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Stakelbeck Tonight

Erick Stakelbeck: Christmas in Bethlehem | Stakelbeck Tonight

December 16, 2025 | 25:5

Erick Stakelbeck: Christmas in Bethlehem | Stakelbeck Tonight
From wars and rumors of war abroad, to the rise of anti-Christian, "woke" ideology here at home, it’s clear that Americans are living in perilous and unprecedented times. Some would even say that we’re witnessing biblical prophecy unfold in real time. Stakelbeck Tonight will make sense of these stunning developments through a bold and biblical lens.
#Christmas #Israel #Savior #Messiah #Archaeology #Bible #BibleHistory #BiblicalArtifacts #Gospel #Faith #Prophecy #Jesus #Redemption #ErickStakelbeck #AaronEime

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Stakelbeck Tonight | Erick Stakelbeck: Christmas in Bethlehem | Stakelbeck Tonight | December 16, 2025
  • Welcome to stakelbeck tonight, i'm erick stakelbeck.
  • 00:00:03.693 --> 00:00:05.995
  • And tonight we're celebrating christmas in bethlehem.
  • 00:00:05.995 --> 00:00:09.732
  • We'll visit
  • 00:00:09.732 --> 00:00:10.767
  • The shepherds field where the angels appeared
  • 00:00:10.767 --> 00:00:12.302
  • And announced to the world
  • 00:00:12.302 --> 00:00:14.003
  • That the promised one, the messiah, had been born.
  • 00:00:14.003 --> 00:00:17.207
  • And we'll be joined by biblical historian aaron imam
  • 00:00:17.207 --> 00:00:20.343
  • As he brings the story of the nativity to.
  • 00:00:20.343 --> 00:00:22.645
  • Life.
  • 00:00:22.645 --> 00:00:23.546
  • In the very place where it all happened.
  • 00:00:23.546 --> 00:00:25.815
  • It's christmas in bethlehem next on.
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  • Well, aaron, thank you so much for
  • 00:01:06.322 --> 00:01:07.724
  • Being with us today here in bethlehem.
  • 00:01:07.724 --> 00:01:09.792
  • What a view and what a place.
  • 00:01:09.792 --> 00:01:12.529
  • This is shepherds field.
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  • Lot of history here from our bible.
  • 00:01:15.031 --> 00:01:17.834
  • Why is this spot so important?
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  • This is a great spot to start the journey
  • 00:01:19.936 --> 00:01:23.339
  • Of looking at the story of christmas.
  • 00:01:23.339 --> 00:01:25.308
  • This is the historical spot for the annunciation
  • 00:01:25.308 --> 00:01:28.178
  • Of the good news that there would be to us
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  • A savior in bethlehem.
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  • What we actually see around us
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  • Doesn't actually often look like a field.
  • 00:01:34.350 --> 00:01:36.252
  • When you first come here in in in the modern farming,
  • 00:01:36.252 --> 00:01:39.489
  • We tend to have fields that are nice and flat. sure.
  • 00:01:39.489 --> 00:01:41.724
  • But in the ancient world, farming was often terraced.
  • 00:01:41.724 --> 00:01:45.395
  • So we what we see around us
  • 00:01:45.395 --> 00:01:47.330
  • Are a lot of terrorist rocks we find.
  • 00:01:47.330 --> 00:01:49.232
  • Yeah, there's levels here. there's a lot of levels.
  • 00:01:49.232 --> 00:01:52.202
  • This is where you would have some sort of fruit bearing tree,
  • 00:01:52.202 --> 00:01:55.738
  • Whether that would have been an olive
  • 00:01:55.738 --> 00:01:57.140
  • Or some sort of citrus citrus or some sort of fruit.
  • 00:01:57.140 --> 00:02:00.276
  • And then in amongst the trees in the evenings,
  • 00:02:00.276 --> 00:02:04.080
  • In the cool of the evenings and going into the night,
  • 00:02:04.080 --> 00:02:06.749
  • The shepherds would bring their their flocks just to graze
  • 00:02:06.749 --> 00:02:10.286
  • And be sheltered amongst the trees.
  • 00:02:10.286 --> 00:02:12.388
  • And i don't care.
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  • And god for them
  • 00:02:13.323 --> 00:02:15.024
  • In the ancient world, shepherds were the heroes.
  • 00:02:15.024 --> 00:02:18.294
  • They were the lords, they were the rulers.
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  • Abraham king, david abraham.
  • 00:02:20.230 --> 00:02:22.198
  • King david.
  • 00:02:22.198 --> 00:02:23.166
  • That we were always looking for
  • 00:02:23.166 --> 00:02:24.467
  • The great shepherds to come and take care of us, the wanderers.
  • 00:02:24.467 --> 00:02:28.371
  • But then, as as we progressed into the second temple period,
  • 00:02:28.371 --> 00:02:31.808
  • All the wealthy people moved into town.
  • 00:02:31.808 --> 00:02:34.177
  • Who's going to care for the flocks?
  • 00:02:34.177 --> 00:02:35.545
  • Well, that tended to be the poor.
  • 00:02:35.545 --> 00:02:37.013
  • That tended to be the sort of more outcast, the lowly.
  • 00:02:37.013 --> 00:02:40.383
  • And here
  • 00:02:40.383 --> 00:02:41.751
  • You find that on one hand it was going to be gentile
  • 00:02:41.751 --> 00:02:44.988
  • Kings who were going to come and visit the messiah.
  • 00:02:44.988 --> 00:02:48.191
  • The three wise men, the. three wise men.
  • 00:02:48.191 --> 00:02:50.193
  • And at the same time god was also going
  • 00:02:50.193 --> 00:02:51.995
  • To be caring for the poor, the outcast, the lowly.
  • 00:02:51.995 --> 00:02:54.998
  • It shows us a little bit of the character of of god.
  • 00:02:54.998 --> 00:02:57.600
  • So archeologically biblically, we find the story of a place
  • 00:02:57.600 --> 00:03:01.771
  • Called migdal edda arriving in genesis,
  • 00:03:01.771 --> 00:03:04.974
  • Where jacob has buried rachel not far from.
