law

Several years ago, there was a beautiful hotel that was built in Galveston, Texas, which jutted out over the water in the bay.   It had these large plate glass windows that allowed you to look out over the Gulf of Mexico.  And the balconies on each room made an ideal fishing pier! It seems that right after this hotel opened, there was a fisherman who took his rod and reel and tried to cast out into the water.   Somehow, though, he managed in his clumsiness to knock out some windows in the room below him.

The hotel very quickly put up signs in every room of the hotel that read: "No fishing from balconies."   Guess what happened?  People had never given much thought to fishing from their balconies, but they suddenly thought that was a great idea!   So everyone decided to try it!  Even people who could care less about fishing joined in.  And they kept knocking out windows.   Until finally, one bright administrator came up with the idea of removing the "no fishing" signs.  Now guess what happened?  People quit fishing!

That story demonstrates one of the shortcomings of law.  Last week, I shared with you with positive things about law.  God's law is holy and just and good (Rom. 7:12).  God's law shows us what sin is (Rom. 7:7).

However, there are at least two shortcomings of law.  One is that not only does the law reveal sin to us, it actually causes us to want to commit sin.  It leads us into more sin!  Listen to Paul:

     "But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire."  (Romans 7:8)

The law says, "Do not covet".  And the first thing your sinful nature does is say, "Hmm. Covet. Now there's an idea."  The command that's meant to bring life, actually stirs up sin.  There is something about law that produces a rebellious spirit within us.  What happens when you see a sign on a door that says "Wet paint.  Do not touch"?  You may have passed that door a thousand times over the past ten years and never had the slightest desire to touch it.  But now there's a sign saying, "don't touch it" and what do you want to do?  There is an almost irresistible urge within you to reach out and touch it.  Or tell Johnny to stay away from the cookie jar, and you'll soon hear its lid rattling.

The other shortcoming of law is this:  Law can tell me what I'm doing wrong, but it can't make me better.   "And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death." (Romans 7:10)

God's law is intended to lead us to live godly lives, but it doesn't succeed.  God's law tells me what I ought to do.  And it tells me what the punishment is if I fail to obey.  But keeping the rules doesn't necessarily change what you're like on the inside.  And, no matter how good you are, you'll never succeed at keeping all the rules.  It's not that there's anything wrong with God's law.  Rather, there's something wrong with us.

Fortunately, what the law is unable to do, God has accomplished through another means:  "For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin." (Rom. 8:3)

Give thanks for God's law, but give even more thanks for His Son who does what law could never do -- make us right with God!

sacks

My grandfather worked in a blacksmith shop when he was a boy, and he used to tell me, when I was a little boy myself, how he had toughened himself up so he could stand the rigors of blacksmithing.

One story was how he had developed his arm and shoulder muscles.  He said he would stand outside behind the house and, with a 5-pound potato sack in each hand, extend his arms straight out to his sides and hold them there as long as he could.

After a while he tried 10-pound potato sacks, then 50-pound potato sacks and finally he got to where he could lift a 100-pound potato sack in each hand and hold his arms straight out for more than a full minute!

 Next, he started putting potatoes in the sacks.

                       --author unknown

I suspect we're all like that at times.  We understand (intellectually, at least) the value of trials.  We understand that the testing of our faith produces patience (James 1:3).  We understand that the fiery trials serve to purify our faith (I Peter 1:7).  And we are quite content to hold the potato sacks -- as long as God doesn't put any potatoes in them!

It's much harder to see the benefit of trials when they are so overwhelming as to seem to be crushing.  As Job said, "For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, and what I dreaded has happened to me." (Job 3:25)

 But empty potato sacks will never build muscles.  And light trials will never develop the kind of qualities that God seeks to develop in our lives.

"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.  But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." (James 1:2-4)

May the trials you are going through today serve the strengthen the muscles of your spiritual life.

