God's Christmas To Do List

It's Christmas season and people are shopping and planning and bustling about. I got to thinking about the very first Christmas and all that God did to make it the amazing day that it was. He had quite a TO DO list y'all. Here is what I found:

GOD'S TO DO LIST

            WHEN                                    WHAT

            42 generations before              Begin lineage: 3 groups of 14

Isaiah 7:14                               Have Isaiah  prophecy virgin birth and the name Immanuel

Micah 5:2                                Have Micah prophecy Messiah’s birth in Betlehem.

Hosea 11:1                              Have Hosea prophecy Jesus going to Egypt

Jeremiah 31:15                        Have Jeremiah prophecy the deaths of many young boys (because of Herod’s greed)

Long ago                                (Matt. 2:23) Have someone prophecy “He will be called a Nazarene”

Years Before                           Make sure Zechariah and Elizabeth have no children

Year or more before                (Luke1:8-11) Make Zechariah be chosen by lot to go into the temple then send Gabriel to speak to him and foretell the birth of John, who will prepare the way for Jesus.

In Elizabeth’s 6^th month          Send Gabriel to tell Mary what will happen

6 months before                      Send angel to tell Joseph what will happen

Several months before            Have a star appear, visible in the East. Prompt men there to see it and instill in them a desire to follow it

“In those days”                       Have Caesar Augustus decide to take a census of the entire Roman World

Just before birth                      Luke 2:4,5 Have Mary and Joseph go to Bethlehem

A few days before                  Make sure all inns in Bethlehem are full.

The day of                               Make sure there are not too many animals in the stable.

The day of                               Help Mary safely give birth

The night of                            Send the angel choir to the skies outside of Bethlehem to sing for shepherds.

After that                                Matt. 2:9 Have the star guide Wisemen from East to the exact spot

After the visit                          Matt 2:12 Warn the Wisemen in a dream to go home a different route than before.

When they are gone                Send an angel to tell Joseph to escape to Egypt.

After Herod dies                     Send an angel to tell Joseph to return

After Joseph hears about

Archelaus being king              Send angel to tell Joseph to go to Nazareth

Maybe you can find more in Scripture. If you do, write it in the comments so I can add it to the list!