When Jesus said in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth and the life", He meant just that. There is NO TRUTH outside of the Word of God, and that is why we are admonished over and over again by the Lord himself and our Heavenly Father, to PROVE ALL THINGS—I Thess.5:21. In this way, we can assure ourselves of fact, truth and protection from deception.
Even in Acts 17:11, the brethren in Berea were called more noble (well born, higher in rank) than those at Thessalonica, for they received the Word of God spoken by Paul and Silas with all readiness of mind. Butwhat did they do to be commended by God this way? It says that they went and SEARCHED THE SCRIPTURES to see if these things were so and THEN they believed. The word searched in the Greek means to literally SCRUTINIZE!! Should not we do the same today as "Disciples" of JesusChrist?
God wants us to try things spoken and witnessed, so that we can prove them by the one and only true test—DOES IT LINE UP WITH THE WORD OF GOD? Not our emotions!! Not our feelings!! Not what we think!! NOT WHAT MEN, MEN, MEN SAY!! Not what the multitudes believe or do!! But what saith the scriptures?!!! We already know that the Lord is not interested in our traditions when we try to apply them to spiritual matters.
Jesus again said in Matthew 15 that our "TRADITIONS" transgress the Word of God. Did you get that in your spirit? How sad, that we as professing Born-Again children of God, go and make the Word of God of none effect. They transgress the Word of God and make it of NONE EFFECT. How can this be? By not observing the Word of God and proving all things.
The sons of Aaron—Nadab and Abihu, were slain in the temple for offering up "STRANGE FIRE" before the Holy Lord God—Nu.3:4 & 26:61. Strange fire is offering something to God that HE has not asked for, does not receive, does not observe and truly becomes DEAD WORKS.
Any wonder why the very first, I repeat, the very FIRST Doctrine of Christ is Repentance from Dead Works? Learn the Oracles of God my brethren and then you will spiritually mature the Bible says and then you will see issues like this totally in the eyes of God. Please note (I Peter 4:10-11 and Hebrew 5:8--6:2 KJV).
Let us now observe some of our traditional thinking here. Man says it is the observance of the Lord's Birthday.
Never in the earthly ministry of our Lord Jesus, did HE ever glorify himself. In fact, when the rich young ruler came asking him about salvation and saying, "Good master, what must I do to be saved", Jesus first responded by saying, "why callest me good? There is one that is good—God." This is found in Matthew 19:17.
The fact is that they brought three gifts—gold, frankincense and myrrh. (Gold for his "diety", Frankincense for the sweet aroma of his brokenness and sacrifice and myrrh for the bitterness of his death). Thus man's interjection again of changing the Bible says, there were three men.
Did they bring these gifts to the manger? You see the depiction in every Bible story, every city park, every church altar. Sad to say, we again do NOT know the truth!! The Bible clearly states and records in scripture in Matthew 2:7-16, that the wise men followed the star for two years and that is why the Bible says they presented the gifts to Jesus in HIS HOUSE as a young child. Jesus was two years old when the men finally arrived.
Have you ever asked yourself again this question? From Acts 2, Pentacost, when men were filled with the Spirit of truth and Born-Again, until the end of the Bible, you will never read anywhere recorded in the Epistles or letters to worship HIS birth, birthday or Christmas. It is NEVER recorded! ONLY to know HIM through the power of the resurrection as the King of a Kingdom!! So why do we do it?
For one, no one studies their Bibles. No one studies the Holy Word of God to see what is truth. They just take things that men teach them and grow up learning lies and false doctrine, then they crucify those like us who speak truth. Is not that what the Pharisees, the religious men who said their father was God in Heaven did? They crucified the Son of God all in the name of God. This is deception my brethren and we must open our eyes. People today just believe lie after lie.
Secondly, Satan wants the emotions of a people on a little innocent child, and not on the resurrected lamb of glory with power and authority—The KING OF KINGS.
Secondly, Luke 2:6-20 states that, "And so it was, that, WHILE they were there in Bethlehem, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered"—Luke 2:6. Now listen carefully. Do you not think that Joseph and Mary knew she was with child and due soon? They did not just show up in Bethlehem, go to an Inn, find no room and go to a dirty, animal shelter, where there was "unclean straw" (if you know what I mean) and have a baby.
The Bible clearly states that they had been there awhile and when the time was accomplished, or fulfilled, she gave birth to her firstborn son, THEN she wrapped him in swaddling clothes and THEN she laid him in a manger, for there was no room for them in the Inn. Notice, NOT AT an Inn, but in the Inn The no room for them in the Inn, was why she laid him in a manger.
Now in the days of Jesus, when a family was poor, the manger was a PART of their house where the families lived and it was the lower part or portion of the house which would represent his humbleness or humility when born into this earth. This manger was usually adjacent to the living quarters of the family and they would keep their domesticated animals there. The manger or trough was usually hewn out of rock (Bakers Encyclopedia of the Bible—Vol.2 page 1392).
