This Christmas season will involve such traditions as decorating homes with lights, filling stockings, decorating trees, exchanging gifts and enjoying great food with family at the dinner table as people celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As our Christmas traditions unfold, we must remember in the midst of all the festivities that the Word of God is alive. The Christmas story is not just a launchpad for family fun and traditions but is the living Word, revealing end-time prophetic signs for the last days. Allow me to use the living Word of God to bring the Christmas story to life this Christmas season as we rapidly approach the end of days.
Jesus Christ was and is the Word made flesh who came to earth wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. Though many know that Dec. 25 is more than likely not the exact day of His birth, we have set it aside as a day of celebration. But more important than knowing our Lord’s exact birthday is remembering the truth that there was never a time when Jesus did not or will not exist. He was the Word made flesh in the earth.
Allow the following verses to stir your heart as we look at end-time prophetic signs in the Christmas story:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it” (John 1:1-5, NKJV).
“Then the Jews said to Him, ‘You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM’” (John 8:57-58).
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him” (Col. 1:15-16).
“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Heb. 4:12, NIV, author’s emphasis).
Understanding that the Christmas story is alive and that it is not the beginning of Jesus Christ because He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, gives us a better view of the end-time prophetic signs revealed in the Christmas story. The Bible does not waste words; every portion of Scripture is alive to every generation. This will only be a small snapshot of how the Christmas story is prophetically alive in our generation.
Every person who played a role in the Christmas story brought end-time prophetic insight of the heart of God into our generation. Let’s look at only a few of these God-ordained signs.
Mary: Purity Unlocks Prophetic Destiny
“Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, ‘Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!’ But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus’” (Luke 1:26-31, NKJV).
We often find it easy to read this passage and others and conclude that Mary gave birth to Jesus, losing sight of the end-time prophetic signs revealed through her life. But imagine the power that lies within the Christmas story. Imagine the God of the universe sending an angel out of heaven to the city of Nazareth to have a conversation with Mary. This one conversation with God would shift her life into her prophetic destiny, unlocked through a life of purity.
The Bible says Mary was a virgin, meaning she had never experienced sexual intercourse with a man. Those of us who long step into our prophetic destiny in the last days and prepare the way for the return of Jesus Christ must never lose sight of the power of purity. Second Timothy 2:19-21 says, “Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: ‘The Lord knows those who are His,’ and, ‘Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.’ But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.”
If we desire to step into our prophetic destiny and be used for the Master, we must make purity a nonnegotiable. Purity positions our lives to prepare the way for the return of Jesus Christ. First John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Purity also set the stage for the prophetic promise that our Savior Jesus Christ would be conceived in the womb of Mary by the power of the Holy Ghost. Mary did not know such a powerful thing would come to pass, but she positioned her life in a place of purity, and the Holy Spirit came upon her. The Word of God spoken over her life through the angel immediately came to pass when she declared, “Let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38b).
Positioning our lives for the prophetic through purity carries a power we must not underestimate. Mary’s position of purity would become instrumental in the fulfillment of prophecies of the coming Messiah in the Word of God:
“And the angel answered and said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God’” (Luke 1:35).
“Then Mary said, ‘Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.’ And the angel departed from her” (Luke 1:38).
Just as He proclaimed a call for purity during the birth of Christ, God will put forth a call for purity during the return of Christ. When I consider the readiness of a generation who will be eyewitnesses to the return of Jesus Christ, my heart turns to the following verses, which parallel the call to purity Mary walked in at Jesus’ first coming:
“Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God” (Matt. 5:8).
“That He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish” (Eph. 5:27).
“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?” (2 Pet. 3:10-12).
Joseph: The Dream Realm Holds Prophetic Power
“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.’ So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which is translated, ‘God with us.’ Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus” (Matt. 1:18-25).
Let’s now consider Joseph in the Christmas story and how we can gain prophetic insight from his story for our lives in the last days. The Word of God reveals that during the time of Christ’s arrival in the earth, the prophetic dream realm played a powerful role in empowering Joseph not to abort what he did not understand. Joseph had made up his mind to put Mary away secretly but God’s power moved through a dream, which kept him from giving up on his relationship with Mary just because he didn’t understand what had miraculously occurred.
