FOOLISH JEWS
The Jews are foolishly being deceived by themselves and the Devil to run with the old agreement or old covenant patterns that have been fulfilled in the personality of the Messiah that came and they failed to realize it which was why they were dispersed and trampled upon all over the world(Luke 21:20 - 24,20:16,17,18,19,Mark 13:2)
God's ultimate plan is for the universal church on earth to have a unified worship in Israel but the reality is that the Jews are still foolish fools who read the scriptures without understanding which was why God called them DENSE(Matthew 23) for they have eyes to see but do not see and have ears to hear but do not hear. They are blind guards. The Holy Scriptures in Isaiah 55:5 says,"You shall call a nation you do not know and nations who do not know you shall run to you because of the LORD your YHWH for HE has glorified you(God coming as human in flesh to bestow all what it takes) and verse 3/4 says," Incline your ears and come to ME(Leaving the old covenant and modernizing and upgrading).Hear, and your soul shall live; and I (YHWH) will make an everlasting covenant (New Covenant that is only on Christ the Messiah alone and no other) the sure mercies of David (Matthew 2:1-6, check chapter 1 on genealogy) with you which is the sure mercies of David(which is the plan from of old because even David could not keep the laws but walked in fleshly lusts and sin).I Indeed I(YHWH) have given HIM (CHRIST or Yahshua)as a witness to the people.A leader and commander for the people". The truth was that Christ prophesied about the dispersions, pulling down of Jerusalem and coming back plus the failures and the successes if the truth is realized that God cannot go back to the old method to give the Jews power and protection but only gathering and taking care of the universal church rather than Rome,the Idolatrous. Yahshuanisim is the only survival for the Jews as most of the talks of Jesus Christ are prophecies of that time and present but they thought that HE was raving mad but part of those words have come to pass. The curses declared by the Master are prophecies and every word HE uttered were fullfiled. Some thought that HIS curses,for example to that woman HE called a dog shouldn't be, but that woman knew so to be true, for she was truly a dog(metaphorically and spiritually Matt 15:25,27).
Jews think that the way they want and go is the way God wanted them to go without realizing that they should have been the Body that gathers all diverse believers of non denominational believers for the Time for all in Christ the Messiah which was why a space was provided in the old pattern or old covenant temple for gentiles and when Jews realize this then that's when a new wave of universal outbreak in Yahshanism will expand. Jerusalem or Israel should be a kingdom like America but unlike it in impurity meant to gather Yahshuans (believers in the Messiah Yah is My Ishua(Yahshua, Immanuel, Jesus Christ, Yeshua or whatever the name of the Son of Man is called) from all over the world together, which is the Rome of our Time or of the current time.

Isaiah 7:11-14. Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy Gid; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above. But Ahaz said , I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord. and he said. Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you toweary men, but will ye weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself shall give e you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

