A Son Is Given :: By Nathele Graham

Published on: December 25, 2021 by RR7

Christmas is the time of year when credit cards are maxed out because we have a need to give gifts to friends and family. We want the people who matter to us to know that we care about them. Here’s a question: Can you remember what gifts you were given last Christmas? Most of the gifts that are exchanged are items that will be outgrown, worn out, broken, or obsolete within a short time. Remember a few years ago when Tickle Me Elmo was the most popular gift to give? Did you ever give or receive a Pet Rock as a gift? It’s hard to resist fads, but by next year there will be another “must have” gift.

With all of the hustle and bustle of shopping, baking, and partying, it’s easy to forget that Christmas is the time to stop and recognize what we really should celebrate. We celebrate because 2,000 years ago (more or less), God gave the greatest gift of all… His Son. “Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given…” (Isaiah 9:6a). This was a prophecy of Isaiah many, many years before Christ was born, but it foretold of a human child born but God’s only begotten Son being given.

It is certainly within God’s power to have popped into the world fully grown and ready to take over the duties of the Messiah. The Old Testament is full of instances when The Angel of the Lord would appear to men. For example, it was “the Angel of the LORD” who found Hagar when she was running away from Sarai (Genesis chapter 16), the Angel of the LORD stopped Abraham from sacrificing Isaac (Genesis chapter 22), and it was the Angel of the LORD who spoke to Moses from the burning bush in Exodus chapter 3. These are a few examples of times when Jesus appeared to people before His birth in Bethlehem.

God’s ways are not our ways; His ways are higher than our ways. In order to redeem what Adam lost, He had to be human… a near kinsman to humans. “For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people” (Hebrews 2:16-17).

In order to accomplish this, God, in the person of the Holy Spirit, came upon Mary, a virgin, and she became pregnant. Jesus’ father could not be human because that would have tainted His blood with the same sin nature that plagues all of mankind. Genetically, a father passes to his son certain traits. These traits would have disqualified Jesus from shedding His blood to take away our sin. Because Mary was human, so was Jesus. Because the Holy Spirit is God, so was Jesus. He was born fully human but fully God.

The prophet Isaiah had a lot to say about the coming Messiah, and he told of signs to look for. “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). As with so many Hebrew names, Immanuel describes the person. Immanuel means “God with us,” and that describes Jesus. The name “Jesus” also is descriptive. It means “Jehovah is salvation.” Truly, Jesus was God with us and is forever our salvation.

Many sons have been born since Eve gave birth to Cain, who was born after Adam sinned. Adam and Eve must have been heartbroken when they saw the ugliness of sin manifest when Cain killed his brother Abel. God had clearly told Adam not to eat from the tree of knowledge. “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Genesis 2:16-17).

Adam did eat that fruit. Eve had a chat with Satan and ate the fruit. Then she convinced Adam to eat it too. If only they had obeyed God. God knows so much more than we do, and when He says don’t do something, our sin nature convinces us that God is only trying to stop us from having fun. If we would listen to and obey God, we wouldn’t have murders or lies or homosexuality or any of the other sins that separate us from God. We can never heal that separation by our own efforts. Only God can, which is why He entered His creation as a helpless baby… a baby like any other baby, but unlike any other baby, His father was God. It was the plan of salvation that was devised by God long before Adam sinned.

There are many “pictures” in the Old Testament that reveal God’s plan, and Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac is one of those pictures. We know the story of Abraham and Sarah. God promised Abraham that he would be the father of nations, but when his wife Sarah was long past childbearing age and Abraham himself was very old, they still hadn’t had children. So, they “helped” God by Abraham impregnating Sarah’s handmaid, Hagar. Ishmael was born, but he wasn’t the promised son. Years later, Sarah did become pregnant, just as God had promised. Isaac was that son of promise.

One day, Abraham was tested by God “And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of” (Genesis 22:2). Abraham obeyed. Isaac was not a child but an adult who went willingly with Abraham. Can you imagine the heartache Abraham suffered as they traveled on a three-day journey to the place God had directed him to?

