The Day After Jesus Was Born

At the nativity of Jesus numerous prophecies all came to a head and converged together in a compressed period of time. Prophecies far too numerous to mention in a short article such as this, but we know the major ones. The prophesy of the virgin birth and a child to be born near the Migdal Eder in Bethlehem. The prophesy of a star that would rise in Jacob to proclaim the birth of an anointed one, a prophecy that would lead Magi from the east, to come and worship a new born King. There are a multitude of prophecies too numerous to mention regarding the birth of the messiah not to even mention the ones concerning his works in the days of His ministry. Matthew throughout his gospel in one form or another says, “So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet.” Matthew used this phrasing in at least a dozen passages because he knew it was important to point out to his readers that the events he described regarding the birth of Jesus fulfilled specific prophecies.

But I have a thought I want us to ponder. What happened the day after Christ was born? I mean, the absolutely most stupendous event of all time (aside from the yet to be Resurrection) had just occurred! The prophecies of thousands of years had just materialized and converged all together in a moment of time! But what happened the very next day? Or, even in the next few days? The answer? Absolutely nothing!

Mary and Joseph we’re still camping out at the Migdal Eder tending to their newborn and the shepherds were back in their fields tending to their sheep. King Herod was still on his throne and completely clueless about the true king of Israel being born. Politically speaking, the Romans still ruled the roost, and the zealots still complained about it and were plotting, planning, and conspiring against the Romans as they always had done!

The day after Christ was born, up in Jerusalem at the Temple, the priests were going about their daily duties sacrificing the daily sacrifices and offerings not knowing one whit that the Messiah, the One who would be called The Lamb of God, had just been born! And at that very moment He was lying down in the very manger where they were getting their daily sacrificial lambs from!

Oh! And back in Bethlehem? We can imagine that perhaps there were some odd whisperings and rumors going around. It had been reported in the morning Jerusalem Post about a strange thing that had occurred on the previous night. Some reports were going around about a bunch of crazy shepherds who claimed they had an encounter with an angelic being and a choir out of heaven! They reported seeing some kind of a celestial sighting out over the nighttime skies of their grazing fields just outside of Bethlehem. You know how these stories can spread around like wildfire through the grapevine! Nevertheless, all in all, life went on completely normally for the times they were living in.

So, let me ask once again. What happened the day after Christ was born? Nothing. Absolutely nothing had outwardly changed! But yet, in fact, everything had changed!

Immanuel was now here! The Word was made flesh and dwelling among us! God the infinite was now God incarnate! God had now come as a baby and had stepped into the everyday normal circumstances of humanity. Yes! Everything had changed and nothing would ever be the same again! However! The day after Jesus was born nothing seemed to have changed at all. Nothing was any different in any ones daily life! Eternal history was made! And yet, life went on in utter and complete normalcy! What a paradox!

And here’s where I’m really going with this, here’s what I want you to ponder and consider.

How many prophetically significant history changing events are going on in the world around us right now that most of us may be, or are completely unaware of?

Most of the time when we think of the prophetic hand of God moving we think about it in the most bold and grandiose of ways. Things like the sea splitting, or fire and brimstone falling from the sky! Things like manna daily falling from heaven and all these wildly dramatic miraculous events that we read about in the scriptures. But the reality is, that most of the time God's prophetic movements and moments are done in obscurity, if not even completely in secret! Nevertheless, understand this! “Surely the Lord GOD does nothing, Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.” (Amos 3:7). What may be unseen or hidden from the world is made known and revealed to His people! For those who have eyes to see and ears to hear, ”the Secret of the Lord is with those who fear him!” (Ps.25:14)

Yes, life went on as business as usual on the day after Jesus was born just the same as it went on the day before He was born, in complete normalcy! But again, this is the point I want us to consider and ponder! That God is moving in our normalcy! History changing prophetic events are occurring in our lives and around us whether we are aware of them or not! But the key to seeing tomorrow’s prophetic fulfillment and destiny lies in our walking in obedient normalcy today!

A little bit over one month after Jesus was born his parents took a Him to the Temple, as per the law of Moses, (Lev. 12) to present Jesus to the Lord.

“And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said: “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace,

According to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation (YESHUA) Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles,

And the glory of Your people Israel….And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” (Luke 2:25–35)

Within Simeon’s statements and prayer there are contained numerous prophetic scriptures that he alluded to which for the sake of time and brevity I won’t delineate but suffice it to say that prophecy was being fulfilled even as Mary and Joseph were simply walking in what for them was obedient normalcy. Likewise, Simeon in his obedient normalcy also daily awaited for his Divinely promised destiny to be fulfilled! The Point? It’s in the normalcy of living out our lives and being obedient to the word and Spirit of God that prophecies and promises are being fulfilled!