  • 00:03:04.974 --> 00:03:08.011
  • Here at rachel's tomb, right here in bethlehem.
  • 00:03:08.011 --> 00:03:09.512
  • Tomb, not too far from here.
  • 00:03:09.512 --> 00:03:10.580
  • And he's camped at a place called migdal edda,
  • 00:03:10.580 --> 00:03:13.349
  • Which then reappears again in the prophet micah in micah
  • 00:03:13.349 --> 00:03:16.653
  • Chapter four.
  • 00:03:16.653 --> 00:03:17.820
  • We get this amazing story that that where the prophet
  • 00:03:17.820 --> 00:03:21.424
  • Says, you
  • 00:03:21.424 --> 00:03:22.292
  • The tower of the phlox. migdal, edda,
  • 00:03:22.292 --> 00:03:24.627
  • You're going to receive the daughter of the king.
  • 00:03:24.627 --> 00:03:27.096
  • You're your redeemer is coming to you.
  • 00:03:27.096 --> 00:03:29.699
  • Well, in the in the in the midrash,
  • 00:03:29.699 --> 00:03:32.802
  • A jewish commentary of the second temple period,
  • 00:03:32.802 --> 00:03:36.005
  • We discovered that
  • 00:03:36.005 --> 00:03:37.140
  • Migdal edda was a place where they would keep the flocks
  • 00:03:37.140 --> 00:03:40.209
  • For the sacrifice in the temple. wow.
  • 00:03:40.209 --> 00:03:42.378
  • So this was actually a crucial role
  • 00:03:42.378 --> 00:03:43.880
  • That the shepherds play there.
  • 00:03:43.880 --> 00:03:45.048
  • And look, these were they were attending the flocks
  • 00:03:45.048 --> 00:03:48.084
  • That would be sacrificed in the temple, these.
  • 00:03:48.084 --> 00:03:50.019
  • Lowly outcasts, these the the lowest rung of society
  • 00:03:50.019 --> 00:03:53.990
  • Were guarding
  • 00:03:53.990 --> 00:03:55.158
  • Some of the most precious animals that we would have,
  • 00:03:55.158 --> 00:03:58.061
  • The sacrifices that we would give given to the lord.
  • 00:03:58.061 --> 00:04:01.331
  • So here you have these shepherds and they're guarding
  • 00:04:01.331 --> 00:04:04.200
  • Some of the most precious things that that the jewish
  • 00:04:04.200 --> 00:04:07.470
  • People have these sacrificial animals, lambs
  • 00:04:07.470 --> 00:04:11.274
  • Waiting for the lamb of god as part of their prophecy.
  • 00:04:11.274 --> 00:04:14.610
  • And then somewhere around here in the in these these terrorist
  • 00:04:14.610 --> 00:04:17.580
  • Gardens, in these terrorist fields at night,
  • 00:04:17.580 --> 00:04:21.484
  • The angelic host comes and said, behold to you,
  • 00:04:21.484 --> 00:04:25.388
  • This day is born in the town of david, not far from here.
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  • You know, aaron, in my mind's eye, even though when you're
  • 00:04:29.392 --> 00:04:31.627
  • Even when you're a little kid,
  • 00:04:31.627 --> 00:04:32.662
  • You picture the christmas story, you hear it.
  • 00:04:32.662 --> 00:04:34.497
  • You think of the shepherds field,
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  • And i can see it in my mind's eye.
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  • As you said, it's a terrorist field here,
  • 00:04:37.734 --> 00:04:39.769
  • And you could take it back 2000 years in your mind.
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  • And you can really picture the angels appearing
  • 00:04:42.872 --> 00:04:46.442
  • The night lights up with this glorious announcement.
  • 00:04:46.442 --> 00:04:49.645
  • Yes, we're probably scared off our pants. yes.
  • 00:04:49.645 --> 00:04:52.915
  • But at the same time.
  • 00:04:52.915 --> 00:04:54.117
  • And luke says the shepherds were fearful, were.
  • 00:04:54.117 --> 00:04:56.152
  • Fearful, but at the same time, you can't
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  • You can't ignore the voice.
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  • The voice is attractive.
  • 00:05:00.056 --> 00:05:01.157
  • You want to hear what they're going to say to you.
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  • You want to hear the message that they're going to declare.
  • 00:05:03.393 --> 00:05:05.795
  • And then when they leave and and it becomes dark again,
  • 00:05:05.795 --> 00:05:09.699
  • The animals just making their noises quietly, you know, the
  • 00:05:09.699 --> 00:05:13.336
  • The excitement that stirs up in these guys
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  • To say, well, we're going to go watch.
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  • We're going to go see, let's go where this story happening.
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  • Let's go see this baby.
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  • You know, aaron, it's interesting.
  • 00:05:19.909 --> 00:05:20.910
  • Bethlehem is a bustling city today.
  • 00:05:20.910 --> 00:05:22.545
  • You can probably hear the construction behind us.
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  • There's a lot of people here.
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  • There's building here.
  • 00:05:25.114 --> 00:05:26.549
  • It's a modern city.
  • 00:05:26.549 --> 00:05:28.117
  • But the biblical history of bethlehem
  • 00:05:28.117 --> 00:05:30.653
  • Before the time of jesus, hey, this goes way back.
  • 00:05:30.653 --> 00:05:33.022
  • King david has a tie to the city.
  • 00:05:33.022 --> 00:05:35.091
  • Yep. king david's actually born here on the eve of travel.
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  • What?
  • 00:05:37.894 --> 00:05:39.095
  • This becomes known as the city of david, the town of david.
  • 00:05:39.095 --> 00:05:42.999
  • And it's very important for jewish people.
  • 00:05:42.999 --> 00:05:45.535
  • They they know their roots.
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  • They know their lineage.
  • 00:05:47.236 --> 00:05:48.404
  • They know where they're from.
  • 00:05:48.404 --> 00:05:50.673
  • And that's just actually is just as important to christians.
  • 00:05:50.673 --> 00:05:52.942
  • Yes. yes.
