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| Corp-mesaj (pentru a fi introdus): | Corp-mesaj (pentru a fi introdus): |
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| − | 62 fhe WATCHTOWER.
| + | casa lui David printr-o altă linie decât cea a soțului ei, Iosif, un alt motiv pentru care ea trebuia să meargă acolo. Dar mai presus de toate, Domnul i-a îndrumat acolo pentru că era o parte din planul său.}} |
| − | house of David through another line than that of her
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| − | husband Joseph, which was another reason why she
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| − | should go there. But above all, the Lord directed them
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| − | there because it was a part of his arrangement.
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| − | At that time there were no means of easy and rapid
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| − | transit. It was a long journey, a tedious and tiresome
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| − | one. Joseph, with his espoused scated upon an ass,
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| − | journeyed through the hills along the Jordan prob-
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| − | ably for three days, and late in the evening reached
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| − | the city of Bethlehem. The city was crowded, the
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| − | private homes were full; there was no room for
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| − | them in the inn. (Luke 2:7) Tired, worn, and
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| − | weary from their long journcy, they were jostled by
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| − | the crowd in the narrow streets of the city. Applying
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| − | at various plaecs for lodging, at each place they were
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| − | turned away; until finally they found a location
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| − | where they could sleep in a stall with the cattle. And
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| − | they retired for the night’s repose.
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| − | Over the brow of the hill, in the ficld onee owned
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| − | by Boaz and gleancd by the beautiful Ruth, the faith-
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| − | ful shepherds were watching their sheep. According
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| − | to custom, they had four watches during the night.
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| − | Some would watch while the others slept. The earthly
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| − | stage was now sct. But behold that there was no great
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| − | earthly splendor or show! In truth, the condition of
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| − | poverty of Joscph and his espoused, and the like poor
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| − | condition of the shepherds who were now shortly to
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| − | be used of the Lord, was the only fitting way that we
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| − | should expect the Lord would have it. All the pomp
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| − | and glory of earthly preparation would have been
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| − | but tawdry tinsel, detracting from the glorious things
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| − | that were shortly to follow. Each one of the earthly
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| − | players whom Jehovah had assigned to perform a part
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| − | upon this stage was humble, meck, and possessed of
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| − | faith in the promises of God. In heaven there was
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| − | a host of angels that should participate in the great
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| − | drama; and all the hosts of heaven were witnesses to
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| − | this unparalleled and never-again-to-be-performed
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| − | event.
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| − | On earth it was night, picturing the fact that the
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| − | whole world was lying in darkness and a great light
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| − | was coming into the earth. The time had now arrived
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| − | for the birth of the mighty One, and all the heavenly
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| − | hosts were awake to the importance of the hour.
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| − | Doubtless while others slept, Mary was pondering in
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| − | her heart the great events that had taken place dur-
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| − | ing the few months past; and while she thus medi-
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| − | tated there in the silence of that night, without pain
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| − | and without suffering there was born to her Jesus,
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| − | the Savior of the world. And the shepherds watching
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| − | their sheep in the field were attractcd by the angel of
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| − | the Lord, who came upon them, ‘‘and the glory of
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| − | the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore
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| − | afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for,
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| − | behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which
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| − | shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day,
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| − | in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the
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| − | Lord.’’—-Luke 2: 9-11.
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| − | When this heavenly messenger had finished his
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| − | Brooxzry, N.Y,
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| − | wonderful speech to the astonished shepherds, then
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| − | it was, as if waiting a given signal, the multitudinous
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| − | heavenly host stood forth, and sang the good tidings
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| − | of great joy which ultimately shall be to all people.
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| − | Their song was but the reflex of what had been an-
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| − | nounced. There the swect singers told in words of
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| − | praise of God’s beneficent purpose ultimately to bless
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| − | all the familics of the earth. It was a song of glory
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| − | from heaven, and the hills of Judea echoed the mes-
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| − | sage of peace and good will toward men. And through-
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| − | out the Christian cra this sweet anthem has filled with
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| − | joy the heart of many a sad wanderer; and seemine-
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| − | ly again and again these have heard the song from
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| − | heaven: ‘‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth
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| − | peace, good will toward men.”’
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| − | The world is now entering its darkest period, and
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| − | when mankind reaches the point of extremity, then
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| − | will be God’s opportunity to reveal to all sad hearts
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| − | that the birth of Jesus was the greatest event in his-
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| − | tory to that time; and that shortly this same great
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| − | Jesus, now in glory, will extend the blessings of life,
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| − | liberty and happiness to the whole groaning creation.
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| − | The place of Jesus’ birth was truly according to
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| − | and in fulfilment of the aforequoted propheey of
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| − | Micah, thus showing that God had forcordained and
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| − | prepared the condition for his Son’s birth. (Matt.
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| − | 2:4-6) Jesus was not born on December twenty-fifth,
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| − | as is gencrally supposed; but his birth occurred about
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| − | the first of October. Midwinter (or the month of De-
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| − | cember) would have been a very inopportune time
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| − | for the shepherds to be watching their sheep in the
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| − | fields and sleeping in the open. In addition to this
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| − | circumstantial evidence, all the facts show that the
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| − | birth of Jesus was in October, and that Deecmber
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| − | twenty-fifth, nine months previous to his birth, was
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| − | probably the date of the annunciation as reeorded in
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| − | Luke’s gospel, chapter one, verses thirty and thirty-
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| − | one, where it is written: ‘‘And the angel said unto
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| − | her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with
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| − | God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb,
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| − | and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.”’
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| − | Much has been said and written concerning three
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| − | wise men who journcyed from the east to pay their
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| − | homage to the babe Jesus, born in Bethlehem. Par-
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| − | ticularly at ‘‘Christmas’’ time is attention called to
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| − | this by pictures on cards, and so forth, of the ‘‘wise’’
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| − | men journcying to the west, supposedly being guided
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| − | by the star sent by Jehovah. It has been presumed
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| − | that Jehovah by the star led these wise men to the
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| − | place of Jesus’ birth. The Bible proof shows, how-
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| − | ever, that these wise men were not sent by the Lord
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| − | God, but that they were directed by the great adver-
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| − | sary, the Devil, in his attempt to destroy the babe.
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| − | Whether they knew it or not, these wise men were
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| − | parties to a great conspiracy, originated and carried
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| − | out by the master mind, Satan, the Devil, in his at-
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| − | tempt to destroy the seed promised in God’s covenant
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| − | with Abraham, and who is the great Savior of the
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| − | world,
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