The Birth of Jesus Christ #1

The two most important women in the Bible!

Fred R. Coulter—October 17, 2020

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Greetings, everyone! Welcome to Sabbath services! Today we're going to cover about the birth of Jesus Christ, since they're already propping up Christmas trees, wreaths, gifts and all this sort of thing.

But before we get into that, I have a message for Joe and Hunter Biden straight from the Bible, and he should remember this:

Matthew 10:26: "Therefore, do not fear them… [those who are against you] …because there is nothing covered that shall not be uncovered, and nothing hidden that shall not be known.

Hunter was not too smart to drop off those laptops and just leave them at the computer store, because after 90 days they become the property of the store.

Verse 27: What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, proclaim upon the housetops."

All of your sins are being exposed to the housetop of every house in America via television. Quite a thing!

One other comment concerning the coming new Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett. My wife Dolores used to say that Catholics in America are not like Catholics in the rest of the world, especially those who believe firmly in the Constitution. The Constitution goes diametrically opposed to the structure of the Catholic Church. She believes in that, and you can tell she knows what she's doing.

If you saw any parts of the confirmation, not a single note! Think of that! She recalled cases and incidents by memory. So, for all of you men who think women are inferior, 'ain't a single one of them in Congress can even come to her front door!'

I think once she's on the Court… She was not afraid to even point out the errors of Anthony Scalia for whom she was his clerk. So, when they start debating among themselves concerning issues and the Constitution, I think she will be come the defacto Chief Justice! Which will be good for America, and good for preaching the Gospel.

If it falls into the hands of the Democrats, this country is over! It will go down in stages quite quickly. But there's something that has to be done. These things come about because God is going to do what He's going to do

• everywhere in the world
• in His Churches
• in governments

to bring about His will and to fulfill the prophecies of the Bible, because they're all there! This is what's happening:

Matthew 24:10: "And then shall many be led into sin… [a good description of our school system] …and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another."

Doesn't that sound like what's going on in the streets of America today? Yes, indeed!

Verse 11: "And many false prophets shall arise, and shall deceive many"—and even false Christ's!

In doing Church at Home, Randy found two men today who claim that they are Christ!

Verse 12: "And because lawlessness shall be multiplied…"

• Isn't that what we see in the streets?
• Lawlessness everywhere?

The epitome of lawlessness is the 'deep state'!

"…the love of many shall grow cold" (v 12). Never in our lifetime has it come to the point that you have to be very careful what you say to people!

Why? Because people have been taught to hate different people!

The next thing that has to be done is this; v 14: "And this Gospel of the Kingdom shall be proclaimed in all the world for a witness to all nations, and then shall the end come."

It's going to come as God wants, but the Churches of God have got to stick to the Scriptures, preach the Truth and don't lord it over and oppress the brethren! Teach them how to live God's way!

In your heart and mind you don't want to sin. If every minister teaches the brethren what Christ wants, and teaches himself to do it God's way himself, then they will grow up in Christ and won't be needed to corrected from the pulpit, because they will correct themselves!

That's what needs to be with the Churches of God! The reason that it is so difficult is because too many Churches of God teach the brethren as if they're children that need to be ruled over! We're not!

• God gave us a mind
• He gave us His Spirit
• He gave us His Word

So, if we use that the way God wants, we're all going to grow in grace and knowledge together.

*****

2-Peter 1—this is what needs to be concerning the Bible. There are some very difficult things to understand, that's true. Paul wrote a lot of difficult things that are very hard to understand. How did that happen? Because he was dealing with the events of his time, plus writing for all of us down through all time!

Most Protestants don't understand that the difficulty in the first century was not the problem between the Catholics and Protestants, but it was between the Church of God and Judaism!

{Note our book: Judaism: Revelation of Moses or Religion of Men? by Philip Neal}

Peter wrote this epistle some time just before he died. By the way, Peter never went to Rome! There's a full series—Was Peter Ever in Rome?—at churchathome.org

• Guess where they found the tomb of Peter? In a tomb on the Mt. of Olives!
• Why did he never go to Rome? Because he was to the Jews, the Circumcision!

The only way he would have gone to Rome was if all the Italians became circumcised. That never happened!

