<TITLE>01. Par 1-9</TITLE>57-1222, The Great Shining Light, Branham Tabernacle, Jeffersonville, IN, 80 min
L-1 My text this morning is found in the New Testament. First there will be a Scripture reading out of Matthew the 1st--the 2nd chapter, beginning with the 1st verse. And then also I wish to take as a text, out of the 4th chapter, and the 14th and 15th verses. I love to read the Word, because the Word is God.
Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
Then in the 4th chapter and the 14th verse, speaking concerning the prophet.
That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,
The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles;
The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them that sat in the regions of the shadows of death light has sprung up.

L-3 I wish to take my text from the--as this: "The Great Shining Light."
It's a very unusual Scripture. And for this time, these people usually has preached so much on "no room in the inn," at the yule season, and "Joseph and Mary," and--and "the birth of the Lord Jesus." Yesterday I was thinking that I would try to approach it from a different way, that many of you hear your radio and television.
And while thinking, this come into my mind, about the Magis and the star. And what struck me was, that, what does a Magi have to do with Christ? Therefore, by reading many of the ancient scholars last night late, till I went to sleep at the desk, trying to find something that would bring a little light on the subject for today.
Then it's an unusual thing to speak of these things, because, after all, God is unusual. God does things in an unusual way, and sometimes at an unusual time, because He's very unusual. And those who serve Him are unusual; they're a peculiar people.

L-7 So as we, this time of the season, as we focus our thinking towards Christmas, it's too bad that we have to lot it to a myth called Santa Claus, in the stead of the real Christmas that it's supposed to be. Many little children in the land today know nothing more than Christmas means "a sleigh full of toys, and some mystic reindeers pouncing on the house," to only learn later of this myth; to even hurt their faith, when it comes to know the true Christmas story, that it had nothing to do with reindeers, or a man smoking a pipe, with fur around his coat.
It was the birth of our blessed Lord Jesus. And it's most unusual to see how God worked in this manner, because no other time would've ever worked in all the history of the world. It had to be just exactly at this time. And now, for a few moments let's just look right at the season.

L-9 It was a time that when Herod, the murderer, was king. It had to be; this heartless man had to be king at the time, for we're acquainted with the Scriptures that said he slew all the children from two-year-old down, trying to find the Christ. And it had to be just at that time.
And then there had to be, at the time, that there had to raise a taxation to cause Mary and Joseph to go back to their home town of Bethlehem where they were registered, and their births was on the record of the courts and in the temple, to be taxed. And Christ was to be born in Bethlehem, and they were many miles away when this took place.


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