BibleBlox
40. foretelling the birth of Jesus
/ listen as you follow along /
In a small town in Israel, 🇮🇱 there lived a priest named Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth. They were kind and loved 🥰 God, but they were very old 👴 👵 and had never been able to have children. They had prayed 🙏 for a baby 👶🏼 for many years.
One special day, while Zechariah was serving in the temple, ⛪️ something incredible happened. Suddenly, the angel 😇 Gabriel appeared right next to the altar! Zechariah was scared 😳 and surprised. 😮
The angel 😇 said, "Don't be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayers. 🙏 Your wife Elizabeth will have a baby 👶🏼 boy, and you will name him John. He will be a special helper who will tell people about the coming of God's promised savior!"
Later, just as the angel promised, Elizabeth became pregnant, 🤰and they were filled with joy. 🥹
A few months later, the same angel, 😇 Gabriel, appeared to a young woman 🧍♀️ named Mary in a town called Nazareth. Mary was engaged to be married 💍 to a man named Joseph.
The angel 😇 said, "Greetings! 👋 God has blessed 🥹 you! He is with you!" Mary was confused 😕 and wondered what kind of greeting this was.
Gabriel continued, "Don't be afraid, Mary. You will become pregnant 🤰 and give birth to a special son. 👦 You will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High God."
Mary was surprised 😱 and asked, "How can this happen? I'm not married yet."
The angel 😇 explained, "The Holy Spirit will come to you, and God's power will cover you. The baby 👶🏼 will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God."
To help Mary believe, the angel 😇 told her that her cousin Elizabeth - the older woman who everyone thought could never have a baby - was also expecting a child. 🧒
Mary believed the angel and said, "I am God's servant. I will do what God wants."
When Joseph found out Mary was going to have a baby, he was worried. 😧 He knew the baby was not his, and he thought about quietly ending their engagement. 🙅♂️
But while Joseph was thinking 🤔 about this, an angel appeared to him in a dream. The angel 😇 said, "Joseph, don't be afraid to marry Mary. The baby she is going to have is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, 👦 and you will name him Jesus, because he will save people from their sins."
Joseph woke up 🆙 and did exactly what the angel 😇 told him. He married Mary 💍 and took care of her, waiting for the special baby 👶🏼 to be born.
39. rebuilding jerusalem / 40. foretelling the birth of Jesus / 41. Jesus Christ is born
