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Hey there everybody, here we are again.

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This is going to be our Christmas episode.

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I'm Scott Durfey, I've got Uncle David here as always.

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This has just been a wonderful experience, Dave, as we've gone through the last several

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months.

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We're doing this endeavor, this project at Easter, and here it is Christmas.

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There seems to be some appropriateness there.

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We started it on Easter, maybe we should end it on Christmas, huh?

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Yeah, I think in the end.

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The beginning and the end.

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Make the beginning the end that way though.

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The book ends.

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But anyway, Scott, it's such a great time of the year and to have the Christmas songs

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we sing.

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I wish there was a little more Christ-centered songs on some of the television shows I'm

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watching.

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It just seems to me, and I may be totally wrong about this, but it just seems to me that some

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of the Christmas shows I watch, which I love to watch.

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I love the Christmas music and the festivity and the celebration of this amazing season.

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But it just seems like to me, for whatever reason, there's less and less old holy nights

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and silent nights and Christmas songs that are celebrating Jesus Christ on some of the

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shows that I'm watching and some of the, anyway, some of the stuff that I hear.

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But I just hope that we, all of us, you and me and all of our listeners, that we can celebrate

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Christmas with Christ as the center of everything that we do, every symbol we look at, which

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we discussed last week.

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And as we really contemplate, you know, I used to, when I was a young dad, we kind of

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started a tradition at my family that I would get all, I'd wake up the kids and they'd

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want to know, of course, if Santa Claus came, that'd be the first thing.

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And I would say, you got to go in, you got to go in, mom and dad, and sit on the bed.

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And even when they were little, they would have to go sit on the bed and I'd have to

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read them some scriptures.

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On Christmas morning.

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On Christmas morning.

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Before we could, we'd have to read the scriptures and say a family prayer before we went down

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to check on Santa Claus.

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And it used to be kind of, it was sweet, but it was kind of funny to me, because they were

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so anxious and I understood all that.

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But it was just, I thought it was important that we started Christmas morning out, you

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know, just, just contemplating for, if just a short time, a few moments, you know, what

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it was all about.

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And it's just so easy to, to skip that.

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And it takes such little effort really to remember it, but it, it has to be kind of

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planned and it has, you have to be kind of focused on it.

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But if, if we are, there's, I don't know, just a powerful spirit that we can feel, not

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just in the joy, in the peace, and the reason of the season, but literally spirit, Holy

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Ghost bearing witness that these events occurred, that this is actually, these are historical,

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factual events.

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And those are some of the things I'd like to discuss today.

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Yeah, that's gonna, and it'll be great to do that.

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Last week we did talk about the symbols of Christmas.

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Encourage you, if you haven't already, to go back and listen to that one as well.

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We had a lot of fun, I think.

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I was listening to it yesterday before we published it this morning.

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And I just, that was a, for me, a fun episode where we could talk about things that were

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really important.

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Today we're gonna do kind of the same thing.

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You talked about having your kids come in and sit on the bed before they get to go.

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I wonder how many of them were like, oh my gosh, let's just get into Santa Claus.

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Oh, they were for sure.

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But you know, I could see it in their faces.

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You know, they're going, oh no, come on, man.

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Yeah, exactly.

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I just got back from Orlando where I was working this week.

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And while I was there, I was talking to somebody, and I just wish I could remember who and all

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the details.

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It was such a crazy week, but they were telling a similar story, but in their family, rather

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than read a scripture and all that, I don't even know if these people, in fact, I know

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they're not LBS, but it was a husband and wife, and they were telling, actually, and

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they were telling me that one of the things that they do for Christmas is that they open

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their gifts.

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And then at the end of that period, which seemed foreign to me, when I was growing up,

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Santa Claus didn't wrap the presents in my home.

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They were just out.

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And then when I got married to Deb, man, that changed, you know?

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Santa Claus wraps everything now.

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And I think that's how it was in this family so they go around, they open all their gifts

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and so on.

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And then when they were done, they get to go around and each person talks about what

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gift they're giving to Jesus this year.

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And I said, well, give me some examples of what some of those gifts might be.

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And they said, it's everything from the silly for the little ones to the sublime for those

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that are more thoughtful.

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And the dad said, I remember one year when their son, I think he said he was just a young

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teenager, I would guess 13 or 14, said, I'm going to give Jesus the gift of love this

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year.

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And the dad said, well, what do you mean by that?

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And he says, I'm going to just be kinder.

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For this year, I'm going to be kinder.

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I'm going to show more love to the people I'm around.

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Apparently, this kid was kind of popular and an athlete and stuff like that.

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And he says, I'm going to be kinder to the kid, get to the people at school and those

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kinds of things.

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So I think that, you know, that gave me, I was thinking about that all morning long.

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Very early, I got on an airplane at 3 AM Utah time to come home in time for church Sunday.

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And I thought about that the whole time.

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What gift?

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What gift?

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I think that's kind of how we ended.

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Our last podcast was to invite everybody to consider a gift or a sacrifice that we can

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make or give to Jesus this year.

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And, you know, I think we suggested, I love whenever I think about what can I give Jesus.

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I think what sins can I give Jesus.

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Me too.

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I haven't always.

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Being a nice father.

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I will give away all my sins to know the, and again, what's strange about that to me

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is to give him sin.

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Yeah.

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I see you.

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To give, to give Jesus the sinless one, our sins.

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There's so much irony in that.

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And yet that's, I think that's maybe one of the most special, precious, desired gifts he

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wants from us.

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If we would give him nothing more than that, nothing would make him happier.

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Then his suffering would not be in vain.

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There you go.

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Yeah.

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That's exactly right.

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True.

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Well, let's talk about the first Christmas, shall we?

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Yeah.

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Yeah, let's jump in, Scott.

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So before we talk about the events of that, of that special time, it's, it's awesome to

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just contemplate all of the prophecies that were made by Old Testament prophets, Book

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of Mormon prophets, and prophets that maybe we don't even have a written record of, that

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everything looked forward to the coming of the Messiah, the anointed one, and that all

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the prophets knew of it.

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Even Adam, even Adam, it was, even in the Garden of Eden, when Elohim says, you know,

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to Satan, that you'll have power to bruise his heel, but he will have power to crush

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thy head is a something of a prophecy that it would be Jesus, the coming of Jesus, and

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the atonement of Jesus that would put down death and sin and Satan.

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So even from Adam, even before he left the Garden of Eden, to the time that Jesus was

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born, all prophets testified and all scriptures pointed towards the birth of Jesus.

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Now I think a few of my favorite, besides of course Isaiah 9 and others, you know, were

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the, the, whenever I think about that, I think of Handel's Messiah.

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By the way, it was so cool.

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I love that story about the writing.

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I don't know if you know about it, Scott, but the miracle really that the writing of

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Handel was that they did that in such, he did that in such a short time, like weeks,

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that he puts together this whole opera of, of the Messiah.

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And when I was in London, the one thing I wanted to see, you know, when I, when I went

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to London and I went to the Westminster Abbey was, I knew the Handel was buried there and

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I wanted to see Handel's grave and memorial and, and much of his, that oratorium comes

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from, of course, Isaiah and the prophecies of Isaiah.

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But I love the Book of Mormon prophecies of the birth and I think this is maybe the Scripture

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I read to my kids most of, most of the years when they would go get on the bed before we

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went downstairs to see if Santa Claus came.

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It was, it's in Alma chapter seven and Alma is prophesying of the coming of Jesus in the

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first Christmas and I love this verse, verse seven, Alma seven, seven, for behold, I say

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unto you, there be many things to come.

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You know, this is what a hundred and something BC, many things to come and behold, there

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is one thing which is of more importance than they all.

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For behold, the time is not far distant that the Redeemer liveth and cometh among his people.

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Well, of all the things Alma says, of all the things that are to come, the thing that

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is of most importance is the coming of the Redeemer.

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And of course, he would have not only been thinking of his birth, but his life, his sinless

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life and, and his atonement.

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And then down in verse 10, the prophecy continues and gets pretty specific and it's amazing

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to think of, of how specific these prophets, the knowledge that they received concerning

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the birth and the events.

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In verse 10, it says, and behold, he shall be born of Mary.

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So Alma, hundreds of years before knew that Mary would be the mother of Jesus, Mary at

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Jerusalem, which is the land of our forefathers, she being a virgin, a precious and chosen

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vessel who shall be overshadowed and conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost and bring forth

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the Son, yea, even the Son of God.

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Little more, just another witness and more evidence of how maybe Mary conceived by the

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power of the Holy Ghost.

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That's one of my favorite prophecies.

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So I also love Nephi, 600, almost 600 BC.

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Even before they arrived in the Promised Land, Nephi has this vision.

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I think Lehi probably had it as well.

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And he sees the condescension of God, an angel walks him through it.

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This is in 1 Nephi chapter 11.

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And he sees Nazareth and verse 13, well, let's start with maybe verse 12.

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And it came to pass that he said unto me, Look, and I looked as if to look upon him, and I

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saw him not, for he had gone before my presence.

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That's the Holy Ghost that is speaking to him.

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And it came to pass that I looked and beheld the great city of Jerusalem and also other

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cities.

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And I beheld the city of Nazareth, and in the city of Nazareth I beheld a virgin, and

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she was exceedingly fair and white.

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And it came to pass I saw the heavens open, and an angel came down and stood before me,

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and he said unto me, Nephi, what beholdest thou?

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And I said unto him a virgin, most beautiful and fair above all other virgins.

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And he said unto me, Knowest thou the condescension of God?

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And that's when we get this great verse in verse 17.

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And Nephi answers to the question, Do you know the condescension of God, that God came

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down to be man?

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And Nephi says, I said unto him, I know that he loved with his children.

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Nevertheless I do not know the meaning of all things.

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We quote that scripture so much, and this is the context of it, is the angel asking

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him, Do you know what the condescension of God and the birth of Jesus is really all about?

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And Nephi humbly answers, Well, I don't know everything, but I know God loves me.

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And he said unto me, Behold the virgin whom thou seest, is the mother of the Son of God,

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after the manner of the flesh.

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And it came to pass that I beheld that she was carried away in the Spirit.

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And after she had been carried away in the Spirit for the space of a time, the angel

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said unto me, Look, and I looked.

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And beheld the virgin, again bearing a child in her arms, verse 21, last verse, and the

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angel said unto me, Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father,

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exclamation mark, knowest thou the meaning of the tree which thy father saw?

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So that's an amazing, amazing prophecy, and we also have the prophecy of Abinadi, in the

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Book of Mormon of the birth, and we have the prophecy of Samuel the lame and I, we have

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the prophecy of King Benjamin, King Benjamin has an angel walk him through that.

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So we have so many, many witnesses, even before Jesus was born, Scott.

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Yeah, a different level of faith.

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We talked about that a couple episodes ago, that you know, that's just a different level

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of faith that they had, you know.

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We can look back and there's some historical record, right?

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And nonetheless, we need faith, but that's a different level of faith that they had,

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and I love those.

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But they could see it with an eye of faith.

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And that gave them hope, and that helped establish the church there based on that same faith

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that we have in Jesus Christ.

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And wouldn't it be powerful, in fact, I give patriarchal blessings Sunday, and Scott, the

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second coming comes up, you know, frequently, not always, but frequently, giving patriarchal

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blessings to the youth in this time that we live.

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And honestly, when that does come up, it's like I can see it happen.

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You know, this individual will introduce his family to the Savior, and a few weeks ago,

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I gave a blessing that this girl would feel the Prince.

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And it's kind of like when I pronounce those blessings upon these youth.

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It's like I can see it.

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And I wonder if all of us could maybe receive that gift and that vision, something of a vision,

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to be able with an eye of faith to see the second coming of Jesus Christ, which is Scott

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even more prophesied in the scriptures than the first coming or the birth of Jesus, many

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times as the birth is prophesied of.

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The second coming is the most prophesied event in all the standard works.

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And we need to look forward with faith, as these prophets who prophesied of Christmas,

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the birth of Jesus, we need to look forward with faith, the same level of faith they had

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towards the second coming of Jesus.

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So before I forget to say that, as we talk about the first Christmas and the faith these

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people had, we need to exercise and increase our faith to be prepared for the second coming

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as well.

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Well, and they provide a pattern for us on how to do that.

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Yeah.

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The prophet is there and the prophets providing the prophecy.

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And those who are members, covenant members and others are those who are exercising faith

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in the name of Jesus Christ that these things will indeed come to pass.

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And that pattern stands for us today.

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We enter into covenants, we receive the prophecies and the direction at conference and at other

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times from our apostles and prophets and very much the same.

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But the patterns there and if we do what they did, then we will have potentially the same

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experience that they have had.

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True.

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Well, as we begin the events of the first Christmas, Scott, there's many things about

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this story that are not essential to our salvation and that people can have their own opinion

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about in regards to how some of these things went down.

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You can kind of have your own little idea or perspective and we don't have to be totally

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unified on that.

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And I'll share a few, maybe that individuals haven't heard of before today.

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But there are a few that are absolutely essential to our salvation.

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And those have to be rock solid on, I think, at least two things.

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Number one, this was a virgin birth that somehow being overshadowed, Mary conceived by the

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power of the Holy Ghost.

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I don't know what that means.

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Frankly, we don't need to know what that means.

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Heavenly Father is never going to tell us how that happened.

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It's just too sacred.

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That's what we know about it.

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And it's really important we understand this, that Jesus is, this is the second thing, the

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literal son of the Father, Elohim, that he is the Son of God.

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We cannot compromise or really doubt that in order to obtain salvation, to have the

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faith in Jesus that we need to have to be redeemed.

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So as we talk about some of the events, a lot of these things are a little bit, we know

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something but we don't know everything.

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And so as we kind of walk through this, I'll share different ideas about it.

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But just again, the testimony that Jesus was born of a virgin and that his Father was

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God, our Heavenly Father.

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So with that, let's begin.

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One of the things that we don't know about, you can have your own opinion about first

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off is when was Jesus born?

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And we celebrated the 25th of December and there are many who speculate, who say that

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that began in the fourth century, that the date was somehow changed in the 300s AD and

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that may be true, that may not be true.

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Jeff Chadwick wrote an amazing article, BYU studies years ago, about, he believes and

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has evidence that December 25th was probably really close to when Jesus was born and that

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may be true.

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But I mean myself, I will never forget Elder Bednar in April of 2014 made this statement,

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may each of us do and become better through the Savior's Atonement than he says in his

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conference address.

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Today is April 6th.

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We know by revelation that today is the actual and accurate date of the Savior's birth.

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April 6th also is the day on which the Church of Jesus Christ, Fla.

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St.

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St.

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St.

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St.

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St.

289
00:22:11,640 --> 00:22:12,640
St.

290
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St.

291
00:22:13,640 --> 00:22:14,640
St.

292
00:22:14,640 --> 00:22:15,640
St.

293
00:22:15,640 --> 00:22:16,640
St.

294
00:22:16,640 --> 00:22:17,640
St.

295
00:22:17,640 --> 00:22:18,640
St.

296
00:22:18,640 --> 00:22:19,640
St.

297
00:22:19,640 --> 00:22:20,640
St.

298
00:22:20,640 --> 00:22:21,640
St.

299
00:22:21,640 --> 00:22:22,640
St.

300
00:22:22,640 --> 00:22:23,640
St.

301
00:22:23,640 --> 00:22:24,640
St.

302
00:22:24,640 --> 00:22:25,640
St.

303
00:22:25,640 --> 00:22:26,640
St.

304
00:22:26,640 --> 00:22:27,640
St.

305
00:22:27,640 --> 00:22:28,640
St.

306
00:22:28,640 --> 00:22:29,640
St.

307
00:22:29,640 --> 00:22:30,640
St.

308
00:22:30,640 --> 00:22:31,640
St.

309
00:22:31,640 --> 00:22:32,640
St.

310
00:22:32,640 --> 00:22:33,640
St.

311
00:22:33,640 --> 00:22:34,640
St.

312
00:22:34,640 --> 00:22:35,640
St.

313
00:22:35,640 --> 00:22:36,640
St.

314
00:22:36,640 --> 00:22:37,640
St.

315
00:22:37,640 --> 00:22:38,640
St.

316
00:22:38,640 --> 00:22:39,640
St.

