Not Your Baby in a Manger

“So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.”  Mark 2:15-16. NKJV

If you were to ask someone, especially during this Christmas season, how they picture Jesus in their mind I expect many would say they see Him as a baby lying in a manger.  This is, of course, a beautiful picture of Jesus as He appeared when He first came to this earth on His mission to save the world from their sin.  We do know though, that He will return to the earth again and I think you may already understand there is a rather big difference in His appearance when He comes the second time.

“Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”    Revelation 19:11-16. NKJV

This picture of Jesus at His second coming is certainly not of your baby in a manger.  Rather we find a vengeful Jesus coming to this earth to make war on those who have chosen to reject Him. I have said before that when I encounter something unusual or out of the ordinary when studying scripture, it is usually Gods' way of making a point. Consider the following as an example. In the Old Testament, there occurs an unusual verse in the book of Zephaniah I want you to read. Why unusual? It is the only time in the entire Bible where every letter of the Hebrew alphabet is contained in just one verse. Can you guess what the subject of that verse is? That's right; Gods' coming judgment of this world.

"Therefore wait for Me," says the LORD, "Until the day I rise up for plunder; My determination [is] to gather the nations To My assembly of kingdoms, To pour on them My indignation, All My fierce anger; All the earth shall be devoured With the fire of My jealousy.”    Zephaniah 3:8 NKJV

Do you think it's possible God is trying to make a point here? Is it possible this verse is His way of emphasizing that making a decision to reject Him and His laws has only one result? We know that the time where all the nations of the world will be gathered spoken of here is at the end of the Tribulation. The Bible also makes it abundantly clear what the scope of that coming judgment is.

“That day [is] a day of wrath, A day of trouble and distress, A day of devastation and desolation, A day of darkness and gloominess, A day of clouds and thick darkness, A day of trumpet and alarm Against the fortified cities And against the high towers "I will bring distress upon men, And they shall walk like blind men, Because they have sinned against the LORD; Their blood shall be poured out like dust, And their flesh like refuse." Neither their silver nor their gold Shall be able to deliver them In the day of the LORD's wrath; But the whole land shall be devoured By the fire of His jealousy, For He will make speedy riddance Of all those who dwell in the land.”    Zephaniah 1:14-18 NKJV

Have you ever wondered why Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey at His first coming but rides a horse at His second coming?  It wasn’t until recently that I became aware of the fact that in ancient times, during times of peace a king always rode a donkey, but in times of war he always rode a horse.  Understanding that explains the fact that at His second coming Jesus is riding a horse, and that He is coming to make war.  God has seen enough, the time of Jacob’s trouble is about to be concluded, and Jesus Christ returns to put an end to all that the man of sin, Satan, and the false prophet have tried to accomplish in the last three and one half years.

“Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the supper of the great God “that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.” And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.”   Revelation 19:17-21  NKJV

While the Church is invited to partake in the marriage supper of the lamb with Jesus in heaven after the rapture, the kings of the earth and their armies are invited to be the main course at the end of the tribulation for the birds of the air!  I also hope you noticed that in these verses it appears that there is someone missing?  Although Satan chooses to indwell the antichrist at the midpoint of the tribulation, it would appear that he is quick to leave when judgment arrives.  In the Greek, the word translated capture carries within it the idea of pursuit and apprehension.  Can you just see these two running for their lives believing that somehow they can escape, only to be caught?  I can also see Satan coming out of the man of sin at that point thinking he too can keep on running while leaving the other two behind?  Not to worry though because no one escapes the judgment of God.

“Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.”    Revelation 20:1-3  NKJV

We see the signs of that coming time all around us today, and as the Bible tells us, when you see the signs you know He is near. Standing up as believers and speaking out about what we see, and using that as an opportunity to affirm Gods' laws and expectations of His people will most certainly occasion a response accusing us of judging others. But we are not the judges because we only speak out about what we see. The responsibility to judge and pass sentence is Gods' alone and as we have seen in these passages of scripture, He has promised He will certainly fulfill that duty. 

