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Evil will never triumph over God, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and righteousness.

Evil can continue to lie, cancel, attempt to remove, corrupt, pretend, delude, and every other rotted and vile aspect of itself but it will no, cannot prevail.

God does. Jesus does. The Holy Spirit does. The Word of God does. And every true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ does.

But not evil or anyone abiding in, practicing it though it goes by many other names now and few recognize it, can smell it, see it, or hear it.

Tragic in the times in which we all live and find ourselves.

Seek, find, and hear the Lord’s calling. And heed His voice this very day as it is all you have. Nothing else is guaranteed. Assured.

Christ Born of Mary

And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.

Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Glory in the Highest

Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:

“Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.

Luke 2:1-20

Read on…

Ken Pullen, Monday, November 20th, 2023

 

The Palestinian Authority cancels Christmas in Bethlehem to show solidarity with Hamas

 

November 19, 2023

By ADAM ELIYAHU BERKOWITZ

Reprinted from Israel 365 News

 

The Bethlehem municipality announced that there will be no Christmas celebrations next month.

“Bethlehem Municipality crews announced the dismantling of Christmas decorations installed several years ago in the city’s neighborhoods and removing all festive appearances in honor of the martyrs and in solidarity with our people in Gaza,” the municipality wrote on Facebook.

A city spokesperson also acknowledged the campaign to remove Christmas decorations in a statement to the Telegraph.

“The reason is the general situation in Palestine; people are not really into any celebration, they are sad, angry and upset; our people in Gaza are being massacred and killed in cold blood,” the spokesman said, according to the outlet.

They added, “Therefore, it is not appropriate at all to have such festivities while there is a massacre happening in Gaza and attacks in the West Bank.”

In addition, the main churches in Bethlehem have agreed to cancel all Christmas celebrations to show solidarity with Hamas in its war against Israel. The Palestinian Authority will permit only religious ceremonies to take place. No public displays of Christmas trees or decorations will be permitted.

It is the first time in modern history that decorations will not be put up in Manger Square. There is an ongoing demographic threat to the Christians in their holy city. Christians in the PA-run city are targeted by intimidation and land theft perpetrated by Muslims backed by the Palestinian Authority. Revered by Christians as the birthplace of Jesus, Bethlehem was historically majority Christian but that has changed drastically. Bethlehem came under Muslim Jordanian rule during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and was later captured by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War. Since the 1995 Oslo Accords, Bethlehem has been administered by the Palestinian Authority as part of Area A of the West Bank. In 1947, Christians made up 85% of the population but by 2016, the Christian population of Bethlehem had declined to only 16%.

Located six miles south of Jerusalem, has a population of approximately 25,000 people. The city’s economy is largely tourist-driven; international tourism peaks around and during Christmas, when Christians embark on a pilgrimage to the Church of the Nativity.  Since the Oslo Accords, which comprise a series of agreements between Israel and the Palestinian National Authority, Bethlehem has been designated as part of Area A of Judea, nominally rendering it as being under full Palestinian control.