317
00:22:39,640 --> 00:22:40,640
St.

318
00:22:40,640 --> 00:22:41,640
St.

319
00:22:41,640 --> 00:22:42,560
St..

320
00:22:42,560 --> 00:22:43,560
St.

321
00:22:43,560 --> 00:22:44,640
St.

322
00:22:44,640 --> 00:22:45,640
St.

323
00:22:45,640 --> 00:22:46,640
St.

324
00:22:46,640 --> 00:22:47,640
St.

325
00:22:47,640 --> 00:22:48,640
St.

326
00:22:48,640 --> 00:22:49,640
St.

327
00:22:49,640 --> 00:22:50,640
Dr.

328
00:22:50,640 --> 00:22:51,640
A.

329
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D.

330
00:22:52,640 --> 00:22:53,640
St.

331
00:22:53,640 --> 00:22:54,640
R.

332
00:22:54,640 --> 00:22:58,680
and Gordon B. Hinckley as also saying that,

333
00:22:58,680 --> 00:22:59,960
that they believed that.

334
00:23:00,960 --> 00:23:04,960
Well, I'm going to just say that's good enough for me.

335
00:23:04,960 --> 00:23:06,240
Yeah, me too.

336
00:23:06,240 --> 00:23:07,880
I don't know when he was born.

337
00:23:07,880 --> 00:23:08,720
Yeah.

338
00:23:08,720 --> 00:23:09,960
Some people think that he was born

339
00:23:09,960 --> 00:23:11,400
during the Feast of the Trumpets,

340
00:23:11,400 --> 00:23:13,400
which would put it in October.

341
00:23:13,400 --> 00:23:15,840
You can have your three opinions.

342
00:23:15,840 --> 00:23:17,400
Do you believe he was born in April?

343
00:23:17,400 --> 00:23:19,600
Do you believe he was born in October

344
00:23:19,600 --> 00:23:20,840
during the Feast of the Trumpets,

345
00:23:20,840 --> 00:23:23,200
or do you believe he was born during,

346
00:23:23,200 --> 00:23:25,520
in December, end of the year, Christmas?

347
00:23:26,760 --> 00:23:28,320
I'm fine with any of those,

348
00:23:28,320 --> 00:23:30,760
but because of this statement by a prophet,

349
00:23:30,760 --> 00:23:33,160
and other statements by prophets,

350
00:23:33,160 --> 00:23:35,120
I'm going to go with this.

351
00:23:35,120 --> 00:23:38,440
So if we begin with the idea

352
00:23:38,440 --> 00:23:42,360
that Jesus was born on April 6th,

353
00:23:42,360 --> 00:23:44,080
then the story of the first Christmas

354
00:23:44,080 --> 00:23:46,000
really begins in February,

355
00:23:46,000 --> 00:23:47,960
the year before Jesus was born.

356
00:23:47,960 --> 00:23:52,960
When Zacharias, the husband of Elizabeth,

357
00:23:54,160 --> 00:23:56,040
the father of John the Baptist,

358
00:23:56,040 --> 00:23:59,960
goes to the temple early in the morning.

359
00:23:59,960 --> 00:24:02,080
Lots have been drawn,

360
00:24:02,080 --> 00:24:05,360
and there are thousands and thousands of priests

361
00:24:05,360 --> 00:24:09,720
at the temple during this time of Jerusalem.

362
00:24:09,720 --> 00:24:11,440
You're lucky if you get to draw a lot,

363
00:24:11,440 --> 00:24:14,880
participate in these ordinances.

364
00:24:14,880 --> 00:24:16,800
And Zacharias draws the lot

365
00:24:16,800 --> 00:24:21,800
that he gets to light the incense and burn the incense.

366
00:24:22,440 --> 00:24:24,280
And the tradition was that every morning

367
00:24:24,280 --> 00:24:25,200
and every evening,

368
00:24:25,200 --> 00:24:27,600
according to as they were commanded in Exodus,

369
00:24:27,600 --> 00:24:28,640
at one of the tabernacles,

370
00:24:28,640 --> 00:24:31,240
they would go in every morning, every evening,

371
00:24:31,240 --> 00:24:34,000
three of the priests would go in,

372
00:24:34,000 --> 00:24:36,240
priests of Aaron, and they would go in

373
00:24:36,240 --> 00:24:40,520
and they would prepare the inside of the temple,

374
00:24:40,520 --> 00:24:43,400
and they would light the candle,

375
00:24:43,400 --> 00:24:44,400
and they'd clean the altar,

376
00:24:44,400 --> 00:24:47,640
and they had some duties to do.

377
00:24:47,640 --> 00:24:51,440
And so these three priests went in,

378
00:24:51,440 --> 00:24:54,680
Zacharias, one of the three,

379
00:24:54,680 --> 00:24:58,200
and he had the most special sacred responsibility,

380
00:24:58,200 --> 00:25:00,840
which was to light the incense,

381
00:25:00,840 --> 00:25:04,640
which was the essence of worship to these Israelites,

382
00:25:04,640 --> 00:25:08,960
that burning incense was the smoke,

383
00:25:08,960 --> 00:25:14,640
the sweet savor, rising up to God.

384
00:25:14,640 --> 00:25:18,040
People can't see my hand gestures right now,

385
00:25:18,040 --> 00:25:20,040
on the path, but yes.

386
00:25:20,040 --> 00:25:24,480
Like a cloud, like a cloud, the holy cloud,

387
00:25:24,480 --> 00:25:26,080
rising up to God.

388
00:25:26,080 --> 00:25:27,880
Yeah, carrying their devotion,

389
00:25:27,880 --> 00:25:29,160
carrying their commitment,

390
00:25:29,160 --> 00:25:30,160
and their prayers,

391
00:25:30,160 --> 00:25:31,720
and their prayers, that's right.

392
00:25:31,720 --> 00:25:33,880
And their prayers to God.

393
00:25:33,880 --> 00:25:36,160
That was the essence of burning the incense.

394
00:25:36,160 --> 00:25:38,600
And the priests that did that

395
00:25:38,600 --> 00:25:40,280
would pray.

396
00:25:40,280 --> 00:25:45,280
And so Zacharias was praying for all of Israel this morning,

397
00:25:46,280 --> 00:25:47,920
that he was there.

398
00:25:47,920 --> 00:25:50,720
And I think he would have prayed, of course,

399
00:25:50,720 --> 00:25:52,680
for the coming of the Messiah.

400
00:25:54,000 --> 00:25:58,640
And he would have prayed, perhaps, a personal prayer,

401
00:25:58,640 --> 00:26:01,720
even though they were in their old age.

402
00:26:01,720 --> 00:26:04,560
I think he still was hoping,

403
00:26:04,560 --> 00:26:08,160
for it may be Elizabeth's sake alone,

404
00:26:08,160 --> 00:26:10,120
that they would have a son.

405
00:26:11,520 --> 00:26:15,560
And when he prays this prayer,

406
00:26:15,560 --> 00:26:19,680
an angel appears, identifying himself as Gabriel.

407
00:26:19,680 --> 00:26:23,680
So this is the first appearance of Gabriel in the story.

408
00:26:23,680 --> 00:26:27,920
And Gabriel tells him who he is, identifies himself,

409
00:26:27,920 --> 00:26:31,640
and tells him that he and Elizabeth will have a son.

410
00:26:31,640 --> 00:26:35,280
And so they're in their 80s, yeah?

411
00:26:35,280 --> 00:26:36,240
We don't know how old.

412
00:26:36,240 --> 00:26:37,080
We don't know.

413
00:26:37,080 --> 00:26:37,920
Exactly, but they're old.

414
00:26:37,920 --> 00:26:39,160
Yeah, okay.

415
00:26:39,160 --> 00:26:40,840
Okay, they're old.

416
00:26:40,840 --> 00:26:45,840
So that could be really the life expectancy

417
00:26:46,480 --> 00:26:50,320
at this time in Jerusalem is only like in the 40s.

418
00:26:50,320 --> 00:26:51,360
Oh, okay.

419
00:26:51,360 --> 00:26:56,360
So I think they're like in their 30s or 40s.

420
00:26:56,600 --> 00:26:57,600
Gotcha, okay.

421
00:26:59,320 --> 00:27:00,960
But that's old.

422
00:27:00,960 --> 00:27:03,320
She's barren and they're getting old.

423
00:27:03,320 --> 00:27:06,800
And maybe they're older, maybe they're 50, 60, 70s,

424
00:27:06,800 --> 00:27:08,640
who knows.

425
00:27:08,640 --> 00:27:13,640
And so Gabriel appears and was filled with the Holy Ghost

426
00:27:14,920 --> 00:27:17,760
when this happens and it takes a little longer

427
00:27:17,760 --> 00:27:20,040
and people are getting a little anxious on the outside

428
00:27:20,040 --> 00:27:22,760
because the Israelites, good Jewish people

429
00:27:22,760 --> 00:27:25,400
who go to the temple every morning and every evening,

430
00:27:25,400 --> 00:27:27,280
face the temple and they pray

431
00:27:27,280 --> 00:27:29,080
and they're out there kneeling down praying

432
00:27:29,080 --> 00:27:31,360
and it's taking them to Zacharias a little longer to come.

433
00:27:31,360 --> 00:27:34,520
And after Zacharias has this experience,

434
00:27:34,520 --> 00:27:37,200
he has a little conversation with Gabriel and he says,

435
00:27:37,200 --> 00:27:40,040
how shall I know that these things will come to pass?

436
00:27:40,040 --> 00:27:42,240
He has some doubts about this a little bit.

437
00:27:42,240 --> 00:27:43,920
And he says, how shall I know?

438
00:27:43,920 --> 00:27:46,600
And Zacharias says, cause you'll be dumb,

439
00:27:46,600 --> 00:27:49,160
you can't speak, you won't be able to speak.

440
00:27:49,160 --> 00:27:51,880
And he loses his ability to speak.

441
00:27:51,880 --> 00:27:56,240
And he can't speak until after John is born and is named,

442
00:27:56,240 --> 00:27:59,520
then he gets his speech back nine months later

443
00:27:59,520 --> 00:28:02,160
or nine months in a few days or weeks.

444
00:28:02,160 --> 00:28:04,800
But after he has that conversation,

445
00:28:04,800 --> 00:28:06,400
which takes a little time, he goes out

446
00:28:06,400 --> 00:28:07,680
and they're all kind of anxious.

447
00:28:07,680 --> 00:28:12,680
And he's supposed to recite a prayer

448
00:28:12,880 --> 00:28:15,520
from the book of numbers and he can't recite it.

449
00:28:16,600 --> 00:28:18,560
And so he, I don't know what would have happened there.

450
00:28:18,560 --> 00:28:21,040
We don't have a record, but I think he probably

451
00:28:21,040 --> 00:28:24,440
looked at one of the other priests to recite the prayer

452
00:28:24,440 --> 00:28:29,440
for the Israelites to end this kind of morning worship service.

453
00:28:29,440 --> 00:28:33,040
And he goes home and he tells, somehow communicates,

454
00:28:33,040 --> 00:28:35,480
doesn't tell her, but he communicates to her writing

455
00:28:35,480 --> 00:28:36,840
her other means.

456
00:28:36,840 --> 00:28:40,200
Hey, Elizabeth, you're gonna have a child.

457
00:28:40,200 --> 00:28:45,200
And Elizabeth conceives and she's going to have a baby

458
00:28:46,800 --> 00:28:50,600
and the scriptures record that she leaves for five months.

459
00:28:50,600 --> 00:28:54,800
She goes to just kind of be alone and to ponder.

460
00:28:54,800 --> 00:28:59,400
And then she comes back, you know, six months later.

461
00:28:59,400 --> 00:29:04,400
And about that same time, there's a sweet young woman

462
00:29:06,360 --> 00:29:08,640
engaged in betrothed.

463
00:29:08,640 --> 00:29:09,680
Cousin.

464
00:29:09,680 --> 00:29:14,360
Cousin, which the Greek word for cousin means relative,

465
00:29:14,360 --> 00:29:15,120
really.

466
00:29:15,120 --> 00:29:18,120
So we don't know really how they were related.

467
00:29:18,120 --> 00:29:20,960
Could have been a cousin, probably was a cousin,

468
00:29:20,960 --> 00:29:22,720
could have been an aunt.

469
00:29:22,720 --> 00:29:26,960
I kind of think that maybe she was an aunt to Mary

470
00:29:26,960 --> 00:29:30,360
because we don't have any record of Mary's mother.

471
00:29:30,360 --> 00:29:33,560
And a lot of biblical scholars believe that the Mary's

472
00:29:33,560 --> 00:29:36,560
mother's probably passed on, that she's died.

473
00:29:36,560 --> 00:29:40,040
I mean, just culturally think about this for a minute.

474
00:29:40,040 --> 00:29:42,080
They didn't have any medicine.

475
00:29:42,080 --> 00:29:44,960
They had bad water, dirty water.

476
00:29:44,960 --> 00:29:47,440
They didn't have clean water, clean food, no doctors,

477
00:29:47,440 --> 00:29:49,400
or medicines like we do.

478
00:29:49,400 --> 00:29:53,160
I mean, really, there were a lot of people who died early.

479
00:29:53,160 --> 00:29:56,960
And if you made it past 40, you were old.

480
00:29:56,960 --> 00:29:59,680
So I don't know.

481
00:29:59,680 --> 00:30:03,360
That could be true that Mary's mother has passed.

482
00:30:03,360 --> 00:30:07,040
And maybe Elizabeth is a sister to Mary's mother

483
00:30:07,040 --> 00:30:10,840
or some relative of Mary, maybe cousin.

484
00:30:11,800 --> 00:30:16,400
But Mary is a teenager, Scott, when this happens.

485
00:30:16,400 --> 00:30:20,840
Betrothed to Joseph, they would have, who knows,

486
00:30:20,840 --> 00:30:24,040
but there's kind of three parts of a Jewish marriage.

487
00:30:24,040 --> 00:30:28,840
The arrangement of the fathers who arranged the marriage

488
00:30:28,840 --> 00:30:31,640
that my son will marry your daughter

489
00:30:31,640 --> 00:30:35,840
and they discuss the exchange of what that will be like

490
00:30:35,840 --> 00:30:37,840
and dowry's and all of that.

491
00:30:37,840 --> 00:30:39,760
And that's the engagement.

492
00:30:39,760 --> 00:30:42,400
And that can happen when they're kids,

493
00:30:42,400 --> 00:30:44,880
when they're young kids, elementary age.

494
00:30:44,880 --> 00:30:46,680
Years in advance, right?

495
00:30:46,680 --> 00:30:47,520
We don't know.

496
00:30:47,520 --> 00:30:49,800
Yeah, but that's when they become engaged.

497
00:30:49,800 --> 00:30:52,880
And there's something of a contract with that.

498
00:30:52,880 --> 00:30:55,120
And then they become betrothed.

499
00:30:56,520 --> 00:30:59,280
Within about a year of marriageable age,

500
00:30:59,280 --> 00:31:01,040
they become betrothed.

501
00:31:01,040 --> 00:31:04,280
And we believe that Mary and Joseph were betrothed

502
00:31:04,280 --> 00:31:09,200
that they had actually met together under the canopy,

503
00:31:09,200 --> 00:31:10,760
the marriage canopy.

504
00:31:10,760 --> 00:31:14,680
And it's like a marriage, except they're not living together

505
00:31:14,680 --> 00:31:16,280
where they meet under the marriage canopy

506
00:31:16,280 --> 00:31:18,760
and they make promises to each other,

507
00:31:18,760 --> 00:31:22,840
the contractual covenant promises.

508
00:31:22,840 --> 00:31:24,800
And we believe that's where they were at

509
00:31:24,800 --> 00:31:26,200
in their relationship.

510
00:31:26,200 --> 00:31:28,000
So they're in the second stage.

