IT'S ALL ABOUT CHRISTMAS 2021

An Eternal Moment by Katherine Britton "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning." John 1:1-2 The very concept of time fascinates me. Add the prospect of eternity, and I get as dizzy as anyone. Still, I can't help contemplating the mysteries of my little life running parallel to a greater human history, running parallel to a universe that doesn'tmeasure time in rotations of the earth but by the speed of light. And then - no longer running parallel to, but encompassing that straight line of history into some greater sphere - comes eternity. Or rather, there is eternity. Or will be. Or… well, you cansee why my head starts hurting when I try to visualize this mystery. A lot of my fascination with time and eternity centers on the eternal God (Isaiah 26:4) who allowed himself to be constrained by thatwhich he had created - time. The tangled and complex poetry of T. S. Eliot best expresses my fascination with the Incarnation: "Then came, at a predetermined moment, a moment in time and of time, A moment not out of time, but in time, in what we call history: transecting, bisecting the world of time, a moment in time but not like a moment of time, A moment in time but time was made through that moment: for without the meaning there is no time, and that moment of time gave the meaning." (from "The Rock, VII") Consider that last line again: "… time was made through that moment: for without the meaning there is no time, and that moment of time gave the meaning." The first step of redemption began when the Jesus, who was "with God in the beginning," stepped into time and allowed himself to be bound by it for a time. bound by it for a time. I wonder if that act of limiting himself was how he began to enter into our suffering with us. He stepped into a world where the end point is death, and after that - a meaningless eternity away from any outside purpose. It took divine intervention - a breathof eternity - to change that. As I ponder these high and lofty mysteries that go way beyond my comprehension (Psalms 139:6), it's tempting to let my head run awayin the clouds with no practical application. But Ephesians says something very different: "See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil." (Ephesians5:15-16) There is a parallel from eternity to our days. Christ provided time with meaning, and modeled what it means to "redeem time" quite literally. All of the prophets and apostles lived with the light of eternity in their eyes, and that made their daysall the more valuable. Instead of dropping off into nothingness away from God, we are galloping toward the moment when time becomes so full of meaning that it bursts into eternity. Let's follow their example, shall we? Intersection of Faith & Life: How do you treat your time? Do you use it wisely, deliberately, for a purpose? Or do you still treat it as if it has no value? A former professor once said that leisure time is important because it shows us where our hearts are, andwhat we value most. What does your leisure time say about you? Make a commitment with me to live deliberately this coming year, in the joy of what Christ has done for all time. Ecclesiastes 3:9-14 Eternal Instants A Supernatural Faith ---------------------------------------- TheDragon and the Manger By Hal Lindsey Dragons make fine fiction. In the old stories, heroes become heroes while battling dragons. Those dragons aren’t real. But Revelation 12 depicts something it calls a dragon — something very real. It uses some of the moststartling and dramatic imagery anywhere in literature. “And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; and she was with child; and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth.And another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems. And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven, and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before thewoman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child.” [Revelation 12:1-4 NASB] Before we identify the characters, stop and think about the horror of this picture. A woman is “in labor and in pain to give birth.” That means the child is about to appear. During birth and as a newborn, he is and will behighly vulnerable. While in labor, the woman is highly vulnerable. Childbirth is a glorious thing, but the height of labor is a terrible stage. John 16:21 says, “Whenever a woman is in travail she has sorrow, because her hour has come….” [NASB] She’s in pain. The process can seem unending — wave after wave, the contractions grow more intense and each time with less respite before the next one hits. Her back aches. Her whole body hurts. John 16:21 goes on to say, “…but when she gives birth to the child, she remembers the anguish no more, for joy that a child has been born into the world.” [NASB] She still remembers that there was pain, but the memories almost immediately begin to dim relative to the joy of the child. Often with a second child, the woman will say, “I had forgotten how much this hurts!” When she’sin the throes of labor, she “has sorrow.” Many Bible translations use the word “pain” here, but the actual Greek is best translated “sorrow.” That sorrow includes pain, but it also includes her utter fatigue and the feelings of hopelessness engendered by exhaustionand agony. Later she will feel great joy, but this is not that point. In Revelation 12, the pain is at its peak. The sorrow seems ceaseless. It is the woman’s most vulnerable moment. That’s when the monster shows up. Revelation 12:9 identifies the dragon as Satan. Verse 5 identifies the Child as Jesus. The woman represents the nation of Israel. Genesis 37:9-10 identify the sun and moon and 12 stars as Jacob (whom God renamed Israel),his wife Rachel, and Jacob’s 12 sons who become the 12 tribes of Israel. Jesus was born out of that nation. Before the birth of Jesus, Satan used men like Pharoah, Haman, and Antiochus in attempts to destroy the mother before she could bear the Child. He tried using whole nations such as the Amalekites, Philistines, Egyptians,and Babylonians. When Jesus was born, the dragon induced Herod to kill babies across the region in an attempt to murder the Christ child. Bible prophecy requires the existence of the nation of Israel at the time of Christ’s second coming. Again, the dragon and his minions try to make that impossible by doing everything they can to destroy Israel. Iran keepspromising to wipe Israel off the map. Eighty years ago, Hitler’s attempt at genocide resulted in the deaths of six million