December 10 Advent Study These daily Advent studies are provided for your personal devotionals or for your daily family Advent devotionals during the evening meal. They are an excellent way to introduce daily Bible readings and discussions at the evening meal. Once begun during the Advent season the tradition can become a lifelong practice of your family. They seek to challenge both you and your children beyond the simplicity and often erroneous information provided in so called Advent calendars and children’s Christmas books. May you find it a blessing and may they be a starting point for your family in daily readings, discussions and meditations on the holy, eternal, inerrant written Word of God. (T = True; F = False) According to the Bible... 17_____ In the Christmas Revelation, the first appearance of an angel is to Mary.
18_____ The Angel appeared to Mary at the time of the Immaculate Conception by the Holy Spirit
19_____ The Angel appeared to Mary and Joseph on the same evening.
20_____ While the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, the name of the Angel which appeared to Joseph is not recorded in Holy Scriptures.
21_____ At no point did Mary hear directly from God concerning the birth of Jesus.
Answer Key 1. F - Luke 1:8 - 14 (In the Christmas Revelation, the first appearance of an angel is to Mary.) The Angel Gabriel first appears to Zacharias in the temple.
2. F - Luke 1:34 & 35 (The Angel appeared to Mary at the time of the Immaculate Conception by the Holy Spirit.) The Angel appeared to Mary and it was only later that she actually conceived of the Holy Spirit. (“the Holy Spirit will come upon you” ) There is no record of how this (the conception) happened or if Mary was even aware of its occurrence at the time. The popular media depictions of a light or other visible presence at the time of the Immaculate Conception are pure fabrication. Although not simultaneous with the visitation by the Angel, Mary’s immaculate conception was evidently a short time after the Angel appeared because the pregnancy had time to become noticeable before Mary’s wedding to Joseph..
3. F - Matthew 1:18-24 (The Angel appeared to Mary and Joseph on the same evening.) The Angel appeared to Mary before her conception. It was after this that she conceived of the Holy Spirit.(Matthew 1:18 “the Holy Spirit will come upon you”). Enough time then passed for her pregnancy to become known to Joseph (Matthew 1:19) and the families. It was at this time that Joseph determined to put her away. Then and only then, did the Angel appear to Joseph.
4. T – (While the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, the name of the Angel which appeared to Joseph is not recorded in Holy Scriptures.) Matthew 1:20 only indicates that “an Angel of the Lord” appeared to Joseph, while Luke 1:26 – 28 does record that Mary was visited by the Angel Gabriel.
5. T – (At no point did Mary hear directly from God concerning the birth of Jesus.) Mary first hears from Gabriel in Luke 1:26 – 33; from her cousin Elizabeth in Luke 1:41 – 45, who confirms her baby as the promised Messiah; from Joseph in Matthew 1:18 – 25, when the message is also confirmed as a result of the revelation to Joseph by an Angel in a dream; from shepherds in Luke 2:8 – 20, who bring word of the divine nature of Jesus; from the Magi in Matthew 2:10 & 11, who attest to His Deity; finally from both Simeon (:25) and the prophetess Anna (:36) in Luke 2:21 – 38 who attest to His being the Messiah. At no time did God directly speak to Mary as He had done in the past on momentous occasions such as Noah and the building of the Ark in Genesis 6:13 or Moses and the burning bush in Exodus 3:4.
Older
Top