511
00:31:28,000 --> 00:31:31,720
And then after about a year after the betrothal,

512
00:31:31,720 --> 00:31:34,640
after the man has, the young man,

513
00:31:34,640 --> 00:31:36,800
both probably teenagers, by the way,

514
00:31:36,800 --> 00:31:41,160
after he has made arrangements for a home,

515
00:31:41,160 --> 00:31:43,960
place to live and she's made arrangements,

516
00:31:43,960 --> 00:31:46,000
got all that she needs to prepare

517
00:31:46,000 --> 00:31:47,880
for a marriage and a family,

518
00:31:47,880 --> 00:31:49,480
then he'll show up one day,

519
00:31:49,480 --> 00:31:52,840
like kind of in the parable of the 10 virgins,

520
00:31:52,840 --> 00:31:54,760
he'll show up, there'll be a wedding party

521
00:31:54,760 --> 00:31:56,480
and he'll pick her up in his arms

522
00:31:56,480 --> 00:31:58,000
and carry her back to their home.

523
00:31:58,000 --> 00:32:00,440
There'll be this huge party

524
00:32:00,440 --> 00:32:03,760
and final consummation of the marriage.

525
00:32:03,760 --> 00:32:07,520
Well, she's betrothed and probably,

526
00:32:07,520 --> 00:32:12,080
I think of her as being 15 years old or thereabouts.

527
00:32:12,080 --> 00:32:17,080
And Gabriel appears to her and he identifies himself

528
00:32:18,880 --> 00:32:23,880
and he says, I'd just like to read it, I think.

529
00:32:24,240 --> 00:32:26,360
In fact, what, do you have it, Scott?

530
00:32:26,360 --> 00:32:29,720
In Luke chapter one, beginning with about,

531
00:32:30,840 --> 00:32:36,040
start with verse 26.

532
00:32:36,040 --> 00:32:37,720
Then it starts out in the sixth month,

533
00:32:37,720 --> 00:32:40,680
meaning the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy.

534
00:32:40,680 --> 00:32:45,040
So Elizabeth is pregnant with John

535
00:32:45,040 --> 00:32:46,840
and has been pregnant for six months.

536
00:32:46,840 --> 00:32:49,640
That's where we begin, verse 26.

537
00:32:49,640 --> 00:32:51,520
Luke one, 26.

538
00:32:51,520 --> 00:32:55,680
And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent

539
00:32:55,680 --> 00:32:59,240
from God into a city of Galilee named Nazareth

540
00:32:59,240 --> 00:33:02,960
to a virgin, a spouse to a man whose name was Joseph

541
00:33:02,960 --> 00:33:07,400
of the house of David and the virgin's name was Mary.

542
00:33:07,400 --> 00:33:09,880
And the angel came in under her and said,

543
00:33:09,880 --> 00:33:14,160
thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee,

544
00:33:14,160 --> 00:33:16,480
blessed art thou among women.

545
00:33:17,360 --> 00:33:20,800
And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying

546
00:33:20,800 --> 00:33:24,240
and cashed in her mind what manner of salutation

547
00:33:24,240 --> 00:33:25,800
this should be.

548
00:33:25,800 --> 00:33:28,520
And the angel said under her fear not, Mary,

549
00:33:28,520 --> 00:33:30,680
for thou hast found favor with God.

550
00:33:30,680 --> 00:33:32,760
Maybe just pause for a minute there.

551
00:33:32,760 --> 00:33:36,920
So this second time Gabriel has appeared.

552
00:33:36,920 --> 00:33:39,760
The first thing he tells Zacharias in the temple

553
00:33:39,760 --> 00:33:41,640
is fear not.

554
00:33:41,640 --> 00:33:45,400
The first thing that he says to Mary is fear not.

555
00:33:45,400 --> 00:33:48,560
And the first thing the angel will say to Joseph

556
00:33:48,560 --> 00:33:50,080
is fear not.

557
00:33:50,080 --> 00:33:53,320
And the first thing that the angel say to the shepherds

558
00:33:53,320 --> 00:33:55,160
is be not afraid.

559
00:33:55,160 --> 00:33:58,400
So four times, I think that's an important lesson

560
00:33:58,400 --> 00:34:01,880
that we can all apply in our lives

561
00:34:01,880 --> 00:34:06,880
is the command to fear not or to be not afraid.

562
00:34:06,880 --> 00:34:11,680
And he addresses Mary for thou hast found favor with God.

563
00:34:11,680 --> 00:34:16,240
Well, Mary itself, the name means the exalted one

564
00:34:16,240 --> 00:34:18,000
or the favored one.

565
00:34:18,000 --> 00:34:22,120
And no doubt Mary who has found favor with God.

566
00:34:22,120 --> 00:34:26,760
We think of her really Scott as the most elect of all women.

567
00:34:28,360 --> 00:34:32,640
Eve would come second to that, but of all women

568
00:34:32,640 --> 00:34:35,600
who've ever been born on this earth is Mary

569
00:34:35,600 --> 00:34:40,440
who would have been an extremely elect spirit

570
00:34:40,440 --> 00:34:44,320
in the premoral existence who was chosen and fordained

571
00:34:44,320 --> 00:34:49,320
in the premoral existence to be the mother of Jesus.

572
00:34:50,080 --> 00:34:55,080
And so this is how the angel Gabriel addresses her

573
00:34:57,760 --> 00:35:02,760
and how he knows who she is and how God feels about her.

574
00:35:02,880 --> 00:35:04,640
So do you wanna start that again, verse 30?

575
00:35:04,640 --> 00:35:06,040
And the angel said unto her,

576
00:35:06,040 --> 00:35:10,000
fear not Mary for thou hast found favor with God.

577
00:35:10,000 --> 00:35:12,720
And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb

578
00:35:12,720 --> 00:35:16,960
and bring forth a son and shall call his name Jesus.

579
00:35:16,960 --> 00:35:19,280
And he shall be great and shall be called

580
00:35:19,280 --> 00:35:21,040
the son of the highest.

581
00:35:21,040 --> 00:35:25,200
And the Lord God shall give unto him the throne

582
00:35:25,200 --> 00:35:26,960
of his father David.

583
00:35:26,960 --> 00:35:30,680
And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever.

584
00:35:30,680 --> 00:35:33,480
And of his kingdom there shall be no one.

585
00:35:33,480 --> 00:35:36,400
Then said Mary unto the angel, how shall this be?

586
00:35:36,400 --> 00:35:39,280
Seeing I know no man and the angel answered

587
00:35:39,280 --> 00:35:42,920
and said unto her, the holy ghost shall come upon thee.

588
00:35:42,920 --> 00:35:46,240
And the power of the highest shall overshadow thee.

589
00:35:46,240 --> 00:35:50,440
Therefore also that holy thing which shall be born

590
00:35:50,440 --> 00:35:52,780
of thee shall be called the son of God.

591
00:35:54,640 --> 00:35:56,360
I'm not powerful, keep going Scott.

592
00:35:56,360 --> 00:35:57,200
Yeah.

593
00:35:57,200 --> 00:35:59,160
Through 38, read through 38.

594
00:35:59,160 --> 00:36:03,080
Okay, this is where we get into the visit with Elizabeth.

595
00:36:03,080 --> 00:36:05,640
Because Gabriel is still speaking here

596
00:36:05,640 --> 00:36:08,440
and Gabriel commands Mary to go see Elizabeth.

597
00:36:08,440 --> 00:36:09,280
Okay.

598
00:36:09,280 --> 00:36:11,200
And behold thy cousin Elizabeth,

599
00:36:11,200 --> 00:36:14,480
she hath also conceived a son in her old age.

600
00:36:14,480 --> 00:36:18,960
And this is the sixth month with her who was called Baron.

601
00:36:19,800 --> 00:36:22,680
For with God nothing shall be impossible in there.

602
00:36:22,680 --> 00:36:26,120
End of Gabriel, that's how he ends.

603
00:36:26,120 --> 00:36:30,360
It's so interesting this angel ends his statement,

604
00:36:30,360 --> 00:36:34,120
his introduction and statement, pronouncement to Mary.

605
00:36:34,120 --> 00:36:36,720
He ends it with this verse in 37.

606
00:36:36,720 --> 00:36:40,360
For with God, Mary, nothing shall be impossible.

607
00:36:40,360 --> 00:36:41,720
He reminds her of that.

608
00:36:41,720 --> 00:36:46,320
And then Mary's response in verse 38 is so powerful.

609
00:36:46,320 --> 00:36:50,040
And Mary said, behold the handmade of the Lord,

610
00:36:50,040 --> 00:36:52,800
be it unto me according to thy word,

611
00:36:52,800 --> 00:36:55,120
and the angel departed from her.

612
00:36:55,120 --> 00:36:56,520
Wow.

613
00:36:56,520 --> 00:36:58,640
What do we learn about Mary there, Scott?

614
00:36:58,640 --> 00:37:02,400
Just an absolute incredible supplication

615
00:37:02,400 --> 00:37:04,240
to the Lord's will here, right?

616
00:37:04,240 --> 00:37:06,160
Be it unto the handmade of the Lord,

617
00:37:06,160 --> 00:37:08,640
be it unto me according to thy word.

618
00:37:08,640 --> 00:37:11,080
I think, you know, Dave, there's a great lesson

619
00:37:11,080 --> 00:37:12,440
in that for all of us.

620
00:37:12,440 --> 00:37:14,200
So, you know, we see these things

621
00:37:14,200 --> 00:37:17,280
and so often we become so accustomed to what they say

622
00:37:17,280 --> 00:37:19,600
and what we read that every once in a while,

623
00:37:19,600 --> 00:37:21,760
just a little thing will pop out.

624
00:37:21,760 --> 00:37:23,680
Something will just pop out.

625
00:37:23,680 --> 00:37:28,680
And I think that for me and maybe for many of us,

626
00:37:29,120 --> 00:37:32,640
we have an opportunity here to, you know,

627
00:37:32,640 --> 00:37:35,000
be it unto me according to thy word,

628
00:37:35,000 --> 00:37:36,280
and the angel departed from her,

629
00:37:36,280 --> 00:37:38,320
and Mary arose in those days and went forth

630
00:37:38,320 --> 00:37:41,920
in the hill country with haste into the city of Judas.

631
00:37:41,920 --> 00:37:46,920
So she went with haste after these things were given to her.

632
00:37:46,960 --> 00:37:49,160
The Holy Ghost had come upon her.

633
00:37:49,160 --> 00:37:52,000
We talk about the Holy Ghost come upon us,

634
00:37:52,000 --> 00:37:54,200
and that's how the administration of the Atonement

635
00:37:54,200 --> 00:37:57,080
of Jesus Christ, whom is being announced here,

636
00:37:57,080 --> 00:37:59,480
is brought forth unto us.

637
00:37:59,480 --> 00:38:04,200
And so Mary is experiencing the Godhead

638
00:38:04,200 --> 00:38:06,440
in all of its members firsthand.

639
00:38:06,440 --> 00:38:07,440
Yeah, absolutely.

640
00:38:07,440 --> 00:38:08,280
Yeah.

641
00:38:08,280 --> 00:38:09,200
Absolutely.

642
00:38:10,160 --> 00:38:14,040
Anyway, the submissiveness, the meekness,

643
00:38:14,040 --> 00:38:18,200
the humility of this young woman.

644
00:38:18,200 --> 00:38:19,160
Yeah.

645
00:38:19,160 --> 00:38:20,920
Behold the handmade of the Lord,

646
00:38:20,920 --> 00:38:22,680
be it unto me according to thy word.

647
00:38:22,680 --> 00:38:23,520
Wow.

648
00:38:24,440 --> 00:38:27,760
This is where Jesus learned from his mother.

649
00:38:28,760 --> 00:38:31,440
This, I really believe this, Scott.

650
00:38:31,440 --> 00:38:36,160
He learned from his mother this deep humility,

651
00:38:36,160 --> 00:38:40,440
thy will, not mine be done.

652
00:38:41,640 --> 00:38:44,160
He learned that from Mary first,

653
00:38:45,000 --> 00:38:48,400
before he ever went to the Garden of Gethsemane.

654
00:38:48,400 --> 00:38:51,520
We should consider what may have been going

655
00:38:51,520 --> 00:38:53,040
through Mary's mind at this time.

656
00:38:53,040 --> 00:38:54,080
Well, think about that.

657
00:38:54,080 --> 00:38:54,920
Right.

658
00:38:54,920 --> 00:38:58,880
This is a time in a culture when, you know,

659
00:38:58,880 --> 00:39:02,480
we learn later that as Joseph finds out about this,

660
00:39:02,480 --> 00:39:04,080
he could have put her away.

661
00:39:04,080 --> 00:39:05,720
Yeah, we're gonna talk about that.

662
00:39:05,720 --> 00:39:09,400
And so imagine the fear that must be coming upon her.

663
00:39:09,400 --> 00:39:10,720
She's just a young lady.

664
00:39:10,720 --> 00:39:13,560
She's now going to be pregnant.

665
00:39:13,560 --> 00:39:16,040
And when you're pregnant, it becomes obvious

666
00:39:16,040 --> 00:39:19,240
after a few months and the persecution

667
00:39:19,240 --> 00:39:23,320
and the trouble and trial that could have been

668
00:39:23,320 --> 00:39:26,320
something that may have arisen all kinds of fear

669
00:39:26,320 --> 00:39:27,160
in her at this time.

670
00:39:27,160 --> 00:39:29,320
Terrible to think about what could have happened.

671
00:39:29,320 --> 00:39:30,160
So another.

672
00:39:30,160 --> 00:39:33,000
The shunning and even the stoning.

673
00:39:33,000 --> 00:39:33,840
Yeah, I got it.

674
00:39:33,840 --> 00:39:35,480
The shunning and stoning that could have taken place

675
00:39:35,480 --> 00:39:36,720
in her life.

676
00:39:36,720 --> 00:39:39,680
Yeah, just an unmatched measure of faith.

677
00:39:39,680 --> 00:39:41,000
Yeah.

678
00:39:41,000 --> 00:39:43,560
Well, so she goes.

679
00:39:43,560 --> 00:39:47,080
Now that would have been, if again, if Christmas is April 6th,

680
00:39:47,080 --> 00:39:49,920
if I mean, if that's the birth of Jesus,

681
00:39:49,920 --> 00:39:52,560
then all of this would have taken place probably

682
00:39:52,560 --> 00:39:55,720
in July, August, thereabouts.

683
00:39:55,720 --> 00:40:00,000
And Mary immediately in haste goes down to Jerusalem

684
00:40:00,000 --> 00:40:03,640
to be with Elizabeth, makes that journey.

685
00:40:03,640 --> 00:40:05,600
If she doesn't go through Samaria,

686
00:40:05,600 --> 00:40:10,600
it's probably about 100 miles, 90 miles down from Nazareth

687
00:40:10,600 --> 00:40:13,560
around the Jordan River down to Jerusalem.

688
00:40:15,000 --> 00:40:17,600
Going down to Jericho and then up from Jericho,

689
00:40:17,600 --> 00:40:20,080
kind of on the mountain where Jerusalem's located.

690
00:40:21,320 --> 00:40:23,160
Anyway, it's not an easy trap.

691
00:40:23,160 --> 00:40:28,160
It's probably, I think, some say if you're really moving,

692
00:40:29,240 --> 00:40:32,200
I mean, how long did it take you to go 90 miles

693
00:40:32,200 --> 00:40:36,080
from Salt Lake City down to Nephi or Scipio?

694
00:40:36,080 --> 00:40:37,240
It would be more than a day.

695
00:40:37,240 --> 00:40:39,520
To walk and to go with the caravan.

696
00:40:39,520 --> 00:40:42,600
It would take you almost a week.

697
00:40:42,600 --> 00:40:46,960
And she goes down there, she sees Elizabeth.

698
00:40:46,960 --> 00:40:51,960
And John, six months, you know, along in Elizabeth, leaps.

699
00:40:53,200 --> 00:40:58,200
Leaps for joy, because somehow this John knows.

700
00:40:59,400 --> 00:41:01,240
The forerunner of Christ.

701
00:41:01,240 --> 00:41:04,040
That he's in the presence of the Messiah.

702
00:41:04,040 --> 00:41:05,160
Right.

703
00:41:05,160 --> 00:41:09,280
So anyway, she knows, Elizabeth knows.

704
00:41:09,280 --> 00:41:12,080
Being filled with the Holy Ghost, it says.

705
00:41:12,080 --> 00:41:17,080
That Mary is an elect woman and will be the mother of God,

706
00:41:17,880 --> 00:41:20,880
the son of God, the Messiah.

