God has spoken to the Jewish people. God sent them the Good News {\cf2\super [210]} that peace has come through Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Lord (Ruler) of all people!
My words will go out with happiness,\par and they will bring peace.\par Mountains and hills will begin dancing with happiness.\par All the trees in the fields will clap their hands.\par
I will teach them a new word:\par ‘Peace.’\par I will give peace to the people near me\par and to the people that are far away.\par I will heal (forgive) those people!”\par The Lord himself said these things.\par
This will happen when the special child is born. God will give a son to us. This son will be responsible for leading the people. His name will be “Wonderful Counselor, Powerful God, Father Who Lives Forever, Prince of Peace.”
But I will show mercy to the nation of Judah. \{I will save the nation of Judah.\} I will not use the bow or the sword to save them. I will not use war horses and soldiers to save them. I will save them by my own power.” {\cf2\super [7]}
But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,\par are the smallest town in Judah.\par Your family is almost too small to count.\par But the “Ruler of Israel”\par will come from you for me.\par His beginnings {\cf2\super [60]} are from ancient times,\par from long, long ago.\par
The Lord All-Powerful says, “I am sending my messenger to prepare the way for me. Then suddenly, the Master you are looking for will come to his temple. {\cf2\super [16]} Yes, the messenger of the \{New\} Agreement that you want really is coming!
“My Father has given me all things. No person knows the Son—only the Father knows the Son. And no person knows the Father—only the Son knows the Father. And the only people that will know about the Father are those people the Son chooses to tell.
You know what has happened all over Judea. It began in Galilee after John {\cf2\super [211]} told the people they needed to be baptized. {\cf2\super [212]}
The believers were scattered by the persecution {\cf2\super [226]} that happened after Stephen was killed. Some of the believers went to places far away like Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch. The believers told the Good News {\cf2\super [227]} in these places; but they told it only to Jews.
But Paul and Barnabas spoke very boldly. They said, “We must speak the message {\cf2\super [277]} of God to you Jews first. But you refuse to listen. You are making yourselves lost—not worthy of having eternal life! So we will now go to the people of other nations!
Jesus is the One that God raised to his right side. God made Jesus our Leader and Savior. God did this so that all Jews can change their hearts and lives. Then God can forgive their sins.
That is why Christ died and rose from death to live again. Christ did this so that he could be Lord (ruler) over people that have died and people that are living.
\{Like the Scripture {\cf2\super [112]} says,\} “God put all things under his control.” {\cf2\super [113]} When it says that “all things” are put under him (Christ), it is clear that this does not include God himself. God is the one putting everything under Christ’s control.
And through Christ, God was happy to bring all things back to himself again—things on earth and things in heaven. God made peace by using Christ’s blood (death) on the cross.
And now in these last days God has spoken to us again. God has spoken to us through his Son. God made the whole world through his Son. And God has chosen his Son to have all things.
They will make war against the Lamb. But the Lamb will defeat them, because he is Lord of lords and King of kings. He will defeat them with his chosen and faithful followers—the people that he has called.”