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Now is the Time Christmas Advent 3
Does anybody really know what time it is?

Chorus overlap: “I don’t care…”

Does anybody really care?

from ‘Chicago Transit Authority’ (1969)

Time in Perpetuity

I asked you in the first ADVENT post of this calendar year: ‘Have you considered that in the time of Noah and Before Christ GOD cleansed the earth of all but eight?’

Then we looked at the concept of ADVENT as a time of preparation for celebrating the coming of GOD as a man, even as a child born before the witnesses of the A.D. first century.

Advent 2 of Christmas Evangelicalism

Before Christ, Prophesy

We considered prophesy as a type of advent with certain prediction of that which was to come.

When at certain times God speaks to men such as Noah, Abraham, Moses, Elijah and others, the LORD warns of times ahead, as well as the consequences of rejection of His Law, commandments and His grace.

A visible advent of our disobedience to God is documented in Scripture and warns of God’s wrath against sin in more times ahead.

What must we do?

Take for instance the LORD’s negotiation with Abraham about Sodom. AND considering the destroyed city ponder this 21st century dilemma:
- HOW are we so different than those who perished in Sodom for their sin?
- Should the Lord spare US for only breaking our marriage covenants with impugnity?
- Are we less sinless than those who created gods of stone from hearts of stone, proclaiming our own self as the god we worship?
Does this Common Era world not appropriate signs of the LORD’s covenant with mankind for sins offensive to God and creation?

And YES, do some so-called churches culturally encourage an all-inclusive sin of Sodom?

Have some churches missed an advent of the judgement to come by fire?
- Are our sins of selfishness any less offensive to the LORD than those of ALL HE destroyed from the earth by the flood?
A righteous man such as Noah or Job would appeal to the LORD for mercy.

Do YOU and do I?

‘Remember now, that You have made me as clay; And would You turn me into dust again?

Job 10:9 LSB

The righteous example of Job

Even Before Christ, Job foresaw the advent of the savior of mankind, the Very Person of God Who IS before all and after all time.

“As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,
And at the last He will rise up over the dust H6083 of this world.
Job 19:25

A Savior in a manger,

Jesus a child –

a son of man: son of Mary and Son of God – a redeemer for the sins of mankind.

Perpetuity after Time

perpetuity, n.
The quality or state of being perpetual; an instance of this, an endless or indefinite duration or existence; permanence, endlessness.

Oxford English Dictionary

A line, even a timeline representing lifetimes of days and centuries of history extends beyond our sight before its beginning and from its END into measureless eternity.

“Even after my skin is destroyed, Yet from my flesh I shall behold God, Whom I myself shall behold..

“If you say,

‘How shall we persecute him?’ ‘And the root of the matter is found in him?’ “Then be afraid of the sword for yourselves,

For wrath brings the punishment of the sword,

So that you may know there is judgment.”

Job 19 excerpt

Calculating Calendars within the bounds of the observable

The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
תְהִלִּים (Psalm) 19:1b ESV

But HOW does mortal man MEASURE the expanse of the Eternal?

by Calendars (and with timepieces we call ‘clocks’)
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a brief look at ancient & current calendars
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All calendars began with people recording time by using natural cycles: days, lunar cycles (months), and solar cycles (years).

Source linked above.

Let’s try to take this chronologically from the beginning:

Have you ever considered that Adam had no need for a calendar or timeclock?

Calendars Before Christ
- Noah – 360 day calendar
- Moses * 365 day Egyptian calendar
- The astronomical day had begun at noon ever since Ptolemy chose to begin the days in his astronomical periods at noon.
- The Julian calendar began in 45 BC (709 AUC) as a reform of the 10 month Roman calendar by Julius Caesar.
  - Source: linked above
Hebrew Calendar

The history of the Jewish calendar may be divided into three periods—the Biblical, the Talmudic, and the post-Talmudic. Jewish Encyclopedia.com

https://www.bible.ca/archeology/bible-archeology-maps-timeline-chronology-kings-prophets-assyrians-babylonians-egyptians-synchronisms-tisri-nisan-inclusive-accession-divided-kingdom-dates-931-587bc-new-year-calendar-julian.jpg

Take a look at the link above for a more complete understanding of changes in the Jewish Calendar during the centuries Before the Messiah of Israel.

Bible TimeLine

Timelines, like calendars and cultural customs must have a point of reference. The intersection of measured history and timeless truth becomes central to conflicting narratives of a fallen created peoples of the world.

At the ever-present center of time history records the birth of Jesus Christ.