Jews. But God used the holocaust to help create modern Israel. Satan loses. That’s true in history. It’s true in the Christmas story. And it’s true in our stories as Christians. That is the reason Christian art so often depicts a defeated dragon at the feet of Jesus — just one of manyreasons to rejoice at Christmas. ------------------ What Can Christmas Tell Us about God�s Glory? The Christmas story shows us a little hint of how unstoppable God�s plans are because He is not hindered in His agenda. We see His creative power in creation, only having a glimmer of understanding in how it all worked together the night of the Savior�sbirth. The older I get, the more I am filled with awe and wonder at the way God sent His son, our Savior, to earth. Every facet of the story shouts His glory and love over us! Here are three beautiful strands of God�s glory woven glitteringly into His advent: 1. God�s Plans Are Unstoppable Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child.While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn (Luke2:4-7). God used a worldly power that I would have written out of the story � Herod � to bring Mary and Joseph to the specific spot they were meant to be for the birth of Jesus. I love this flourish God includes to let us know that even over the cruelest of leaders,for this was the Herod who killed the baby boys, He ultimately sits sovereign over them. When I look at the world and it aches my heart to see the pain and darkness, God never feels helpless or at a loss. He might grieve with us. But he sees the completion of the story. We see His creative power in creation and only have glimmers of understanding of how it all works together and survives the changes of the millennia. And it will be that same creativity we see unleashed on all our individual stories, woven into His, thatset right all the wrongs we endured or did at the completion of all things. And the Christmas story shows us a little hint of how unstoppable His plans are because He is not hindered in His agenda just because there is an evil ruler in the mix. He will even go so far as to use him, just because He can! That is comfort and joy! When Mary and Joseph could not find a place to deliver Jesus, God�s plans were not frustrated, but He again threw His flourish over the human events that looked dismal. A stable with animals was where God chose to bring His son into the world! The most humble of places for the King of Creation to be born in! It�s unfathomable and yet so powerfully glorious! Nothing stops our Lord! No place is too lowly, poor, or dirty for Him to reach into. That is comfort and joy! There is no power too lofty He cannot bend it to His will and there is no place or person too low for His hand to reach! He is our unstoppable Immanuel. 2. God�s Plans Include Everyone And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, �Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.� When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, �Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.� The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told (Luke2:13-15,20). It ministers so deeply to my heart when I think of God sending His celestial birth announcement not to rulers or religious leaders but to shepherds on the outskirts of town. I mean can you even imagine? The ones no one would have invited to the party got the invitation from heaven! Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east andhave come to worship Him.��When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented toHim gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh (Matthew 2:1-2,10-13). God didn�t just stop with peasant shepherds. With the birth of Jesus, He reached to the far edges of the world to draw people to Him. He used the mystical religion of three wise men in the East to call them to Himself. All were welcome where Jesus was. Everyone had a place, in particular those who were not generally given such invitations, God went out of His way to include them. God�s great reaching out to everyone is nothing short of beautifully glorious. 3. God�s Plans Are Always Better Mary and Joseph hadn�t planned on being parents to the Son of God. They hadn�t planned a long journey in the days leading up to His birth. They hadn�t planned on not being able to deliver Him somewhere decent and normal. They didn�t plan on having shepherdspop on by for a quick peek right after Mary delivered Jesus. They hadn�t planned on the attention they got at Jesus� first visit to the Temple. They hadn�t planned on having wise men visit sometime later because they followed a star to His home. They hadn�t planned to flee in the middle of the night to Egypt to keepHim safe from the crazy, baby-killing Herod. They hadn�t planned any of it. When they accepted God�s call on their life, I�m sure they thought His plans would feel different. I�m sure they thought that if God Himself, could hang the stars in the sky and speak the world into existence, surely, they would feel a sort of divine strength and plan to their calling to bear and raise Jesus. But as far as we can tell from the story, it might not have felt like they imagined it would. It probably felt like riding one ocean wave after the next but with less rhythm to it. We have no idea how Mary and Joseph would have coordinated their own callings, but when we feel lost in what we thought God called us to, we can rest our hearts in the hay at the manger and know that the unexpected is always part of His way. And in the unexpectedis His majestic glory, even if we can�t perceive it at the moment. May all the glory, comfort, and joy of Christ�s advent capture your heart this Christmas season! �For my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, A light of revelation to the gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel� (Luke 2:30-32). ------------- Christmas in Revelation? - By Robin Schumacher - https://www.christianpost.com/news/christmas-in-revelation.html At the end of �A Charlie Brown Christmas,� Charlie Brown cries out in desperation, �Isn�t there anyone who can tell me what Christmas is all about?� Can you imagine whatthe audience response would have been if, instead of the passage in Luke 2, Charles Schultz had chosen the following text for Linus to present: A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; and she was with child; and she criedout, being in labor and in pain to give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems. And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw themto the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child. And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught upto God and to His throne. (Rev. 12:1-5). �And that,� says Linus, �is what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.