You can tell by what Peter is writing that he's preparing for the end. Always remember that God had the things written down, because you can never trust word of mouth!

2-Peter 1:15: "But I will make every effort that, after my departure, you may always have a written remembrance of these things in order to practice them for yourselves."

The Faithful Version reads a little differently because it's been translated properly according to the words that are there.

Verse 16: "For we did not follow cleverly concocted myths as our authority, when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His magnificent glory."

Peter is referring to the time when Jesus took Peter, James and John up to a high mountain and Jesus was transfigured before them, and they could see Him as if He were a spirit being. That was a vision. This stuck in Peter's mind permanently! Think about that!

If you had seen that, would you desire to do anything on your own, when it was your responsibility to write things for the future? No!

Verse 17: "Because He received glory and honor from God the Father when the voice came to Him from the Majestic Glory, 'This is My Son, the Beloved, in Whom I am well pleased.' And this is the voice from heaven that we heard when we were with Him on the Holy mountain. We also possess the confirmed prophetic Word…" (vs 17-19). What is that? The writings of the New Testament!

Note our booklet: Prophecies of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament. There are 356 of them, and remember that the apostles wrote the New Testament, but preached from the Old Testament.

"…to which you do well to pay attention, as to a light shining in a dark place… [the world] …until the day dawns… [the return of Jesus Christ] …and the morning star arises in your hearts… [the resurrection] …knowing this first,… [keep this in mind with all Scripture—Old and New Testaments] …that no prophecy of Scripture originated as anyone's own private interpretation" (vs 19-20).

They didn't say, 'I think…' They were inspired to write, 'Thus says the Lord…'

Verse 21: "Because prophecy was not brought at any time… [any inspired writing of God did not come at any time] …by human will…"

Today we know all the places that men have tried to change. God lets it be that way so those who want to know the Truth must prove it. But the Word of God stands!

"…but the Holy men of God…" (v 21). Prophets of old beginning with Abraham:

• all the patriarchs
• the kings
• the prophets
• Isaiah
• Jeremiah
• Ezekiel
• the 12 minor prophets
• many prophets that weren't written down
• the Psalms
• the Proverbs

All written down for all of humanity, but for us who are Christians, to live by!

"…but the Holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (v 21)—and also wrote!

Let's see what Paul said concerning the same thing! 2-Timothy 3:16: "All Scripture…"—each and every one!

Today we're going to look at some 'mundane' Scripture that was inspired! All Scripture means"

• all the genealogies
• all the histories
• all the prophecies
• all the prayers
• all the Psalms
• all the Proverbs

"All Scripture is God-breathed…" (v 16)—or God Spirited, because Jesus said that His Word was Spirit and Life.

Think about that! Why is it when you read the Bible something happens to you in your thinking? Because the word comes from God! It's meant to help you understand:

• what God wants
• how to live
• Who He is
• what He's doing
• where we're going

All of that is in the Bible!

"…and is profitable for doctrine…" (v16)—which is important! Doctrine may contain some details, as we will see today. Doctrine merely means teaching!

"…for conviction…" (v 16)—a strong resolute mental lockdown that the Truth is truth!

"…for correction… [correct yourself] …for instruction in righteousnessso that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work" (vs 16-17).

Since Christmas is coming, let's look at the account that Luke wrote. Let's first come to Acts 1 so we understand where Luke is coming from. Luke was the last one to write a Gospel, so he explains here concerning things about the ministry of Christ:

Acts 1:1: "The first account I indeed have written, O Theophilus, concerning all things that Jesus began both to do and to teach."

Luke covers things that none of the other apostles cover. How did he know? We're going to see that there are some very amazing words recorded by two women—Mary and her Aunt Elizabeth—inspired by God and put into the Bible. How did Luke get those things?

Historically, Paul was arrested in 58A.D. in Jerusalem, saved from the slaughter of the Jews and taken down to Caesarea. He was there two years under house arrest. Luke was with him. '

• How far is Jerusalem from Caesarea? A two day journey!
• Do you suppose that Paul went up to Jerusalem and looked at the archives that the Church had?

