Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Isaiah 7:14
Dear Friends,
Long before Isaiah prophesied, they celebrated the winter solstice by decorating with lights (candles). In Babylon, they lit candles on December 24 to honor Tammuz, the sun incarnate. (1)
The early church did not celebrate the birth of the Saviour. Many of them celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles, when the Saviour’s birth actually took place, but they did not connect the two events. However, since the enemy tries to co-opt everything that God made for himself, I do not see anything wrong with co-opting one of the enemy’s days for God, for we are not under the law but under grace… I love Christmas carols about Jesus. I like the lights too but I always remember that they are only an artificial expression of the true Light that is come into the world. (John 3:19) Jesus is the [L]ight of the world … Immanuel … God with us.
Not only did Isaiah predict Jesus’ birth, but also his death and resurrection, as well as the fact that He is coming back again to set up his kingdom on this earth. When He came the first time, the wise men were ready. The shepherds were ready. Mary and Joseph were ready. There are some other people mentioned in the story who were not ready. (Matt 2:3-18) What about you? Are you ready?
Father, thank You for sending your Son to save us from our sins, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
(1) Hislop, The Two Babylons, pp. 96-97.
