Larry Lilly's Journal The Miracle of Christ's Birth Vol 19 Issue 12, 2017
The Miracle of Christs’ Birth.
Matthew 1:19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.
20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.”
21 "And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins."
22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:
23 "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us." (NKJV).
For over 55 years the biblical account of the events surrounding the coming of God the Son into flesh, what we call the Incarnation, has moved me toward an ever deepening walk with Jesus. So many fantastic, healing truths are part of the parcel of the story. For instance, the gentle intent of Joseph given in the above scriptural verses are mind boggling when you think about it. That Joseph was willing to protect the reputation of the girl he thought had betrayed his trust by “putting her away privately” is beyond the pale. Most would have thrown her under the bus.
Due to his gentleness, he was ready to accept the angelic explanation and thus be blessed greatly by God.
The explanation given by “an angel of the Lord, to him is enough to give thought to for many months. The truth that prophesy plays a grand part in the life of believers is clearly attested to by the words of this heavenly being. All the events of the Empire, the Inn Keeper, the long journey was part of God’s plan to implement what may have been His grandest plan, the Immanuel, God with us, part of redemption.
Just as plain as Mary, “the virgin” being God’s chosen vessel to bring forth Christ in human flesh, is the fact according to Matthew and Luke, the Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ is true is verified using the verbiage by an Angel of the Lord.
You will read much about this event over the Christmas holidays, so permit me to share a little more than just the regular ideas that are usual this time of year.
Let me say unequivocally, I totally believe in the Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ and totally believe it was necessary to Salvation to be complete! It is said in other scripture that “He knew no sin.” PTL. Sin is passed down to offspring via the father, extending clear back to Adam, as in Adam all die. It took a miracle to overcome this genealogical truth, thus the Overshadowing of the Holy Spirit.
If you wonder, why I chose the verse emphasizing “The” let me explain with a few statements concerning “The Virgin.” The saying goes back to Isaiah 7:14, which the angel correctly explains to Joseph.
Some attempt to teach that the word for virgin means simply “young woman, and is talking about Isaiah’s wife. Alma is used 7 times in the Old Testament and in every instance, it refers to a young unmarried woman; Isaiah would not have picked a term associated with a young unmarried woman to refer to his very married wife. If the prophet were referring to his wife in Isaiah 7, why would he change and use a different word to refer to the same woman in chapter 8? No, these points are all against the “alma” of Isaiah 7 being Isaiah’s wife.
Here's a very interesting note from a noted Jewish scholar: Cyrus Gordon. He is the best reference here as he is a Jewish Semitic scholar:
“The commonly held view that “virgin” is the Christian translation of alma and “young woman” is the Jewish one, is not accurate. The fact is, the Septuagint, which is the Jewish translation made in pre-Christian Alexandria, takes alma to mean virgin. Accordingly, the New testament follows the Jewish interpretation.”
Here’s another clear evidence of “The Virgin” from Jerome who translated the Greek/Hebrew into Latin, which is called the Vulgate in 405 AD.
“Jerome believed the Hebrew עלמה meant abscondita “hidden,” a remarkable insight to something which I was unaware about before. As a faithful Catholic following the Holy Tradition about the life of Theotokos Jerome believed the young maiden in Isaiah 7:14 was more than a virgin, she was a cloistered girl who devoted her chaste life in the Temple which necessitates virginity.” John Meade.
Common sense teaches us that there were and would be many young Jewish Virgins in Israel, rather selecting at random, a young Jewish girl, God protects his prophetic veracity with a simple word, “The” Virgin.
Over forty years ago Dr. John Kent told of sitting in a seat next to the “God is dead” theologian Dr. Thomas J. J. Altizer. Dr. Altizer chided John for believing that Christ came to earth without the agency of a human father. Dr. Kent shot back, “I believe something more fascinating.” What is that asked Dr. Altizer? I believe God put Adam in the Garden with neither a human mother or father!”
The celebration of Christ’s being born in Bethlehem, is good any time of year! LML
Matthew 1:19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.
20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.”
21 "And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins."
22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:
23 "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us." (NKJV).