707
00:41:20,880 --> 00:41:25,360
We know that she went down there to probably be comforted,

708
00:41:25,360 --> 00:41:29,480
to probably get some counsel, to probably get out of town.

709
00:41:29,480 --> 00:41:33,040
I believe, now this is, again, there's many,

710
00:41:33,040 --> 00:41:35,960
you're entitled to your own opinions about this, everybody.

711
00:41:35,960 --> 00:41:39,000
But I really believe this strongly.

712
00:41:39,000 --> 00:41:40,840
And I know others do too.

713
00:41:40,840 --> 00:41:45,840
That Mary, knowing the contractual covenant agreement

714
00:41:46,720 --> 00:41:49,960
she made with Joseph, being the good Jewish girl

715
00:41:49,960 --> 00:41:52,600
that she is God, true to the law,

716
00:41:52,600 --> 00:41:57,720
I believe she immediately, after she had conceived Jesus,

717
00:41:57,720 --> 00:42:01,160
immediately went to Joseph and said, I'm pregnant.

718
00:42:01,160 --> 00:42:03,400
And you need to know what happened.

719
00:42:03,400 --> 00:42:04,640
An angel appeared to me.

720
00:42:04,640 --> 00:42:06,760
I think she told Joseph the whole story.

721
00:42:06,760 --> 00:42:11,760
I believe this, that he would have had time to think

722
00:42:12,680 --> 00:42:16,440
while she was in Jerusalem, away from him,

723
00:42:16,440 --> 00:42:18,240
in Jerusalem with Elizabeth.

724
00:42:19,560 --> 00:42:21,440
Joseph was trying to figure it out.

725
00:42:21,440 --> 00:42:23,800
And Mary told him, I'm gonna go down and see Elizabeth

726
00:42:23,800 --> 00:42:25,720
and I'll be back in a few months.

727
00:42:25,720 --> 00:42:29,000
And you can tell me what you've decided to do.

728
00:42:29,000 --> 00:42:33,140
But I'm pregnant and it's not any man's baby.

729
00:42:34,040 --> 00:42:36,240
I am not committed fornication

730
00:42:36,240 --> 00:42:39,640
or it would have been adultery because they were betrothed.

731
00:42:39,640 --> 00:42:41,940
I am not an adulteress.

732
00:42:42,920 --> 00:42:47,480
I was told that I would be the mother of God.

733
00:42:48,560 --> 00:42:51,280
You can think what you're gonna do about that.

734
00:42:53,400 --> 00:42:54,520
Can you imagine?

735
00:42:54,520 --> 00:42:55,880
No.

736
00:42:55,880 --> 00:42:58,080
And again, that gets into the faith

737
00:42:58,080 --> 00:43:00,040
that both Mary and Joseph have.

738
00:43:00,040 --> 00:43:03,280
Yeah, so we're gonna talk about Joseph here now.

739
00:43:03,280 --> 00:43:04,920
And his reaction to that.

740
00:43:04,920 --> 00:43:09,320
So Mary goes down to Jerusalem and then a few months later,

741
00:43:09,320 --> 00:43:11,840
maybe as many as three months later.

742
00:43:11,840 --> 00:43:14,120
But we don't know if she's there

743
00:43:14,120 --> 00:43:17,560
when Elizabeth gives birth to John or not.

744
00:43:17,560 --> 00:43:20,400
I think she probably came back a little before that.

745
00:43:20,400 --> 00:43:23,880
But nevertheless, she comes back

746
00:43:23,880 --> 00:43:26,640
and let's turn to Matthew chapter one

747
00:43:26,640 --> 00:43:30,460
where we read the account of Joseph.

748
00:43:30,460 --> 00:43:32,640
By the way, Scott, Luke,

749
00:43:32,640 --> 00:43:35,320
most of the Christmas story is in Luke chapter one and two,

750
00:43:35,320 --> 00:43:36,280
right?

751
00:43:36,280 --> 00:43:39,000
And Luke was a Gentile

752
00:43:39,000 --> 00:43:41,240
and wouldn't have joined the church until after Jesus

753
00:43:41,240 --> 00:43:45,440
had was dead and resurrected years after.

754
00:43:45,440 --> 00:43:48,520
Paul probably converted Luke.

755
00:43:48,520 --> 00:43:49,640
Luke was a Gentile.

756
00:43:49,640 --> 00:43:52,840
He was Paul's personal physician.

757
00:43:52,840 --> 00:43:56,680
He wanted to make a record from a Gentile perspective.

758
00:43:56,680 --> 00:43:58,880
He really writes to the Gentiles,

759
00:43:58,880 --> 00:44:01,200
the Gospel of Luke or the book of Luke

760
00:44:01,200 --> 00:44:03,440
and the book of Acts, which he wrote,

761
00:44:03,440 --> 00:44:06,040
is directed towards the Gentiles.

762
00:44:06,040 --> 00:44:08,720
And he talks about, I wanna give you some eyewitnesses.

763
00:44:08,720 --> 00:44:10,600
I wanna give you a record of Jesus

764
00:44:10,600 --> 00:44:13,160
from the account of eyewitnesses.

765
00:44:13,160 --> 00:44:17,880
All scholars believe that Luke would have interviewed Mary

766
00:44:17,880 --> 00:44:22,200
and that the Luke account written by Luke, St. Luke,

767
00:44:23,200 --> 00:44:25,400
who I believe became an apostle,

768
00:44:25,400 --> 00:44:28,760
would have been from Mary's viewpoint,

769
00:44:28,760 --> 00:44:31,800
from Mary's own experience.

770
00:44:31,800 --> 00:44:35,560
So as we think about that, keep that in mind

771
00:44:35,560 --> 00:44:38,680
because when we go back and read Luke two,

772
00:44:38,680 --> 00:44:41,880
you can just think Mary is telling Luke this story

773
00:44:41,880 --> 00:44:42,720
when we read it.

774
00:44:42,720 --> 00:44:46,400
But in Matthew, who's trying to make the argument,

775
00:44:46,400 --> 00:44:47,560
he writes to the Jews,

776
00:44:47,560 --> 00:44:49,240
Matthew's trying to convince the Jews

777
00:44:49,240 --> 00:44:51,640
of the prophecies of Jesus

778
00:44:51,640 --> 00:44:54,600
and gives a genealogy here in Matthew one

779
00:44:54,600 --> 00:44:58,120
to show that Joseph is a direct lineage

780
00:44:58,120 --> 00:45:01,760
back to Abraham really, back to David.

781
00:45:01,760 --> 00:45:05,880
Anyway, he gives us this account in verse starting

782
00:45:05,880 --> 00:45:08,520
with verse 18.

783
00:45:08,520 --> 00:45:10,000
Do you wanna start to read their scale?

784
00:45:10,000 --> 00:45:14,360
Yeah, now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise

785
00:45:14,360 --> 00:45:17,080
when his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph

786
00:45:17,080 --> 00:45:18,840
before they came together.

787
00:45:18,840 --> 00:45:21,640
She was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

788
00:45:21,640 --> 00:45:24,800
Then Joseph, her husband, being a just man and not-

789
00:45:24,800 --> 00:45:27,600
Let me pause you there, being a just man.

790
00:45:27,600 --> 00:45:31,160
I remember years ago in Minneapolis, Minnesota,

791
00:45:31,160 --> 00:45:36,160
in an old library, finding a Jewish commentary

792
00:45:36,200 --> 00:45:39,600
and reading about how Jews see this event.

793
00:45:39,600 --> 00:45:42,320
And the term just man, Scott,

794
00:45:42,320 --> 00:45:46,080
this description of Joseph given to us by Matthew

795
00:45:46,080 --> 00:45:49,780
means he was strict in the law.

796
00:45:50,960 --> 00:45:54,920
Joseph was strict in living the law.

797
00:45:54,920 --> 00:45:58,160
And if he would have really believed,

798
00:45:58,160 --> 00:46:01,640
this is from a rabbi giving a Jewish commentary

799
00:46:01,640 --> 00:46:03,640
of the New Testament and the birth of Jesus

800
00:46:03,640 --> 00:46:04,880
that I'm reading.

801
00:46:04,880 --> 00:46:08,320
And the rabbi says, if he would have believed

802
00:46:08,320 --> 00:46:12,760
that Jesus had been conceived by God,

803
00:46:14,320 --> 00:46:17,600
he definitely would not have stoned her.

804
00:46:17,600 --> 00:46:22,520
If he would have believed that Jesus was fathered

805
00:46:22,520 --> 00:46:26,680
by someone else that Mary had committed adultery,

806
00:46:26,680 --> 00:46:27,880
he definitely would have.

807
00:46:27,880 --> 00:46:30,480
He definitely would have had her stoned.

808
00:46:32,500 --> 00:46:34,840
So, keep that in mind as we read this,

809
00:46:34,840 --> 00:46:38,720
Joseph being a just man or a man of the law.

810
00:46:39,520 --> 00:46:42,360
Then Joseph, her husband, being a just man

811
00:46:42,360 --> 00:46:45,600
and not willing to make her a public example

812
00:46:45,600 --> 00:46:47,920
was minded to put her away privily.

813
00:46:47,920 --> 00:46:49,960
That says a lot about Joseph too.

814
00:46:49,960 --> 00:46:50,800
Right?

815
00:46:50,800 --> 00:46:52,080
Yeah.

816
00:46:52,080 --> 00:46:55,200
Now, why would he want to put her away privily?

817
00:46:55,200 --> 00:46:57,820
Well, first let's describe what that means

818
00:46:57,820 --> 00:46:59,880
for those that may struggle with exactly

819
00:46:59,880 --> 00:47:01,840
what does it mean to put her away privily?

820
00:47:01,840 --> 00:47:03,200
What does that mean, Dave?

821
00:47:03,200 --> 00:47:08,200
So, what it means is we're just gonna be really quiet

822
00:47:08,380 --> 00:47:09,220
about this.

823
00:47:09,220 --> 00:47:10,560
Make it go away.

824
00:47:10,560 --> 00:47:13,040
We're gonna have a quick little divorcement.

825
00:47:13,040 --> 00:47:15,320
We're not gonna make it public.

826
00:47:15,320 --> 00:47:16,880
We have to have a divorcement,

827
00:47:16,880 --> 00:47:18,000
because there'll be truth.

828
00:47:18,000 --> 00:47:19,360
We're gonna make a little divorcement

829
00:47:19,360 --> 00:47:21,320
and I'm just gonna keep this all private

830
00:47:21,320 --> 00:47:24,320
and we're just gonna try to keep this on the sly

831
00:47:24,320 --> 00:47:27,160
and not try to ruin her or me.

832
00:47:27,160 --> 00:47:30,720
I believe, I believe this strongly, Scott,

833
00:47:30,720 --> 00:47:33,320
that Joseph believed Mary.

834
00:47:34,460 --> 00:47:37,320
I think he trusted her.

835
00:47:37,320 --> 00:47:39,480
He knew of her integrity.

836
00:47:39,480 --> 00:47:42,700
And when she told him before she went to Elizabeth

837
00:47:42,700 --> 00:47:46,240
that I am the mother of the Messiah,

838
00:47:46,240 --> 00:47:51,240
Joseph thought, okay, I believe her,

839
00:47:51,440 --> 00:47:56,440
but I am not worthy to be his dad.

840
00:47:57,560 --> 00:48:00,400
I don't wanna have anything to do with this.

841
00:48:00,400 --> 00:48:02,120
I can't do this.

842
00:48:02,120 --> 00:48:03,840
It's not that he didn't want to do it,

843
00:48:03,840 --> 00:48:06,960
but I believe Joseph's thought to himself,

844
00:48:06,960 --> 00:48:08,160
I can't do this.

845
00:48:08,160 --> 00:48:09,760
I'm just gonna put her away privily.

846
00:48:09,760 --> 00:48:12,000
I'm just gonna try to sweep this under the rug

847
00:48:12,000 --> 00:48:14,200
and I'm just gonna try to move on with my life

848
00:48:14,200 --> 00:48:15,920
and let her move on with hers

849
00:48:15,920 --> 00:48:18,840
and be the mother of God.

850
00:48:18,840 --> 00:48:22,000
I think that's how he originally thought of it, Scott.

851
00:48:22,000 --> 00:48:23,160
Very well may have been.

852
00:48:23,160 --> 00:48:24,920
And as he was having that,

853
00:48:24,920 --> 00:48:27,360
and if that was indeed his wrestle,

854
00:48:27,360 --> 00:48:29,640
verse 20 kind of adds to that,

855
00:48:29,640 --> 00:48:32,320
but while he thought on these things,

856
00:48:32,320 --> 00:48:33,840
in other words, while he wrestled,

857
00:48:33,840 --> 00:48:35,160
while he was struggling,

858
00:48:35,160 --> 00:48:37,840
while he was in his own wilderness,

859
00:48:37,840 --> 00:48:39,280
his own sacred grove,

860
00:48:39,280 --> 00:48:44,280
in his own attempts to gain access to the revelation here.

861
00:48:44,600 --> 00:48:45,680
Yes, yes.

862
00:48:45,680 --> 00:48:47,920
I think he was wrestling not so much

863
00:48:47,920 --> 00:48:50,760
with what Mary had told him, but.

864
00:48:50,760 --> 00:48:51,600
With his own worthiness.

865
00:48:51,600 --> 00:48:55,120
What was his responsibility in all of this?

866
00:48:55,120 --> 00:48:56,920
But while he thought on these things,

867
00:48:56,920 --> 00:49:00,640
behold an angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream,

868
00:49:00,640 --> 00:49:03,320
saying Joseph, thou son of David, fear not.

869
00:49:03,320 --> 00:49:04,200
There it is again.

870
00:49:04,200 --> 00:49:05,840
Right.

871
00:49:05,840 --> 00:49:07,840
And that may have been a reminder

872
00:49:07,840 --> 00:49:09,360
because they knew that the Messiah

873
00:49:09,360 --> 00:49:10,960
would come through that lineage.

874
00:49:10,960 --> 00:49:12,320
Definitely.

875
00:49:12,320 --> 00:49:14,200
Yeah, so Gabriel's reminded him,

876
00:49:14,200 --> 00:49:17,160
hey Joseph, son of David, remember,

877
00:49:17,160 --> 00:49:20,080
fear not to take unto thee, Mary, thy wife,

878
00:49:20,080 --> 00:49:24,440
for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

879
00:49:24,440 --> 00:49:27,520
Now let me read that and emphasize it differently.

880
00:49:28,320 --> 00:49:33,320
For that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

881
00:49:34,880 --> 00:49:36,400
You're right, Joseph.

882
00:49:37,280 --> 00:49:39,400
She is the mother of God.

883
00:49:39,400 --> 00:49:44,400
The angel is confirming what Mary has told Joseph

884
00:49:45,320 --> 00:49:48,280
and confirming what Joseph already knows.

885
00:49:49,560 --> 00:49:53,440
She is the mother of God.

886
00:49:53,440 --> 00:49:57,120
She has conceived by the Holy Ghost.

887
00:49:58,000 --> 00:50:01,920
That's not, I don't think that's a new idea for Joseph

888
00:50:01,920 --> 00:50:03,960
because he's believed Mary's story

889
00:50:03,960 --> 00:50:05,920
and the angel is just confirming it.

890
00:50:05,920 --> 00:50:09,560
Now again, people are entitled their own opinion,

891
00:50:09,560 --> 00:50:14,560
but that's how I see it based upon a Jewish commentary

892
00:50:15,000 --> 00:50:19,760
of how they saw Joseph as being a just man of the law.

893
00:50:19,760 --> 00:50:21,720
Verse 21,

894
00:50:21,720 --> 00:50:24,880
And she shall bring forth a son

895
00:50:24,880 --> 00:50:27,320
and thou shalt call his name Jesus,

896
00:50:27,320 --> 00:50:31,800
for he shall save his people from their sins.

897
00:50:31,800 --> 00:50:34,920
Now all this was done that it might be fulfilled

898
00:50:34,920 --> 00:50:38,440
which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet saying,

899
00:50:38,440 --> 00:50:40,800
Behold a virgin shall be with child

900
00:50:40,800 --> 00:50:42,320
and shall bring forth a son

901
00:50:42,320 --> 00:50:45,160
and they shall call his name Emmanuel,

902
00:50:45,160 --> 00:50:48,040
which being interpreted is God with us.

