Who Really Were Those Angels?

The Angel did NOT go and announce the birth of Christ to just ordinary shepherds. There was great purposes to the heavenly host of Angels to appear to those specific group of shepherds.

Let me give you a little bit of important history. Josephus, a great historian, of the Jewish faith recorded that about 265,000 lambs would be sacrificed in the Jewish temple of Jerusalem. Those lambs had to be spotless and without blemish. The Jewish law mandated those lambs had to be born a certain way. They had to be birthed near Jerusalem to be exact only within five miles. Are you starting to get this picture? Guess what? Bethlehem is only five miles from Jerusalem.

Those shepherds? There was nothing ordinary about them. The hills of Bethlehem were used to raise such lambs. In plain English, they were lamb farms. Those shepherds were raising the sacrificial lambs. And they weren’t just a few of them either. No wonder the Angel came with the good news. In my words, “Hey, Shepherds, guess what? We got really exciting news for you, The real Lamb has just been born. No need for further lamb raising and lamb slaughtering!"

The Angel said, “This shall be a sign for you. You will find the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”

What’s so significant about the description? Guess what the lambs born were wrapped in? They were wrapped in strips of cloth! This was done to protect them, and guess where they were placed? In a manger. A manger was a stone feeding trough. The lambs stayed there until the high priest came and inspected them to be sure they were the perfect sacrifice. The perfect Lamb of God was placed in the same way.

No wonder the Angel said to the shepherds, “This shall be a sign for you. You will find the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”

God does nothing without purpose and meaning. How can anyone miss all of these similarities? The Savior sure was born in the same way the sacrificial lambs were born and in accordance with the law of the Jews in order to be a real sacrifice, the same exact way a lamb was born a perfect, unblemished, without spot, and without sin. Jesus was born exactly that way. It wasn’t the high priest that went to see Jesus; it was the shepherds, the very ones that understood how the birth of the perfect lamb according to the Jewish laws needed to be.

By the way, although we are not told of the actual birth of Christ in the Bible, there’s different opinions regarding the season. Most think Jesus was born in the spring because that’s when there’s breeding in Israel. That’s not necessarily true. Breeding also takes place guess when? December. Let me give you some information here. There’s a specific breed of sheep called Awassi. It is an outstanding breed of fat-tailed sheep, found in many areas of the Middle East. Yes! You got it, Israel, and yes, again, in December. I’m not here to debate when Jesus was born. I’m relating important truth, facts, and explaining about Jesus' birth and the importance of understanding the Word of God.

Can you imagine those shepherds? The excitement? No wonder, “”The shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” Did you catch that? Let me point it out clearly. “Which the LORD has told us about.” What Lord? It was an Angel of the Lord. But wait, they were not ordinary shepherds. They understood the scripture and the law. There were prophetic words the Lord gave them from prophets of old regarding the messiah. I believe scripture became reality at that moment and time for them. The Lord sure told them by sending the Angel to speak to them directly, followed by a heavenly host of angels. We can’t miss all those angels, just in case any of them wondered. They knew it was God speaking.

“So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.”

The question today is are you like those shepherds? Are you understanding of scripture? Are you seeking Him? Do you see Him for who He is? Are you telling others about this wonderful Savior, Counselor, Prince of Peace, Emmanuel God is with us?

Let it be this Christmas that we become like the Shepherds in this story, spreading the good news that there IS A Savior, The Christ, The Son of the Living God. This Savior loves everyone and has come to redeem, restore, and reconcile us back to God. No need for any other lamb sacrifices. He met all of the Jewish regulations and fulfilled all of the laws.

We can sing and proclaim like the Angels, “Glory to God in the highest heaven and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

May you and your family be blessed in this season.

Rev. Dr. Teresa Allissa Citro Found and President of Thread of Hope, Inc.

#TopicArticle #joy #Jesus #glory #shepherds #sacrifice #redemption