� A walk-through Revelation�s Christmas Story Although certainly not traditional Christmas fare, the above passage from the Bible�s last book provides unique insight into the birth of Christ over what we find in Matthewand Luke. Let�s take a quick walk through the Christmas story via the lens of John (the author of Revelation) in his prophetic work. A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; and she was with child; and she criedout, being in labor and in pain to give birth. There�s no Mary and Joseph in this nativity; instead, the second half of Revelation starts with the first in a series of events called �signs� (12:3; 13:13�14; 15:1; 16:14;19:20). These are symbols that God reveals, which typically contain an element of prophetic warning. The woman depicted is the second of four symbolic women in the book (Jezebel, 2:20; the great harlot, 17:1�7; the bride of the Lamb, 19:7�8). Is this Mary as in the gospelsor someone else? There have been both reasonable and bizarre conjectures as to her identity, with perhaps the strangest being the 19th-century cult leader Joanna Southcott who claimed thewoman was herself. While some make the case for Mary (Roman Catholicism) or the Church, I believe the biblical evidence points to the woman being Israel. In the dream of Joseph chronicled in Genesis 37:9�11, the sun and moon refer to Jacob and Rachel, and the 11 stars are Joseph�s brothers. Moreover, the Bible says it wasthrough Israel that Jesus Christ came into the world (Rom. 1:3; 9:4�5) with the nation often being compared to a woman, including one in travail giving birth (Isa. 54:5; 66:7; Micah 4:10; 5:2�3). Being �in pain� is nothing new to Israel; it has suffered satanicanti�Semitism continually right up to our present day. So, while in Matthew and Luke�s Christmas story we have Mary giving birth to Jesus, in Revelation John pictures the persecuted nation of Israel doing so. Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems. In the gospel accounts, it takes several chapters for Satan to explicitly appear, but in Revelation�s Christmas story, he�s immediately front and center. The second �sign� in Revelation is �great� only in the respect of it being large and monstrous. The Bible clearly says the dragon is Satan (Rev. 12:9), with the color red(pyrros) depicting death (cf. the 2nd rider in Rev. 6:4) and the fact that the devil is a murderer (John 8:44). While there�s no debate as to the dragon�s identity, there is disagreement over what his multiple heads, horns, and crowns mean. Yet, later in Revelation, we�re told thatthe heads represent mountains (Rev. 17:9), and the horns represent kings (Rev. 17:12). In all likelihood, the Antichrist�s future kingdom is being depicted: one of a renewed Roman empire consisting of a ten-nation confederacy with the ten horns representingleaders who will rule under Antichrist (cf. Rev. 13:1; Dan. 7:23�25). Pastor and commentator R.C.H. Lenski sums up the imagery in this verse as Satan wearing �symbols of arrogated dominion.� And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. We�re given a quick understanding of the magnitude of spiritual evil and its formation against the Christ child with this verse. Literally, one-third of the angelic hostfollowed Satan in his rebellion against God and now operate as demons who work against Jesus. While some try to argue that the stars represent something other than angels, Rev. 12:9 and Dan. 8:10 indicate these are members of the rebellious angelic host. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child. Satan has been forever trying to kill Jesus. Here in Revelation, John shows his reader a picture of the struggle between the woman and Satan, which is a throwback to the beginning of human history where God addressedthe woman and the serpent (Gen. 3:14�16). Ever since God told Satan that the woman�s offspring would crush his head, there has always been a �dragon� standing by, waiting to destroy Israel and the ancestors of the Messiah. In Matthew�s Christmas story, we see just one attempt: the satanically-inspired campaign of Herod to murder all the young male children (Matt. 2:16), who are the first Christianmartyrs. But there have been plenty of other efforts made by the devil to stop Jesus from coming and fulfilling His mission. Influenced by Satan, Cain killed his brother Abel, and Pharaoh (called a �dragon� in Ezek. 29:3 as is Nebuchadnezzar in Jer. 51:34) drowned the male children of the Hebrews.With murderous intent, Saul hurled his spear at David (1 Sam. 20:33), and Haman plotted to exterminate the Jewish people living in the provinces of Persia (Est. 3). At one point, the Messiah�s line was limited to one young boy (2 Kings 11:1�3). All the devil�s work has proven fruitless, though, because Jesus Christ has conquered the dragon through His birth, life, and ascension, as the next verse indicates. And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne. The Christmas story�s trinitarian score concludes at, God: 3; Satan: 0. Satan fails at his attempts to stop Christ from coming, fails at his attempts to stop Jesus from accomplishing His mission, and fails at his attempts to stop Jesus frombeing glorified. And to remind his readers of Christ�s firm reign, three times in Revelation John quotes words from Psalm 2:9, �You shall break them with a rod of iron� (2:27; 12:5; 19:15).The imagery is the exact opposite of a helpless baby in a manager in this version of Christ�s birth. Note that God is the agent in the passive voice of the phrase �her child was caught up to God.� The catching up of the Child refers to His Ascension, not to the later Raptureof the church as some propose (the Rapture of the church would not constitute a deliverance of the male Child from Satan). And so there you have it � the Christmas story as told by John in Revelation. It is the unveiling of the ascended Christ, the exalted Christ, and the Christ who is comingagain in glory. Just as in Luke�s Christmas account, the only proper response to all this is, �Glory to God in the highest� (2:14). We�re told in Hebrews 12:2 that we look: �unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame,and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.