Steve Conover: Thank you for joining us for The Friends of Israel Today. I'm Steve Conover and with me is our host and teacher, Chris Katulka. Foiradio.org is where you can connect with us. We have nearly a decade of content on the site featuring Chris Katulka’s insightful teaching and various interview guests. Again, that's foiradio.org.

Chris Katulka: Alright, Steve, I'm sure people are not going to like this, but we're talking about Christmas today, so please don't go turn the radio dial. Don't turn off the podcast, stick around because actually we're highlighting a brand new devotional that we're putting out at the Friends of Israel called Finding Messiah in Christmas, and this is a great opportunity for you and your family to prepare your hearts for the coming of Christ. I'm going to be sharing a bit about that new devotional and then we're going to have Bruce Scott, who's the program ministries director at the Friends of Israel who wrote one of the devotional pieces on Isaiah 7:14, the Virgin Birth of Jesus. Talking about the significance of that and why it plays into the fact that Christmas is a Jewish story. You're not going to want to miss this,

Steve Conover: But first in the news, Iran's supreme leader warned of a crushing response to recent Israeli strikes on Iranian territory as the Pentagon announces plans to deploy additional resources to the region over the coming months. Initially, Tehran minimized the impact of last month's Israeli strikes hinting at a possible deescalation. However, in recent days, Ayatollah Khomeini adopted a more aggressive stance signaling a shift from restraint toward potential retaliation.

Chris Katulka: Well, Steve, here's my take. I'd like to remind Iranian leadership of what God told Abraham in Genesis 12:3. He said, “I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you.” God was actually talking about the nation's relationships with Israel and the Jewish people. So for Iran, you should be careful how you respond to Israel because as history has shown, God will curse those who curse his people. Now is the time that you might want to get on the side of blessing and you can do that today.

Chris Katulka: I know this is going to be hard to stomach for some of you, but Christmas is upon us. I know some of you are putting your hands over your ears right now while others of you have been listening to Christmas music for a month. Now look, I'm one of those people who don't want to hear anything about the Christmas season until Thanksgiving has officially come to a close. But today I'm going to make an exception because what I want to share with you today is not about shopping or putting up your Christmas tree or hanging the lights. Today, I want to share with you a way that you can prepare your heart for the Christmas season. This year, ministry representatives from the Friends of Israel collaborated to create a special Christmas devotional that sees the advent season through Jewish eyes with our new devotional Finding Messiah in Christmas.

It's a 25 day devotional journey that connects the ancient promises in the Hebrew scriptures to the birth of Jesus. This devotional uncovers an amazing truth. That Christmas at its heart is deeply rooted in the promises that God made to Israel. Did you ever think about that as you were putting up your tree or hanging your ornaments or filling your kids or grandkids stockings with goodies? Did you ever think that Christmas is a Jewish story? Let's start with the story of Christmas itself. It's grounded in Jewish prophecy. The birth of Jesus wasn't just a moment in history. It was a promise fulfilled, a promise given to the people of Israel through the prophets that divinely envisioned Jesus' birth. Finding Messiah in Christmas takes you deeper into these Jewish origins. Each day from December 1st to December 25th, you'll get a chance to explore how the Christmas story is a fulfillment of these ancient promises and how it can bring us closer to understanding God's faithfulness.

Just think about the words from Micah 5:2, which says, “but you Bethlehem Ephrata, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come from me, one who will be ruler over Israel whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” Here God speaks through Micah, the Jewish prophet revealing the birthplace of the Messiah, Jesus who was indeed born in Bethlehem, a humble town just as God promised our devotional, brings you into this journey exploring the significance of birth to the Jewish people. I want you to put yourself in the shoes of the Jewish people. Imagine waiting centuries, generation after generation holding onto a hope that maybe one day a savior, a messiah would come. Well, let's turn to Luke 2:11, where an angel announces this, “today in the town of David, a savior has been born to you.

