The Lord is the king of Israel. The Lord All-Powerful saves Israel. The Lord says, “I am the only God. There are no other gods. I am the Beginning and the End.
Don’t be afraid! Don’t worry! I have always told you what will happen. You are my witnesses. There is no other God—I am the only One. There is no other ‘Rock {\cf2\super [392]} ’—I know I am the only One.”
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 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
“Father, I want these people that you have given me to be with me in every place I am. I want them to see my glory. This is the glory you gave me because you loved me before the world was made.
So Jesus said to them, “You will lift up (kill) the Son of Man. {\cf2\super [134]} Then you will know that I AM. {\cf2\super [135]} You will know that these things I do are not by my own authority (power). You will know that I say only the things that the Father has taught me.
The voice said, “Write in a book all these things you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”