For over 55 years the biblical account of the events surrounding the coming of God the Son into flesh, what we call the Incarnation, has moved me toward an ever deepening walk with Jesus. So many fantastic, healing truths are part of the parcel of the story. For instance, the gentle intent of Joseph given in the above scriptural verses are mind boggling when you think about it. That Joseph was willing to protect the reputation of the girl he thought had betrayed his trust by “putting her away privately” is beyond the pale. Most would have thrown her under the bus.
Due to his gentleness, he was ready to accept the angelic explanation and thus be blessed greatly by God.
The explanation given by “an angel of the Lord, to him is enough to give thought to for many months. The truth that prophesy plays a grand part in the life of believers is clearly attested to by the words of this heavenly being. All the events of the Empire, the Inn Keeper, the long journey was part of God’s plan to implement what may have been His grandest plan, the Immanuel, God with us, part of redemption.
Just as plain as Mary, “the virgin” being God’s chosen vessel to bring forth Christ in human flesh, is the fact according to Matthew and Luke, the Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ is true is verified using the verbiage by an Angel of the Lord.
You will read much about this event over the Christmas holidays, so permit me to share a little more than just the regular ideas that are usual this time of year.
Let me say unequivocally, I totally believe in the Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ and totally believe it was necessary to Salvation to be complete! It is said in other scripture that “He knew no sin.” PTL. Sin is passed down to offspring via the father, extending clear back to Adam, as in Adam all die. It took a miracle to overcome this genealogical truth, thus the Overshadowing of the Holy Spirit.
If you wonder, why I chose the verse emphasizing “The” let me explain with a few statements concerning “The Virgin.” The saying goes back to Isaiah 7:14, which the angel correctly explains to Joseph.
Some attempt to teach that the word for virgin means simply “young woman, and is talking about Isaiah’s wife. Alma is used 7 times in the Old Testament and in every instance, it refers to a young unmarried woman; Isaiah would not have picked a term associated with a young unmarried woman to refer to his very married wife. If the prophet were referring to his wife in Isaiah 7, why would he change and use a different word to refer to the same woman in chapter 8? No, these points are all against the “alma” of Isaiah 7 being Isaiah’s wife.
Here's a very interesting note from a noted Jewish scholar: Cyrus Gordon. He is the best reference here as he is a Jewish Semitic scholar:
“The commonly held view that “virgin” is the Christian translation of alma and “young woman” is the Jewish one, is not accurate. The fact is, the Septuagint, which is the Jewish translation made in pre-Christian Alexandria, takes alma to mean virgin. Accordingly, the New testament follows the Jewish interpretation.”
Here’s another clear evidence of “The Virgin” from Jerome who translated the Greek/Hebrew into Latin, which is called the Vulgate in 405 AD.
“Jerome believed the Hebrew עלמה meant abscondita “hidden,” a remarkable insight to something which I was unaware about before. As a faithful Catholic following the Holy Tradition about the life of Theotokos Jerome believed the young maiden in Isaiah 7:14 was more than a virgin, she was a cloistered girl who devoted her chaste life in the Temple which necessitates virginity.” John Meade.
Common sense teaches us that there were and would be many young Jewish Virgins in Israel, rather selecting at random, a young Jewish girl, God protects his prophetic veracity with a simple word, “The” Virgin.
Over forty years ago Dr. John Kent told of sitting in a seat next to the “God is dead” theologian Dr. Thomas J. J. Altizer. Dr. Altizer chided John for believing that Christ came to earth without the agency of a human father. Dr. Kent shot back, “I believe something more fascinating.” What is that asked Dr. Altizer? I believe God put Adam in the Garden with neither a human mother or father!”
The celebration of Christ’s being born in Bethlehem, is good any time of year! LML
Book Worm's Corner Comments From Helpful Books Joyce Lilly
Joyce Lilly
What God Does When Men Pray. William Carr Peel. NavPress. 8 Chps 95 pgs.
“What God Does When Men Pray” is a tremendous book, which I read through at one sitting and then went back and read through it, very slowly again over a two-week period.
“In 1857 a church janitor advertised a prayer meeting to be held in a small church in Manhattan. Six people showed up the first week. But soon the group had expanded to thousands of men who met daily in almost every public building in downtown New York City. The resulting revival lasted until near the end of the century.”
Rev. Peel shares the powerful prayer life of William Carey, William Wilberforce who led the world in the abolition of slavery.
In “What God Does When Men Pray”, I found encouragement, as well as inspiration and practical lessons on the “How to” and “Why” of prayer.
