Surprise of the Day  

When baby Jesus was presented at the temple by his parents,  Prophetess Anna was AGE 84 or more and had lived at the temple all but 7 of her adult years. 

Luke 2:36-37

Fact of the Day

Anna lived through these attacks on the temple and Jerusalem while living there in one of its apartments:

• BC 63 – Pompey besieged Jerusalem and entered the temple.
• BC 54 – Crassus looted the temple of all its gold.
• BC 40 – When Herod was made King, Jerusalem closed its gates, so he attacked through the temple.

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Oops of the Day  

The angel chorus sang about Jesus’ birth to the shepherds.

Luke 3:13  –  Revelation 5:9-12  –  Revelation 14:3  –  Revelation 15:3  –  Revelation 16:5

Fact of the Day

No!  Angels do not sing.  A multitude of the heavenly host (angels) praised God “saying” glory to God. Later seven angels “said” the song of Moses and the Lamb. The third angel “said “the Lamb was righteous.   People get to sing.

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Oops of the Day  

King David was a shepherd, Jesus called himself the Good Shepherd. Therefore, the shepherds the angels appeared to were respectable men.

Luke 2:8-20  –  Genesis 46:33-34

Fact of the Day

No!  Shepherds were despised in many places, including in Egypt where Joseph warned his father not to tell Pharaoh he was a shepherd.  The Jewish Talmud forbade shepherds from being witnesses.  Further, no help was to be given to heathens or shepherds.

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Oops of the Day  

All the inns in Bethlehem were full, so Mary had to have her baby in a barn and lay him in a manger.

Luke 2:7

Fact of the Day

Partly true.  But there were not a multitude of inns in Bethlehem.  Actually, there was only one inn.  Check it out! Read it for yourself.

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Surprise of the Day  

What did the Holy Spirit do when it “overshadowed” Mary?  What does that mean?

Luke 1:35  –  Genesis 1:2

Fact of the Day

The term Gabriel used to explain how Mary would become pregnant was “the Holy Spirit will overshadow you.” The word “overshadow” was also used when the Holy Spirit “hovered” over the universe at the creation and gave birth to the world.

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Oops of the Day  

The moment Gabriel told Mary she would become pregnant with the Son of God, she agreed.

Luke 1:26-38 & 56

Fact of the Day

No! First, she “kept pondering” why he greeted her in the way he did – “favored one”.

Then she became afraid.

Then she questioned the logic of what he told her:  She was unmarried.

Oddly, she did not question the baby being the Son of the Most High, so he repeated himself saying he will be the Son of God.

She must have pondered again.

So the angel added some reassurance; her elderly cousin, Elizabeth was pregnant too, and that should be proof to her that God can do the impossible. After accepting the “holy challenge” Mary rushed to see Elizabeth. If Elizabeth really was pregnant, then Mary knew she was too.

Mary stayed three months, long enough to hold Elizabeth’s miracle baby in her arms.

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Oops of the Day  

The moment Gabriel told Mary she would become pregnant with the Son of God, she agreed.

Luke 1:26-38 & 56

Fact of the Day

No! First, she “kept pondering” why he greeted her in the way he did – “favored one”.

Then she became afraid.

Then she questioned the logic of what he told her:  She was unmarried.

Oddly, she did not question the baby being the Son of the Most High, so he repeated himself saying he will be the Son of God.

She must have pondered again.

So the angel added some reassurance; her elderly cousin, Elizabeth was pregnant too, and that should be proof to her that God can do the impossible. After accepting the “holy challenge” Mary rushed to see Elizabeth. If Elizabeth really was pregnant, then Mary knew she was too.

Mary stayed three months, long enough to hold Elizabeth’s miracle baby in her arms.

YOU’RE SMART.  READ THE BIBLE FOR YOURSELF

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Oops of the Day  

The moment Gabriel told Mary she would become pregnant with the Son of God, she agreed.

Luke 1:26-38 & 56

Fact of the Day

No! First, she “kept pondering” why he greeted her in the way he did – “favored one”.

Then she became afraid.

Then she questioned the logic of what he told her:  She was unmarried.

Oddly, she did not question the baby being the Son of the Most High, so he repeated himself saying he will be the Son of God.

She must have pondered again.

So the angel added some reassurance; her elderly cousin, Elizabeth was pregnant too, and that should be proof to her that God can do the impossible. After accepting the “holy challenge” Mary rushed to see Elizabeth. If Elizabeth really was pregnant, then Mary knew she was too.

Mary stayed three months, long enough to hold Elizabeth’s miracle baby in her arms.

YOU’RE SMART.  READ THE BIBLE FOR YOURSELF

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Surprise of the Day  

He’s in the Bible?  Who in the world was Theopholis?  And how can anyone even pronounce his name?

Luke 1:3

Fact of the Day

Luke addressed his account of Jesus’ life and teachings to “Most Excellent Theopohilus.”  This is a title meaning “Your Honor” and was given to men just below the title of Senator in the Roman Empire.

This third biography & teachings of Jesus in the Bible was written by a Roman physician named Luke who the apostle Paul seems to have converted.  He was not a Jew.  So, he investigated everything about Jesus – probably public records in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, etc.  He dated every major event by who was Caesar at the time, etc.  He may have even found all the apostles, then scattered around the world, so he could interview them.

Oh, and this is how you pronounce his fancy name:  THE-OPH-IL-US.

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Surprise of the Day  

After Jesus came back to life, he sometimes appeared to people “in a different form” so that they did not recognize him until he spoke.

Mark 16:12  –  John 20:11-16  –  John 21:3-7

Fact of the Day

The two on their way to Emmaus thought he was a visitor to the city. 

Mary Magdalene thought he was the gardener. 

The 12 thought he was just another fisherman.

The 12 thought he was an old man (called them children).

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