We find in Acts 6 that the apostles said, 'We're going to have your find six men who can wait on the tables, and we'll give ourselves under the ministry of the Word.' What was the 'ministry of the Word'? Writing down the beginning of the things of the Gospel! So, Luke would go up there.

We have figured, roughly, that if the time that Luke went up there, Mary would have been in her 80s. We don't know, but did he talk directly with Mary? Very possible!

We're going to see just a little something that most people do not pay any attention to.

Luke 1:1: "Since many have taken in hand to compile a written narration of the matters, which have been fully believed among us."

That shows that there must have been up in Jerusalem some kind of record of those things in addition to what we have.

Verse 2: "As they delivered them to us, those who from the beginning had been eyewitnesses and ministers of the Word, it seemed good to me also, having accurately understood everything from the very first, to write these things in an orderly sequence to you, most excellent Theophilus… [lover of God] …so that you might know the absolute certainty of the things in which you have been instructed" (vs 2-4)—what we need to know!

Verse 5 looks like a small innocuous verse; let's see where it leads us:

Verse 5: "There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest of the course of Abijah… [What does that mean?] …Zacharias by name; and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth."

1-Chron. 24—I know that this book is very hard reading. However, you need to understand what David did. In getting all the wealth and the plans to build the temple from God for Solomon. David also stored up wealth: gold, silver, iron and brass. But what David did, if you read these chapters, you find that he organized the whole order of the temple and the government in Jerusalem. He ordered:

• the order of priests
• the stationing of the guards
• the heads of the families

Sidebar: When we read in Rev. 4 & 5, how many elders were around the Throne of God? 24! Isn't it interesting that all of these things that David broke down were in 24 courses, or in the case of the guards, monthly.

I know it's hard reading, because some of these names are really difficult, indeed! I tell you, when we were reading and recording the Bible, the most fun we had was reading the chronologies. Why is this important?

1-Chronicles 24:7: "Now, the lot for the first course came out to Jehoiarib, the second to Jedaiah, the third to Harim, the fourth to Seorim, the fifth to Malchijah, the sixth to Mijamin, the seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to Abijah (vs 7-10).

• Why is this significant?
• How does that tie in with the Luke 1?

Each of these courses began in the first month of the year, Nisan! The work from noon one Sabbath through noon the next Sabbath. That was an interesting way to do it; why? That meant that the priests did half-duty each Sabbath!

What we have is Zacharias at the temple as the eighth course. On the Calculated Hebrew Calendar—Appendix E: When Was Jesus Born? The Holy Bible in Its Original Order, 2nd edition, pg. 1263—we have all of that detailed out there. This means that this course went this way:

Starting with the first course—first and second week of Nisan, leading up to Passover, Unleavened bread. All the courses were on Pentecost. So, you count down 1, 2, 3—all courses together for the week. Then courses 5-8 you come to the week before Pentecost. Then Pentecost was the 9th week when they were all there.

• What was Zacharias doing in the course of Abijah at that temple?
• What were his duties?

We know when he was there, the week before Pentecost and the week of Pentecost, two weeks. Let's see what happened with him at the temple, and what happened when he left the temple.

Luke 1:6: "Now, they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord. But they did not have a child, as Elizabeth was barren; and both were well advanced in age. And it came to pass that in fulfilling his priestly service… [in the 8th course] …before God in the order of his course" (vs 6-8).

We can speculate that this vision to him may have come on Pentecost. We don't know for sure, it doesn't tell us, but that would be a likely date for it.

"…in fulfilling his priestly service before God in the order of his course" (v 8).

So, if we have the Calculated Hebrew Calendar, look at the weeks in Appendix E, pg. 1258, you can find out when these things took place.

Verse 9: "According to the custom of the priestly service, it fell to him by lot to burn incense when he entered into the temple of the Lord. And all the multitude of the people outside were praying at the hour of the burning of incense…. [around 10 in the morning] …Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense" (vs 9-11).

Where did Luke get all this information? He wrote it down and he got it from somebody! So, he must have gotten it when he was in Caesarea and went to Jerusalem.

Verse 12: "And when he saw the angel, Zacharias was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, 'Fear not, Zacharias, because your supplication has been heard; and your wife Elizabeth shall bear a son to you, and you shall call his name John. And he shall be a joy and exultation to you; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great before the Lord. And he shall never drink wine or strong drink in any form, but he shall be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother's womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God'" (vs 12-16).

