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Christmas before it happened.

If you have ever been exposed to the Bible at all you probably know that the story of Jesus Christ, his birth, life, ministry, sacrifice, and resurrection are all told in the New Testament, that Christian addendum to the Hebrew Holy Scriptures which we know as the Old Testament. There is a four hundred year gap between the end of the Old Testament events and the beginning of the New.

But you may not realize that most of the major events and themes of the life of Christ are foretold directly and indirectly throughout the Old Testament as well. This is fitting since the entire Bible is about God and his relationship to Man through his Son Jesus, the focus of the entire book.

The wise men from the East, the “Magi” who sought out the young Christ shortly after his birth, knew this from studying the Hebrew scriptures, specifically the book of Daniel. Daniel chapter 9 prophesies the exact time when the Messiah would be born. The Magi were aware of this and with the supernatural guidance of a “star” journeyed from Babylonia and found Him in Bethlehem. That same passage in Daniel 9 also tells us that the Messiah or “anointed one” would be “cut off” or killed and that Jerusalem and it’s Temple would be destroyed. All these events had occurred by 70 AD yet were written 500 years beforehand.

The prophesies of Jesus the Messiah begin in the book of Genesis (3:15) and continue throughout the Old Testament. We learn that he would be born of a Virgin. (Isaiah 7:14) He would be born in Bethlehem. (Micah 5:2) He would be beaten and disfigured in his death as a sacrifice for our sins. (Isaiah 53). He would not be in the grave long enough to decay. (Psalm 16:10) And one day He will return to judge the earth with fire. (Joel 2:30-31)

These are important, life-changing truths that are ancient, yet almost impossible to find in our narcissistic modern culture. (Even
that sad truth is foretold in the Bible—(2 Timothy 3, Romans 1))

But though our own culture has abandoned these truths it wasn’t always so. For instance the great Oratorio “Messiah” by George Friedrich Handel, often performed during the Christmas season is nothing more than a setting to music of all the Old Testament scriptures that foretold the Messiah and continues through His glorious return to earth in the book of Revelation with the beloved “Hallelujah” chorus.

Wise men have always sought Jesus. From Isaac Newton to Handel to R.C. Sproul there is a rich legacy of brilliant men who acknowledged Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

If He’s good enough for them, why are you resisting His call to salvation, peace, and eternal life?

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him…Revelation 3:20”
15-ish Years
Tim got his service award for Fifteen Years of employment with the Walt Disney Company. (It's actually 22 but who's counting?)
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Take That Bambi!
When you live in a rural area, it's hard to keep your crops away from the local wildlife. Many is the year when deer ate all our grapes. This year we managed a decent harvest. Not enough to start a winery, but plenty to put up some grape jelly for guests, friends, and family.