More than 35,000 years ago this planet was selected for Michael’s 7th bestowal. In this final bestowal he was incarnating as a mortal baby to get the experience of growing up as an ordinary mortal person. This happens only once in the entire history of a universe of 10 million inhabited planets. It is a really big deal if you understand its rarity and purpose. But no mortal on this planet did.
There was lots of planning by celestial beings in preparation. The Melchizedeks did a study on the status of the various segregated worlds. So the decision had already been made (probably by Michael personally) to bestow on a planet involved in a rebellion. The 13 rebellious planets in our system of 1000 planets probably were the only planets in this universe with unresolved rebellion issues. Gabriel of Salvington reviewed the report. Then Michael reviewed it and selected this planet. Gabriel then came in person as part of a study of human groups and spiritual, intellectual and geographic features of our planet. Gabriel decided that the Hebrews had advantages warranting their selection as the race within which the bestowal would be made. Gabriel then sent a family commission of twelve celestials to identify proper families. They identified three families thought to be equally favorable. Gabriel made the choice of Joseph and Mary.
It was an interesting process over substantial time periods. There was nothing magical. No dictates of God. It was more like pulling together a plan by rational, thought-out and researched steps. It was done just the way present day intelligent humans would think it should be done.
Joseph was the human father of Jesus. He was an average, ordinary man of his place and time. His immediate ancestors were builders, masons, carpenters and smiths. He was a carpenter and eventually became a contractor for large buildings. Once in a while in prior history, one of his ancestors could be found playing a role in the evolution of religion on this planet.
Mary was descended from a long line of many of the most remarkable women in the history of this planet. Her ancestors include Eve, Enta and Ratta. Mary was an average woman of normal temperament. She was Jewish in culture and religion but her heredity was from various non-Jewish Mediterranean people. Jesus was an average person and so were his parents.
John the Baptist was part of the Michael bestowal. Gabriel in his appearance to John’s mother, Elizabeth, told her that John would be the herald of the message Jesus would proclaim. The names John and Joshua were apparently significant because Gabriel told each mother what to name her son. John’s parents were Elizabeth and Zacharias. Zacharias was of advanced years and was a priest. Elizabeth was younger and childless.
John was 5 months older than Jesus. They were distantly related through their mothers. Before Jesus was conceived by Joseph and Mary, Gabriel told Elizabeth that Mary would bear Jesus soon. Gabriel appeared in person to Elizabeth and Mary. These were not dreams. Elizabeth kept her secret for 5 months even from her husband. Zacharias was skeptical and doubted the entire experience. 6 weeks before John’s birth, Zacharias had an impressive dream that fully convinced him that Elizabeth was to bear a child of destiny. Zacharias and Elizabeth talked a lot about what was about to happen and concluded that Jesus was to be the Messiah and John was to be his chief advisor and assistant. Gabriel had not said this.
Mary had her own doubts about her experience of Gabriel’s visit. She and Elizabeth visited for three weeks at Elizabeth’s home in the City of Judah two miles east of Jerusalem. This greatly strengthened Mary’s resolve. It must have been hard for both women to adjust. Neither Elizabeth nor Mary knew anything about raising a child of promise.
From infancy, John was told by Zacharias and Elizabeth that he would be a spiritual leader and religious teacher and he accepted this and pursued it.
Gabriel told Mary her son would “inaugurate the kingdom of heaven on earth and among men.” Mary had reservations even telling Joseph about the Gabriel visit until she knew she was pregnant. Then, Joseph had doubts about the Gabriel visit. Joseph and Mary concluded that their son must be the Messiah but they held different views about the mission of the Messiah. Mary’s two brothers and two sisters as well as her father and mother (Jochaim and Hannah) never became believers in Jesus’s spiritual mission during his life but several of Joseph’s family did.
Gabriel’s visit was the day after Jesus’ conception and was the only supernatural event of carrying and bearing Jesus.