HEAVEN IS YOU OR ME IN CHRIST THE MESSIAH
Many people carry misplaced understanding of the Bible. How? When they asked Jesus Christ about the Kingdom of God , HE said that it is here and now which means that when you accept the Messiah by being sorry for your sins, confessing them and allowing Christ into your dead spirit or soul then a rebirth that is heaven sets in. HEAVEN is simply delight or Garden of Eden or soul plus spirit plus body of peace and joy in God. The heaven that is you and the heaven of being with God or in the bosom of God like Father Abraham. That's why our master and King taught us simple prophesy of the kingdom in the LORD'S prayer :"Let they kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven". (Matthew 6:7 - 14,,10)The first
kingdom of God that should come is on earth, focusing on you as an individual and expanding to others and to the outermost parts of the earth. The second kingdom is when we leave this world then the resurrection and the eternal dominion in Christ's presence. Every prayer that we pray must cover all these areas of heavenly realm. You can't pray only for the wealth of the world, protection, or everything concerning the world without praying for future unseen activities or the whole heavenly plans of God. You pray for yourself as heaven because you carry light and this light carrying is equivalent to you as salt of the earth which is why the scripture says that out of your belly or my belly shall flow rivers of living water. The belly herein is your soul and Spirit and physical body that carry the Holy Spirit of God after acquiring Acts 2:1 ff experience then you're confirmed just as our master who sets the pace was in the Baptism and Transfiguration. Acts 2 is the stamp and mark of God that you have been made in the image of God which is equivalent to carrying heaven in earthly vessels. As a heaven, you are no longer human because you carry God just like the ark of God and the Ark of Noah that teach and represent a prophetic reality. You as Ark of Noah must be willing to carry every living thing in your sojourn by feeding, taking care of them, protecting them and loving them like Noah did for those days the Ark was on the water. The Water that kept them afloat represent the Living Water (Let the Living Water flow over my soul; Let the Holy Spirit come and take control.... all my cares and burdens I lay on to you -Jesus Christ -) or Holy Spirit or Jesus Christ same as the Ark that carried them just as being in the cleft if the Rock. Remember that Moses was also hid in the Cleft of the Rock because he wasn't pure enough to behold God or Christ's glory as a brazen personality of Spirit. As a clay carrying heaven, our lives must never be ours again which is the mistake many seasoned men and women of God make and are still where they are defecating constant spiritual defecation (the life of randometricity which was the vocabulary of the Holy Spirit to me years back which is not in any dictionary on earth now). As heaven, we are now the Ark of God as the firmer ark of wood has no relevance now because God has left that Ark empty but dwelling in us which is Immanuel or Emmanuel and rightly put is God in man dwelleth. As heaven in earthen vessels we are gods or little gods carved out of the breath of God for God put HIs life force in man at creation before sin and came back passing through the cross to deposit it back again.

The 𝐬𝐨𝐧 of God is mentioned in the OT.

Proverbs 30:4 NASB
Who has ascended into heaven and descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has wrapped the waters in His garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name or 𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗦𝗼𝗻's name? Surely you know!

Isaiah 7:14 NASB
Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a 𝐬𝐨𝐧, and she will name Him Immanuel.

Isaiah 9:6-7 NASB
For a Child will be born to us, a 𝐬𝐨𝐧 will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. [7] There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of armies will accomplish this.

Daniel 3:24-25 NASB
Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astounded and stood up quickly; he said to his counselors, “Was it not three men that we threw bound into the middle of the fire?” They replied to the king, “Absolutely, O king.” [25] He responded, “Look! I see four men untied and walking about in the middle of the fire unharmed, and the appearance of the fourth is like a 𝐬𝐨𝐧 of the gods!”

Hosea 11:1 NASB
When Israel was a youth I loved him, And out of Egypt I called My 𝐬𝐨𝐧.

The entire point of the Bible is all about Jesus. If you've made it about something else, you've missed the point.

A video clip of me leading worship at a prayer service a few years ago reminds me now that God is with me as I walk through this incredibly difficult season of life. Immanuel, You strengthen me to endure; You are my hope in times of distress. ⚘️

The First 15.
“‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel’ (which means, God with us).”

Matthew 1:23 ESV

There is no more powerful depiction of God’s love for us than Jesus stepping off his throne to humble himself, take on flesh, and dwell among men. Jesus coming down to us perfectly demonstrated God’s grace and desire to meet with man.

Imagine for a minute the sacrifice of Jesus. Prior to coming down to us, he was Spirit, like God the Father and the Holy Spirit. He dwelled everywhere in every point of time. He was in perfect communion with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Jesus gave up the very nature of his existence that we might walk in restored relationship with God. He sacrificed being Spirit that we might simply know God’s love.

Jesus was the heart of God perfectly personified. In everything he did, he clearly displayed God’s heart for mercy, grace, justice, redemption, and empowerment for his people. He is the center of all history. All of creation looks to him as King of kings and Lord of lords. Isaiah 9:6 tells us, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

We serve the only King who would lay down his own life for his undeserving, rebellious subjects. We serve the only God who would step down off his throne and humble himself before us, even to the point of death. We serve the God of perfect love who can do nothing that isn’t completely drenched with his affection for us.