The good news is that God is a forgiving God, and has promised to deliver anyone from that coming judgment by simply accepting His free gift of salvation and striving to follow His laws. As we watch society rapidly preparing itself for the tribulation, the conclusion that the rapture must be near is virtually inescapable.  As believers, we can rejoice and take comfort in knowing we have been promised an escape from that time of God’s vengeance on an unbelieving world.  May we never forget to give thanks to God for His gift of salvation to us through the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ.  

If you have never made the decision to accept that free gift I encourage you to do so today.  Simply ask God to forgive you of your sin based on your belief that Jesus died to pay the price for your sin, and turn over control of your life to Him.  You can do that right now by praying a prayer just like this one;

Dear Father in heaven, I believe in your son Jesus. I believe that He died on the cross for my sins, that He rose up from the grave, and that my sins are forgiven.  Forgive me of my sin, help me to walk with you, and thank you for saving me. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

May we be bold to share that good news with others in a spirit of love and forgiveness as we see the day approaching.

Keep watching.

The First to Know

“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 cloths, 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, goodwill toward men!" So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us." And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen [Him], they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard [it] marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered [them] in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.”

Luke 2:8-20 NKJV

As we prepare to celebrate Christmas this week, I wanted to revisit a subject I have always thought to be slightly ignored from the pulpits in many churches when teaching on the nativity, and that is the question why were the shepherds the first to know of Christ’s birth? To many, these words from Luke in the passage above are very familiar, yet I never tire from hearing or reading them. Of course, this story, like the rest of the Bible, has much to say if we but look a little deeper. Today I want to share just a few thoughts on shepherds, and a possible reason that God made the decision to announce the coming of His Son to them rather than kings or rulers.

In that part of the world, and in that culture, shepherds were considered to be the lowest of the low. It took no special talent nor education to be a shepherd, and their responsibilities were extremely simple ones. According to the Bible, a shepherd was expected to feed and protect the flock, (Ezekiel 34:2,12), and rescue them from any danger, (Amos 3:12). In ancient Egypt, shepherds were also considered to be unclean, and thus not allowed to live close by but rather made to dwell away from others.

"So it shall be, when Pharaoh calls you and says, 'What is your occupation?' "that you shall say, 'Your servants' occupation has been with livestock from our youth even till now, both we [and] also our fathers,' that you may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd [is] an abomination to the Egyptians."

Genesis 46:33-34 NKJV

Do you find it interesting as I do then, that some famous people in the Bible were shepherds? People like Joseph, Moses, and David? Of course, we can never forget that Jesus is referred to as a shepherd throughout the New Testament as well. However, even with all this to consider, I still often wondered why God chose to send the angels to announce the birth of His Son to the shepherds in the fields outside Bethlehem?

As I studied this question I discovered something that might explain God's reasoning, and give us an answer. You may recall that shepherds and their sheep were, as a general rule, made to dwell away from the general population. If you wanted to find them, they were well out in the country some distance removed from the city. Yet these particular shepherds were in the fields just outside of Bethlehem, which is only a few miles from Jerusalem. Why then were they so close? It is believed by many that these particular shepherds were tending to the flocks of sheep that were used for the temple sacrifices in Jerusalem. If that was the case, remember how John the Baptist refers to Jesus when he first sees Him.

“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

John 1:29 NKJV

I can't help but wonder if God wanted to tell the shepherds who were protecting the sacrificial sheep that the “Lamb of God” had been born and was in a manger just a couple of miles away? I couldn't help but notice too, that there was no hesitation on the part of the shepherds to leave their flock and run towards Bethlehem to see what the Lord had made known to them.  Of course, that could certainly be a result of seeing and hearing angels, yet I can't help but wonder if their responsibilities towards a lamb that had wandered away from the flock influenced their quick response.  In any case, knowing that the message they had received came from God Himself, they “came with haste” to find the Savior of the world.

As we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, I hope we remember that He was born to die, so that we can live. It was His ultimate sacrifice which allows us to make the choice to accept Him as our Savior, and become one of His sheep which He will soon take home to spend eternity with Him.

