Who was the first to
PROCLAIM The LORD'S Coming ?
Luke 1:19
And the angel answering said
unto [ John the baptist], him
I am Gabriel,
that stand in
the Presence of GOD;
and am sent to speak unto thee,
and to shew
thee these glad tidings.
An angel ! A "MIGHTY ONE OF
GOD" was sent to proclaim the Coming of the MESSIAH+ ! Angel-to-man, face to face, Gabriel --- whose
very name means "Mighty one of GOD" --- proclaimed these glad tidings
to an astonished priest in the Temple at Jerusalem.
Gabriel, who IS STILL
STANDING in the Presence of GOD, was specifically sent to
announce this GOOD news:
NOW the appointed time had arrived
for the advent of the Jewish MESSIAH+ Who+ was to Redeem Israel.
This news was the "GLAD
TIDINGS" this Divine Messenger, Gabriel, was sent from before the
Presence of GOD to bring to this earthly priest of the lineage of
Aaron and Levi.
Gabriel appeared to Zachariah (KJV: Zacharias),
this humble and righteous priest as Zachariah performed his role in the Temple
at Jerusalem to burn incense.
This Divine Messenger sent
directly from the Throne Room of The LORD spoke to Zachariah about the role he,
Zachariah, would perform in the Coming of the MESSIAH+, our LORD JESUS.
Luke 1: 13-16
But the Angel said unto him,
Fear not, Zacharias:
for thy prayer is heard;
and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son,
and thou shalt
call his name John.
And thou shalt have joy and gladness;
and many shall rejoice at his
birth.
For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord,
and shall drink
neither wine nor strong drink;
and he shall be filled with the HOLY SPIRIT,
even from his mother’s womb.
And many of the children of Israel
shall he turn to the LORD their
GOD.
Luke 1:17
And he [ John the Baptist, the son of
Zacahriah ] shall go before HIM+
in the spirit and power of Elijah,
to turn the hearts
of the fathers to the children,
and the disobedient
to the wisdom of the just;
to make ready
a people prepared for the LORD.
Gabriel faithfully performed the
proclamation to Zachariah the priest of his role to prepare a People for The
LORD, the Coming MESSIAH+.
Zachariah, humble and righteous as
he was (Luke 1:6) , met the Angel's
announcement with unbelief, which only lasted a few seconds until he was
struck dumb and judgment was pronounced upon him for his lack of faith.
Now, we KNOW our Righteous and
Holy LORD is totally all-knowing and totally fair in all His Ways. The LORD
knew Zachariah was troubled and feared ( Luke 1:12) at Gabriel's announcement.
The LORD graciously allowed
Gabriel to address those fears, showing Zachariah that his prayers had
been heard and answered.
Obviously, only The LORD could
hear prayers of the heart; only The LORD could address them.
Zachariah would
also know full well the account of Abraham and Sarah having a child of the
Promise when they were past the years of child-bearing.
Thus, our All-knowing and Always
Fair LORD knew Zachariah COULD HAVE CHOSEN TO BELIEVE the Angel sent to him. Zachariah had enough witness and comforting
words to know this angelic being was Divinely sent by The LORD.
Zacharias
CHOSE
NOT to
believe.
The LORD knew what Zacharias chose.
HE+
knows
what we choose, too.
Daily. Hourly. In every
instance. With every thought. In every
conversation, HE+ knows our choice: The LORD... or ... Self, faith ... or ... unbelief, Righteousness ... or ... sin.
Let us Pray:
O LORD GOD, Ruler of the Universe, forgive me for my
deliberate choices made apart from Thy+ Will.
I know better.
Thy+ Word is a lamp
unto my feet and a light unto my path. I have no excuse for choosing Self, Sin,
Un-righteousness in any form.
Cleanse me of my
self-will; I do not demand more proof of Thy+ Love and Thy+ Care for me. I can
walk rightly before THEE+, O GOD, with what I have at my fingertips: Thy+ Holy Word.
In Thy+ Light, can I
see LIGHT+.
Help my eye to be
single, that my being may be full of Light,
O LIGHT+ of the World, CHRIST JESUS.
In Whose+ Name and by
Whose+ Grace I even exist.
Amen.
