Dear Family and Friends,
Happy Christmas!
THE FORGOTTEN MYSTERY of CHRISTMAS
Christmas is about the birth of Jesus, and it also reveals the miracle of spiritual new birth. But there is something very mysterious here that has been overlooked...
My big question is: Why did little Jesus need to escape King Herod the Great and a slaughter of the innocent children of Bethlehem? What does that gruesome story mean?
I remember asking my school teacher this question 33 years ago, and by her answer I realised there's a mystery in this question. The theme can be seen echoing right through the Bible, but as far as I can tell it doesn't seem to have been properly recognised or explained, not even by theologians!
Revelation 12 is a key passage for understanding the mystery. It describes a baby being born in front of the dragon who waits to devour the child the moment it is born, but there is a miraculous escape which brings much praise to God. This describes the escape that little Jesus made from King Herod the Great who was trying to kill all the children of Bethlehem, but it also speaks to the way our spiritual journey begins if we are 'born again'.
We escape the power of the dragon, or Satan, the devil at the time of spiritual new birth -- if we are able to repent. Repentance means turning away from sin to live in obedience to God. For us this is difficult. It requires faith, and a whole new mindset. But Jesus being perfect, having no sin, he had no need for repentance. So what Jesus did as a baby was purely symbolic. However it was full of meaning.
Jesus' escape from King Herod the Great may be called 'a symbolic act of repentance'. For confirmation God said, "Out of Egypt I called my son." - Mat 2v15. So Jesus re-enacted the ancient exodus which harks back to the birth of the ancient nation of Israel.
The ancient exodus of Israel from slavery in Egypt was also a symbolic act of repentance. Sin is like an enemy, friendly while we remain it's slave, but dangerous when we decide to escape. The desires of the flesh wage war against the desires of the Spirit. Israel was almost destroyed by Pharoah who had an overwhelmingly powerful army, but they were saved by God's miraculous parting of the Red Sea, and God said:
"Israel is my first born son." - Exodus 4v22.
"And all were baptised into Moses in the cloud and in the sea." 1 Cor 10v2.
The birth of Moses was similar as he also had a miraculous escape from death as a baby in a little 'ark'. It was a re-enactment of the escape that Noah made from the flood, as another symbolic picture of the war of repentance through which we escape the power of sin. The theme echoes through the Bible many times and in various ways where events are framed as a type of miracle birth, or a baptism.
Biblical moments of birth occur in one form or another each time a new chapter of biblical history begins, bringing a new covenant, and leading to a time of great fruitfulness while living in right relationship with God. We are called to be fruitful, to multiply and to fill the earth. I explore the pattern and describe it in detail on the Cross2Victory website.
If we put our faith in Jesus and act in repentance we really do escape the power of sin as we are 'born again', becoming children of God and followers of Jesus. The understanding of the Christmas message brings a God given opportunity, so let's join the shepherds of Bethlehem in sharing this good news with everyone. We must put our faith in Jesus and to follow him by acting in repentance to escape the power of sin in our own lives so that we may enjoy new life and have the freedom to serve God as members of his eternal Kingdom.
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Here would be the perfect place to end my letter, but this year I have something else burning in my heart: We are currently seeing new biblical signs of birth. The Revelation 12 sign appeared in our skies recently, in 2017.
I learnt about the Revelation 12 sign of 2017 after having a powerful life changing vision in 2015, in which I recognised that we are on the verge of another biblical moment of birth. I saw Donald Trump as a King Herod figure destined to cause a modern day slaughter of the innocent during WW3, but thankfully given that it is related to birth God always helps his people to escape this kind of calamity. Many lives will be saved.
Having studied biblical moments of birth and by observing the present signs I believe the birth pains of the final generation will come very soon when Donald Trump triggers a major nuclear war between the world's superpowers. A third of the people of the world will die, (Revelation 9v15). This war will be another manifestation of the encounter with the dragon of Revelation 12 which describes the war of repentance.
I had the vision in 2015 and started working immediately to try with God's help to understand and explain the concept of biblical moments of birth. Prophecy always reveals the whole life of Jesus beginning with a biblical moment of birth, and then the door is opened to a new life and a powerful ministry, because birth is never meant to be the end (Mat 24v6-8). Birth is a blessing to God's people.
We will need to move away from the cities when we see a powerful sign in the Modern Nation of Israel. According to the biblical pattern I think Israel will be hit first, probably by Iran, possibly in a nuclear attack. Then according to the pattern we will have about seven weeks or maybe forty days to prepare for WW3. By moving away from the cities before the war we will re-enact the exodus in another symbolic act of repentance.
In ancient times a 'mixed multitude' left Egypt, both Israelites and Egyptians. So if you see these events unfolding in our time lets do everything possible to alert people, including non-christians so that more lives can be saved, because afterwards God promises to pour out his Spirit anew (Joel 2v28).
Most people point out here that we don't know the time of the end. That's true, because death can come at any time. However birth is different. Birth always comes with clear signs and it happens more or less on time. A woman even calculates her due date.
We have many biblical signs of birth and I am working to understand them. I believe that it is God's intension that we do understand.
"It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: But the honour of kings is to search out a matter." - Proverbs 25v2
"Surely God does nothing without revealing it to his servants the prophets." - Amos 3v7.
"Where there is no vision, the people perish:" - Proverbs 29v18.
But when the struggle of birth is successful it means "the end is not yet." - Mat 24v6.
The second coming of Trump is a serious concern, but the end times birth will bring a great awakening and world wide revival. Then according to the biblical pattern a much more powerful ministry will begin, and it will continue for the next few decades during the life time of the final generation as we work to complete the great commission.
Like most prophetic patterns the ministry born out of WW3 should extend even to the third and fourth generation, that is to the great grandchildren of the survivors, before Jesus returns. Later there will be another apostacy, however to those who remain faithful Jesus promises to be with us always, even until the end of the age.
Take courage, Jesus will help us during the birth pains, and then we will enjoy a revival. The ministry to come afterwards will be a great time to be alive.
Have a look at the theme of birth presented on the Cross2Victory website, and please share this post. If this pattern proves true again it means we currently have a great opportunity to alert others and to work together for the greater good so that we may be ready and able to care for each other and as many people as possible. Please pay attention, pray for wisdom, watch Israel and do all that you can when the time comes. We can expect God's blessing.
Merry Christmas and best wishes for the new year,
James Andrews
Cross2Victory
