Matthew 1:18-25 ~ (American Standard Version)
18 Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly.
20 Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. 21 She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:
23 "Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel," which means "God is with us."
24 When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home. 25 He had no relations with her until she bore a son, and he named him Jesus.
There is no doubt Jesus lived, was discussed and written about by pagan governments, historical sources and Sanhedrin Council documents. Cornelius Tacitus, a Roman Historian c. 120 AD, affirms the founder of Christianity, a man he calls Chrestus (common misspelling of Christ) was executed by Pilate, the procurator of Judea during the reign of the Roman Emperor Tiberius. Pliny the Younger was the Governor of Bithynia in Asia Minor (AD. 112), was responsible for executing Christians for not worshipping or bowing down to a statue of the Emperor Trajan. Pliny wrote about manipulating their faith enough to trap Christians. In a letter to the Emperor Trajan, he describes how the people on trial for being Christians would sing songs to Christ because he was God. Some time after 70 A.D., Mara Bar-Sarapion, a Syrian philosopher, wrote a letter to his son describing how the Jews executed their King.
People get into a huge muddle about creation, virgin birth and the Holy Spirit. It isn't something I wonder about much, I know after seeing several impossible miracles occur, involving impossible healing, that with God all things are possible.
Genesis 1:1-3
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.
John 1:3,4
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men.
How?
John 1:13
children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.
600 years before Jesus Christ was born, Isaiah told of the Holy Spirit in Jesus:
Isaiah 11:1-4
1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of power,
the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD -
3 and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;
4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
Luke 10:21
At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure."
Ecclesiastes 3:11-15
11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 12 I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. 13 That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God. 14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him.
15 Whatever is has already been,
and what will be has been before;
and God will call the past to account.
May it be as it was almost 2,000 years ago.
Romans 15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
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