Transcript

The following is titled “Twas the Night Before Jesus Came.” ‘Twas the night before Jesus came and all through the house, not a creature was praying, not one in the house.

Their Bibles were lain on the shelf without CARE, not knowing or caring about the joy and love found in THERE. The children were dressing to crawl into BED, not once ever kneeling or bowing a HEAD. And Mom in her rocker with baby on her LAP, was watching the Late Show while I took a NAP.

When up in the sky there arose such a CLATTER, I sprang to my feet to see what was the MATTER. Away to the window I flew like a FLASH, tore open the shutters and threw up the SASH. When what to my wondering eyes should APPEAR, but angels proclaiming that Jesus was HERE.

With a light like the sun sending forth a bright RAY, I knew in a moment that this must be the DAY! The light of His face made me cover my HEAD, it was Jesus, returning just like He had SAID. And though I possessed worldly wisdom and WEALTH, I cried when I saw Him in spite of MYSELF.

In the Book which He held in His HAND, was written the name of every saved MAN. He spoke not a word as He searched for my NAME; when He said “It’s not here,” my head hung in SHAME.

The people whose names had been written with LOVE, He gathered to take to His Father ABOVE. With those who were ready He rose without SOUND, while all of the rest were left standing AROUND.

I fell to my knees, but it was too LATE; I had waited too long and thus sealed my FATE. I stood and I cried as they rose out of SIGHT. Oh, if only I had been ready TONIGHT.

In the words of this poem the meaning is CLEAR; the coming of Jesus is soon drawing NEAR. There’s only one life and when comes the last CALL―we’ll find that the Bible in every way, was true after ALL!

This time of year, we remember the coming and birth of Jesus Christ, that the Son of God took on flesh and became a man. The Word of God prophesied the first coming of Jesus Christ, and it was accurate and true in every way.

And this time of year should serve as a reminder to all of us as well, that while there is joy to the world because Christ has come, we can also rejoice that He is coming again for the Church to catch us away to heaven, and it could be at any time.

In God’s Word, Simeon and Anna were ones who believed God’s Word and looked for the coming of the Messiah, and they found how, in every way, the Word was true after all.

Luke 2:21-24 reads, “And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

“And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord; (As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;)

“And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.”

In the second chapter of Luke, verses 1-20 tell us of the birth of Christ. Verse 21 describes what took place 8 days after His birth. Verses 22-38 describe what took place 40 days after He was born. And then verses 41-52 describe what happened 12 years later.

There are 3 ceremonies which take place in verses 21-24. Circumcision was the first ceremony, the presentation of the firstborn son was the second, and the purification of Mary was the third ceremony.

The first ceremony of circumcision took place 8 days after the Lord’s birth. The second and third ceremonies took place at the same time, 40 days after His birth.

The circumcision of Christ was in accordance with the covenant God made with Abraham in Genesis 17 and the Law of Moses in Leviticus chapter 12.

And associated with circumcision was the custom of giving the name of the child at that time. In Luke 1, we see this also with the naming of John at his circumcision. And at His circumcision, Joseph and Mary named the Child, “Jesus.”

So what we find here is that Joseph and Mary were obedient followers of the Law AND that they were obedient to the instructions of the angel to them both. Verse 21 states that Jesus “was so named of the angel before He was conceived in the womb.”

In Luke 1:31, the angel, Gabriel, had told Mary, “And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call His name JESUS.”

In Matthew 1:21, an angel of the Lord had told Joseph, “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins.”

When Luke 2:22 states, “And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished,” this refers to how following the Lord’s circumcision and naming, Joseph and Mary remained around Jerusalem for 33 more days to fulfill the other two ceremonies before returning home to Nazareth, as we see they did in verse 39.

Forty days after our Lord’s birth, Joseph and Mary went to the Temple in Jerusalem for the ceremonies of the presentation of the firstborn son and of Mary’s purification.

The ceremony of the presentation of the firstborn son was a memorial and a reminder to Israel of her deliverance from bondage in Egypt.