  • 00:05:52.942 --> 00:05:54.377
  • So so
  • 00:05:54.377 --> 00:05:55.878
  • The journey of joseph and mary
  • 00:05:55.878 --> 00:05:57.346
  • Is going to come back to this place.
  • 00:05:57.346 --> 00:05:59.749
  • It was a small town.
  • 00:05:59.749 --> 00:06:00.983
  • It was a regional town of a place called ephrata,
  • 00:06:00.983 --> 00:06:04.720
  • Bethlehem ephrata.
  • 00:06:04.720 --> 00:06:06.255
  • We actually now have a local settlement called called efrat.
  • 00:06:06.255 --> 00:06:09.492
  • Yes, of course. in israel, same area.
  • 00:06:09.492 --> 00:06:13.162
  • This was a very important regional town
  • 00:06:13.162 --> 00:06:15.598
  • For the shepherds that would be around
  • 00:06:15.598 --> 00:06:16.999
  • It, for the farming that was here, for the
  • 00:06:16.999 --> 00:06:19.035
  • For the material that it held for for the temple.
  • 00:06:19.035 --> 00:06:22.605
  • And it's going to play a crucial part of the story.
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  • Yeah.
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  • And i think of, of course, old testament, again,
  • 00:06:25.508 --> 00:06:28.010
  • We christians need to know, are jewish roots
  • 00:06:28.010 --> 00:06:30.546
  • And the jewish roots of our faith.
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  • Aaron i think of the book of micah, chapter five, verse two.
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  • And you the the call of the prophet.
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  • That from you, bethlehem efrat of from you will come
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  • The ancient of days, this great redeemer,
  • 00:06:42.892 --> 00:06:47.363
  • This great coming one who was from from time of old this
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  • This immortal immortal redeemer.
  • 00:06:51.234 --> 00:06:54.103
  • So this was announced
  • 00:06:54.103 --> 00:06:55.071
  • In the old testament that the messiah
  • 00:06:55.071 --> 00:06:56.906
  • Would be born in bethlehem.
  • 00:06:56.906 --> 00:06:58.908
  • Then we move on to the time of jesus, the new testament.
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  • It's announced by the angels right here in this general area
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  • Here at shepherds field to the shepherds.
  • 00:07:04.714 --> 00:07:07.116
  • And then where did they go after the announcement?
  • 00:07:07.116 --> 00:07:10.052
  • They went into town looking for this promised coming one,
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  • This promised king, this promise to redeemer.
  • 00:07:13.589 --> 00:07:16.592
  • So they went to bethlehem, not far from here. yeah.
  • 00:07:16.592 --> 00:07:18.794
  • And right now we're going to go to
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  • The very spot where they found him.
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  • Yaron, lead the way to the church of the nativity.
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  • Let's go.
  • 00:07:25.334 --> 00:07:40.016
  • Wow. and, aharon, here we
  • 00:07:40.583 --> 00:07:41.651
  • Are, the church of the nativity in bethlehem.
  • 00:07:41.651 --> 00:07:45.421
  • First of all, question i'm six foot four.
  • 00:07:45.421 --> 00:07:48.024
  • Why do we have to duck down so much
  • 00:07:48.024 --> 00:07:49.659
  • To get in that small doorway? there's a small door.
  • 00:07:49.659 --> 00:07:52.361
  • The door is called
  • 00:07:52.361 --> 00:07:54.330
  • The door of humble access or the gate of humility.
  • 00:07:54.330 --> 00:07:57.466
  • And there's a few traditions about why it's so small.
  • 00:07:57.466 --> 00:08:00.102
  • One could be that
  • 00:08:00.102 --> 00:08:01.871
  • From a theological reason or spiritual reason,
  • 00:08:01.871 --> 00:08:05.141
  • We have bowed humbly as we're going to enter
  • 00:08:05.141 --> 00:08:07.977
  • The birth place of. of the king. makes sense.
  • 00:08:07.977 --> 00:08:10.713
  • And right now we see there's construction
  • 00:08:10.713 --> 00:08:13.049
  • Underway here at the church of the nativity restoration.
  • 00:08:13.049 --> 00:08:16.352
  • This is a good thing.
  • 00:08:16.352 --> 00:08:17.453
  • This is the one of the oldest churches in the world.
  • 00:08:17.453 --> 00:08:19.822
  • This is one of the oldest.
  • 00:08:19.822 --> 00:08:20.790
  • Tell us a little bit about the history.
  • 00:08:20.790 --> 00:08:22.625
  • Well, the queen helena, when the christianity
  • 00:08:22.625 --> 00:08:26.162
  • Had been legalized,
  • 00:08:26.162 --> 00:08:27.363
  • She came to the middle east and she built churches where
  • 00:08:27.363 --> 00:08:29.732
  • Certain events had been done.
  • 00:08:29.732 --> 00:08:31.000
  • This was the mother of the emperor constantine, the roman.
  • 00:08:31.000 --> 00:08:33.736
  • Emperor constantine's mother.
  • 00:08:33.736 --> 00:08:35.037
  • And she actually was a believer. she was a christian.
  • 00:08:35.037 --> 00:08:37.473
  • And she came here a little later in her life.
  • 00:08:37.473 --> 00:08:39.842
  • This was the fourth century about.
  • 00:08:39.842 --> 00:08:41.210
  • Yes, in the three 2327, she came here
  • 00:08:41.210 --> 00:08:44.146
  • And she constructed
  • 00:08:44.146 --> 00:08:45.982
  • Essentially the shape of the church that we see today.
  • 00:08:45.982 --> 00:08:48.751
  • In fact, they're actually digging up
  • 00:08:48.751 --> 00:08:50.319
  • The floor of her church and preserving it.
  • 00:08:50.319 --> 00:08:53.289
  • Yeah, i love that they're doing the restoration.
  • 00:08:53.289 --> 00:08:55.191
  • And folks, people love this place.
  • 00:08:55.191 --> 00:08:56.626
  • You can see tourists all around us.
  • 00:08:56.626 --> 00:08:58.628
  • We're approaching christmastime here
  • 00:08:58.628 --> 00:08:59.962
  • At the church of the nativity.
