Luke continues to write the report of what actually took place when Christ Jesus first appeared and became "one of us".......
" After the visitation of the angel Gabriel to Zechariah in the sanctuary of the Temple, the people waiting outside the temple were beginning to wonder what exactly had happened to Zechariah. It was customary in that day for the priest, when he had concluded his duty in the sanctuary, to come out and speak blessings to the people.
The spoken blessings came from Numbers 6:24-26 and was proclaimed to all those who would hear and receive the blessings congregated outside of the Temple area...it went something like this: " The Lord bless you...and may He protect you! May the Lord keep you...and gift you! May the Lord be gracious to you, be kind to you, be merciful to you, and have His favor upon you. May the Lord lift up His countenance and look upon you...giving to you His peace...that you might lead your lives on a path of continual tranquility."
Yet, in this particular scenario, Zechariah had not even came out of the sanctuary yet, being much delayed from Gabriel's visitation. The crowd began to grow restless and wonder......
Until....Zechariah came out....
As Zechariah approached the crowd that had gathered, it became obvious he could not speak. Zechariah did his best to motion with his hands in an almost sign type language, and the crowd quickly perceived Zechariah had experienced some type of vision while performing his duties in the sanctuary...and this vision came from God.
So, when the week ended and Zechariah had completed his duties at the Temple, he simply returned home.
Yet, God's plan was about to unfold.....
For soon after Zechariah had returned home, it became clear....Elizabeth had indeed become pregnant. During the first 5 months of her pregnancy, she chose to remain in seclusion and took time to sort out and to relish this experience, which was considered impossible to even happen.
For many years Elizabeth had no doubt received verbal abuse and cruel remarks said about her...because of her inability to conceive. Yet now, everything had changed! The Lord now completely removed all the disgrace of being barren and could no longer be referred by some as a "wife of no value".
During the 6th month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, the Lord had something else going on...something that would change the whole world...forever! The Lord sent a message during this time to a young girl who was a virgin and lived in a village called Nazareth, in a region within Israel known as Galilee.
And guess who was chosen as the messenger to deliver this message?...Yep, the angel Gabriel!
The young virgin girl's name was Mary, and at that moment in time she was engaged...preparing to marry a man named Joseph, who's Jewish ancestry traced directly to the line of the great King David.
The angel Gabriel greeted Mary and spoke: "Good Morning! The Lord has truly blessed you...for you are adorned with God's beauty, both inside and out! The Lord is totally with you!
{NOTE: Did you ever wonder what Gabriel thought on how to greet people without scaring them?? Had to be tough to do. lol}
Upon hearing these words form the angel Gabriel, Mary was somewhat initially confused, a little disturbed as to "where Gabriel was going with this", and perhaps afraid of the appearance of Gabriel himself ( other Scriptures indicate he looked much like a man).
Gabriel then continued: " Mary, I assure you, you have nothing to fear. You have found great favor in His eyes, and He is about to surprise you!...a surprise that will be spoken of...forever!
For the time has come for you to conceive, and give birth to a son, and you are to call His name "Jesus". He will become very great and be known as: "the Son of the Most Highest". He will become king...as his ancestor David, and will rule the people of Israel...forever!...and, His Kingdom will have no end!"
Mary then spoke up and asked: "Wait! How can this happen? I am not married quite yet, and I have had no intimacy with Joseph?" The angel Gabriel then replied: " The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the Most High will overshadow and hover over you, much like a shining cloud. The child that comes from your womb will be holy...not born in sin. For you see, this child is the...very Son of God!
And, I must tell you something else! You are not alone in this Divine pregnancy you are about to have, for your very cousin, Elizabeth, although advanced beyond her years, has also conceived...and will soon give birth to a son, for she is already in her 6th month of pregnancy! For you see Mary, God has a Divine Plan, and nothing...nothing is impossible when you accept His plans and they are put in place...into your very life."
Mary responded to Gabriel saying: "My heart...my life...all of me belongs to the Lord! I believe in the words you have told me....and let these things happen...just as you have spoken!"
Gabriel then left.....