-alan smith

obvious

A woman had a problem -- her husband was a loud snorer and kept her awake at night. So she called the doctor one morning, and asked him if there was anything he could do to help out with the problem.

"Well, there is one operation I can perform that will cure your husband, but it is really rather expensive. It will cost $1000 down, and payments of $450 for 24 months, plus payments for extras."

"Oh my!" the woman exclaimed, "sounds like leasing a new sports car!"

"Hmm," the doctor murmured, "too obvious, huh?"

Some things are rather obvious and can't be hidden. Do you recall what the Jewish leaders said when they saw "the boldness of Peter and John"? At first they were confused because they realized that these were "uneducated and untrained men." But then it came to them:

"They realized that they had been with Jesus." (Acts 4:13)

It was pretty obvious. In fact, it stood out like a sore thumb. I merely raise this question for you to think about this day -- is it obvious to folks around you as to why you behave the way that you do? Is it readily to apparent to others that you are someone who "spends time with Jesus"? May you live in such a way that it is all too obvious!

-alan smith

facts

100 Amazing Facts About The Sabbath and Sunday

WHY keep the Sabbath day? What is the object of the Sabbath? Who made it? When was it made, and for whom? Which day is the true Sabbath? Many keep the first day of the week, or Sunday. What Bible authority have they for this? Some keep the seventh day, or Saturday. What Scripture have they for that? Here are the facts about both days, as plainly stated in the Word of God: After working the first six days of the week in creating this earth, the great God rested on the seventh day. (Genesis 2:1.3.) This stamped that day as God's rest day, or Sabbath day, as Sabbath day means rest day. To illustrate: When a person is born on a certain day, that day thus becomes his birthday. So when God rested upon the seventh day, that day became His rest, or Sabbath, day. Therefore the seventh day must always be God's Sabbath day. Can you change your birthday from the day on which you were born to one on which you were not born? No. Neither can you change God's rest day to a day on which He did not rest. Hence the seventh day is still God's Sabbath day. The Creator blessed the seventh day. (Genesis 2:3.) He sanctified the seventh day. (Exodus 20:11.) He made it the Sabbath day in the Garden of Eden. (Genesis 2:1-3.) It was made before the fall; hence it is not a type; for types were not introduced till after the fall. Jesus says it was made for man (Mark 2:27), that is, for the race, as the word man is here unlimited; hence, for the Gentile as well as for the Jew. It is a memorial of creation. (Exodus 20:11; 31:17.) Every time we rest upon the seventh day, as God did at creation, we commemorate that grand event. It was given to Adam, the head of the human race. (Mark 2:27; Genesis 2:1-3.) Hence through him, as our representative, to all nations. (Acts 17:26.) It is' not a Jewish institution, for it was made 2,300 years before ever there was a Jew. The Bible never calls it the Jewish Sabbath, but always "the Sabbath of the Lord thy God." Men should be cautious how they stigmatize God's holy rest day. Evident reference is made to the Sabbath and the seven-day week all, through the patriarchal age. (Genesis 2:l-3; 8:10,12; 29:27,28.etc.) It was a part of God's law before Sinai. (Exodus 16:4, 27-29.) Then God placed it in the heart of His moral law. (Exodus 20:1-17.) Why did He place it there if it was not like the other nine precepts, which all admit to be immutable? The seventh-day Sabbath was commanded by the voice of the living God. (Deuteronomy 4:12,13.) Then He wrote the commandment with His own finger. (Exodus 31:18.) He engraved it in the enduring stone, indicating its imperishable nature. (Deuteronomy 5:22.) It was sacredly preserved in the ark in the holy of holies. (Deuteronomy 10:1-5.) God forbade work upon the Sabbath, even in the most hurrying times. (Exodus 34:21.) God destroyed the Israelites in the wilderness because they profaned the Sabbath. (Ezekiel 20:12, 13.) It is the sign of the true God, by which we