  • 00:08:59.962 --> 00:09:01.297
  • This is the place where jesus was born.
  • 00:09:01.297 --> 00:09:03.699
  • We'll talk about that in a second.
  • 00:09:03.699 --> 00:09:04.800
  • We're going to see where he was born,
  • 00:09:04.800 --> 00:09:06.235
  • But a little bit more about the history. sure.
  • 00:09:06.235 --> 00:09:08.671
  • The church stadium functioned for only a little while.
  • 00:09:08.671 --> 00:09:12.241
  • It was actually destroyed during the samaritan revolt
  • 00:09:12.241 --> 00:09:15.144
  • In the three thirties.
  • 00:09:15.144 --> 00:09:16.145
  • Okay, so well, that's a short run. a short run.
  • 00:09:16.145 --> 00:09:18.914
  • But then it was it was really reinvigorated
  • 00:09:18.914 --> 00:09:21.684
  • By emperor justinian in 565 and pretty much stayed
  • 00:09:21.684 --> 00:09:26.055
  • That way since.
  • 00:09:26.055 --> 00:09:27.323
  • So it's been a continuously used church for nearly 1500 years.
  • 00:09:27.323 --> 00:09:30.593
  • Wow. amazing. this is one of the oldest churches in the world.
  • 00:09:30.593 --> 00:09:45.341
  • You told
  • 00:09:45.608 --> 00:09:46.676
  • Us that jesus obviously was of the line of david.
  • 00:09:46.676 --> 00:09:49.045
  • So prophetically, the messiah had to be born
  • 00:09:49.045 --> 00:09:52.081
  • In the city of david in bethlehem.
  • 00:09:52.081 --> 00:09:53.315
  • But there was another reason
  • 00:09:53.315 --> 00:09:54.483
  • To write that joseph, mary and jesus came to this town.
  • 00:09:54.483 --> 00:09:57.887
  • And so we know that there's a in history,
  • 00:09:57.887 --> 00:10:01.357
  • A new caesar had come to power and he wanted to tax his empire
  • 00:10:01.357 --> 00:10:05.361
  • So he could fund his his empire.
  • 00:10:05.361 --> 00:10:07.496
  • So we were going to take a census.
  • 00:10:07.496 --> 00:10:09.131
  • And so in tradition, in the middle eastern jewish tradition,
  • 00:10:09.131 --> 00:10:13.069
  • They all knew their lineage.
  • 00:10:13.069 --> 00:10:14.370
  • And so they would return back to their ancestral homelands
  • 00:10:14.370 --> 00:10:17.473
  • To be counted, to figure out how much they should should pay.
  • 00:10:17.473 --> 00:10:21.210
  • So they came from nazareth.
  • 00:10:21.210 --> 00:10:22.411
  • Joseph and mary have been living in nazareth.
  • 00:10:22.411 --> 00:10:24.814
  • It's where they had set up shop, so to speak.
  • 00:10:24.814 --> 00:10:28.484
  • But they made the pilgrimage down here, even a very pregnant,
  • 00:10:28.484 --> 00:10:31.654
  • Pregnant mary.
  • 00:10:31.654 --> 00:10:33.322
  • That was no excuse. that's kind of a long journey.
  • 00:10:33.322 --> 00:10:35.257
  • It's a lot.
  • 00:10:35.257 --> 00:10:36.325
  • Nazareth is further up north in the galilee region.
  • 00:10:36.325 --> 00:10:37.993
  • We're down in judah, in bethlehem.
  • 00:10:37.993 --> 00:10:39.261
  • All of david's family would have come here.
  • 00:10:39.261 --> 00:10:41.697
  • All of those who were of the house of david
  • 00:10:41.697 --> 00:10:43.632
  • Would have would have come here, not just them.
  • 00:10:43.632 --> 00:10:45.701
  • And and so that's also commemorated here.
  • 00:10:45.701 --> 00:10:49.171
  • And the story is is full of hope.
  • 00:10:49.171 --> 00:10:51.140
  • It's full of it's a baby.
  • 00:10:51.140 --> 00:10:52.842
  • It's it's full of mystery.
  • 00:10:52.842 --> 00:10:54.610
  • It's full of angelic visitation.
  • 00:10:54.610 --> 00:10:57.046
  • But there's a dangerous side to the story, isn't it?
  • 00:10:57.046 --> 00:10:58.948
  • It's a dark side to the story.
  • 00:10:58.948 --> 00:11:02.184
  • The king of the universe.
  • 00:11:02.184 --> 00:11:04.186
  • There's another another guy who wants to be king, and he's
  • 00:11:04.186 --> 00:11:07.156
  • Coming into the story, too.
  • 00:11:07.156 --> 00:11:08.357
  • And so in amongst the birth, there's danger in amongst
  • 00:11:08.357 --> 00:11:12.795
  • Hope and amongst joy.
  • 00:11:12.795 --> 00:11:14.396
  • There's tension with the decree of herod to kill the babies.
  • 00:11:14.396 --> 00:11:18.601
  • That's right.
  • 00:11:18.601 --> 00:11:19.869
  • And that is also commemorated here very close by at a place
  • 00:11:19.869 --> 00:11:22.171
  • Called the chapel of the innocents.
  • 00:11:22.171 --> 00:11:23.672
  • We'll go there very soon.
  • 00:11:23.672 --> 00:11:24.874
  • Yeah,
  • 00:11:24.874 --> 00:11:26.075
  • They they remember that as jesus was coming into the world.
  • 00:11:26.075 --> 00:11:30.679
  • It was. it was.
  • 00:11:30.679 --> 00:11:31.647
  • It was a place filled of tension and danger.
  • 00:11:31.647 --> 00:11:33.482
  • Yeah.
  • 00:11:33.482 --> 00:11:34.150
  • Herod sent out the sent out
  • 00:11:34.150 --> 00:11:35.184
  • A decree that the babies should be slaughtered.
  • 00:11:35.184 --> 00:11:37.653
  • He wanted to snuff out the messiah in the womb.