Notice what else the angel says about John; this tells us something important, because God always makes these things known. He prophesies ahead of time, then it's fulfilled. You look back at the prophecy and you see what happens and see that it did happen.

Verse 17: "And he shall go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."

Mal. 3—one verse in prophecy, and accurate! Once God prophesies something, it's going to happen; there's no way it's not going to happen.

Malachi 3:1: "Behold, I will send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me…. [This is the One Who became Christ saying that He's going to send a messenger before His coming] …And the Lord, Whom you seek, shall suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, in Whom you delight. Behold, He comes,' says the LORD of hosts." That's quite a thing!

• Remember how Jesus first came to the temple?
• How did He come?
• Where is that recorded? John 2!

He all of a sudden appeared at the temple and He made a scourge and drove out the money exchangers, the cattle, sheep and pigeons. He strew the money of the money exchangers all over the temple floor. I imagine that they were trying to get all of their coins!

What did Jesus say? You have made My Father's house a house of merchandize when it should be a house of prayer for all people!

Then they said to Jesus, 'By what authority do You do this?' Jesus said, 'Destroy this temple and I will raise it up in the third day.' They couldn't believe that because it took 46 years to build. Jesus was talking about His body.

So, here's the prophecy being fulfilled right here with Zacharias. This is a good lesson that small, little details are just as important as major proclamations.

Zacharias must have been 70-years-old or older, and his wife 70-years-old or older.

Luke 1:18: "Then Zacharias said to the angel, 'By what means shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.'"

Here's another good lesson about believing God, and believing an angel of God!

Verse 19: "And the angel answered and said to him, 'I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God; and I was sent to speak to you, and to announce this good news to you.'"

Think about this: An angel sent to a priest of the eighth course, right at the time that's necessary for John the Baptist to be conceived and born, so that he comes before Christ.

Verse 20: "But behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day in which these things shall take place…" Zacharias couldn't talk! Here he is there in the Holy place:

• an angel is talking to him
• he's offered the incense
• he's given this great message

Of course, at that age, he doubted. But what lesson do we learn from this? It doesn't matter what age, it doesn't matter what promise. What God says will take place!

"…because you did not believe my words, which shall be fulfilled in their time'" (v 20). These were the words of God that He gave to the angel to give to Zacharias!

The people were out there wondering what's taking Zacharias so long. He comes out and they ask, 'What happened?' He couldn't talk! So, they probably had to bring him something to write on, and he said—in writing—'An angel talked to me!' So, they knew that something big had happened! But he couldn't tell them.

That's the opposite way that men do things. If they do something great, what do they do? They get out the bands, the armies, trumpets, flags, the rallies and all this sort of thing to make it known!

Verse 23[transcriber's correction]: "Now it came to pass that when the days of his service were fulfilled, he departed to his house. And after those days, Elizabeth his wife conceived, but hid herself for five months, saying, 'The Lord has intervened for me in this, at the time in which He looked upon me to take away my reproach among men.'" (vs 23-25).

If we get the timeline with Zacharias down to the birth of John the Baptist, we can follow that same timeline right along here:

Verse 26: "And in the sixth month of her pregnancy, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee, named Nazareth"—far away from Jerusalem!

• Why is that? We know the problem today in Washington, D.C., the deep state!
• What was the problem in Jerusalem? The deep state with the priests, scribes and Pharisees!

They wanted Christ to come in magnificence, glory and power to them and embrace them and say, 'I'm going to get rid of the Romans for you.' But God had bigger plans, so it wasn't done that way!

So, it was in Nazareth, a little ole outback town far away from Jerusalem. We will see what happened with Mary and then see some astonishing things that are recorded for us.

(break)

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Let's continue with the account with Mary and what happened with her. How did we get these direct conversations. That means that contrary to the way that the world views things, that those at that time were a bunch of illiterate people running around with worn out burlap bags as clothes. That's the way they picture it.

They wrote! So, Zacharias had to write all of this down. What about Mary; that's even more interesting.