are to know Him from false gods. (Ezekiel 20:20.) God promised that Jerusalem should stand forever if the Jews would keep the Sabbath (Jeremiah 17:24, 25.) He sent them into the Babylonish captivity for breaking it. (Nehemiah 13:18.) He destroyed Jerusalem for its violation. (Jeremiah 17:27.) God has pronounced a special blessing on all the Gentiles who will keep it. (Isaiah 56:6,7.) This is in the prophecy, which refers wholly to the Christian dispensation. (See Isaiah 56.) God has promised to bless all who keep the Sabbath. (Isaiah 56:2.) The Lord requires us to call it "honourable". (Isaiah 58:13.) Beware, ye who take delight in calling it the. “old Jewish Sabbath,” “a yoke of bondage,” etc. After the holy Sabbath has been trodden down "many generations,” it is to be restored in the last days. (Isaiah 58:12,13.) All the holy prophets kept the seventh day. When the Son of God came, He kept the seventh day all His life. (Luke 4:16; John 15:10.) Thus He followed His Father's example at creation. Shall we not be safe in following the example of both the Father and the Son? The seventh day is the Lord's Day. (See Revelation 1:10; Mark 2:28; Isaiah 58:13; Exodus 20:10.) Jesus was Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2:28), that is, to love and protect it, as the husband is the lord of the wife, to love and cherish her (1 Peter 3:6.) He vindicated the Sabbath as a merciful institution designed for man's good. (Mark 2:23-28.) Instead of abolishing the Sabbath, He carefully taught how it should be observed. (Matthew 12:1-13.) He taught His disciples that they should do nothing upon the Sabbath day but what was “lawful” (Matthew 12:12.) He instructed His apostles that the Sabbath should be prayerfully regarded forty years after His resurrection. (Matthew 24:20.) The pious women who had been with Jesus carefully kept the seventh day after His death. (Luke 23:56.) Thirty years after Christ's resurrection, the Holy Spirit' expressly calls it "the Sabbath day,"(Acts 13:14.) Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, called it the "Sabbath day" in A.D. 45. (Acts 13:27.) Did not Paul know? Or shall we believe modern teachers, who affirm that it ceased to be the Sabbath at the resurrection of Christ? Luke, the inspired Christian historian, writing as late as A.D. 62, calls it the "Sabbath day." (Acts 13:44.) The Gentile converts called it the Sabbath. (Acts 13:42.) In the great Christian council, A.D. 49, in the presence of the apostles and thousands of disciples, James calls it the "sabbath day." (Acts 15:21)  It was customary to hold prayer meetings upon that day. (Acts 16:13.) Paul read the Scriptures in public meetings on that day. (Acts 17:2, 3.) It was his custom to preach upon that day. (Acts 17:2,3.) The Book of Acts alone gives a record of his holding eighty-four meetings upon that day. (See Acts 13:14, 44; 16:13; 17:2; 18:4. 11.) There was never any dispute between the Christians and the Jews about the Sabbath day. This is proof that the Christians still observed the same day that the Jews did. In all their accusations against Paul, they never charged him with disregarding the Sabbath day. Why did they not, if he did not keep it? But Paul himself expressly declared that he had kept the law. “Neither against the law of the Jews, neither against the temple, nor yet against Caesar, have I offended any thing at all." Acts 25:8. How could this be true if he had not kept the Sabbath? The Sabbath is mentioned in the New Testament fifty-nine times, and always with respect, bearing the same title it had in the Old Testament, “the Sabbath day.” Not a word is said anywhere in the New Testament about the Sabbath's being abolished, done away, changed, or anything of the kind. God has never given permission to any man to work upon it. Reader, by what authority do you use - the seventh day for common labor? No Christian of the New Testament, either before or after the resurrection, ever did ordinary work upon the seventh day. Find one case of that kind, and we will yield the question. Why should modem Christians do differently from Bible Christians? There is no record that God has ever removed His blessing or sanctification from the seventh day. As the