A VERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS Dec 2009

Cover Pace The Staff & Sword Ministry/M.erry Christmas December 18, 2009

A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!!

We wanted to express our heartfelt thanks to all of you who have supported this Ministry work in Christ for this past year, support in prayer, encouragement and finances. A warm "Thank You" and our sincere appreciation for your faithfulness in undergirding this on-going work in the Lord JESUS CHRIST! We wish youall have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Though the times we are in are difficult and trialsome and what lies ahead will likely be more of the same - we are encouraged to know that the Lord is our Shepherd, we are under His care and keeping. The "Joy of the Lord" is our strength no matter what comes for in Christ we will overcome and stand in His victory. Again, a blessed C//ij4f^ as) ^1 Merry Christmas and a Happy Year to all. -T J 3JU s ') •

Chuck-JOHNEL's Pick For this Christmas time I've selected one of my favorite stories from the book, "The Archko Volume or the Archeological Writings of the Sanhedrim & Talmuds of the Jews ." Translated by Drs. McIntosh & Twyman of the Antiquarian Lodge, Genoa, Italy. Published by Keats Publishing, Inc. New Canaan, Connecticut 06840, which was entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1887 in the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington, D.C. This book sold for $14.95 when last purchased, about eight years ago, on Amazon. corn.

These are the official documents made in these courts (Sanhedrim & Talmuds of the Jews) in the days of Jesus Christ.

Comment b y Chuck-JOHNEL . There is quite a detailed history given in this book on how the records survived and were moved about ending up in the vaults

of the Vatican where these two Doctors (McIntosh & Twyman) were allowed access and record and published what they found.

While this record does not change the Biblical account, it does give greater and

fascinating detail on certain aspects of the events surrounding JESUS's birth.

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REPORT ON JESUS's BIRTH Quotng Pages 64-69 of "The Archko Volume or the Archeological Writings of the Sanhedrin & Talmuds of the Jews."

JONATHAN'S INTERVIEW WITH THE BETHLEHEM SHEPHERDS — LETTER OF MELKER, PRIEST OF THE SYNAGOGUE AT (Quote)

13^^:11J_^^lul^ Sanhedrin, 88 B. By R. Jose. Order No. 2.

[JONATHAN son of Heziel, questions the shepherds and others at Bethlehem in regard to the strange circumstances reported to have occurred there, and reports to this court.]

"Jonathan to the Masters of Israel, Servants of the True God: In obedience to your order, I met with two men, who said they were shepherds, and were watching their flocks near Bethlehem. They told me that while attending to their sheep, the night being cold and chilly, some of them had made fires to warm themselves, and

some of them had laid down and were asleep; that they were awakened by those who were keeping watch with the questions: ` What does all this mean? Behold, how light it is, ' that when they were aroused it was light as day. But they knew it was not daylight, for it was only the third watch.

All at once the air seemed to be filled with human voices, saying `Glory!

Glory! Gloryto the most high God!' and `Happy are thou, Bethlehem, for God hath fulfilled His promise to the fathers; for in thy chambers is born the King that shall rule in righteousness.' Their shoutings would rise up in the heavens, and then would sink down in mellow strains, and roll along at the foot of the mountains, and die away in the most soft and musical manner they had ever heard; then it would begin again high up in the heavens, in the very vaults of the sky, and descend in sweet and melodious strains, so that they could not refrain from shouting and weeping at the same time. The light would seem to burst forth high up in the heavens, and then descend in softer rays and light up the hills and valleys, making everything more visible that the light of the sun, though it was not so brilliant, but clearer, like the brightest moon. I asked them how they felt — if they were not afraid; they said at first they were; but after awhile it seemed to calm their

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REPORT ON JESUS's BIRTH (Quote continued) spirits, and so fill their hearts with love and tranquillity that they felt more like giving thanks than anything else.

