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Tag: Prophecy

The Promise Of Christmas

December 24, 2022 /
Maria Braga

Way back in (Genesis 3:15,) we learn the origin of God’s promise. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel. At the fall of Adam and Eve, God announced the need for a Savior. Being Omniscient, God knew that a Deliverer was the only way to redeem humanity, a perfect Lamb, Jesus, His only begotten Son. For to us, a child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. –Isaiah 9:6.

Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14.

Isaiah wrote of the promise of a coming King the Israelites would know of hundreds of years before that promise came to pass. For centuries, there was anticipation among the people of God. They were looking for the royal arrival of this great King, the Son of God. Everyone imagined and expected Him to be much like the kings they had known. A powerful and possessive ruler, not a lowly baby found in a manger. 

Everyone knew that some young Israelite virgin would deliver the world’s Savior. I can only imagine living during that time! The questions, the anticipation, and even the competition among these young girls wondering who is the chosen one! Who will deliver this King? Is it me? Mary was a young Jewish girl. Many scholars believe she was around fifteen years old. She was not formally educated but most likely well-instructed in the Torah (the first five books of the Bible.) Her parents, grandparents, and family who attended the Synagogue had likely taught her the Scriptures. They all almost certainly followed the religious laws of that day. Every Jewish girl knew about the prophecies. They knew the books of the law, the Pentateuch.

History tells us that Mary lived a simple life in a small home with no running water, toilets, heat, electricity, or any of the modern-day conveniences we have today. She lived an everyday life as all the other girls her age. 

God had already given His promise, the stage was set, and the time came for the significant historical event. The people of Israel awaited a triumphant king on a mighty horse. A king who possessed all the trappings of royalty. But God had a different plan. He chose to do it another way. And so, He sent the angel to deliver the message to Mary.

The angel Gabriel shows up and speaks to Mary, a young girl who had never known a man. The angel came to her and said; You are honored very much. You are a favored woman. The Lord is with you. *You are chosen from among many women. When she saw the angel, she was troubled by his words. She thought about what had been said. The angel said to her; Mary, do not be afraid. You have found favor with God. See, you are to become a mother and have a Son. You are to give Him the name Jesus. He will be great. He will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the place where His early Father David sat. 33 He will be King over the family of Jacob forever and His nation will have no end. Mary said to the angel, How will this happen? I have never had a man. The angel said to her, The Holy Spirit will come on you. The power of the Most High will cover you. The holy Child you give birth to will be called the Son of God. –Luke 1: 28-35.

Mary’s response is phenomenal! She didn’t run, and she didn’t pass out before this powerful being. She was filled with faith, a little troubled sure, but without fright. She stood tall before the angel and took in the message the angel had brought her from God. Her servant’s heart amazes me! How will this happen? I have never had a man. Could this pivotal moment have been the very second Mary conceived? As the angel spoke the Word, did the Word instantly become flesh inside her womb? Mary’s faith moved heaven and earth when she said: Let it be done unto me according to your will.Luke 1:38 Behold the handmaid of the Lord; let it be it unto me according to thy Word. And the angel departed from her.

Mary was blessed among women, chosen, and filled with faith.

Mary lived a life that was pleasing to God. She focused on God’s promise when the battle began to rage around her. Those days were not easy for a woman. Her culture did not accept this kind of situation. It was considered disgraceful. And a young unmarried girl or woman in this condition would be stoned to death. Mary knew all about the troubles that lay before her. She knew her culture well! So Mary decided to visit her older cousin Elizabeth who was six months pregnant with John the Baptist! Upon her arrival at Elizabeth’s house, Mary greeted her cousin, and the baby leaped inside Elizabeth’s womb.

Perhaps, this was the first praise service!

Elizabeth blessed her cousin, saying, You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what He said He’d do. – Luke 1:45.

What an example for us to follow. As believers, we live assured that God will do what He promises. He never changes. When we face the impossible, like Mary, we might ask, “How can this happen?” But like Mary, we must believe, and trust that God is still fulfilling His promises. We must remember that what is impossible for man is possible for God. Mary was chosen to fulfill a promise given some 4000 years prior. We, too, must ready ourselves to have our faith stretched big enough to believe and trust the One who never fails to complete what He begins!

You and I are still chosen today to accomplish whatever God calls us to do.