Sabbath was kept in Eden before the fall, so it will be observed eternally in the new earth after the restitution. (Isaiah 66:22, 23.) The seventh-day Sabbath was an important part of the law of God, as it came from His own mouth, and was written by His own finger upon stone at Sinai. (See Exodus 20.) When Jesus began His work, He expressly declared that He had not come to destroy the law. “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets.” Matthew 5:17 Jesus severely condemned the Pharisees as hypocrites for pretending to love God, while at the same tune they made void one of the Ten Commandments by their tradition. The keeping of Sunday is only a tradition of men. Forty Bible Facts Concerning the First Day of the Week The very first thing recorded In the Bible is work done on Sunday, the first day of the week. (Genesis l: l-5.) The Creator Himself did this. If God made the earth on Sunday, can it be wicked for us to work on Sunday? God commands men to work upon the first day of the week. (Exodus 20.8-11.) Is it wrong to obey God? None of the patriarchs ever kept it. None of the holy prophets ever kept it. By the express command of-God, His holy people used the first day of the week as a common working day for 4,000 years, at least. God Himself calls it a "working" day. (Ezekiel 46:1.) God did not rest upon it. He never blessed it. Christ did not rest upon it. Jesus was a carpenter (Mark 6:3), and worked at His trade until He was thirty years old. He kept the Sabbath and worked six days in the week, as all admit. Hence He did many a hard day’s work on Sunday. The apostles worked upon it during the same time. The apostles never rested upon it. Christ never blessed it. It has never been blessed by any divine authority. It has never been sanctified. No law was ever given to enforce the keeping of it, hence it is no transgression to work upon it. “Where no law is, there is no transgression.” Romans 4:15 (See also 1 John 3:4.) The New Testament nowhere forbids work to be done on it. No penalty is provided for its violation. No blessing is promised for its observance. No regulation is given as to how it ought to be observed. Would this be so if the Lord wished us to keep it? It is never called the Christian Sabbath. It is never called the Sabbath day at all. It is never called the Lord’s day. It is never called even a rest day. No sacred title whatever is applied to it. Then why should we call it holy? It is simply called “first day of the week.” Jesus never-mentioned it in any way, never took its name upon His lips, so far as the record shows. The word Sunday never occurs in the Bible at all. Neither God, Christ, nor inspired men ever said one word in favor of Sunday as a holy day. The first day of the week is mentioned only eight times in all the New Testament. (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:2,9; Luke 24:1; John 20:1, 19; Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2.) Six of these texts refer to the same first day of the week. Paul directed the saints to look over their secular affairs on that day. (1Corinthians 16:2.) In all the New Testament we have a record of only one religious meeting held upon that day, and even this was a night meeting. (Acts 20:5-12.) There is not intimation that they ever held a meeting upon it before or after that. It was not their custom to meet on that day. There was no requirement to break bread on that day. We have an account of only one instance in which it was done. (Acts 20:7.) That was done in the night-after midnight. (Verses 7-11.) Jesus celebrated it on Thursdayevening (Luke 22), and the disciples sometimes did it every day (Acts 2:42-46.) The Bible nowhere says that the first day of the week commemorates the resurrection of Christ. This is a tradition of men, which contradicts the law of God. (Matthew 15:1-9.) Baptism commemorates the burial and resurrection of Jesus. (Romans 6:3-5.) Finally, the New Testament is totally silent with regard to any change of the Sabbath day or any sacredness for the first day. Here are one hundred plain Bible facts upon this question, showing conclusively that the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord in both the Old and New Testament.*

