Merry Christmas: Its Origin

 Merry Christmas

On December 25, in the year 4 BC (Tevet 10 on the Hebrew calendar) the Holy spirit came upon the virgin Mary, causing her to conceive.  I suggest that the Christian celebration of Christmas on Dec. 25th is additional evidence that life begins at conception.

[Luke 1:35 KJV] "35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God."

[Matthew 1:18-20 KJV] "18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. 20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost."

Nine months later, likely on September 29, 3 BC (God’s Feast of Tabernacles, Tishri 15 on the Hebrew calendar), Jesus Christ was born in the town of Bethlehem, located in present day Israel.

We know these dates from the Dead Sea Scrolls, clues provided in the Bible, astronomical signs, and Bible prophecies.  For example:

1,800 years before Jesus’ birth, God told Abram:

[Gen 12:2-3 KJV] "2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."

Around 700 years before Christ was born, the prophet Isaiah wrote,  

[Isa 7:14-15 KJV] "14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. 15 Butter and honey shall He eat, that He may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.”

[Isa 9:6-7 KJV] "6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this."

and Prophet Micah wrote:

[Mic 5:2 KJV] "2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto Me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting."

About 600 years before Jesus was born, the prophet Jeremiah wrote:

[Jer 23:5 KJV] "5 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth."

Depending on how you interpret the Bible, there are between 44 to 300 Bible prophecies about the “Coming Messiah”, all of which were fulfilled by Jesus Christ; as God, the only begotten Son of God, Son of Man, LORD, Messiah, Saviour, and friend of all humans.

[John 3:16-18 KJV] "16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  17 For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.  18 He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."

Everybody is Commanded

We are all called to have an intimate, lovingly obedient relationship with Jesus Christ as our God, LORD, Messiah, Saviour, and friend.

In John 14:15 KJV, Jesus is recorded as saying: 

"If ye love Me, keep My commandments."

[1John 2:4 KJV] "4 He that saith, ‘I know Him’, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him."

[1John 5:2 KJV] "2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep His commandments."

May you find peace that surpasses all understanding, and many blessings through choosing to be an obedient child of God.

“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”

Clement Clarke Moore (1779-1863), Author of “A Visit from St. Nicholas”, in 1823

Thinking of you this holiday season, and always, 

Glenn & Judy Black

King James Bible Church-Manitoulin
Providence Bay, Manitoulin Island

About King James Bible Church-Manitoulin

King James Bible Church-Manitoulin (KJBC-M) is a Born-Again Christian, non-denominational, Sabbath-keeping, home-based church, whose members demonstrate their love for Jesus Christ by studying God’s Word, and seeking full obedience to it.  We believe the Bible was inspired by God, has been protected by God, is not corrupted, is 100% God’s truth, and the King James Bible 1790 AD is the best available English language source of God’s Word.  We share our love with our family, friends, neighbours, visitors, and strangers; starting on Manitoulin Island and then beyond; through sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, our listening ears, and helping hands.

We cordially invite you to join us every Saturday Sabbath for our church worship service, from 10 AM to Noon, with fellowship & potluck lunch thereafter.

We welcome you to: Worship God, Sing Hymns, Fellowship with Christians, Study the Bible, Ask your questions, Listen & learn, Pray for Others, Faith Healing through Prayer, Share what you know, Teach others, Deliverance, and Free Christian Counselling.

Life is short.        Hell is hot.        Eternity is a long time

Putting Christ Back Into Christmas

I wish everybody "Merry Christmas"!

Only 67.3% of Canadians were associated with a Christian religion in 2011.

In spite of that, approximately 93% of people in USA and 92% in Canada celebrate Christmas with their family in 2019.

However, only 73% feel that Christmas is a religious holiday, down from 82% a decade ago.

Smaller still is the number of people who are "Rapture Ready" True Christians, likely less than 5% of N. American population who will make it to Heaven.

I have heard people belly ache (and felt it myself at times past)  about the commercialization of Christmas, and the questionable family traditions adding to that feeding frenzy.

Have you thought about how much of God's family traditions are incorporated into your family traditions?

Have you thought about, or wished you could somehow rewind the tape, and put some more Christ back into your family Christmas celebrations?

Before you shrug your shoulders, say "Oh well!", and flip the channel to something more interesting, here is an opportunity to actually do something about your important thoughts about restoring Christ to Christmas.

During your family gathering, for those who are brave, when there is a lull in the conversations, that is your cue to speak up and say in a loud, confident voice:

 "I have an important question for everybody..."

If you said it loud enough the first time, all heads will turn and silence will soon follow.  If not, repeat it again, more forcefully.

When you have everybody's attention, I suggest as follows:

"I am glad to see everybody who came together as a family for Christmas.  I also think about those who didn't make it to this year's celebration.

While I enjoy our family traditions, I think we need to put more Christ back into our family's Christmas celebrations.

I found this article on the Internet.  I'd like to read it out loud to all of you.  If I say something that causes you to have an important thought, please speak up immediately and share your thoughts with all of us.  As soon as you interrupt me, I will stop reading, and we will all listen to your thoughts.  When we are finished discussing your ideas, I'll continue reading.

Is everybody OK with what I have proposed?"

Here is the document I suggest you read out loud:

God's Love & His 26 Commandments for Christians

Please leave your comments below on what you decided to do, your reasons, and what was the end result.  This will be an interesting experiment.