I personally like Session Three which talks about the “Gold Ring of Success” in prayer. This concise, powerful lesson helped me to gain a boldness in prayer that I found very helpful in my own prayer life.
Athletes should note as should Christians:
Emily Post wrote: An invitation to the White House is a command and cancels any other engagement!
Hebrews 4:16 “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Joyce Lilly TgB.
“What God Does When Men Pray” is a tremendous book, which I read through at one sitting and then went back and read through it, very slowly again over a two-week period.
“In 1857 a church janitor advertised a prayer meeting to be held in a small church in Manhattan. Six people showed up the first week. But soon the group had expanded to thousands of men who met daily in almost every public building in downtown New York City. The resulting revival lasted until near the end of the century.”
Rev. Peel shares the powerful prayer life of William Carey, William Wilberforce who led the world in the abolition of slavery.
In “What God Does When Men Pray”, I found encouragement, as well as inspiration and practical lessons on the “How to” and “Why” of prayer.
I personally like Session Three which talks about the “Gold Ring of Success” in prayer. This concise, powerful lesson helped me to gain a boldness in prayer that I found very helpful in my own prayer life.
Athletes should note as should Christians:
Emily Post wrote: An invitation to the White House is a command and cancels any other engagement!
Hebrews 4:16 “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Joyce Lilly TgB.
Letters & Comments
Entrance to Hell on Earth
Christmas Eve in Auschwitz as Recalled by Polish Prisoners
The first Christmas Eve behind the camp barbed wire, on December 24, 1940, was also one of the most tragic. The Nazis set up a Christmas tree, with electric lights, on the roll-call square. Beneath it, they placed the bodies of prisoners who had died while working or frozen to death at roll call. Former prisoner Karol Świętorzecki later recalled that Lagerführer Karl Fritzsch referred to the corpses beneath the tree as “a present” for the living, and forbade the singing of Polish Christmas carols.
A year later, in 1941, the Germans “organized” another tragic Christmas Eve. During the return from slave labor on the construction of Auschwitz II-Birkenau, they killed Soviet POWs who were too weak to walk unsupported. About 300 died that day.
The Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum Archives contain an eyewitness account by former prisoner Ludwik Kryński, describing how there was a second roll call at 6:00 PM, after the SS men had finished the roll call and eaten their supper. Despite temperatures far below freezing, the prisoners had to listen to Pope Pius XII’s Christmas Eve proclamation being read out in German. 42 prisoners succumbed to the cold, and the sight brought numerous others to the point of nervous breakdowns.
Prisoners tried to celebrate in their blocks and to help those whose spirits had broken. An account in the Museum collections by Józef Jędrych from Block no. 10a describes how “the singing of German carols began, and then like the waves of the sea came the powerful words [from a Polish carol] ‘God is born, the powers tremble’ and others, until the final chord in the form of the Dąbrowski Mazurka [the Polish national anthem]. Everyone exchanged warm, cordial embraces and cried for a long time. There were those who sobbed out loud. . . . Such a grand moment never fades from memory. That Christmas is fixed forever in my heart and memory.”
The Germans set up a Christmas tree in Auschwitz II-Birkenau in 1942, and placed the bodies of murdered men underneath it. Former prisoner Krystyna Aleksandrowicz’s recollections of the shocking event are in the Museum Archive. “Before Christmas in 1942, the SS men put up a Christmas tree for us. On Christmas Eve, they gathered the labor details from the men’s camp and ordered them to carry soil in their coats. They shot any man who gathered up too little soil. Then they stacked a whole heap of corpses underneath the Christmas tree.”
The above excerpted from Auschwitz Museum site. May we NEVER forget!
http://auschwitz.org/en/museum/news/christmas-eve-in-auschwitz-as-recalled-by-polish-prisoners,47.html
You may also want to check out this gripping true story from the Atlantic:
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/10/the-man-who-volunteered-for-auschwitz/263083/
***
As we celebrate the Incarnation, the event of Christ becoming a babe, the only real hope the world has is for a true revival of faith, from the hand and heart of God. 2Chronicles 7:14 "if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” LML
The first Christmas Eve behind the camp barbed wire, on December 24, 1940, was also one of the most tragic. The Nazis set up a Christmas tree, with electric lights, on the roll-call square. Beneath it, they placed the bodies of prisoners who had died while working or frozen to death at roll call. Former prisoner Karol Świętorzecki later recalled that Lagerführer Karl Fritzsch referred to the corpses beneath the tree as “a present” for the living, and forbade the singing of Polish Christmas carols.