gift

 Admit it, you've been there (and you may be there again in just a few hours).  You receive a gift that makes you grimace -- an orange tie with purple stripes, perhaps, or a battery-operated radish peeler.  You can't be impolite and say, "I don't like it.  I want to exchange it."  So what do you say?  Fortunately someone has come up with "The Top Ten Things to Say About a Christmas Gift You Don't Like":

10.  Hey!  Now there's a gift!

 9.   Well, well, well ...

 8.   What a shame!  If I hadn't recently shot up 4 sizes, this would've fit.

 7.   This is perfect for wearing around the basement.

 6.   I hope this never catches fire!  It is fire season though.  There are lots of unexplained fires.

 5.   If the dog buries it, I'll be furious!

 4.   I love it -- but I fear the jealousy it will inspire.

 3.   Sadly, tomorrow I enter the Federal Witness Protection Program.

 2.   To think -- I got this the year I vowed to give all my gifts to charity.

 1.    "I really don't deserve this."

Whatever you say, you know you'll be standing in line at Wal-Mart for hours with everyone else who received gifts that were just as horrible.

There's a beautiful story in 2 Corinthians 8 about a gift that the churches of Macedonia gave to Paul to help out needy Christians in Jerusalem.  It was a gift that Paul was reluctant to receive.  Not because there was anything wrong with it.  Quite the opposite -- it was a generous gift.  Perhaps too generous.  The Christians who gave it were not at all wealthy, so the gift seemed excessive.

"For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints." (2 Cor. 8:3-4)

The reason that their gift was so generous and so special, though, was because of another gift they had given:  "And not only as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God." (2 Cor. 8:5)

Want to give a gift that will never need to be exchanged?  Give yourself wholeheartedly to the Lord.  It's certain to be exactly what He wants this year!

-alan smith

missing

"The people of this generation ... are like children sitting in the market-place and calling out to each other: 'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not cry.'" (Luke 7:32)

On a December day back in 1903 at Kitty Hawk in North Carolina, Orville and Wilbur Wright, after numerous failures to fly a heavier-than-air machine made amazing history. They achieved something that no man had ever done before. Ecstatic, they sent a telegram to their sister Katherine: "We have actually flown 852 feet. Will be home for Christmas."

Overjoyed, Katherine ran down to the local newspaper and pushed the telegram—the greatest news story of the new century—into the hand of the editor. After reading it he smiled and said, "Well, well! How nice the boys will be home for Christmas."

I wonder how often we miss the point when God is doing a work among us. The religious people of Christ's day who were actually anticipating his coming as their Messiah failed totally to recognize him—and ironically had him crucified—because he didn't come and didn't operate in the way that they expected.

And how tragic is it that so many people today are also missing the whole point of Christmas? The point being that on the birth of Christmas Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, clothing himself in an external garment of human flesh, stepped out of the "ivory palaces of heaven" to identify himself with lost mankind and came to earth to die on a cruel Roman cross to pay the penalty for your sins and mine so that we could be freely forgiven by God for all our sins and receive God's gift of eternal life.

There is no greater tragedy in all of life than to miss out on God's gift of forgiveness and eternal life.  Whatever you do, don't miss out on the meaning and purpose of Christmas. Be sure to accept God's gift of forgiveness and eternal life today. 

-dick innes

diamond

Harry Winston, a famous diamond broker, was excited. And so was the crowd that had gathered around him. He had just purchased one of the most famous diamonds in the world. And he expected it to be delivered at any moment!

In the crowd were friends and news reporters and curious onlookers, all anxious for the first glimpse of the famous stone. While they waited, Mr. Winston entertained them with stories from the diamond's past history. The crowd buzzed with excitement. The people kept watching for the armored car and police escort that would make the delivery. Security was sure to be tight.

At the edge of the crowd a man in a postman's uniform tried to make his way through, but he was shoved back. The people wanted nothing to distract attention from the arrival of the fabled gem.

The crowd grew. Self-appointed sentinels kept their eyes on the roadway, ready to shout the arrival of the armed escort. Again the postman tried to push through the crowd. In his hand he clutched a brown paper parcel tied with string. He said he had to deliver it to Mr. Winston. Imagine! Who was he? Some crackpot trying to get his name in the paper?