In the last days, we must realize God will use the prophetic dream realm to help prepare us before the return of Jesus Christ. His body must be careful in the last days not to do away with things we do not understand. God will call us to do things our natural minds cannot wrap themselves around, but we must remember that God’s supernatural power will empower us! We must press in to God and allow Him to speak to our hearts through dreams and visions.
One of the prophetic signs during the time of Joseph was the dream realm. The Word of God also reveals that the dream realm will also be one of the end-time signs. Just as there were prophetic dreams during the birth of Christ, there will be prophetic dreams during the return of Christ. Here are four biblical insights about the dream realm to remember as we prepare for the return of Jesus Christ in the last days.
God promised to speak to us through dreams in the Old Testament. “Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream” (Num. 12:6).
God told us He would speak to us through dreams in the New Testament. “And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams” (Acts 2:17).
God counsels us at night through dreams. “I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel; My heart also instructs me in the night seasons” (Ps. 16:7).
God protects us and warns us through dreams. “For God may speak in one way, or in another, Yet man does not perceive it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, When deep sleep falls upon men, While slumbering on their beds, Then He opens the ears of men, And seals their instruction. In order to turn man from his deed, And conceal pride from man, He keeps back his soul from the Pit, And his life from perishing by the sword” (Job 33:14-18).
Joseph and Mary were prophetic forerunners who prepared the way for Jesus Christ to come and save our souls from the fiery flames of hell. In the last days, God will raise up additional prophetic forerunners who will prepare the way for the return of Jesus Christ.
Sun, Moon and Stars: Revealing Signs of the Times
Finally, we examine the cosmic signs in the earth during the time of the birth of Jesus Christ, recognizing that there will also be cosmic signs at His return. Scripture affirms these signs:
“Then God said, ‘Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth’; and it was so” (Gen. 1:14-15, author’s emphasis).
“When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy” (Matt. 2:9-10, author’s emphasis).
The wise men followed a star, a cosmic sign that led them to the birth of Jesus Christ. The star of Bethlehem, which would have been considered a sign of the time for the wise men, propelled them into their prophetic destiny of bringing gifts to King Jesus.
This same prophetic strategy became a pattern in which the believer will follow the signs of the times in the last days that will reveal the return of Jesus Christ. “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near” (Luke 21:25-29, author’s emphasis).
Time will not allow the unfolding of many more of the end-time prophetic signs that have been revealed in our generation to mark the return of Christ, but please consider this prophetic parallel.
During the birth of Christ, the star of Bethlehem guided the way for the wise men. The year 2020 came to a close with a global event that forever changed what we know as normal. We must not forget the presence of a sign in the stars.
On Dec. 21, 2020, this generation witnessed a repeated sign that happened during the birth of Christ. The star called the Christmas star had not been seen in 800 years. But Jupiter and Saturn aligned as we prepare for the return of Jesus Christ.
History reveals that this had not occurred since 1623 and we would have to go back even further, to near March 4, 1226, to find a date when everyone could see the Christmas star. This alignment is not expected again until March 15, 2080.
Most agree that everything changed globally in 2020. The spirit of the Antichrist agenda is being revealed as the government tramples upon our freedoms and restricts the ability to buy and sell based upon mask and vaccinations mandates. Revelation 13:16-17 says, “He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”
What has happened since 2020 is a precursor to the arrival of the Antichrist. If the signs of the coming of the Antichrist are here, then the return of Jesus Christ is even closer. The visible sign of the Christmas star, along with the global shift of normalcy of 2020 and into 2021 and beyond, work together to make things prophetically clear that Jesus Christ is coming soon.
As you celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ this Christmas season, be certain to live your life washed in the blood of Jesus Christ and ready for His return. Now is the time to walk in purity, be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading through prophetic dreams and visions and discern the end-time signs God has revealed in the sun, moon and stars.
Caleb Cooper is pastor of New Hope Revival Church in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico; founder of Caleb Cooper Ministries and author of several books available at calebcooperbooks.com and calebcooperministries.com.