Calendars of the Common Era

Lines in the shifting sands of time:
```
B.C. OR BCE?
A.D. OR CE?
```
```
Let's start from the present and find our center of history and timelines by looking back. 
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Anno Domini

noun a Latin phrase meaning

“in the year of the Lord”, the full form of the abbreviation AD, which is used when referring to a year after Jesus Christ was born

Cambridge Dictionary
- B.C. is short for “Before Christ”
  - B.C. and A.D. references in the Bible.
  - The B.C./A.D. calendar system was not established until around 500 A.D., well after the books of the Bible were written.
- BCE and CE.
- CE stands for “Common Era” BCE is “Before Common Era”
- CE and BCE dates are identical with A.D. and B.C. dates
- (for example, 2000 CE is the same as 2000 A.D.). This is a thinly veiled attempt by atheists and religious people other than Christians to remove Christian religious references from our culture.
MORE READING about the years of our Lord and our Common Era

NEXT: ADVENT 4

We will look at that moment in history and the Messiah in a manger in Bethlehem of Judea..
December 18, 2024
Advent 2 of Christmas Evangelicalism
Advent

‘Advent of what’ we ask?
a Nativity Scene on the mantle for Advent and our annual Christmas feast?

A COVID Christmas – Shall we take Jesus out of the box includes history of Christmas in the U.S. December 1, 2020 C.E.
“Before what?”

Last time in our ADVENT 1 post from this 2024 Common Era series, we asked:

Can we comprehend a time Before the first Christmas?

The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.

And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.

Genesis 6:11-12 KJV

Command of the LORD & promise of a Covenant

“But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall enter the ark.. Genesis 6

“I establish My covenant with you; and all flesh shall never again be cut off by the water of the flood, neither shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth.” – Genesis 9

READ MORE about God’s covenant with Noah

IMAGINE the historical NOAH preaching to a corrupt church about this ADVENT of the Last Days when JESUS will return to judge creation with fire and fellow sinners sitting right beside you at this year’s Christmas program.

The chosen Before Christ

A PERSONAL interaction between the Creator and Living God of timeless eternity and a created son of Adam and NOAH.

Art thou greater than our father Abraham, who died? and the prophets died; whom dost thou make thyself?’

Jesus said to them,

‘Verily, verily, I say to you, Before Abraham’s coming — I am;’

excerpt from Gospel of John 8: Young’s Literal Translation (YLT)

AFTER this unique time of ABRAHAM Before Christ,
- Judah (and Israel) had yet to be conquered, named, lost, regained and renamed over centuries of the chosen sons of Abraham.
Chosen for Covenant and Curse
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FROM the LAW of Moses 
for the generations of the LORD's chosen; 
administered by Levite priests (sons of Jacob, Isaac and Abraham:
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Additional Blessings of Obedience
- “You must not make idols for yourselves..
- You must keep My Sabbaths
- and have reverence for My sanctuary. I am the LORD.
- .. and I will establish My covenant with you.
How are you doing with your obedience:
- youthful christian Swifty?
- Sunday morning NFL evangelist?
- Latte listeners of amplified praise?
Punishments for Disobedience

If, however, you fail to obey Me and to carry out all these commandments, and if you reject My statutes, despise My ordinances, and neglect to carry out all My commandments, and so break My covenant, then this is what I will do to you: … Those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee when no one pursues you.

18 And if after all this you will not obey Me, I will proceed to punish you sevenfold for your sins. 19 I will break down your stubborn pride…

And YES,

(You know some of the long history of God’s chosen)

it gets worse from here even BEFORE Christ.

YET could the LORD’s prophesy apply even to US?

Our sin and disobedience continue into these Common Evangelical post-Christian times — (notably by some adopted in Christ Jesus).

The Advent of Defeat

You shall make no covenant with them nor show mercy to them.

Nor shall you make marriages with them. You shall not give your daughter to their son, nor take their daughter for your son. “For they will turn your sons away from following Me, to serve other gods; so the anger of the LORD will be aroused against you and destroy you suddenly.

Deuteronomy 7:2b-4 NKJV
- But if your heart turns away and you do not listen.. – Deuteronomy 30:17a
- Then Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the LORD, to serve him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.” – Joshua 24:22
Therefore the LORD said to Solomon, “Because you have done this, and have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant. Nevertheless I will not do it in your days, for the sake of your father David; I will tear it out of the hand of your son. – 1 Kings 11:11-12 NKJV

King Solomon (the Preacher) & Sin

But King Solomon loved many foreign women.. from the nations of whom the LORD had said to the children of Israel, “You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love.

.. his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the LORD his God, as was the heart of his father David.

א מְלָכִיםא (1 Kings) 11:1-3 excerpt

All this took place a millennium BEFORE the Common Era centered around the very incarnation of JESUS CHRIST.

Failed Kings Before Christ

Saul, as most of us know, failed in disobedience to the Lord’s word through His Prophet Samuel.

Even David was a failed king, but he repented of his sin before the Lord and publically in sight of Israel.

To name just one king of Israel or Judah who did evil in the sight of the Lord, Ahab (and Jezebel) come to mind due to their zeal to destroy God’s Prophet Elijah.

Now Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD, more than all who were before him.

Then he set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal, which he had built in Samaria.

1 Kings 16:30,32 NKJV