The final plague that had led to the deliverance of the children of Israel was the slaying of all the firstborn in Egypt, both man and beast.

But for those of Israel who applied the blood of the Passover Lamb to their door posts and lintels, their firstborns were spared and lived.

The firstborn from that time on, in God’s eyes, was His. They were “holy to the Lord,” or set apart for Him, as verse 23 states.

In Exodus 13:2, God told Moses, “Sanctify unto me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast: it is mine.”

This ceremony of presenting their firstborn to the Lord in the Temple was a recognition of these words to Moses that their firstborn belonged to God.

Since the firstborn was truly God’s, the ceremony also included the redeeming of that child. In other words, they had to buy him back, and according to Numbers 18:16, the redemption price was five shekels.

And it’s interesting to think how Joseph and Mary paid 5 shekels to redeem the Redeemer, Who would redeem them and all who believe.

And it is also ironic that they were presenting and setting apart this Child to God. They presented God the Son to God the Father, acknowledging rightly that He belonged to Him, when they had belonged to each other in the Godhead from eternity.

The ceremony of the purification of Mary also took place at this time. This was required by the Law after the birth of a child. In Leviticus 12, we learn that a woman was ceremonially unclean after the birth of a child.

For a son, the woman was unclean for seven days, and then her son would be circumcised the eighth day. This was followed by an additional 33 days before she could be purified.

For a daughter, the time was doubled, the mother was unclean for 14 days and had to wait 66 days before she could be purified.

Following the days of her purification, a sacrifice was required at the temple to atone for her uncleanness. She had to offer a lamb for a burnt offering and a turtledove or young pigeon for a sin offering.

But a provision was made for the poor with this requirement, as Leviticus 12:8 says, “If she be not able to bring a lamb, then she shall bring two turtles, or two young pigeons; the one for the burnt offering, and the other for a sin offering: and the priest shall make an atonement for her, and she shall be clean.”

First, we see that Mary needed to make a sacrifice for a sin offering, because she was not sinless; she was a sinner in need of a Savior like all of us.

Second, verse 24 states that Joseph and Mary’s offering was according to the accommodation for the poor and they offered, “A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.”

This showed that Joseph and Mary could not afford a lamb and thus were poor, as our Lord was born into poverty.

And as 2 Corinthians 8:9 reminds us, “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich.”

Luke 2:25-26: “And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.”

“A man was sleeping when his wife shook him and said, ‘Wake up, someone is breaking in!’ The man had gone through this almost every night for 20 years, and he knew that the only way he would get any rest was to go and check it out.

“This time, however, there was a man who had entered to rob the house. As the thief was about to flee the man said, ‘Wait! You have to come with me and meet my wife.’

“Astounded, the thief said, ‘Why would you want me to meet your wife?’ The man replied, ‘Well, she’s been expecting you for 20 years.’”

Luke 2 tells us about two people who were expecting the Savior for many years and had the blessing of meeting the Christ Child, God’s gift of salvation.

In the midst of the spiritual deadness and darkness in Israel at the time of our Lord’s birth, there was a godly remnant who sincerely believed the Scriptures and looked for the promised Messiah’s coming. Simeon was one of those people.

We’re told very little about Simeon. What we are told about him are the things that matter most to God, those things pertaining to his faith and his personal walk with the Lord.

We are told that he was “just” and “devout” (v. 25). “Just” means he was upright in his moral character. “Devout” means he was devoted to God and to His Word, and thus, at that time, he carefully adhered to the Law of Moses in faith.

Simeon was a man of faith and hope, as he was “waiting for the consolation of Israel.” He knew the Word and trusted in the promises made to the nation Israel, and thus he longed for the promised Messiah.

“The consolation of Israel” is a messianic consolation. When we console someone, we give solace or comfort to them. This is what the Messiah will give to Israel: consolation and comfort, and He will bring great comfort to Israel in and through His earthly kingdom.

