A Word Atheists Shouldn't Use

26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And having come in, the angel said to her, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!" 29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 30 Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end." 34

Mary was a virgin. When the angel spoke to her he said that she was to rejoice because she was highly favored by God. He used the words "the Lord is with you," and then she was called "blessed." There is no greater blessing than for God to be with you. Have you ever said "goodbye" to someone. No doubt you have. In doing so, you have hoped that God’s presence would be with them. The word "goodbye" is old English, and comes from four words "God be with you," and God certainly was with this young virgin because He had chosen her to give birth to the Savior.

This was a fulfillment of the famous prophecy given by Isaiah 800 years earlier in which he said "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:4). Skeptics have said that the Hebrew word for "virgin" simply means "a young maiden." However, a young maiden conceiving would not be a "sign" from God. Millions of young maidens conceive every day, but it is truly a miraculous "sign" if a virgin conceives.

There is much confusion among many unbelievers as to the identity of Jesus. They know that He was called "the Son of God," but they don’t know that Jesus of Nazareth was Almighty God, the Creator of the universe, manifested in human form. This is the clear teaching of Holy Scripture: "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory" (1 Timothy 3:16).

The predictable atheist will then ask if Jesus then prayed to Himself in the garden of Gethsemane. The answer is "No, He didn't." When God, the upholder of the universe, became a man, He didn't cease to be Almighty God. When He filled the human body, that human body was limited to time and space, but He was still the omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent Creator. This is a little much for the average human brain to be able to understand, but then again, so is the marvel of the human brain.