"And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn"----Luke 2:7
Every year we have Christmas Plays, Pageants and productions in churches, which are called to be HOLY HOUSES OF GOD. We will fill the air with lies, deception and soulish emotions all fixated on something that has no truth in it. We have this fixed and clear picture in our minds of what "there was no room in the inn" may have meant. If we listen to the Greek text of Luke 2:7, we may see a different scenario for Jesus' birth. After all, is not our whole source of truth to be THE BIBLE and not the leaven, doctrines, dogma and teachings of men? Are we not called to be students of the Word of God like those in Berea in Acts 17? Let us look to the Spirit of truth..
The word "inn" in Luke 2:7 [kataluma], is used again by Luke in 22:11: [7] And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:7 [11] And ye shall say unto the goodman of the house, The Master saith unto thee, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples? Luke 22:11 kataluma, Greek 2646, Strong's kataluma, kat-al'-oo-mah; from Greek 2647 (kataluo); properly a dissolution (breaking up of a journey), i.e. (by implication) a lodging- place :- guestchamber, inn.
The INN (kataluma) is the same exact word as "guestchamber" in Luke 22:11. The very next verse describes this kataluma as "a large room upstairs." [12] And he shall shew you a large upper room furnished: there make ready. [13] And they went, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover. Luke 22:12-13 Now please understand. The guestchamber was the upper room of a house for guests. At the time that the Lord Jesus was to be brought forth, this guestchamber, upstairs, was full, most likely with all of the family relatives. With NO ROOM IN THE INN, Mary had to go down to the "manger" in the lower part of the house and it was here that she put her child who was wrapped in swaddling clothes.
A manger usually hewn out of rock would truly be scripturally based, for our Lord Jesus is the ROCK of our salvation and we are to build our HOUSE on the ROCK for this is where he was laid!! Oh my, Lord bless us with your wisdom.
Knowing that Joseph was returning to his home town of Bethlehem to be counted with his family in the Roman census--Luke 2:1-2, it had to have been Joseph's intention to stay with his family. Since many out-of-town family members would have been arriving at the same time, the guest room [kataluma], upstairs on the roof of the house, was already full. Mary and Joseph found space in the area that comprised the first floor of the house—the manger. Here it was usually warm and would have been comfortable for the birthing. And even though used for domesticated animals and shelter, it would have been clean.
My friends, our Father in Heaven is an orderly and decent Father. If Mary had to wait until AFTER her purification to bring Jesus into the temple to present him to the Father—Luke 2:22, then what makes you think that HE would allow her to give birth in an unclean, dirty, filthy, straw dunged stable? Our Father does NOT break order!! Once again, our modern day "Manger Scene" with animals, hay and straw, three wise men, Joseph, Mary, shepherds and a star over a stable all come from St. Francis of Assisi—A Catholic Monk. Let us all again give thanks to the Catholic church for allowing this lie to enter in.
Perhaps "no room in the inn" was not really a rejection of Jesus Christ but a gracious accommodation in the best circumstances the family could provide. How interesting, also, that in Luke's gospel, while there was "no room in the kataluma" for Jesus on his first night on earth, that is exactly where he spent his last night on earth with his disciples before going to Gethsemane to shed blood for our sin and then to Calvary to shed blood for our sins. He came into the earth lowly and humbled and finished his work high and exalted!! Hallelujah!!
The birthing of a baby was done in all cleanness when possible, and to take a newborn baby and lay him in straw or hay would be extremely dangerous, for the cut straw or hay could get into the face, eyes or body and it was very sharp. Today's depiction is this: An animal stall, hay or straw, animals, Joseph, Mary, baby Jesus in a straw laden crib, Three wise men bowing down and giving gifts with a star hanging over. The truth? NONE OF IT. Amazing isn't it? Can you believe what we depict and believe as truth because of what men say?
Did not Jesus warn his disciples in Matthew 16 about the leaven or teachings of men and the Pharisees? Now can you see why we are called to PROVE ALL THINGS? Believe me, if my baby was being born, there would be no animals or soiled straw present. Well, now that HE is born, we do not know the date, and we have shown you the manger scene and all surrounding untruths. Is your foundation of Christmas beginning to sound confusing? It is because truth is setting you free (prayerfully) and on a straight course. Sometimes our souls do not like being weaned from the doctrines of men, especially when we have believed something for so long.
The question now is what will you men of God do about this? Still set up the pageantry of lies? At least the truth is being spoken and we can now rejoice. As we get into the next area, please do not be offended, for the truth will be spoken and there are just some things WE MUST deal with in the speaking of truth. Let us now begin to look at ALL the particulars of our Season called Christmas.
First, remember where its roots are. In Paganism and all the things they did. We will now see what the pagans worshipped and why. We will also see how that by allowing their rituals into the church belief, the deplorable and wicked spirits came with them. We will see just how much we have been deceived by not knowing truth, but Praise the Lord we are learning. I pray you will come to know that Jesus IS NOT the reason for this season—Satan is! And that is truth!!
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