You can look at the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and know without a shadow of a doubt that God longs to meet with you. If Jesus would come to earth that you might receive redemption and restored relationship with your heavenly Father, there is no doubt that he will meet you exactly where you are, right now. Jesus’ sacrifice was so powerful that it set you free to live in true communion with God.

Ephesians 2:4-7 says,

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

May you discover what it truly means to be seated in the heavenly places with Christ. May you pursue all the fullness of relationship afforded to you by the powerful sacrifice of Jesus. May his coming to earth demonstrate its power in your life. Take time to fellowship with God today the way Jesus did. Walk as he walked. And experience today the fullness of life that only comes by meeting with your heavenly Father by his grace and love.

1. Meditate on God’s desire to meet with you as demonstrated by Jesus coming to earth. Ask God to show you his glory today through the outlandish love of his Son.

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14

2. Where do you have doubt about experiencing the presence of God? Where do you feel like it is impossible or difficult to encounter your heavenly Father?

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

3. Align your perspective with the truth of Scripture. Allow Jesus’ coming to fill you with faith and expectation to experience all that he came and died to give you. Take time to press into the heart of God and encounter the depths of his love today.

This Is The Hour | Christy Nockles

We as modern-day believers often grow content with so much less than what’s available to us in Christ. We grow content with programs, sermons, worship, and Bible study that’s void of God’s presence. We believe that the Christian life is one solely marked by discipline and moral living rather than transformative encounters with the holiness of God. Pursue the greater things today. Press into the heart of your Creator that you might know how truly near he is. Seek him and discover the wealth of his presence and love that has been available to you all along. Instead of programs about him, may your life be marked by meeting directly with your good and loving Father.

Extended Reading: Philippians 2

The Present Truth # 4
A Plan to Restore

Humanity’s Salvation.

Great was the sorrow that filled the hearts of Adam and Eve as they realized the consequences of their transgression. The broken law of God demanded the life of the sinner and the justice and righteousness of Jehovah could not be altered.

Before their fall Adam and Eve possessed noble powers and well-balanced minds. They were in full harmony with their Creator. They had pure thoughts and holy aims. But through sin their powers became perverted and selfishness took the place of love. Their natures became so weakened that it was impossible for them, in their own strength to resist the power of evil. In mercy God did not leave them in this miserable state, without any hope! A wonderful plan was devised by which man could be saved from eternal death. This plan is so amazing that man will never be able to understand its fullness, although it will be his study through the endless ages of eternity.

Our previous lesson showed that God gave a promise to the fallen pair, and He instructed them about His great plan of salvation.

God’s Love Revealed
The character of God was proclaimed to Moses on Mount Sinai: “And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty.” Exodus 34:6, 7.

It was impossible for God to clear the guilty. Yet, His heart of mercy and love could not let man die without hope of restoration to his original state. How was this possible?

“Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” Psalm 85:10.

This is the essence of the plan of salvation! The penalty for sin, which is death, had to be paid, therefore a substitute had to take the place of man in order to secure his salvation.

The Son of God, by whom man was created, offered Himself as the sacrifice for the guilty race. None but He could pay the price for our salvation. Fallen man could not satisfy the divine requirement, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23. “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.” Ezekiel 18:20.

No person can atone for another, or for themselves. Each must die for their own sins. No angel could become a substitute. For although the unfallen angels are sinless they too are but created beings. Only the Creator of man could repurchase man. No other could equal the price nor meet the demand to redeem the lost.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16.

The Desire of All Nations
From the time of man’s fall, the promise of the Redeemer was repeated over and over in prophecies, laws, and ordinances. All pointed to the Saviour’s coming and held man’s hopes bright with expectation.

“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14.

Every name or title of the Saviour inspired hope in God’s promise. Immanuel means “God with us” (Matthew 1:23).

“And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21.

The name Jesus is the dearest name, by which the Saviour of the world is known, for it contains the precious promise of deliverance from our fallen sinful nature. The unfallen angels share man’s interest in the plan of redemption. “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” Hebrews 1:14.

The heavenly angels find their joy in giving love and tireless watch care to souls that are fallen in sin. They move upon the human spirit to bring men into a closer fellowship with Christ than even they themselves can know.

“Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.” Luke 15:10.

Light in the Darkness
The patriarchs and prophets firmly believed the truth of the atonement (or death of Christ as a ransom) for man. Abel, Adam’s son, understood the meaning of the sacrificial lamb, as a type of the “Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world.” “And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering.” Genesis 4:4.

Abraham showed that he understood the nature of Christ’s redeeming sacrifice. “And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: And Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.” Genesis 22:13.

The sacrificial animals were only types, or a representation, of the true Sacrifice which was yet to come: “But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.” Hebrews 10:3-7.

The prophet Daniel foretold the time when the Messiah was to be anointed. This was fulfilled at Christ’s baptism, which was at the commencement of His ministry. “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the streets shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.” Daniel 9:25.

In prophecy, a day represents a year. See Numbers 14:34 and Ezekiel 4:6. Daniel’s prophecy gives a period of seven weeks plus sixty-two weeks, a total of sixty-nine weeks. Starting from the time of the issue of the commandment to restore and to rebuild Jerusalem (which was destroyed by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar 70 years before), to the completion of the building was to take seven weeks, then another sixty-two weeks would bring us to the time of Christ’s baptism.

The historic commandment to rebuild Jerusalem was given by king Artaxerxes of Persia in the year 457 B.C. Ezra 7:11-26. Therefore, seven weeks, (or forty-nine days = forty-nine years) brings us to 408 B.C., exactly the date when the rebuilding of Jerusalem was completed. Taking the remaining sixty-two weeks (or 434 days = 434 years) brings us to the exact date of Christ’s baptism: A.D. 27. This was Christ’s anointing with the Holy Spirit. See Luke 3:21, 22 and Acts 10:38.

Micah foretold the place of his birth:“But thou, Beth-lehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” Micah 5:2.

The scriptures indicate that Jesus was indeed born in Bethlehem, the city of David: “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem.” Matthew 2:1.

It is estimated that there are 35 specific prophecies of the betrayal, trial, death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. All were fulfilled in 72 hours!

The Price of Our Redemption
Isaiah gives a vivid description of the cruel torture and shameful death of Christ more than seven hundred years before it occurred! Prophecy recorded so moving a description, which is accurate in every detail, that one could almost believe that Isaiah was an eyewitness of the sufferings of Christ.

“He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, and was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.” Isaiah 53:3-8.

In the book of Psalms we read about the manner of His death: “My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death. For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.” Psalm 22:15, 16.

After enduring hours of excruciating pain on the cross in the heat of the day, with parched tongue Jesus said: “I thirst” (John 19:28). Cruel hands had driven the nails through the hands and feet of the Son of man, then lifted up the cross, and with a sickening thump if fell into the hole prepared for it; thus further tearing the wounds in His hands and feet! Prior to His crucifixion He was dragged from one judgment hall to another, cruelly beaten, mocked and scourged. Thus He had to share the death of the common criminal in the cruel way of crucifixion.

What a spectacle! The innocent Lamb of God tortured to death! Dear friend, that is the price He paid for you. In order that you might live, He voluntarily took your place, and died for you.

“For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” 1 Corinthians 6:20.

So great is God’s love for fallen man, that He permitted His Son to come and meet life’s peril as every human being must face it. The human father yearns over his son. The earthly parent longs to shield his child and hold him back from temptation and conflict. To meet a greater conflict and a more fearful risk, our Almighty God risked His only begotten Son to save us!

“Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” 1 Peter 1:18, 19.

“The precious blood of Christ” is the price paid for our redemption. The whole treasure of heaven was poured out in that one Gift. What a price! Every one who avails themselves of God’s free offer of salvation through His Son, now doubly belongs to Him, firstly by creation and secondly by redemption. Such a one will exclaim with the apostle John, as he contemplates the Gift of God: “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.” 1 John 3:1.

What did Christ gain through His death? We read in the Scriptures that the way to salvation is narrow, the gate strait and that there are but few who find it. The question may be asked: Was it worth all that much? Just what did the Saviour gain by His sacrifice?