Finally, with more irritation than courtesy, they let the stubborn postman through. Mr. Winston took the parcel, glanced at the return address, and gave a short cry. With trembling hands he tore the paper away from a small box. Then he opened it and tenderly lifted the precious diamond for all to see. He held it up to the sun and let the gem's reflections play over the amazed crowd.

For a few moments they stood in stunned silence. How could such fabled beauty arrive in such a common wrapping? And then they burst into a loud, spontaneous cheer!

But no one in that crowd ever forgot how they had almost rejected one of the world's most precious diamonds!

How like what happened nearly two thousand years ago when Jesus came to earth. The people were expecting their Messiah. They were waiting for him, longing for His arrival, but they didn't think He would come in a brown paper parcel!

quiz

How well do you know the Christmas story? Most of you have read it many, many times. However, because we've all seen so many Christmas plays and pageants, sometimes we mix the drama with what is actually in the Bible. Take the quiz. See how well you do. Then, challenge your family and friends. The answers follow the questions. 

1. What does the Bible say that the Innkeeper said to Mary and Joseph? (Luke 2:7)

      A. "There is no room in the inn."                             

      B. "I have a stable you can use."

      C. "Come back later; I should have a vacancy"         

      D. Both A and B                                        

      E. None of the above

 

2. A manger is a...

      A. Stable for domestic animals

      B. Wooden hay storage bin

      C. Watering trough or food trough            

      D. Barn

 

3. Which animals does the Bible say were present at Jesus' birth?

      A. Cows, sheep, goats                                             

      B. Cows, donkeys, sheep

      C. Only sheep and cows                                          

      D. Miscellaneous barnyard animals

      E. None of the above

 

4. According to the Bible, who saw the star in the east?

      A. Shepherds                                                          

      B. Mary and Joseph

      C. Three Kings                                                       

      D. Both A and C

      E. None of the above

 

5. According to the Bible, how did Mary and Joseph get to Bethlehem?

      A. Camel                                                               

      B. Donkey       

      C. Walked                                                              

      D. Joseph walked, Mary rode a donkey

      E. Horse-drawn chariot                                           

      F. The Bible doesn't say

 

6. How many angels spoke to the shepherds? (Luke 2:10)

      A. One                                                                   

      B. Three

      C. Multitude                                                           

      D. None of the above

 

7. What did the angels say/sing? (Luke 2:14)

      A. "Glory to God in the highest, etc."           

      B. "Alleluia"

      C. "Joy the world, the Lord is come"            

      D. "Unto us a child is born, Unto us a son is given"

 

8. What is a heavenly host?

      A. The angel at the gate of heaven                           

      B. The angel who serves refreshments in heaven

      C. An angel choir                                                    

      D. An angel army

 

9. What is Frankincense?

      A. A precious metal                                                

      B. A precious fabric

      C. A precious perfume                                            

      D. None of the above

 

10. In Matthew, what does "wise men" or "Magi" refer to?

      A. Men of the educated class                                   

      B. Eastern Kings

      C. Astronomers

      D. Sages

 

11. What is Myrrh?

      A. Middle Eastern Money                                        

      B. A drink

      C. The sound a happy cat makes                             

      D. A spice used for burying people

      E. None of the above

 

 12. How many wise men does the Bible say came to see Jesus? _____

 

13. Where did the "magi" find Jesus? (Matthew 2:11)

      A. In a manger                                                       

      B. In a stable

      C. In Nazareth                                                        

      D. In Egypt

      E. In a house                                                          

      F. None of the above

 

14. When the "magi" found Jesus he was... (Matthew 2:11)

      A. A babe wrapped in swaddling clothes                   

      B. A young child

      C. A boy in the temple                                            

      D. A grown man

 

15. The "star in the east" that the wise men followed... (Matthew 2:9)

      A. Stayed in the same place their entire journey         

      B. Disappeared and reappeared

      C. Moved ahead of them and stopped over the place where Jesus was

      D. Stayed above the manger the night Jesus was born

      E. None of the above

 