He is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you. You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” This announcement was given to Jewish shepherds who knew what the prophecy said, who had likely heard the words of Isaiah and Micah. That moment transformed their lives because at last, in that very moment, they saw the promise fulfilled right before their very eyes. See, that's why Finding Messiah in Christmas, this amazing new devotional, invites you to dive into this powerful story with the Jewish roots of the gospel in mind, you'll see how God's plan unfolds showing us a savior who didn't come out of nowhere but came as the fulfillment of divine ancient promises. Now, listen, Jesus' birth wasn't only anticipated by the Jewish people, it was life changing. Finding Messiah in Christmas allows us to see the impact Jesus' birth had on Jewish believers who followed him.

They saw Jesus as the answer to God's covenant with Israel as their Messiah who filled the longings of their heart and brought new meaning to their traditions, to the Jewish traditions. Remember in John 1:41 we read about Andrew who told his brother, Peter, “we have found the Messiah.” That's Christ. Imagine the joy in Andrew's voice as he recognized the fulfillment of Israel's promises right before him. To him, this was no ordinary announcement. It was the long awaited news that generations had longed for. Finding Messiah in Christmas really isn't just about prophecy though it's also about how encountering Jesus the Jewish Messiah, brings profound transformation. The lives of those early Jewish believers show us how the birth of Jesus answered their deepest hopes and fulfillments of the ancient promises that the scriptures had given Simeon. Think about him. A devout man in Jerusalem recognized this moment as he held baby Jesus in his arms.

And Luke 2:29-39, Simeon says, “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. From my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in the sight of all nations, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of your people, Israel.” Simeon understood that Jesus was both the glory of Israel and a light to all the nations. Listen, our new devotional offers a chance to see how the birth of Jesus continues to resonate, not only in ancient times but today as well. Many of the writers of our devotional are Jewish believers themselves. They share how the fulfillment of scripture isn't just a historical event, but a daily reality in their lives. As Jewish people, they see Jesus as the long awaited hope, the promised Messiah who brings life and meaning to their faith. The prophet Jeremiah said in Jeremiah 23:5-6, that “the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David, a righteous branch, a king who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days, Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called the Lord our righteous savior.” 

This king promise to the line of David is fulfilled in Jesus, the hope for Israel and a promise kept by God. So this Christmas season, Finding Messiah in Christmas, this new devotional, brings us a unique way to connect with Jesus as the fulfillment of ancient prophecies with transformation in our lives. For today, by looking at Christmas from a Jewish perspective, we come to appreciate the story of Christ's birth as a grand chapter in God's unwavering commitment to his people. Remember in Romans 15:8-9, Paul reminds us, he says, “for I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God's truth, so that the promise made to the patriarchs might be confirmed. And moreover, that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy.”

Jesus came to confirm those promises showing God's faithfulness to Israel by extension to all of us. In a moment, we're going to share with you how you can purchase your copy of Finding Messiah in Christmas, and our hope is that as you journey through our new devotional, you're encouraged to see this season in a fresh new way, dive into the prophecies, the history, and the lives transformed by Jesus the Jewish Messiah. Our prayer is that each day you may find a deeper meaning in the birth of Jesus, knowing that God's promises to Israel are promises he will fulfill not just for the Jewish people but for all people who place their faith in Christ. Steve, how can our listeners get their copy of our 25-day devotional Finding Messiah in Christmas?

Steve Conover: To purchase your copy of Finding Messiah in Christmas in time to read it with your family or give it as a gift to others, visit foiradio.org. Again, that's foiradio.org.

Chris Katulka: Steve, for 10 years I've had the privilege of hosting the Friends of Israel Today radio show and serving alongside you.

Steve Conover: Chris, I love working with you and the team and it's been my joy to be part of the FOI radio ministry now for nearly 30 years.

Chris Katulka: And really this is why it's an honor for both of us to ask you, our listeners today, to join on the ground level to help broadcast biblical truth all around the world. Whether Friends of Israel Today is airing on a local radio station or through our podcast, never before has it been so needed to have the truth of God's Word running throughout the airwaves.