Through obeying the devil, man had lost the dominion over this world given him at creation (Genesis 1:26), but through the death and resurrection of Christ the first dominion was regained. God’s authority was restored.

“And thou, O tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem.” Micah 4:8.

The world, lost in sin, and thus brought at enmity with God was, through Christ, reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:19).

On the cross, Christ obtained the victory over the devil, and henceforth we should regard Satan as a conquered foe.

“Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.” Hebrews 2:14.

Jesus was willing to pay the price of our salvation with His own blood and by faith He saw the reward: “He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong: because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” Isaiah 53:11, 12. Christ obtained for us a perfect and complete salvation.

“Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; and being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.” Hebrews 5:8, 9.

The Saviour will be perfectly satisfied when the redeemed of all ages stand before Him in His glorious kingdom. The plan of salvation will then be complete and peace and harmony will exist throughout God’s universe, forever.

A Nugget of Truth.
THE INCARNATION: PREDICTIONS AND FULFILLMENT.

John 3:16; Genesis 3:15; 1 Peter 1:20

The greatest rescue mission in history was not planned after man sinned. It was planned before the world began. Before Adam and Eve ever walked in the Garden of Eden, before the stars were hung in the heavens, God already had a plan to save humanity.

The Bible says in 1 Peter 1:20,
“He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.”

Jesus was not an afterthought. The cross was not God’s emergency plan. Salvation was already in the heart of God before sin entered the world.

Today we will talk about The Incarnation: Predictions and Fulfillment—how God promised a Saviour and faithfully fulfilled every promise through Jesus Christ.

John 3:16 says,
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

God did not abandon humanity after sin entered the world. Adam and Eve had disobeyed Him. They had broken fellowship with their Creator. Sin separated them from the Source of life.

Justice demanded death because Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death.”

But mercy stepped in.

Jesus, the Son of God, stood between sinful humanity and divine judgment. Even before the cross, His grace preserved mankind. Every breath humanity continued to take was evidence that God still had a saving plan.

The incarnation—the Son of God becoming man—was the greatest expression of divine love.

1 John 4:9 says,
“In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.”

Jesus came because God loved us too much to leave us lost.

Right after Adam and Eve sinned, God spoke hope into a hopeless situation.

In Genesis 3:15, God said to the serpent:

“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.”

This verse is often called the first gospel promise in the Bible.

The serpent represented Satan.
The woman represented God’s faithful people.
The Seed pointed to Jesus Christ.

God promised that one day a Deliverer would come and crush the head of the serpent. Satan would wound the Saviour’s heel—speaking of Christ’s suffering and death—but Satan himself would ultimately be defeated.

At Calvary, Satan bruised Christ’s heel. Jesus suffered, bled, and died. But on the third day Jesus rose again, crushing the power of sin, death, and the devil forever.

The incarnation was heaven’s declaration that evil would not win.

From Genesis onward, the Bible unfolds the search for the Promised One.

Every prophecy, every sacrifice, every symbol pointed to Christ.

Isaiah 7:14 declared: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”

Hundreds of years later, this prophecy was fulfilled.

Matthew 1:22-23 says: “So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet.”

Jesus was born of the virgin Mary exactly as foretold.

“Immanuel” means “God with us.”

The incarnation means God did not remain distant. He came near. He walked among us. He felt our pain, sorrow, hunger, and temptation.

The prophet Micah predicted the birthplace of the Messiah.

Micah 5:2 says: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah… out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel.”

And exactly as God promised, Jesus was born in Bethlehem.

God fulfills every prophecy with precision.

Isaiah 53 gave one of the clearest pictures of Christ’s suffering hundreds of years before the crucifixion.

Isaiah 53:5 says: “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities.”

Jesus fulfilled this prophecy perfectly through His death on the cross.

The incarnation was not merely about a baby in a manger. It was about the Lamb of God going to Calvary.

Why did God choose to become man?

1 Peter 3:18 says: “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God.”

Sin created separation. Jesus became the bridge.

At the cross, heaven touched earth again.

Matthew 1:21 says: “And you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

Notice the verse does not say He would save us in our sins, but from our sins.