Luke 1:26: "And in the sixth month of her pregnancy… [that Elizabeth's pregnancy, not the sixth month of the year] …the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the lineage of David; and the name of the virgin was Mary" (vs 26-27)—Greek: 'Mariam'!

Verse 28: "And after coming to her, the angel said, 'Hail, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you; blessed are you among women.'" That's quite an introduction! Here she is all alone.

Mary had to be young. How old do we suppose that she could have been? 18-20 years-old, somewhere right around there!

Verse 29: "But when she saw him, she was greatly perplexed at his message… [wondered what this angel was doing here] …and was considering what kind of salutation this might be. Then the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, because you have found grace with God; and behold…'" (vs 29-31).

Let's look at how God does things. He does things, many times, that are impossible! Why? To show that it was from God! Did He do this with Abraham and Sarah? Yes! So, He's doing it here.

We can conclude that everything that has to do with the birth of the coming of the Messiah Jesus Christ was handled by Gabriel and impossible things were done to show that this was done by the hand of God!

Verse 31: "And behold, you shall conceive in your womb and give birth to a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus… [meaning God with us; so this is God in the flesh] …He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give Him the throne of David, His forefather" (vs 31-32). Tie in Isa. 9:6; so this is a fulfillment of prophecy!

When God does something, He either starts at one place, which He does, and finishes it at another place, which He does, and sometimes there are hundreds of years in between. The prophecy that a virgin will conceive was 800B.C.!

Verse 33: "'And He shall reign over the house of Jacob into the ages, and of His Kingdom there shall be no end.' But Mary said to the angel, 'How shall this be, since I have not had sexual relations with a man?' And the angel answered and said to her, 'The Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow you…'" (vs 33-35). This means that this comes directly from God the Father!

"…and for this reason, the Holy One being begotten in you shall be called the Son of God" (v 35).

• How did God do this? There's another almost impossible thing that God did!
• What was the first prophecy of the coming of the Messiah? Genesis 3:15! Right after the sin of Adam and Eve!

Here we are 4,000 years later! God planned this in the ages before there was time as we know it on the earth! He made man and woman in the image of God! That's the first thing?

Why did He do that? So, He could become a man! That's the Prophet! (Deut. 18)!

Sidebar: That's not Gerald Flurry!

So, what did God have to do? When God spoke to Moses, and Moses wanted to see the glory of God, what did God tell him? No man can look upon My face and live! Then He said, 'I'll let you see My back parts.' Just a flash of it so you will know! (book of Exodus)

• What did God have to do so that this conception in Mary could take place? This is quite a thing that God did!
• What have you been asked to give up for God?
• How important?
• Was it that you had to leave this or that?

Maybe it cost you your job or something else that was very difficult!

We are told as human beings that before God we must be humble. We can't be arrogant and lifted up in vanity. Who was the most humble of all? Jesus Christ! What did He have to do? First of all, He had to have complete confidence and trust in the Father!

What Jesus had to do was to become a pinpoint of life! This was also written down. God is a Covenant God, and He has it written down. There were many prophecies written down concerning Christ.

Hebrews 10:4: "Because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins." Why?

They did receive forgiveness, so the forgiveness was to the temple. But to forgive sin, there has to be something greater than the one who has sinned to forgive that sin!

• Is a bull, goat or lamb less than a human being? Yes! Therefore, it cannot forgive human sin!
• What did God do? He decided that He would come—as we're seeing here with Mary—in the flesh!
• What did He have to do? He had to give up His glory!

Verse 5: "For this reason, when He comes into the world, He says, 'Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but You have prepared a body for Me. You did not delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin. Then said I, "Lo, I [Christ] come (as it is written of Me in the Scroll of the Book)…" (vs 5-7).

This shows that in heaven, when Gabriel came to Daniel to tell him about the coming of Christ, he said:

Daniel 10:21: "But I will show you that which is written in the Scripture of Truth…."

Where is that book of Truth? In heaven! So, this was written in heaven. God the Father and Jesus Christ had a covenant existing between them and that covenant was this: Because He created mankind, and mankind sinned, Christ would become the Sacrifice for them! But He had to be of greater value than all human beings! So, God had to become a man!

