This online celebration is sponsored by a non-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization called "Vine & Fig Tree."
Our offices were destroyed by a tornado a couple of years ago. We're requesting a $12 "cover charge" for this party. Your donation is tax-deductible. No donation is
required to participate in the "The 12 Days of Christmas."
If we get 100 people to donate $12, we'll be able to meet this month's expenses.
Or mail your check to
"Vine & Fig Tree" P.O. Box 179 Powersite, MO 65731
If you don't want to make a tax-deductible donation, you can still sign up for free:
The Celebration 12 Days Bringing to Mind The Most Significant Event in Human History
When you sign up, you you'll receive an email each day for 12 days with a link to the daily download page, which contains an audio for your morning commute to work, and another
audio for your commute back home. The morning audio will look at Micah's Vine & Fig Tree prophecy, and in the evening we'll show how
that vision began to be fulfilled at Christmas two millennia ago. These studies will show that the birth of Jesus was the birth of the Messiah, the bringer of global
salvation and the inauguration of civilization (morality, education, science, private property, civil liberties,
abolition of slavery, repudiation of statism, art, architecture, music, literature, work ethic, free enterprise, hospitals, charities, legal protection for women and children, all
human life valued from conception to grave, all of which are the blessings of Messiah's reign) and peace, as swords are replaced with ploughshares.
Here are the "Christmas" (birth of the Messiah) verses we'll look at over the next 12 days:
Day 1 - Jesus is the culmination of thousands of years of meticulous genealogical records preserved by "the Chosen People," Israel.
Jesus is "Immanuel" - God with us. Sign up to find out why this makes Christmas the most important day in human history.
Day 3 - Jesus will be given "the throne of his father David."
Luke 1:5-25 - John the Baptist prepares the way for the Messiah, as prophesied of
Elijah.
Luke 1:26-38 - The Angel Gabriel announces the conception of the Messiah:
"And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end." (Luke 1:33)
Luke 1:39-45 - the unborn John the Baptist leaps for joy when he encounters the
unborn Messiah. Planned Parenthood attempts to sell them both for body parts. (That last part is "not in the earliest manuscripts.")
When you sign up, you'll be amazed at how Jesus actually exercises His Kingly reign from the Throne of David.
Mary sings a song of praise composed of Old Testament quotations, saying that the real meaning of Christmas is good news for the poor and lowly,
and bad news for the rich and powerful:
50And His mercy is on them that
fear Him from generation to generation. 51He
hath shewed strength with His arm; He
hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. 52He
has put down the mighty from theirthrones, and exalted them of low degree. 53He
hath filled the hungry with good things; and
the rich he hath sent empty away.
Mary had tons of Scripture in her heart, and this gave her a radical political
outlook. Enroll now so you can emulate Mary.
71That we should be saved
from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; 79To
give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the
way of peace.
This is an amazing prophecy. Every line shakes your world. You won't learn about it unless you sign up.
Day 6 - Matthew 1:18-25 - the Incarnation is explained to Joseph
"Jesus" means "salvation" "Immanuel" means "God with us"
What does it really mean to be "saved from sin?" Enroll now and you'll be astonished at the answer found in the Bible.
The Prophet Micah predicted that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Jesus' parents
lived in Nazereth. Therefore God predestined Caesar to issue a decree (probably relating to taxes) that would bring Joseph and Mary
to Bethlehem before Jesus was born. Evil empires serve God's purposes.
When you sign up, you'll be amazed at how God controls Bush, Obama, Putin, and all the other overlords.
An army of angels announces the birth of the Messiah to lowly shepherds, saying, Glory to God in the highest, And on
earth peace to those with whom He is pleased!
A Harvard Professor, who despises Christ, says Bush and Obama have already brought "peace on earth." Praise the government! Is he right? You might not find out if you
don't enroll.
The most important family on earth could not afford the top-level offering required by the law of Moses. They took advantage of a provision for low-income families.
The message of Christmas sometimes seems to be anti-rich. Should Christians be against the rich and on the side of the poor? You'll be glad you signed up.
Day 10 - Two little-known prophets
Luke 2:25-35 - Simeon had been told he would not die
before he saw the Lord's Messiah. He says Jesus is "The One."