Steve Conover: Romans 10:17 says, “so then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” Friends, we need your help to continue to produce and broadcast the Friends of Israel Today.

Chris Katulka: Now, the Friends of Israel Today radio program is supported by donors, listeners, and friends like you. See, we believe that if you have a passion for God's Word, then you should have compassion for God's Chosen People. And our goal is to raise $50,000 this month to continue to produce and broadcast the program that you're listening to right now with your financial gift. Today you will be taking the gospel to the ends of the earth with trustworthy, uncompromising biblical teaching.

Steve Conover: If the Friends of Israel radio program has been a blessing to you and you'd like to make it possible for all to hear, you can make a gift right now at foi.org/radiosupport and from the bottom of our hearts, thank you again, that's foi.org/radiosupport.

Chris Katulka: Well, today we have Bruce Scott, the director of Program Ministries with the Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry. Bruce has served with the Friends of Israel for quite some time. He's an amazing Bible teacher. He's a writer for Israel My Glory Magazine, and he leads our programs to Israel and educating and training people about the importance of ministering to their Jewish friends. Bruce, it's great to see you brother.

Bruce Scott: Thank you, Chris. It's good to be with you.

Chris Katulka: Well, Bruce, I had you come on because we're talking about our new devotional Finding Messiah in Christmas, and I've already prepared the hearts of our listeners that yes, it is November, early November, but we are talking about preparing our hearts for the coming of Jesus for his birth, and we're talking about how Christmas is a Jewish story and you wrote all about the idea of Isaiah 7:14, Jesus being born by a virgin, a very important prophecy. So I want to start with this. How does the birth of Jesus really reflect the genuine miracle distinct from other miraculous births that parents may experience? What's the difference here?

Bruce Scott: Well, the difference is just going by biology. You have a woman who has never had sexual relations with a man and yet she bears a child. And even though most parents will just say that the birth of their children was a miracle, and in fact it's not exactly the same because in those births you still have a man involved and a woman involved. But in this one, it's purely a virgin who gives birth to a child. And I remember the birth of my son, I was there for his birth. Our daughter had to have a C-section, but I was there for our son and it was definitely miraculous, but it wasn't a miracle like Jesus's birth was.

Chris Katulka: Can you unpack why was this so important to have a virgin birth according to Isaiah 7:14? Can you pull that out a little bit for us?

Bruce Scott: Sure. Most evangelical fundamental Christians who hold to the inspiration of Scripture who hold that the Bible is the Word of God, understand, and it's been this way for a long time, that the doctrine of the virgin birth of Jesus is a cardinal doctrine. It's a fundamental doctrine, not just because of the event itself, which surely glorifies God because it was a miracle, but the theological ramifications of it. So if Jesus had not been born of a virgin, then he would've been just like every other human being, he would've been born with a sin nature that had been passed down all the way from Adam. And by being born of a virgin, do we fully understand how this works? No. But God in his sovereignty saw the necessity of bringing the righteous branch of David to birth through a woman that did not have the sin nature passed down from Adam. And again, you get into all sorts of theological concepts of how is the sin nature passed down? Is it passed down through the man or the woman? Well, Jesus did not have a sin nature. He was perfect, and thus the virgin birth was very important for that. And it was also important because it was a direct fulfillment of a promise that God had given to one of the kings of Judah back in the Old Testament days in Isaiah 7:14 where it says, “the Lord himself will give you a sign, behold the virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Emmanuel, which means ‘God with us’ or ‘God is with us.’” So it's a very significant prophecy, very important to Christology as the Messiah needing to be born of a virgin in order to not have a sin nature, but also to fulfill a specific promise to the house of David.

Chris Katulka: Can we go back to that really quick too, Bruce? Because in your devotional that you wrote, which is so well done, talking about Isaiah 7:14, you mentioned that Mary and Joseph were both descendants of King David. Why is this important? We are highlighting the divinity of Jesus, his virgin birth, but now all of a sudden there is this physical component to Jesus' birth as well, which is something you were just mentioning. So can you help us with that? Why is this important to see the fact that Mary and Joseph were both direct descendants of King David?

