The Trumpet Will Sound

“Jesus Christ gave Himself for our sins, that He might rescue us from this present evil world, according to the will of God our Father” (Galatians 1:4).   The gift of Christ is a gift of rescue. This same word “rescue” is used of Joseph being “plucked out” of prison; of Israel’s deliverance from Egypt; of Peter being rescued from prison; and of Paul rescued from an angry mob.  Each one of these examples referred to a bodily removal from danger.  The “Good News” of Jesus, whic

The world had laid in silence for 400 years since the time of Malachi. No new prophets were sent; the people waited and longed for Something, for Hope, for Purpose, for Meaning… but generations came and went and their hope grew weak…    But one starry night, this silence was pierced with a gentle Infant’s cry; God had come to man, clothed in human flesh. Hope had been born! The darkness that had enveloped the earth now gasped in fear. Heaven had touched earth! The plan of red

A common sentiment heard lately is that, the world is in so much pain and turmoil, I don’t dare even think about celebrating Christmas. Many are choosing to “sit in solidarity” with the hopeless and hurting, and in essence are participating in their sorrow, rather than bringing them the Hope of all hopes! Jesus!    We are better off to do as the angels did the night Jesus was born - BURST into the seemingly impenetrable darkness with the message that has changed history. The

There was no room for Jesus in the inn, nor was there room for Him in Herod’s plans, but there WAS a tender acceptance for Him in the heart of Mary, Joseph, Elisabeth and Zechariah, the shepherds, and the wise men. This same question is posed to each and every one of us still today. Do we have room for Him to permanently dwell within our hearts?   What a contrast for The One whose glory FILLS the whole earth, to find no room…  “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whol

God has a sense of humor. It is displayed by bringing the rightful king of the Jews into the world right under the nose of the usurper. Then God used the Wise Men to innocently announce the fact to the tyrant. Just think how many sleepless nights he had! The Lord did the same thing with Moses, drawing him out of the waters of death to be raised right under Pharaoh’s nose in the same palace – the deliverer living under the nose of the slavedriver.   Jesus’ birth was the beginn

Gabriel told Mary regarding Jesus… “He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give to Him the throne of His father David: and He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of His Kingdom there shall be no end” (Luke 2:32,33).   There are a few historical figures who were called “great” by our world.   Alexander the Great was honored because of his brilliant military strategies, yet he warred simply because he coveted the riches

An old man named Simeon, who was “right with God and devout,” was waiting for Christ’s appearing. The book of Daniel had given a timeline and Simeon was watching. When Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple, 40 days after His birth, Simeon “took Him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, ‘Lord, now let your servant depart in peace for my eyes have seen Your Salvation, which You have prepared before the face of all people; a Light of revelation for the Gentiles (natio

This week is Hanukkah, remembering God’s victory over the Greek antichrist who forbid the Jews to worship the true God. For over six years, they hid in mountains and caves to avoid slaughter by this madman who considered himself ‘God.’ A family of Jewish priests gathered a small army and fought back, and God gave them amazing victories. When the time came to rededicate the temple for worship, the historical account says there was only one jar of oil with which to light the Me

This is a season filled with great anticipation! The joy knowing you’ll be seeing family, embracing little ones, and giving gifts that light up a loved one’s face, makes the whole experience even better. Anticipation is such a big part of the coming joy.    Think of the anticipation that gripped the hearts of the wisemen when they saw the star…  “Where is He that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him” (Matthew 2:2). Their

It seems so fitting that a star would guide the magi to the Christ Child, especially since one of His names is the Morning Star… (Matthew 2:1-12) “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I AM the root and descendent of David, the bright Morning Star” (Revelation 22:16).    What exactly is a morning star…? Astronomers have referred to Venus as the morning star because when Venus rises it means the sun will follow very soon thereafter

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons” (Galatians 4:4,5).    God has a timetable that has been intricately woven into the fabric of history. He decides when one chapter ends and another begins. And His timing is always Perfect. When Jesus left the glories of Heaven to enter earth, clothed in human flesh, who would’ve ever thought He

Jesus stood before Pilate, who asked Him, “Are you a king then? Jesus answered, “You have rightly said it, for I am a King. To this end I was born, and for this cause I came into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice” (John 18:37).   Truth is like gravity – it’s truth the world around. There’s no “your truth” and “my truth.” Truth is reality and it has power. The Bible says, “The lip of truth shall be established forev

Prophecy sets the Bible apart from every other book in the world. Its prophetic accuracy is unmatched, detailed, and in the thousands. There were over 20 specific prophecies, fulfilled at Jesus’ birth, that were recorded up to 700 years before He was born: The Virgin Birth (a sinless body) … a moving star (guiding Wise Men) … an Announcer (John the Baptist) … The town (Bethlehem) … the specific location (Tower of the Flock) … flight to Egypt (escaping Herod) … the martyred ba

Jesus was called two names at His birth. The first was ‘Emmanuel,’ meaning ‘God With Us.’ This name told ‘Who’ He really was. The second name told what He would do… “He shall be called JESUS (Jehovah is Salvation) for He shall save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).   Every religion in the world tells people they can save themselves through some form of good works, duty, or ritual. Many try their best but, in their hearts, they know its not good enough. Their conscie

The Virgin Birth was God’s way of preparing a sinless body for Jesus, His perfect Son… “It is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats can take away sin. Wherefore, when He came into the world, He said, ‘Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me… therefore, we are sanctified (made holy) through the offering of the body of Jesus once for all” (Hebrews 10:5-10).   Animals could never pay for the sins of humans, but for centuries the sa

How can one rejoice when they are living under a foreign, cruel ruler-Rome? What is there to rejoice over when taxation had reached such crippling levels that stark poverty and struggle was their daily reality? This was the scene at the time of Jesus’ birth. Yet, in the midst of this darkness a Heavenly message came…   “There were shepherds out in the field keeping watch over their flock by night. And the angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone aro

“And the angel of the Lord said to the shepherds, ‘You will find the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger’” (Luke 2:12). The swaddling clothes were more than a simple comfort, but a wrap given to protect the perfect, ceremonial, sacrificial lambs from blemish. They were then laid in the manger, safe from the hooves of barn animals, and safe from insects that seek to infest the woolly coat and feed on their skin. They were wrapped, protected, and set apart f

Everyone is looking for “a sign” of something to come; good or bad! Students of Bible prophecy are finding that more people are asking them about our state of world events - “Is this a sign? Is Jesus near? Is the end of the world coming soon?” The truth is that God has given many signs to us as gifts - markers that show us where we are on God’s calendar. Sadly, most are ignored as they glibly claim, “No man can know the day or the hour…”    This response is denying THE SIGN o

God alone knows the end from the beginning, but He has chosen to share His plans with us so that we can examine His Word, see that His promises are true, and have hope in this life… “Whatever things were written beforehand, were written for our learning, that we, through patience and comfort of the Scriptures, might have hope” (Romans 15:4).   Hope, for those who know Christ, is not an elusive “maybe” of wishful thinking, but a certainty. Just as true faith is not a leap in t

“And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Highest: for you shall go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways; to give knowledge of salvation unto His people by the remission of their sins, through the tender mercy of our God, whereby the Dayspring from on high has visited us; to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace” (Luke 1:76-79).   It was John the Baptist who was called “the prophet of t