Merry Christmas!  What does the Bible teach about this day?

We read in Isaiah 7:14 – “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”  God told Israel years before it came to pass that a virgin, a woman who had never been with another man, would have a man child.  These words were written around 700 years before Jesus’ birth.  The name Immanuel means “God with us”.  This is because Jesus Christ was the Son of God!

We read in Luke 1, beginning in verse 26, how God sent Gabriel, an angel, to speak to Mary, the soon-to-be wife of Joseph (and still a virgin) that she should soon be pregnant with a child.  She asked him how this was possible, seeing that she had never been with a man.  Gabriel told her that the Holy Ghost would come upon her, and the power of God would overshadow her, and she would become pregnant with the child of God.  She was told to call his name Jesus!

In Micah 5:2, we read “But thou, Bethlehem 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 was prophesying that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem – Micah was an 8^th century BC prophet.  This means that God was foretelling even the place of Jesus’ birth hundreds of years before He was born.

We read in Luke 2 that Mary and Joseph were travelling to Bethlehem to pay his taxes per the decree of Caesar Augustus.  Mary had to travel while she was almost ready to have the baby – we can imagine how she felt!  As they got to Bethlehem, they found that there was no more available rooms – yet there was a barn.  We know that Jesus was born in a barn because it says he was laid in a “manger”, or a wooden trough used for feeding animals. 

Why was Jesus born?

For one, He came to show us how to live.  He spoke in John 6:38 – “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.”  Jesus never spent time worrying about his own selfish ways – instead, He always sought to do what God the Father would have Him to do.  He preached the gospel to people everywhere He went, and He had the ability to heal sicknesses, and even to raise people from the dead. 

Two – He came to give His life as a ransom for us.  We are born into sin – everyone of us is born into it, and it is obvious that everyone of us have been guilty of committing sins in our lives.  We technically deserve the righteous punishment that sin holds – eternal separation from God in hell.  However, God was compassionate to our spiritual malady, and He made a way for us to be set free from the chains of sin.  Long before mankind was ever created on this earth, God devised a plan that His Son would pay the price in our place.  We read in Revelation 13:8 – “And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”  Jesus was willing, long before this earth was created, to give His life as a sacrifice for the sins of mankind.  He foresaw that mankind would fall into sin, and had a provision ready from the very beginnings of time.

Jesus came to this earth to pay the penalty for our sins, so that we could have eternal life with the Father in heaven.  Jesus spoke in John 3:16 – “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.” 

Today, consider that Christmas is not a thousand boxes wrapped in colorful paper.  It is definitely not about a man in a red suit flying through the sky.  It is not about trees decorated with sparkling ornaments.  AND – it is not about going into debt!  Christ set us free from the debt of sin – this doesn’t mean we should go into financial debt J. 

Today, remember that God gave you a gift – the gift of eternal life.  His Son, Jesus was willing to be born into this world and endure every temptation that you and I go through – ALL so He could understand what we go through.  He came here selflessly to teach us how to live.  He came here to give His life for you – because He loves you.

If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, and you want to begin today, simply pray this prayer:

“Dear Jesus, please forgive me of my sins, and come into my heart, and be my Lord and Saviour.  I believe that you are the Son of God, and that you died on the cross for my sins, and that you rose again from the dead.”

Some may dispute the validity of the Sinner’s Prayer, but my Bible backs it up (in case you are wondering, that is the King James Version).  We read in Romans 10:9 – “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” 

However, it does not end here – this is the beginning of your journey.  It is necessary to continue on in God.  Find a good church home, filled with believers filled with the love of Christ, and a pastor who teaches the Word of God.  Be baptized in the name of Jesus for the remission of sins, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. 

You have a wonderful journey laid before you – your life will never be the same again.  God bless you!

In the NIV , Rev 13:8 reads...   will worship the beast...

Yes, that is who it is talking about in Revelation 13:8 - we could post v. 1-7, which all speaks of the rise of the Antichrist and people beginnng to follow him.