Bruce Scott: Well, that goes back to a promise that God gave to King David in 2 Samuel 7, more than a promise, a covenant, a covenant that God made with King David saying that through David's line would come the ultimate David, the ultimate king of Israel, the Messiah, the anointed one. In fact, that is emphasized not only in Psalm 89, but also Psalm 132, Psalm 132 says in verse 11, “the Lord has sworn to David a truth from which he will not turn back of the fruit of your body. I will set upon your throne.” So all of this is based on God's covenant and promise that he made to David. Now, there were a number of people that were descendants from David, and it's wonderful to look at Messianic prophecies to see how God, like a funnel kept narrowing down the Messianic prophecies to a specific person, to a specific time, to a specific place.

Well, this is a specific family line of King David and therefore both Joseph, Jesus's foster father and Mary were descended from the line of David. Now we know that he was from the line of David because not only does Matthew 1:1 tell us, giving the genealogy of Jesus that he was a son or a descendant of David, but also in Romans 1:3, Paul says, “concerning his Son, God's Son who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh.” So it's very important that the Messiah be born of the line of David and Jesus certainly was.

Chris Katulka: Bruce, we only have a few moments left, but I want to talk about this component, Jesus's title at the very end of Isaiah 7:14. It says that “he would be called Emmanuel, ‘God with us.’” To me, it really signifies God's faithfulness to His promises to Israel. So I want to wrap this all up and ask you something. Is Christmas a Jewish story? Does Isaiah 7:14 show us that Christmas is a Jewish story?

Bruce Scott: Absolutely. It's always been from the very beginning, God's intention to be with us, to dwell with us and us with Him. And because of sin entering the world, he then took it upon himself to reconcile to himself so that God's purpose has always been to be with us and for us to be with him. So when he named this Promised One, Emmanuel, God with us, that's just an assurance that God is going to keep his promise that nothing is going to stand in the way of him keeping his promise. In fact, the whole context of Isaiah 7:14 is that there were some of King Ahaz, who was the king of Judah at the time, some of his enemies, their intent was to put another non-Davidic line king on the throne, and God said, that's not going to happen. That's not going to happen. And then in that context, he gives this ultimate promise that the ultimate king is going to come and this is going to show you that I'm with you and I will always be with you, and I will always keep my promises to you. And that's the significance that this title Emmanuel, along with many other titles that Jesus had, shows God is faithful to Israel and to all people by fulfilling this promise. The King of kings did come and he was in the flesh, God with us.

Chris Katulka: I'll tell you, every time I talk to Bruce and I've talked to him while we've traveled the land of Israel together, we've led groups to the Holy Land and we've studied together, we have taught together. I always learned something new from Bruce Scott. So Bruce, thank you so much for being a part of the program today.

Bruce Scott: It's my pleasure, Chris. Thank you.

Steve Conover: Thank you to Bruce Scott for being with us today, and thank you for joining us for today's episode of The Friends of Israel  Today. If the Lord is leading you to support our radio ministry, visit foi.org/radiosupport. Chris, where are we headed next week?

Chris Katulka: We're going to start a four week series on the letter that Paul wrote to the Colossians, which I think is really going to help prepare us for not only the Thanksgiving season, but the Christmas season as well, because Paul really deals with some deep Christological theology as he highlights who Christ is and how he relates to us in our lives today. I think it's going to be a very fascinating study.

Steve Conover: I'm looking forward to it. Our mailing address is FOI Radio, PO Box 914 Bellmawr, New Jersey 08099. Again, that's FOI Radio, PO Box 914 Bellmawr, New Jersey 08099. Our web address is foiradio.org. That's foiradio.org. Our listener line is 888-343-6940. Again, that’s 888-343-6940. Our host and teacher is Chris Katulka. Today's program was produced by Tom Gallione, edited by Jeremy Strong, who also composed and performs our theme music. I'm Steve Conover, executive producer. The Friends of Israel Today is a production of The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry. Passion for God's Word. Compassion for God's Chosen People.