Saturday, December 27, 2014

Christmas Advent Videos: 12 Days of Christmas Bible Prophecies Fulfilled! (Videos)

Thank you for joining me this Christmas Season in these twelve video posts that explored the Bible's Christmas story. We looked more deeply into areas of the story that we don't normal hear about or think about.

We also looked into several prophecies that were fulfilled in the birth of Jesus.

If you missed any of this series, are just discovering us, or wish to share what you've learned with your friends or family, here are links to the entire series. (Tweet that!)

We're taking the rest of the Christmas season, through New Year's Day, off. In the New Year we'll pick up with explore more about Bible prophecy and what we're seeing take place in our world today.

Be sure to book mark this page and visit often for more fascinating information!

Related Articles: 



I"ll see you next year when we explore more Bible prophecies and compare them to what we're seeing take place in our world today.

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Thursday, December 25, 2014

Christmas Advent Day 12: What Does It Mean that Joseph and Mary "Presented" Jesus to the LORD? (Video Post)

In Luke 2:22-23 the Bible tells us:

22 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, "Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord"). 

Sometimes I think when we read unfamiliar ideas in the Bible we just kind of read over them without much thought because we don't know what they mean or we don't know if they are important or why they are important. I think this is one of those pieces of information. (Tweet that!)

When the Bible says Joseph and Mary took Jesus to Jerusalem to "present him to the Lord," do you know what that means? (Tweet that!) Do you understand what it is referring to?

You can learn what this means and why it was important in today's video. (Tweet that!)

These are the Bible verses I reference in this video, the first one with more context around these verses:


"Presenting Jesus to the LORD" 
Christmas Story vlog 
with Dianne E. Butts - 12 of 12

Related Articles: 


Catch up on this special series of Christmas Advent video posts here:  (Tweet this!)


Again, Mary and Joseph faithfully helped the infant Jesus keep the Law of God right from the start. (Tweet that!)

Today's post along with the previous two posts are all linked together, so if you missed the previous two you might want to view them using the links above.

 Today is Christmas Day and the final post in this Christmas Advent video series. I hope you have enjoyed this series of 12 posts with videos. More than that, I hope you have learned something new that has enhanced your Christmas experience this year.

 We'll be taking the rest of the week off here at the blog, and will resume blogging in the New Year.

 May you and yours have a glorious Christmas!

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Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Christmas Advent Day 11: "What was Mary's 'Purification' About?" (Video Post)

In the previous post we talked about the circumcision of Jesus, and why that was important enough to list it in Scripture (that is, the Bible).

Today, we look at something else in that same Bible passage that is similar in that we often read over it and wonder what it means and why it's important. In this passage Luke also tells us that while Mary and Joseph were at the Temple in Jerusalem, they also performed the "purification" ceremony required for Mary. Now what is this all about? (Tweet that!)

Find out in today's video.

Here are the Scripture verses I reference in the video today. On the video I'm reading from the older New International Version, so the words don't exactly match this translation linked here, but it means the same thing.


"What was Mary's 'Purification' About?" 
Christmas Story vlog 
with Dianne E. Butts - 11 of 12

Here is a thought I had that I didn't include in my video: It is not sinful to get pregnant or to give birth, so why do women need to be purified? I don't know if this is the answer to that question, but my mind connects the verse in Psalm 51:5 where King David wrote "in sin did my mother conceive me." This does not mean David's mother did anything wrong in conceiving him. (Tweet that!) It refers to the fact that every one of us are sinful from birth. It's in our nature. We're born with it. Maybe that has something to do with why God gave Moses the regulation that women must be purified after childbirth. However as I said in the video, I don't really know and I haven't found anything that shows anyone else understands this either.

Related Articles: 


Catch up on this special series of Christmas Advent video posts here:   (Tweet this!)


Mary and Joseph faithfully helped the infant Jesus keep the Law of God right from the start. (Tweet that!)

Today's post along with the previous post and the next one are all linked together, so please come back on or after Thursday, which is Christmas Day, for the final post in this Christmas Advent video series. Invite your family to join you and then you can have some great conversations about Jesus on Christmas! (Tweet that!)

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Saturday, December 20, 2014

Christmas Advent Day 10: Cut Away Flesh for an Intimate Relationship with God (Video Post)

Remember when the angel, Gabriel, came and talked to Mary and told her that she would have a son? Remember when Gabriel told Mary exactly what to name her Son?

Gabriel told Mary to name him Jesus.

So after Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph took Jesus to the Temple to officially name Him.

That's not all they did there. If you've read the Christmas story in the Bible, you may have read the part in Luke 2 where Mary and Joseph had Jesus circumcised. (Tweet that!)

