Month: December 2022

GOD’S WORD FOR DECEMBER 31 ~ ~ Matthew 12:1-3 ~ ~ “At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples became hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat. 2 Now when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath!” 3 But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he became hungry, he and his companions.”

Oh, how glorious it would be, to go back, knowing what we know now, from the Word of God, and listen to Jesus as He spoke in Matthew chapter 12.

Verses 1-14, as the Pharisees berated Him for working on the Sabbath, I can imagine the thoughts going through His mind, as He was taken back to when He and the Father created the World, Man, the Universe, angels, and all things. How all things were created through Him, and how He and the Father rested on the seventh day and called it holy. Maybe His mind then went forward to when God had to endure the disobedience, compromise, and blasphemies of His beloved people, and He had to write specific laws, which would point to Him, and His coming, His salvation for all people, and yet……these people, whose sinfulness was the cause of so much anguish to a Loving Father, are telling HIM that He is disobeying HIS laws!!! The human side of Him must have wanted to be angry over their arrogance, while the Loving Father in Him felt pity for their ignorance.

I’m sure He wanted to somehow get the idea across to them that the Sabbath, the Laws, and the Temple rituals, like the showbread, are pathways to God, not ends in and of themselves, and, therefore if they would truly know God, like David did, they would know when God was using it for a lesson to them. (vs. 3-6)

This might be when He said verse 7, “But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.”

After He attempted to leave, and crowds followed, but He needed to be on the Father’s timetable. After He healed the possessed man, and the people praised Him, there they were again!!! The Pharisees!! He knew their thoughts before they spoke, so, possibly, He approached them with His answer, which must have set them back a bit!!! (v. 25)

As He read the minds of the Pharisees, perhaps He remembers reading the mind of

another being, eons and eons ago, back in the days when all the angels worshipped the Trinity with one pure heart…..except for one…Lucifer…

Maybe in His mind, He went over the beauty of the “Number One” angel at the feet of the Father’s throne, but with betrayal hidden in the recesses of his mind.

As He explained “spiritual warfare 101” to the Pharisees, it’s a possibility that He saw again the deception of that one poisonous entity, and how that deception grew to an evil that swept away one third of heavenly hosts.

As He looked at the Pharisees, with their hatred for Him, but outward devotion to God, He recognized its source. He knew where their thoughts and whisperings were derived from, and His Words to the men were just as much to satan himself, as He gave him the message He’d given him many times through the years…..”you will not win”.

His message to the Pharisees, and to all mankind, is “do not compromise”…”He who is not with Me is against me”(v.30)…..When it comes to spiritual warfare, there can be no compromise. This is the mistake the fallen angels made….a little compromise, and the deception took hold, and they could not bring themselves back to the Lord they so loved!!!!

This is why Jesus describes that as the unforgivable sin. Sinning against the Holy Ghost cannot be forgiven, probably because it directly involves the greatest compromise with demonic forces and the deception and hold will be too great to allow repentance, which is necessary for forgiveness.

When Jesus goes on to say a tree is known by its fruit, and men by their words, the Pharisees see an opening. They request a sign. They’re saying, paraphrased, in v. 38,

“What about you, what are YOUR fruits? Let us see something to judge YOU by.”

I’m sure Jesus’ mind went back to the days of Moses, and the signs He did for the Children of Israel, miraculously bringing them to freedom, only to have them grumble and whine about how “good” they had it in Egypt.

Jesus told the Pharisees, in effect, “ A sign? Really? A sign? Have I not shown your people enough signs through the ages? What did you do with them? Did you see the Father’s Love in those signs and wonders, did you see the Son in those things, as the Creator of the Universe and Lord of Lords, or did you just explain them away, or soon forget them? The next great sign I will do, will be to throw down the forces of evil once and for all. Death will be swallowed up in victory, and you…….you will need to repent and be saved from your own sins……sins you don’t even know, at this time, that you have, because of the very same deception that you are defending so fiercely against Me. The irony of this is thick with meaning.

He goes on to tell them that in order to be healed of their sins, they need to fill their lives with Him and the Father, by the power of the Holy Spirit, and keep the deceptions and demonic powers from re-infecting them.