A year later, in 1941, the Germans “organized” another tragic Christmas Eve. During the return from slave labor on the construction of Auschwitz II-Birkenau, they killed Soviet POWs who were too weak to walk unsupported. About 300 died that day.
The Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum Archives contain an eyewitness account by former prisoner Ludwik Kryński, describing how there was a second roll call at 6:00 PM, after the SS men had finished the roll call and eaten their supper. Despite temperatures far below freezing, the prisoners had to listen to Pope Pius XII’s Christmas Eve proclamation being read out in German. 42 prisoners succumbed to the cold, and the sight brought numerous others to the point of nervous breakdowns.
Prisoners tried to celebrate in their blocks and to help those whose spirits had broken. An account in the Museum collections by Józef Jędrych from Block no. 10a describes how “the singing of German carols began, and then like the waves of the sea came the powerful words [from a Polish carol] ‘God is born, the powers tremble’ and others, until the final chord in the form of the Dąbrowski Mazurka [the Polish national anthem]. Everyone exchanged warm, cordial embraces and cried for a long time. There were those who sobbed out loud. . . . Such a grand moment never fades from memory. That Christmas is fixed forever in my heart and memory.”
The Germans set up a Christmas tree in Auschwitz II-Birkenau in 1942, and placed the bodies of murdered men underneath it. Former prisoner Krystyna Aleksandrowicz’s recollections of the shocking event are in the Museum Archive. “Before Christmas in 1942, the SS men put up a Christmas tree for us. On Christmas Eve, they gathered the labor details from the men’s camp and ordered them to carry soil in their coats. They shot any man who gathered up too little soil. Then they stacked a whole heap of corpses underneath the Christmas tree.”
The above excerpted from Auschwitz Museum site. May we NEVER forget!
http://auschwitz.org/en/museum/news/christmas-eve-in-auschwitz-as-recalled-by-polish-prisoners,47.html
You may also want to check out this gripping true story from the Atlantic:
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/10/the-man-who-volunteered-for-auschwitz/263083/
***
As we celebrate the Incarnation, the event of Christ becoming a babe, the only real hope the world has is for a true revival of faith, from the hand and heart of God. 2Chronicles 7:14 "if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” LML
Two Ways of Laying Down Your Life for Others!
David Thomas, Asst. Pastor Berean Baptist Church.
I've seen a name many times on the WW2 memorial at the court house square in Rockville, Indiana. There amid a list of Parke County residents who served in the American military during that conflict, and who gave their all is the name of Charles Jacks. He was a cousin to my mother, who enlisted in the U.S. Navy when America became involved in the war. His body was returned home in a sealed coffin about a year before the war's end.
I don't remember Charles, but I remember his parents, Joe and Bessie Jacks, who lived on a small farm a couple of miles northeast of Rockville. As a boy, I recall some large Sunday dinners there, and I even stayed overnight a few times. At some point, I heard their story:
The War Department had sent them the famous letter bordered in black, hand-delivered by a military officer. It only stated that Charles had died in action against the enemy, with the date of his death. Neither the letter nor the officer had any other information. Can you imagine the torment of their minds as they tried to imagine: What happened? Where did it happen? Did he suffer long? On and on...
In the summer of 1948 there was a knock on their front door. A pleasant-mannered young man, dressed in civilian clothes asked, "Are you the parents of Seaman Charles Jacks...? He was invited in before he could go on. No, he did not work for the government. What he was doing was entirely on his own time and money. He had learned shortly after coming home 3 years before that there were lots of families like the Jacks; who knew almost nothing about how their loved ones had perished. He informed them that he had decided to spend every spare moment available to him, gathering information about their loved ones, and traveling the country telling their stories to their respective families.
He opened a large binder full of folders to one marked "Charles Jacks". In it were the notes he had gotten from survivors who had served with Charles, and knew his story. They were arranged in chronological order, and he began to read them. He neared the date where the story ended. Their son had participated in the operation that drove the Germans from Sicily, and was next involved in the invasion of Italy. A German bomber had flown low over his ship, dropping a bomb that toppled a bulkhead, instantly crushing Charles beneath it. There were tears, but now they knew. They demanded his home address. Over the years, he learned a few other things through further interviews, and they would get a letter.