Now why in the world is that in the Bible? And in our so-far nice little Christmas story! (Tweet that!)

It's because if a Jewish male did not have his foreskin cut off, then he was to be cut off from God. Why is circumcision important to God? Because it is symbolic of something much greater that each of us needs to take care of in order to have an intimate relationship with God.  (Tweet that!)

Find out more in this video.

Scripture verses I used in today's video are:


"Cut Away Flesh for an Intimate Relationship with God" 
Christmas story vlog
Dianne E. Butts - 10 of 12

Mary and Joseph faithfully helped the infant Jesus keep the Law of God right from the start. (Tweet that!)

Have you taken steps to "cut off" (spiritually, figuratively!) your sinful flesh so that you can have an intimate relationship with God? If not, why not do so today? This is not a physical act and no physical cutting needs to be done. This image is symbolic of spiritually removing our sinful flesh to come into a beautiful spiritual relationship with God.

Related Articles: 


Catch up on this special series of Christmas Advent video posts here:   (Tweet this!)


Today's post and the next two are all linked together, so please come back on Tuesday for the next Christmas Advent video. Invite your family to join you and then you can have some great conversations about Jesus on Christmas! (Tweet that!)

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Thursday, December 18, 2014

Christmas Advent Day 9: The Prophetic Meanings of the Gifts of the Magi (Video Post)

Did you know that the gifts the Wise Men gave to the baby Jesus were not just randomly picked, but had special meaning? (Tweet that!)

These gifts were picked especially for Jesus. Well, obviously. But they had meaning for his life. Where He was headed as a man. And what He would do while here on earth. (Tweet that!)

The three gifts of the Magi predicted the future. (Tweet that!)

In other words, the Wise Men's gifts were prophetic. The gifts themselves were prophecies. (Tweet that!)

You probably know the three gifts were

  • Gold
  • Frankincense
  • Myrrh

But what did each of the gifts mean? (Tweet that!) We'll talk about it in today's video.

The Bible Scripture verse I mention in today's video is the one that lists the three gifts brought by the Magi. You can find it here in the context of the story of the Wise Men:

"The Prophetic Meanings of the Gifts of the Magi" 
Christmas Story vlog 
with Dianne E. Butts - 9 of 12

Related Articles: 


Catch up on this special series of Christmas Advent video posts here:   (Tweet this!)


Please come back on Saturday for the next Christmas Advent video. I hope you're enjoying this special season. Take time out to enjoy the journey and your loved ones!

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Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Christmas Advent Day 8: What Was That Unusual Star of Bethlehem? (Video Post)

Hanukkah begins today, and I wish all those who celebrate it a very happy Hanukkah!

What exactly was the Star of Bethlehem?

There's some interesting research about that, and it's dependent on the answer to this question: When did Herod the Great die? (Tweet that!)

I talk about that in today's video.

Here are some more tidbits from today's video. Did you know...?

  • The planet Jupiter is named after the greatest god of Roman mythology. (Tweet that!)
  • Jupiter is known as the King Planet. (Tweet that!)
  • The star Regulus takes its name from the word we get our word "regal" from. 
  • The Babylonians call Regulus Sharu, which means "king." (Tweet that!)

"What Was That Unusual Star of Bethlehem?" 
Christmas Story vlog 
with Dianne E. Butts - 8 of 12

So when the King planet met the King star, it made an unusual star in the sky that led the wise men to Jesus, and Jesus was born! (Tweet that!)

Related Articles: 


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Saturday, December 13, 2014

Christmas Advent Day 7: Trivia! Who Gave the Prophecy of the Star of Bethlehem? (Video Post)

You've heard there was a prophecy given centuries before Jesus was born that there would be a special star in the sky that pointed to Messiah. (Tweet that!)

You may even know where in the Bible that prophecy is found. (Ask that in a Tweet!)

Christmas trivia question: Who was it who spoke that prophecy? (Tweet that!)

The answer may surprise you! I'll share the answer in today's video.

Bible verses I share in this video are:


"Who Gave the Prophecy of the Star of Bethlehem?" 
Christmas story vlog 
with Dianne E. Butts - 7 of 12


Here's more context for that one little verse: Numbers 24.

Here's the story about the talking donkey! Numbers 22.

Related Articles: 


Catch up on this special series of Christmas Advent video posts here:   (Tweet this!)


Please come back next Tuesday for the next Christmas Advent video. We're going to talk more about the Star of Bethlehem and what it actually was. Please invite a friend. And please share this blog with your social media networks. Thank you! See you then.

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