Luke 2:36-38 -
Anna the Prophetess was a well-known Godly person who acknowledges that Jesus is the Child promised by the prophets. We don't hear much about her today.
When you sign up, you'll learn that Christianity offered a view of women which was quite unlike that of the Empire that
occupied Israel at the time. You'll be shocked at how the revival of the Greco-Roman worldview in "the Enlightenment" reversed the high view of women found in
Christianity and men were said to be lords of reason and women were vessels of emotion and non-reason.
Day 11 - Wise men worship Jesus
Matthew 2:1-8 - "Wise men from the East"
(Babylon, perhaps) knew of Micah's prophecy that the King of the Jews would be born in Bethlehem.
When Herod got word of the birth of a rival king, he behaved in a perfectly logical way (for someone who wants to protect his power): he
massacred all male babies the age of Jesus. Herod recognized that Jesus was a threat to Herod's power.
Christians have a long history of being "martyred" by empires. Do today's Herod's consider you to be a threat to their power? Sign up to
find out why the Bible says Christians are "priests and kings" (Revelation
1:5; 5:10).
Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the Word with all readiness of the mind, searching the Scriptures daily, whether these
things were so.
Mark 10:42-45
Don't be an "archist."
Daniel 2
4 empires leading to the Roman Empire, at which time the Messiah is born, a Rock that crushes Rome, grows to a mountain, fills the whole earth
Isaiah 9
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government
shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called [Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father,] The Prince
of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and peace
there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with
judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
Each day along the way, we will compare these historical accounts of Christmas with Micah's Vine & Fig Tree prophecy
predicting:
This is the part you don't want to miss. You won't hear Micah's prophecy in any other Christmas sermon, so sign up and don't miss out!
Micah's prophecy inspired the founding of Vine & Fig Tree, a non-profit organization dedicated
to accelerating the fulfillment of Micah's prophecy, sponsor of this 12-day celebration.
The message of the angels to the shepherds on the first Christmas:
And this is the sign unto you: Ye shall find a Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger. And suddenly there was
with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, And peace on
earth among men with whom He is well pleased. Luke
2:8-15
His lord said unto him, `Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Thou hast been faithful over a few things; I will make thee ruler over
many things. Enter thou into the joy of thy lord.' Matthew 25:21
The Vine & Fig Tree Worldview
The phrase "Vine & Fig Tree" comes from the Old Testament Prophet Micah, the fourth chapter. You can find out
more about the Vine & Fig Tree Worldview on our home page:
During the next 12 days, you'll see the "real meaning" of Christmas in the Bible like you've never seen them before.
Many Christians today believe Jesus came to get us a ticket to heaven when we die. In the meantime, Satan rules the planet. Their story of the Bible goes like this:
God created planet earth;
God put man on earth to be a good steward, and transform the Garden of Eden into the City of God;
Satan tempted man;
Man rebelled against God, choosing to be his own god instead;
Satan now controls the world;
Jesus came to pay the penalty for this rebellion;
Things are going to get worse and worse;
Since Satan and man are not playing God's game by God's rules, God is soon going to take his cosmic football and go home.
In other words, Satan wins.
Pretty dismal story, isn't it?
Sure, God sent His Son, who died on the cross, so that some of the players can be forgiven for their rebellion and go home with God, but God's original purposes for man and the
creation were thwarted by Satan, the ultimate victor.
Some of George Washington's favorite passages of the Bible were those that spoke of every man dwelling safely "under
his own vine and fig tree." Other Founding Fathers also referred to this "Vine
& Fig Tree" ideal.
(George Washington would recommend that you enroll in The 12 Days of Christmas
program. He read the Bible for an hour each morning, and another hour in the evening.)
George Washington was motivated by the Vine & Fig Tree vision revealed in the Bible. Washington's Diaries are available
online at the Library of Congress. They are introduced with these words:
No theme appears more frequently in the writings of Washington than his love for his land. The diaries are a monument to that concern. In his letters
he referred often, as an expression of this devotion and its resulting contentment, to an Old Testament passage. After the Revolution, when he had returned to Mount Vernon,
he wrote the Marquis de Lafayette on Feb. 1, 1784:
"At length my Dear Marquis I am become a private citizen on the banks of the Potomac, & under the shadow of my own Vine & my own
Fig-tree."