They said it was around the whole city, and some of the people were almost scared to death. Some said the world was on fire; some said the gods were coming down to destroy them; others said a star had fallen; until Melker the priest came out shouting and clapping his hands, seeming to be frantic with joy. The people all came crowding around him, and he told them that it was the sign that God was coming to fulfil His promise made to their father Abraham. He told us that fourteen hundred years before God had appeared to Abraham, and told him to put all Israel under bonds -- sacred bonds of obedience; and if they would be faithful, He would give them a Saviour to redeem them from sin, and that He would give them eternal life, and that they should hunger no more; that the time of their suffering should cease forever; and that the sign of His coming would be that light would shine from on high, and the Angels would announce His coming, and their voices should be heard in the city, and the people should rejoice: and a virgin that was pure should travail in pain and bring forth her firstborn, and He should rule all flesh by sanctifying it and making it obedient. After Melker had addressed the people in a loud voice, he and all the old Jews went into the synagogue and remained there praising God and giving thanks.

"I went to see Melker, who related to me much the same as the shepherds had reported. He told me that he had lived in India, and that his father had been priest at Antioch; that he had studied the sacred scrolls of God all his life, and that he knew that the time had come, from signs given, for God to visit and save the Jews from Roman oppression and from their sins; and as evidence he showed me many quotations on the tripod respecting the matter.

"He said that next day three strangers from a great distance called on him, and they went in search of this young child; and they found him and his mother in the mouth of the cave, where there was a shed projecting out for the sheltering of sheep; that his mother was married to a man named Joseph, and she related to them the

history of her child, saying that an Angel had visited her, and told her that she should have a son, and she should call Him Jesus, for He should redeem His people from their sins; and He should call her blessed forever more.

"Whether this is true or not remains to be proved in the future. There have been so many impostors in the world, so many babes born under pretended miracles, and all have proved to be a failure, that this one may be false, this woman only wishing to hide her shame or court the favor of the Jews.

"I am informed that she will be tried by our law, and, if she can give no better

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REPORT ON JESUS's BIRTH (Quote continued) evidence of her virtue than she has given to Melker, she will be stoned according to our law, although, as Melker says, there never has been a case before with such apparent divine manifestations as were seen on this occasion. In the past, in various instances, virgins have pretended to be with child by the Holy Ghost, but at the time of their delivery there was no light from the heavens, and no Angels talking among the clouds and declaring that this was the King of the Jews. And, as to the truth of these things, the whole of the people ofBethlehem testify to having seen it, and the Roman guard also came out and asked what it meant, and they showed by their actions that they were very much alarmed.

These things, Melker says, are all declared in the Scriptures to be the sign of His

coming. Melker is a man of great learning and well versed in the prophecies, and he sends you this letter, referring you to those prophecies: "'Melker, Priest of the Synagogue of Bethlehem, to the Higher Sanhedriin of the Jews at Jerusalem: "HOLY MASTERS OF ISRAEL: I, your servant, would call your attention to the words of the prophet in regard to the forerunner, and the rise as well as the conductor of a great and mighty nation, wherein should dwell the true principles of righteousness and the conductor of the outward formation of a national domain of God upon earth. As evidence of the fact, the vision and affliction that has befallen Zacharias of late is enough to satisfy all men of the coming of some great event; and this babe of Elizabeth is the beginning of better times. "'What has occurred here in the last few days, as Jonathan will inform you, forever settles the question that the day of our redemption is drawing nigh. The sections of these divisions are three: First, the general survey; the original foundation and destiny of man in his single state; the proto-evangel; the full development of mankind; the promises to the fathers of the covenant people; Judah, the leader tribe; section second, the Mosaic law and the Mosaic outlook; the prophecy of Balaam, section third, the anointed one; and the prophets of the past exile: Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi; Malachi's prophecy of the forerunner of the Lord. Now, noble masters of Israel, if you will refer to the several sections of the divine word, you will not fail to see that all that has been spoken by the prophets in regard to the works of God upon earth has been fulfilled in the last few days in the two events, the birth of the child of Elizabeth and that of Mary of Bethlehem.