And we too, in the Body of Christ, find great consolation and comfort in Christ. As Paul wrote in Philippians 2:1, “If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love,” as there absolutely is, and we find in abundance for us.

Luke makes special mention in verse 25 that “the Holy Ghost was upon him,” or Simeon. Before the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the Spirit came and went upon people in Israel, and He came upon them for special, divine purposes.

And by the ministry of the Spirit upon Simeon, “it was revealed unto him…that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ” (v. 26).

We do not know how exactly the Spirit revealed this to him, but to this devout man, who fervently looked for Israel’s consolation, God, in His mercy, gave Simeon a unique promise and blessing: that he would not die “before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.”

“The Lord’s Christ” means the Lord’s Anointed, or that anointed Prophet, Priest, and King Who is the Messiah of Israel foretold in the law and the prophets.

In John 1:41, the title of Christ is also plainly defined when Andrew told his brother, Peter, that “We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.”

We can only imagine the anxiousness and anticipation that filled Simeon’s heart as he waited with certainty for this promise to be fulfilled in his lifetime.

Luke 2:27-32: “And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him after the custom of the law, Then took he Him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,

“Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word: For mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, Which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel.”

Verses 21-24 explain why Joseph and Mary came to the temple that day, 40 days after His birth. Then, verse 27 tells us that by the Holy Spirit that “was upon him,” Simeon was prompted and led to go into the temple that same day.

And he entered the temple just before a working-class couple brought in a 6-week-old Child to present to the Lord and to bring a sacrifice for the sake of the mother’s purification “after the custom of the law” (v. 27).

Then the Holy Spirit did another work in Simeon’s heart by showing him that this Child was THE ONE, the Holy One of Israel, the long-promised Messiah.

And Simeon’s joy overflowed. It wasn’t good enough for him just to see Him, however; this godly man needed to hold this baby. Thus, he took the Lord in his arms and he “blessed God” for Him, and for the privilege of meeting the Messiah of Israel.

Thus, Luke records another occasion where there was joy and praise of God at the presence of Christ, such as John leaping for joy in Elizabeth’s womb, and the angels and shepherds glorifying and praising God on the night of His birth.

Verses 29-32 record what Simeon said as he held our Lord in his arms. Now that the dearest wish of his heart had come to pass, the Spirit’s promise to him had been kept, and he had experienced the greatest moment in his life, Simeon felt ready to “depart” or die at any time, and that he could do so “in peace.”

It’s been said well that “It was as if Simeon were commanded by God to keep a lonely watch through the night until he saw the sun come up. This now was, for him, God’s sunrise, and because Jesus had come, Simeon could be relieved of his watch.”

Simeon told the Lord God about his willingness to depart this life, and then, by the Spirit, he said, “For mine eyes have seen Thy Salvation.”

What did his eyes see? He saw a Baby. He saw a Person. God’s salvation is found in the Person of God’s Son, the Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Verses 31 and 32 reveal that the devout Simeon knew the Word of God and his hope. He knew that the Messiah was God’s provision and source of salvation which He had “prepared before the face of all people” (v. 31).

Under God’s prophetic program, salvation began with Israel but was always to be extended beyond Israel. In Isaiah 45:22 God proclaimed, “Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.”

And Simeon understood God’s plans for how the world was to be reached under His program with Israel. The world was to be saved through Israel. The Gentiles, the nations, had to come to God through one nation: Israel.

Israel’s Messiah would be “a light to lighten the Gentiles,” and He would make Israel that light and blessing to draw the nations to the living God.

As Isaiah 60:1-3 reads, “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.”

Simeon recognized that the Glory of God’s people Israel had come. Through Him, the nation would see the fulfillment of God’s promises, and when His kingdom was established, God’s purpose for Israel would be carried out as He intended.

Luke 2:33-35: “And Joseph and His mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of Him. And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

Joseph and Mary marveled at Simeon’s words and these truths from Scripture concerning this Child.

But notice that it says “Joseph and His mother” not His father and His mother. The Holy Spirit carefully guards the doctrine of the virgin birth with these precise words. Christ was born of a virgin and Joseph was not His biological father.