This phrase occurs at least 11 times in Washington's letters.
"And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree" (2 Kings 18:31).
Peter Lillback, author of a 1,000-page
study of Washington's life and thought,
has found more than 40 references to the Vine and Fig Tree vision in Washington's Papers. "Vine
& Fig Tree" is the original "American Dream."
The phrase occurs a number
of times in Scripture. These references are visual reminders of the Hebrew word for salvation, which means
peace,
wholeness,
health,
welfare, and
private property free from pirates and princes.
When today's Americans hear the word "salvation," they usually think about going to heaven when they die. When the writers of the Bible used the word "salvation,"
they wanted you to be thinking about dwelling safely under your own Vine & Fig Tree during this life -- much
more often than they wanted you to be thinking about what you'll be doing in the afterlife.
Vine & Fig Tree is also a phrase from the prophet Micah, the idea of everyone owning property and
enjoying the fruits of their labor without fear of theft or political oppression, of sitting peacefully under your "Vine & Fig Tree."
What we've already witnessed:
The prophet Daniel predicted that during the Roman Empire, a rock would crush the empire and turn into a
mountain and fill the whole earth. Jesus is the Rock. That barbaric, debauched empire that put Jesus to death soon
collapsed under its own depravity. and the Kingdom of Christ began growing like a mustard tree, like leaven, like a
field (Matthew 13).
He has been reigning for 2,000 years, ever since He rose from the dead and ascended to the right hand of the Father. The Emperor Justinian began Christianizing the Eastern
Roman Empire, and in the West kings like Alfred and Ethelbert made the 10 Commandments the basis of new legal systems. The "Common Law" began with
a Christian foundation, and eventually found its way into the Constitution of the United States, "a Christian
nation" according to the Supreme Court at one time.
"Western civilization" is Christian
civilization. His Kingdom is Daniel's Mountain, it's filling the earth, and the planet is being progressively Christianized.
Before He rose from the dead, Jesus had 12 dejected disciples. Christianity has spread across the world. Today over two billion people claim to be followers of Christ.
Though there have been ups and downs, the progress of Christianity has been undeniable -- at least to those who have been taught the facts of history.
Most Americans in the 21st century have not.
Controversy:
Christ's Kingdom advances peacefully through works of service, not the
sword. A non-military, "pacifist" Messiah was not the kind of Messiah expected by most Jews 2,000 years ago. (Nor by
many Christians today.)
There are two groups that oppose this concept of Christmas:
"Premils"
"Pinkos"
"Premils" are "pre-millennialists" who believe the "millennium" (described by Micah 4 and
other passages) cannot take place until after a Second Coming of Christ, when Jesus returns and sets up a strong, military, "police-state"-style
centralized government, with armed believers dispatched from a throne in Jerusalem to put down unbelievers. "Premils" believe Christmas only secured for believers a ticket
to heaven when they die, or a ticket on "the Rapture" if they live that long. Not global
transformation.
"Pinkos" are those who believe that Jesus is not King enough to bring about the "millennium"; we need strong centralized government for that. Pinkos
call us "anarchists."
During the next 12 days, we'll find out why the Premils and the Pinkos are both wrong, and why you and I can and should work to bring "Peace on Earth" so
that everyone can dwell prosperously and securely under their own Vine & Fig Tree.
For more about the "Vine & Fig Tree" vision, see our
home page.
If you enroll in this Home Study Program, you will learn the story of the "Vine & Fig Tree." You will learn that the Bible
says the purpose of the first Christmas was that "the knowledge of the Lord should cover the earth as the waters cover the sea." (Isaiah
11:9; Habakkuk 2:14). This has been going on for 2,000
years now. This is a wonderful story that isn't being told.
And the story is really just beginning.
Join the Party!
If you don't want to make a tax-deductible donation, you can still sign up for free:
For further reading:
Thoughts on Pinker, the Harvard Professor who says there is Peace on Earth.
The Church has been called is to build the New Jerusalem, the City of God, the Kingdom of Christ
,
has found more than 40 references to the Vine and Fig Tree vision in Washington's Papers.