"The unlimited freedom which some men take with these holy writings of God, as to the above prophecy, subjects its to the severest criticism. It is, however, most satisfactory to see and hear that the divine grandeur and authority of the sacred oracles are in no way dependent on the solution of carnal critics, but rest on an inward light, shining everywhere out of the bosom of a profound organic unity and

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REPORT ON JESUS's BIRTH ( Quote continued an interconnected relation with a consistent and united teleology; overleaping all time, the historical present as well as the past, and all the past brought to light in these two events that have just transpired. Indeed, all past time is blending with the present horizon, and the works of God in ages past are just beginning to develop themselves at this particular time, and the present scenes are bringing us close on to the ways of God upon earth. While we reverence these men of God, we should not misquote their language. Take, for example, the third section of Isaiah, where he prophesies of the captive Israelites,

instead of his consolation to the captive. While one of his words refers to the future condition and the reason therefor, the other is sweet in consolation of the Israelites while in this state of captivity, and full of the blessed promises in the future.

(Unquote) COMMENT b y Chuck-JOHNEL

In another part of this book there is a detailed account by a man named Gamaliel (the hagiographa or holy writings were found in St. Sophia Mosque at Constantinople, made by Gamaliel, in the Talmuds of the Jews, 27 B.) It seems Gamaliel was sent by the Sanhedrim to interrogate Joseph and Mary in regard to this child Jesus.

This man gives quite a bit of detail about Joseph, Mary, a local priest (named Masssalian) who knew JESUS and Lazarus, a friend of JESUS. The account is fascinating in its detail. The old priest was astounded at Jesus' knowledge of Scriptures, who could read though no man taught Him to read, and who had a grasp of Scripture and many other things that convinced this old priest that He was indeed the Christ.

What struck me about this was how the Sandedrim followed up on the report of Jesus's birth and sent Gamaliel out to find Jesus when He was a young man and before He began His Ministry.

Yet, in spite of all this, when Jesus began to preach the Gospel these same (or most of them) resisted Jesus in every way they could manage.

Again, this book proved to be fascinating in every respect even giving accounts of JESUS' Resurrection and His face to face encounter with Caiaphas after His Resurrection. Truly a wonderful book. God Bless and Merry Christmas to all!

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Nan c -TONI's Pick Nancy-TONI has selected one story out of Ace Collins book, "STORIES BEHIND THE GREAT TRADITIONS OF CHRISTMAS ", published in 2003 by Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530 (US $15.99/CANADA $24.99)

"Stockings" (Pages 173-177) (Quote) The legend of hanging Christmas stockings may be most familiar in the words of a line from Clement Clarke Moore's classic Christmas poem: "The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there." But hanging stockings is actually one of the oldest Christmas traditions -even though this tradition originated not as a part of the celebration of Christ's birth but rather as a tribute to a priest.

Christmas stockings today are often quite large, usually have names written on them, and are rarely a piece of clothing that can be worn in public. The modern Christmas stocking is often just another ornament, something to hang from the mantel or wall simply because it has always been done that way. In the twenty-first century, the grand presents that most children wish for at Christmas could scarcely be held in a simple sock, and most kids would be dismayed if all they could claim on Christmas morning fit into the old stocking hung by the fireplace. Yet in ancient ti mes, particularly in Eastern Europe, the stocking hanging by the fire was an essential part of each child's December dreams.

The legend of the stocking was born out of a mundane but necessary nightly ritual. During the Great Depression, but dating back thousands of years before America existed, many families were forced to wash out their clothes each night and hang them by the fire to dry so that they could wear the items the next day. OnIy the

wealthy had a closet filled with clothes. This was especially true of socks and stockings. Poor children rarely had more than one pair. These stockings were therefore taken care of as if they were one of the most precious items on earth. And in the cold winters of Eastern Europe, a warm pair of socks was essential. Hence, stockings hung on the mantel each night were not a Christmas tradition, but rather a daily ritual in both America and Europe.

During the fourth century, a priest names Nicholas ministered to the poor families throughout his hometown of Patara and the area around Bari (in what is now Turkey). The son of rich parents, this remarkable man, who would become an archbishop while still in his twenties, felt a particular calling to reach out to the poor. Be

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STOCKINGS (Quote continued)

December 18, 2009

it through gifts or kind words, he was

constantly finding ways to make the lives of children better.

The tenth-century Christian author Metaphrastes records that while on a trip to attend a meeting outside his parish, Nicholas heard about a widower and his three teenage daughters who lived in the town where Nicholas was staying. The i mpoverished man and his family were literally starving to death. Things had gotten so bad that the father was even considering selling a daughter into slavery. He reasoned that if he sold one child, he might be able to raise enough money to have dowries for the other two. With the dowries, the girls could be married and escape the poverty and hunger that was characteristic of their daily lives. Without dowries, they would never marry and would be doomed to continue their life in abject poverty.