Jesus came not only to forgive but also to transform lives.

1 John 3:8 says: “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.”

Satan brings bondage, fear, addiction, hatred, and death. Jesus came to break chains and set captives free.

The incarnation was heaven invading enemy territory to rescue humanity.

One powerful truth about Scripture is that prophecy proves God’s Word can be trusted.

No human could accidentally fulfill all the prophecies concerning the Messiah.

Jesus fulfilled:
* His birthplace
* His manner of birth
* His ministry
* His betrayal
* His suffering
* His death
* His resurrection

Everything happened exactly as God foretold.

This means:
* God keeps His promises.
* God controls history.
* God’s Word never fails.

If God fulfilled His promise to send the Messiah, then He will also fulfill His promise to return again.

The incarnation is not merely a doctrine to study—it is a truth that changes lives.

Because Jesus became man:
* We know God understands our struggles.
* We know we are deeply loved.
* We know salvation is available.
* We know Satan is defeated.
* We know eternal life is possible.

Hebrews tells us that Jesus is able to sympathize with our weaknesses because He walked among humanity.

When you feel alone, remember Immanuel—God with us.

When you feel guilty, remember the Saviour who died for your sins.

When you feel hopeless, remember the serpent’s head has already been crushed.

From Genesis to the Gospels, the Bible tells one beautiful story: God pursuing humanity with redeeming love.

The incarnation was predicted from the beginning.
The prophets announced it.
The angels celebrated it.
Jesus fulfilled it.

The baby in Bethlehem was the promised Seed of the woman, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, the Son of God who came to rescue humanity.

Today Jesus still calls people to Himself.
The question is not whether God fulfilled His promise. He already did.

The question is: Will we accept the Saviour He sent?

May we open our hearts to Jesus Christ, the fulfilled promise of God, our Redeemer, our Deliverer, and our coming King.

The “new heaven and . . . new earth” (Revelation 21:1) will permanently reestablish God’s original design that was present in the garden of Eden (see Genesis 1-2). In this new creation, predicted in Isaiah 65:17, His sovereign provision and protection will be enjoyed forever (Revelation 7:14-17). God offers His presence to His people throughout Scripture: the flood (Genesis 8:13-21), the exodus (Exodus 15), settling into the promised land (Deuteronomy 8:7-10; 12:10), the inauguration of the temple (1 Kings 8:27-29), and, especially, the ministry of Jesus (John 1:14, 18; 14:16-17). Believers in Christ have been “born again” (3:3) and have become a “new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17). The presence of God once enjoyed in Eden and then accessible primarily in the temple became available to all when Jesus came as Immanuel—“God with us” (Matthew 1:23). His Spirit indwells all believers who await His coming (Romans 8:9, 23). We can look forward to a future with Christ where we’ll experience His presence and joy that will never be taken away.

God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. — John 3:17

How do you view God?
Is he someone looking for a way to condemn or punish you? Is he an out-of-touch ol' curmudgeon who doesn't really know what it's like in our modern world? Is he too pious and holy to soil himself with the concerns of mere mortals and has left it up to us to work everything out for ourselves, including earning our salvation?
No. NO. NO!
God chose to enter our world and experience it from the side of mortality (John 1:14-18; Hebrews 2:14-18, 4:14-16). Why? Because he loves us and yearns to save us. God chose to enter our world, not to condemn us or it, but to redeem it and each of us. Jesus is the great reminder that God longs to save us, not condemn us. He's looking for ways to give us life, not to exclude us from his presence. Thank God for God! Thank God for Jesus, who was and is Immanuel, God with us (Matthew 1:23).

My Prayer...
Holy and Heavenly Father, thank you for choosing to be with those of us who are contrite and repentant and who long for your presence (Isaiah 57:15). You know we are only mortal, broken, but still you chose to love us in Jesus. You know that we are deeply flawed, but you've redeemed us. You know that we are not perfect, but God sent Jesus as the perfect sacrifice to save us. Thank you. Through your Son and my Savior, Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, the Son of God, I offer you my sincerest gratitude, praise, and life. Amen.