If you are reading this today and have never made the decision to allow Jesus Christ to come into your heart, and accept the free gift of eternal life He has offered you, I urge you to do so right now. You can do that by simply praying this prayer and accepting the gift of eternal life God has offered you by the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ.

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner and I believe You died for my sins. Right now, I turn from my sins and open the door of my heart and life to you. I confess You as my personal Lord and Savior. Thank you for saving me. Amen.

Keep watching.

The Hanukkah Miracle

“Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon's porch. Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, "How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly." Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me. "But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. "And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. "My Father, who has given [them] to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch [them] out of My Father's hand. "I and [My] Father are one."   John 10:22-30 NKJV

I have mentioned once or twice that I majored in History when I attended university however I may not have shared that it was with the intent of becoming a teacher at the college level.  I tell you that fearing todays article may sound a little more like a history lesson than usual so fair warning. The subject of this post is the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, which will begin this Wednesday, December 17th and I thought today we might recall a few observations about it that I have mentioned in the past, and the fact that many believe it is a day of future prophetic importance.

In 175 BC, an individual named Antiochus IV Epiphanes took the throne of Syria after stealing it from Demetrius II, the rightful king.  Not too long after assuming the throne, Antiochus began a march to Egypt with the intent of conquering it.  Along the way, however, he also stopped in Israel and plundered the temple in Jerusalem and stole all of the gold and silver implements he could find.  He then murdered the High Priest and gave the position to anyone who would pay him enough.  Although he successfully conquered Egypt, his victory didn't last very long. 

After a rebellion by the conquered Egyptians, he again in anger invaded Israel and in so doing commanded that the Jews worship him as God.  He gave himself the title of “Epiphanes” which basically translates to “god made manifest”.  Ironically, the Jews preferred to call him “Epimanes” a word that is translated as “madman” which clearly shows what they thought of him.  Then in 168 BC he decided to convert the temple into a place to worship the Greek god Zeus and defiled the temple by sacrificing pigs on the altar.  He also placed a statue of Zeus with his own face on it in the Holy of Holies, an act of desecration that the Jews referred to as the Abomination that Causes Desolation, the result being that the Jews began what is called the Maccabean Revolt.

The end result of this revolt was that in 165 BC the king was overthrown and the Jews were able to resume worship in their temple. The trouble was, they discovered that when they went to relight the Menorah, or lampstand in the temple, there was only enough oil to burn for one day. Since this oil was specially consecrated by the priests for use, it would take days to prepare more. However, a miracle occurred in that the one day supply of oil burned for eight days allowing time for the priests to complete the process of acquiring more.  This miracle produced the celebration known as the Feast of Dedication, which begins on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew calendar and lasts for eight days.

Considering the timing of Jesus speaking the words we read in the passage above, it seems evident to me that there was a reason He felt that it was important to walk in the Temple and make this statement on this particular day.  This Feast is known to us as Hanukkah, and I believe Jesus chose this day because of what this celebration was about, and the events it would recall to every Jew. Remember that Hanukkah celebrates the revolt which occurred because of the events which occurred only about two hundred years earlier in their history.  Every Jew would know this, and I am sure that the religious leaders of the day were making sure that everyone remembered what this celebration was all about.

Hanukkah, or the Feast of Dedication, is considered to be one of the minor holidays in Israel, and is not one of the seven major feasts instituted by God in the Old Testament.  Yet we do find it mentioned in the New Testament in this passage from John, and when we read these verses we find that it plays a rather important part in the life of our Lord.  I have always found it curious that throughout His early ministry, Jesus seemed to go out of His way to avoid stating specifically that He was the Messiah, the Son of God.  It almost seemed as if He was waiting for an appointed time to do it, and on this particular day, the Feast of Dedication, we find that Jesus was asked this very question as He walked in the temple.

Since Jesus answered this question the way He did, this was obviously the day He was waiting for. Yet it is not the fact that Jesus answered the question plainly and unequivocally that caught my attention, but rather His use of a particular word in His answer which I find not only interesting, but rather intriguing considering we know He always chose His words carefully and deliberately.  You see, twice in this passage Jesus uses the word “snatch” when referring to His “sheep”.  Now as I have said, repeating a word always gets my attention so I first of all wanted to look closer at the original Greek, and also look to see if it is used elsewhere in the Word and the context in which it is used.

