🇺🇸Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem 🇮🇱(12/28/25)[Prayer]

The Holy Scriptures (NIV) | 12/28/25 | left that other site

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🇺🇸Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem 🇮🇱(12/28/25)[Prayer]

Countdown To The New Year

Matthew 2:1-12

The Magi Visit the Messiah
2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi[a] from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

6  “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
    who will shepherd my people Israel.’[b]”

7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Footnotes

a Matthew 2:1 Traditionally wise men
b Matthew 2:6 Micah 5:2,4

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

________________________

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Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Oh LORD,

Our God,

How Excellent is Your Name over All The Earth!

For You Alone Are Worthy,

You Alone Are LORD,

You Alone Are The King of the Universe!

Ancient of Days,

You Are The One True God of Abraham,

and We Praise and Worship You with Our Whole Hearts,

Souls, Minds, and Spirit!

Let all that has been Concealed
Be Revealed.

Father, We Pray For The Peace Of Jerusalem,
According To Your Will and Promise.
We Pray That You Will Forgive The Sins
of Our Own Nation,
and Lead us all to Godly Repentance.
Create in Us Clean Hearts, Oh LORD,
and Renew a Right Spirit Within Us.

This we Pray Together,
As We Await Your Messiah,
Blessed Be He,
To Set Up His Kingdom,
And Make All Things Right.

”The Greatest Of these Is Love.”

If you would like to be on or off the Daily Ping List, please let me know.

ML/LTOS

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Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Countdown To The New Year

Matthew 2:1-12

The Magi Visit the Messiah
2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi[a] from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

6  “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
    who will shepherd my people Israel.’[b]”

7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Footnotes

a Matthew 2:1 Traditionally wise men
b Matthew 2:6 Micah 5:2,4

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

________________________

A Few Years Ago, I ditched my cell phone carrier and got a new carrier that is Pro-Life. This came with a new phone that I like very much, but there was a bit of a learning curve when it came to texting. As I began to type out my message, the phone would anticipate what I was trying to say, and put in a stock phrase. NO NO NO! That's NOT what I wanted to text! Then I would have to erase the text and start over. I figured out how to disable that "feature" and now I am happily expressing myself my own way.

You read about my Number One Favorite Book every day on this Thread. That is, of course, The Bible, which I have been steadily reading non-stop for over forty years. Sometimes I mention my second-favorite book, Moby Dick, by Herman Mellville. Because I have read Moby Dick so many times I was able to spot the many quotes which popped up in what is arguably the Best Star Trek Movie of them all, "The Wrath of Khan". When I first saw it in the movie theater, I found myself chuckling with recognition every time Khan channeled Captain Ahab. Everybody else in the theater thought I was an idiot for laughing in the inappropriate places.

The Holy Bible and other Classics have influenced our language in ways that are too many to count.

My Third-Favorite Book has been a best-seller for over a century, and has had at least five movies made from it, most notably in 1959. That is Ben-Hur, by General Lew Wallace. The 1959 movie opens with the scene of the Magi visiting the Child Jesus. The Book has many more scenes than the Bible does, about the Magi, making them three in number, giving them names and ethnicities, and one even having a daughter who is a major character in the book. The book also shows them visiting the stable where Jesus was born, although the Scripture says it was a house. While it is possible, based on the number of gifts, that there were three Magi, Matthew isn't specific. The Bible also states that, at the time of the visit, the Baby could have been anywhere from Newborn Infant to two years old, based upon Herod's decree to murder all the male babies under two. The author of Ben Hur, by fleshing out these characters, influenced Christmas Carols, Christmas Pageants, Christmas Cards, and Manger Scenes for over 100 years. Literature that seems old and outdated is still alive in our culture, even when we don't see it right away.