  • 00:11:37.653 --> 00:11:40.422
  • He knew the prophecies. herod knew them. he knew them.
  • 00:11:40.422 --> 00:11:42.992
  • He had been. he even told them.
  • 00:11:42.992 --> 00:11:44.193
  • And he was jealous.
  • 00:11:44.193 --> 00:11:46.295
  • He wanted to preserve his kingship.
  • 00:11:46.295 --> 00:11:47.997
  • Christmas such a time of great joy.
  • 00:11:47.997 --> 00:11:50.232
  • But there is that dark twist the slaughter of the innocents.
  • 00:11:50.232 --> 00:11:53.369
  • Take us now to the chapel of the innocents
  • 00:11:53.369 --> 00:11:55.471
  • That you mentioned. let's go. re
  • 00:11:55.471 --> 00:11:59.842
  • Coming up,
  • 00:11:59.842 --> 00:12:00.943
  • See how the first christmas almost didn't happen.
  • 00:12:00.943 --> 00:12:03.512
  • And later,
  • 00:12:03.512 --> 00:12:04.713
  • We visit the very spot in bethlehem where jesus was born.
  • 00:12:04.713 --> 00:12:08.484
  • Don't move.
  • 00:12:08.484 --> 00:12:16.009
  • Don't move.
  • 00:12:16.009 --> 00:12:38.882
  • The most common command
  • 00:12:39.382 --> 00:12:40.951
  • That we find in the bible is to remember god
  • 00:12:40.951 --> 00:12:44.087
  • Asks us to remember more times than any other command.
  • 00:12:44.087 --> 00:12:47.524
  • So as part of remembering the story, a lot of the stories
  • 00:12:47.524 --> 00:12:50.093
  • Encapsulated in art or iconography or in chapels
  • 00:12:50.093 --> 00:12:53.864
  • That focus our attention on the events,
  • 00:12:53.864 --> 00:12:57.334
  • I think this is a pretty good image of some of the majesty,
  • 00:12:57.334 --> 00:13:01.071
  • Beauty and tragedy.
  • 00:13:01.071 --> 00:13:02.339
  • Yeah, this is. striking that is inherent in the story.
  • 00:13:02.339 --> 00:13:05.008
  • What do we have here?
  • 00:13:05.008 --> 00:13:05.942
  • We have the bottom panel.
  • 00:13:05.942 --> 00:13:08.211
  • We see king herod, the king of the jews at the time, nervous,
  • 00:13:08.211 --> 00:13:13.850
  • Afraid of another king of the jews being bored.
  • 00:13:13.850 --> 00:13:16.620
  • Paranoid, nasty man.
  • 00:13:16.620 --> 00:13:18.889
  • Sets out to undo his rival.
  • 00:13:18.889 --> 00:13:21.024
  • He's going to murder his his rival.
  • 00:13:21.024 --> 00:13:23.126
  • And he asks his gods to kill all the kids
  • 00:13:23.126 --> 00:13:25.962
  • Born in bethlehem between below the age of two.
  • 00:13:25.962 --> 00:13:29.532
  • So everyone is being killed.
  • 00:13:29.532 --> 00:13:31.368
  • This was a massacre. this is. this is a massacre.
  • 00:13:31.368 --> 00:13:33.770
  • This is tragic.
  • 00:13:33.770 --> 00:13:34.738
  • This is painful.
  • 00:13:34.738 --> 00:13:35.805
  • This is suffering
  • 00:13:35.805 --> 00:13:37.173
  • As well as a joyful part of the story of the coming redeemer.
  • 00:13:37.173 --> 00:13:41.211
  • There's there's. darkness. and that's why this is.
  • 00:13:41.211 --> 00:13:43.546
  • Yeah,
  • 00:13:43.546 --> 00:13:44.714
  • The chapel of the innocence, where we're at right now.
  • 00:13:44.714 --> 00:13:45.815
  • Aaron, this commemorates this heinous act by herod
  • 00:13:45.815 --> 00:13:48.151
  • And the old testament talks about this, right?
  • 00:13:48.151 --> 00:13:50.153
  • It does it the prophets reflect that rachel,
  • 00:13:50.153 --> 00:13:53.556
  • Who's also buried here, she is weeping for her children.
  • 00:13:53.556 --> 00:13:57.193
  • Here we have jesus and his family
  • 00:13:57.193 --> 00:13:59.396
  • Running into into egypt, fleeing towards egypt.
  • 00:13:59.396 --> 00:14:02.098
  • He's a happy little baby.
  • 00:14:02.098 --> 00:14:03.633
  • He's with his parents.
  • 00:14:03.633 --> 00:14:05.001
  • He doesn't know what's what's going on back here.
  • 00:14:05.001 --> 00:14:08.738
  • The at the time,
  • 00:14:08.738 --> 00:14:11.041
  • The bethlehem would have been full of members of the household
  • 00:14:11.041 --> 00:14:13.643
  • Of david.
  • 00:14:13.643 --> 00:14:14.311
  • Jesus's cousins, relatives, his.
  • 00:14:14.311 --> 00:14:16.379
  • Cousins, his relatives. they're all being killed.
  • 00:14:16.379 --> 00:14:18.615
  • They all have.
  • 00:14:18.615 --> 00:14:19.549
  • To come here for the census because this
  • 00:14:19.549 --> 00:14:20.784
  • Is the place of their family lineage.
  • 00:14:20.784 --> 00:14:22.552
  • David. indeed.
  • 00:14:22.552 --> 00:14:23.820
  • And all we have left is the last of the davidic line.
  • 00:14:23.820 --> 00:14:27.424
  • And this is john the baptist.
  • 00:14:27.424 --> 00:14:28.625
  • This is john the baptist is his cousin.
  • 00:14:28.625 --> 00:14:30.160
  • And he also flees and hides.
  • 00:14:30.160 --> 00:14:33.196
  • Juxtapose this.
  • 00:14:33.196 --> 00:14:34.264
  • The the babies are now taken to be with the lord
  • 00:14:34.264 --> 00:14:37.567
  • And now they're in heaven, so they're happy.