Hebrews 10:7: "…'Lo, I [Christ] come (as it is written of Me in the Scroll of the Book) to do Your will, O God.' In the saying above, He said, 'Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin (which are offered according to the priestly law) You did not desire nor delight in.' Then He said, 'Lo, I come to do Your will, O God.' He takes away the first covenant in order that He may establish the second covenant" (vs 7-9).

Verse 5: "…You [the Father] have prepared a body for Me." How did God prepare that body?

A lot of theologians speculate how God came in the flesh. Some say that Jesus was a man and Christ from heaven possessed the man and that's how it worked. That God Himself did not really die, just the man Jesus. That's called Docetism!Others don't believe in Christ at all.

Philip. 2 shows what He had to do, and shows the great humility of God.

Philippians 2:5: "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus." This is what we are to develop, this is the character, the things that we go through!

Verse 6: Who, although He existed in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God."

John 1:1: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

Philippians 2:7: "But emptied Himself…" That's quite a statement!

Here He is a spirit being and cannot die as a spirit being, so He emptied Himself to become that pinpoint of life so He could be begotten in the womb of the virgin Mary. He gave up everything to become the sacrifice for the sins of humanity!Would not say that that's a greater sacrifice than all the animals in the world? Yes, indeed!

"…and was made in the likeness of men…" (v 7)—'homoiomati'—in the exact sameness!

He had the inheritance from the Father combined with the egg and genes of Mary. Mary had human nature, even though she was righteous. There's no such thing as the Catholics say with 'immaculate conception' and was 'assumed bodily into heaven.' That's pagan nonsense!

In order for him to be tempted in every way like we are, Jesus had to have human nature. Otherwise, all the temptations would have been nothing. If it was impossible for Him to sin, it would have been nothing. How could He be tempted?

If you knew that something was impossible, you would sit there and laugh. He had to receive human nature.

• What did Paul call that human nature? The law of sin and death!
• Was Jesus subject to death? Yes, indeed!

He had to carry that within Him and never sin! Think on that! So, His task was really a fantastic, magnificent one! That's why His sacrifice covers the sins of the whole world! Does this not show the love of God in the greatest demonstration of humility by God? Yes, it does!

"…and took the form of a servant; and being found in the manner of man… [eat, breathe, sleep, get tired, etc.] …He humbled Himself… [not only to become a man, but pointing to His demise] …and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" (vs 7-8). No more torturous way to die than that! Now you see why this is written down for us.

• What did Mary know?
• What did Elizabeth know?

Since these things took place!

Luke 1:35: "And the angel answered and said to her, 'The Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of the Highest… [the Holy Spirit] …shall overshadow you; and for this reason, the Holy One being begotten in you shall be called the Son of God.'"

Why did I translate it as "…being begotten…"? Because that's the way the Greek reads! It is a passive tense verb, being done, present tense! Right as the angel was speaking, this was occurring!

Sidebar: This shows that the Holy Spirit is not a person. Why? Because IF the Holy Spirit were a person, and the Holy Spirit impregnated Mary, THEN the Holy Spirit would have been the father of Jesus!

But the power of the Highest is an aspect, an attribute of the power of God to Mary. The Highest is not the Holy Spirit, but the Father!

"…for this reason, the Holy One being begotten in you shall be called the Son of God. Now behold, Elizabeth your kinswoman has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible" (vs 35-37).

Look at the impossible things done all the way down here, and timed by the things that God set in motion:

• the prophecies
• the Holy calendar of God

To be done specifically at the time that God wanted!

Let's read and see what Mary said, and what Elizabeth said. Think about that these had to be written down so we could have them.

Verse 38: "…And the angel departed from her. And Mary rose up in those days and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah, and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth" (vs 38-40). Here's Elizabeth six months pregnant!

Verse 41: "Now it came to pass that when Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the babe leaped in her womb…"—life! Human life because human life is from conception! Why?

Sidebar: Not many people know it, but we have it in the book: From a Speck of Dust to a Son of God: Why Were You Born?

They know that at the instant of conception with the father's seed into the mother's egg, there's an instant flash of 480,000 volts! Why? What is that? That must be the spirit of man given to the new conception!

What is the truth of the matter? Regardless of how a woman becomes pregnant, at conception God sends the spirit of man!

