The heralding of the King
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| Isaiah 7:14 |
keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men (Luke 2:8-14)
This scene is astounding to visualize; it is a vignette from one of the grandest events in all history. It points to theophany; the visible manifestation of God to mankind.
An angel heralds the arrival of:
- a Saviour
- Christ the Lord
- the babe
To shepherds!!!
Now, I am going to go off on a tangent, extrapolating based on what we have witnessed occurring over the past two, and perhaps many more, years. Shepherding skills have dropped drastically to abysmal lows, with flocks being abandoned all over the world. Note, in the vignette, that the shepherds were keeping watch over their flock by night
Why? Why wouldn't everyone be sleeping, including the sheep? Why stay awake?
I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again (John 10:11-17).
No shepherds at all
God has this wonderful, weaving way, of foreshadowing, and demonstrating for us, what He wants of us. The announcement to shepherds at night, watching over their flocks, that the Saviour was born, the Good Shepherd, is Gods way of telling His own, who He is. A true shepherd lays down his life for the sheep, and watches over them to ensure their safety and aliveness, to the point of peril... this is what many so called shepherds have not done for their flocks, because clearly, they were no shepherds at all; they were, as described above, merely hirelings, and they sought fit to flee, to save their own furs, rather than stand and bid evil be gone
Pass through
This Christmas, rather than celebrating the birth of a babe wrapped in swaddling clothing, and declaring with the multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men, there will be a pass through experience in many a household, whose doorposts were not covered in lambs blood. The angel of death will pass through these homes, claiming the lives of those that were not protected, were not shepherded and kept safe from the prowling, snarling, blood thirsty wolves that lurk in the darkness, forever ready to pounce on vulnerable prey
The birth of Christ was just the beginning of the Saviour/salvation story, of Gods theophany, His manifestation in fleshly form. We have moved further along the timeline, and we continue to march to its conclusion. I love that shepherds of long ago, witnessed what so many of us catch glimpses of in our daydreams And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men
- multitude of the heavenly host
- praising God
- Glory to God in the highest
- and on earth peace
- good will toward men
The arrival of the babe, was Gods way of introducing us to His solution to our major problem: the wolves at our gate, those that devour and are never, satisfied. We are promised peace, in Christ, and Christ alone, and it is God, and God alone, that has good will toward men. The entire Bible points to Him, with us as His little lambs they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.
Perhaps you are a shepherd, the gate keeping man of your home, and work
Perhaps you are a shepherdess, the gate keeping woman of your home, and work
If so, you are to be like the Good Shepherd, watching over your flock by night, willing to lay down your life to protect the vulnerable lambs God has entrusted you with
Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again
Murder of babies
Dear reader, how do I tell you, that the parallels of the birth of baby Jesus some 2000 years ago, with the murder of babies ordered by a wicked governor following closely thereafter, is exactly what is happening now? Satan could not kill the King of kings, but he did the next best thing, he used murderous men to do his bidding, and the slaughter of babies two and under was commissioned. As we approach the 25th of this month, demons are frothing at the phantom mouth, stealing lives while the world is in what appears to be a wide awake trance. Parents are handing themselves and their children over for slaughter, and they seem to know not what they do
Rebel against the Almighty
Jesus' birth was not a secret, in fact, it was prophesied numerous times in the Old Testament. Satan was well aware that God had a redemptive plan, and he is just as subject to Gods will as we are. Satan saw the star, he saw the babe, he too, saw the glory of the Lord beaming brightly on earth... but he could do nothing, he was impotent: and the birth of the Christ marked the tick tock clock count down for the adversary. His best work, since the garden of Eden, has always been inciting men to be their own gods, and rebel against The Almighty, turning away from loving Him and humanity, and becoming demonic in their blood lust
And look now dear one, at where we are...
Lights twinkle from trees and roof tops
Presents are wrapped and bowed
Turkeys are bought and ready for stuffing
And the lost wait for a day in a month of the year
That marks the beginning, and the end... and they are not clear
They know not the Saviour
They know not the King of kings
They know not the One that came to claim them from the grave
They know not... the One
That fulfilled His promise
I lay down my life, that I might take it again
They know not the Good Shepherd, that died for the sins of the world, was crucified on a cross, and rose on the third day, from a grave that cannot contain the living God
The world loves baby Jesus, and they don't want Him to ever grow up... that, is a perilous position to be in, in a time such as this
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