God never requires human blood as a sacrifice, so this seems unusual. When the altar was ready, Isaac had a question, and Abraham had an answer. “And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” (Genesis 22:7). Good question, Isaac! God wants us to be a living sacrifice to Him, meaning we submit to His will in spite of our selfish desires. Abraham knew Isaac was the son of promise, so he knew that somehow God wouldn’t allow Isaac to die. “And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together” (Genesis 22:8).

Notice the words Abraham chose… God will provide himself a lamb. And so, He did. As Abraham was about to sacrifice Isaac, the Angel of the LORD stopped him, and Abraham saw a ram stuck in a thicket, which God had provided for the sacrifice. More than that, it was on this hill that, many centuries later, God truly provided Himself as the sacrificial lamb… the only begotten Son of God allowed Himself to be sacrificed on a cross. He shed His blood to take away the sin of the world.

Jesus Christ, God incarnate, willingly took on human form to qualify as our Kinsman Redeemer. He was humbly born in a manger as a baby, and He grew up with Joseph as His adoptive father and Mary as his human mother. He had brothers and sisters because Joseph and Mary had children, but Jesus was God’s Son, given because God loves us. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

That verse is probably the most beloved passage of Scripture; the 23rd Psalm might run it a close second. God showed perfect love to us when He gave His Son to pay the ransom for our sin. There is no gift more valuable or precious than God’s gift of His Son. God had a plan for the redemption of mankind, a gift of love from our blessed Creator.

We give many gifts at Christmas time, and to be of any use, the gifts we give must be accepted. Have you accepted God’s free Gift of Salvation? The reason we celebrate Christmas is to celebrate God’s gift of His Son. Remember God’s love and tell someone about salvation through Jesus Christ. God’s gift is free for the asking, but it was very costly for God. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

You won’t find this gift wrapped in pretty shiny paper and tied up with ribbons under a Christmas tree. It certainly won’t say it’s from Santa Claus. We celebrate the birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. True faith in His death, burial, and resurrection will bring forgiveness of the sin that separates you from God. Share this gift with others and thank God for His gift by submitting to Him.

Eating the fruit from the tree of knowledge brought death to Adam, Eve, and all of humanity since their sin. Not only the death of separation of soul and body but the death of eternal separation from God. The Good News is God gave His Son as the final sacrifice to atone for our sin. “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:17). God wants you to live with Him for eternity. Place your faith in Him now.

One day every knee will bow to Him, and He will reign supreme… the King of kings, the Lord of lords “…and the government shall be upon his shoulder and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 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” (Isaiah 9:6b-7).

God gave His Son so that you and I can spend eternity with Him. Accept that gift today and share it with others. Celebrate Jesus every day.

God bless you all,

Nathele Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com

ron@straitandnarrowministry.com

Recommended prophecy sites:

www.raptureready.com

www.prophecyupdate.com

www.raptureforums.com

All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.

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The Top 3 Prophetic News Headlines of 2021 :: By Britt Gillette

Published on: December 25, 2021 by RR7

The number one sign of the Second Coming is the convergence of all the signs Jesus and the prophets said to look for. Jesus said, “When you see all these things take place, look up! Your salvation draws near” (Luke 21:28). What are the things Jesus and the prophets said to look for? Israel back in the land (Jeremiah 23:7-8)… The Jewish people back in control of Jerusalem (Luke 21:24)… The Gospel being preached to the whole world (Matthew 24:14)… And more. Today, we see these signs. Because we do, we can be confident we live in the season of His return. But Jesus cited other signs too. So did the prophets. And we see those signs as well. As 2021 draws to a close, what were the biggest prophetic news stories? Below is a list of what I believe were the top three:

1) Big Tech Censorship

For much of its existence, Google promoted the corporate motto “Don’t be evil.” Following its corporate restructuring under the banner of Alphabet Inc. in 2015, the company changed its motto to “Do the right thing.” The people who built Google probably viewed consumer privacy violations, corporate-government censorship, and data manipulation in pursuit of a social or political agenda as evil. But for today’s crop of Google employees? It’s all part of “doing the right thing.”

