Day 4 Advent Candle: Light the first candle--the Prophecy candle--on your Advent wreath today. Bible Verses Daniel 9:24-27 "Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make and end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place. "So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be rebuilt again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress. "Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing (KJV says "but not for himself"), and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And it's end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined. "And he will make a firm covenant with many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate." (NASB) That is a lot to take in, isn't it? This passage is so important to our Advent journey because it details an exact timeline of events that prove Jesus is the Messiah! Daniel 9:24-27 outlines what is known as the prophecy of sixty-nine weeks. (Or seventy-weeks, because it is sixty-nine and 1 weeks.) Prior to these verses, Daniel is praying for the sins of Jerusalem to be forgiven. Daniel was among the many Jews who had been taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians after they conquered Judah. As he is confessing and pleading with God, the angel Gabriel appears to him with the vision of the sixty-nine weeks. There are over 300 Messianic prophecies about Christ that have either been fulfilled or are yet to be fulfilled. Daniel's prophecy about the sixty-nine week timeline for Jesus' coming, however, has been the most scrutinzed and studied. Sir Isaac Newton and other great thinkers are among those who attempted to decipher this timeline. In 1894, a British evangelical--and Chief Inspector of Scotland Yard!--named Sir Robert Anderson published a work called The Coming Prince which contains his conclusion about the dates and events that occur in Daniel 9. This groundbreaking work paved the way for many of the prophecy chronologies that exist today. Sir Robert Anderson's view is still accepted by many. In short: The decree of Daniel 9:25 took place on March 4 of 444 B.C. when Nehemiah was ordered to rebuild Jerusalem. The 69 weeks of 7 years equals 483 years (173,880 days using the common prophetic calendar in which a month is always 30 days and a year equals 360 days). This leads to March 29, A.D. 33, the date of the Triumphal Entry when Jesus comes into Jerusalem and allows Himself to be crucified. This is checked by noting that 444 B.C. to A.D. 33 is 476 years (Remember, there is no year "0"). 476 x 365.24219 days per year = 173,855 days. (Here we use our calendar to see if the dates in our time confirm the events as they happened on the Biblical prophetic calendar!) Count in the extra 25 days between March 4 and March 29 of the two dates and it EQUALS 173,880 days!! Even in the calculation of these unquestionable dates, I am humbled by the fact that our Lord's life is not confirmed by the date of his birth, but by the date of that for which he was born: to die "but not for Himself". For a thorough reading on the prophecy of Daniel, please read Daniel's Prophecy of the 70 Weeks This contains Sir Robert Anderson's chronology. Daniel's Seventy Weeks Current thoughts on the prophecy of Daniel like that of Josh McDowell. Daniel's Prophecy (Studies in the Word) Jesse Tree Verse: Genesis 6:11-14; 7:17 to 8:3; 9:8-13 Symbol: The Ark and Rainbow to show God's promise to Noah Article/Devotion 12 Voices of Christmas--Gabriel Here is a short audio presentation of one of the 12 main "voices" in the Christmas story. You can listen or just read it...but it's better to listen! Isn't it so amazing that the same angel who shared with the prophet Daniel about the exact day when Jesus would be born was the same angel who also reveals to Mary that she will bear the Son of God? Penetrating the Box Here is a short devotion today from Grace to You. Dinnertime (or anytime!) Discussion If you have time, go back and read Daniel 9 from the beginning. The verses we read today were God's answer to Daniel as he prayed very hard for the people of Jerusalem. But God's answer was for a future hope! Have you ever prayed for something for a long time and then had that prayer answered? How did it feel when God's answer finally came? Do you think that sometimes God answers our prayers with an answer of "Not now, but it's coming!"? Why would God give that kind of reply? (For our own good? For the good of others who will be affected by our prayer? To teach us something?) Word to Know Messiah: (Hebrew: anointed or anointed one) Christ, the anointed; the Savior of the world. Anointed: Consecrated; set apart Book Suggestion Jacob's Gift by Max Lucado. From Christianbook.com: " A talented young carpenter named Jacob learns an important lesson about giving when he discovers a man, woman, and newborn baby huddled in the straw of his father's stable. Sure to become a holiday classic your whole family will cherish for years to come!" Advent Extras Art Today's art comes from the handiwork of our God and Creator!! Snowflakes! (I don't think I can connect this to our Bible reading today because the Middle East doesn't see much snow! LOL) Snowflakes Captured on Film! Have you ever seen a photograph of an actual snowflake? They are all brilliantly unique! Take a look at the galleries of snowflake photos taken with a specialized microscope.      