� And that is what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown. ---------------------------------- Mighty God - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org And His name will be called . . . Mighty God, Everlasting Father �Isaiah 9:6 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/mighty-god/- Listen It�s kind of hard to wrap our minds around the idea that a beautiful little baby, born in a manger in Bethlehem, was God Almighty. He was deity in diapers. My friend MaxLucado put it this way: �Divinity arrived. Heaven opened herself and placed her most precious one in a human womb. The omnipotent, in one instant, made himself breakable.� Jesus was fully God and fully man. He was not just a good man; He was the God-man. God came to this earth and walked among us. Jesus became one of us without ceasing tobe Himself. He became human without ceasing to be God. And Isaiah 9:6 tells us that He is the Mighty God. That takes care of the demands of life. He has all the power that you need. Whatever you�re facing, whatever challenge or difficulty you�re going through, the Almighty Godhas taken residence in your heart if you have given your life to Jesus Christ. In addition, Isaiah calls him Everlasting Father. This brings hope and encouragement to those of us who grew up without a father or who perhaps had a harsh, abusive father. When I was growing up, my mother was married and divorced seven different times, so I didn�t have a father figure. But when I became a believer in Jesus Christ, I suddenlyhad a heavenly Father looking out for me and with whom I could come into a relationship. We have a Father in Heaven who loves us. Because Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, we can now call God our Father if we�ve put our faith in Jesus Christ. Notonly is He our Father, but He�s our Everlasting Father. That means He�s not only our Father on Earth, but He also will receive us into Heaven one day. ------------------ REPOST: CALMING SCRIPTURES: The Planet�s Most Momentous Event - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org Simon Peter answered, �You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God� �Matthew 16:16 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/the-planets-most-momentous-event/- Listen During His earthly ministry, did Jesus know the word on the street? Was He aware of what people thought about Him and said about Him? Absolutely. In fact, He would call people out for their thoughts while He was engaging them. So at Caesarea Philippi when Jesus asked His disciples, �Who do people say Iam?� (Mark 8:27 NLT), He was giving them a test. And why do teachers give tests? It�s to see if their students are learning the material. The disciples had seen Jesus perform miracles. They had seen Him walk on water,heal leprosy, drive out demons, and even raise the dead. But did they really understand who He was yet? Apparently not, because they replied, �Some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say you are one of the other prophets� (verse 28 NLT). That wasn�t the right answer. But Simon Peter, known for his outspokenness, got it. He said, �You are the Messiah� (verse 29 NLT). Matthew�s version of this story has Petersaying, �You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God� (16:16 nlt). Jesus replied, �You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being� (verse 17 NLT). Peter understood that Jesus wasn�t Elijah. He wasn�t John the Baptist. And He wasn�t even a mere prophet. He was and is the very Son of God. Jesus wasn�t a mere man or just one of the prophets. He was God, coming to us in human flesh. As Jesus entered our world, He was God with skin on, walking among us. The birth of Jesus Christ was the most momentous event that has ever occurred in the history of the planet. The eternal God literally became a fetus and was born of a womanin order to be the Savior of the world. ChooseLife �I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessingand cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.� (Deuteronomy30:19) Shortly before his death, Moses restated the law and the covenant between God and His people summed up in the greatest commandment: �Thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might� (Deuteronomy6:5). Furthermore, Moses claimed that �this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven...Neither is it beyond the sea� (Deuteronomy30:11-13). Nothing about it was hard to understand. �But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it� (Deuteronomy30:14). Indeed, the evidence that God is Creator, Judge, Provider, and Redeemer is all around us. Our text informs us that �heaven and earth� are witnesses of God�s nature. We have more than enough information than we need in order to respond. In fact, these things �from the creation of the world are clearly seen� so that those who reject are �without excuse� (Romans1:20). Indeed, to ignore the evidence of creation and the Flood, one must be �willingly...ignorant� (2Peter 3:5). Rejection is foolishness. �See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil� (Deuteronomy30:15). The choice is between blessing (v. 16) and cursing (v. 19). All lines of reasoning point toward the God of the Bible as the one true God. �Therefore choose life,� as our text encourages us, �That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thoumayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life� (v. 20). JDM ------------------------------- That Verse before 'All Things' by John UpChurch I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. Philippians4:12 I'd rather live a Philippians 4:13 type life. But that verse before it always gets me. I'd rather jump right into the doing all things through him who gives me strength� without slogging through the content in any and every situation part. The second verse makes for suchgreat posters, but now, when I read it, all I can think is whether living in plenty or in want.