{NOTE: I am so glad Mary did not respond like Zechariah..."Really?...."}
Oh...by the way...some historians think this whole story was told to Luke...by Mary herself......
" After the visitation of the angel Gabriel to Zechariah in the sanctuary of the Temple, the people waiting outside the temple were beginning to wonder what exactly had happened to Zechariah. It was customary in that day for the priest, when he had concluded his duty in the sanctuary, to come out and speak blessings to the people.
The spoken blessings came from Numbers 6:24-26 and was proclaimed to all those who would hear and receive the blessings congregated outside of the Temple area...it went something like this: " The Lord bless you...and may He protect you! May the Lord keep you...and gift you! May the Lord be gracious to you, be kind to you, be merciful to you, and have His favor upon you. May the Lord lift up His countenance and look upon you...giving to you His peace...that you might lead your lives on a path of continual tranquility."
Yet, in this particular scenario, Zechariah had not even came out of the sanctuary yet, being much delayed from Gabriel's visitation. The crowd began to grow restless and wonder......
Until....Zechariah came out....
As Zechariah approached the crowd that had gathered, it became obvious he could not speak. Zechariah did his best to motion with his hands in an almost sign type language, and the crowd quickly perceived Zechariah had experienced some type of vision while performing his duties in the sanctuary...and this vision came from God.
So, when the week ended and Zechariah had completed his duties at the Temple, he simply returned home.
Yet, God's plan was about to unfold.....
For soon after Zechariah had returned home, it became clear....Elizabeth had indeed become pregnant. During the first 5 months of her pregnancy, she chose to remain in seclusion and took time to sort out and to relish this experience, which was considered impossible to even happen.
For many years Elizabeth had no doubt received verbal abuse and cruel remarks said about her...because of her inability to conceive. Yet now, everything had changed! The Lord now completely removed all the disgrace of being barren and could no longer be referred by some as a "wife of no value".
During the 6th month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, the Lord had something else going on...something that would change the whole world...forever! The Lord sent a message during this time to a young girl who was a virgin and lived in a village called Nazareth, in a region within Israel known as Galilee.
And guess who was chosen as the messenger to deliver this message?...Yep, the angel Gabriel!
The young virgin girl's name was Mary, and at that moment in time she was engaged...preparing to marry a man named Joseph, who's Jewish ancestry traced directly to the line of the great King David.
The angel Gabriel greeted Mary and spoke: "Good Morning! The Lord has truly blessed you...for you are adorned with God's beauty, both inside and out! The Lord is totally with you!
{NOTE: Did you ever wonder what Gabriel thought on how to greet people without scaring them?? Had to be tough to do. lol}
Gabriel then continued: " Mary, I assure you, you have nothing to fear. You have found great favor in His eyes, and He is about to surprise you!...a surprise that will be spoken of...forever!
For the time has come for you to conceive, and give birth to a son, and you are to call His name "Jesus". He will become very great and be known as: "the Son of the Most Highest". He will become king...as his ancestor David, and will rule the people of Israel...forever!...and, His Kingdom will have no end!"
Mary then spoke up and asked: "Wait! How can this happen? I am not married quite yet, and I have had no intimacy with Joseph?" The angel Gabriel then replied: " The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the Most High will overshadow and hover over you, much like a shining cloud. The child that comes from your womb will be holy...not born in sin. For you see, this child is the...very Son of God!
And, I must tell you something else! You are not alone in this Divine pregnancy you are about to have, for your very cousin, Elizabeth, although advanced beyond her years, has also conceived...and will soon give birth to a son, for she is already in her 6th month of pregnancy! For you see Mary, God has a Divine Plan, and nothing...nothing is impossible when you accept His plans and they are put in place...into your very life."
Mary responded to Gabriel saying: "My heart...my life...all of me belongs to the Lord! I believe in the words you have told me....and let these things happen...just as you have spoken!"
Gabriel then left.....
{NOTE: I am so glad Mary did not respond like Zechariah..."Really?...."}
Oh...by the way...some historians think this whole story was told to Luke...by Mary herself......
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