Mary faced separate groups of people in her process. Some totally missed Jesus, like the innkeeper. Because of the census, business was booming. So he had no room for the King of kings to be born in his inn. Another was Herod, who represented King and government, and the others were the high priests of the day, meaning the religious sect. 

Mary also experienced the love, warmth, and care of other groups, like, the shepherds and the Maggi. There were also the animals, who kept them warm! Jesus, the Promised One, arrived unexpectedly because His ways are not like ours. From the beginning, God planned to save His creation, all humanity! The purpose of the coming of Jesus is to open the Way back into a right relationship with the Father. Everyone who receives Jesus as Lord and Savior become a child of God.

Becoming a new creation is called the miracle of salvation. 

The Promise of salvation born at Christmas is for every person living on the face of the earth. Mary clearly shows us how to have this kind of faith. She demonstrates servanthood. “Here I am. May it be done unto me according to your will.” 

This is a spiritual concept. The Holy Spirit comes into us upon receiving salvation, living within, and He begins to change us. We experience the fruit of the Holy Spirit and begin to understand spiritual things and grow and serve as Mary did. We must believe and trust what God says He will do!

If you have not asked Jesus to become your Lord and Savior, what better time than now, at Christmas? Please pray this simple prayer with a sincere heart, and you will be saved. “Father, in the name of Jesus, fill my heart. Change me and make me new. I repent of my sins; forgive me. Guide me in this new way of life and surround me with a spiritual family that will help me grow and advance in my new spiritual walk. In the name of Jesus, amen.

” If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. –Romans 10:9-10.

Living In The End Times.

July 3, 2021 /
Stephanie Montilla

“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled, for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places” –Matthew 24:6.

Are we living in the end times? Have current events signaled a push closer to the second coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ?

Worldwide, and within the Christian community, surely, these questions are being asked now, more than at any other time in recent history. One cause: the swiftness with which global events are moving, causing even some of those who are not followers of Jesus Christ to question their lingering unbelief and skepticism. Questions once thought unrealistic seem somehow less farfetched, worthy of a closer look. The COVID-19 pandemic caused many unanticipated shifts in life as we knew it, especially within our workplaces, homes, and our connections to friends and loved ones. Sadly, church attendance declined due to many churches having closed their doors—social gathering restrictions having played some part in this. Yet, one positive that did emerge is how many people bought a bible. Several news outlets shared that Bible publishers noticed a spike in Bible sales during the pandemic. They attributed this is to people seeking comfort—searching for peace, hope, and healing, in a Savior that is close to the suffering and broken-hearted; amid chaos and uncertainty, they longed to find meaning and experience a connection with God.

Unquestionably, this past year was a season plagued by spirits of fear, division, confusion, distrust, and lawlessness. Added to this were the unprecedented political tensions; it was evident something within our world had shifted; indeed, an awakening of some sorts, felt by almost everyone.

Circling back to the original question – are we living in the end times? My opinion? Yes, we are. Scripturally speaking, we have been since Jesus ascended back to the Father. And, yet, while we certainly shouldn’t attempt to predict the day of His return nor interpret every earthquake or other natural disaster as signs of the end, physical and political evidence nevertheless continues to point towards the fulfillment of many of the end-time prophecies. For instance, one that jumps to mind tells us this: “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good…lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God” –2 Timothy 3:1-5.

We’re there, people! We’re living in that age where being “lovers of self” is witnessed daily in the barrage of self-portraits, coined “selfies,” being splashed across most social media platforms. Their purpose? Self-validation perhaps? Empowerment? Insecurity assuaged by/ grounded in likes and followers, maybe? We’re indeed living in an age where those who “blaspheme” what God calls holy and seemingly take pride in or promote the very pleasures that mock and grieve the heart of God. We’re living in that age where the objective, solid, immovable Truth of the Word of God has become subjective somehow, second to how a person feels, their perspectives, and opinions. The Bible clearly foretold of this generation, listen: “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths” –2 Timothy 4:3-4.

In one sense, we see these things arise due to New Age followers—those who promote many gods and the paths to them, themselves included. In a considerable number of people rebelling against God. Evidenced in a society that has all but thrown God, and His commandments, out of the public square. It’s challenging for some of us to grapple with the notion that we live in such a critical time in history, more so as the days grow darker and evil seemingly prevails. Yet the question I continue to ask myself is this:

 “As a Christian, how does Jesus command me to live my life in the face of those who so vehemently oppose my Christian values?”

