Eternity Past – The Covenant of Redemption

1^st Peter 1:18-21

(18) “knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, (19) but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. (20) He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you (21) who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.”

Revelation 13:8 (KJV)

“And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”

6 BC – John the Baptist is Born!

Luke 1:57-66

(57) Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. (58) And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. (59) And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father, (60) but his mother answered, “No; he shall be called John.”

(61) And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.” (62) And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. (63) And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all wondered. (64) And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. (65) And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea,

(66) and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him.”

5 BC – Jesus the Christ is Born!

Matthew 1:18-25

(18) “This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged in marriage to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.              (19) Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and was unwilling to disgrace her publicly, he resolved to divorce her quietly.

(20) But after he had pondered these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to embrace Mary as your wife, for the One conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. (21) She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”

(22) All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: (23) “Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him “Immanuel” (which means, “God with us”). (24) When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him, and embraced Mary as his wife. (25) But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a Son. And he gave Him the name Jesus.”

5 BC – The Visit of the Shepherds!

Luke 2:8-15

(8) “And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

(9) And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. (10) And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. (11) For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. (12) And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”

(13) And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, (14) “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (15) When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”

5 BC – Jesus is dedicated at the Temple!

Luke 2:21-24

(21) And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. (22) And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (23) (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) (24) and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.”

4 BC – Visit of the Magi!

Matthew 2:1-12

(1) “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, (2) asking, “Where is the One who has been born King of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”

(3) When King Herod heard this, he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. (4) And when he had assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he asked them where the Christ 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 be the shepherd of My people Israel.’”

(7) Then Herod called the Magi secretly and learned from them the exact time the star had appeared. (8) And sending them to Bethlehem, he said: “Go and search carefully for the Child, and when 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 in the east went ahead of them until it stood over the place where the Child was. (10) When they saw the star, they rejoiced with great delight. (11) On coming to the house, they saw the Child with His mother Mary, and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. (12) And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they withdrew to their country by another route.”

4 BC – Escape to Egypt

Matthew 2:13-15

(13) “Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” (14) And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt (15) and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

4 BC – Slaughter of the Innocent Children

Matthew 2:16-18

(16) “Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men.     (17) Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:    (18) “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”

3 BC – Return from Egypt

Matthew 2:19-23

(19) “But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, (20) saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” (21) And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel.

(22) But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. (23) And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled: “He shall be called a Nazarene.”