Matthew 1:21-25
 
Mat 1:21 (KJB)
And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
 
The angel continues to bring information to Joseph in the dream and now tells him what the mission of Jesus will be. He states that the name of the child will be Jesus. The name Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew name “Joshua.” The name means “Jehovah is salvation.” The angel then tells Joseph that “he will save his people from their sins.” Immediately from the start, we see that there will be no universal salvation and only those whose names were written in the Lamb’s Book of Life will become saved. These people are known as the Elect of God. Jesus will not be dying for the sins of the whole world but only for the Elect. (John 13:1 KJV) Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end. John 13:1 states that Jesus loved “his own” and not everyone. It is bad theology to teach that Jesus loves everyone. (John 17:9 KJV) I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. In the prayer of Jesus in John 17, we see that He is praying for those the Father gave Him and not for everyone in the world. Jesus came to die for a specific group of people which is otherwise known as “limited atonement.”
 
Mat 1:22 (KJB)
Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
 
Might be fulfilled - Carries with it the sense of “to realize a prophecy or promise.”
 
The angel continues on and tells Joseph that what will transpire has been foretold by the prophet and that prophet is Isaiah. What was happening to Mary was not something random but was prophesied specifically by Isaiah about 700 years prior and by other prophets even before Isaiah such as Moses. He was the promised seed of Abraham and the eternal Son of David.
 
Mat 1:23 (KJB)
Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
 
(Isa 7:14 KJV) Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. The word in the Greek for “virgin” is parthenos” and is used 14 times in the New Testament and it is always translated “virgin.” In the Isaiah passage, the Hebrew word for “virgin” is “almah.” It is translated “virgin” in:
 
(Gen 24:43 KJV) Behold, I stand by the well of water; and it shall come to pass, that when the virgin cometh forth to draw water, and I say to her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water of thy pitcher to drink;
 
(Song 1:3 KJV) Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee.
 
(Song 6:8 KJV) There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number.
 
Contained in this verse is the fact that Jesus is God. It speaks about His deity in the word “Emmanuel,” which means “God with us.” So Joseph was being given a tremendous fulfillment of prophecy in this dream. So he would know that everything which has happened to Mary was all prophesied and was now being fulfilled and he had nothing to fear in taking Mary as his bride since all these events were ordained of God. It is also interesting to note that in Isaiah 7:14, the Hebrew word is “ha-almah,” which means “the virgin.” It is a specific pointing to a specific person and not just a random choice.
 
Mat 1:24 (KJB)
Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:
 
Then Joseph was obedient unto the dream that he had and now with a better understanding of the events about to unfold, he did not fear to take Mary as his wife, which he did according to Jewish custom. If he did not take Mary to wife, then they would have been forbidden to travel together when it was time to go from Nazareth to Bethlehem for the census and tax.
 
Mat 1:25 (KJB)
And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.
 
Joseph did not have sexual relations with Mary until after she gave birth to Jesus. The word “firstborn” is a very important word denoting that since Jesus was firstborn, it is another proof of the virgin birth because Mary did have other children with Joseph. The Greek word for “firstborn” is omitted in both corrupted manuscripts (B) and (Aleph). By removing this word in the modern versions, it endorses the Roman Catholic doctrine of the perpetual virginity of Mary. The word “firstborn” automatically indicates that Mary did have other children and the Bible tells us that she did in the following:
 
(Mark 6:2-3 KJV) And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands? {3} Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.
 
By removing the word “firstborn” it can also set up erroneous beliefs that Mary had children before she had Jesus. That word “firstborn” is pivotal to the doctrine of the Virgin Birth. The removal of this word is a serious breach of truth and can lead to the denial of the Virgin Birth of Christ. If Christ was not born of a Virgin, then we will still be in our sins and bound for Hell. The modern versions, along with the Jehovah’s Witness version, all agree with the Roman Catholic Institution’s teaching that Mary was a perpetual Virgin. For someone to say that the modern versions do not stem from Roman Catholic Manuscripts is willful denial of the truth, keep in mind the two manuscripts which omit “Firstborn.” The two are Vaticanus and Sinaiticus, both manuscripts were in the hands of the Roman Church, yet have become the primary manuscripts underlying the modern versions. Here are four popular versions which deny the virgin birth in this verse:
 
Matthew 1:25
(ESV) but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.
(HCSB) but did not know her intimately until she gave birth to a son. And he named Him Jesus.
(NASB) But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
(NIV) But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
 
If you use any of these counterfeit versions, throw them in the garbage because it is for your own spiritual health that you need a real Bible and that Bible is the King James.

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