So Ahab sent for all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together on Mount Carmel.
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READ the compelling contest for your own clarity of faith.
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And Elijah came to all the people, and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions?
If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.”

But the people answered him not a word.
1 Kings 18:21

Advent of a Common Era

“How long will you falter between two opinions, twenty-first century C.E. christian?
Roger@TalkofJesus.com

In this traditional Advent season of these last days we anticipate more than simply celebrating Christmas in the year of our Lord (A.D.) 2024.

For the similarities of centuries of evil times Before Christ bring to mind our own disobedience to God’s will.

Our incarnate redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God and Son of Man: And NOW celebrate Him in a manger, though our Savior was sacrificed on a Cross for repentant sinners – sinners who love babies and good gifts, even while we fear DEATH and judgment.

SO what does Advent mean to YOU? And how will YOU evangelize Christ our Lord in these brief days before our ever-popular CHRISTmas celebration?

Talk of JESUS .com

Comment on Scripture + Share the Gospel
December 11, 2024
Before Christmas Evangelicalism Advent 1
Before Christ

Have you ever thought of the meaning of it?

Can we comprehend a time Before the first Christmas?

Before Creation

And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.

Genesis (Beginning) 2:5 KJV ..in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,

Here witness a time before Adam, before an incarnational Birth of the Christ, yet not Before Jesus the eternal Son of the One Triune God.

Before Re-Creation
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Note that I did not say 'recreation' as we often view these days of the pre-christmas season. 

The Bible points to a renewal of a corrupted creation we noted in the beginning - a creation corrupted by SIN.  
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The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.

And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.

Genesis 6:11-12 KJV

Have you considered that in the time of Noah and Before Christ

GOD cleansed the earth of all but eight?

ONLY Noah and his wife, along with their three sons and their wives, were chosen to be SAVED from the destruction to come.

The DOOR to salvation on Noah’s ark would not have been open to you. Yet God may have brought you to the Door of Christ Jesus in these last days.

Roger@TalkofJesus.com

Before and After

Before, of course, can mean ‘face to face.’

Then the LORD said to Noah,

“Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation.

Genesis 7:1 ESV פָּנִים

We ought not speak of BEFORE without considering the consequent AFTER.

In the context of TIME, and even before time, what comes after or NEXT typically follows before. We speak of consequence or result of what has come before.

Before I was afflicted I went astray:

but now have I kept thy word.

Psalm 119:67 KJV
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And unique events such as the incarnation, crucifixion and resurrection of Christ still reflect a TIME before AND (except for the end of days) a TIME after. 
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.. the sun stood still, and the moon stayed..

And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the LORD hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the LORD fought for Israel.

Joshua 10: [12-15 context NKJV]

Before our fathers or families

It’s right there from the beginning:

Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

Genesis 2:24 NKJV

Do you know this one?

אֲנִי הִנֵּה בְרִיתִי אִתָּךְ וְהָיִיתָ לְאַב הֲמֹון גֹּויִם׃

“As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations.

“No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations.

וְלֹא־יִקָּרֵא עֹוד אֶת־שִׁמְךָ אַבְרָם וְהָיָה שִׁמְךָ אַבְרָהָם כִּי אַב־הֲמֹון גֹּויִם נְתַתִּיךָ׃

בְּרֵאשִׁית (Genesis) 17:14-15 WLC & NKJV

This PERSONAL interaction between the Creator and Living God of timeless eternity and a created son of Adam and Noah wandering through lands of other kings and princes clearly points to a unique time BEFORE CHRIST was born as a Son of Man in a manger in Bethlehem of Judea.

AFTER this unique time Before Christ, Judah (and Israel) had yet to be conquered, named, lost, regained and renamed over centuries of the sons of Abraham.

The chosen Before Christ

For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.

Deuteronomy 7:6 KJV
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But I'm getting ahead of myself. 
We'll take a look at Moses and the Law later in this Advent series, God-willing. - RH)
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Jesus Christ, the grown Son of Man born of Mary and Son of God conceived by the Holy Spirit said this to well-schooled leaders of the Jews.

Art thou greater than our father Abraham, who died? and the prophets died; whom dost thou make thyself?’

..it is my Father who is glorifying me, of whom ye say that He is your God..

Abraham, your father, was glad that he might see my day; and he saw, and did rejoice.’

The Jews, therefore, said unto him, ‘Thou art not yet fifty years old, and Abraham hast thou seen?’

Jesus said to them,

‘Verily, verily, I say to you, Before Abraham’s coming — I am;’

excerpt from Gospel of John 8: Young’s Literal Translation (YLT)

Have you ever thought of JESUS’ testament here in terms of ‘Before Christ?‘

The CHILD of MARY in a manger in Bethlehem of Judea IS the Christ, the Messiah of Israel and Savior of souls! Yet even BEFORE these pivotal historic events in the history of mankind, JESUS IS the Son of God — even as HE IS now and forever..

I am the door, through me if any one may come in, he shall be saved, and he shall come in, and go out, and find pasture.
Gospel of John 10:9 YLT – Invitation of Jesus Christ to any who would follow Him

The Lamb of God in a manger

Talk of JESUS .com

Comment on Scripture + Share the Gospel
December 4, 2024