When water freezes, the molecules form into a crystal lattice shape. The atoms of oxygen and hydrogen come together and make hexagonal prism patterns which vary depending on how the facets (or faces) of the crystals grow! Am I speaking English? If not, check out the link above for the best information on snowflakes! *If you would like to study some fine art today, look into the book Impressionists in Winter. It shows the work of six impressionist painters who usually focused on more colorful scenes, but experimented with light and shadow during the winter months as well. Christmas Carol or Hymn O Holy Night was written by a Frenchman named Placide Cappeau de Roquemaure in 1847. Placide was the commisionaire of wines in his small town and was known for writing poetry. Although he was not a regular at church, his parish priest asked him to write a poem for that year's Christmas mass. Cappeau was honored and soon completed his poem, "Cantique de Noel". However, after the inspiration of writing his poem based upon the Gospel of Luke's account of Christ's birth, Cappeau decided to that his poem was worthy as a song as well. He asked his friend Adolphe Charles Adams, who had written scores for both opera and ballet, to assist in writing the music. The completed song was presented to the priest and parish and received wholehearted acceptance. Soon, it became widely known throughout churches in France. Years later, though, Cappeau left the church to join the socialist movement. Around the same time, news that Cappeau's friend, Adolphe, was a Jew found its way to the Church and "Cantique de Noel" was suddenly deemed inappropriate, unfit for service and banned from the Church altogether. Although it was no longer welcomed in church services, however, the people of France still sang the Christmas song in their homes and saved it from obscurity. Then, in the mid-1800's, a Unitarian minister named John Sullivan Dwight found and translated "Cantique de Noel" into English. Dwight had left the ministry because of severe anxiety and panic attacks. He became reclusive but continued to serve musicians by finding new musical pieces and reviewing them in a journal he privately published. Falling in love with the lyrics of "O Holy Night" as he translated it, Dwight published the lyrics in his journal and in several songbooks and the carol took off in America. The last marvelous part of the story occurs in 1906 when a former chief chemist for Thomas Edison made the first voice radio transmission. Inspired by the Morse code transmissions of Marconi, Fessenden was determined to speak words to the world, not merely dots and dashes. On Christmas Eve of 1906, Fessenden achieved his goal and the first words were spoken through airwaves: "And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed..." He read from the Gospel of Luke as amazed radio operators listened to the story of Christ's birth! And afterwards, Fendesson picked up his violin and played the first song heard on radio: "O Holy Night"! The broadcast ended and one of the world's favorite Christmas songs took flight! Holiday Tradition & History Why is it that no matter how many popular decorative themes come and go at Christmas time, we all associate green, red and gold with the holiday celebrating Christ's birth? Although it was not one person or group who deliberately chose to make these Christmas colors stand out, historical beliefs by both ancient non-believers and early Christians gradually ensured that green, red and gold would be the representative colors of Christmas. Many early people, particularly pagans, were fascinated by the green evergreen trees and holly which remained green during the winter. These plants were worshiped by some and feared by others. But the most common association made with the color green was LIFE. Romans who celebrated the winter solstice used evergreen holly in their wreaths, and later, Christians of the fourth century who began to celebrate Christ's birth on December 25th chose to continue the tradition. Green became the color of new life--the birth of Christ and our new life as believers who follow Him. The red color of holly berries also fascinated ancient people who believed that the only way a plant could stay green and produce fruit in the winter was by magic. When Christians began to celebrate Christmas, they wanted to find a way to replace pagan traditions about the holly plant. Red became associated with Christ's death on the cross, the culmination of his birth and life here on earth. Along with the red holly berries, a legendary figure in church history played a large part in creating the love of red at Christmas. The bishop Saint Nicholas of the Dark Ages in his red robes and generous spirit became the source of the modern Santa Claus and represented giving. But along with the giving of gifts, the saint brought to mind the great gift Jesus gave to us all when He died on the Cross! The final color in the Christmas spectrum is gold, the gift given to a baby King! Gold has always signified royalty and importance so it isn't any surprise that this color fills our homes during Christmas. Gold is the color of light, as is Christ, the light of the world! It represents the shining star over Bethlehem, the wise men's gift, Jesus Himself and the "streets of gold" that await us in heaven because of Christ. Remember the reasons behind the colors of the season this Christmas as you decorate your tree and home! 'Round the World at Christmas Christmas in Norway Christmas in Finland, Christmas With Virtual Finland (Finnish Christmas food, festivities, history and more.) Coloring Pages, Cooking and Crafts Snowflake Templates Snowflake Designer Paper Snowflake Instructions (with pictures) Borax Snowflake We still have the snowflake we made from a few years ago. Our kids loved running to look in the jar every few hours to see if any crystals were forming! Make Your Own Snow Globe with just a few items from around the house. Egg Carton Snowman Easy snowman craft for little ones. Snow and Snowman Recipes Make Rice Krispie Snowmen or Popcorn balls! Christmas Fun! Ben and Jerry's Scooper Challenge! Plays like the arcade game "Whack-a-Mole" except here, you scoop ice cream into cones! Sketchy Extreme Snow Sledding This fun little game is addictive! Home Holiday Preparations Today's Tips: -Check your wardrobe and that of your children to see if anyone needs new shoes, hose, dresses, shirts or ties, etc. for holiday pictures or visiting! -Work on your Christmas newsletter IF you do on for family, friends, work or a homeschool/other group! Movie Time The Snowman and The Bear. These wordless movies based on the books with the same titles from Raymond Briggs are a family favorite at our house! So sweet and fun to watch. Home | Contact teachingmom 3.0    ©2003-2005 teachingmom.com All rights reserved. *Copies for personal home use permitted, however no part of the TeachingMOM Advent Calendar may be reproduced on the web or sold in any format. Permissions were personally granted, as necessary, for the use of images, articles, and book excerpts found within this portion of our website. Thank you.