• Why? Because without the spirit the body is dead!
• What happens when that conception takes place? Immediately there's a development of a brand new life!

So here we are at six months, fully developed but small!

"…the babe leaped in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit" (v 41).

Do you suppose that in the house of Zacharias the priest that they had scrolls that are copies of the scrolls at the temple so he could study and prepare for his work? So he could know the Word of God? They speak of things that are in the Word of God. So they had to have this to know.

Verse 42: "And she [Elizabeth] cried out with a loud voice and said, 'Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb."

The Catholics repeat this in chants as they go around the beads! That's meaningless, but this is what Mary said. This had to be inspired by God, given to her at that moment for that very thing. But some of this indicates that she also knew some of these things ahead of time.

What do you think she was thinking about for six months up to this point? When the message from the angel to Zacharias to Elizabeth was that she would give birth to a son and he's going go before the Lord to prepare His way! Imagine what she thought! I mean, this is no small matter! This is tremendous!

Do you think that something as tremendous as this was unknown to them? No! It was revealed to them! It was told to them!

Verse 43: "But why is this happening to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" Elizabeth knew! How about that!

Verse 44: "For behold, as soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the babe in my womb leaped in exultation"—happiness and joy!

I imagine that he was just thumping around on her stomach and waving his arms! She knew something was going on!

All of us men will never know what that's like! That's just the way it is. The closest we can come as fathers is when your wife gets big enough and she is quite full and the baby is kicking, you can put your hand on her stomach and feel the baby kick and you can put your ear down there and hear a little bit. Today they have ultrasound! When that happens, there's an ad that's very interesting: here's this couple and they see the ultrasound and they see two babies! Surprise!

The babe in the womb recognizes the mother's voice, can respond to sounds, can hear music and practices nursing by sucking it's thumb. That's all a baby knows when it's born. That's what it needs to know!

Verse 45: "And blessed is she who has believed, for there shall be a fulfillment of the things spoken to her from the Lord.'"

Now, here's Mary's response; v 46: "Then Mary said, 'My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has exulted in God my Savior'" (vs 46-47).

Think about that! She was inspired to know that the babe in her womb—when He would become a full man—will be her Savior! Astonishing!

Verse 48: "For He has looked upon the humble estate of His handmaid; for behold, from this time forward all generations shall count me blessed."

She was inspired to say that? How did that get recorded. Mary and Elizabeth must have sat down and wrote it, after they had been inspired to speak it. What else can you conclude? They didn't have recording machines or digital phones! This is really amazing!

Verse 49: "Because the Mighty One has done great things to me, and Holy is His name; and His mercy is toward those who fear Him, from generation to generation" (vs 49-50). Generations into the future, and generations that are in the past through the second resurrection!

This is amazing stuff going on between two women! All men, let that humble you!

Verse 51: "He has worked strength with His arm; He has scattered the haughty in the imagination of their hearts. He has put down rulers from thrones, and has exalted the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty. He has helped His servant Israel, in remembering His mercy, exactly as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed forever" (vs 51-55).

Think about that! Quite a thing! That's why Isaac was born to Sarah: Abraham was 100-years-old and Sarah was 90-years-old.

Again, everything related to the coming of the Messiah—Jesus Christ—in the flesh has impossible things that only God can do to make it happen.

Verse 56: "And Mary dwelt with her about three months, and returned to her house."

• What do you think they talked about?
• Do you think they sat there in that house for three months and just started at each other?

No! Of course not! They talked about this!

Elizabeth would talk about the angel that came to Zacharias, and how he came home and had to tell her: Look, we have to make this happen!' You're an old man, what are you talking about?

He has to write it down because he can't talk to his wife. They come together and at 70-years-old she becomes pregnant. She thought: I have a bad reputation among the community because I have never have a child.

But hear this: Mary who never had a man, and Joseph was willing to separate from her quietly… God had to send an angel to tell them that she is pregnant through the power of God, the Holy Spirit, and the One born is going to be the Son of God: Emanuel!

Imagine them talking back and forth. We don't have any of those conversations recorded for us. But I'm sure there was plenty of discussion, prayer, thanksgiving and taking care of each other; being careful with each other.

Think about what God entrusted these two women with! The two most important births in the whole Bible!