903
00:50:48,040 --> 00:50:52,480
That's the great prophecy of Isaiah from Isaiah chapter seven.

904
00:50:52,480 --> 00:50:54,800
Then Joseph being raised from sleep,

905
00:50:54,800 --> 00:50:57,720
did as the angel of the Lord had bitten him

906
00:50:57,720 --> 00:50:59,880
and took unto him his wife.

907
00:50:59,880 --> 00:51:03,320
And he knew her not until she had brought forth

908
00:51:03,320 --> 00:51:08,320
her firstborn son and he called his name Jesus.

909
00:51:08,360 --> 00:51:11,480
Very few men with that kind of humility

910
00:51:11,480 --> 00:51:13,440
and connection with Heavenly Father

911
00:51:13,440 --> 00:51:15,680
probably have ever existed.

912
00:51:15,680 --> 00:51:16,520
Yeah, exactly.

913
00:51:16,520 --> 00:51:21,520
Yeah, I just, a great man who is absolutely doing

914
00:51:22,280 --> 00:51:26,400
what he can to align his will with his Heavenly Father's will

915
00:51:26,400 --> 00:51:29,920
and taken direction from an angel and the Holy Ghost

916
00:51:29,920 --> 00:51:32,680
and putting aside his own selfishness,

917
00:51:32,680 --> 00:51:35,440
his own desires at this point.

918
00:51:35,440 --> 00:51:37,200
His own passions.

919
00:51:37,200 --> 00:51:40,440
And again, he's so quick in haste.

920
00:51:40,440 --> 00:51:43,640
He went married her as soon as I think she gets back,

921
00:51:43,640 --> 00:51:46,320
he says, okay, we gotta do this now.

922
00:51:46,320 --> 00:51:50,120
Before you're showing this pregnancy,

923
00:51:50,120 --> 00:51:51,360
we have to do this now.

924
00:51:51,360 --> 00:51:55,040
And so he quickly married her.

925
00:51:55,040 --> 00:51:59,440
I think he would have maybe waited more like a year

926
00:51:59,440 --> 00:52:00,920
before he married her,

927
00:52:00,920 --> 00:52:04,160
but he wanted to marry her now, does so.

928
00:52:04,160 --> 00:52:08,080
And then they never consummate the marriage

929
00:52:08,080 --> 00:52:11,160
until after Jesus is born.

930
00:52:11,160 --> 00:52:16,160
We do not believe, we reject what Catholics believe

931
00:52:16,720 --> 00:52:19,160
about the relationship of Joseph and Mary.

932
00:52:19,160 --> 00:52:23,480
We do not accept the immaculate conception.

933
00:52:23,480 --> 00:52:26,360
The immaculate conception is not about Jesus,

934
00:52:26,360 --> 00:52:27,920
it's really about Mary.

935
00:52:27,920 --> 00:52:31,680
And the Catholics believe that Mary never sinned,

936
00:52:31,680 --> 00:52:36,680
that she was conceived also in a miraculous way

937
00:52:36,680 --> 00:52:40,400
and that she did not have the seed of sin in her

938
00:52:40,400 --> 00:52:43,800
and that she never sinned in her life.

939
00:52:44,920 --> 00:52:47,600
We don't believe that about Mary.

940
00:52:47,600 --> 00:52:51,920
We don't have the same worshipful attitude

941
00:52:51,920 --> 00:52:56,660
that maybe Catholics have about the immaculate conception.

942
00:52:56,660 --> 00:53:01,260
We believe that Mary did have the seed of sin in her

943
00:53:01,260 --> 00:53:05,260
and that being fallen, totally fallen,

944
00:53:05,260 --> 00:53:09,380
that Jesus was fully mortal because of Mary

945
00:53:09,380 --> 00:53:12,700
and Mary being his mother,

946
00:53:12,700 --> 00:53:17,180
but fully immortal because of God being his father.

947
00:53:17,180 --> 00:53:21,700
And that was the state and the condition

948
00:53:21,700 --> 00:53:25,820
which Jesus was born into.

949
00:53:25,820 --> 00:53:30,540
Mary immortal, she would have had all the mortal experiences

950
00:53:30,540 --> 00:53:33,860
and temptations and no doubt that needed Jesus

951
00:53:33,860 --> 00:53:36,260
as her savior because she had sinned.

952
00:53:36,260 --> 00:53:38,340
So we reject that.

953
00:53:38,340 --> 00:53:41,540
And we also reject the idea that Joseph was older

954
00:53:41,540 --> 00:53:43,420
and that he already had children

955
00:53:43,420 --> 00:53:46,980
and that Mary married an older man named Joseph

956
00:53:46,980 --> 00:53:48,700
who already had kids.

957
00:53:48,700 --> 00:53:49,900
We don't believe that.

958
00:53:49,900 --> 00:53:53,540
The reason they believe that is because they don't believe

959
00:53:53,540 --> 00:53:58,540
that Mary, Virgin Mary, ever has any sexual relations

960
00:53:58,860 --> 00:54:01,220
with anybody, including Joseph.

961
00:54:01,220 --> 00:54:02,900
And yet the scriptures record

962
00:54:02,900 --> 00:54:06,220
that Jesus had brothers and sisters.

963
00:54:06,220 --> 00:54:08,460
So where did they come from?

964
00:54:08,460 --> 00:54:09,740
Well, they couldn't have come from Mary

965
00:54:09,740 --> 00:54:13,300
according to the Catholic church and their belief.

966
00:54:13,300 --> 00:54:16,780
They had to come from Joseph's previous marriage

967
00:54:16,780 --> 00:54:19,780
and that Mary married an old man who already had children.

968
00:54:20,740 --> 00:54:21,620
We don't believe that.

969
00:54:21,620 --> 00:54:25,780
We believe that Jesus's half brothers and sisters

970
00:54:25,780 --> 00:54:28,740
were the children of Mary and Joseph.

971
00:54:28,740 --> 00:54:31,620
That Joseph waited a year to consummate the marriage

972
00:54:31,620 --> 00:54:36,260
and that Mary and Joseph together did conceive other children

973
00:54:36,260 --> 00:54:39,220
and that that was the family that Jesus grew up in.

974
00:54:39,220 --> 00:54:42,380
So just a little clarification on what we believe

975
00:54:42,380 --> 00:54:45,180
versus what the Catholic church and other.

976
00:54:45,180 --> 00:54:47,220
But I think the church of England and a few others

977
00:54:47,220 --> 00:54:49,900
maybe have some of those beliefs as well.

978
00:54:49,900 --> 00:54:53,520
Well, so Joseph decides to marry her, they marry

979
00:54:53,520 --> 00:54:57,640
and that leads us to the great story of Christmas

980
00:54:57,640 --> 00:54:58,600
in Luke chapter two.

981
00:54:58,600 --> 00:55:01,720
So maybe let's turn to Luke chapter two

982
00:55:01,720 --> 00:55:04,360
and review some of these events.

983
00:55:04,360 --> 00:55:07,240
And I know we're probably going a little over here, Scott.

984
00:55:07,240 --> 00:55:08,080
I'm sorry.

985
00:55:08,080 --> 00:55:09,480
Yeah, we're going to go long today,

986
00:55:09,480 --> 00:55:10,840
but I think that we need to.

987
00:55:10,840 --> 00:55:12,280
We need to be too long here.

988
00:55:12,280 --> 00:55:16,280
We need to include a lot of what we've planned to include

989
00:55:16,280 --> 00:55:18,320
and we'd be remiss if we did not.

990
00:55:18,320 --> 00:55:22,080
So well, let's just, let's just, it's always better

991
00:55:22,080 --> 00:55:25,200
when you can to read the sacred record.

992
00:55:25,200 --> 00:55:29,320
I hope all of all of our listeners with their families

993
00:55:29,320 --> 00:55:33,120
with their loved ones can read Luke chapter two this year

994
00:55:33,120 --> 00:55:34,760
as we celebrate Christmas.

995
00:55:34,760 --> 00:55:37,760
Our family did it Sunday night for part of our family night.

996
00:55:37,760 --> 00:55:40,400
We reenacted the nativity scene

997
00:55:40,400 --> 00:55:42,880
and we read Luke chapter two together.

998
00:55:42,880 --> 00:55:47,360
But let's just read it, Scott, if you don't mind

999
00:55:47,360 --> 00:55:50,160
and all the interruptions we go through it.

1000
00:55:50,160 --> 00:55:51,880
And it came to pass in those days

1001
00:55:51,880 --> 00:55:54,680
that there went out at Cree from Caesar Augustus

1002
00:55:54,680 --> 00:55:56,880
that all the world should be taxed.

1003
00:55:56,880 --> 00:55:59,840
And this taxing was first made

1004
00:55:59,840 --> 00:56:02,880
when Cyreneus, the governor of Syria.

1005
00:56:02,880 --> 00:56:06,040
Now the point is Luke's trying to make a point here.

1006
00:56:06,040 --> 00:56:10,340
And the point is this is an actual factual event.

1007
00:56:10,340 --> 00:56:14,000
There's a historical setting and this is the timing of it.

1008
00:56:14,000 --> 00:56:16,320
And this actually happened.

1009
00:56:16,320 --> 00:56:20,400
I mean, he's trying to give us some historical facts here.

1010
00:56:20,400 --> 00:56:23,360
Caesar Augustus was really Octavian

1011
00:56:23,360 --> 00:56:26,680
who was adopted son of Julius Caesar.

1012
00:56:26,680 --> 00:56:31,680
Rome was in its greatest, flourishing largest empire

1013
00:56:32,240 --> 00:56:35,800
of the world in its history.

1014
00:56:35,800 --> 00:56:38,600
And he wants all the world to be taxed

1015
00:56:38,600 --> 00:56:42,640
and he knows the Jewish importance of family and ancestors.

1016
00:56:42,640 --> 00:56:44,440
And so he's going to tell them,

1017
00:56:44,440 --> 00:56:47,080
I want you to go back to your ancestral home,

1018
00:56:47,080 --> 00:56:50,280
which for Mary and Joseph being of David

1019
00:56:50,280 --> 00:56:51,960
would be Bethlehem.

1020
00:56:51,960 --> 00:56:54,640
And that's known as the city of David.

1021
00:56:54,640 --> 00:56:58,680
Bethlehem was crowned king.

1022
00:56:58,680 --> 00:57:02,720
Now Bethlehem means the house of bread,

1023
00:57:02,720 --> 00:57:06,000
which is interesting when you think about Jesus.

1024
00:57:06,000 --> 00:57:07,000
The bread of life.

1025
00:57:07,000 --> 00:57:08,800
The bread of life and the sacrament

1026
00:57:08,800 --> 00:57:10,640
that we take and all of that.

1027
00:57:10,640 --> 00:57:14,600
So as we read these events, the historical context

1028
00:57:14,600 --> 00:57:18,680
is important and Luke is trying to nail that home for us

1029
00:57:18,680 --> 00:57:20,480
by those first few verses.

1030
00:57:20,480 --> 00:57:21,320
In verse three,

1031
00:57:21,320 --> 00:57:24,640
and all went to be taxed everyone to his own city.

1032
00:57:24,640 --> 00:57:27,480
And Joseph also went up from Galilee

1033
00:57:27,480 --> 00:57:30,440
out of the city of Nazareth unto Judea,

1034
00:57:30,440 --> 00:57:33,160
unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem,

1035
00:57:33,160 --> 00:57:37,040
because he was of the house and lineage of David

1036
00:57:37,040 --> 00:57:39,720
to be taxed with Mary, his espoused wife,

1037
00:57:39,720 --> 00:57:40,880
being great with child.

1038
00:57:40,880 --> 00:57:43,640
So Mary didn't have to go.

1039
00:57:43,640 --> 00:57:47,520
You know, most males would have gone and taken the census.

1040
00:57:47,520 --> 00:57:49,440
The whole family didn't have to go.

1041
00:57:49,440 --> 00:57:51,920
And Joseph didn't have to take Mary.

1042
00:57:51,920 --> 00:57:56,680
But this was a perfect arrangement for a couple of reasons,

1043
00:57:56,680 --> 00:57:58,800
because not only was she expecting

1044
00:57:58,800 --> 00:58:02,440
and it would be good for her to get away

1045
00:58:02,440 --> 00:58:04,080
and not to have to deliver the child

1046
00:58:04,080 --> 00:58:07,000
and have all the townspeople in a very small town,

1047
00:58:07,000 --> 00:58:09,840
in Nazareth, a very small town, have all these people

1048
00:58:09,840 --> 00:58:10,680
start counting.

1049
00:58:10,680 --> 00:58:12,560
Let's see, when did they get married?

1050
00:58:12,560 --> 00:58:15,120
Let's see, boom, boom, it hasn't been enough months.

1051
00:58:15,120 --> 00:58:17,440
Wow, and the rumors and the gossip

1052
00:58:17,440 --> 00:58:21,040
that may have been started in Nazareth

1053
00:58:21,040 --> 00:58:24,200
if she would have given birth to Jesus in Nazareth.

1054
00:58:25,080 --> 00:58:29,040
And the second thing is that she knew the scriptures,

1055
00:58:29,040 --> 00:58:32,240
her and Joseph, she knew that there was a prophecy

1056
00:58:32,240 --> 00:58:34,800
that this child had to be born in Bethlehem.

1057
00:58:34,800 --> 00:58:38,600
She knew that Micah had prophesied of that,

1058
00:58:38,600 --> 00:58:39,920
testified of that.

1059
00:58:39,920 --> 00:58:41,880
She had to get to Bethlehem.

1060
00:58:41,880 --> 00:58:45,280
And this was a perfect opportunity for her.

1061
00:58:45,280 --> 00:58:50,160
Little did Caesar Augustus know

1062
00:58:50,160 --> 00:58:52,520
that he was fulfilling prophecy here

1063
00:58:52,520 --> 00:58:56,240
by getting this holy family down to Bethlehem,

1064
00:58:56,240 --> 00:59:01,240
where they could fulfill the command of the Caesar Augustus

1065
00:59:01,360 --> 00:59:04,400
to fill out a census and to be taxed.

1066
00:59:04,400 --> 00:59:06,920
So again, some historical background.

1067
00:59:07,920 --> 00:59:10,320
And so it was that while they were there,

1068
00:59:10,320 --> 00:59:13,520
the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

1069
00:59:13,520 --> 00:59:16,760
And she brought forth her firstborn son

1070
00:59:16,760 --> 00:59:18,680
and wrapped him in swaddling clothes

1071
00:59:18,680 --> 00:59:19,760
and laid him in a manger

1072
00:59:19,760 --> 00:59:22,200
because there was no room for them in the inn.

1073
00:59:22,200 --> 00:59:24,960
Now it's interesting that this verse,

1074
00:59:24,960 --> 00:59:29,960
some just one little tweak in the Joseph Smith translation,

1075
00:59:30,360 --> 00:59:34,000
he adds an S to the word in.

1076
00:59:34,000 --> 00:59:39,000
There's no room in the ins, plural.

1077
00:59:39,200 --> 00:59:42,800
The Greek word for in is katalama.

1078
00:59:43,640 --> 00:59:47,240
Katalama is a guest chamber.

1079
00:59:47,240 --> 00:59:48,680
It really means guest chamber.

1080
00:59:48,680 --> 00:59:53,760
They didn't have holiday or Hampton ins in Jerusalem

1081
00:59:53,760 --> 00:59:55,160
in those days, Scott.

1082
00:59:55,160 --> 00:59:57,360
They didn't have motels or hotels.

1083
00:59:57,360 --> 01:00:00,960
They had these caravanaries.

1084
01:00:00,960 --> 01:00:05,960
They call them the cons where traveling caravans could stay.

1085
01:00:07,040 --> 01:00:10,080
And they would have these rooms

1086
01:00:10,080 --> 01:00:14,320
or these guest chamber places where people could stay

1087
01:00:14,320 --> 01:00:17,040
and they could keep their animals on a lower level.

1088
01:00:17,040 --> 01:00:21,160
And the families would stay in kind of a second story,

1089
01:00:21,160 --> 01:00:23,880
higher level above the animals.

1090
01:00:23,880 --> 01:00:28,880
And there was no room in any of these cons or these ins.