I ask this question with great seriousness as many in the world continue to voice their dislike/dare I say, disdain of Christians and Christian values. Values such as marriage being solely between one man and one woman. The sanctity of the unborn human life, or sexual purity before marriage, to mention but a few. Or that God created us male and female, period. In such a world, then, is it any wonder that God’s transformative, powerful Word, His Truth, is somehow heard or wrongly carries with it the sting of hate speech? Yet concerning our remaining faithful to God’s Word, regardless of the social climate in which we might find ourselves, the Bible reminds us of this powerful Truth. “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they would persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they would obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me.” –John 15: 18-21.

Jesus makes it starkly plain that as His followers, we’ll be hated. Equally, however, the Bible also makes clear how we are to live while we wait. How we must respond to those who do not believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. And the signs we must watch for that will signal Jesus’ return for His Church.

Over the past two years, I’ve experienced some uncomfortable and tense conversations with close friends, family, and work colleagues who have either questioned or attacked my Christian faith. I reminded them that while Christian values may seem countercultural to those who don’t share them, the Word of God is nevertheless solid, unchanging, and Truth-full regarding these values. I also reminded them of another Truth found in Scripture, my Truth: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” –Galatians 2:20. Moreover, while my faith demands that I defend and live out the Truth of Christ, my Savior, I’m also called to model Jesus—how He loved, lived, and served others.

That said, I’ll share two biblical Truths that may help us as believers live with and respond to those who may not believe or live their lives as we do: Firstly, we must Love the unbeliever. When I was an unbeliever, I didn’t see much of an issue with fornicating, getting drunk, and cursing here and there. I was once lost in the crowds, helpless without a shepherd, and it was Jesus that saved me from my distress, brought me out of darkness, and broke me free from the chains that had me bound. I, too, falsely believed that I would be right with God if I treated others well. After all, I was a good person, yet the Bible says, “There is none good but One, that is, God” –Mark 10:18. And after accepting Jesus Christ into my life, I soon discovered that one of the devil’s biggest lies is that following Christ is synonymous with missing out on what others are doing “out in the world.” When in fact, it was indeed my encounter and experience of God’s Love for me that had awakened my heart and opened my eyes to see that I was being deceived.

Therefore, we must…

1). Pray for those who have yet to accept Jesus into their hearts. On the cross, “Jesus said, “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” –Luke 23:34. Similarly, Jesus prayed for those who persecuted Him; as followers of Jesus Christ, we must do the same. Again, Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said ‘Love your neighbor’ and ‘Hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” –Matthew 5: 43-48. Praying for someone you’d instead retaliate against is easier said than done, yet the Holy Spirit reminds us of and empowers us to love them. Why Love? Because only God’s Love is powerful enough to transform the hearts and minds of those who hate us.

2). We must be mindful that unbelievers need a Pure Love only Jesus can offer; God uses us certainly, but only His Love rescues a soul from sin and death. It should never surprise us, then, that sinners will sin. We need only remember how we lived before Christ came into our lives. Remember that the Bible reminds us: “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” –2 Corinthians 4:4. Their hearts have yet to be softened to the things of God. “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” –Romans 3:18. They are blind. As followers of Christ, we ought to pray that they begin to have a distaste for the things of this world. Pray that they start to see their need for a Savior. That, as it says in Ezekiel 36:26, “their hearts of stone are replaced with a heart of flesh.” Yet being ever mindful of the Truth found in Ephesians 6:12. “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood because it’s against spiritual forces and the power of evil.”

Friends, the Bible says, “And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold” –Matthew 24:12.

The spiritual temperature of many has grown cold. As believers, however, we ought to be burning hot. “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?” –Luke 24:32. We should be burning hot for the things of Jesus, interceding for others, overcoming evil with good, and sharing the good news with the lost; John 3:36 says, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.” Those who do not accept Jesus Christ as their Savior will remain under the Lord’s wrath.” As Christians, regardless of how the world grows in their distaste or hostility concerning biblical values, we ought to be the most hope-filled and joyous people around because we know how the story ends – God wins! Rather than living in fear or outrage, we ought to love others with all we have in us and seek every opportunity to be kind. The Apostle Paul shares this reminder: “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience… encourage one another and build each other up… Be kind to one another” –Colossians 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:11; Ephesians 4:32.

The end is swiftly advancing. Yet the fantastic news is that you still have time to choose eternal life, to choose Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. You can do nothing to earn His grace; Jesus has paid the price for you. “Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins” –Romans 3:24.

