Editorial December 19, 1977 Issue

God Fulfills Divine Prophecy

Naomi Price

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, we are told, shepherds were inspired by a heavenly messenger to perceive that the event was of vital importance to all the world. The angel of the Lord said to them, "I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people."^{Luke 2:10;}

Did this seem to some of them an extravagant prophecy? From the human viewpoint it could have been argued that the birth of a child in such humble surroundings as a stable was of little consequence to the local villagers and even less "to all people." There was nothing but spiritual intuition to support the claim that it was an exceptional occurrence. Yet the shepherds believed, and hurried to Bethlehem to see what they were convinced was the fulfillment by God of ancient Hebrew prophecy—the coming of the Messiah—a happening of extraordinary significance to the whole of mankind.

The shepherds' confidence was not misplaced. Contrary to human probability, the name of this child, born in such unpropitious circumstances, has become known around the world, and is now, nearly two thousand years later, honored by a large proportion of the human race.

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