- araratchurch
- Dec 4, 2024
- 3 min read
Advent “Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.””
Luke 1:26-33 NKJV
After so many centuries, after so much hopeful anticipation, the time for the Word to become flesh had come.
Appearing out of obscurity, a little virgin is informed that she has been chosen to be the conduit for the Savior of the world. Indeed, a page out of prophecy would spring forth into the “NOW” of time through this very young woman, not much more than a girl. Yet, she would miraculously be mother to Emmanuel, God with us!
Consider this: The one chosen to give birth to the Lord would have to be a virgin. As such, a married woman was out of the question. As well, an unbetrothed virgin would also be out of the question, as there would be no one to cover her.
Bear in mind, in those days, a betrothal was as binding as our marriage contracts; but the relationship was not yet consummated. So, the Lord chose the perfect virgin, in the perfect situation, and sent the word to her that the time was NOW for her to bring forth the Son of God.
Think of it, as she was growing up, Mary would’ve had no way of knowing that she would be the one chosen to be “blessed above all women.” And yet, when the time was NOW, she was “suddenly” chosen; the Savior’s appearance would no longer be delayed.
In the spring of 2019 the NOW came for Ararat Church to be established. The mission was clear: We were to alert and prepare people for the Lord’s soon return. And, make no mistake, whether it is days, months, or several years, the time of His coming is no longer delayed.
For today meditate on the fact that the Lord is working—even when you don’t see Him working—to fulfill His promise, His EVERY promise.
As well, meditate on whether or not you personally sense the NOW concerning the time, the generation, of our Lord’s return.
Additionally, think of the NOW you are awaiting concerning your personal life. I can’t imagine that the fulfillment of your promise is any more improbable than a humble little virgin girl being chosen to be the mother of our Lord.
Remember, a promise from God, is as good as done. You have only to stay obedient to the Lord while you wait for your, “When?” to be answered with His, “NOW!”
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!
- araratchurch
- Dec 3, 2024
- 4 min read
“This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of David and of Abraham: Abraham was the father of Isaac. Isaac was the father of Jacob. Jacob was the father of Judah and his brothers. Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah (whose mother was Tamar). Perez was the father of Hezron. Hezron was the father of Ram. Ram was the father of Amminadab. Amminadab was the father of Nahshon. Nahshon was the father of Salmon. Salmon was the father of Boaz (whose mother was Rahab). Boaz was the father of Obed (whose mother was Ruth). Obed was the father of Jesse. Jesse was the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon (whose mother was Bathsheba, the widow of Uriah). Solomon was the father of Rehoboam. Rehoboam was the father of Abijah. Abijah was the father of Asa. Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat was the father of Jehoram. Jehoram was the father of Uzziah. Uzziah was the father of Jotham. Jotham was the father of Ahaz. Ahaz was the father of Hezekiah. Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh. Manasseh was the father of Amon. Amon was the father of Josiah. Josiah was the father of Jehoiachin and his brothers (born at the time of the exile to Babylon). After the Babylonian exile: Jehoiachin was the father of Shealtiel. Shealtiel was the father of Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud. Abiud was the father of Eliakim. Eliakim was the father of Azor. Azor was the father of Zadok. Zadok was the father of Akim. Akim was the father of Eliud. Eliud was the father of Eleazar. Eleazar was the father of Matthan. Matthan was the father of Jacob. Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Mary gave birth to Jesus, who is called the Messiah. All those listed above include fourteen generations from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the Babylonian exile, and fourteen from the Babylonian exile to the Messiah.”
Matthew 1:1-17 NLT
Yes, I know, reading the “begets” can be laborious; and yes, I have been known to skip over these sections throughout the Bible. But—especially when we are looking at the line through which Jesus came—we must pay attention. You will see in His genealogy all kinds of people: some very good, some not so good. But it wasn’t about those people. It was and is about God’s promise to David that the Messiah, the King of kings, would come through him.
Here are a couple of examples of prophetic words confirming that the Messiah would be from the house of David:
“Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot— yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root. And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. He will delight in obeying the Lord. He will not judge by appearance nor make a decision based on hearsay. He will give justice to the poor and make fair decisions for the exploited. The earth will shake at the force of his word, and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked. He will wear righteousness like a belt and truth like an undergarment.”
