Zacharias to have son . . .

Scripture is from the Holy Bible — New King James Version (NKJV)

John the Baptist to be born

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Lesson Scripture — Luke 1:5-25

5 — “There was in the days of Herod the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.”
6 — “And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.”
7 — “But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years.”
8 — “So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division,”
9 — “according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.”
10 — “And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense.”
11 — “Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense.”
12 — “And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.”
13 — “But the angel said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.'”
14 — “‘And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.'”
15 — “‘For he will be great in the sight of t he Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.'”
16 — “‘And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.”
17 — “‘He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, To turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.'”
18 — “And Zacharias said to the angel, ‘How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.'”
19 — “And the angel answered and said to him, ‘I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings.'”
20 — “‘But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.'”
21 — “And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he lingered so long in the temple.”
22 — “But when he came out, he could not speak to them, and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he beckoned to them and remained speechless.”
23 — “So it was, as soon as the days of his service were completed, that he departed to his own house.”
24 — “Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived and she hid herself five months, saying”
25 — “‘Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.'”

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Notes on Scripture — by tkbrown

Above, I have presented the scripture in Luke Chapter 1 regarding the birth of ‘John the Baptist.’ (The apostle, John, was not John the Baptist. They are two different men.) Zacharias was informed by the angel, Gabriel, that his wife — Elizabeth — would bear a son, and they were to call his name “John”.

Zacharias did not understand how, at his and Elizabeth’s advanced ages, she could give birth to a son. He asked Gabriel how he would know this was true. Gabriel informed him he would not be able to speak (he would be mute) the entire time — nine months — until John would be born. This was the consequence dealt Zacharias for not believing Gabriel, the angel of God.

Then we see that Elizabeth, who is in awe of being with child. She hides herself away for five months before she tells anyone.

I stopped the scripture here, and next week I will begin with verse 26 — which is the beginning of Mary being told — six months after Zacharias was told of John’s impending birth —  she would give birth to Jesus. John was six months older than Jesus and would pave the way for Jesus’ ministry here on earth.

We will review the high points of Jesus’ life here on earth, and I will present scripture from Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. It will take a few weeks to cover all of this. Then we will look a bit more closely at Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection.

Please come back each week to study the scripture with us and learn of Jesus’ life here on earth.

Have a Blessed Week

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Lesson 1: Zacharias to Have Son . . . 

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