In verses 34-35, Simeon turned to Joseph and Mary to bless them and to prophesy by the Spirit concerning things to come in Christ’s earthly ministry. Speaking to Mary, Simeon stated that “this Child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel.”

As Isaiah 8:14 says of the Messiah, “And He shall be…for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel.” That is, many in Christ’s earthly ministry would stumble and fall in their rejection of Him, but others would rise and stand by their faith in Him, finding salvation and life in Him.

Simeon also prophesied that He would be “a sign which shall be spoken against.” In the Lord’s earthly ministry, He was continually spoken against, despised, rejected, opposed, and was subjected to contempt (Isa 53:3).

The first part of verse 35 is in parentheses, so what is stated after it is connected with the last statement of verse 34. In the opposition to Christ, Simeon said “that the thoughts of many hearts would be revealed.”

The people’s reaction toward Christ would lay bare the true thoughts, intents, and nature of their hearts, as many would show their unbelief in God and how they “loved darkness rather than light” (Jn. 3:19).

The first half of Luke 2:35, as a parenthesis, demonstrated to what lengths the opposition against Christ would go, leading to His crucifixion and death. And Simeon told Mary that “a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also.”

Mary, too, would suffer because of her Son being persecuted. But her suffering has nothing to do with your salvation, or mine, or hers. Her suffering was a natural result of the relationship of a mother to her son and her love for her Child.

As it would be for any mother, her heart broke watching her Son die, the Son whom she brought into this world and raised.

At the Cross, Simeon’s prophecy was fulfilled. The term “sword” refers to a large, broad, heavy sword, and Simeon describes the anguish of seeing her Son die as being like having such a sword thrust straight through Mary’s soul.

By this prophecy, we see the grace and love of God for Mary, as the Spirit, through Simeon forewarned her and prepared her for what was to come.

Luke 2:36-38: “And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.

“And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of Him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.”

Next, we are introduced to a faithful woman named Anna, who, like Simeon, was “waiting for the consolation of Israel.” In these verses, we learn that Anna was a prophetess.

As a prophetess, she was involved in declaring God’s Word, and edifying, exhorting, and comforting others, as 1 Corinthians 14:3 describes the purpose of the gift of prophecy.

Interestingly, Anna was also of the tribe of Asher. Asher was one of the 10 northern tribes. Some have built false doctrine around the 10 lost tribes of Israel, but as we see here this tribe was not lost.

Anna “was of a great age” at 84 years old. She had lost her husband after seven years of marriage and remained a widow for the rest of her life. Being married only a short time and then widowed, she knew suffering and loss, but she had not become bitter.

Anna devoted her life to God. The Lord used her life from her youth all the way up to and including when she was 84 years old. And as an elderly woman, she had not lost hope.

Anna was always at the temple, Luke records, serving the Lord “with fastings and prayers night and day,” never missing any public service in the temple.

Then, by the providence of God, and His mercy toward her, Anna came into the temple right as Simeon was holding the Child and praising God for the arrival of the long-promised Messiah.

Because of her faithfulness in worshiping and serving God at the temple, she did not miss this important event.

Anna then also began immediately thanking God for the Redeemer. But Anna took it a step further than Simeon, who held the Child and blessed God for Him, in that she started spreading the good news. The prophetess quickly turned into an evangelist!

She started going around the temple and then out into the city of Jerusalem itself spreading the good word to all those “that looked for redemption,” that the Redeemer, the Messiah, the Glory of Israel had come.

Like the shepherds on the night of His birth, Anna’s joy led her to action and to want others to know the good news and to share in her joy, and she spread it all around the city.

We certainly can learn from Anna’s faith and zeal for the Lord.

And how thankful we all can be “that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him” (1 John 4:9). By God’s love and grace, He provided the greatest gift of all, His Son, to be the perfect provision for our salvation.

As our apostle wrote, “Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable Gift” (2 Cor. 9:15). Now, like Anna, let’s tell someone the good news!