Isaiah 11:1-5 NLT
“”For the time is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will raise up a righteous descendant from King David’s line. He will be a King who rules with wisdom. He will do what is just and right throughout the land. And this will be his name: ‘The Lord Is Our Righteousness.’ In that day Judah will be saved, and Israel will live in safety.”
Jeremiah 23:5-6 NLT
Interestingly, further down in the passage from Isaiah 11, we see reference to the Second Coming of Jesus when He will rule and reign over all the Earth. And take note, this is still fulfilling the promise to David:
“In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together; the leopard will lie down with the baby goat. The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion, and a little child will lead them all. The cow will graze near the bear. The cub and the calf will lie down together. The lion will eat hay like a cow. The baby will play safely near the hole of a cobra. Yes, a little child will put its hand in a nest of deadly snakes without harm. Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, for as the waters fill the sea, so the earth will be filled with people who know the Lord. In that day the heir to David’s throne will be a banner of salvation to all the world. The nations will rally to him, and the land where he lives will be a glorious place.”
Isaiah 11:6-10 NLT
Truly, the Lord honored David, the man who sought after the heart of God from a tender age, and all through his life. Though he failed, miserably so at times, he never failed to be humble before the Lord. And, as much as David found favor in the eyes of the Lord, truly the awesome feature in all of this is God’s unwavering commitment to the promises He makes.
For today meditate on our faithful God Who keeps promises through so many generations. Additionally, think about how important it is for us to stay humble before the Lord and to trust that what He has said, He will do!
Let us also consider that God is still working on keeping that promise to David. Yes, He will send Jesus back to rule and reign forever, just as Gabriel told the Virgin Mary:
““Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!””
Luke 1:30-33 NLT
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!
- araratchurch
- Dec 2, 2024
- 3 min read
“For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!”
Isaiah 9:6-7 NLT
The coming of the Messiah seemed to have taken many people by surprise. Indeed, even those who were well acquainted with the Old Testament prophecies—the Jewish leaders—refused to recognize Who Jesus was.
The reality is, the Lord really wants His people to know what He is planning. We only fail to know, when we don’t take the time to search His word and to listen to the instruction of the Holy Spirit. It is as the prophet Amos instructs us:
“Indeed, the Sovereign Lord never does anything until he reveals his plans to his servants the prophets.”
Amos 3:7 NLT
Interestingly, our opening scripture, although often quoted, is seldom examined within its context. Note, just before this passage we see these verses:
“Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever. The land of Zebulun and Naphtali will be humbled, but there will be a time in the future when Galilee of the Gentiles, which lies along the road that runs between the Jordan and the sea, will be filled with glory. The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.”
Isaiah 9:1-2 NLT
When Jesus began His public ministry, He did so in Galilee. As well, we see verification that this was the fulfilling of the above prophecy in Matthew’s Gospel:
“When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he left Judea and returned to Galilee. He went first to Nazareth, then left there and moved to Capernaum, beside the Sea of Galilee, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. This fulfilled what God said through the prophet Isaiah: “In the land of Zebulun and of Naphtali, beside the sea, beyond the Jordan River, in Galilee where so many Gentiles live, the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light. And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow, a light has shined.””
Matthew 4:12-16 NLT
For today we will meditate on the fact that the Lord weaves the story of the future through the events of the past. Consider how the appearance of Christ was woven through all the Old Testament prophecies.
Additionally, consider what we are seeing today that was described prophetically in the Old and New Testaments concerning the time of Jesus’ Second Coming. For example, consider this passage:
“I want you to remember what the holy prophets said long ago and what our Lord and Savior commanded through your apostles. Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires. They will say, “What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created.” They deliberately forget that God made the heavens long ago by the word of his command, and he brought the earth out from the water and surrounded it with water. Then he used the water to destroy the ancient world with a mighty flood. And by the same word, the present heavens and earth have been stored up for fire. They are being kept for the day of judgment, when ungodly people will be destroyed.”
2 Peter 3:2-7 NLT
Are you paying attention?
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!