As people become more reliant on smart devices and the Internet for daily living, the power of Big Tech companies like Google has grown exponentially. These companies have the power to control the news and information flow for billions of people. This hasn’t gone unnoticed by power-hungry politicians across the globe. They long to wield this power for their own benefit. Unfortunately, Big Tech has been more than willing to help. For example, back in July, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki announced White House officials were “meeting with social media platforms” and had “increased disinformation research and tracking.” She said the administration was “flagging problematic posts from Facebook that spread disinformation” and working to “connect doctors and medical professionals who are popular with their audiences with accurate information” so as to “boost trusted content.”

The U.S. Surgeon General followed with his own lecture on the dangers of free thought. According to Dr. Vivek Murthy, “We live in a world where misinformation poses an imminent and insidious threat to our nation’s health. Health misinformation is false, inaccurate, or misleading information about health according to the best evidence of the time. And while it often appears innocuous on social media apps, on retail sites or search engines, the truth is that misinformation takes away our freedom to make informed decisions about our health and the health of our loved ones.”

Think about that. The Surgeon General thinks if you have access to uncensored information, it takes away your freedom. Only in a dystopian 1984 society does an assertion like that make any sense.

In the same month, Politico reported, “Biden allied groups, including the Democratic National Committee, are also planning to engage fact-checkers more aggressively and work with SMS carriers to dispel misinformation about vaccines that is sent over social media and text messages.” This means government authorities might “fact-check” future private text messages between you and your friends. Imagine being in the middle of a phone call with a friend, and the government cuts off your call because the two of you are discussing “disinformation.” Most people would be outraged. Yet, that’s exactly what the government is doing with this social media disinformation censorship campaign.

All this is a threat to human freedom and liberty. In an age when social media dominates public discourse, access to these platforms is vital to get a message out. Don’t believe me? Try getting your message out to a large audience without using Facebook, Twitter, Google, Apple, Amazon, YouTube, or Netflix. It’s nearly impossible. If they can de-platform the sitting President of the United States (which they did to Donald Trump), then they can de-platform you as well.

We now live in a world where the largest technology firms have more power than most totalitarian governments had in bygone eras. Since the police power of government rules over these Big Tech companies, that means governments around the world are now more powerful than they’ve ever been. The power and reach of Big Tech is global in nature, and they’ve shown their willingness to use this power to silence you.

In 2021, Big Tech continued to cancel people and organizations deemed “dangerous” or not sufficiently “woke.” YouTube channels were demonized, demonetized, and shut down. Twitter and Facebook accounts were suspended. Hosting companies dropped websites, and businesses were frozen out of using PayPal, Visa, and MasterCard.

As technology continues to advance, every aspect of human life becomes reliant on and intertwined with digital payments and the Internet. If access to those utilities is cut off, an individual’s ability to participate in modern-day society is also cut off. This means large corporations (and governments by default) can cut you off from society for any reason. And they can do so without due process, a trial, or the ability to defend yourself. If large corporations “cancel” you and refuse to provide you with basic services, how can you exist in the modern world? You can’t. At least, not as effectively as before. Big Tech now has the power to cancel people. The power of Big Tech sets the stage for the Antichrist to control all buy/sell transactions on the planet (Revelation 13:17) and to determine at his whim who can or cannot participate in modern society.

2) The Broken Global Supply Chain

The spread of COVID-19 in early 2020 marked the beginning of a global supply chain crisis. That crisis continued throughout all of 2021. The most recent example of the broken supply chain showed up in the form of shipping problems at U.S. ports. For example, on November 11, a record 111 container ships were anchored off the coast of two California ports. This broke the previous record set just 20 days earlier.

In response, Joe Biden promised to strengthen the resiliency of the supply chain by moving to 24/7 operations at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. He was concerned about the Christmas shopping season and public opinion in an era of product shortages and rising inflation. But this is a much more complex issue. The problems involving bottlenecks in these ports are a symptom of a larger systemic breakdown – a breakdown that threatens to collapse the entire global economic system.

Despite the optimistic forecasts of politicians, the broken supply chain didn’t repair itself in 2021, and it won’t be fixed in 2022 either. 24/7 port operations won’t fix the problem. Containers cover every square inch of the ports in Los Angeles and Long Beach. Before new containers can be offloaded from ships, trucks and trains need to move the existing containers to new locations. The nationwide shortage of truck drivers makes that a tall order. In 2021, the problem wasn’t confined to California ports alone. Supply chain problems and shortages plagued almost every industry and factory in the world, covering a wide range of products such as bacon, semiconductors, toilet paper, aluminum, pet food, juice boxes, and a host of other items.