Here was a man who discovered how to lay down his life for his comrades, not by dying for them, but living for them. Who can calculate the good that he did?
Bro. Dave.
David’s note is in response to my article 11-6-2017 Don Talafous on The True Sacrifice in which I opined my thoughts on the bending of knees when the National Anthem is played. Our churches and nation need more people who really care about each other. The name of the good Samaritan in Dave’s story is unmentioned, yet his name is known to God. Most of us have numerous opportunities to let our light shine into the hearts of people who are suffering terrible pain caused by the realities of life, especially in times like these. LML.
“People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care!” Cavett Robert, Founder National Speakers Association.
I've seen a name many times on the WW2 memorial at the court house square in Rockville, Indiana. There amid a list of Parke County residents who served in the American military during that conflict, and who gave their all is the name of Charles Jacks. He was a cousin to my mother, who enlisted in the U.S. Navy when America became involved in the war. His body was returned home in a sealed coffin about a year before the war's end.
I don't remember Charles, but I remember his parents, Joe and Bessie Jacks, who lived on a small farm a couple of miles northeast of Rockville. As a boy, I recall some large Sunday dinners there, and I even stayed overnight a few times. At some point, I heard their story:
The War Department had sent them the famous letter bordered in black, hand-delivered by a military officer. It only stated that Charles had died in action against the enemy, with the date of his death. Neither the letter nor the officer had any other information. Can you imagine the torment of their minds as they tried to imagine: What happened? Where did it happen? Did he suffer long? On and on...
In the summer of 1948 there was a knock on their front door. A pleasant-mannered young man, dressed in civilian clothes asked, "Are you the parents of Seaman Charles Jacks...? He was invited in before he could go on. No, he did not work for the government. What he was doing was entirely on his own time and money. He had learned shortly after coming home 3 years before that there were lots of families like the Jacks; who knew almost nothing about how their loved ones had perished. He informed them that he had decided to spend every spare moment available to him, gathering information about their loved ones, and traveling the country telling their stories to their respective families.
He opened a large binder full of folders to one marked "Charles Jacks". In it were the notes he had gotten from survivors who had served with Charles, and knew his story. They were arranged in chronological order, and he began to read them. He neared the date where the story ended. Their son had participated in the operation that drove the Germans from Sicily, and was next involved in the invasion of Italy. A German bomber had flown low over his ship, dropping a bomb that toppled a bulkhead, instantly crushing Charles beneath it. There were tears, but now they knew. They demanded his home address. Over the years, he learned a few other things through further interviews, and they would get a letter.
Here was a man who discovered how to lay down his life for his comrades, not by dying for them, but living for them. Who can calculate the good that he did?
Bro. Dave.
David’s note is in response to my article 11-6-2017 Don Talafous on The True Sacrifice in which I opined my thoughts on the bending of knees when the National Anthem is played. Our churches and nation need more people who really care about each other. The name of the good Samaritan in Dave’s story is unmentioned, yet his name is known to God. Most of us have numerous opportunities to let our light shine into the hearts of people who are suffering terrible pain caused by the realities of life, especially in times like these. LML.
“People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care!” Cavett Robert, Founder National Speakers Association.
Editor's Note:
If this ministry has blessed you, consider supporting our work online and in prisons. Thank you for your prayers and gifts! Together, we are making a difference for the work of Jesus Christ to the hurting people in this world.
You may send your offering to the address to the left of this block.
The Journal ministries are a work of faith and we trust the Lord each month to supply the financial needs as He moves His people to help. LML.
Mailing Address
Larry Lilly Live
P.O. Box 5012
Terre Haute, IN 47805
Email comments: larrylilly@larrylilly.net
If this ministry has blessed you, consider supporting our work online and in prisons. Thank you for your prayers and gifts! Together, we are making a difference for the work of Jesus Christ to the hurting people in this world.
You may send your offering to the address to the left of this block.
The Journal ministries are a work of faith and we trust the Lord each month to supply the financial needs as He moves His people to help. LML.
Mailing Address
Larry Lilly Live
P.O. Box 5012
Terre Haute, IN 47805
Email comments: larrylilly@larrylilly.net