Even then, I’m quite sure, His mind wandered back to that first deception, leading to that first sin that began all this, and gave satan the right to occupy and spread that poison throughout mankind, as he did throughout the angelic forces of heaven….but only for a time…..only for a time!!!

GOD’S WORD FOR DECEMBER 30 ~ ~ Isaiah 41:10 ~ ~ “Do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not be afraid, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, I will also help you,
I will also uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

We know of the cross, of the Resurrection, but how much do we know about what happened in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night before Christ was crucified? The Bible tells us that Our Lord was in agony, to the point of sweating great drops of blood.

He prayed to His Father that this cup would be taken from Him, if possible, but then His great love for you and me caused Him to willingly take the cup. What cup? Many assume He meant the agony of dying on the cross. Partly, that was true, but I don’t believe that was the primary dread on His mind. He, no doubt, had seen crucifixions, He knew what He was in for, but there was something far more important on His mind right then.

That important thing was His future Bride. His Bride that was to become His as a result of what was going to happen the next day. But the great joy in knowing this was blackened by the knowledge of what she will have to suffer before they can become one.

The Bride I speak of, of course, is the Christian church. That body of people who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. The people who have gone down the strait and narrow path that He spoke of in Matthew 7:13 &14. Those who have submitted their entire body, mind and spirit to His Lordship, wanting ONLY HIS WILL in their lives and that of their loved ones. These people, drawn together by His love, make up the Bride of Christ.

Just as any man cannot stand to see His bride suffer, and will do anything in his power to take it away, Jesus wanted to take away the pain and suffering that He knew His bride will have to suffer throughout life on earth. Just as any man would want to take the place of his bride and take the pain onto himself, Jesus yearned so much for this!!!! And, as part of the Great Plan, He did just that!!!!!!

In that Garden, Jesus BECAME each of us in a sense…..He took on your sin and my sin, and with it, He took on the consequences, the disease, pain, filthiness, the rejection by others, the handicaps, the loneliness and sadness and dread. He took on the pain of the innocent ones as well as those who have grossly sinned because the sin of the world has oozed in every crack and crevice of mankind and corrupted everything on the earth!!!!!

So, when we ask, why do the innocent suffer…..it is because of the corruption of the earth by sin. But, a better question would be…why did Jesus suffer…..the innocent of the innocent…..Almighty God, no less,…..He suffered incredibly before he was ever nailed to the cross. The pain of the nails and the whips could only give pain to His physical body, but the pain of knowing that you will have to suffer, tore Him down to His very being….to His very life……to His heart of LOVE, and it was almost more than His spirit could take. His love for you is that great, that it almost killed Him. The angels had to come to minister to Him……they didn’t even do that during the scourging and crucifixion….this was much worse!!! He loves you so much that if you were the only person on earth, He would have died for you. GOD would have died for YOU!!! Just YOU….He DID just that. Think about that!!! Do you still think after all that, He would let you suffer alone?

When you have to go through whatever you are enduring, He is taking your burden still. Oh, dear one, you have no idea what it would be like if He wasn’t taking the weight for you!!!! He is sheltering you, protecting you, and He can take an even greater weight off you if you will come to Him and ask for it.

Please, if you haven’t, ask Him into your heart, and submit to Him your whole being, and your situation. Don’t let Him have gone through what He did for nothing….Accept the Gift He offers you, and be one with Him, as He intended for you. All you need to do is talk to Him from your heart, and tell Him how you feel. Spend time with Him alone, and you will be able to hear His voice in your spirit.

Keep your spiritual eyes on Him and your spirit will revive and see Him holding you up.

GOD’S WORD FOR DECEMBER 29 ~ ~ Ps. 24:1-7 ~ ~ “The earth is the Lord’s and the fulness thereof: the world and they that dwell therein. For He hath founded it upon the seas and established it upon the floods. Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord, or who shall stand in His Holy Place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.”

As we saw yesterday, He degraded Himself for you, and now He wants to lift YOU up to His Holy Hill to see partially what He sees.

He’s inviting you to the Holy Hill with Him!!!!!! He wants to instill in You a vision of how He sees the world and people He created!!!! What a magnificent gift!!!! I can think of nothing more desirable than to see through the eyes of the King of Glory!!!!!!

