365 Days in the Gospels and Spirit of Prophecy
Jesus' Birth — January 7
Bible discovery
5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. 365DGSP 8.2
6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 365DGSP 8.3
7 And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years. 365DGSP 8.4
8 And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his course, 365DGSP 8.5
9 According to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. 365DGSP 8.6
10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense. 365DGSP 8.7
11 And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 365DGSP 8.8
12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. 365DGSP 8.9
13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. 365DGSP 8.10
14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. 365DGSP 8.11
15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb. 365DGSP 8.12
16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. 365DGSP 8.13
17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. 365DGSP 8.14
18 And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. 365DGSP 8.15
19 And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. 365DGSP 8.16
20 And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season. 365DGSP 8.17
21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple. 365DGSP 8.18
22 And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless. 365DGSP 8.19
23 And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house. 365DGSP 8.20
24 And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, 365DGSP 8.21
25 Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men. 365DGSP 8.22
Spirit of Prophecy Reading
The Desire of Ages pp.97-100: 365DGSP 8.23
This chapter is based on Luke 1:5-23, 57-80; 3:1-18; Matthew 3:1-12; Mark 1:1-8. 365DGSP 8.24
From among the faithful in Israel, who had long waited for the coming of the Messiah, the forerunner of Christ arose. The aged priest Zacharias and his wife Elisabeth were “both righteous before God;” and in their quiet and holy lives the light of faith shone out like a star amid the darkness of those evil days. To this godly pair was given the promise of a son, who should “go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways.” 365DGSP 8.25
Zacharias dwelt in “the hill country of Judea,” but he had gone up to Jerusalem to minister for one week in the temple, a service required twice a year from the priests of each course. “And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course, according to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.” 365DGSP 8.26
He was standing before the golden altar in the holy place of the sanctuary. The cloud of incense with the prayers of Israel was ascending before God. Suddenly he became conscious of a divine presence. An angel of the Lord was “standing on the right side of the altar.” The position of the angel was an indication of favor, but Zacharias took no note of this. For many years he had prayed for the coming of the Redeemer; now heaven had sent its messenger to announce that these prayers were about to be answered; but the mercy of God seemed too great for him to credit. He was filled with fear and self-condemnation. 365DGSP 8.27
The Holy Spirit rested upon Zacharias, and in these beautiful words he prophesied of the mission of his son: 365DGSP 8.28
“Thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest;
For thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways;
To give knowledge of salvation unto His people
By the remission of their sins,
Through the tender mercy of our God,
Whereby the Dayspring from on high hath visited us,
To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of
death,
To guide our feet into the way of peace.”
365DGSP 8.29
“And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his showing unto Israel.” Before the birth of John, the angel had said, “He shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost.” God had called the son of Zacharias to a great work, the greatest ever committed to men. In order to accomplish this work, he must have the Lord to work with him. And the Spirit of God would be with him if he heeded the instruction of the angel. 365DGSP 8.30
John was to go forth as Jehovah's messenger, to bring to men the light of God. He must give a new direction to their thoughts. He must impress them with the holiness of God's requirements, and their need of His perfect righteousness. Such a messenger must be holy. He must be a temple for the indwelling Spirit of God. In order to fulfill his mission, he must have a sound physical constitution, and mental and spiritual strength. Therefore it would be necessary for him to control the appetites and passions. He must be able so to control all his powers that he could stand among men as unmoved by surrounding circumstances as the rocks and mountains of the wilderness. 365DGSP 8.31
In the time of John the Baptist, greed for riches, and the love of luxury and display had become widespread. Sensuous pleasures, feasting and drinking, were causing physical disease and degeneracy, benumbing the spiritual perceptions, and lessening the sensibility to sin. John was to stand as a reformer. By his abstemious life and plain dress he was to rebuke the excesses of his time. Hence the directions given to the parents of John,—a lesson of temperance by an angel from the throne of heaven. 365DGSP 8.32