Did you know that Angels talked with people about Christmas?

The Nativity stories in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke contain the largest discourses between humans and angels in the Bible. The angels told Mary what was going to happen, they supplied Jesus’ name, they brought people to witness the new-born King, they gave a protective warning to Joseph to keep his family safe. Below are the angelic Christmas dialogues:

Luke 1:30 And the angel [Gabriel] said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. 33 And he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34 And Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren; 37 for no word of God will be impossible.”

Matthew 1:20... an angel of the Lord appeared to him [Joseph] in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife. For that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will give birth to a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

Luke 2:8 And in that region there were shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. 10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be to all the people. 11 For to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!”

Matthew 2:13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” 14 When he rose, he took the young child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt.

Text excerpted from The Comprehensive New Testament and The Gospels in Perfect Harmony

Have you Overlooked the Obvious?

According to Matthew 2:3, Herod and all of Jerusalem with him were troubled at the news brought by the wise men of the birth of the King of the Jews. Yet none of them went with the wise men to look for the new king.

According to Matthew 2:4-7, the chief priests and scribes knew the prophecy about the birth of the ruler who was to shepherd the people of Israel. They knew that the ruler was to be born in Bethlehem. Yet none of them went to look for the new ruler in Bethlehem.

According to Matthew 2:9, a star was visible in the sky that moved towards Bethlehem. Yet no one from Jerusalem followed the star to find out where it was leading.

Not a single person from Jerusalem followed the wise men, the prophecy, or the star to see the new-born King of Jews.

2000 years later, more people claim Jesus as their King than any monarch who has ever lived. His sayings have been translated into more languages and affected more people than any other person in history. His followers have built more hospitals, distributed more food to the hungry and clothing to the poor than any other group on the planet.

Hopefully you won’t be like the people of Jerusalem who overlooked the obvious – Jesus is the King, the Messiah, the Shepherd, the Ruler, and the Savior who was promised by God!

Merry Christmas,

Dr. J. Clontz – Editor of the Comprehensive New Testament

God sent you a Christmas Present

 

Did you know that a Prophet wrote the Story of Christmas over a Thousand Years before Jesus was born?

Over a thousand years before Jesus was born, Moses wrote the following information in the Book of Genesis:

God would send an angel to his mother prior to the arrival of the “wise” men.^JA1 She would be favored.^JA2  She would be selected by God.^JA3 She would consent to being selected by God.^JA4 She would be a virgin who was betrothed to a man.^JA5 She would go with haste and tell her relatives what had happened.^JA6 She would be blessed by her relatives.^JA7 Her life would potentially be threatened by her pregnancy.^JA8 God would provide information about the future of her unborn child and the nature of her pregnancy.^JA9 For  his mother there would be questions concerning enough room for lodging.^JA10 She would stay in a shelter where animals also stayed.^JA11 She would be visited by “wise” men who were led by a heavenly guide. The “wise” men would travel through Mesopotamia bringing gifts. During the time period when she was engaged, she would receive gifts including gold from “wise” men.^JA12 The “wise” men would worship the Lord at the house where she was staying.^JA13 The “wise” men who visited her would receive a warning concerning their return journey.^JA14

Even before he was born, the struggle would begin between him and those who wanted to kill him.^JA15 Joseph would be responsible for him going to Egypt from the land of Canaan.^JA17 Joseph would carry him back from Egypt to the land of Canaan when there was no longer a threat to His life.^JA135

Based on the Book “Typology, The New Testament According to the Old Testament Prophets”

JA1. Luke 1:26 / Genesis 24:7, 40

JA2. Genesis 24:16 / Luke 1:28

JA3. Luke 1:30 / Genesis 24:14, 44

JA4. Luke 1:38 / Genesis 24:57-58

JA5. Luke 1:27 / Genesis 24:16, 51

JA6. Luke 1:36, 39 / Genesis 24:28

JA7. Luke 1:42 / Genesis 24:60

JA8. Matthew 1:18-19 / Genesis 25:22

JA9. Matthew 1:20 / Genesis 25:23

JA10. Luke 2:7 / Genesis 24:23

JA11. Luke 02:07 / Genesis 24:25

JA12. Matthew 02:01, 11 / Genesis 24:10, 53

JA13. Matthew 02:11 / Genesis 24:26

JA14. Matthew 02:09-12, Luke 02:09 / Genesis 24:06-07

JA15. Matthew 02:16 / Genesis 25:26-27

JA17. Matthew 2:13-15 / Genesis 45:27

JA135. Matthew 2:20-21 / Genesis 50:5-13

 

 

The infant Jesus was laid in a manger after he was born, because no one cared enough to make room for him to be delivered in the inn. This fulfilled the prophecy in Isaiah 1:3:

“The ox knows his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel does not know, my people do not consider.”

Hopefully you will always consider the meaning of Christmas and when it is time for you to be delivered, the Lord Jesus will make room for you in heaven!

Merry Christmas,
Dr. J. Clontz

Luke 2:7 And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. [The Comprehensive New Testament]