Jesus Came And Is Coming Again!

Uplook – December 2008 – Grace & Truth Magazine

Jesus Came And Is Coming Again

“And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.’” Luke 2:9-12 NKJV

There is usually joy when a healthy baby is born into this world. When the Lord was born, there was the manifestation of the glory of God. I wonder if that glory looked like a superb display of the northern lights coming from the angel. There were angels, and there was joy. This was the event for which Israel was supposedly waiting. But wait a minute! God didn’t do this right, did He?

In order to be the mother of the Lord, Mary had to appear to be a “loose woman” since she was not married. Isaiah was clear that a virgin would conceive (Isa. 7:14), but how many unmarried women have children out of wedlock without committing sin? Even though her husband Joseph and others accepted what God had done, I have no doubt that the stigma of being conceived before His folks married was something the Lord had to live with as He grew up. I’m sure His miraculous conception was something Mary and Joseph told others, but I’m sure most who heard their story snickered and said, “Sure! Sure!”

Born To Us
The Messiah was to be born a King, but Jesus came from a humble family. One would expect a king to grow up in Jerusalem, not in Nazareth. The Messiah’s family should have believed in Him, but they did not, until after His resurrection (Jn. 7:5). The nation did not understand that their Messiah was to suffer and die before He came to reign, so even though there was joy at the Lord’s birth there was also sorrow. Mary was told that a “sword would pierce her soul” (Lk. 2:35). This child would suffer. So would His mother. He was to be rejected and ridiculed. He was not accepted by the Jews as the promised Messiah. How could this be God’s will? How could this bring joy?

When we understand that the baby at Bethlehem was destined to be the Christ of the Cross because He was born to be the Savior, then and then only will we understand why there was joy “to all people.” This time of year we see a lot of manger scenes. I’ve been thinking that I should put three crosses in my yard with a light on the middle cross and a sign that says, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Tim. 1:15). True joy comes when we realize that death could not hold the Lord in the grave. He lives, and He’s coming again. The joy of the angels when one sinner repents and believes (Lk. 15:10) is the true joy of this season.

Coming For Us
Just before His crucifixion, Jesus said, “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (Jn. 14:3). Unbelief caused Israel to miss their Messiah when He came the first time. Unbelief will cause those who reject Him to be deceived when He comes again. In 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12 we read, “For this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

The Lord’s second coming will be much like His first. Most will be convinced that His coming didn’t really happen, and that those who suddenly disappeared were not really caught away by the Lord (1 Th. 4:17). Not only will they miss out on the joy of going to heaven without dying, but also they will miss out on the joy of spending eternity with this One who was born in the City of David, announced by angels, foretold in the prophetic Scriptures, proven to be the Messiah by His miracles and teaching, crucified on a cross, raised from the dead and is coming again.

By Bruce Collins