Let me ask. How often have we considered that God can move in the most historically and profoundly prophetic of ways, where major prophecies can be in the process of being contemporaneously fulfilled yet the effects or the knowledge of them may not be clearly seen or immediately known! And because God is a God of patterns, you can rest assured that He still works this way today, in our lives, and in these times in which we live. God is always moving whether we know it or not and whether we immediately realize it or not. Just because you can’t or don’t see God moving, doesn’t mean that He isn’t moving! That’s where faith and perseverance are needed! That’s why faith and perseverance are necessary virtues. We must walk by faith and not by sight, if we are to be overcomer’s in our generation!

But know this; “…that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” (2 Peter 3:3–4)

But there is also a hidden danger we must be aware of and be on guard against! It is summed up in, “…all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.”

We need to beware of the complacency of normalcy and the poison of the ordinary!

Where is God? What is God doing? Where is the promise of His coming? We hear those things all the time today! Don’t you think people were saying those very same things the day before and after Christ was born? The Romans were still in charge! Things looked pretty bleak for Israel and the people of God, and everyone was wondering where is the promise of His coming? When is Messiah going to come!

The faith choking poison of the ordinary and the mundaneness of normalcy can short circuit our faith! The problem with far too many of us is that we don’t know what we don’t know and we often think we know more than what we actually do know!

Falling into the trap of “…all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” leads to the complacency of fools and the writer of proverbs warns us that the complacency of fools will destroy them!

Just as Jesus warned us regarding the last days, “…as it was in the days of Noah…and the days of Lot…”; “They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.” (Luke 17:28–29).

I am more certain than ever before in my life that we are living at the end of days and in the most prophetic times that have ever been since the time of the birth of Jesus. And in keeping with the way the prophetic word often works in patterns, as Paul even noted, “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born  of a woman…” (Galatians 4:4)

I have no doubt that we are in another “fullness of time” moment!

The “fullness of the time” is at hand once again! We are living in the prophetic times before the return of Christ! And I have NO DOUBT that there are things being done seemingly in secret, that are going to change the course of history as we know it! Yet sadly, many are blind to these times, and many are living in a complacency of normalcy and being dulled in their senses by the poison of the ordinary!

I may not see God moving with my physical eyes, but I do see Him moving with my Spiritual eyes, because faith see’s what the natural eyes do not! God is moving whether you can see it or not. His Word tells us to walk by faith and not by sight (Corinthians 5:7).

Do you ever feel frustrated because you don’t know what God has for your future? Just continue to be patient! The Lord said, “…My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.” (John 5:17). God is always working behind the scenes to create something incredible for the future! Even when you don’t feel like God is around, the truth is that He has been deeply involved in your life since your birth. (Ps. 139). He’s walked with you each and every step of the way, and has sent His angels down to protect you more times than you will ever realize in this life!. (Heb.1:14/Ps.91:11-12). None of us can ever know how many people God has brought into our life as a way to influence us and help us. All the events in your life, the good and bad, God has used as opportunities to bring you to Him, and fulfill His plan for your life. Everything we go through God works according to His purpose. (Eph.1:11)

He calls us to walk in HIs Word because He has a purpose for us. (Eph. 2:10). He has a plan for your life even if you haven't quite figured it all out yet! (Reality check: don't ever think you have figured it all out!). But just keep walking in faith not by sight! Walking in obedience knowing that He is at work in your life! (Phil.2:12-13). And don’t be distracted nor discouraged by the normalcy of life! The next time you’re tempted to think that God has left you, or that He isn’t moving in your life, think of Mary & Joseph in that Manger! I mean really! Prophesy or not! I think Joseph must've been scratching his head about why they were in that circumstance! Why are we in this smelly sheep barn? Ok…I get that there was no room at the inn because of the situation…but… here they were in this cold, smelly place, where animals were kept…surrounded by a bunch of strangers…BUT! The scripture says that when the shepherds told them the things they saw in the fields and what the Angels said to them, Joseph and Mary were amazed and that Mary pondered all these things in her heart!

Just consider this when you are tempted to complain that, “all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.”, that God just might be revealing His plan to you a little bit at a time, and you just have to be watchful, patient, and listen, and simply ponder these things in your heart!