15. #PeaceOnEarthGoodWillTowardMen

"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men". (Luke 2:13-14)

The first coming of Jesus. Foretold by the prophets of old. A very quiet birth of a baby boy in a small town called Bethlehem; and yet a very spectacular event for the shepherds who heard and saw the multitude of angels proclaiming His birth.

The prophesies regarding the birth, life, death and return of our Messiah/Jesus abound in the Old Testament Scriptures. Here are but a few:

Foretelling his virgin birth:

"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)

In the New Testament gospel of Mathew, an Angel appears to Joseph (the man who was betrothed to Mary) and tells him to go ahead with the marriage in spite of her being pregnant without him. The angel explains that she is with child by the Holy Spirit and that he is to name the child Jesus (which means God is salvation; to save, to rescue). The Scripture continues...

"Now all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet saying, 'Behold a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us." (Mathew 1:18-25)

It was foretold the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem:

"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from old from ancient times." (Micah 5:2)

The prophets told us there would be a messenger proclaiming and preparing the way for the Lord (John the Baptist).

"The voice of him that cries in the wilderness, Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God." (Isaiah 40:3)

"Behold I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom you seek, shall suddenly come to his temple." (Malachi 3:1)

This was fulfilled:

 "In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.' This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:

'A voice of one calling in the wilderness, Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him." (Mathew 3:1-3)

The Messiah will enter Jerusalem riding on a donkey.

"Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey." (Zechariah 9:9)

In Mathew 21:6-1, we read that this indeed happened:

"The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on.  A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,

“Hosanna to the Son of David!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”

 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

The next verses - some written1,000 years before Jesus was born. Foretell that the Messiah would be despised, rejected, crucified and killed.

"My God, my God why have you forsaken me?...I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: My heart is like wax; it is melted in the midsts of my bowels. My strength is dried up like a potsherd: and my tongue cleaves to my jaws: and thou hast brought me into the dust of death. For dogs have compassed me: The assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: THEY PIERCE MY HANDS AND MY FEET. I may tell all my bones: they look and stare at me. They part my garments among them, and casts lots for my clothing." (Psalms 22:1-14-18)

Jesus uttered these exact words on the cross where his side was pierced and blood and water came out. That he was thirsty (they gave him vinegar to drink) and men casts lots for his clothing. (Mathew 27:34-35,46)

This is just a drop in the bucket of the many, many verses foretelling the life and death of Jesus. It is amazing how accurate the ancient prophets were in describing in detail the events that actually happened. In the "Watch" blogs we saw that these men of old were incredibly accurate regarding our Earth and the times we are currently living in. In this blog, we see once again, the miraculous prophecies these men envisioned regarding the Messiah.

But where is the Peace? The Goodwill? Since Jesus went back up to heaven, everything seemed to stay the same. Jesus did not deliver Israel from the control of the Romans. Man is still anxious and full of sin. So what was the point? What, if anything did the world gain?

Why was the birth, life and death of Jesus so important to the ancient prophets? Why do we celebrate the birth of Jesus. Who was he? And why do we seem to glorify his death?

2000 years later a young girl spending Christmas in a cabin in Truckee California pondered these very questions. It was midnight on a brisk Christmas Eve and my family was sound asleep. So just like a kid trying to spy out Santa, I tiptoed downstairs went outside and looked up. The stars were brightly shining and it was so quiet. Surely of all nights, this was the night to find him. No, not Santa...God. I rarely prayed, but tonight I did. I prayed to find Him. To give me a sign. You know, like a huge Star shining in the East or even a meteor would have been kind of cool. Nothing. Still, crisp, quiet. No Santa, no God - no miracles.

Years, years later. Not on Christmas, in a Star or in a Sign, I found Him or He found me?... But I digress.

Before we spend time looking into exactly why Jesus came, suffered and died, and what it means to this world and to us, I would just like to share a few more Old Testament Bible verses regarding our Savior.

"Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget you. Behold I have graven you upon the palms of my hands..." (Isaiah 49:15)

"And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn." (Zechariah 12:10)

"And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in your hands? Then he shall answer, those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends." (Zechariah 13:6)

He was despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him, he was despised and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken smitten of God and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our sins; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed." (Isaiah 53:5)

"Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he has put him to grief: when thou shall make his soul an offering for sin... my righteous servant justifies many; for he shall bear their iniquities." (Isaiah 53:10,11)

In the first coming of Jesus, he was born to die. Sounds so awful, so grievous - and it was - for Him. But he was faithful in His obedience. Knowing that His sacrifice would ransom us all from the curse of sin by our faith in what he accomplished on that cross. The night of Jesus' birth the Angels were proclaiming God's outrageous Goodwill to man by sending us his only Son and the Peace that God sent through faith in his Son is a peace that passes all understanding in the hearts and souls of them who believe.

All this was accomplished during His first coming.

When Jesus returns, He will establish Himself as King and the whole world will be at

PEACE - at last....

"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. 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 judgement and with justice from henceforth even forever....." (Isaiah 9:6-7)