God desires to have a relationship with you, personally. All you must do is accept, by faith, the gift of God’s grace. I hope and pray that together, we’ll be ready for the Lord’s return, which will come soon and very soon! “But understand this: If the homeowner had known in which watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. For this reason, you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect” –Matthew 24:43-44.

Faith Produces…

January 2, 2021 /
MaryEllen Montville

“And blessed [spiritually fortunate and favored by God] is she who believed and confidently trusted that there would be a fulfillment of the things that were spoken to her [by the angel sent] from the Lord” –Luke 1:45.

The Christmas season is behind us now, but not its lessons of extraordinary hope and promise. So, for today, I’d like for us to revisit Mary and Elizabeth. I believe they still have much to teach us as we stand tippy-toed, scanning the nascent, unsoiled horizon of this New Year. Eyes fixed and filled with hope. We allow our faith in the promises of God—all that we have come to know of Him, to guide us ever-forward…

Mary and Elizabeth once stood where we’re standing now—trusting God to guide them, allowing their faith in His promises, all that they had come to know of Him, had heard spoken of from the prophets of old to lead them ever-forward. Working and waiting then, each woman held firm her faith while carrying within her the promise she’d be given. And so, do we. We carry within us the guarantee given us as well—if, as with Mary and Elizabeth, we have put our faith in Jesus. A promise we ought to fiercely guard and treasure, just as they did, as we too await the time, we’ll possess its full measure. “The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him” –Ephesians 1:14.

Two women. Each quite literally carrying within their earthly vessels, heavens promise.

Elizabeth’s promise was a son, John…

In her womb, a child, the very child the angel of the Lord had assured her husband, Zechariah, would undoubtedly come. But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John” –Luke 1:13. This child whose coming was foretold by the prophet Isaiah some 700 years before his birth. “Prepare the way of the LORD; Make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight and the rough places smooth; The glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken” –Isaiah 40:3-5. And Matthew 3:1-3 confirms for us that indeed it was this same John, Elizabeth, and Zechariah’s son, whom Isaiah was pointing us toward, listen:” In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’”  John was a bridge of sorts; a voice foretold in the Old Testament yet realized in the New. And now we’ll read Jesus’ Words found in Matthew’s Gospel that confirm the prophet Malachi’s pointing us to John—God’s Word is seamless after all. “And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things. But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist” –Matthew 17:10-13.

And now to Mary’s promise, God’s own Son, Immanuel, God with us…

Like Elizabeth, Mary was promised a son by an angel of the Lord –Luke 1:26-56. This child’s coming had also been foretold throughout the Old Testament. We first hear of it in Genesis. While reading Genesis 3:15, we witness God castigating that crafty serpent; we also catch the first prophetic utterance concerning Jesus’ birth. “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” Moses is credited with authoring Genesis. That means this first prophetic sighting concerning the birth of Jesus was given us approximately 1500 years before He was born! Then, we also have the words of prophets Isaiah and Micah, respectively, each foretelling of Jesus’ birth. God always confirms His Word. Isaiah foretold Jesus’ birth some 700 years before it occurred, and Micah’s prophecy concerning the same, some 800 years earlier. Isaiah speaks to the supernatural, to the miracle of Jesus’ birth and of His name: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” –Isaiah 7:14. While Micah 5:2 pinpoints the town Jesus will hail from: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”  One child, the Root of Jesse, the promised Messiah, descended from David’s royal linage. The other, His herald. Each foretold through the prophets of old…

“You may say to yourselves, ‘How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?’ If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously, so do not be alarmed” –Deuteronomy 18:21-22.

In researching these prophecies, I came across this statement by Clarence L. Haynes Jr., You can test the prophetic accuracy of Scripture by asking this one question: Did it come to pass? This is really the only way to know if something that is prophesied is true or not…

Using Scripture as our foundation then, we can say with certainty that each prophesy we’ve read today was sent from God—more, that God is indeed faithful to fulfill His Word. “Surely the Lord God will do nothing without revealing His secret to His servants the prophets” –Amos 3:7. That’s Good News when you consider our eternal hope is anchored to God’s promises.

John the Baptist was born to Elizabeth and Zechariah just as the prophets foretold—Luke 1:57-80. And Jesus was born to a virgin named Mary in Bethlehem, His earthly father, Joseph—Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 2:1-20. Both women then anchored their faith in the promise given to them by an angel. We would be wise to follow their lead. Each “…believed and confidently trusted that there would be a fulfillment of the things that were spoken to her [by the angel sent] from the Lord” –Luke 1:45.