  • 00:14:37.567 --> 00:14:39.803
  • And yet jesus being older, his expression is his sad
  • 00:14:39.803 --> 00:14:43.773
  • Is he knows where they've come from.
  • 00:14:43.773 --> 00:14:45.909
  • They didn't get to enjoy life like they should have.
  • 00:14:45.909 --> 00:14:49.679
  • And i think they this this
  • 00:14:49.679 --> 00:14:51.348
  • Image really captured the the joy and the pain.
  • 00:14:51.348 --> 00:14:55.752
  • I think this is important for for everyone to see, aaron,
  • 00:14:55.752 --> 00:14:59.055
  • Because the christmas story came at a price.
  • 00:14:59.055 --> 00:15:02.359
  • The christmas story, it came at a price.
  • 00:15:02.359 --> 00:15:04.627
  • There was a blessing and there was suffering.
  • 00:15:04.627 --> 00:15:06.596
  • And the two, as is so often in the christian life,
  • 00:15:06.596 --> 00:15:09.265
  • They go together.
  • 00:15:09.265 --> 00:15:21.811
  • So underneath
  • 00:15:22.178 --> 00:15:23.113
  • The chapel, the church of the nativity,
  • 00:15:23.113 --> 00:15:25.949
  • What we find a lot of cave structures
  • 00:15:25.949 --> 00:15:28.184
  • And those caves are important to the story.
  • 00:15:28.184 --> 00:15:30.453
  • Yeah.
  • 00:15:30.453 --> 00:15:31.688
  • This amazing i mean, this place, like you said, 1500 years old.
  • 00:15:31.688 --> 00:15:33.757
  • The church itself.
  • 00:15:33.757 --> 00:15:34.824
  • God blessed israel with lots of rock. yes, he did.
  • 00:15:34.824 --> 00:15:37.260
  • Jesus and his family,
  • 00:15:37.260 --> 00:15:38.261
  • They come to bethlehem
  • 00:15:38.261 --> 00:15:39.229
  • As part of the census
  • 00:15:39.229 --> 00:15:40.363
  • And they we're going to stay with the family,
  • 00:15:40.363 --> 00:15:42.198
  • Some sort of cousin or distant relative
  • 00:15:42.198 --> 00:15:44.667
  • That was still living here, but there was no room for them.
  • 00:15:44.667 --> 00:15:47.871
  • And when we read in the gospels of no room in the inn
  • 00:15:47.871 --> 00:15:50.974
  • And in our in our way of reading in, we think of hotel.
  • 00:15:50.974 --> 00:15:53.877
  • Yeah.
  • 00:15:53.877 --> 00:15:55.011
  • What we really should think of is it was the guest room
  • 00:15:55.011 --> 00:15:57.614
  • Of the family house.
  • 00:15:57.614 --> 00:15:58.648
  • So these were jesus kin. that's interesting.
  • 00:15:58.648 --> 00:16:00.950
  • And i always think of some angry innkeeper
  • 00:16:00.950 --> 00:16:03.053
  • Turning them away and saying, sleep outside with the cows.
  • 00:16:03.053 --> 00:16:05.789
  • No, this was family and i didn't want to send them away.
  • 00:16:05.789 --> 00:16:08.391
  • But too much of the other family had come,
  • 00:16:08.391 --> 00:16:10.760
  • And so they didn't want to turn him away.
  • 00:16:10.760 --> 00:16:12.462
  • They they put the family in the the only space available,
  • 00:16:12.462 --> 00:16:15.732
  • What we today call amazon.
  • 00:16:15.732 --> 00:16:17.767
  • They put them in the storage room. yeah.
  • 00:16:17.767 --> 00:16:21.104
  • It would have been warm.
  • 00:16:21.104 --> 00:16:22.505
  • It would have been dry.
  • 00:16:22.505 --> 00:16:24.040
  • It might have been a little dirty.
  • 00:16:24.040 --> 00:16:26.142
  • And with some animals.
  • 00:16:26.142 --> 00:16:27.410
  • But it's in something that's very humble.
  • 00:16:27.410 --> 00:16:30.380
  • Just like this.
  • 00:16:30.380 --> 00:16:31.347
  • The the savior enters the world.
  • 00:16:31.347 --> 00:16:34.117
  • Up next, see the very place in bethlehem
  • 00:16:34.117 --> 00:16:36.519
  • Where the savior came into the world.
  • 00:16:36.519 --> 00:16:38.788
  • You won't want to miss this.
  • 00:16:38.788 --> 00:16:39.956
  • Stick around.
  • 00:16:39.956 --> 00:16:45.003
  • Stick around.
  • 00:16:45.003 --> 00:17:06.783
  • You know, aaron, i have this picture in my mind,
  • 00:17:07.750 --> 00:17:09.619
  • And i'm sure a lot of people at home
  • 00:17:09.619 --> 00:17:10.720
  • Have this picture in their mind of kind of like a barn,
  • 00:17:10.720 --> 00:17:13.389
  • A manger outside with hay and some cows around.
  • 00:17:13.389 --> 00:17:17.460
  • But this is a cave. yes.
  • 00:17:17.460 --> 00:17:19.062
  • When you actually come to israel, you realize
  • 00:17:19.062 --> 00:17:21.331
  • It's a it's a cave structure
  • 00:17:21.331 --> 00:17:22.799
  • Where jesus was born, a very earthy, very humble.
  • 00:17:22.799 --> 00:17:26.603
  • Even more humble,
  • 00:17:26.603 --> 00:17:27.670
  • Even more than the barn scene that we we think of.
  • 00:17:27.670 --> 00:17:31.141
  • Right.
  • 00:17:31.141 --> 00:17:32.408
  • And in one of these caves and this is the one that has become
  • 00:17:32.408 --> 00:17:35.578
  • The traditional site,
  • 00:17:35.578 --> 00:17:37.280
  • We'll have a star
  • 00:17:37.280 --> 00:17:38.348
  • Where they'll say that he was actually born silver.
  • 00:17:38.348 --> 00:17:41.351
  • And it's right behind us.
  • 00:17:41.351 --> 00:17:42.552
  • It's blocked by tourists right now from all over the world.