Let's see what Zacharias really knew, and see what happened:

Verse 57: "Now Elizabeth's time was fulfilled that she should give birth, and she bore a son. And her neighbors and kinfolk heard that the Lord had magnified His mercy toward her, and they rejoiced with her" (vs 57-58).

They didn't have phones like we have today, but think about that all during the nine months of her pregnancy the chatter and clatter that went on between all the priests and their wives.

Verse 59: "And it came to pass on the eighth day that they came to circumcise the little child; and they were calling him Zacharias, after the name of his father. Then his mother answered and said, 'No! But he shall be named John'" (vs 59-60).

Here you have all the relatives there for this circumcision party and they're arguing about what they're going to call him, and Zacharias couldn't yet speak.

Verse 61: "And they said to her, 'There is no one among your kinfolk who is called by this name.' Then they made signs to his father as to what he desired him to be named. And after signaling for a writing tablet…" (vs 61-63).

Think about this! They had writing tablets, and that's how we got all of what we have here.

"…'John is his name.' And they were all amazed. Then his mouth was immediately opened, and his tongue was loosed; and he spoke, praising God. And fear came upon all those who dwelt around them; and in the entire hill country of Judea, all these things were being talked about. And all who heard these things laid them up in their hearts, saying, 'What then will this little child be?' And the hand of the Lord was with him" (vs 63-66).

Notice how God inspired him to speak, and all about the one who would be John the Baptist.

Verse 67: "And Zacharias his father was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying, 'Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has visited and has worked redemption for His people, and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David; exactly as He spoke by the mouth of His Holy prophets since the world began'" (vs 67-70). That goes right back to Gen. 3:15!

Verse 71: "Salvation from our enemies…" Who is the greatest enemy of us? Satan the devil! Salvation from him!

"…and from the hand of all those who hate us; to fulfill the promise of mercy made to our fathers, and to remember His Holy covenant, the oath that He swore to Abraham our father…" (vs 71-73).

Elizabeth, Mary and Zacharias talked about Abraham, our father. They must have understood in type the things that Abraham went through, and how it is being fulfilled in their lives. Talk about an amazing thing! Here we are over 1900 years past that, and we can read the very things that they thought and wrote.

Verse 75: "Walking in Holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our lives. And you, little child, shall be called the prophet of the Highest; for you shall go before the face of the Lord, to prepare His ways" (vs 75-76). Just like the prophecies said!

Verse 77: "To give the knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of their sins, through the deep inner compassions of our God; in which the dayspring from on high has visited us, to shine upon those who are sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death, to direct our feet into the way of peace" (vs 77-79).

Verse 80: "And the little child grew and was strengthened in spirit; and he was in the wilderness until the day of his appearing to Israel."

We're going to see that Elizabeth and Mary kept these things in their hearts! I'm sure that God gave them almost perfect remembrance of everything that went on.

This is an amazing thing, and now, as we face the world season of Christmas coming up, we know the Truth of what the Bible tells us in great detail.

Scriptural References:

• Matthew 10:26-27
• Matthew 24:10-12, 14

• 2 Peter 1:15-21
• 2-Timothy 3:16-17
• Acts 1:1
• Luke 1:1-5
• 1-Chronicles 24:7-10
• Luke 1:6-17
• Malachi 3:1
• Luke 1:18-20. 23-35
• Hebrews 10:4-9, 5
• Daniel 10:21
• Hebrews 10:7-9, 5
• Philippians 2:5-6
• John 1:1
• Philippians 2:7-8
• Luke 1:35-73, 75-80

Scriptures referenced, not quoted:

• Acts 6
• Revelation 4:5
• John 2
• Isaiah 9:6
• Genesis 3:15
• Deuteronomy 18

Also referenced:

Books:

• Judaism: Revelation of Moses or Religion of Men by Philip Neal
• A Harmony of the Gospels by Fred R. Coulter
• From a Speck of Dust to a Son of God: Why Were You Born? by Fred R. Coulter

Appendix E: When Was Jesus Born? (The Holy Bible in Its Original Order)

Booklet: Prophecies of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament by James Meister

Church at Home: Was Peter Ever in Rome?

FRC:bo
Transcribed: 10/21/20

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