But, that takes a long time, and can’t be done without obeying Our Lord.

Vs. 4 says that (the one who will ascend the Holy Hill, is) he that hath clean hands, and a pure heart, who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.” “Well,” you say, “that leaves me out”….It leaves all of us out…none of us have led a life like that , but, vs.5 says “He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.”……..There we have that salvation and forgiveness promise again….way back in the Book of Psalms!!!! He will forgive our past sins, and give us the power to lead a better life.

Remember in Vs. 4, the word “vanity”? That is the key to a life of fellowship with the King of Glory…..of spending more time on the Holy Hill and seeing through the eyes of the King of Glory.

Vanity comes from the word “vain”…meaningless…..useless…..think about how much time we spend uselessly? TV, Movies, games….all useless in our spiritual walk. God doesn’t have anything against us having fun. Jesus had fun when He was on earth. In fact, He will join you in good, clean fun. What He is saying is that our primary concern should be growing in our ability to hear from Him. This means spending time talking to Him and listening for Him to talk to us within our spirit…this all takes time with Him and in the Bible. He speaks through His Word.

Vs. 7 says, “Lift up your heads, O ye gates and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors: and the King of Glory shall come in.”……What are the gates and doors, and how do we open them for Him?

The gates are the parts of our life that we thought God was in, that we prayed about, but we left some of the blockage up. In those situations, we can see Him through the gates, but we don’t want to QUITE open ourselves completely to Him and His authority. We console ourselves that He is a part of it, and leave it at that, but truthfully, He isn’t able to actually “come in” because the gate is still there.

Doors are those areas of our life and heart that are completely closed to Him. They could be a habit that He wants us to quit, or a relationship that He knows is not good for us, or the way we spend our free time….maybe in ‘vanity’……..these are called “everlasting doors”….meaning they’ve been there for a long time…maybe all our lives, and, if not opened, may stay with us for eternity………..

The only way to ascend into the hill of the Lord —the King of Glory— is to lift up the gates, and open the everlasting doors…..and let the King of Glory come in!!!!! Note that it says he “shall come in”…not maybe, but this is a promise…if we do our part.

If you’re having a hard time with the words, try reading the very next Psalm…Ps 25.…a wonderful prayer that King David prayed………Let the Lord show you how to make it your prayer………………….

So, now who is the King of Glory to you? My prayer is that He is the Lord of your life, and the Lover of your soul.

GOD’S WORD FOR DECEMBER 28 ~ ~ Psalm 24:8-10 ~ ~ Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.”

Verses 8 and 10 ask the question, “Who is the King of Glory?” I’d ask, who is the King of Glory to YOU?

Glory….the greatest of compliments….glory implies qualities beyond human imagination…beyond human capabilities…..something we cannot imagine, but can only honor to the best of our ability.

Glory in God’s realm is even beyond that…..we have no idea what is in that level of reality. The size, power, beauty, qualities, are something we can only imagine as a microscopic part. So when we use the term “Glory to God”…we have no idea what we are depicting. Giving someone glory is the highest compliment, and to give enough glory to actually COMPLIMENT GOD is beyond our comprehension.

Now, let’s go beyond that yet…..the term “King of Glory” means that He is at the top of that…….beyond what is incomprehensible!!!!………………The only One who deserves that caliber of Glory…..

Try to imagine the power of that idea…………………….

Now, imagine this……..that King of Glory wants to come in to Your heart. I know you’ve heard the alter calls before, but sometimes we don’t “get” the whole idea……Sometimes, somewhere in the duration of the service, the awe of it all is lost. Maybe even mechanical, and we need to stop and get in touch with the “hugeness” of this King of Glory……this Saviour…….Yes, connect the two….the King of Glory came down into a very “Unglorious” situation………He went from the Highest of the High to the lowest of the low, by His own choice…….and He did it for YOU. Let that sink in…..forget the “sinners prayers” that are pre-written for a moment….forget the “fire and brimstone” preaching for a moment….. Just deal with the immense thing YOUR King of Glory did for YOU!!!!!

And all He asks of you is to acknowledge it and let Him dwell in your heart and make your life infinitely better. What He did on the cross is only the beginning of what He wants to do for you. More tomorrow for part 2

GOD’S WORD FOR DECEMBER 27 ~ ~ 2 Peter 3:18 ~ ~ “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.”

