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ThyKingCome
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 The Astonishing Cost of Christmas - Richard & Dorothy Bennett

“Joy to the world” is the glad refrain that echoes
from many a Christian heart and home at
Christmastime! Our hearts are full of joy when we
read the announcement of an angel who exclaimed:
“I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall
be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the
city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord”
Luke 2: 10,11. Such joy was initiated when the God of
Creation and the God of Eternity stepped into time
and space. John Wesley expressed it this way: “God
contracted to a span; incomprehensibly made Man .
. . and we the life of God shall know; for God is
manifest below.”

Jesus was born on that joyful day! Therefore, when
the Wise Men from the East came to Jerusalem
looking for: “He that was born King of the Jews,”
(Matthew 2:2) Herod, in his throne-lust, “was troubled
when told of a Governor, that shall rule My people
Israel.” Satan had to take care of baby Jesus before
our Savior reached manhood. Inspired by Satan,
Herod deceived the Magi in a pretense of false
worship. However, through a heavenly warning, they
were redirected in their journeying which resulted in
Herod’s fury to kill, “all children from two years old
and under.”

So, even on that first Christmas day, the song of joy
was muted by a sob of heartbreak: (Matthew 2: 17,18)
“Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by
Jeremiah the Prophet, saying, in Ramah was there a
voice heard, lamentations, weeping, and great
mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and
would not be comforted, because they are not”

The Astonishing Cost around Seth –

Such a blood-thirsty attempt of Satan to destroy the Seed
Royal was not initiated at Bethlehem; it began in
the Garden of Eden. There, the crowning jewels of
all God’s created universe, Adam and Eve, were
created “in the image of God” Genesis 1:27.

Accordingly, they were clothed with the pristine
glory and holiness of their Creator. This posed an
immediate threat to Satan. His ambition is recorded
in Isaiah 14:13,14: “I will ascend into heaven, I will
exalt my name above the stars of God. . . I will be
like the most High.” Such an unholy ambition was
now in jeopardy. So, Satan projected his prideful
ambition and tempted Adam and Eve. “You shall be
as gods, knowing good and evil” Genesis 3:5.
Immediately, Eve succumbed to that vile temptation
and was stripped of the glory of God, and with
Adam, became shamefully conscious of nakedness.
The glory was gone!

Satan had appeared to have won but, God declared:
“I will put enmity between thee and the woman,
between thy seed and her seed [yes the battle lines were
drawn] and thou [the Seed of the woman: Jesus] shall
bruise his head [Satan’s head] and he [Satan] shall
bruise his heel [At the cross Jesus was knocked down but
not knocked out!]. So from the day that Satan’s doom
was pronounced, he launched a blood-thirsty
agenda to destroy any link in the Royal lineage
through which the Great Emancipator of mankind
would be born.

Jesus said of Satan: “he was a murderer from the
beginning” John 8:44. Because Abel’s offering to God
was accepted and Cain’s was rejected; thinking he
had forfeited his birthright, Cain killed his brother
Abel. The Apostle John wrote: “Not as Cain who
was of that wicked one who killed his brother” 1John
3:16. However, God triumphed as He always does!
Adam and Eve had another son whose name was,
Seth. He was now the progenitor of the Seed Royal.

As recorded throughout the Old Testament which
traces, “the Seed of the woman” through which
Jesus would be born, Satan relentlessly pursued his
blood-thirsty attempts which are all part of:
The Astonishing Cost of Christmas!

The Astonishing Cost around the Hebrew
race –

“Now there arose a new King over Egypt which
knew not Joseph” Exodus 1:8. Satan’s inspired
hatred endeavored to destroy the entire Hebrew
race. This included the Seed Royal, by ordering the
midwives: “If it be a son, then kill him” Exodus 1:16.
But the life of Moses, a deliverer, was miraculously
preserved by the Lord!

The Astonishing Cost around King David –

Jesus Christ our Lord, was: “The seed of David
according to the flesh” Romans 1:3. Therefore, in a
further miserable attempt to destroy the Seed Royal,
Satan inspired attacks on David’s life. Let us ask:
Who controlled the hand of Saul (a ready
accomplice of Satan with similar throne lust) when
he hurled a javelin at David? Saul missed; so did
Satan; God triumphed!

The Astonishing Cost around Jehoram -

Through David, and then Solomon, the Seed Royal
was eventually passed to another family. This was
the family of: “Jehoram [who] strengthened himself
and slew all his brethren.” Another blood-thirsty
attempt at David’s family to be eliminated failed.
That is, all except Jehoram. The preservation of the
Royal line of God’s promised Deliverer hung on the
fragile thread of one man!

The Astonishing Cost around Joash –

Jehoram left many sons as legal successors to his throne.
Enter Athaliah! A wicked grandmother who, incited
by Satan, also had throne-lust and we read:
“destroyed all the Seed Royal.” Yes, she even killed
her grandchildren! But God triumphed again for,
“Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the king, took Joash
the son of Ahaziah . . . and hid him from Athaliah so
that she slewed him not” 2 Chronicles 22:11,12. The Seed
Royal was miraculously preserved!

At last came that first Christmas! All of Satan’s
blood-thirsty attempts to abort the birth of Jesus had
failed and we read: “unto us a child is born, a Son is
given and the government shall be upon His
shoulders” Isaiah 9:6. The oft overlooked significance
of Christmas is found in Hebrews 2:14 “For as much
then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood
He also Himself likewise took part of the
same that through death He might destroy him who
had the power of death, that is, the devil.”

When talking to His disciples, the Lord Jesus said “I
beheld Satan as lightening fall from heaven” Luke
10:18. Today, because of the “Finished Work” of our
Lord Jesus Christ, Satan’s ambition to, “be like the
most High in heaven” is totally nullified!

Present-day Crisis – Satan, as the “god of this
world” still has a blood-thirsty attempt to sabotage
the possibility of the “Kingdoms of this world
becoming the Kingdoms of our Lord and of His
Christ,” and is amassing and organizing world-wide
hatred against little Israel. The only explanation for
the growing anti-Semitism in the nations and even
in the Church, is that Satan is organizing his forces
for world dominance through the anti-Christ.

Yes! There must be a nation called “Israel” with a
capital called “Jerusalem” from which the Lord will
sway the scepter of universal empire. (Zechariah 14:4)
Every attempt of Satan to thwart Jesus reigning as
Lord on planet earth is doomed to ultimate failure.
Hallelujah!! (Revelation 19: 11-16):

“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a
white horse; and He that sat upon him was called
Faithful and True, and on His thigh a name written:
KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

Exactly 60 years ago, at an extended college chapel service, the late Dr. Howard Ferrin addressed the student body on an unusual theme of Christmas. I was greatly blessed. A few years later, it was our joy to entertain Dr. Ferrin and his wife, Evelyn, in our home in
England. Dr. Ferrin urged me to personalize this message and to make it available to British radio listeners.

This Christmas, Dorothy and I have personalized, systematized and amplified this message to be relevant to the current cosmic confusion.

We gladly send this message with the prayer that the explosive number of people around the world who are accessing our website: www.ccim-media.com will be alerted to Satan’s strategies at this present time and be greatly encouraged to read the end of the story from the Bible!

Please duplicate, download and widely disseminate this article to your own circle of friends and acquaintances: The days demand it; the Savior commands it; the Holy Spirit enables it!

- Richard and Dorothy Bennett


_________________
Brother Kevin

 2012/11/30 13:49Profile





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