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There Is History That Joseph Was a Widower with Four Children. Can You Prove That the Children Attributed to Mary Were Not Indeed Inherited?

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Answered by True Bible Teachings AI on 6/28/2026

1) Direct Answer
Yes. The “widower with four children” story is not Scripture. The Bible presents Jesus’ brothers and sisters as Mary’s own children born after the virgin birth.

2) Scriptural Explanation
- Psalm 69:8 says of the Messiah, “I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother’s children.” John 2:17 and Romans 15:3 apply Psalm 69 directly to Jesus. Now notice, it says “my mother’s children,” not “my father’s children.” That fits the virgin birth and shows Mary had other children.
- Matthew 1:25 says Joseph “knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son.” “Till” shows normal marital union followed the birth of Jesus, and “firstborn” points to more children afterward.
- Matthew 13:55-56 and Mark 6:3 name His brothers—James, Joses, Simon, Judas—and mention His sisters as present among them. The people said, “Is not this the son of Mary… and his brethren… and his sisters…?” That is natural, household language.
- John 2:12; Matthew 12:46; John 7:5 show “his mother and his brethren” moving and standing together as one family.
- Galatians 1:19 and 1 Corinthians 9:5 speak plainly of “the Lord’s brother.”

3) Simple Clarifying Logic
- The Bible never says Joseph had previous children. That’s a later story, not the Word.
- The Messianic Psalm settles whose children they are—“my mother’s children.”
- “Till” and “firstborn” align with Mary and Joseph entering normal married life after Jesus’ birth.
- Jesus giving Mary to John at the cross doesn’t deny other sons; at that time His brothers did not believe (John 7:5). He entrusted her to a believing disciple present.

4) Reinforcing Statement
We don’t build doctrine on tradition. We stay with the Scripture: Jesus had brothers and sisters, Mary’s own children, born after His virgin birth.

What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?

Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.

SermonRelevance 39

Believest thou this?

Sunday afternoon, the 6th of May 1951 at the Calvary Temple in Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.

51-0506A §46

...if those people here last night walked from a wheelchair; if this man from a crippled bed, and so forth for all those years, it's so in your case. Amen. All right. Notice, there he was. He went home. And after the days his wife conceived. And at the point she was about six months, along something like that, then God sent Gabriel back again. Amen. Here he come. I see a little old girl living down there in Nazareth, just the--out of a poor humble family (And her name was Mary.), about eighteen years old, engaged to...

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SermonRelevance 39

A Testimony

Sunday evening, the 7th of June 1953 in Connersville, Indiana, U.S.A.

53-0607E §13

Let's look along the line. Way down there, I see a little girl standing, about eighteen, nineteen years old, with a veil over her face, holding two turtledoves---a peasant's offering---poor man. And she's got a baby in her arms. And some of them said, "Say, that's that Mary. That's that illegitimate child there, see. She says she's not even married to that Joseph there, and she's got this baby before He was born. Don't stand near. Get back." Which reminds me of His church today. "Stand back. Get away from Him," see...

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SermonRelevance 39Broader match

The Seed is not heir with the shuck

Thursday, the 18th of February 1965

65-0218 §34

Sarah, the true wife of a promise, being the tassel, brought forth a gentle man. In the returns brought forth a promised nation that served God. But Mary, by no sex at all, but believed the promised Word when she was a virgin, knowing no man, and the angel of the Lord met her, said, "Hail, Mary, blessed art thou amongst the women, for God is with thee." And she said, "How will these things be?" She said... The angel said, "The Holy Ghost shall overshadow thee." It had never been done in all of the ages, but Mary be...

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