When I did this, to no surprise, I again was reminded why studying the Word is so enjoyable to me.  The word for “snatch” that Jesus uses here is “harpazo”, meaning, “to seize, carry off by force, to claim for oneself eagerly, to snatch out or away.”  I’m also sure most of you recognize this as the very same word used by Paul in Thessalonians to refer to the rapture of the Church.  The word rapture simply comes from the Latin translation of “harpazo” and this is the event that we as believers are all looking forward to with great anticipation.

“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.”                1 Thessalonians 4:16-17  NKJV

Obviously my first thought was that this is not a coincidence, but rather an intentional use of the same word.  Unfortunately though, the next step is to try and come up with an explanation as to why?  This is where most of us could probably come up with our own, and probably very different explanations.  Many have speculated, however, that Hanukkah would be a perfect time for the rapture of the Church for many different reasons.  Of course, although I might agree, I also firmly believe that the rapture could occur on any given day and is not restricted to any of the Jewish holidays.

Was Jesus trying to tell His believers when He would return for His bride?  I certainly couldn’t say that was the case, yet looking at the state of the world in which we live and examining events in light of what the Word of God has revealed to us should give all of us who believe pause for thought.  Have you ever considered that Jesus is eagerly awaiting the Father's permission to snatch His bride from this earth?  It seems more than obvious to many that we are rapidly approaching the time of our deliverance from this earth, and with Hanukkah just over a week away, wouldn’t it be nice if Jesus were to call us home then, coincidently while we celebrate His birth at Christmas?

Today, while many eagerly wait for Christmas to arrive, may we all remember to give thanks to God for His gift of salvation to us through the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ.  If you have never made the decision to accept that free gift I encourage you to do so today.  Simply ask God to forgive you of your sin based on your belief that Jesus died to pay the price for your sin, and turn over control of your life to Him.  You can do that right now by praying a prayer just like this one;

"Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner. I believe You died for my sins. Right now, I turn from my sins and open the door of my heart and life. I confess You as my personal Lord and Savior. Thank You for saving me. Amen."

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”  1 Thessalonians 5:16-18  NKJV

Keep watching.

If you are curious about the rapture themes hidden in the celebration of Hanukkah, you can read more here at The Season of Return Ministries.     https://www.theseasonofreturn.com

https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-35306783/documents/20a0117d4092418cb7852e42edb9341e/HANUKKAH%20-%20RAPTURE%20THEMES%202025.pdf

Economy Nucleus of Tribulation

I have been away visiting family this past week which unfortunately prevented me from writing as I usually do.  Fortunately there is no shortage of articles written by other watchers and I chose this particular one by Terry James to share with you today.  If you have never visited his site  raptureready.com  I would highly recommend it.  Enjoy his article and I will return next week as usual.

Economy Nucleus of Tribulation :: By Terry James

One prophetic element stands out in considering the seven-year Tribulation era regarding the Antichrist regime. That is the economic platform prophesied to be at the heart of the Beast system.

With so many signals in view that point to the brewing Tribulation tempest, we should expect—if we’re reading the end-times signals correctly—that this heart of the Beast should be well along in its construction. We’ve covered all the indicators found within current issues and events that we believe are signals like those given by Jesus and the prophets. National and world economies have been dealt with in our efforts to make prophetic sense of the dynamic rearrangements taking place in recent times.

America’s staggering weight of debt and threat of economic decline, despite the Trump administration’s determination and successful efforts to begin restoring fiscal responsibility and produce recovery, is front and center in pointing to the fact that this is the generation that stands at the end of one dispensation (the Church Age) and upon the precipice of the next (the Tribulation). Each hour seems to bring additional confirmation that the Tribulation storm is about to break upon an uncomprehending world. We see such confirmation in abundance in the realm of geopolitics and global economics.

Since Bible prophecy clearly says the Antichrist government, thus the economic engine that will power that absolute dictatorship, will emerge from Europe, we need to keep our prophetic antennae pointed in that direction. In other words, we must be especially alert to news involving movement within Europe to cause significant changes to the global economic structure.

