Show L h OB 0 1 ds BB B irth ng Is n L u HE H B S i HEBRON judia the baby born bom during the night in bethlehem is the second child in the past year whose arrival Is ia said to have been foretold py by the angel gabriel as having special significance ance to the world approximately six months ago 0 one ne of the local priests named Z and his wife e elizabeth cousin of mary became the parents of a son whom they named john according to a vision which came to zacharias while he was about his duties of burning incense in the temple this son is to fulfill a special mission in making ready the people for their lord and many persons think he I 1 is s one of whom tho the prophets isa lah and malachi spoke as a messenger of forerunner 0 of the saviour gabriel appears more afore than a year ago the angel gabriel appeared unto zacharias in the temple to announce the coming of a son and direct that he be called john inasmuch as he was to be great in the sight of the lord lt it is said zacharias although a holy man was dubious of the fact he and his aged wife should be the parents of such auch a son because of his doubt god is said to have stricken him dumb so that although when he went into the temple zacharias was in normal health upon coming out again into the surrounding multitude he was not able to speak a word this enforced silence silance continued until after the baby was born bom when on an the day he was to be named zacharias directed in writing that his namo name be john upon regaining his speech zacharias ch arias first words were recorded as follows blessed be the lord god of israel for he hath visited and redeemed his people and hath raise dup akhom of salvati salvation cin for us in the house of his serva cavid As he by the mouth of his holy prophets which has been since the world began that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all that hate us to perform the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember hla his holy covenant the oath which he aware to our father abraham that he would grant unto us that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life to forgive sins and thou child shall be called the prophet of the highest for thou go before the face fac of the lord to prepare his ways to give knowledge of salv salvation a unto his hia people by the remission of their sins through the tender mercy of our god whereby the day spring from on high hath visited us to give light to them that si sit in darkness and in the shadow of death to guide our feet into the way of peace bace on a visiedo fisl to her cousins home here a few months ago mary whose home is in galilee reported that she too had had a vision from the lord in which the angel gabriel appeared at different times unto her and her husband to be bc joseph announcing that she would give birth to the son of god it is this child who was born bom during the night in bethlehem lords mother when mary first arrived elizabeth la is said to have addressed her at once as the mother of my iny lord whereupon mary related to her cousin how the angel had visited her shortly before she came to hebron advising her that she had found favor with god addressing her first in the words hall hail thou that art 11 highly agh favored the lord is with thee blessed art thou among women the angle informed her that she would conceive and bring forth a son and that his name shurld be jesus ho he shall be great and shall be called the son of the highest and the lord shall give unto him the throne of his father david and he shall reign over the house of jacob forever and of his kingdom there shall be no end wary mary then related how she was visited by the holy ghost she stayed here with elizabeth for approximately three months and it was soon after her departure that john was born bom now at bethlehem the second prophecy of the angel gabriel seems to have been fulfilled the child born unto mary has been named jesus |