� Talk about a buzzkill. But God's plans come in a larger size than my earthly satisfaction. He wants my sanctification, my being-made-more-like-Jesus-ness. He wants me to see that His riches don't come with dour-looking presidents or expiration dates or limited warranties. Theyaren't earned by the sweat of my brow. Instead, His riches come pouring down in my contentment. Paul told Timothy that godliness with contentment is great gain (1Timothy 6:6), and he's driving at the same thing here in Philippians. Strength, according to the world, boils down to laying claim to the most stuff�power, model spouses (emphasis on the plural), houses, and influence. But those who think that way cannever be content no matter the situation. When their strength� disappears, they wilt. Some do whatever it takes to get back to where they were; some end up in rehab; and some see no reason to live. Some strength, huh? Jesus doesn't play by our rules, though. His Beatitude bunker busters make that pretty clear (see Matthew 5). The weak, the poor, the hungry ,those are the ones who receive the treasures. You see, Jesus does want us to get to Philippians 4:13, but to do that, He has to demolish our strongholds by taking us through Philippians 4:12. We're strong through Him only when we've learned to clear the detritus of what we think we need in this world and see Him for the all-sufficient treasure that He really is (Colossians2:3). We can do all things through Him who strengthens us. But to get to that point, we have to learn satisfaction in His things, the plans He has for us. That's because it's His strength, not ours. Intersecting Faith & Life: God's plans for us don't always send us down the paths we might choose. Okay, they rarely do. That's why true contentment becomes so vital for the Christ follower. And the only way we can get there is to die and die and die. Everyday we die to the things that supposedly make us strong in this world. Every day we kill the need to have more, to be more. Every day we die for Him. You are strong right where your contentment in Christ begins. --------------------------- Believe It�or Not - By Terry James - https://www.raptureready.com/2021/09/11/believe-itor-not-by-terry-james/ �Believe It or Not� was a syndicated newspaper series of brief facts about strange things in the world that ran for decades during the twentieth century. As I recall, eachexplanation of the strange goings-on was accompanied by an artist�s rendering that more or less encapsulated the weird story being told. Later, actor Jack Palance snarled out in his usual villainous voice a TV series telling Ripley�s Believe It or Not stories. The viewers could make up their own minds aboutthe truth of the stories. However, most had enough evidence to back up their veracity. These were, of course, for entertainment purposes. The things told were mostly about events that had happened in the distant past, so, more often than not, they had no relevanceto the well-being of or potential harm to the reader. You could believe it�or not. No further action was required. There is one particular profound fact, however, that�as strange as it might be to some�requires a decision that involves total commitment to belief. To not believe invitespersonal destiny that is the most devastating imaginable. This is not some imponderable factoid or matter of conjecture as to whether it�s fact or fiction. This is the truth we must believe, or else we�ll face a destiny beyondimagination: For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believethnot is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (John 3:17�18) The whispers that come in soothing sounds from the creature that tells people to not believe is a million times more sinister than the snarling admonition by Jack Palancein the TV series. Satan says to each human being facing this all-important decision: �Yea�Hath God said?� It is the same deception that brought sin into the world when the serpent whispered those words, and Eve, being deceived, convinced Adam to partake in tasting the forbiddenfruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God�s Word says we are lost because of that original sin. Satan seductively says that God didn�t really say that but said something else because man, being God himself,can determine for himself his course toward ultimate destiny. It is true that God created us in His own image. At the same time, He gave us volition (free will) to believe or not to believe. God doesn�t force Himself on us. He didn�tcreate robots. He wants men and women, boys and girls, to love Him because it is our decision. We can believe it�or not. At the same time, however, there are consequences to that decision, individually. Whether we choose to believe or not believe determines where we will spend eternity. To believe that Jesus came into the world not to condemn the world, but so the world can be saved through Him is the all-important decision we can make. Our choice setsour personal destiny. To believe that Jesus came to seek and save the lost�those in unbelief�and to accept that He is the only remedy for this lost condition is what God requires to cover oursin that condemns us to an eternity apart from His holy presence. Sin cannot enter heaven. That�s why Jesus said that we must be born again�otherwise, we can�t even see the kingdom of heaven, much less enter it. We must believe that Jesus died for us to save us from our lost condition, we must believe that God raised Jesus from death, and we must confess with our mouth that we believethis (Romans 10:9�10). Like it or not�believe it or not�this is the way, the only way to go to heaven either upon death or at the Rapture of all believers. It is more important than ever for Christians�believers�to share this truth with everyone we meet. Conditions proliferating in every direction point to the any-moment removalfrom planet earth for the believers. We must look through God�s eyes, being one with Him in Spirit, and point to that one Way He accepts for redemption. Jesus addressed His disciple, Thomas: Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14: 6) ---------------------------------------------------- GodIs Love �And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in lovedwelleth in God, and God in him.� (1 John 4:16) God is clearly �the Lord, the righteous judge� (2 Timothy 4:8), but He is also �the God of love and peace� (2Corinthians 13:11). Not only in our text verse but also in another place, we are reminded that �God is love� (1 John 4:8). Of all the attributes ofGod, His nature of love is the most definitive. God is love! It was not His omnipotence nor His omniscience that constrained Him to create men and women in His image. It must have been His nature of love, the desire for fellowship with beings like Himself. There is not much revealed on this question�only hints. �I havecreated him for my glory� (Isaiah 43:7). �The LORD hath made all things for himself� (Proverbs16:4). But fellowship is a two-way relationship and requires freedom to choose on the part of both. When man volitionally broke that fellowship, sin came into the world and God�s creation purpose was to all appearances set aside. But God is love! He had not only a plan of creation but also a plan of salvation already in process. He �saved us,... according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began� (2Timothy 1:9). And so �God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us� (Romans 5:8). �For God so loved the world, that he gavehis only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life� (John 3:16). �Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us� (1 John 3:1). God is, indeed, a God of love! HMM ------------------------------------------- OurGod Is Everywhere �The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.