Advent at Ararat -Day 5: As with all of God’s promises, the “NOW” time came for the promised Savior.
- araratchurch
- Dec 6, 2022
- 2 min read
“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 expectation, the time for the Word to take on flesh, becoming our Savior, 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.
Think about it, 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. 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 today meditate on the fact that the Lord is working—even when you don’t see Him working—to fulfill His promise.
Mary would’ve had no way of knowing—as she was growing up—that she would be the one chosen to be blessed above all women. And yet, when the time was now, she was chosen as the time of 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, whether it is days, months, or several years, the time of His coming is no longer delayed.
Also meditate on whether or not you personally sense the “now” concerning the time of our Lord’s return.
Peace to you.
- araratchurch
- Dec 6, 2022
- 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, this man who sought after the heart of God from a tender age and all through his life. Though he failed, and 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 and will send Jesus back to rule and reign forever.
Peace to you.
- araratchurch
- Dec 5, 2022
- 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, this man who sought after the heart of God from a tender age and all through his life. Though he failed, and 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 and will send Jesus back to rule and reign forever.
Peace to you.