The following excerpt from the European Union hierarchy registers an interesting blip on my own end-times radar screen.

“Geopolitical shifts and heightened policy uncertainty remind us that no currency’s global position is guaranteed,” Christine Lagarde told EU policymakers…

The European Union must “do its homework” and seize the unprecedented opportunity to strengthen the global role of the euro at the expense of the US dollar, European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde urged on Monday.

Speaking to the European Parliament’s economy committee, the ECB chief said that current geopolitical instability provides EU policymakers with a “unique opportunity … to strengthen the euro’s role on the global stage.”

“The world is in transition,” Lagarde added. “Geopolitical shifts and heightened policy uncertainty remind us that no currency’s global position is guaranteed. It has to be earned.”

The remarks come as US President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs and attacks on the US Federal Reserve’s independence have sparked deep investor unease about the future of the US dollar, which has dominated global finance since the end of the Second World War…

Many non-Western countries, including the ‘BRICS’ group of nations – which includes China and Russia – have [like the EU] sought to “de-dollarise” the global payments system in recent years, despite Trump’s threats to impose 100% tariffs on nations seeking to move away from the US dollar.

A more “global” euro would allow businesses, households, and governments in the 20-country single currency area to enjoy lower borrowing costs, Lagarde said – much as global demand for dollar-denominated assets has afforded Washington the “exorbitant privilege” of consistently low interest rates despite years of widening budget deficits.

But for this to be achieved, “Europe must do its homework and strengthen its foundations” by integrating capital markets, safeguarding central bank independence, deepening trade links with third countries, developing a “digital euro” that isn’t dependent on US payment infrastructure, and issuing a “safe and liquid pool of EU public debt,” Lagarde said.

“The euro can be more than the currency of a continent and a symbol of unity; it can become a global anchor of trust,” she said, adding that the bloc’s policymakers should help “transform that vision, that dream into a reality.” (“EU must seize ‘unique opportunity’ to supplant US dollar dominance, says ECB president,” https://www.euractiv.com)

Prophecy scholars and others have long pondered why the US, the most powerful nation in history, isn’t mentioned by name—or even by significant reference—in God’s Word. We continue to flounder in attempts at finding an exact answer for that question. However, with the recent astonishing changes nationally and abroad, the answer seems to be in the process of forming.

Monetary manipulation is at the root of the change taking place. The American dollar must be removed as the currency standard so that a global currency not underwritten by any national monetary unit can be established. This is precisely the Beast economic order I’m convinced Bible prophecy describes, as outlined in the following:

“And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six” (Rev. 13:16-18).

This speaks to me of a computer system—a hybrid Internet whereby all citizens of the global economic order will be absolutely controlled at every level of life. Probably, it will consist at its heart of electronic funds transfer (EFT)–a system of special drawing rights (SDR)—all governed, no doubt, by an ultra-advanced AI technology along with Antichrist’s demonic evil. Anyone refusing to toe the mark of the Antichrist’s regime will face having his or her SDR account blocked or entirely removed from the system. Fear of starvation is a mighty motivator to comply.

Pressures are mounting for a completely changed global economic order. Even the king of the kings of the East, China, is at the center of the dynamics driving the changes.

Most economists who are honest will admit that the current building economic heap of debt cannot continue to accumulate. They are amazed, in fact, that everything hasn’t already collapsed into total, worldwide depression. I again offer my belief that it will be the Rapture that causes the ultimate implosion and collapse.

The great world leader called “the Beast” in Revelation will be there to implement a satanically inspired economic scheme that will at first offer hope; it will, for a time, “cause craft to prosper” (Daniel 8:25). But Antichrist’s plan will achieve what it will be designed to do: enslave most of the world in electronic bondage.

Jesus offers the opposite of what the counterfeit, Antichrist, will produce. Jesus promises: “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:36). We must at every opportunity lift up the Holy name of Jesus before the eyes of a world headed into the terrors of the Tribulation.

https://www.raptureready.com/2025/12/03/economy-nucleus-of-tribulation-by-terry-james/

Keep watching.