� (Proverbs15:3) The God who created and made all things is not only omnipotent, He is omnipresent. �For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him� (2Chronicles 16:9). David�s insightful Psalm 139 is certainly one of the most striking affirmations of God�s omnipresence. �If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of thesea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the lightare both alike to thee� (Psalm 139:8-12). God�s omnipresence, however, should not be understood in a pantheistic sense. Although He sees everyone and everything, that does not mean He is in everyone and everything. The creation did not create itself! But since God is everywhere, He Himself cannot be seen anywhere. Jesus said concerning the Father, �Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape,� but He also said, �I am come in my Father�s name� (John5:37, 43). �He that hath seen me hath seen the Father� (John 14:9). It is also a wonderful revelation that the Holy Spirit of God now indwells every Christian believer, so this is another way in which God is everywhere�that is, wherever there are true Christians, God is there. �Therefore glorify God in your body, and in yourspirit, which are God�s� (1 Corinthians 6:20). HMM ------------------------------------------ TheMeaning of Man �When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?� (Psalm8:3-4) This question has been posed as a rhetorical question by many generations of skeptics, especially in our present generation when the tremendous size of the universe is often used to argue that God, if He exists, could not possibly be interested in such a smallspeck of dust as our own planet. But essentially the same argument was used against Job by one of his three �miserable comforters� (Job16:2) over 3,500 years ago. �How then can man be justified with God?...that is a worm? and the son of man, which is a worm?� (Job25:4, 6).This dismal type of reasoning, however, is utterly fallacious. Significance is not a function of size but of purposeful complexity, and the human brain is surely the most complex physical system in the entire universe, as acknowledged even bysuch an eminent atheistic scientist as Isaac Asimov. Rather than being insignificant nonentities, men and women have been created in the very image of God and are the objects of His redeeming love. The most wonderful measure of man�s importance is the fact that God Himself became a man! �Christ Jesus...being in the form of God...took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men� (Philippians2:5-7) to be able to take our death penalty upon Himself. Furthermore, God�s love for man is measured not only by His substitutionary death for our sins but also by His eternal creative purpose for us. He has redeemed us so that �in the ages to come hemight shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus� (Ephesians2:7). HMM ----------------------------------------- A Revealed Savior by Katherine Britton "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." - Jeremiah 29:13 I wish I could ask the Magi what it was like after they returned to their homeland. After watching the skies for years, journeying for weeks, and seeing Jesus with their own eyes, how did they return to the life they once knew? Did they ever hear about therest of Jesus's life? Did they realize the Jew who was killed on the tree was the same child to whom they offered gifts befitting a king? Did they understand that his birth was a precursor to a far greater event? We don't know much with certainty about these men. They brought three gifts�gold, incense, and myrrh�but there may have been dozens of Magi who went on that journey. These wise men were certainly Gentiles, probably from Persia. They acted as something closeto astrologer-priests in their homeland, we think, marking the movements of the heavens to find out its impact on man. Judging by their gifts and their titles, their status and wealth came close to royalty. Now consider what we definitely know about them: these Magi considered it worth their time, efforts, riches, and worship to come worship at a Bethlehem house. "When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they openedtheir treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh." - Matthew 2:10-11 These pagans searched for the Messiah as no one else did. Their adventure is an extraordinary tale of God's grace mixed with man's hunger, as they followed the star God set up in the heavens with single-minded devotion. They were on a search for God, who hadgiven them the signs to find him. I think these men, who knew so much less than I do about the Messiah, sought him harder than I ever have. Consider Matthew Henry's commentary on what transpired: "They might have said, �If such a prince be born, we shall hear of him shortly in our own country, and it will be time enough then to pay our homage to him.' But so impatient were they to be better acquainted with him, that they took a long journey on purposeto enquire after him. Note, Those who truly desire to know Christ, and find him, will not regard pains or perils in seeking after him." Personally, I don't think the Magi were ever the same after their encounter in the Bethlehem house. They invested themselves to finding the King of the Jews, and he revealed himself to them. I think all other stars must have paled in comparison. Intersecting Faith & Life: Like the psalmist sings, the "heavens declare the glory of God" (Psalms8) to each one of us. Those signs are God calling us to seek him with our whole heart, so he can reveal himself to us more and more. This Christmas season, I want to follow the Magi's example. I want to find the mystery of the Gospel so incredible that I pursue it with all my heart, and all my strength, and all my soul. I pray this mystery captivates your heart this Christmas! ----------------------------- Signs For the Shepherds � Bill Perkins � www.compass.org More to the Christmas Story And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:7 The birth of Jesus is a story most of us know well. Joseph and Mary, who was nine months pregnant, had traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem to register for a census. When they arrived in Bethlehem, they found there was no room for them at the inn. The have no choice but to stay behind the inn with the animals. Mary goes into labor, hasher baby and places Him in a manger. One of the things you learn when you go to Israel is that our American conception of a �manger� is not very accurate. It certainly wasn�t cute and wooden. A �manger� was a �feeding trough� and they were always carved out of stone. They didn�t make them out of wood because food and water would cause them to rot. We see these feeding troughs all over Israel (see picture of a stone manger). But something most people miss about the Christmas story are some hidden gems in this verse: �This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.