Joseph was reconciled and convinced by a very impressive dream. A brilliant celestial messenger told Joseph his son would be a great light to the world but the Jews would hardly receive him. None of these messages said Jesus was to be the Messiah or deliverer of the Jews. Jesus’ followers restated Jewish prophecy to make it fit Jesus being the Messiah. The dream messenger said Jesus would be a great light in the world. He would come to his people but they will hardly receive him. But to those who do receive him he will reveal that they are the children of God. He will be a divine messenger to the world.
If Joseph had lived, he would have been a believer in Jesus’ spiritual mission as were many of Joseph’s relatives. (He had 8 brothers and sisters.) Mary went back and forth between belief that Jesus would be the Messiah and doubt. Her family tended not to believe in Jesus’ spiritual mission.
Jesus’ Nazareth home was a one room stone structure with flat roof and an adjoining building for animals. It was in the north, rural part of Nazareth. It was furnished with a low stone table, pottery and stone dishes and pots, loom, lampstand, several small tools and mats for sleeping on the stone floor. There was a separate structure for the oven and grain mill in the back yard.
Joseph and Mary met when Joseph was doing some building work at her family home in Nazareth. They courted for two years and married in March 8BC.
Mary insisted on going to Bethlehem with Joseph for his census registration in August, 7BC. The lures for her were the adventure, fear of Joseph being absent when she delivered Jesus and the hope of a visit with Elizabeth. They set off on the journey early on the morning of August 18, 7BC. It was a two and one-half day walk from Nazareth to Bethlehem north of Jerusalem. Mary rode the donkey. There was no room at the inn or with Joseph’s distant relatives. The caravan stables under the inn had been cleaned and prepared for guests. Joseph and Mary lodged in the grain storage room. Mary was weary and Joseph stayed with her.
By daybreak Aug 21, Mary was in labor. Jesus was born at noon. On the 22nd, Joseph enrolled for the census. Joseph and Mary were in the stable room only one day. On the 22nd they exchanged rooms with a traveler who had a room in the inn. They lived there for almost 3 weeks and then moved to a distant relative’s home in Bethlehem.
Joseph and Zacharias visited during the week after Jesus’ birth. Zacharias and Elizabeth believed Jesus would be the Messiah and wanted him to grow up in Bethlehem, the city of David. Mary agreed so the family stayed in Bethlehem for more than a year.
Jesus had no visitors until the 3 priests (Ardnon and two others) from Ur arrived shortly before the family left the inn. A strange religious teacher (announcement by seraphim via midwayers) at Ur had told the priests that the teacher had a dream informing him that the “light of life” was about to appear on earth as a babe and among the Jews. They set off in search. They had been in Jerusalem for many weeks looking for the child and were about to give up and return to Ur when they ran into Zacharias. He told them he believed Jesus was the child they sought and told them where he was. They found him and left their gifts. Old Herod was ruler of Judea. His informers reported the presence of the 3 priests and their purpose of finding the newborn king of the Jews. Herod summoned them, listened to their story and gave them a purse for the new king asking them to return and report to Herod where the child was so that he too could go worship him. They had told Herod that the new king was a spiritual, not a temporal king. This interview apparently was after the priests visited Jesus since they knew he had already been born to a young woman who was in Bethlehem for the census registration.
When the wise men did not return with information on the location of the child, Herod became suspicious. Informants told Herod of the extraordinary poem by Simeon at Jesus’ circumcision ceremony. Herod was angry that no one followed the family. Herod sent searchers but Jesus was not found. Jesus was hidden with Joseph’s relatives. Joseph had taken the precaution of not working because he was afraid of being discovered.
After more than a year, Herod ordered a systematic search of every house in Bethlehem and all boy babies under 2 years were killed. 16 babies died in one day in mid-October 6BC. An administrator at Herod’s court reported the coming slaughter to Zacharias and he got word to Joseph. Joseph and Mary left Bethlehem the night before the slaughter to go to Alexandria. They traveled alone on funds supplied by Zacharias. They stayed in Alexandria until Herod died two years later. The family stayed with a rich relative of Joseph. Joseph worked in Egypt as a carpenter and construction crew foreman.