1091
01:00:28,880 --> 01:00:32,240
There's no room in any of the guest chamber rooms.

1092
01:00:32,240 --> 01:00:36,400
Some of the cons, and it's of course the tradition is

1093
01:00:36,400 --> 01:00:41,400
really that he was born in a cave, the church of nativity.

1094
01:00:41,400 --> 01:00:44,680
It was such an amazing experience to go to the church

1095
01:00:44,680 --> 01:00:49,680
in the nativity when I was in the Holy Land many years ago.

1096
01:00:49,680 --> 01:00:51,120
And to go to the church of nativity

1097
01:00:51,120 --> 01:00:54,480
is like the oldest church in Catholicism.

1098
01:00:54,480 --> 01:00:56,960
It was built back in the 300s

1099
01:00:56,960 --> 01:01:01,160
by people who believed, I mean from really

1100
01:01:01,160 --> 01:01:05,320
in the second century, people still believed

1101
01:01:05,320 --> 01:01:06,920
that Jesus was born in a cave.

1102
01:01:09,600 --> 01:01:12,680
Justice Martyr and others had identified that.

1103
01:01:12,680 --> 01:01:15,400
They thought that they even knew the cave.

1104
01:01:15,400 --> 01:01:19,200
And in the fourth century, in the 300 ADs,

1105
01:01:19,200 --> 01:01:21,640
they built this church over the cave.

1106
01:01:21,640 --> 01:01:23,360
And there are other small caves there,

1107
01:01:23,360 --> 01:01:26,360
these limestone caves, which would be a natural place

1108
01:01:26,360 --> 01:01:28,320
for animals to be kept.

1109
01:01:28,320 --> 01:01:30,960
Now again, I don't know, President Nelson gave

1110
01:01:30,960 --> 01:01:34,320
an amazing talk on the first Christmas.

1111
01:01:35,320 --> 01:01:37,080
I think it's been 20 years ago.

1112
01:01:37,080 --> 01:01:41,520
I think it was in December of 2002

1113
01:01:41,520 --> 01:01:45,160
that President Nelson as the apostle gave this amazing talk

1114
01:01:45,160 --> 01:01:48,680
in BYU speeches and it might be an interesting thing

1115
01:01:48,680 --> 01:01:51,160
for people, our listeners to go read.

1116
01:01:51,160 --> 01:01:54,080
Look up BYU speeches, let's Google BYU speeches

1117
01:01:54,080 --> 01:01:57,360
and read President Nelson's talk, December 2002.

1118
01:01:57,360 --> 01:02:01,480
He talks about these cons and a little bit

1119
01:02:01,480 --> 01:02:03,840
about the history of this verse.

1120
01:02:03,840 --> 01:02:08,840
But I was there, I went to the church nativity,

1121
01:02:08,880 --> 01:02:11,120
they're burning incense in the upper level

1122
01:02:11,120 --> 01:02:13,720
and you go down into this lower level

1123
01:02:13,720 --> 01:02:16,280
and you see the cave where the Catholics

1124
01:02:16,280 --> 01:02:20,320
and others believe is the traditional birthplace of Jesus.

1125
01:02:20,320 --> 01:02:23,120
And then our guide said, who was LDS,

1126
01:02:23,120 --> 01:02:25,160
said now I would like to show you a cave

1127
01:02:25,160 --> 01:02:27,920
where when President McKay, David O. McKay,

1128
01:02:27,920 --> 01:02:31,160
did his world tour and he came to the Holy Land,

1129
01:02:31,160 --> 01:02:35,680
he came here and as he wandered through this lower level,

1130
01:02:35,680 --> 01:02:39,400
he identified this cave as being the birthplace of Jesus.

1131
01:02:40,320 --> 01:02:44,400
Scott, I have no primary sources for that

1132
01:02:44,400 --> 01:02:47,280
or any great sources to confirm that.

1133
01:02:47,280 --> 01:02:49,760
That's just what our guide told us.

1134
01:02:49,760 --> 01:02:51,960
I don't know if that's true or not true,

1135
01:02:51,960 --> 01:02:53,280
but President McKay did that.

1136
01:02:53,280 --> 01:02:56,520
I believed him at the time

1137
01:02:56,520 --> 01:03:01,520
and I had a really sweet experience down there

1138
01:03:02,240 --> 01:03:03,840
contemplating that.

1139
01:03:03,840 --> 01:03:07,160
I think there's a good chance to provide the privacy.

1140
01:03:08,280 --> 01:03:11,920
Maybe it would be even more demeaning to be able

1141
01:03:11,920 --> 01:03:15,320
for Mary to go through this birth in a public place

1142
01:03:15,320 --> 01:03:20,320
such as a con and a kind of a barnyard area,

1143
01:03:20,320 --> 01:03:23,720
which is possible, but maybe it'd be a little more private,

1144
01:03:23,720 --> 01:03:27,760
a little more holy if she gave birth to Jesus in a cave

1145
01:03:27,760 --> 01:03:29,920
with animals, that's where they would have kept her animals,

1146
01:03:29,920 --> 01:03:32,480
no doubt, all kinds of animals.

1147
01:03:32,480 --> 01:03:37,080
And I don't know, I like to think that maybe Jesus

1148
01:03:37,080 --> 01:03:39,740
was born in a cave, that's my opinion.

1149
01:03:40,720 --> 01:03:42,600
But one thing's for sure,

1150
01:03:42,600 --> 01:03:45,840
he was wrapped in swaddling clothes, this is a fact,

1151
01:03:45,840 --> 01:03:48,520
and he was laid in a manger.

1152
01:03:48,520 --> 01:03:50,920
And Luke makes that point, and again,

1153
01:03:50,920 --> 01:03:52,880
this is Mary's account, right?

1154
01:03:52,880 --> 01:03:54,720
Mary gave this account to Luke,

1155
01:03:54,720 --> 01:03:58,280
and she makes that point, I think like three times,

1156
01:03:58,280 --> 01:04:00,400
retelling this to Luke.

1157
01:04:00,400 --> 01:04:03,040
Wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

1158
01:04:03,040 --> 01:04:05,760
Wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

1159
01:04:05,760 --> 01:04:09,080
Swaddling, the Greek word for swaddling

1160
01:04:09,080 --> 01:04:11,560
means really torn strips of rags.

1161
01:04:12,800 --> 01:04:15,600
These are, you know, these are rags.

1162
01:04:15,600 --> 01:04:18,400
Now, some people believe, and President Elton talks

1163
01:04:18,400 --> 01:04:20,920
about this in his talk as well, if you go check it out,

1164
01:04:20,920 --> 01:04:23,200
that there would have maybe been some family markings

1165
01:04:23,200 --> 01:04:26,720
on these rags, or whatever they were.

1166
01:04:26,720 --> 01:04:29,560
And maybe there were family markings,

1167
01:04:29,560 --> 01:04:31,760
like he's of the house of David.

1168
01:04:31,760 --> 01:04:35,800
But I think of them as being torn, poor,

1169
01:04:35,800 --> 01:04:39,480
discolored, maybe even, rags,

1170
01:04:39,480 --> 01:04:43,400
that Mary, she swaddles him.

1171
01:04:44,640 --> 01:04:48,120
They believe that their babies should be tightly

1172
01:04:48,120 --> 01:04:53,120
contained, and so that they, you know,

1173
01:04:53,160 --> 01:04:58,160
they would feel the comfort, and also for other

1174
01:04:58,160 --> 01:05:01,200
physiological reasons, they would swaddle their babies.

1175
01:05:02,360 --> 01:05:05,960
And laid him in a manger, which would have been

1176
01:05:05,960 --> 01:05:08,120
not made of wood.

1177
01:05:08,120 --> 01:05:12,400
Mangers in those days, Scott, were made of stone.

1178
01:05:12,400 --> 01:05:15,560
Limestone specifically. Limestone troughs.

1179
01:05:15,560 --> 01:05:16,800
Right.

1180
01:05:16,800 --> 01:05:18,520
That's what the animals ate out of.

1181
01:05:18,520 --> 01:05:20,680
There's many pictures of them that date back

1182
01:05:20,680 --> 01:05:22,000
to the time of Jesus.

1183
01:05:22,000 --> 01:05:24,120
And I think that's really significant,

1184
01:05:24,120 --> 01:05:26,720
that they laid him on a stone.

1185
01:05:26,720 --> 01:05:29,520
In an animal's trough, nothing could be more poorer,

1186
01:05:29,520 --> 01:05:33,000
more demeaning, than to lay him in an animal's trough.

1187
01:05:33,000 --> 01:05:36,400
But I like to think beyond that, it was a stone,

1188
01:05:36,400 --> 01:05:41,400
it was a rock, it was symbolic of Jesus being the rock

1189
01:05:41,520 --> 01:05:45,240
of our salvation, the stone of Israel.

1190
01:05:45,240 --> 01:05:47,120
This is where Jesus was laid.

1191
01:05:48,400 --> 01:05:50,800
And there were, this is verse eight,

1192
01:05:50,800 --> 01:05:53,000
and there were in the same country shepherds

1193
01:05:53,000 --> 01:05:55,920
abiding their field, keeping watch over their flocks

1194
01:05:55,920 --> 01:05:56,960
by night.

1195
01:05:56,960 --> 01:06:00,120
And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them,

1196
01:06:00,120 --> 01:06:03,520
and the glory of the Lord shone round about them.

1197
01:06:03,520 --> 01:06:05,520
And they were sore afraid.

1198
01:06:05,520 --> 01:06:08,240
And the angel said unto them, fear not.

1199
01:06:08,240 --> 01:06:09,360
There it is again.

1200
01:06:09,360 --> 01:06:13,080
For behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy,

1201
01:06:13,080 --> 01:06:15,280
which shall be to all people.

1202
01:06:15,280 --> 01:06:19,360
For unto you is born this day in the city of David,

1203
01:06:19,360 --> 01:06:22,560
a savior, which is Christ the Lord.

1204
01:06:22,560 --> 01:06:24,400
And this shall be a sign unto you.

1205
01:06:24,400 --> 01:06:27,880
He shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes

1206
01:06:27,880 --> 01:06:28,720
lying in a manger.

1207
01:06:28,720 --> 01:06:29,760
There it is again.

1208
01:06:30,760 --> 01:06:33,080
And suddenly there was with the angel,

1209
01:06:33,080 --> 01:06:37,800
a multitude of heavenly host, praising God and saying,

1210
01:06:37,800 --> 01:06:41,520
glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace,

1211
01:06:41,520 --> 01:06:43,520
good will toward men.

1212
01:06:43,520 --> 01:06:47,160
And it came to pass as the angels were gone away

1213
01:06:47,160 --> 01:06:49,480
from them into heaven, the shepherds said,

1214
01:06:49,480 --> 01:06:52,680
want to another, let us now go even unto Bethlehem

1215
01:06:52,680 --> 01:06:55,160
and see this thing which has come to pass,

1216
01:06:55,160 --> 01:06:57,720
which the Lord hath made known unto us.

1217
01:06:58,600 --> 01:07:01,760
And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph

1218
01:07:01,760 --> 01:07:04,040
and the babe lying in the manger.

1219
01:07:04,040 --> 01:07:07,040
And when they had seen it, they made known abroad,

1220
01:07:07,040 --> 01:07:10,400
saying, which was told them concerning this child.

1221
01:07:10,400 --> 01:07:13,880
Okay, let's just talk briefly about the shepherds

1222
01:07:13,880 --> 01:07:15,960
before we go to the wise men.

1223
01:07:15,960 --> 01:07:20,320
The shepherds were probably in the Bethlehem area.

1224
01:07:20,320 --> 01:07:25,080
These are probably holy men, even though they're very poor

1225
01:07:25,080 --> 01:07:29,440
men, somewhat outcast shepherds in that culture

1226
01:07:29,440 --> 01:07:30,760
at that time.

1227
01:07:30,760 --> 01:07:33,720
But these could have been the shepherds

1228
01:07:33,720 --> 01:07:38,720
over the pascal lambs that would have been being prepared

1229
01:07:38,720 --> 01:07:40,880
for Passover.

1230
01:07:40,880 --> 01:07:44,480
This is probably shepherds who are watching

1231
01:07:44,480 --> 01:07:48,160
over the temple flock of sheep.

1232
01:07:48,160 --> 01:07:49,640
These are holy men.

1233
01:07:50,760 --> 01:07:54,160
They are poor men, very poor.

1234
01:07:54,160 --> 01:07:56,520
It's interesting, President Oakes,

1235
01:07:56,520 --> 01:08:00,440
in his devotional address just a few Sundays ago,

1236
01:08:00,440 --> 01:08:03,280
identified that we have these,

1237
01:08:03,280 --> 01:08:07,520
the poor, the shepherds.

1238
01:08:07,520 --> 01:08:11,160
Then we have the witnesses of the holy Anna and Simeon

1239
01:08:11,160 --> 01:08:13,480
when Jesus was presented at the temple

1240
01:08:13,480 --> 01:08:15,600
after 40 days after his birth.

1241
01:08:15,600 --> 01:08:19,640
And then we have a third witness of the wise men,

1242
01:08:19,640 --> 01:08:22,600
the poor, the holy, and the wise.

1243
01:08:24,240 --> 01:08:29,240
And these are poor men, but amazing, humble men

1244
01:08:29,960 --> 01:08:32,080
who immediately believe, and again,

1245
01:08:32,080 --> 01:08:35,680
the word haste is used here, they go in haste

1246
01:08:35,680 --> 01:08:40,320
and they find the babe lying in a manger.

1247
01:08:41,480 --> 01:08:44,160
Well, I was in Shepherds' Field.

1248
01:08:44,160 --> 01:08:46,080
Wow, that was one of the highlights

1249
01:08:46,080 --> 01:08:51,080
of my entire experience in the Holy Land was in July,

1250
01:08:52,040 --> 01:08:56,040
being in Shepherds' Field, contemplating these events.

1251
01:08:56,040 --> 01:08:59,320
And while we were there and we were singing Christmas carols

1252
01:08:59,320 --> 01:09:02,480
up over the hill of Shepherds' Fields,

1253
01:09:02,480 --> 01:09:06,360
there comes this young boy with his sheep.

1254
01:09:08,600 --> 01:09:11,800
I could just see it, Scott.

1255
01:09:11,800 --> 01:09:15,680
I could see these young, some old,

1256
01:09:15,680 --> 01:09:18,440
I think many people see the shepherds being old.

1257
01:09:18,440 --> 01:09:22,360
I think of them, there must have been really young men.

1258
01:09:22,360 --> 01:09:27,360
Shepherds, oh, anyway, it was an amazing experience

1259
01:09:28,000 --> 01:09:30,000
for me to sing Christmas songs

1260
01:09:30,000 --> 01:09:34,360
and to feel the Holy Ghost in Shepherds' Fields,

1261
01:09:34,360 --> 01:09:39,360
looking over at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.

1262
01:09:39,400 --> 01:09:40,840
That's one of the highlights of my life

1263
01:09:40,840 --> 01:09:42,040
that I'll never forget.

1264
01:09:43,240 --> 01:09:45,800
So we have these witnesses, these shepherds,

1265
01:09:45,800 --> 01:09:48,840
who then go and tell it abroad.

1266
01:09:50,080 --> 01:09:53,100
Bear their testimony, being filled with the Holy Ghost.

1267
01:09:54,800 --> 01:09:56,320
I love this next verse.

1268
01:09:56,320 --> 01:10:00,080
Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.

1269
01:10:00,080 --> 01:10:02,880
That's tender to me.

1270
01:10:02,880 --> 01:10:04,480
That's precious, that's tender.

1271
01:10:04,480 --> 01:10:09,480
I get emotional almost thinking about that.

1272
01:10:10,240 --> 01:10:15,040
Moms in general, that's just a wonderful tender

1273
01:10:15,040 --> 01:10:17,200
in all the right circumstances,

1274
01:10:17,200 --> 01:10:19,640
just a wonderful tender experience.

1275
01:10:19,640 --> 01:10:24,640
And we all get to, occasionally, we've been privy

1276
01:10:24,640 --> 01:10:28,720
to those experiences, but nothing quite like this one.