� Luke 2:12 We�ve written before about Jesus being born in Bethlehem in the middle of all those sheep being born and raised for the Jewish Temple sacrifices. Jesus was even referredto by John the Baptist as the �Lamb of God.� That would have been quite a statement to the Jews whose lives revolved around sacrificing tens of thousands of lambs each year to cover their sins. But to the shepherds in the fields, why did the angel of the Lord say the baby �wrapped in cloths� would be a sign? As it turns out, it was a HUGE sign! In the time of Christ, during the birthing season, Levitical Priests would be sent from Jerusalem to Bethlehem to watch over the birthing process to make sure the sheepwere born without any defects. On the edge of the fields surrounding Bethlehem, where most of those sheep were being born, there was a two-story stone tower called the Migdal Eder tower. Israeli archeologists recently found this tower. The picture is of the recent archeological excavation. This tower is mentioned in the Book of Micah regarding the announcement of the birth of the Messiah. �As for you, tower of the flock, Hill of the daughter of Zion, To you it will come�Even the former dominion will come, The kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.� Mic. 4:8 In plain English this is saying that the Messiah will be revealed from the Migdal Eder��the tower of the flock.� The priests would climb the tower and look out over all the flocks to see any signs a sheep was about to give birth. Sheep usually get fidgety, paw the ground and/or separatethemselves from the flock just before birthing a lamb. When the signs were noticed, they would bring the sheep to the tower�s ground floor where it would give birth in a ceremonially clean area. When the the lamb was born, and if it was without blemish, it was immediately wrapped in strips of cloth made from old priestly underwear. The purpose was to make sure the lamb would stay unblemished. The priest would then put the lamb in a manger to keep it safe from getting trampled. So when the angel of the Lord told the shepherds in the field that the Savior had been born and the �sign� was He would be wrapped in the same cloths as the sacrificialsheep and placed in a manger, they would have immediately understood the significance of the �sign.� When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, �Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happenedwhich the Lord has made known to us.� So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. Luke 2:15 It�s obvious that the shepherds knew exactly where to go with only limited info�they headed to the birthing tower where they found Joseph and Mary with Jesus lying wherenewly born sacrificial sheep would lie. And, of course, don�t miss the fact that the first clothes Jesus wore were the clothes of a priest! So when you hear the Christmas story this year, we hope you have the chance to share, as Paul Harvey would say, �The rest of the story.� BP Reference: http://hethathasanear.com/Birth.htmlb ---------------------- A Son is Given- Nathele Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com Christmas is the time of year when credit cards are maxed out because we have a need to give gifts to friends and family. We want the people who matter to us to know thatwe care about them. Here�s a question: Can you remember what gifts you were given last Christmas? Most of the gifts that are exchanged are items that will be out-grown, worn out, broken, or obsolete within a short time. Remember a few years ago when TickleMe Elmo was the most popular gift to give? Did you ever give or receive a Pet Rock as a gift? It�s hard to resist fads, but by next year there will be another �must have� gift. With all of the hustle and bustle of shopping, baking, and partying it�s easy toforget that Christmas is the time to stop and recognize what we really should celebrate. We celebrate because 2,000 years ago (more or less) God gave the greatest gift of all�His son. �Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given...� Isaiah 9:6a. This wasa prophecy of Isaiah many, many years before Christ was born, but it foretold of a human child born, but God�s only begotten Son being given. It is certainly within God�s power to have popped into the world fully grown and ready to take over the duties of the Messiah. The Old Testament is full of instances whenThe Angel of the Lord would appear to men. For example, it was �the Angel of the LORD� who found Hagar when she was running away from Sarai (Genesis chapter 16), the Angel of the LORD stopped Abraham from sacrificing Isaac (Genesis chapter 22), and it wasthe angel of the LORD who spoke to Moses from the burning bush in Exodus chapter 3. These are a few examples of times when Jesus appeared to people before His birth in Bethlehem. God�s ways are not our ways; His ways are higher than our ways. In order to redeemwhat Adam lost, He had to be human�a near kinsman to humans. �For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a mercifuland faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.� Hebrews 2:16-17. In order to accomplish this, God in the person of the Holy Spirit, came upon Mary, a virgin, and she became pregnant. Jesus� father couldnot be human, because that would have tainted His blood with the same sin nature that plagues all of mankind. Genetically, a father passes to his son certain traits. These traits would have disqualified Jesus from shedding His blood to take away our sin. BecauseMary was human, so was Jesus. Because the Holy Spirit is God, so was Jesus. He was born fully human, but fully God. The prophet Isaiah had a lot to say about the coming Messiah, and he told of signs to look for. �Therefore the Lord himself shall give you asign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.