The Baby That Changed The World

The Bible says that God sent his son to this earth "in the fullness of time" - at just the right moment in history, chosen by him in eternity past.

Israel was a dark place when Jesus was born. The pagan Roman Empire ruled God's chosen people with an iron fist. The Jews had been waiting for centuries, clinging to the prophetic promises that a Messiah would come who would redeem Israel and rule the world with divine justice from his throne in Jerusalem. They envisioned a mighty warrior coming to save them from their enemies. The prophets had said that the Messiah would come in power and majesty to deliver his people from destruction.

So the Jews were looking for a king. But they had mis-understood the prophecies. Yes, the king was coming, but not yet in his full majesty. That final glorious revelation of the Messiah was reserved for a later date in history. It was time for the Messiah to appear, and indeed he did, but not as the conquering King of Kings. First the Messiah would arrive on planet earth like all the rest of us, a helpless baby, crying his way into the world.


The Creator of the universe humbled himself and became one of us. He grew nine months in Mary's womb. He emerged sticky and bloody and gasping for air just like every one of us did. As a child he relied on his parents to feed him, clothe him, and teach him. In every way possible, God joined our race so that we could know him better. Jesus came to empathize with us, identify with us, reveal God's personality to us, and teach us.

More importantly, he came here to redeem us. He became a human so that he could offer himself as the perfect sinless sacrifice on our behalf. From the moment Jesus was born, the clock began ticking towards that awful day some 33 years later when he would surrender himself to the cruel torture of a Roman crucifixion. Jesus was born to die, and his sacrificial death purchased an option for the entire human race:  We now have the opportunity to obtain God's forgiveness and receive eternal life.

So again this Christmas, we gather and celebrate the glorious gift we received some 2,000 years ago: Emmanuel (meaning "God with us") entered this dark, sin-sick world and dwelt among us. Just as the prophets foretold, Jesus was miraculously born to a virgin, in Bethlehem, at the appointed time in history. He was the Messiah the Jews had waited for, but they failed to recognize him, despite the fact that the events of his life fulfilled hundreds of Old Testament prophecies.

As surely as the prophecies of Jesus' birth were all literally fulfilled, I believe the promises of his Second Coming are right on the horizon, simply awaiting the "fullness of time."

Many of the Messianic prophecies still lie in the future, but God is setting the stage. Israel is once again a nation. The nations of the earth are beginning to gather against Jerusalem. Persecution against God's people is growing all around the world. The day is coming (and I suspect we will live to see it) when Jesus will return in glory, descending from the heavens to save Israel as the nations of the world surround Jerusalem and attempt to destroy the Jewish people.

If you are not a Christian, this is a frightening prospect. The world is in turmoil, and your life is out of control. When Jesus returns, he will separate those who belong to him from those who do not. There is judgment awaiting the lost, the non-believers, the ones who have rejected him.

If that describes you, I would encourage you to make tracks to the throne of grace and get on the right side of history. There is still time for you to come to Jesus. Surrender your life to him. He is not playing hide and seek. He is only a prayer away.

If you are born again, if you know Christ as your personal savior, this period of history stirs up an exhilarating, joyful hope. The return of Jesus means the destruction of all evil in the world. His return will usher in a thousand years of peace on earth. Nations will make war no more. The Messiah will rule from Jerusalem, in justice and in truth. This planet will finally be a fit place to live in again.

Of course, many people scoff at this. Many people are so arrogant and self-sufficient that they will never humble themselves before God, and God allows them to make that choice. Those are the people the redeemed will never see again after that day. Enough said? This is too sorrowful a thought to dwell upon for long.

So in this Christmas of 2014 we once again commemorate the memory of that amazing birth. We remember a young carpenter and his younger bride, two scared peasant teenagers from a dinky village called Nazareth whom God chose to pluck from obscurity and entrust with the nurturing of his only begotten son.

We will again hear the familiar story of the the birth in a stable; the angelic choir singing to the shepherds on the Bethlehem hillside; the gifts of the Magi. We have an amazing Creator, and he is imaginatively creative in the ways he chooses to speak to us.

As a final thought this Christmas consider this, boys and girls: The birth of Jesus was just one chapter in God's grand plan of redemption. We ain't seen nothin' yet!