1277
01:10:28,720 --> 01:10:31,920
Here's Mary, the mother of the Son of God,

1278
01:10:31,920 --> 01:10:36,920
and she hears the shepherds,

1279
01:10:37,640 --> 01:10:42,640
and then she keeps these things and ponders them in her heart.

1280
01:10:43,880 --> 01:10:46,640
And the shepherds return, glorifying and praising God

1281
01:10:46,640 --> 01:10:50,280
for all the things which they had heard and seen

1282
01:10:50,280 --> 01:10:52,040
as it was told unto them.

1283
01:10:52,040 --> 01:10:55,800
Yeah, well, that's the first set of witnesses.

1284
01:10:56,760 --> 01:11:01,280
Then Mary and Joseph, after eight days, sorry,

1285
01:11:01,280 --> 01:11:05,280
after eight days, they go through a Jewish ritual

1286
01:11:05,280 --> 01:11:08,360
of purification, and 40 days after that,

1287
01:11:08,360 --> 01:11:10,240
they present Jesus at the temple.

1288
01:11:10,240 --> 01:11:12,240
This is Alvin Luke chapter two,

1289
01:11:12,240 --> 01:11:16,480
which I encourage our readers to read.

1290
01:11:16,480 --> 01:11:21,480
And there they meet Simeon and Anna

1291
01:11:21,840 --> 01:11:25,840
as they present Jesus in the house of the Lord.

1292
01:11:25,840 --> 01:11:30,440
And it's interesting, they should offer lamb as a sacrifice.

1293
01:11:30,440 --> 01:11:33,120
Mary and Joseph are so poor,

1294
01:11:33,120 --> 01:11:36,480
I think it says there, Scott, if you have it,

1295
01:11:36,480 --> 01:11:38,400
that they present two turtledoves.

1296
01:11:38,400 --> 01:11:41,280
Two turtledoves or two young pigeons.

1297
01:11:41,280 --> 01:11:44,120
So that kind of puts, we think of turtledoves,

1298
01:11:44,120 --> 01:11:46,840
and in our culture, we think of turtledoves,

1299
01:11:46,840 --> 01:11:49,440
and there's a certain amount of romance and beauty

1300
01:11:49,440 --> 01:11:50,280
attached to that.

1301
01:11:50,280 --> 01:11:52,240
We think of pigeons, maybe not some much.

1302
01:11:52,240 --> 01:11:54,040
Yeah, these are poor people.

1303
01:11:54,040 --> 01:11:54,880
These are pigeons.

1304
01:11:54,880 --> 01:11:57,880
And that's all they can come up with to sacrifice,

1305
01:11:57,880 --> 01:12:00,320
which is, according to the law, if you were really,

1306
01:12:00,320 --> 01:12:04,720
really, really poor, you could sacrifice pigeons

1307
01:12:04,720 --> 01:12:06,880
instead of a lamb.

1308
01:12:06,880 --> 01:12:08,600
That's all they could afford.

1309
01:12:08,600 --> 01:12:12,560
And it's interesting, they didn't ask the shepherds

1310
01:12:12,560 --> 01:12:14,760
for a lamb or however that could have worked,

1311
01:12:14,760 --> 01:12:17,880
but they offer these pigeons.

1312
01:12:17,880 --> 01:12:20,200
And they meet Simeon.

1313
01:12:20,200 --> 01:12:22,920
I remember a book many years ago I read

1314
01:12:22,920 --> 01:12:27,920
by a sister and Osborn Pullman called The Simeon Solution.

1315
01:12:28,680 --> 01:12:31,840
And she made a wonderful analogy of Simeon

1316
01:12:31,840 --> 01:12:35,600
who had waited so many years to see the Messiah

1317
01:12:35,600 --> 01:12:39,720
and all those years and all those prayers,

1318
01:12:39,720 --> 01:12:44,720
maybe thousands of prayers that he wanted to see the Messiah

1319
01:12:46,160 --> 01:12:49,880
and he becomes one of the first witnesses

1320
01:12:49,880 --> 01:12:53,360
of Jesus in the temple and cries out.

1321
01:12:53,360 --> 01:12:57,360
But it says in verse 20, 25,

1322
01:12:57,360 --> 01:13:01,560
behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon.

1323
01:13:01,560 --> 01:13:03,880
And the same man was just in devout

1324
01:13:05,000 --> 01:13:07,320
waiting for the consolation of Israel.

1325
01:13:07,320 --> 01:13:10,280
I think that's such a great title for Jesus.

1326
01:13:10,280 --> 01:13:13,920
Again, the Messiah, the consolation of Israel.

1327
01:13:13,920 --> 01:13:15,280
I love that title.

1328
01:13:16,720 --> 01:13:19,720
And the Holy Ghost was upon him, upon Simeon.

1329
01:13:20,720 --> 01:13:24,960
And it was revealed unto Simeon, by the Holy Ghost,

1330
01:13:24,960 --> 01:13:26,920
that he should not see death

1331
01:13:26,920 --> 01:13:30,400
before he had seen the Lord's Christ.

1332
01:13:30,400 --> 01:13:32,760
And he came by the Spirit,

1333
01:13:32,760 --> 01:13:35,200
three times the spirits mentioned in the story,

1334
01:13:35,200 --> 01:13:40,200
into the temple when the parents brought in the child Jesus,

1335
01:13:40,200 --> 01:13:43,000
then took he up into his arms.

1336
01:13:43,000 --> 01:13:44,720
Can you imagine this?

1337
01:13:44,720 --> 01:13:48,840
And blessed God and said, Lord, now let us thou,

1338
01:13:48,840 --> 01:13:51,720
thy servant depart in peace according to thy word.

1339
01:13:51,720 --> 01:13:54,680
And he says some more things and even warns Mary

1340
01:13:54,680 --> 01:13:57,800
that this is gonna be hard, Mary,

1341
01:13:57,800 --> 01:13:59,800
and the sword is gonna be thrust in him

1342
01:13:59,800 --> 01:14:02,360
and thrust into your heart as well.

1343
01:14:02,360 --> 01:14:05,400
I'm not prophesying what Mary would feel at the crucifixion

1344
01:14:05,400 --> 01:14:06,280
of Jesus.

1345
01:14:06,280 --> 01:14:09,880
I love what Simeon called him in verse 30.

1346
01:14:09,880 --> 01:14:13,080
He said, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation.

1347
01:14:13,080 --> 01:14:14,720
Yeah, I love that too, Scott.

1348
01:14:14,720 --> 01:14:15,560
Salvation.

1349
01:14:15,560 --> 01:14:16,920
Yeah, redemption.

1350
01:14:17,760 --> 01:14:20,520
And then Anna, Anna, a prophetess.

1351
01:14:20,520 --> 01:14:23,880
We don't know what term that really means, prophetess.

1352
01:14:23,880 --> 01:14:27,000
But this is a woman that's over 100 years old, Scott.

1353
01:14:27,000 --> 01:14:30,360
We talked about the life expectancy being like in the 40s.

1354
01:14:30,360 --> 01:14:32,880
She's lived to be over 100 years old.

1355
01:14:33,840 --> 01:14:38,840
And she has waited and wanted to see the Savior.

1356
01:14:41,360 --> 01:14:46,000
And she becomes one of the first witnesses

1357
01:14:46,000 --> 01:14:49,480
of this virgin birth.

1358
01:14:49,480 --> 01:14:52,160
So I love that whole story in Luke.

1359
01:14:52,160 --> 01:14:57,160
No doubt told to Luke by Mary and all of the witnesses

1360
01:14:57,160 --> 01:15:02,160
and the tender feelings that Mary expresses.

1361
01:15:03,280 --> 01:15:08,280
I love the description in verse 38 of Anna's experience.

1362
01:15:08,400 --> 01:15:11,960
And she coming in, in that instant gave thanks

1363
01:15:11,960 --> 01:15:16,960
likewise unto the Lord and spake of him to all them

1364
01:15:17,480 --> 01:15:21,000
that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

1365
01:15:23,760 --> 01:15:26,880
So that they stay in Jerusalem.

1366
01:15:26,880 --> 01:15:31,160
They don't go to Nazareth right away in the Luke account.

1367
01:15:31,160 --> 01:15:33,040
They go to Nazareth soon after this.

1368
01:15:33,040 --> 01:15:35,480
And Luke doesn't tell us about the wise men.

1369
01:15:35,480 --> 01:15:38,960
The wise, the account of the wise men is back in Matthew

1370
01:15:38,960 --> 01:15:40,360
in Matthew chapter two.

1371
01:15:40,360 --> 01:15:43,240
So we have to go back to Matthew chapter two.

1372
01:15:43,240 --> 01:15:45,680
Mary and Joseph would have stayed in Jerusalem

1373
01:15:45,680 --> 01:15:47,120
for some time.

1374
01:15:47,120 --> 01:15:50,760
Maybe Jesus was a year, up to a year,

1375
01:15:50,760 --> 01:15:55,760
maybe even two years old into a second year

1376
01:15:55,760 --> 01:15:58,640
before the wise men come.

1377
01:15:58,640 --> 01:16:00,760
We would just want to spend a moment

1378
01:16:00,760 --> 01:16:03,680
at thinking about this third group of witnesses here.

1379
01:16:03,680 --> 01:16:05,720
So in Matthew chapter two, Scott,

1380
01:16:05,720 --> 01:16:09,120
if you'll begin to read the verse one.

1381
01:16:09,120 --> 01:16:12,800
Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea,

1382
01:16:12,800 --> 01:16:14,440
in the days of Herod the king,

1383
01:16:14,440 --> 01:16:18,240
behold their king wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

1384
01:16:18,240 --> 01:16:22,120
saying, where is he that is born king of the Jews?

1385
01:16:22,120 --> 01:16:25,120
For we have seen his star in the east

1386
01:16:25,120 --> 01:16:26,600
and are come to worship him.

1387
01:16:26,600 --> 01:16:29,960
So this verse, there's a very important change

1388
01:16:29,960 --> 01:16:32,560
made in the Joseph Smith translation.

1389
01:16:32,560 --> 01:16:35,960
And if we read this based on that change,

1390
01:16:35,960 --> 01:16:38,720
it should have read thus,

1391
01:16:39,560 --> 01:16:42,720
saying three, the wise men,

1392
01:16:42,720 --> 01:16:44,720
we don't know if there were three or 12 or 100.

1393
01:16:44,720 --> 01:16:45,720
We don't know how many there were,

1394
01:16:45,720 --> 01:16:49,040
but the wise men said,

1395
01:16:49,040 --> 01:16:54,040
where is the child that is born the Messiah of the Jews?

1396
01:16:57,440 --> 01:16:59,520
For we have seen his star in the east

1397
01:16:59,520 --> 01:17:00,920
and are come to worship him.

1398
01:17:00,920 --> 01:17:03,720
So what do these wise men know?

1399
01:17:03,720 --> 01:17:05,360
They know he's the Messiah.

1400
01:17:05,360 --> 01:17:10,360
They know he's the Messiah, savior, redeemer of the world.

1401
01:17:12,920 --> 01:17:16,120
Scott, you can't know that Jesus is the Christ

1402
01:17:16,120 --> 01:17:17,640
except by the Holy Ghost.

1403
01:17:17,640 --> 01:17:20,200
You have to have a spiritual witness.

1404
01:17:20,200 --> 01:17:22,960
And they have had a spiritual witness

1405
01:17:22,960 --> 01:17:26,520
long before they come or make their trek to Jerusalem.

1406
01:17:26,520 --> 01:17:31,520
I don't think that these are wizards or astrologers

1407
01:17:31,960 --> 01:17:36,200
or all those descriptions, maybe they could be,

1408
01:17:36,200 --> 01:17:39,200
but the one thing that we know, these are holy men

1409
01:17:39,200 --> 01:17:41,400
who have had a witness of the gift,

1410
01:17:41,400 --> 01:17:44,200
I believe the gift of the Holy Ghost.

1411
01:17:44,200 --> 01:17:46,600
And they must have known about the gospel.

1412
01:17:46,600 --> 01:17:48,840
And I think they could have been prophets.

1413
01:17:48,840 --> 01:17:50,320
In fact, Elder McConkey says,

1414
01:17:50,320 --> 01:17:53,320
we don't know if there were three, maybe there were 12.

1415
01:17:53,320 --> 01:17:55,920
Maybe it was a whole quorum who came.

1416
01:17:55,920 --> 01:17:59,400
Maybe there was an establishment of the gospel

1417
01:17:59,400 --> 01:18:00,960
somewhere else in the east

1418
01:18:00,960 --> 01:18:03,400
that we don't really have any record of yet.

1419
01:18:03,400 --> 01:18:07,000
And maybe they knew, I mean, Samuel knew,

1420
01:18:07,000 --> 01:18:09,560
I think the whole world if they were holy.

1421
01:18:09,560 --> 01:18:11,120
And there would have been holy men

1422
01:18:11,120 --> 01:18:12,360
in other parts of the world.

1423
01:18:12,360 --> 01:18:13,720
We know there were here in America

1424
01:18:13,720 --> 01:18:17,760
and Samuel prophesies of the day and the night

1425
01:18:17,760 --> 01:18:19,640
and the day as if it were one day.

1426
01:18:19,640 --> 01:18:21,040
And I think that's because of the star.

1427
01:18:21,040 --> 01:18:23,320
We don't really, he doesn't talk about the star,

1428
01:18:23,320 --> 01:18:26,800
but I think that was because of the brightness of this star.

1429
01:18:26,800 --> 01:18:31,800
And that this was, this star would have been a world event

1430
01:18:33,920 --> 01:18:37,280
in the Eastern and Western hemispheres.

1431
01:18:37,280 --> 01:18:40,520
And it was the incredible sign

1432
01:18:40,520 --> 01:18:44,920
that the Messiah, Savior, Redeemer had been born.

1433
01:18:44,920 --> 01:18:48,480
So these men make the track bringing gifts,

1434
01:18:48,480 --> 01:18:50,480
I think inspired by the Holy Ghost,

1435
01:18:50,480 --> 01:18:52,440
bring the gifts they brought.

1436
01:18:52,440 --> 01:18:54,280
And let's just skip down

1437
01:18:54,280 --> 01:18:57,880
and just read a few more verses before we conclude this.

1438
01:18:57,880 --> 01:19:01,160
Let's start with, so they go to Herod

1439
01:19:01,160 --> 01:19:02,520
and they say, where is he?

1440
01:19:02,520 --> 01:19:03,920
There's born king of the Jews.

1441
01:19:03,920 --> 01:19:07,120
Well, this puts of course the fear of God into Herod.

1442
01:19:07,120 --> 01:19:09,520
And it even says that Herod believed them.

1443
01:19:09,520 --> 01:19:11,520
And that Herod believed them so much

1444
01:19:11,520 --> 01:19:14,880
that he creates this idea

1445
01:19:14,880 --> 01:19:17,040
that he has to slaughter all the babies

1446
01:19:17,040 --> 01:19:21,480
that are in the Bethlehem and outskirts of Jerusalem area.

1447
01:19:21,480 --> 01:19:23,520
Let's point out too, that's all babies.

1448
01:19:23,520 --> 01:19:26,720
That's not just the young boys, that's all babies.

1449
01:19:26,720 --> 01:19:28,280
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

1450
01:19:28,280 --> 01:19:32,360
So anyway, there's this great slaughter.

1451
01:19:32,360 --> 01:19:35,480
John the Baptist is miraculously saved

1452
01:19:35,480 --> 01:19:37,760
because Elizabeth escapes with him.

1453
01:19:37,760 --> 01:19:40,320
And we learn from the teaching of the prophet Joseph Smith

1454
01:19:40,320 --> 01:19:43,320
that Zacharias was approached by soldiers

1455
01:19:43,320 --> 01:19:46,040
to know the whereabouts of John the Baptist.

1456
01:19:46,040 --> 01:19:48,480
And he won't tell them.

1457
01:19:48,480 --> 01:19:52,080
And this slaughter of the babies causes Zacharias.

1458
01:19:52,080 --> 01:19:52,920
His life.

1459
01:19:52,920 --> 01:19:55,280
How we started this story, it costs his life

1460
01:19:55,280 --> 01:19:59,520
because the Roman soldiers killed Zacharias.

1461
01:19:59,520 --> 01:20:01,040
Well, let's skip over to verse 10

1462
01:20:01,040 --> 01:20:04,360
and read verses 10 through 13.

