Star of Bethlehem

Psalm 19:1-2 NLT – 1 For the choir director: A psalm of David. The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. 2 Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known.

The heavens declare God’s glory.  Have you ever thought about that?  We can see the visible qualities of our invisible God by seeing everything he has created.  The Bible is a remarkable book in that is tells the story of creation from the beginning of the world (Genesis) to Jesus’s return to judge the earth (Revelation).  God desires a relationship with us, but not like some distant 3rd cousin once removed, he wants an intimate, close relationship with you.  We are called the bride of Christ (2 Corinthians 11:2)!

But there is a problem with humans; we sin.  God is holy and he cannot be in the presence of sin.  Sin is anything we do apart from God, it is our independence and love for other things above God that he calls adultery.  We are separated from God by our sins.  Don’t fool yourself by saying that you don’t sin or that you are a good person.  No one is truly good.  Measure yourself by the Ten Commandments – how did you do?  If you break even one of the commandments you are guilty of breaking them all (James 2:10).  God is passionate about you, that is why in his great love for us, he sent Jesus to earth 2000 years ago to accomplish the purpose of the law.  He came to pay for the sins of humanity by dying on the cross. 

What is remarkable about the Bible and Jesus’ coming, is that there are Old Testament prophets that foretold of it.  There are many specific prophecies related to Christ’s coming, his ministry, his death, etc.  These prophecies have been fulfilled exactly as they were foretold 100’s of years before they happened.  If you want to learn more, you can go to this link, Prophecies of Christ!

The Heavens Declare….

This Monday there is a conjunction between two planets, Saturn & Jupiter.  This is a big deal because there hasn’t been a conjunction like this in 800 years.  This is very similar to the Star of Bethlehem that the wise men saw and traveled many miles to see the baby Jesus, the newly born King of the Jews.  Why did the Wiseman travel?  It wasn’t just the stars, but the placement in the sky that told them that the Christ was born.  At Jesus’ birth it was the conjunction of the bright morning star (Venus) and the king planet (Jupiter).  The placement of the moon too told them now is the time.

There is a wonderful documentary that talks about the Star of Bethlehem.  It will leave you speechless in amazement of God’s plan and how everything has and is being orchestrated by our heavenly father.  You can watch the movie for free on YouTube!

Christ is the lion and the lamb, he came first as the lamb lead to slaughter, but he will come back and this time it will be as the lion to judge the earth.  This conjunction on Monday is between Saturn and Jupiter.  The king planet Jupiter, with its crown of Saturn, but it is also being displayed in the constellation of Sagittarius the archer (Jesus is on a horse with a bow in his hands).  With these planets aligning in this constellation it should be taken as a warning of Christ’s return.

Revelation 6:2 NLT – 2 I looked up and saw a white horse standing there. Its rider carried a bow, and a crown was placed on his head. He rode out to win many battles and gain the victory.

The Bible is trustworthy.  God can be trusted to do what he says he will do.  God cannot lie (Titus 1:2, Hebrews 6:18) , he is trustworthy in everything he says and everything he does.  Jesus is coming back and we don’t know the time or hour. 

Revelation 16:15 NLT – 15 “Look, I will come as unexpectedly as a thief! Blessed are all who are watching for me, who keep their clothing ready so they will not have to walk around naked and ashamed.”

Heaven is declaring God’s glory. The stars, the planets, the constellations all tell a story.  God created it all and set it in motion.  We need to understand the signs of the times and be ready for his return.

Question for you?  Are you going to take a risk that what the tells about the end times won’t happen?  That is a terrible gamble to make.

If you are uncertain of where you would go if you died tonight, I assure you that you can be certain. 

God created us because He wants a special relationship with us (Exodus 34:14, Isaiah 30:18, Psalm 24:5, Romans 4:13, Romans 5:11) but it is our sins that have cut us off from God (Isaiah 59:2). God sent Jesus to die for us to bring us back to Him (1 Peter 3:18).  It is a free gift; we can’t work for it (Ephesians 2:8-9).  Jesus died, after 3 days, he was raised from the dead.  He conquered death.  Whoever makes Jesus their Lord will also rise again, conquer death, and live forever (John 3:16).

Jesus is the only way to be saved (John 14:6).  You need to make Him your master (Matthew 7:21, Isaiah 8:11-13, Matthew 6:24).  You need to have faith like a small child (Matthew 18:3).  You need to listen, obey and do what He says (John 3:36), even when you don’t understand or when it’s hard.  (Mark 10:15, 1John 2:5, Romans 2:13).  You will have to get rid of your idols, other gods, other things you serve above God and your fears (Exodus 20:3-5). People will oppose you and be angry at you (Matthew 5:11) and you will have suffering and hardships like Jesus (Matthew 16:24, Mark 10:39).

If you do want to make Him your Lord

1. Say sorry for the wrong you’ve done (Acts 2:38)  

2. Thank Jesus for dying for your sins

3. Tell Him you want Him to be your Lord

4. Ask Him to come live inside you to help you and save you

First thing Jesus asks us to do is to get baptized.  It happens immediately (Acts 2:41) and it is open for everyone who believes with all their heart.  It shows that you were telling the truth and you will do what Jesus says. The bible says that all who believe this message and get baptized will be saved (Mark 16:16), but all who reject this message will be condemned. 

God is lovingly calling you to Him, would you like to make Jesus your Lord and get baptized?

Romans 1:20 NLT – 20 For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities–his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.