The coming of Jesus
There are many specific prophesies(predictions) of Jesus in the Old Testament.
Micah 5:1 - the ruler of Israel will be born in Bethlehem.
Genesis 12:3 - the Messiah will be a descendant of Abraham.
Who is God?
Most people in the world, Christians and non-Christians, believe in a Supreme Being.(# a supreme being is something that is superior to human beings) (for Christians, this supreme being is God.)
As we said earlier in the year, different religions have different ideas about who God is.
Jews, Christians, and Muslims believe in one, all-powerful God. (Monotheism)
Atheism: the belief in no god or gods
Polytheism: belief in many gods
Pantheism: the belief that everything is God.
Most religions believe that God is good, since He made us and made the universe.
The Bible and the Catholic agree that God is, in fact, good
Revelation of God through History
As we discussed earlier in the year, God has slowly revealed himself to humans more and more since He made us.
The biggest and most important part of God's Revelation is Jesus coming to the world 2,000 years ago.
Revelation - the way God communicates who He is to humankind. Revelation has happened over a period of time, and it happened most fully through Jesus Christ.
Bishop
The story of Our Lady of Guadalupe takes place in the 1500's in Mexico.
Mary and Joseph(foster father) are Jesus' parents.
In Nazareth(Jesus' home town) the Jews are ruled by Rome.
3 wise men from Asia practice astrology占星术，which is studying the stars.
The shape of the stars, specifically a big star, tells them that a great king is about to be born in Israel.
Mary has a cousin named Elizabeth. Elizabeth's husband is named Zechariah. They have a son named John, who is Jesus' cousin, and becomes the last great prophet before Jesus.
This movie is not made by Catholics.
So they don't marry to be as holy as Catholics think she was Joseph.
The movie of Mary
Mary is betrothed (going to Mary) Joseph.
3 wise men, or Magi, are on their way to visit a king who will be born in Israel.
They know this from studying the stars.
A star is going to lead them to the place the King will be born.
The archangel Gabriel comes to Mary and says she will convince a son, and she will name Him Jesus. He will save God's people.
Gabriel says the Holy Spirit will give her the baby.
Mary became pregnant with Jesus.
Mary decides to visit her cousin, Elizabeth. Womb
Elizabeth is carrying John the Baptism.
Elizabeth came back, Joseph thinks Mary cheated.
Joseph decides to divorce her quietly, without telling anyone, because he is a very good man.
An angle comes to Joseph in a dream, and tells him that Mary is telling the truth, and she is pregnant because of the Holy Spirit.
Joseph takes Mary and baby to Bethlehem to enroll for the census.
The 3 wise men meet King Herod, and king Herod pretends to be good, and asks the 3 wise men to come back and tell him if they find the Messiah.
Joseph and Mary arrive in Bethlehem, and Mary is about to give birth.
But there is no room anywhere in Bethlehem, including the inn.
Mary gives birth in a stable马厩, with animals.
What does this mean?
God himself understands you when you do not feel welcome or important.
God was not accepted in the inn, which means if you want to find God, you won't find him in being popular, or in money, or in parties.
Instead, you will find him if you are humble, and he is there in the love in your heart.
the 3 wise men the shepherds visit Jesus.
The 3 wise men 3 gifts to Jesus.
Gold - shows that Jesus is a King.
Frankincense - a spice perfume that shows that Jesus is a priest.
Myrrh - an oil that is used to anoint the dead. This shows that Jesus is born to die for us.
- The wise men are warned in a dream NOT to return to Herod.
- King Herod kills all the babies in Bethlehem. These babies are called the Holy Innocent. The church honors these babies.
- Joseph is told to run away to Egypt with Mary and Jesus, so Jesus is not killed.
Stages of God's Revelation
After Adam and Eve sinned, God planned to reveal Himself and save humanity in stages(or levels)
first, God protected the nation of Israel from other evil nation's customs/culture, so that Israel would not be corrupted by sin.
THEN, Jesus came... and Jesus can actually enter people's hearts and kick out sin and evil.
So now, people that have Jesus in their heart don't have to be scared of evil anymore.
Jesus is God's final Revelation.
Everything you need to know about God to be saved from sin is found in Jesus.
God wants everyone to be saved, so He wants the good news of Jesus Christ to be shared with the whole world.
This is why the message of Jesus Christ is called the Gospel.
Gospel means "good news".
The message that Jesus Christ can save you from your sins and from death if you open up to Him.(humble)
The Gospels - the 4 accounts(stories) of the life of Jesus Christ, written by people who knew Him.
1) the Gospel of Matthew
2) the Gospel of Mark
3) the Gospel of Luke
4) the Gospel of John
The Gospels are the most important books in the Bible, because they are real stories of Jesus Christ.
They are the first 4 books of the New Testament.
For some years, (10~15 years) the Gospel was shared orally, but eventually they were written down.
Since we can't talk to Jesus face-to-face, one of the best ways to get to know Him is by reading the Gospels.
The reason to read Bible is to grow spiritually and get to know Jesus.
The Bible can be interpreted in all kinds of ways.
You can read it literally
You can also read it spiritually, which is looking more into the deeper meaning of the passage.
What is God trying to teach me in this passage?
The allegorical sense - how is this passage giving symbols of sth else?
Analogical sense - how is the passage a preview of what heaven is like?
The moral sense - how does this passage help me to understand right from wrong, and how does it help me make better personal choices?
Abraham___Isaac__Jacob(Israel)____Moses_____Kings(David)_____Jesus
Other evil
Nations: Egypt, Babylon, Philistia
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