I think we, as Christians should ask ourselves one thing: If we lived during the time Our Lord was on earth, would we be a disciple?

We need to contemplate living at that time.

We’d have our lives, our work, our daily tasks.

Would we be too busy to go and listen to Him?

We may be Jewish, and very strict. We are going to try to please Yaweh in every detail of the law. Some people say He is the Messiah, but there have been false Messiah’s before.

The Pharisees don’t believe in Him, and they are our leaders. Everyone follows them, because they study the law for us so we don’t have to.

Would you, would I, dare to go against the leaders and follow this unknown teacher who speaks against them?

Would you and I recognize God in Him?

Or maybe we’d be Gentiles. We’d have our other religion. Would we even care about this Jewish man who is riling up the Jews? We would have our own gods, and satisfied with them.

Would you and I recognize God in Him?

What if we were no religion at all. We didn’t have time for the foolishness of the Jews or the gentiles. We’d believe that this life is all that matters, and we need to do well here.

Would some of the revolutionary things He said, especially against the pharisees, draw us over to hear a little more?

Would you and I recognize God in Him?

We wouldn’t have knowledge through the Holy Spirit, because the Comforter didn’t come until Pentecost probably a few months to a couple years longer. We would have had to recognize His Wisdom on our own, amidst the gossip, opinions, and politics of those around us, and seeing Him in His manhood, just like any other.

Would you and I recognize God in Him?

He is still here, speaking to us all. If we are Christians, we do recognize God in Him, but do we truly follow Him, do we dare to go beyond our church doctrine and see Him truly?

Are you in a church that winks at sin, one that welcomes practicing, unrepentant homosexuals into the leadership of the church, one that is afraid to stand against a sin tolerant public and government?

If so, are you seeing God in Him? Are you seeing the Creator and Judge of the Universe, and not just a loving Savior?

Jesus Christ is our Savior, but, if we aren’t truly repentant and are merely following a pattern and leadership we have been following for years,which isn’t pure before God, then in the end, He will be our Judge, for He is God!

Maybe considering these things prayerfully, will revolutionize our personal relationship with Our Lord and Savior, as we look into His Loving Eyes and hear Him speak to our spirits. He is Savior AND He is Judge.

GOD’S WORD FOR DECEMBER 26 ~ ~ John 18:37 ~ ~ “Pilate therefore said to Him, Are You a king then? Jesus answered, You say that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Every one that is of the truth hears my voice.”

The following is a slight paraphrasing of a famous sermon given many years ago by Dr. D. James Kennedy, and, even though he is with the Lord, it is still very much requested today.

Long ago in a land across the sea and far away there was a very rich man named John Beersdorf Tifton. He had a very unusual habit. Now and again, based on some criteria known only to him, he would select a person and give him one million dollars. Remember, this was long ago, so now it would be much more.

*Not only that, but he would adopt them into his family, give them his name, and make them an heir to his huge estate. His representative for this was Michael Anthony who would knock on the individual’s door and give him the envelope in the name of Mr. Tifton.

You could always identify Mr. Anthony by his boller hat, umbrella and the ever present briefcase which contained the check.

As you can imagine, as time went on, the number of recipients of this gift increased, until there were thousands who had their lives changed, as well as their names and future prosperity. They called it “The Gift”

Mr. Tifton had set things up and declared that this practice would be continued after his death, so there were even more people all around the world who had received this wonderful free gift called simply The Gift.

Now, back in his home country, where the people knew him well, the recipients of this great and generous gift decided that every year they would get together to celebrate Mr. Tifton’s birthday, and pay respect to their benefactor’s great generosity. They wrote and sang songs about him, had pictures of him, wrote books about him, and spoke lovingly about how their lives were gloriously transformed because of this free gift.

The amazement of their mutual good fortune brought them together and formed a loving and grateful *bond between them. They called the day Tifton Day. They even exchanged Tifton cards, and wished each other a “Merry Tifton”

One year, two recipients who had received The Gift in the land across the sea, where they lived, decided to take a trip to America to meet with the brothers of The Gift. Since those who received The Gift were relatively few in number compared to the general world population, they thought they would have to try very hard to find even one Tifton family.