� Isaiah 7:14. As with so many Hebrew names, Immanuel describes the person. Immanuel means �God with us� and that describes Jesus. The name �Jesus� also is descriptive.It means �Jehovah is salvation�. Truly Jesus, was God with us, and is forever our salvation. Many sons have been born since Eve gave birth to Cain, who was born after Adam sinned. Adam and Eve must have been heartbroken when they saw the ugliness of sin manifestwhen Cain killed his brother Abel. God had clearly told Adam not to eat from the tree of knowledge. �And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shaltnot eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.� Genesis 2:16-17. Adam did eat that fruit. Eve had a chat with Satan, and ate the fruit. Then she convinced Adam to eat it too. If only they had obeyed God. God knows so much morethan we do, and when He says don�t do something, our sin nature convinces us that God is only trying to stop us from having fun. If we would listen to and obey God we wouldn�t have murders or lies or homosexuality or any of the other sins that separate usfrom God. We can never heal that separation by our own efforts. Only God can. Which is why He entered His creation as a helpless baby�a baby like any other baby, but unlike any other baby, His father was God. It was the plan of salvation that was devised byGod long before Adam sinned. There are many �pictures� in the Old Testament which reveal God�s plan, and Abraham�s sacrifice of Isaac is one of those pictures. We know the story of Abraham and Sarah.God promised Abraham that he would be the father of nations, but when his wife, Sarah, was long past childbearing age and Abraham himself was very old, they still hadn�t had children. So, they �helped� God by Abraham impregnating Sarah�s handmaid, Hagar. Ishmaelwas born, but he wasn�t the promised son. Years later, Sarah did become pregnant, just as God had promised. Isaac was that son of promise. One day, Abraham was tested by God �And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get theeinto the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.� Genesis 22:2. Abraham obeyed. Isaac was not a child, but an adult who went willingly with Abraham. Can you imagine the heartache Abrahamsuffered as they travelled on a three-day journey to the place God had directed him to? God never requires human blood as a sacrifice, so this seems unusual. When the altar was ready, Isaac had a question and Abraham had an answer. �And Isaac spake unto Abrahamhis father, and said, My father: and he said Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?� Genesis 22:7. Good question, Isaac! God wants us to be a living sacrifice to Him, meaning we submit to Hiswill in spite of our selfish desires. Abraham knew Isaac was the son of promise, so he knew that somehow God wouldn�t allow Isaac to die. �And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.� Genesis 22:8. Notice the words Abraham chose� God will provide himself a lamb. And so, He did. As Abraham was about to sacrifice Isaac, the Angel of the LORD stopped him and Abraham saw a ram stuck in a thicket which God had provided for the sacrifice. Morethan that, it was on this hill that, many centuries later, God truly provided Himself as the sacrificial lamb�the only begotten Son of God allowed Himself to be sacrificed on a cross. He shed His blood for to take away the sin of the world. Jesus Christ, God incarnate, willingly took on human form to qualify as our Kinsman Redeemer. He was humbly born in a manger as a baby, and He grew up with Joseph as Hisadoptive father, and Mary as his human mother. He had brothers and sisters, because Joseph and Mary had children, but Jesus was God�s Son, given because God loves us. �For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believethin him should not perish, but have everlasting life.� John 3:16. That verse is probably the most beloved passage of Scripture; the 23rd Psalm might run it a close second. God showed perfect love to us, when He gave His Son to pay the ransom for our sin. Thereis no gift more valuable or precious than God�s gift of His Son. God had a plan for the redemption of mankind, a gift of love from our blessed Creator. We give many gifts at Christmas time, and to be of any use, the gifts we give must be accepted. Have you accepted God�s free Gift of Salvation? The reason we celebrate Christmasis to celebrate God�s gift of His Son. Remember God�s love and tell someone about salvation through Jesus Christ. God�s gift is free for the asking, but it was very costly for God. �For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it isthe gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.� Ephesians 2:8-9. You won�t find this gift wrapped in pretty shiny paper and tied up with ribbons under a Christmas tree. It certainly won�t say it�s from Santa Claus. We celebrate the birth of ourLord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. True faith in His death, burial, and resurrection, will bring forgiveness of the sin that separates you from God. Share this gift with others and thank God for His gift by submitting to Him. Eating the fruit from the tree of knowledge brought death to Adam, Eve, and all of humanity since their sin. Not only the death of separation of soul and body, but the deathof eternal separation from God. The Good News is God gave His Son as the final sacrifice to atone for our sin. �For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved,� John 3:17. God wants you to live withHim for eternity. Place your faith in Him now. One day every knee will bow to Him and He will reign supreme�the King of kings, the Lord of lords ��and the government shall be upon his shoulder and his name shall be calledWonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peach there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justicefrom henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.� Isaiah 9:6b � 7. God gave His son so that you and I can spend eternity with Him. Accept that gift today and share it with others. Celebrate Jesus every day. God bless you all, Nathele Graham twotug@embarqmail.com ron@straitandnarrowministry.com Recommended prophecy sites: www.raptureready.com www.prophecyupdate.com www.raptureforums.com All original scripture is �theopneustos� God breathed. ------------------------------------------------