Even though the widower made the arrangements to sell his oldest daughter, when it came time to close the deal, the father could not part with even one of his daughters. He viewed his inability to complete the transaction as dooming all three girls to a hopeless life of despair. Hungry, tired, and depressed, the man prayed for help. He had no way of knowing that as he looked to God, Nicholas had already heard of his plight.

As was their custom each evening, the girls each washed their one pair of stockings and hung them by the fire to dry overnight. Then they went to bed. The father turned in soon thereafter. Sometime after midnight, someone silently opened a window and tossed a gold piece into one of the stockings. The oldest daughter discovered the coin the next day as she dressed. She took it to her father, who looked to heaven and thanked God for the miracle.

That first gold coin became the oldest daughter's dowry. After she was married, a coin astonishingly appeared in the second daughter's stockings. The remarkable even was repeated again for the youngest child as well.

Naturally the news of the magical appearance of the money in the stockings quickly became known throughout the community. Most believed it to be a gift straight from heaven, but a few noted that the priest Nicholas had been in town each ti me the money was found. They also pointed to the generosity of the clergyman as proof that he was the real source of the gifts that kept the family together. Either way, many others wanted to become a part of this magical experience. Throughout the land, men, women, and children began to search their stockings each morning for

gifts. They looked especially hard whenever Nicholas happened to be visiting their village.

When Nicholas dies sometime around 350, the date of his death, December 6th, soon became known as St. Nicholas's Day. On this day, because of the story of the

father and his three daughters, children hung out stockings. It was almost always the

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STOCKINGS (Quote continued) case that the next morning they found treats inside the stockings. Thus, in the earliest recorded accounts, it was St. Nicholas, not Christmas, that was associated with the hanging of stockings. Stockings would become a part of Christmas lore much Iater.

In 1823 Clement Clarke Moore's poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas," later to be known as "The Night Before Christmas," was published. Moore made use of the legend of St. Nicholas, complete with the hanging of stockings, but transferred the date of his visit from St. Nicholas's Eve, a holiday that was not then acknowledged in America, to "the night before Christmas." Thus with the simple stroke of a pen, hanging stockings by the tree or on the mantel quickly became a Christmas tradition that children all over the world annually observed on December 24"• Initially, during the first hundred years after Moore wrote the poem we now know as "The Night Before Christmas," Santa deposited almost all of the presents into stockings. Soon children sensed that the size of their foot determined the generosity of the old man from the North Pole and began to hang larger and larger socks by the fireplace. With the invention of electricity and the toy trains that followed, a child's Christmas dreams could no longer be held by a simple sock. But the stockings were still hung each year, even though Santa often no longer filled them.

Today when the stockings are filed, it is often with candy or money instead of gifts.

Some people still cling to the old tradition ofpIacing an orange in the stocking. The orange symbolizes the gold of Nicholas's gift to the poor father and his three daughters. Others have expanded the legend to include a walnut for good luck and an apple for health. A small number of people even leave sweets in the stocking for children who have been good and rocks for those who have not. And in some cases, a chunk of coal, considered a treasured gift a century ago, marks a child who has been naughty rather than nice. Yet empty or filled, stockings remain a vital part of the Christmas season.

While the stockings hung each year are rarely ones that are worn, and while these

Christmas decorations are most often bought, not homemade, what they stand for should be as treasured in a modern Christmas as it was by the poor widower and his daughters more than sixteen hundred years ago. Christmas is a time of giving, not just to friends and family, but also to those who are suffering, poor, and hopeless. Empty stockings hung at home or unsold stockings in stores should remind everyone who celebrates the birth of Christ to search for ways to make the season bright for others who have not been as blessed. St. Nicholas didn't just hear about a family in need; he responded. Without the priest's action, there would be no Christmas stockings, and the most special time of year would he missing one of its most beloved elements. Nicholas provided the example, and the Christmas stocking provides a means to spread the reason for the season far and wide."

(Unquote)