From Matthew's Account, we can infer that the Magi traveled a long way after first seeing the star. It may have been a two-year journey, but when they arrived in Jerusalem, they couldn't find a new-born king anywhere. So they consulted the reigning monarch at the time, who was the evil psychopath, Herod. (I am not being judgmental here. Herod had no problem killing his own wife and sons. He WAS a psycho. Ancient historians agree with me.) The Magi naturally assumed that the reigning king would know where the Baby King was born, but Herod had no idea. So Herod consulted his advisors. The advisors went to the Hebrew Scriptures and came up with the Prophet Micah who stated that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.

Once again, Matthew quotes the Scriptures. He will be doing this throughout his Gospel Account.

Modern Culture would have us do away with the Great Books of the past, and reduce our conversations, journals, and writings to trite, 147-character tweets that shrink the imagination into tiny compartments. I see it as an attempt to destroy Western Culture and replace us all with drones (in the original sense of the word).

George Orwell said it so well when he said that "whoever controls the language controls the culture".

When will we wake up and strengthen the things that remain? (Revelation 3:2)

Come and pray For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

”Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” (Hosea 6:3 NIV)

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

!עם ישראל חי
(The Spirit of Israel Lives!)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

ML/LTOS

[combat_boots]

Amen

Always fascinated by the Magi

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Ben Hur (the Book, not the movie) has a really good “theory” about them. It’s a bit 19th Century in tone, but a very nice read.

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Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, combat_boots, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

”Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” (Hosea 6:3 NIV)

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

!עם ישראל חי
(The Spirit of Israel Lives!)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

ML/LTOS

[combat_boots]

Thanks.

Now, I’m humming….”We three kings of Orient are. Bearing gifts, we travel so far.” (Always used to mispronounce’traverse’)

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That’s one of my FAVORITE Christmas Carols!

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I love the verses of that song because they explain the significance of the three GIFTS.

GOLD- for a King
FRANKINCENSE- for God
MYRRH- for the One Who would die for our sins.

[etabeta]

Joining in prayer. God bless.

[luvie]

Nathaniel Ladies Ensemble~Thanks To God

Statler Brothers~Sweet Beulah Land

Casting Crowns~Praise You In The Storm

Providence~O Come Angel Band

Bill Gaither/Velstal Goodman~The Lighthouse

The Trevecca Madrigalians~It Is Well With My Soul

Jeff Beck~Amazing Grace

Have a blessed Sunday

[norsky]

Amen to your prayer and scripture.

So they consulted the reigning monarch at the time, who was the evil psychopath, Herod.

So in todays culture would Herodias be Hillary? Yes, I think so.

[Big Red Badger]

Three Kings with three Gifts probably from Babylon. These Wise Men gained Knowledge handed down from Daniel generations Before. Is there anything the God of Abraham,Issac and Jacob Can Not Do?
.
Lord
Bring Your Lasting Peace to Jerusalem!

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So in todays culture would Herodias be Hillary? Yes, I think so.

Different Herod, but, YES. 😁

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Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, Etabeta, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

”Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” (Hosea 6:3 NIV)

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

!עם ישראל חי
(The Spirit of Israel Lives!)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

ML/LTOS

[left that other site]

Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, luvie, For Your Prayers and Sunday Hymns For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

”Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” (Hosea 6:3 NIV)

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

!עם ישראל חי
(The Spirit of Israel Lives!)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

ML/LTOS

[left that other site]

Different Herods, but the same (you know who) spirit in all of them.

[left that other site]

Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, Big Red Badger, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

”Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” (Hosea 6:3 NIV)

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

!עם ישראל חי
(The Spirit of Israel Lives!)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

ML/LTOS

[left that other site]

Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, norsky, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

”Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” (Hosea 6:3 NIV)

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

!עם ישראל חי
(The Spirit of Israel Lives!)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

ML/LTOS

[redryder_90]

Amen

[left that other site]

Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, redryder_90, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

”Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” (Hosea 6:3 NIV)

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

!עם ישראל חי
(The Spirit of Israel Lives!)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

ML/LTOS