was so that like the nation of Israel he could serve his God Jehovah. Jehoshua being referred to as the Son of Jehovah preserves the distinction between the two. Just as Israel was not God but rather the firstborn son and servant of God the same goes for Jehoshua.
The title of firstborn denotes preeminence and rank. Israel as a nation is a type of Jehoshua both of whom were elected by Jehovah God to firstborn status. It was because of Jehovah electing Jehoshua that he then begot him in the womb of Mary. The firstborn Son is the heir to the Father's inheritance. The Son of God is the heir of all things:
Hebrews 1:1-2
1 God, having of old time spoken unto the fathers in the prophets by divers portions and in divers manners, 2 hath at the end of these days spoken unto us in his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds;
All things basically include to be ruler of God's Kingdom, now in it's spiritual phase but ultimately in it's fulfilment in the age to come. This Kingdom is called the Kingdom of Jehovah God which is eqauted with the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of David ( 1 Chronicles 28:5). This rulership of the Messiah over God's Kingdom is operated from the throne of David (Isaiah 9:7).