In closing, I alluded earlier that those who have accepted Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior carry within us God’s Holy Spirit. Allow me to illustrate this. God’s “first installment” is given us as an act of promise; this mirrors the ancient Middle Eastern betrothal customs— (the groom’s father first chooses His son’s wife—God first chose us; we were not the first to reach out to God. When the bride accepts the proposal, she is given gifts, both from her groom and his father—When we said yes to Christ, God gave us His Holy Spirit as a deposit, a guarantee, sealing us in Him. He did this by offering us His only Son, Jesus, all that we might be restored into right relationship with Him. Spending eternity then singing praises to His Holy name and serving Him). There is much more to share with you concerning this practice, but my purpose here is not to school you in Jewish wedding customs. Instead, it’s to bring us full circle and tie each of these individual strings into one final bow.

Let’s start then with faith and hope: Scripture assures us that we cannot please God without it, faith that is. And, it was both faith and hope that fueled Mary and Elizabeth. Hope that Messiah would come and save His people, and each saw that longing fulfilled. “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life” –Proverbs 13:12. God used these two unlikely women; one to birth to His only begotten Son, the other to birth the one who would herald His coming. Mary and Elizabeth each demonstrated steadfast faith in the promises of God, and we are reaping the fruit of that hope and faith, still. “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” –Hebrews 11:6.

Now let’s tie in prophecy & the inerrant Word of God: God assures us that what He has declared will be. We’ve read account after account of this Truth today. And the Bible is full of both promises and prophecies yet fulfilled. So, we must remain fully confident then that the same God who overshadowed a young virgin girl somehow depositing His Only Son within her has indeed spread the hem of His garment over us—claiming us as His own, making us eternally one with Him. This God, who miraculously opened the womb of a barren old woman removing her shame, will remove our guilt and shame as well if we’ll but accept the free gift of His Son, Jesus. And trust that He will continue to perform His Word until His final prophecy is fulfilled. “Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’ From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that I will bring about; what I have planned, that I will do” –Isaiah 46:10-11.

Now we close, our final thread, fruit, faith’s byproduct: God chose Mary and Elizabeth for a specific purpose. A purpose spoke of by the prophets and fulfilled according to His will. Friends, God has chosen you for a particular purpose as well. And, just as Mary and Elizabeth, by the grace and strength and favor allotted them by God, birthed their promise, so shall you. Walk confidently then into this New Year, trusting that your faith in His promises will produce bountiful, good fruit for His glory. “And blessed [spiritually fortunate and favored by God] is she who believed and confidently trusted that there would be a fulfillment of the things that were spoken to her [by the angel sent] from the Lord” –Luke 1:45.

Friend, if you have not asked this same promise-keeping Christ into your heart as Lord and Savior, what better time than now! Start your Year off with an eternal relationship with the God who so loves you; He gave His only Son to die in your place all that He might have you back! Won’t you accept His invitation today?

Kingship. Revelation 22:16.

December 21, 2019 /
“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the bright Morning Star.”

Friends, for this, our last week together during Advent, I will again be writing this post centered around Jesus as the “Light.” It is this aspect of Himself that He has been impressing upon my heart, and I believe, wants to re-mind us of. In these dark days, these turbulent and uncertain times in which we live be remind dear friends: Immanuel is here, still! He is sending His Word out afresh in this season of hope that we might refocus our hearts and minds on Him. To rekindle our remembrance of His promise to “never leave us, never forsake us.” My prayer for each of you in this season of hope is that you will look up and be refreshed, reawakened, or, perhaps, awakened for the first time to His Truth. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:5.

Isaiah speaks to us about this tender Shoot, this Root. This babe who’ll be born to us in Bethlehem. This Morning Star who comes and humbly takes on His servant’s frame. “He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no stately form or majesty to attract us, no beauty that we should desire Him”—Isaiah 53:2.

I’ve heard of these offspring’s before, these mere shoots; “suckers” they’re called. They’re described as follows: A shout which grows out of the root of a tree, at some little distance from it, of which no notice or care is taken, nor anything hoped for from it. Like that of the springing up of a low and insignificant plant or shrub out of the earth.