To their surprise, since it was the time of year the celebration occurred, they saw signs of Tiftons everywhere. There were Tifton cards, Tifton lights to put on the Tifton trees, which people bought at the Tifton sales in the stores. People were saying Merry Tifton and Happy New Year everywhere they went.

“wow”, they thought, Mr. Anthony was busy here! There are many more than in our country, and they are very open about it.

They stopped a gentleman and asked him what the history is of the Tifton Day celebration. He invited them to a Tifton Eve party at his house where they could ask people.

At the party they were met with congenial laughter, music, drinking, laughing, and dancing. Many were drunk, and the party was uproarious.

They looked at each other and whispered, “I don’t think Mr. Tifton would be pleased with this” For they came from Mr. Tifton’s home country, where Tifton Day was only celebrated by those who had *received the Gift and the adoption as sons and heirs of John B. Tifton.

But they stayed and watched. They looked around the room, and saw a display of Tifton cards that people had sent each other. But, surprisingly, the great and generous man’s name was no where on the cards. There was a jolly man in a red suit, or a reindeer with a red nose, snowmen, and lots of toys under a lighted Tifton tree, but no pictures of Mr. Tifton, or people talking about his sacrifice and generosity. They listened, but they never heard his name mentioned.

They stopped one man with a drink in his hand. Assuming that everyone there had received the Gift, which was the reason for the day, they naturally assumed everyone’s name was Tifton, as it was in their country at the parties for Mr. Tifton’s birthday.

“Excuse me, Mr. Tifton”—they asked.

“Mr. Tifton? My name is Butch James, what’s your problem?”

“We’re sorry, sir, we’re new here and we’d like to know the history of Tifton Day in America.

OH, that’s different! Well, I don’t know a lot about it, but it seems that this Tifton fella had a lot of money, and he wrote a book about how to get rich by following his rules. Just about everyone has a copy of his book on their coffee table or somewhere, but most people don’t read it. I read some long ago, but not since. But it’s a great party, eh? Excuse me, I gotta go…….

They stopped a lady with a friendly smile walking past them. She was very nice and cordial. They asked her about the celebration. “Oh,” She said. It’s just a tradition that started many years ago. It really has no reason other than to cheer people up during the dreary winter months. We have parties, exchange Tifton gifts, I remember as a child hanging my Tifton stocking up and getting small toys in *it.” She said with a smile. “It’s to promote the Tifton Spirit—-you know, brotherly love, and all that. It’s a wonderful thing.” With that, she trotted off to spread her Tifton cheer around to others.

They saw a man that was obviously wealthy, and thought he must have gotten the Gift, so they approached him. His answer was that, no, he hadn’t received any gift from any Tifton. In fact, as he understood it, this Tifton character didn’t even exist, although some poor fellas believe he did. As he said, “ I sure don’t believe it. However, the idea is good, and if it makes people happy, and makes them *treat each other good, hey, I’m all for it.” Then, with a smirky smile, he leaned in to the two men and whispered, “besides, the Tifton present buying makes my department store bulge this time of year!, Ha ha”

Just then there was a knock on the door. There stood a man with a boller hat, umbrella, and briefcase. Obviously, the brothers thought, this is a descendent of Michael Anthony!!! They were elated, because now someone will receive the Gift and everyone will know what Tifton Day is all about!

Mr. Anthony stepped inside, and tried several times to get everyone’s attention, but the music, laughter, bell and glass tinkling, and general noise completely drowned him out. Finally, after many more tries, he sadly and quietly walked out the door, and no one received the free and wonderful Gift that night.

What is Tifton Day symbolizing? Christmas Day

What is The Gift and what does it symbolize? A Million dollars from Mr. Tifton and it symbolizes God’s free gift of Salvation through Christ

Why did they change their names to Tifton? Adoption as children of Mr. Tifton, and heirs to his estate,

What does it symbolize? — Our adoption as children of God and being heirs to eternal life with Christ and all the riches of God forever.

