Is Heavenly Bread A Part Of Your Diet?

Wayne Stokes

Indiana USA

Here is a neat little insight that the Holy Spirit opened my eyes to recently. Being that we are in the Christmas season and also knowing that Christ Jesus is the reason for this season, this is a good time to share this with you all.

There are prophecies concerning Christ that we find throughout the Old Testament. One such word of the coming Messiah and King is found in Micah 5:2,3 But thou Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.

We can also read Matthew 2:5,6 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judea: for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah: for out of thee shall come a governor, that shall rule my people Israel.

The name Bethlehem (Bayth Leh' khem) House of bread. This name is from two root words; Bayth - a house. & lekh' em - food, especially bread, food, fruit. In the verses in Micah it says Bethlehem Ephratah. Ephratah (another name for Bethlehem) - fruit-fulness. From a word meaning, to bear fruit, bear (bring forth) fruit, (to cause to be, make) fruitful, grow, increase.

So here we read a prophecy about one who is coming to Bethlehem, to the House of bread, he will bear fruit and bring fruitfulness, He will bear and bring forth fruit, He will cause fruitfulness to be, He will make fruitful. There will be growth and increase. Of course we know this prophecy to be about Jesus the Christ, Yeshua the Anointed One.

In John 6:31-35 we read what Jesus had to say about Himself. In verse 33 Jesus says; For the bread of God is He which cometh down from heaven and giveth life unto the world. In verse 35 He says, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to Me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst.

Lets also look at Luke 2:7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. The word we read in this verse as manger is 'phatne (fat' nay) it means; (to eat), a crib (for fodder).

So we just looked at 3 references to Jesus as being the Bread of Life. In scripture the number three means: The Trinity............. Matt. 28:19, 2 Cor. 13:14 Resurrection.........

Hos. 6:1,2; Matt. 12:40; Luke 13:32 Completion............ I Cor. 13:13 Testing.................. Judges 7:16 Emphasis............. Isaiah 6:3

So in the Old Testament we read prophecy of the one that will be born in Bethlehem Ephratah. He will be born in the House of bread, to bear fruit, to bring forth fruit, to cause and make fruitfulness, to increase fruit and make fruit grow.

Then in the New Testament John writes down Jesus' own words that He is the Bread of Life that has come down from the Father from heaven.

Lastly we read in Luke that Jesus was laid in a manger, in a feeding trough, a food bin with the word itself meaning: "to eat."

Then in regard to all of this, in Matthew 26:14-30; Mark 14:22-25; and Luke 22:19-20, we read the accounts of Jesus and the first "communion." In which He tells the disciples, and us today that we are to take of the bread which is His body given and broken for us. He commands that we do this in remembrance of Him until He comes.

So what we have here is Jesus Christ, the very Bread of heaven, coming to earth and born in a small town called Bethlehem and also Ephratah. Telling us that the Bread of heaven will be born in the fruitful House of bread. And that thirdly at His birth God ordains Him to laid down in a feeding trough. The Bread of Life born in the House of bread and presented into His life laying in a container for food. Then

33 years later Jesus institutes Holy Communion where we remember His broken body and shed blood represented by broken bread and wine. Hallelujah!

So please take the time to think about this during this Christmas season. Look at the depth that God went through to place so many signs along the road we are traveling that we call life... so many signs that point the way to the Salvation that Christ provided for each and every person that would just come and receive of it. Has a Christmas present ever been wrapped so wonderfully that there would be no doubt that it was He that gave it to you? Christmas, like Thanksgiving is a holiday whereby we feast on an array of wonderful foods. Take the time to remember the Bread of heaven that God so lovingly prepared for us since the foundations of the world.

Have a blessed Christmas time. May you and yours be fully satisfied on the earthly food that is placed before you and especially on the food or bread from heaven which is why we celebrate Christmas to begin with.

Love and prayers....
Wayne Stokes
WayneS317@aol.com