As I studied the account of the first Christmas again this year, I was impressed over and over again by the Lord’s assertion of His dominance and supremacy over the will of rebellious man. Many of the circumstances surrounding Jesus’ birth were set up by people acting without knowledge of the prophecies they were fulfilling.

Caesar Augustus, the pagan emperor of Rome, decreed a census, forcing Joseph, Mary, and the as yet unborn Jesus to go to Bethlehem. In doing so, the most powerful man on earth fulfilled a 700 year-old prophecy, of which he was not even aware. When Herod learned that a child had been born King of the Jews, he set out to thwart God’s purpose, and in doing so, not only failed to stop the Lord, but also drove Joseph, Mary, and Jesus to Egypt, fulfilling another 700 year-old prophecy (Hosea 11:1).

Today, we along with all the saints await the fulfillment of the last of the Lord’s promises to us. As we watch, the world looks dark. We live in godless days when arrogant men engineer our societies in such a way as to distance themselves from God, trying to wrest control of the earth from Him and make gods of themselves. As we watch history unfold before our eyes, we remember that from ancient times the Lord formed it, and brought it to pass (2 Kings 19:25). “Who is he who speaks and it comes to pass, when the Lord has not commanded it?” (Lamentations 3:37). There is none.