16. The "magi" stopped in Jerusalem... (Matthew 2:2)

      A. To inform Herod about Jesus                              

      B. To find out where the king was

      C. To ask about the star                                          

      D. None of the above

 

17. Where do we find the Christmas story?

      A. Matthew                                                            

      B. Mark

      C. Luke                                                                 

      D. John

      E. All of the above                                                  

      F. Only A and B

      G. Only A and C                                                    

      H. Only A, B, and C

 

18. When Joseph found Mary was pregnant, what happened?

      A. They had a huge wedding                                   

      B. Joseph wanted to break the engagement

      C. Mary left town for three months                          

      D. B and C

 

 

BONUS QUESTIONS:

 

1.   True or False There was snow in Israel the night Jesus was born.

 

2.   In Israel, at the time of Jesus' birth, a manger was usually made from what type of material?

               A. Plywood                                                   

               B. Oak

               C. Cedar                                                       

               D. Stone

 

3.   How did the magi from the east (most likely Persians), know to follow a star that would lead them the location of the "King of the Jews"? (Daniel 5:11)

 

4.   What were swaddling clothes? (John 19:40)

               A. Baby-sized cotton bed sheets                      

               B. Blankets made from the mother's clothes

               C. Linen strips of cloth used to bury the dead.  

               D. Large wool blankets tied together

 

5.   In the song "Hark the Herald, Angels Sing", what does the phrase "risen with healing in His wings" refer to? (Malachi 4:2)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

THE ANSWERS: (read the scriptures beside the questions first)

 

1. E.     In the Bible, the innkeeper didn't "say" anything.  In fact, the Bible doesn’t even say that there was an “innkeeper”! (See Luke 2:7)

 

2. C.     Watering trough or food trough

 

3. E.     The Bible doesn't say, we just "assume" that since Jesus was placed in a "manger" (and therefore probably in a place where animals were sheltered), that there were various barnyard animals present. However, since the shepherds were keeping watch over their flocks in the fields that night, all the other animals could have been out of the "stable" as well.

 

4. E.     This is a "trick" question. The "magi" saw the star. However, the Bible doesn't say how many there were and they were not "kings", but astronomers or "star gazers" (see answer 10).

 

5. F.     Although the modern "pictures" in a Bible will show Mary on a donkey with Joseph beside her, the Bible doesn't say!

 

6. A      Luke 2:10 "The angel of the Lord said unto them..."

 

7. A      Luke 2:14

 

8. D      The word "host" means "army" - literally thousands. Now, since there was a "multitude" of the heavenly army" (hosts), there could easily have been from 10,000 - 20,000 angels there  (or more) that night! No wonder the shepherds were "sore afraid"!

 

9. C      Frankencense was used in the temple worship of the Lord. It represents his diety because he is truly God born in human flesh.

 

10. C    The word "Magi" literally means "star-gazers".

 

11. D    Myrrh was used as part of the normal Jewish burial customs.  Jesus was buried with a 75 pound mixture of myrrh and aloes. (John 19:39)

 

12. __   The Bible doesn't give the number. Many people assume that there were three because of the three gifts. However, in ancient times, these men usually traveled in caravans of ten to twelve, along with a full entourage needed for meals. provisions and protection.

 

13. E    Matthew 2:11 (see next answer)

 

14. B    Matthew 2:11 When the Shepherds found Jesus, he was a "babe" in a manger. The Greek word used in Luke 2 is for a "newborn baby". However, by the time the Magi appeared in Bethlehem, Jesus had been moved from the manger to a house (verse 11) and the Greek word used in Matthew is for "toddler" or "young child". He was probably somewhere between 10-18 months old.