  • 00:17:42.552 --> 00:17:45.054
  • Yes, people come from from every nation.
  • 00:17:45.054 --> 00:17:46.656
  • But we will get a closer look in a minute.
  • 00:17:46.656 --> 00:17:48.224
  • They will they will kneel. they will pray, they will kiss.
  • 00:17:48.224 --> 00:17:50.760
  • They will hopefully be reminded of the king of the universe.
  • 00:17:50.760 --> 00:17:55.632
  • And then there's another chapel
  • 00:17:55.632 --> 00:17:57.066
  • Off to the side where he was put in what we call a manger.
  • 00:17:57.066 --> 00:18:00.136
  • Right.
  • 00:18:00.136 --> 00:18:01.104
  • Basically a feeding trough for the animals.
  • 00:18:01.104 --> 00:18:04.040
  • And and it's rock.
  • 00:18:04.040 --> 00:18:05.808
  • It's a it's a rock, rock cave. wow.
  • 00:18:05.808 --> 00:18:08.878
  • Pretty amazing.
  • 00:18:08.878 --> 00:18:09.579
  • I mean, the humility
  • 00:18:09.579 --> 00:18:10.747
  • Of the savior of the world to come into the world
  • 00:18:10.747 --> 00:18:14.284
  • In a cave.
  • 00:18:14.284 --> 00:18:41.945
  • Aaron, what a day we've had here in bethlehem.
  • 00:18:42.879 --> 00:18:45.315
  • We're wrapping up here at the church of the nativity.
  • 00:18:45.315 --> 00:18:49.152
  • First of all, before we kind of wrap up and tie
  • 00:18:49.152 --> 00:18:51.788
  • The whole christmas story together,
  • 00:18:51.788 --> 00:18:53.323
  • Tell us a little about yourself.
  • 00:18:53.323 --> 00:18:54.857
  • You've been here living in jerusalem,
  • 00:18:54.857 --> 00:18:56.593
  • Actually not far from here in bethlehem for quite some time.
  • 00:18:56.593 --> 00:18:59.295
  • What brought you here?
  • 00:18:59.295 --> 00:19:00.163
  • Well,
  • 00:19:00.163 --> 00:19:00.897
  • I didn't hear the voice
  • 00:19:00.897 --> 00:19:01.898
  • Of heaven say, aaron, get the to jerusalem.
  • 00:19:01.898 --> 00:19:04.867
  • I drove here from england and i wasn't.
  • 00:19:04.867 --> 00:19:07.303
  • Through from england. yeah, i drove from england.
  • 00:19:07.303 --> 00:19:09.706
  • How long does that take?
  • 00:19:09.706 --> 00:19:10.540
  • You took me three and a half months.
  • 00:19:10.540 --> 00:19:11.975
  • I was at all three and a half months.
  • 00:19:11.975 --> 00:19:13.610
  • Stopped off in morocco.
  • 00:19:13.610 --> 00:19:15.278
  • Well, i didn't intend to stay,
  • 00:19:15.278 --> 00:19:18.648
  • But something happened and i never left.
  • 00:19:18.648 --> 00:19:21.918
  • What happened? god got a hold of your heart.
  • 00:19:21.918 --> 00:19:24.053
  • Right? yes. the the.
  • 00:19:24.053 --> 00:19:25.989
  • The majesty of the place, the specialness of the place,
  • 00:19:25.989 --> 00:19:28.191
  • The uniqueness of the land,
  • 00:19:28.191 --> 00:19:29.626
  • The promises that are connected here.
  • 00:19:29.626 --> 00:19:32.395
  • It's the center of the universe.
  • 00:19:32.395 --> 00:19:33.796
  • And you're in jerusalem.
  • 00:19:33.796 --> 00:19:35.265
  • A good friend of mine
  • 00:19:35.265 --> 00:19:36.199
  • Once said that you don't choose jerusalem.
  • 00:19:36.199 --> 00:19:38.501
  • Jerusalem chooses.
  • 00:19:38.501 --> 00:19:39.902
  • You, however, said that his is very correct.
  • 00:19:39.902 --> 00:19:42.071
  • He's prophetic.
  • 00:19:42.071 --> 00:19:53.116
  • All the kings of the world.
  • 00:19:53.716 --> 00:19:58.187
  • They're always trying to hide the light.
  • 00:19:58.187 --> 00:19:59.756
  • They're trying to stop the life.
  • 00:19:59.756 --> 00:20:01.124
  • For a brief moment in time,
  • 00:20:01.124 --> 00:20:02.892
  • The light had to run and to go into egypt
  • 00:20:02.892 --> 00:20:06.195
  • And the darkness, it looked ferocious.
  • 00:20:06.195 --> 00:20:08.931
  • The chapel of the innocence reminded us of just how powerful
  • 00:20:08.931 --> 00:20:11.567
  • Sometimes the
  • 00:20:11.567 --> 00:20:12.635
  • The darkness and the suffering can be in the tension.
  • 00:20:12.635 --> 00:20:15.471
  • But you can't stop the light.
  • 00:20:15.471 --> 00:20:16.973
  • You cannot the light fights back.
  • 00:20:16.973 --> 00:20:18.808
  • The darkness. the light shines against the darkness.
  • 00:20:18.808 --> 00:20:20.843
  • The light reveals actually what the darkness is.
  • 00:20:20.843 --> 00:20:23.880
  • And that light is jesus.
  • 00:20:23.880 --> 00:20:25.481
  • And as we discussed earlier, irony
  • 00:20:25.481 --> 00:20:27.317
  • So narrowly dodged herod's hordes
  • 00:20:27.317 --> 00:20:30.653
  • Who were massacring all the children.
  • 00:20:30.653 --> 00:20:32.422
  • Only one of the house of david made it out.
  • 00:20:32.422 --> 00:20:34.724
  • That was jesus.
  • 00:20:34.724 --> 00:20:35.591
  • Yes, the the the whole house of david
  • 00:20:35.591 --> 00:20:37.960
  • Had to come to bethlehem for the census.