1463
01:20:04,360 --> 01:20:09,120
When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

1464
01:20:09,120 --> 01:20:11,400
And when they were come into the house,

1465
01:20:11,400 --> 01:20:14,360
they saw the young child with Mary, his mother,

1466
01:20:14,360 --> 01:20:17,080
and fell down and worshiped him.

1467
01:20:17,080 --> 01:20:19,240
And when they had opened their treasures,

1468
01:20:19,240 --> 01:20:23,160
they presented unto him gifts, gold,

1469
01:20:23,160 --> 01:20:25,160
and frankincense and myrrh.

1470
01:20:25,160 --> 01:20:28,080
So that's why people think of three wise men

1471
01:20:28,080 --> 01:20:30,800
is because there are three gifts mentioned,

1472
01:20:30,800 --> 01:20:32,320
but maybe there were 12

1473
01:20:32,320 --> 01:20:34,360
and they all brought some myrrh

1474
01:20:34,360 --> 01:20:35,960
and they all brought some frankincense

1475
01:20:35,960 --> 01:20:37,520
and they all brought some gold.

1476
01:20:37,520 --> 01:20:38,840
We don't know.

1477
01:20:38,840 --> 01:20:42,120
But those three gifts are symbolic and they're important.

1478
01:20:42,120 --> 01:20:46,840
You know, myrrh is an ointment for those who have died.

1479
01:20:46,840 --> 01:20:50,000
Myrrh would have maybe been used as something of an ointment

1480
01:20:50,000 --> 01:20:54,240
put on the death of Jesus,

1481
01:20:54,240 --> 01:20:57,720
prefiguring the death and sacrifice

1482
01:20:57,720 --> 01:20:59,560
and atonement of Jesus Christ.

1483
01:20:59,560 --> 01:21:04,840
Frankincense, of course, used in the whole ointment of incense

1484
01:21:04,840 --> 01:21:08,280
in the temple and other places where they burned incense,

1485
01:21:08,280 --> 01:21:11,720
symbolic of the worship of Christ and our prayers

1486
01:21:11,720 --> 01:21:15,760
being answered and being carried into the ears of God.

1487
01:21:15,760 --> 01:21:20,920
And then gold, gold was, of course, to, I believe,

1488
01:21:20,920 --> 01:21:24,680
help Mary and Joseph to escape and to survive

1489
01:21:24,680 --> 01:21:28,440
and to be able to go to Egypt and live in Egypt

1490
01:21:28,440 --> 01:21:30,960
for who knows how long, months or years.

1491
01:21:30,960 --> 01:21:34,000
I know there are some historical facts

1492
01:21:34,000 --> 01:21:35,760
associated with this too, Scott,

1493
01:21:35,760 --> 01:21:38,400
that Herod the Great didn't live very long

1494
01:21:38,400 --> 01:21:40,280
after the slaughter of the babies

1495
01:21:40,280 --> 01:21:42,160
and they would have come back probably

1496
01:21:42,160 --> 01:21:45,040
as soon as they heard that Herod the Great had died

1497
01:21:45,040 --> 01:21:47,600
and that could have been just a few months

1498
01:21:47,600 --> 01:21:50,000
or it could have been maybe a year or two.

1499
01:21:50,000 --> 01:21:52,840
But they had this gold on which they could survive

1500
01:21:52,840 --> 01:21:56,280
as the holy family to live in Egypt

1501
01:21:56,280 --> 01:21:59,120
and then to make their way back into Jerusalem

1502
01:21:59,120 --> 01:22:03,440
and then going back to Nazareth where Jesus was raised

1503
01:22:03,440 --> 01:22:04,960
as a child.

1504
01:22:04,960 --> 01:22:07,680
But verses 12 and 13 just talk about

1505
01:22:07,680 --> 01:22:11,800
how the angel again appears to Joseph and Mary

1506
01:22:11,800 --> 01:22:16,800
and warns them and they escape the slaughter of the babies.

1507
01:22:19,400 --> 01:22:24,400
I don't know, as awful as that is, Scott,

1508
01:22:24,400 --> 01:22:27,280
you can't think about the slaughter of these babies

1509
01:22:27,280 --> 01:22:32,040
without thinking that our precious restored doctrine

1510
01:22:32,040 --> 01:22:37,040
that all children are not just saved

1511
01:22:37,560 --> 01:22:40,200
but are exalted when they die

1512
01:22:40,200 --> 01:22:42,320
before the age of accountability

1513
01:22:42,320 --> 01:22:47,320
and that this baby who escaped Jesus, the baby child,

1514
01:22:49,360 --> 01:22:52,680
would have been the one who would have made that possible

1515
01:22:52,680 --> 01:22:54,880
for all these babies who were slaughtered.

1516
01:22:54,880 --> 01:22:57,600
Again, it's important, I didn't point out in verse 10,

1517
01:22:57,600 --> 01:23:00,200
the wise men, however many there were,

1518
01:23:00,200 --> 01:23:02,520
they came to a house.

1519
01:23:02,520 --> 01:23:06,560
Joseph and Mary had left them the manger scene

1520
01:23:06,560 --> 01:23:09,720
long before the wise men ever were able to make it there.

1521
01:23:09,720 --> 01:23:12,160
I think Jesus would have been in actually,

1522
01:23:12,160 --> 01:23:13,640
I think he was over a one year old,

1523
01:23:13,640 --> 01:23:15,080
that's just my opinion,

1524
01:23:15,080 --> 01:23:17,280
because Herod, just to make sure,

1525
01:23:17,280 --> 01:23:22,280
has everybody to and under, has them slaughtered.

1526
01:23:23,080 --> 01:23:27,360
But the wise men become the final group

1527
01:23:27,360 --> 01:23:30,760
of this first Christmas of the birth,

1528
01:23:30,760 --> 01:23:35,280
the virgin birth, the miraculous conception and birth

1529
01:23:35,280 --> 01:23:38,520
and the fulfillment of all prophecies

1530
01:23:38,520 --> 01:23:42,520
Scott up until this time of the birth of Jesus.

1531
01:23:42,520 --> 01:23:46,480
And I just wanna, I guess, conclude by testifying

1532
01:23:46,480 --> 01:23:50,120
that I know that these events are true, actual factual.

1533
01:23:50,120 --> 01:23:55,120
We don't know all the details as we will someday,

1534
01:23:55,840 --> 01:23:59,320
but we know enough that this happened

1535
01:23:59,320 --> 01:24:02,920
and there are so many lessons that we can take from this.

1536
01:24:02,920 --> 01:24:05,800
I love Delder Anderson's devotional talk

1537
01:24:05,800 --> 01:24:08,000
in which he talked over and over again

1538
01:24:08,000 --> 01:24:11,000
and retelling the first Christmas,

1539
01:24:11,000 --> 01:24:15,320
that those go through persecution and trials

1540
01:24:15,320 --> 01:24:18,640
and difficulties and challenges in life,

1541
01:24:18,640 --> 01:24:23,120
if they are patient and if they are righteous, all is well.

1542
01:24:24,120 --> 01:24:27,240
For all of those who prophesied for thousands of years

1543
01:24:27,240 --> 01:24:30,560
before Jesus was born, for all of those involved

1544
01:24:30,560 --> 01:24:33,440
in this Christmas story,

1545
01:24:33,440 --> 01:24:37,080
Simi and Anana, the wise men, Mary and Joseph,

1546
01:24:37,080 --> 01:24:40,840
all of those who had looked for a Messiah all these years

1547
01:24:40,840 --> 01:24:45,840
to deliver them, the Jews primarily believed

1548
01:24:45,860 --> 01:24:50,860
from the bondage of the Roman Empire,

1549
01:24:51,700 --> 01:24:53,900
but we know that he would deliver us

1550
01:24:53,900 --> 01:24:58,220
from the spiritual woes and sins of all the world

1551
01:24:58,220 --> 01:25:02,580
that these events took place and all is well.

1552
01:25:02,580 --> 01:25:06,380
My favorite Christmas song I like to hear now

1553
01:25:06,380 --> 01:25:11,380
is Carrie Underwood and Michael Smith singing All Is Well,

1554
01:25:11,380 --> 01:25:12,980
All Is Well.

1555
01:25:12,980 --> 01:25:17,980
I testify that I know that because of Jesus' birth

1556
01:25:18,620 --> 01:25:22,820
and his sinless life, his teachings,

1557
01:25:22,820 --> 01:25:27,140
his atoning sacrifice, his resurrection,

1558
01:25:27,140 --> 01:25:30,020
that all is well.

1559
01:25:30,020 --> 01:25:34,460
And pray that all of you will have a Merry Christmas,

1560
01:25:34,460 --> 01:25:38,340
that you'll experience the joy and peace

1561
01:25:38,340 --> 01:25:41,860
and the sacred reason for the season

1562
01:25:41,860 --> 01:25:46,860
and Merry Christmas to all who are listening

1563
01:25:47,660 --> 01:25:48,960
and happy new year.

1564
01:25:49,980 --> 01:25:54,980
This past weekend, our ward had our Christmas gathering

1565
01:25:55,180 --> 01:25:59,300
celebration and they decided on a theme

1566
01:25:59,300 --> 01:26:01,320
of why's men still seek him?

1567
01:26:02,300 --> 01:26:04,180
When we read this Christmas story

1568
01:26:04,180 --> 01:26:06,700
and as we've had the opportunity to go through it today

1569
01:26:06,700 --> 01:26:09,540
and we've brought to life, hopefully,

1570
01:26:09,540 --> 01:26:14,220
maybe some of the shepherds and even Joseph and Mary

1571
01:26:14,220 --> 01:26:19,220
and Zacharias and Elizabeth and even John the Baptist

1572
01:26:19,580 --> 01:26:24,420
before he came and all of these things, the wise men,

1573
01:26:24,420 --> 01:26:28,460
I invite us and I'm accepting this invitation

1574
01:26:28,460 --> 01:26:30,300
because I've already been participating

1575
01:26:30,300 --> 01:26:35,300
in it over the last several days is where am I

1576
01:26:35,620 --> 01:26:38,580
and how do I relate to each of them?

1577
01:26:38,580 --> 01:26:42,260
Am I that wise man that would be in tune enough

1578
01:26:42,260 --> 01:26:46,340
through the Spirit to recognize the star for what it is?

1579
01:26:46,340 --> 01:26:51,340
Would I be the shepherd who though I was sore afraid

1580
01:26:52,580 --> 01:26:55,260
would fight through my fears being encouraged

1581
01:26:55,260 --> 01:27:00,260
by the Holy Ghost to do it and to go to where he is even

1582
01:27:00,660 --> 01:27:03,100
in the most humble of circumstances?

1583
01:27:03,100 --> 01:27:08,100
Would I without reservation or without expectation

1584
01:27:08,300 --> 01:27:12,620
go to a manger to worship a newborn king?

1585
01:27:12,620 --> 01:27:15,820
Wondering how could a king be born in such humble

1586
01:27:15,820 --> 01:27:18,420
and poor circumstances?

1587
01:27:18,420 --> 01:27:22,100
Would you go to the temple day after day after day

1588
01:27:22,100 --> 01:27:26,820
for years and years and years offering prayers,

1589
01:27:26,820 --> 01:27:31,140
thousands of prayers over and over and over again

1590
01:27:31,140 --> 01:27:32,780
and this day is for sure.

1591
01:27:32,780 --> 01:27:37,260
Only to culminate that experience by holding the King of Kings

1592
01:27:37,260 --> 01:27:40,060
and saying, okay, Heavenly Father, I'm ready now.

1593
01:27:40,060 --> 01:27:43,060
Recognizing the Holy Ghost to go on that day,

1594
01:27:43,060 --> 01:27:44,500
make sure you go today.

1595
01:27:44,500 --> 01:27:45,500
On that same.

1596
01:27:45,500 --> 01:27:47,860
The Simeon solution for all of us

1597
01:27:47,860 --> 01:27:52,020
is to continue to act in faith and in patience

1598
01:27:52,020 --> 01:27:53,180
and endurance.

1599
01:27:53,180 --> 01:27:54,980
What a sacred time of year.

1600
01:27:54,980 --> 01:27:59,140
And as we began this podcast season

1601
01:27:59,140 --> 01:28:03,900
on another sacred time of year, we will culminate there,

1602
01:28:03,900 --> 01:28:05,380
but we begin here.

1603
01:28:05,380 --> 01:28:09,540
We begin here as the Savior enters into the world,

1604
01:28:09,540 --> 01:28:12,820
as the foretelling, as the prophesying,

1605
01:28:12,820 --> 01:28:15,060
as all of those things have happened,

1606
01:28:15,060 --> 01:28:17,420
He now comes, He is now born.

1607
01:28:17,420 --> 01:28:22,420
He has all that He has in front of Him to accomplish.

1608
01:28:22,540 --> 01:28:27,300
I hope that me, Scott Durfey and my family this year,

1609
01:28:27,300 --> 01:28:29,740
as we invited us all last week

1610
01:28:29,740 --> 01:28:31,980
to see Jesus Christ in the symbols,

1611
01:28:31,980 --> 01:28:36,020
I hope that now we will embrace Jesus Christ,

1612
01:28:36,020 --> 01:28:38,980
not just in the symbols, but in the actual reality

1613
01:28:38,980 --> 01:28:41,220
of Christmas and all that it is meant to be.

1614
01:28:41,220 --> 01:28:45,580
I testify too that the birth of Jesus Christ is real.

1615
01:28:45,580 --> 01:28:50,580
And that event, at that up until that point,

1616
01:28:51,420 --> 01:28:54,540
the most important event that could have ever taken place.

1617
01:28:54,540 --> 01:28:58,180
And I know that if we focus on that

1618
01:28:58,180 --> 01:29:01,380
and invite the Spirit in our lives this Christmas season,

1619
01:29:01,380 --> 01:29:04,820
that regardless of our station, regardless of our conditions,

1620
01:29:04,820 --> 01:29:08,020
whether they be great or not so great,

1621
01:29:08,020 --> 01:29:10,180
we have the ability and the opportunity

1622
01:29:10,180 --> 01:29:13,460
to invite His Spirit and to fill His peace

1623
01:29:13,460 --> 01:29:15,180
in our lives as we do that.

1624
01:29:15,180 --> 01:29:18,380
As we look for the second coming.

1625
01:29:18,380 --> 01:29:20,180
With faith as they looked.

1626
01:29:20,180 --> 01:29:22,100
And patience and endurance.

1627
01:29:22,100 --> 01:29:24,980
With faith and patience and endurance.

1628
01:29:24,980 --> 01:29:26,620
Thanks for being with us.

1629
01:29:26,620 --> 01:29:29,900
We look forward to being with you again.

1630
01:29:29,900 --> 01:29:34,500
We do have a great episode coming next week

1631
01:29:34,500 --> 01:29:36,820
between Christmas and New Year's.

1632
01:29:36,820 --> 01:29:39,460
We'll be sharing a wonderful interview

1633
01:29:39,460 --> 01:29:41,700
that we have done with a great lady.

1634
01:29:41,700 --> 01:29:43,260
Look forward to that as well.

1635
01:29:43,260 --> 01:29:45,940
And we'll begin anew in January.

1636
01:29:45,940 --> 01:29:48,300
We have some great plans for a season two.

1637
01:29:48,300 --> 01:29:50,460
We plan to kick those off in January

1638
01:29:50,460 --> 01:29:52,380
and hope you'll all be joining us.

1639
01:29:52,380 --> 01:29:54,740
May you have a wonderful Christmas season.

1640
01:29:54,740 --> 01:29:55,660
May God bless you.

1641
01:29:55,660 --> 01:29:58,260
May you fill His Spirit upon you

1642
01:29:58,260 --> 01:30:00,140
and upon all that you love.

1643
01:30:00,140 --> 01:30:02,340
And above all, may you remember

1644
01:30:02,340 --> 01:30:04,460
that you have been redeemed through His blood.

1645
01:30:04,460 --> 01:30:05,660
Thanks for being with us.

1646
01:30:05,660 --> 01:30:07,060
Have a great week, everybody.

1647
01:30:07,060 --> 01:30:21,900
Seth is in bed, does Phillip even know

1648
01:30:21,900 --> 01:30:23,960
you