"You will arise and have mercy on Zion, it is the time to favor her; the appointed time has come." A look at Psalm 102 in the light of the liberation of Jerusalem in 1917 by General Allenby on eve of the 50th anniversary of the reunification of the City in the Six Day War of 1967.

Isaiah chapters 7, 8 and 9 contain some of the best known and loved prophecies relating to the birth of Jesus; promises that a 'virgin' would conceive, a 'son would be given" and he would be called 'Immanuel' God with us. The original context of these scriptures - God's impending judgment on Israel - is not nearly as well known, but holds the key to understanding the mystery of the Incarnation...