What is Christmas About Anyway?

What is Christmas all about anyway? The celebration of Christmas has been fought for so long, that there are now those who have no clue as to what is being celebrated. This is a brief recap.

The Bible is a prophetic book, not only of things to come, but of things that have already happened. There are many historical events that were prophesied in the Bible, that ended up being lived out in history. This becomes a self-identifying sign that what is written in the Bible is correct and a reason to believe what is written in its pages. It verifies itself. There are other historical studies that have been done, as well as archaeological studies, and word studies. That all adds to the evidence, but a huge identifying mark are the prophetic utterances. These were spoken by people of varying backgrounds, from shepherds to statesmen, from successful businessmen to national liberators. They all spoke of one that would come to redeem mankind.

The history of the earth, seen from God’s perspective, is covered in Genesis. There was a cosmic war. There was an uprising in heaven. Lucifer, a highly decorated archangel wanted more than his position. He wanted the position of God. He convinced 1/3 of the angels of the courts of heaven to follow him. He was cast out of heaven and renamed the serpent or satan.

There is evidence that the earth was already fruitful, and that at the time of the fall, “it became without form and void” and that the earth was destroyed.

Jeremiah 4:23 “I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.”

This explains both the age and newness of the earth. There was a creation. It was destroyed at the time of satan’s fall. Then God recreated it.

When He recreated it, he placed a man, Adam, in charge of it. Eve was created as well.

Psalm 115:16 The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD’S: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.

Pretty soon the serpent, the devil came along, and tempted Adam and Eve to do the one thing God had told them not to do. When they disobeyed God and obeyed satan, they transferred rulership of the earth from themselves to the devil. Satan is called “the god of this world.”

II Corinthians 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

God could have left mankind in that state as an abject failure, but out of mercy and love, devised a plan to redeem mankind. He sent his son, Jesus, to pay the penalty for the sin, and to open the door to redemption to each person individually who would receive it. God does not force redemption on mankind, it is received individually, not corporately. It is up to each to ask.

There were many prophecies, as well as types and shadows of the redemptive work of Christ throughout the Old Testament. The whole sacrificial system of sacrificing a lamb spoke of it. The use of the blood over the doorposts to save the children of Israel from the death angel in Egypt foretold it. Over and over God spoke of One who would come. The numbers range, depending on how people count them, but there are as many as 300 or more prophecies that depict Christ, his birth, his life, his death, his redemptive work, and his coming kingdom.

The probability of these being fulfilled in one person are so incredibly huge, that all these different statements, spoken by different people, from different walks of life, who lived in different times, under different circumstances, the probability of them being fulfilled in one person has to mean that person is who He says He is…Jesus, the Son of God, Savior of the world, the Lord of all, and the coming King. Mathematically, the odds are incredibly too great to believe otherwise. You have to not understand math and probability to ignore it.

Here are just a few of the prophecies. The dates of when they were spoken were taken from general Biblical historical previews, and may or may not be accurate to the year, but they do point out that these  were spoke during different seasons of the world’s history by different individuals.

Book of Genesis estimated writing from 1440 – 1400 B.C.

Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

Christ was the seed of the woman. He was the only one divinely conceived, through the Holy Spirit. On the cross his heel was bruised. His blood was shed.

This is a video of an archeologist who found the blood of Jesus, has it reconstituted, and tested at a lab. It proves Jesus was divinely conceived, from the examination of the chromosomes. It also proves much more.  Many question the divine birth and the blood proves it, just as paternity tests are used today prove the father.

Book of Isaiah written 701 – 681 B.C.

Isaiah 7: 14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

This is why you see Christmas cards with the word “Immanuel”.

Isaiah 9: 6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
7: Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Händel’s Messiah “Unto us a son is born” was written around this verse.

 

Book of Micah written 735 – 700 B.C.

Micah 5: 2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

Jesus was  born in Bethlehem.  We have hymns such as, “O Little Town of Bethlehem” to commemorate this.

Jeremiah written 630 – 580 B.C.

Jeremiah 31:15 Thus saith the LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not.

This refers to the children Herod killed because he feared the coming King Jesus. The Wise Men had told him a new King had been born, and Herod feared for his throne and killed all the children two years old and younger.

Matthew 2:16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men.

Sometimes in Christmas plays it is portrayed that the Wise Men visited the same time as the Shepherds, but this cannot be. The reason is when the offering was given in the temple, for the birth of Jesus, according to the law, Mary and Joseph brought the offering of the poor. If the Wise Men had given them gold by then, they would have brought a different offering, the one for those who were not poor. The gifts from the Wise Men financed the trip to Egypt where Joseph was told to take the Holy Family until the death of Herod had passed.

Book of Luke 59 – 63 A.D.

Luke 1: 32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

This is the familiar refrain of Händel’s Messiah – Hallelujah Chorus

Source:  http://wethepeoplefree.com/video/what-is-christmas-about-anyway/