Angelic Announcements

Q. In Luke 1 the angel Gabriel announced to Zacharias the priest that his wife Elizabeth will bear him a son to be named John. Zacharias doubted and was unable to speak until John was born. Gabriel also announced to Mary that she will give birth to Jesus. Mary also questioned him but was not punished. Why?

A. Both asked a similar question:
• Lk 1:18 Zacharias said to the angel, “How will I know this for certain? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years.”
• Lk 1:34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”
But the thinking behind each is very different.

What do we know about Zacharias from the text? We know that he:
1. was righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord (v6)
2. had no child, his wife was barren, and they were both advanced in years (v7)
3. had been praying for a son (his petition has been heard, v12)
4. asked for a sign (how will I know this for certain v18)
5. looked at his circumstances (I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years v19)
6. did not believe Gabriel’s words (v20)

Although Zacharias was a priest and ought to know better, he did not believe Gabriel’s words.
• Lk 12:48b From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.
He prayed but did not believe when God answered his petition. He did not accept God’s messenger’s words at face value, but asked for a sign similar to what Gideon did (Jdg 6:36-40). And unlike Abraham who did not waver in unbelief (Rom 4:20), he contemplated his own body and the deadness of Elizabeth’s womb, and he became weak in faith (contrast Rom 4:19).

What about Mary? We know that she:
1. was a virgin engaged to Joseph (v27)
2. was very perplexed at Gabriel’s statement (v29)
3. was puzzled about her conception as she was a virgin (v34)
4. accepted Gabriel’s announcement without further objection (may it be done to me according to your word v38)

Even though she was only a country girl and not as highly trained as Zacharias was, she received the angelic announcement by faith, despite the impossibility of a virgin conception. Her Magnificat showed that her focus was entirely on God, not circumstances:
1. the Lord (v46)
2. God my Savior (v47)
3. He has had regard for His bondslave (v48)
4. the Mighty One, holy is His name (v49)
5. His mercy toward those who fear Him (v50)
6. He has done mighty deeds with His arms, He has scattered (v51)
7. He has brought down rulers (v52)
8. He has filled the hungry (v53)
9. He has given help to Israel His servant, in remembrance of His mercy (v54)
10. He spoke to our fathers (v55)

This is in stark contrast to Zacharias. No wonder she was blessed and he got his sign of being struck mute.

When was Abraham born?

Q. The young earth view of 6,000 years says Abraham was born around 2000 BC, how did they get this ?

A. They based the age of the earth on chronologies in the Bible. Different authors have written on this approach, with some variations in the results depending on which manuscript was used, but they are all in the range of thousands of years, not billions. The most famous is Archbishop Ussher, who wrote The Annals of the World in 1650.

He started with the genealogies in Gen 5 and 11, which established the period of time:
• from Creation to birth of Noah (Gen 5) to be 1,056 years;
• from the birth of Noah to the time Abram entered Canaan (Gen 11) to be 1,027 years.

He then used several other passages given in the chart below to establish the time from Abram’s entry into Canaan to the final deportation of the Jews to be 1,337 years. From secular history and archeology he knew the final Jewish exile to be 584 BC. So he back calculated the age of the earth since creation to be:
1,056 + 1,027 + 1,337 + 584 BC = 4004 BC

Since from Gen 5 and 11 Abram was born 2,008 years after Adam, people deduce that he must be born in:
4004 BC – 2,008 = 1996 BC, or 2000 BC in round terms. (QED)