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Show THE PROPHET OF THE HIGHEST Luke 1:76 We got ourselves separated from God in the Garden of Eden by our wilful sin and disobedience. The Godly response was to put us out of the land of spiritual opportunity and guard the gate with an angel. God had promised us salvation and that things would change, the Messiah would come since "Genesis 3: 15; 12: 3; 49: 10; Deut 18: 15; Psalm 2: 2; 45: 2; 68: 18; 69: 21; 110: 1; 118: 22; 132: 11: 1 .:::1 Isaiah 2: 4; 7: 14; 9: 2,7; 11: 10; 25:8;28: 16;42: 1;49:6;52: 14; 55: 4. He shadow after shadow but not the real deal for thousands of years. They gave the and partial people tempora Thej' ad salvation. f (a.- to return year after year. Then at the end of the Old Testament, the old covenant, the old agreement, the voice of God was 400 years. The seemed to have faded, the hushed for promise Assurances some were no longer coming through loud and clear. A priest named Zacharias 2 and his wife Elizabeth, sought to be the instrument of God. They prayed for a although they were beyond child bearing years. child the God heard their prayers and sent the answer while Zacharias while exercised the office of priest, burning incense in the temple. An angel appeared to Zacharias and told him that God had heard him and Elizabeth's prayer. They would give birth to a son whose name would not be Zacharias but John. Not so sure who he was talking to or who the angel represented or if the angel knew 3 really saying, Zacharias question if the announcement was possible. The angel identified himself as Gabriel what he was that stand in the presence of God and said that his message came directly from God. As proof, Zacharias would be dumb, unable to speak until the baby was born and named. Six months before Jesus would be born to the virgin Mary, Elizabeth delivered her full term baby and Zacharias named him John. The shackles fell off the tongue of Zacharias and he 4 was Holy Spirit and prophesied saying "Blessed be the filled with the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeeme his people, and hath raised up an hom of salvation for us in the house of his servant David; As he spake by the holy prophets, which since the world began: mouth of his have been That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; To promised to our remember his oath which he perform the mercy fathers, and to holy covenant; sware to our the father Abraham that he would grant unto 5 us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him, all the of our life. And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the days F or thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare the Highest: give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins, through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, to give light to them that ways; to sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our 6 feet into the way of peace. And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in day of his Israel." (Luke 1: the deserts fill the shewing unto 80) 7 67- |