Jesus was viewed by many in much the same way…

As insignificant. A nuisance. Wild. Untamable. Of having little value to them. Being deemed as unworthy of sharing in their precious time. A heretic! Most could not recognize the hope He offered this lost and dying world. Offers, still. Jesus was looked upon by most of those He came to give His life a ransom for as an imposter. Yet He is greater than any of those mere men from whose bloodline He hailed. “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times” –Micah 5:2.

Listen closely to how He describes Himself when speaking to John. He leaves no room, in any man’s heart, to doubt the authenticity of both the speaker or His Words. “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star” –Revelation 22:16. Long before His lone star shone brightly in the heavens, a beacon, drawing the poor and royal both towards a manger, Isaiah had written of the seemingly lowly status of this New Born King who would come cloaked as Bethlehem’s Babe. “And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger” –Luke 2:12.

Is it any wonder that His arrival would be accompanied by this sign? This Guiding Light? Be heralded by an angel? The birth of the Kings of Kings, God’s only begotten Son made flesh, warranted an extra-ordinary celestial announcement. “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world” Psalm 19:1-4.

Would any of those below have otherwise believed that the King of Kings had just been born in such a lowly place? Or that He is, in fact, their long-awaited Messiah? Is the King of Glory? Jaded as humanity was—is, still, it requires signs, proofs. Why was it only the Magi who seemingly knew whose star this was? To Whom it was pointing them towards? Didn’t all of Jerusalem, and the surrounding areas have access to the same Scriptures they did? More even? “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel. He will crush the foreheads of Moab, the skulls of all the people of Sheth” Numbers 24:17.

No one expected Him to come as He did when He did, that first time around. And, as it was then, so too will it be when He comes again.

“The Arrival of the Son of Man will take place in times like Noah’s. Before the great flood everyone was carrying on as usual, having a good time right up to the day Noah boarded the ark. They knew nothing – until the flood hit and swept everything away” –Matthew24:37-38.

Most missed out on the free gift of Jesus’ lavish, sacrificial, healing love. They missed His purpose, the heart behind His ministry: restoration—clearing the way back to a right relationship with the Father. They missed out on His healings, the freedom, liberty, and, new-Life that was being offered them; that might have been theirs, but, they missed out. Missed Him. Their hearts too firmly set against any possibility that He was, in fact, who He claimed to be. They failed—some refused, to acknowledge the humble majesty of this Bright and Morning Star, this New Dawn, this Light that annihilates the darkness, because they were too busy looking for a stately, warrior king, a militaristic deliver—another David. Though through His mother and father both, His lineage is linked to that of Kings, of warriors, this once-renowned kingly line had, by the time of Jesus’ birth, been reduced to little more than the embers of a once-prominent name. Perfect! No mere coincidence here! Such a thing doesn’t exist with God. He is perfect, so is His timing. Hence the exact moment of this Babe’s birth. This Shoot spoke of in Isaiah.

Just when all appeared hopeless, dried up, like some long-dead tree stump, this Offspring of David, this Shoot would suddenly burst forth; forever turning this world upside down. Making all things new…

From the moment He arrived—before really, His Kingship has always been hidden in plain sight; starting with His conception. Kings aren’t typically born to unwed teenage moms and dads who are carpenters. They’re not born in a lowly manger rather, in stately mansions. Kings are not born outwardly poor, don’t willingly take on the form of their humble servant, washing the feet of their friends. Most kings do not renounce their titles, nor the glory and perks that often accompany it. Yet the King of Kings did. He was pleased to give all glory and honor to His Father—claiming none as His own. This Jesus, a babe who was bathed in the Light of heaven, came as a Living Sacrifice the first time. Meek, lowly, yet no less The King. No less God wrapped in flesh.

Soon, He will come again. This time, however, He’ll come as our Judge. Yet before He does, before this Light who sees all, comes; He, out of His store of unfathomable love, offers us one last opportunity to cry out to Him now, in repentance of our sins—for His mercy and forgiveness, acknowledging that we are sinners in desperate need of Him, our Savior. “Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds” –Revelation 22:12.

What better Christmas gift could any man ask than to have His name written in The Lamb’s Book of Life? “For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts…” –2 Peter 1: 17-19.

Friend, in this season of renewed hope, my prayer for you is this: that you will receive this Gift God freely gives to anyone, anywhere, who will wholeheartedly accept it. Won’t you ask Him to give you this Jesus as your Lord and Savior now, as your own Christmas Gift? How I would love to spend eternity celebrating Him with you! “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” –Revelation 22:17.

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