What happened to the Tifton Day celebration? People celebrated it who had not received the gift, and didn’t know Mr. Tifton’s generosity,

What did that symbolize? People celebrating Christmas, Christ’s birthday, when they haven’t received Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and don’t truly know Him. So they just go for the gifts and the party because they don’t know the true meaning of Christ being born for the purpose of dying for our sins, making our forgiveness and adoption into the family of God a reality.

What did they do with the book of Mr. Tifton’s words? Let it sit and didn’t read it.

What do many people do with the Word of God, the Bible? Let it sit and don’t read it.

Why were there so many different opinions of Mr. Tifton and his Gift? Because people valued the parties and material things more than the meaning of The Gift, so they didn’t bother to find the truth.

What is the symbolism with this? People generally want their emotions satisfied with the things of this world, and don’t want to find out what the One True God, Creator of the Universe and of ourselves has to say about salvation through Jesus.

Matthew 7:13-14  “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.  For the gate is narrow and the way is constricted that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

GOD’S WORD FOR DECEMBER 25 ~ ~ PROPHESIES OF JESUS THE MESSIAH ~ ~ JESUS! ~ ~ Prophesied in Luke 1:26-35 AND 2:1-20 “Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,  to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.  And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”

 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was.  Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.  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. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”

 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”

 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.”

“And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.  This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.

 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,  to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.  So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered.  And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”

Fulfilled in Matthew 2:1-12 ~ ~ “

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem,  saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”

 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.  And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:

‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;
For out of you shall come a Ruler
Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”

Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared.  And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”

 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was.  When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.  And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.”

HAVE A BLESSED CHRISTMAS DAY AND NEW YEAR!!!

GOD’S WORD FOR DECEMBER 24 ~ ~ PROPHESIES OF JESUS THE MESSIAH ~ ~ The Cornerstone ~ ~ Prophesied in Psalm 118:21-23 ~ ~ “I will praise You, For You have answered me, And have become my salvation.  The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone.
 This was the Lord’s doing; It is marvelous in our eyes.”

Fulfilled in Acts 4:11-12 ~ ~ “This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ 12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

************************ ********************* **********************

He is Coming Again!!! ~ ~ Prophesied in Isaiah 9:7 ~ ~ “Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

Fulfilled in Revelations 19:11-16 ~ ~ “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.  His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself.  He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.  Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.  And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written:

KING OF KINGS AND
LORD OF LORDS.”

HE IS THE LION OF JUDAH!!!!!

GOD’S WORD FOR DECEMBER 23 ~ ~ PROPHESIES OF JESUS THE MESSIAH ~ ~ The Righteous One ~ ~ Prophesied in Jeremiah 23:5-6 ~ ~ “Behold (listen closely), the days are coming,” says the Lord, When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; And He will reign as King and act wisely And will do [those things that accomplish] justice and righteousness in the land.
In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell safely; Now this is His name by which He will be called;
‘The Lord Our Righteousness.”

Fulfilled in 2Corinthians 5:21 ~ ~ “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

**************** ********************* *******************

He ascended! ~ ~ Prophesied in Psalm 68:18 ~ ~ “You have ascended on high,
You have led captivity captive; You have received gifts among men, Even from the rebellious,
That the Lord God might dwell there. “

Fulfilled in Mark 16:19~ ~ “ So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. “

GOD’S WORD FOR DECEMBER 22 ~ ~ PROPHESIES OF JESUS THE MESSIAH ~ ~ Buried With the Rich~ ~ Prophesied in Isaiah 53:9 ~ ~ “His grave was assigned with the wicked
But he was with a rich man at His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth.”

Fulfilled in Matthew 27:57-60 ~ ~ “  Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him.  When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,  and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed.”

*********************** ******************** ***************** ****************

He Arose!! ~ ~ Prophesied in Psalm 16:9-10~ ~ “Therefore my heart is glad and my glory [my innermost self] rejoices; My body too will dwell [confidently] in safety,
For You will not abandon me to Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead), Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.”

Fulfilled in Matthew 28:2-7~ ~ “ And a great earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone [from the opening of the tomb], and sat on it. The angel’s appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were as white as snow.  The guards shook, paralyzed with fear [at the sight] of him and became like dead men [pale and immobile].  But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified.  He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said [He would]. Come! See the place where He was lying. Then go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee [as He promised]. There you will see Him; behold, I have told you.”