 

15. C    Matthew 2:9 Most people miss this question, because there are so many pictures and dramas in which the star remains stationary over the manger. The star did not appear over the manger (the shepherds did not see the star over Bethlehem that night) nor did it stay stationary over the house. This verse makes it clear that the star moved "in front" of the magi and guided them till it "stood over where the young child was". These men lived in "the east". Which means they were already in the "east" when they saw the star "in the east". (Read Matthew 2:1-2) So, the star had to first move over them and then to the west toward Bethlehem before they could begin to follow the star! This explains why it took them so long from the time the star appeared (at his birth) to reach "the young child"

16. B    Read Matthew 2:2

 

7. G      Isn't it amazing how God divinely inspired these two gospel writers to write His exact words, but, yet, He used their interests and professions to recall different aspects of Jesus' birth. Matthew, a tax collector, records the genealogy of Jesus (used for registration and taxation) and the story of the "magi" - men of means from a foreign country. Luke, a physician, records the pregnancy and birth. (Luke 1 and 2)

 

18. E    Joseph wanted to "put her away" secretly and Mary left town to see her cousin Elizabeth. (Matthew 1:19 and Luke 1:39, 56).  

 

 

Bonus Questions Answers:

1.   True!  It's a trick question. There is always snow on Mt. Hermon, even in summer. Even though Jesus was most likely born some time in the fall (September-October), and most probably during the Feast of the Tabernacles, there wouldn't have been snow in Bethlehem. But there would have been snow on Mt. Hermon.

 

2.   D.   Interestingly enough, most mangers in New Testament times were made of stone. If you visit Israel today, you can see stone mangers used by Solomon to water his horses at Megiddo.

 

3.   Although there is no Biblical record of exactly who these men were or their point of origin, I personally believe that they were descendants of the "wise men" of Babylon. I believe that God, in His great providence, used Daniel (while he was in captivity in Babylon), to teach these men about future events - including the birth of the Savior of the world. Read Daniel 2:48 and 5:11 and note: Daniel was put in charge of these "wise men"!!!

 

4.   C. Swaddling clothes were strips of cloth (quite often linen), commonly used in the Middle East and Far East to wrap new-born babies to keep their limbs straight. They were also commonly used to bury people. John 19:40 records that Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea "... took the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes (strips) with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury." People who traveled long distances (such as Joseph and Mary traveling from Nazareth to Bethlehem) would quite often wrap some of these strips around their waist or pack them in their supplies to use in case someone died during the long journey. So, quite possibly, the swaddling clothes in which Baby Jesus was wrapped, could have been those same linen strips that Joseph was keeping for a burial!!!

 

5.   Read Malachi 4:2  It was a very common belief during New Testament times that when the Messiah appeared, he would have "healing in his wings". So, what were his "wings"?.   Orthodox Jews wore prayer shawls called a tallit. (Even today, you will see rabbis and orthodox Jews wearing these prayer shawls)  On the fringes of the prayer shawl (called a "tallit" or "tallith"), attached at the bottom hem, are "tassels" - which are strings tied into knots (called "tzitzit" in Hebrew), which represent the 613 laws of the Old Testament.

 

Why did they wear these garments with tassels? Because they were commanded to. Deuteronomy 22:12 says, "Make fringes (Hebrew: tzitzit) upon the four quarters/corners (Hebrew: kanaph - " wings") of the cloak you wear (Hebrew: tallith)." (See also Numbers 15:38-40). The translation of the word kanaph, the corner of the prayer shawl that holds the tzitzit, is "Wings". When the true messiah comes, according to Malachi 4:2, he would have 'healing in his wings".

 

In the New Testament, when the woman who had the issue of blood for 12 years reached out to touch the "hem of his garment" (Luke 8:44), she was reaching out to touch the "tzitzit" in the "kanaph" (the "Wings").   She believed Jesus was the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophesy. So, when she touched the hem - the wings (the tzitzit in the kanaph) - healing went out from Jesus and she was healed. That's why Jesus said, "your faith has made you whole". She believed the prophesy was about Jesus - there was healing in his wings!!!         [Note: Others believed and wanted to touch his "wings". See Mark 6:56]

-david langerfeld