Happy Christmas all, hope you had a good time with God, family and friends.
I am sort of new to a blog, and am in no way an expert in any way. These are my thoughts and I would be very encouraged if you can leave your comments on on my blog.
Advent 1 and 2
Advent 1: Let’s go to the scriptures and identify the main players in the story of Jesus’ birth.
Mary:
Luke 2:
26In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. 28And he came to her and said, "Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!" 29But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."
34And Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since I am a virgin?"
35And the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy— the Son of God. 36And 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. 37For nothing will be impossible with God." 38And Mary said, "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.
Joseph:
Matthew 2:
18Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with a child from the Holy Spirit. 19And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
23 "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel" (which means, God with us). 24When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.
The Magi:
Matthew 2:
1Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2saying, "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him."
7Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him." 9After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.
The Shepherds:
Luke 2:
8And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. 10And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." 13And 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 those with whom he is pleased!"
15When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." 16And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
Others:
Herod and the Jewish people were in general aware of the messianic prophecies from the scriptures.
Question: Who were looking and how were they looking for the birth of Christ?
Only 2 people were told before hand about the birth of Jesus - Mary and Joseph. Both the magi and shepherds were given a sign that they followed. Herod followed up on the birth of Christ as he saw a threat to his throne. The Jewish people were just expecting a savior to save them from the foreign domination and oppression, but were just passive about it.
From the scriptures we can find that the Magi and the Jewish people were looking for the birth of Christ. What was the reason for the magi to look for the arrival of the King of Jews? Mat 2: 2 tells us that they saw his star when it arose. This verse tells us that the magi were studying the skies regularly. On noticing the star or the astronomical phenomenon they associated it with the prophetical knowledge they possessed. They were so sure about their deduction that the King of Jews was born, that they decided to travel to Jerusalem. These wise men wanted to worship the King of Jews. Mat 2: 1 provides also a reference point. The magi arrived in Jerusalem, (Mat 2:1) after the birth of Christ. So much for the traditional nativity scenes depicting the 3 magi !!
The magi were diligent in their pursuit for the birth of Christ. The due diligence on the part of the magi included: study of the scriptures (Daniel and Isaiah prophecies ?), applying their knowledge and wisdom in correlating the astronomical events to the prophecies, preparing for a long journey, and undertaking the journey. On arriving in Jerusalem, they inquired for the King of the Jews. These inquiries must have reached Herod, and he arranged to meet them in secret. This may have been to keep the news of the arrival of King of the Jews from the public in general and the Romans in particular, to avoid uproar and a threat to his rule.
A common traditional notion passed on through movies, art and stories, is that the magi followed the star all the way from the east to the place where Christ was born. We do not find that supported in the scriptures. Mat 2:9 “And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.” tells us the star was seen again by the wise men after they left Herod. From this it can be seen that the wise men lost the star some where between the point of the discovery and their meeting Herod, and when they saw the star again they rejoiced greatly, and the star led them to where the child was. Note that the word “child” is mentioned and not baby. The wise men did not arrive at the time of Jesus' birth!!
Jesus said that He is coming again. Mat 19:27-28 “Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? (28) And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
Like the wise men, those who study the scriptures are given the knowledge and are to be alert waiting for the signs that Jesus has disclosed in the Olivet discourse.
Jesus said, "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, or the Son, but the Father only." (Matt. 24:36), and like wise I believe that no one will come to know about the time of Jesus' second advent. So there would be no one like Mary and Joseph who were the only ones who knew when Jesus was to arrive into this world.
Who would be the shepherds at the second advent ? Recall that from Luke 2: 11 “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” the angels announced to the shepherds after the birth of Christ. The Rapture precedes the second advent of Christ. Now once the rapture happens, those who believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and tell the world about it may be the shepherds. But this invites intense tribulation and pressure on them unlike the first advent when those that heard the shepherds wondered at their saying.
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