When COVID first struck, the global economy came to an abrupt halt. In 2021, we experienced the trauma from that high-speed crash – and the damage was massive. The sudden collapse in global demand led to negative oil futures prices in April 2020. This caused energy producers around the world to cap production. Demand returned in 2021, and producers couldn’t simply increase production overnight. As a result, demand increased much faster than supply.

Natural gas prices in Europe tripled in five months. European natural gas is now ten times more expensive than in the United States. European natural gas storage capacity is at a historically low level going into the winter months. Meanwhile, much of Europe is now hostage to Vladimir Putin as they’ve allowed themselves to become dependent on Russian energy supplies. In China, coal (which generates 50% of the nation’s electricity) is becoming harder and harder to source. These higher energy prices mean higher costs for businesses and consumers. It also means energy shortages and rolling blackouts. These energy disruptions then result in additional production shutdowns and manufacturing bottlenecks, further compounding global supply chain problems. And that’s where we find ourselves at the end of 2021.

3) Loss of Liberty

If you love freedom and liberty, 2021 was not your year. Many Western nations that traditionally espouse individual freedom and liberty either took steps down the road to totalitarianism or transformed into outright police states. While the list of such nations is long (United States, United Kingdom, France, Canada, New Zealand, etc.), none provides a better example of this transformation than Australia.

In 2021, Australia descended into a police state. In September, the government of South Australia rolled out a new app requiring citizens to take a photo of themselves and report their location on demand within 15 minutes of a government request. Also in September, Australian MP Daniel Andrews vowed to “lock out” the unvaccinated in regard to medical care and conducting commerce. Also in 2021, “Centres for National Resilience” appeared in Australia. These are quarantine centers that could be more accurately labeled as prisons. Those who test positive for COVID (as well as any of their “close contacts”) are rounded up and forcibly confined to these camps. Earlier this month, three teenagers escaped from one of these facilities. Their escape launched a full-blown manhunt complete with roadblocks and police officers randomly searching vehicles. Barring a revolutionary pushback, Australia is lost.

Austria isn’t far behind. In November, the European nation announced mandatory vaccinations. Germany quickly stated its intent to follow in Austria’s footsteps. In countries around the world, society is singling out the unvaccinated for punishment. In addition to vaccine mandates, many nations, states, and cities have implemented vaccine passport systems. Those who refuse the COVID vaccines face potential loss of jobs, healthcare, freedom of movement, and liberty in general. The purpose is to ostracize the unvaccinated from society – to apply maximum pressure and coerce the unvaccinated into compliance.

Does any of this sound familiar? It should. The Book of Revelation describes a similar system whereby the people of the world are forced to receive a mark on their right hand or forehead. Those who refuse to comply will be unable to buy or sell. They’ll effectively be cut off from society. Vaccine mandates and passports create the same type of system. They create a social system enabling the mark of the beast. I don’t believe vaccine passports are the mark of the beast. However, if they are allowed to stand, they will create a system indistinguishable from the actual mark of the beast. This will pave the way for the rise of the Antichrist and a global dictatorship.

What to Look for in 2022

Hopefully, Jesus will return in the last few days of 2021. But regardless, expect these same trends to continue in 2022. Look for Big Tech to continue its crackdown on any ideas that run counter to the official government narrative. Look for global supply chain problems to get worse. Most of all, look for governments around the world to use every new COVID variant as a convenient excuse to trample freedom and liberty and seize ever greater amounts of power.

Combine these developments with countless others foretold in the Bible, and we can know the rapture, the Tribulation, and the Second Coming are now closer than they’ve ever been before. This is why the #1 event you should focus on in 2022 is the return of our Savior. As we enter a new year, all the signs tell us “Jesus is coming!”

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Britt Gillette is author of the free ebook Coming to Jesus as well as the books Signs of the Second Coming, Racing Toward Armageddon, and The End Times. Receive his book 7 Signs of the End Times for free when you sign up for his monthly newsletter.