Month: May 2024

After the wise men were gone, and angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, “Get up! Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother,” the angel said, “Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is goin to search for the child to kill him.”

That night, Joseph left for Egypt with the child and Mary, his mother and they stayed there until Herod’s death. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: “I called My Son out of Egypt.”

Herod was furious when he realized that the wise men had outwitted him. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and younger, based on the wise men’s report of the star’s first appearance. Herod’s brutal action fulfilled what God had spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:

“A cry was heard in Ramah – weeping and great mourning. Rachel weeps for her children, refusing to be comforted, for they are dead.” (vv. 13-18, NLT)

This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, her fiance, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.

As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David, ” the angel said, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived y the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.'”

When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus. (vv. 18-25, NLT)

The Lord of Heaven’s Armies says,” The day of judgment is coming, burning like a furnace. On that day the arrogant and the wicked will be burned up like straw. They will be consumed – roots, branches, and all.

But for you who fear My name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in His wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture. On the day when I act, you will tread upon the wicked as if they were dust under your feet,”says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

“Remember to obey the Law of Moses, my servant – all the decrees and regulations that I gave him on Mount Sinai for all Israel.”

“Look, I am sending you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the Lord arrives His preaching will turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise I will come and strike the land with a curse.”

“Then those who feared the Lord spoke with each other, and the Lord listened to they said. In His presence, a scroll of remembrance was written to record the names of those who feared Him and always thought about the honor of His name.

‘They will be My people,’ says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. ‘On that day when I act in judgment, they will be My own special treasure. I will spare them as a father spares an obedient child. Then you will again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and who do not.” (vv 16-18, NLT)

“Look, I am sending my messenger, and He will prepare the way for Me. Then the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to His Temple. The messenger of the covenant, whom you look for so eagerly, is surely coming.” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

“But who will be able to endure it when He comes? Who will be able to stand and face Him when He appears? For He will be like a blazing fire that refines metal, or like a strong soap that bleaches clothe. He will sit like a refiner of silver, burning away all the dross. He will purify the Levites, refining them like gold and silver, so that they may once again offer acceptable sacrifices to the Lord. Then once more the Lord will accept the offerings brought to Him by the people of Judah and Jerusalem.”

“At that time I will put you on trial. I am eager to witness against all sorcerers and adulterers and liars. I will speak against those who cheat employees of their wages, who oppress the widows and orphans, or who deprive the foreigners living among you of justice, for those people do not fear me,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. (vv. 1-5, NLT)

“The purpose of My covenant with the Levites was to bring life and peace, and that is what I gave them. This is required reverence fro them, and they greatly revered Me and stood in awe of My name. They passed on to the people the truth of the instructions they received form Me. They did not lie or cheat; they walked with Me, living good and righteous lives, and they turned many from lives of sin.

The words of the priest’s lips should preserve knowledge of God, and the people should to to them for instruction, for the priests is the messenger of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. But you priests have left God’s paths. Your instructions have caused may to stumble into sin. You have corrupted the covenant I made with the Levites,” says the Lord. “So I have made you despised and humiliated ion the eyes of all the people. For you have not obeyed Me but haven shown favoritism in the way you carry out My instructions.” (vv. 5-9, NLT)

“This is the message that the Lord gave to Israel through the prophet Malachi.

‘I have always loved you,’ says the Lord. But you retort, ‘Really? How have You loved us?’

And the Lord replies, ‘This is how I showed My love for you: I loved your ancestor, Jacob, but I rejected his brother, Esaus, and devastated his hill country. I turned Esau’s inheritance into a desert for jackals.’

Esau’s descendants in Edom my say,’We have been shattered, but we will rebuild the ruins.’

But the Lord of Heaven’s Armies replies,’They may try to rebuild, but I will demolish them again. Their country will be known as ‘The Land of Wickedness’, and their people will be called, ‘The People with Whom the Lord is Forever Angry.’ When you see the destruction of yourselves, you will say, ‘Truly, the Lord’s greatness reaches far beyond Israel’s borders.!”’ (vv. 1-5, NLT)

“The the Lord will go out to fight against those nations, as he has fought in times past. On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem. And the Mount of Olives it will split apart, making a wide valley running from east to west. You will flee through this valley, for it will reach across to Azal. Yes you will flee as you did from the earthquake in the days of King Uzziah of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come and all His holy ones with him.

On that day that day the sources of light will no longer shine, yet there will be continuous day! Only the Lord knows how this could happen. There will be no normal day and night, for at evening time it will still be light.

On that day life0-giving waters will flow out from Jerusalem, half toward the Dead Sea and half toward the Mediterranean, flowing continuously both in summer and winter.

And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day there will be one Lord – His name alone will be worshiped.” (vv.3-9, NLT)

“Ask the Lord for rain in the spring, for He makes the storm clouds. And He will send showers of rain so every field becomes a lush pasture. Household gods give worthless advice, fortune-tellers predict only lies, and interpreters of drams pronounce falsehoods that give no comfort. So my people are wandering like lost sheep; they are attacked because they have no shepherd.

My anger burns agains your shepherds, and I will punish these leaders. For the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has arrived to look after Judah, His flock. He will make them strong and glorious, like a proud warhorse in battle. From Judah will come the cornerstone, the tent peg, the bow for battle, and all the rulers. They will be like mighty warriors in battle, trampling their enemies in the mud under their feet. Since the Lord is with them as they fight, they will overthrow even the enemy’s horsemen.” (vv. 1-6, NLT)

“By My power, I will make my people strong and by My authority they will go wherever they wish. I, the Lord, have spoken!” (v. 12, NLT)

“Rejoice O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your King is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet He is humble and riding on a donkey’s colt. I will remove the battle chariots from Israel and the warhorses from Jerusalem. I will destroy all the weapons used in battle, and your King will bring peace to the nations.

His realm will stretch from sea to sea and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth. Because of the covenant I made with you, sealed with blood, I will free your prisoners from the death in a waterless dungeon. Come back to the place of safety, all you prisoners who still have hope! I promise this very day that I will repay two blessings for each of your own troubles.

Judah is My bow, and Israel is My arrow. Jerusalem is My sword, and like a warrior, I will brandish it against the Greeks.” (vv. 9-13, NLT)