CHRISTMAS 2021

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and a very “Merry Christmas” to you. May the peace of the Lord fill you and launch you into the coming year, 2022. I believe it will be a year of struggles crowned with victory. Regardless, the Lord will reign in our lives. If you don’t know Him personally as your Lord and Savior, there is no better time than the present to commit your life to Jesus and ensure your eternal life be with Him.

Though I am convinced from studying scripture and the Hebrew calendar that December 25^th is not the actual date of birth of our Savior Jesus Christ – though I disagree with the word Christmas, meaning “Christ’s mass,” or in the Greek as eucharistia or thanksgiving, for the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ which is a perpetual daily or as often as possible command of our Lord Jesus to remember and commune with His presence – the fact remains that a day was selected for a birthday celebration.

I am not diminishing celebration of all facets of the Uncreated One becoming the Godman, nevertheless the liturgical “church” arose from the 70 AD demise of original Ecclesia establishing a name and date to celebrate the Lord’s birth. Those church fathers and historians of the Christian world chose to celebrate December 25^th as the birth of the Word made flesh, the beginning of the Godheads intervention of loving redemption and restoration of purpose for man. It marks the advent of the most miraculous life and events in history. We must begin with the love of the Godhead, so vast and uncomprehendable in its nature. That God would deign to take the form of His created beings and become both man and God through the Incarnation is unfathomable. The Incarnation itself is beyond our limited comprehension. John 1:10-14 tells us that He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

To be relevant a life must be lived in purpose. In John 3:16-17, Jesus explains His purpose: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”

Let’s examine Luke 2:8-14 for the account of the Savior’s birth: “Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a 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, goodwilltoward men!”

It is important to understand that Jesus came as the Prince of Peace. He came to show the way and the light that men through Him may believe and be redeemed. He was the second Adam, the Godman. 1 Corinthians 15:45 reminds us of this truth “The first man, Adam, became a living being. The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.” This is the love of God bringing restoration – once and for all. The second coming will be a totally different revelation of our Lord as King and Judge. In Matthew 16:27, Jesus says “For the Son of Man is going to come with His angels in the glory of His Father, and then He will reward each according to what he has done.” Consider Johns vision in Revelation 19:11-16 “And I saw heaven opened and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war.His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns; and He had a name written, that no man knew, but He himself. And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, King Of Kings, And Lord Of Lords.”

It is important that we understand the mission of Jesus and that we are given only a short period of time to discern truth and our purpose. Jesus knew His purpose in His first advent where he suffered, taking upon Himself the sin of the world and dying the most painfully agonizing death imaginable. This was propitiation in atonement for our sin, to restore covenant broken by the first Adam and assure eternal life. The second coming, as we examined in Revelation 19, will necessitate judgment. Only the Father knows when, so it is utter foolishness to get wrapped up in prediction or theological and eschatological debate as to how it will all unfold. Our concern needs to be our personal relationship with the Lord and are we doing the work of the Gospel.

As the world is on a hellish fast track toward destruction, Christmas is a welcome time of peace. Humanity takes a break and encapsulates a form of peaceful coexistence for a short time. This is a perfect time for the body of Christ to focus on Kingdom and realize the need for unity that we may put the King on the throne in our lives. Our enemy Satan hates you and wants your destruction. Satan’s forces have worked diligently through the years to take the Christ out of Christmas as well as every facet of our lives. We must restore what the enemy has taken. It is not God’s job, rather it is ours as we have been given the keys of the kingdom here on earth. Will we take seriously our assignment or kick the can down the road? God runs on a different time than we do. In eternal time a day is as a thousand years (2 Peter 3:8). Will we get the work done or will we pass failure to future generations? I don’t know your resolve, but I can assure you that I have taken my share seriously and am running the race set before me to win and hear my Lord say: “well done good and faithful servant.”

I sincerely hope these words do not fall on deaf ears or apathetic hearts. Evil is nothing new, but has exponentially intensified in my lifetime. Evil has exponentially intensified in 2021 alone, to the point of lawlessness unimaginable a year ago. The Covid-19 pandemic, orchestrated and developed by power hungry, demon possessed men and women has virtually destroyed the planet. I admonish you to wake up and fight this atrocity! If we allow much more, proof of vaccination could essentially become the “mark of the beast” of Revelation 13.

I had a vision on November 11, 2021, that I refer to as the vision of the snow. I will share as I believe it is prophetic to this time. “It was a very quiet evening in the woods as the snow was falling. Then in the clearing 3 spears landed and shook the ground. Upon investigation they appeared different than anything ever seen. They flared at the top portion and were red and white. They had landed in a triangular pattern about 3 feet apart. This was a short and succinct vision, but I believe an important statement from God. I got the impression, as we do well know, that things are in rapid motion worldwide. I was impressed that we would have a peaceful Christmas, but God would shake everything shakable in the new year and reveal the treasure in the snow. The Father will have His harvest of souls and I for one am convinced that we are in that decade. Why does the body of Christ procrastinate? Ask the Lord to give you a glimpse of the Millennium and you will be forever changed and ask that same question, why do we procrastinate?

Forgive me if you expected a sugar-coated message of peace. The truth is that there will be no peace in the world until it becomes our joint inheritance with our Lord Jesus. He suffered as will we, but we can have peace in our heart when we are His, no matter how great the tribulation. As the Apostle Paul said to the Philippians in chapter 4: ”Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”

Take some time during this Christmas season to be with the King. Ask for discernment of your role in the coming year. Things will assuredly get worse before they get better, it’s in your Bible, but we abide in the secret place of the Most High under the shadow of the Almighty and we will prevail and win. I wish you and yours a Merry Christmas and all the blessings that come with being a child of God. Amen.