  • 00:20:37.960 --> 00:20:40.229
  • Yeah, the the enemy tried to stop them,
  • 00:20:40.229 --> 00:20:42.732
  • Tried to wipe them out.
  • 00:20:42.732 --> 00:20:44.500
  • God pushed his family into egypt to fulfill that prophecy.
  • 00:20:44.500 --> 00:20:47.537
  • We're out of egypt. i would call my son.
  • 00:20:47.537 --> 00:20:50.373
  • They hid not to not too far away from here.
  • 00:20:50.373 --> 00:20:54.310
  • That's right.
  • 00:20:54.310 --> 00:20:55.511
  • Jesus made it to egypt with the family and out of egypt.
  • 00:20:55.511 --> 00:20:58.181
  • I will call my son. god called him.
  • 00:20:58.181 --> 00:21:00.149
  • And now look, you have the church of the nativity.
  • 00:21:00.149 --> 00:21:01.851
  • We have thousands and thousands of believers, probably
  • 00:21:01.851 --> 00:21:05.288
  • Hundreds of thousands passing through this church every year
  • 00:21:05.288 --> 00:21:08.658
  • To pay tribute to the spot
  • 00:21:08.658 --> 00:21:10.360
  • Where jesus was born and to this town, bethlehem.
  • 00:21:10.360 --> 00:21:13.596
  • What are your thoughts this christmas?
  • 00:21:13.596 --> 00:21:16.165
  • My thoughts. this christmas?
  • 00:21:16.165 --> 00:21:17.233
  • Well, it's one of the best of seasons.
  • 00:21:17.233 --> 00:21:19.435
  • It's a it's a family time.
  • 00:21:19.435 --> 00:21:20.937
  • Yeah. okay.
  • 00:21:20.937 --> 00:21:22.038
  • God works with families.
  • 00:21:22.038 --> 00:21:24.073
  • It's a it's a time of blessing.
  • 00:21:24.073 --> 00:21:25.508
  • It's a time of reminding ourselves
  • 00:21:25.508 --> 00:21:27.076
  • That the light prevails against the darkness,
  • 00:21:27.076 --> 00:21:29.645
  • That the blessings and the hope and the promises.
  • 00:21:29.645 --> 00:21:32.014
  • They all.
  • 00:21:32.014 --> 00:21:32.982
  • They go together with our human suffering.
  • 00:21:32.982 --> 00:21:35.985
  • Sometimes there's a little bit of pain in our in our faith.
  • 00:21:35.985 --> 00:21:39.122
  • Yeah, but.
  • 00:21:39.122 --> 00:21:39.956
  • But the hope overcomes all that light.
  • 00:21:39.956 --> 00:21:42.158
  • Overcomes all that the messiah.
  • 00:21:42.158 --> 00:21:44.627
  • Of the light of the world.
  • 00:21:44.627 --> 00:21:45.661
  • The light of the world. he overcomes all of it.
  • 00:21:45.661 --> 00:21:48.131
  • It's a story that you cannot stop.
  • 00:21:48.131 --> 00:21:50.066
  • Aaron amen.
  • 00:21:50.066 --> 00:21:51.234
  • It was a blast being with you here today in bethlehem.
  • 00:21:51.234 --> 00:21:53.236
  • What a journey. the christmas story.
  • 00:21:53.236 --> 00:21:55.104
  • Merry christmas to you, my friend, and your family.
  • 00:21:55.104 --> 00:21:57.273
  • Merry christmas, brother.
  • 00:21:57.273 --> 00:21:58.374
  • God bless you. we'll see you again here soon aaron.
  • 00:21:58.374 --> 00:22:01.844
  • Coming up, my final thoughts on the story of christmas,
  • 00:22:01.844 --> 00:22:04.781
  • What it means to me and what it means for you.
  • 00:22:04.781 --> 00:22:08.084
  • That's next.
  • 00:22:08.084 --> 00:22:14.006
  • That's next.
  • 00:22:14.006 --> 00:22:17.194
  • Welcome back to stakelbeck tonight, folks.
  • 00:22:18.061 --> 00:22:19.897
  • It was such a privilege
  • 00:22:19.897 --> 00:22:21.432
  • To celebrate christmas
  • 00:22:21.432 --> 00:22:22.800
  • In bethlehem and to visit the sites of jesus's birth,
  • 00:22:22.800 --> 00:22:26.670
  • The very places that i've heard about so many times
  • 00:22:26.670 --> 00:22:30.007
  • Since i was a small child, to stand in the shepherds field
  • 00:22:30.007 --> 00:22:33.844
  • Where the angels appeared and made an announcement
  • 00:22:33.844 --> 00:22:36.447
  • That would change the world forever to visit the church of
  • 00:22:36.447 --> 00:22:40.050
  • The nativity
  • 00:22:40.050 --> 00:22:41.285
  • And see the humble beginnings of jesus, an early indicator
  • 00:22:41.285 --> 00:22:44.488
  • Of how he came into the world not to be served, but to serve
  • 00:22:44.488 --> 00:22:48.559
  • And to remember king herod slaughter of the innocents
  • 00:22:48.559 --> 00:22:51.728
  • As he sought to eliminate the coming savior
  • 00:22:51.728 --> 00:22:54.731
  • That the scriptures had promised long ago.
  • 00:22:54.731 --> 00:22:57.468
  • The book of isaiah says, for unto us, a child is born
  • 00:22:57.468 --> 00:23:01.238
  • Unto us, a son is given,
  • 00:23:01.238 --> 00:23:03.407
  • And the government shall be upon his shoulders,
  • 00:23:03.407 --> 00:23:06.210
  • And he will be called a wonderful counselor, mighty
  • 00:23:06.210 --> 00:23:09.146
  • God, everlasting father, prince of peace.
  • 00:23:09.146 --> 00:23:12.916
  • And it all started in a little town in israel called bethlehem.
  • 00:23:12.916 --> 00:23:17.588
  • Until next time, god bless you.
  • 00:23:17.588 --> 00:23:19.690
  • Merry christmas, and we'll see you soon.
  • 00:23:19.690 --> 00:23:19.690