Luke 1:31-35

Luke 1:31 (KJB)
And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.

Mary did not have to wait too long to receive the reason for Gabriel’s visit. Gabriel gives Mary another command to behold or to look and understand. She is told that she is going to conceive in her womb a son and that son is going to be named Jesus. Jesus comes from the Hebrew name “Joshua.” The name Jesus means “Jehovah is salvation.” (Mat 1:21 KJV) And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.  Jesus was going to save His people from their sins by His future sacrifice upon Calvary. The name points to the central role Jesus is going to have in relation to the human race. Salvation will come only through Him and no one else.

Luke 1:32 (KJB)
He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:

Mary is then given a description of Jesus and His calling. First, we are told that He will be great. He will be above every man on earth since He will be the God-man and Savior. He will be the fulfillment of the prophecy of Moses in Deuteronomy 18. (Deu 18:15 KJV) The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;  He shall also be the King of Kings and the mediator of the new covenant. (Heb 9:15 KJV) And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

He will also be called the Son of the Highest because He is the Son of God, from eternity to eternity. He will also be lauded as the Son of the Highest because of the miracles and works which He will do, including three resurrections. (Mat 14:33 KJV) Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God. The disciples knew He was the Son of God because He had authority over the weather. (2 Sam 7:12-13 KJV) And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. {13} He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. Then Jesus will be given authority over the House of David which is the body of believers and He will reign over them forever and ever. (Psa 2:6 KJV) Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. Zion being the name for the eternal body of believers.

Luke 1:33 (KJB)
And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

He shall be King of the Jews forever! The Jews are not the physical Jews but those who have become saved, the spiritual Jews.

(Rom 2:28-29 KJV) For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: {29} But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

(Phil 3:3 KJV) For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

(Gal 3:16 KJV) Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

(Gal 3:29 KJV) And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

(Rom 11:26 KJV) And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:


The house of Jacob is another term for the eternal body of believers in Christ. The covenants given to Abraham in Genesis all have an eternal emphasis and Christ’s Kingdom will have no end which means it is eternal. (Gen 17:7-8 KJV) And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. {8} And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.  The only everlasting covenant in Scripture is the covenant of Grace whereby a person is saved for eternity.

Luke 1:34 (KJB)
Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?

Mary then poses a question which was troubling her. How was she going to conceive a baby since she does not know a man. She was betrothed to Joseph but they did not have sexual relations during the time of engagement. The only way she could have a baby is with relations with her husband, which she did not have yet.

Luke 1:35 (KJB)
And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

Then Gabriel responds to her question as to how the conception was going to take place. He then tells her that the Holy Spirit is going to come upon her and the power of the Highest will overshadow her or grant her protection. The Holy Spirit will cause conception because Jesus must have a sinless nature to be qualified to be the Savior. This is why Joseph could not be the physical father just his guardian/father when He was small. This way the sin nature would not be handed down. Then Jesus being the Holy baby would be sinless and holy and set apart. This sinless nature would qualify Him to be called the Son of God.

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