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Christmas
THE GREAT JOY FOR GOD’S GREATEST GIFT
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life”
(Bible John : 3:16).
Let us have a glimpse on why and how God gave His only Son, and learn God’s promises.
Thousands of years ago God created the heavens and the earth (world) with all good things, where in the world, He also created a man in His own image and a woman. The man was called Adam and the woman was named Eve by the man. They were the specially made and most loved creatures of God. A beautiful garden called Eden was prepared by God as a home for Adam and Eve. They lived in happiness as long as they did not disobey God. Among the fruit trees they could eat in the garden, God placed one special tree viz. the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God commanded Adam and Eve not to eat from that tree, for on the day they eat, they would surely die.
Since before God created the world, there has been an eternal holy Heaven in the heavenlies, where the eternal, great, holy, and loving God has His throne. God had made thousands upon thousands of heavenly beings called Angels and Arch-Angels who serve and worship Him. There was perfect peace and order amongst these great Hosts. Sometime during those by-gone ages however, one of the Arch-Angels whose name was Lucifer became proud and rebellious. He won a large number of the angels to his side and together they began an under-hand struggle to seize the power of the throne which belongs to God alone. The outcome of this was that God punished Lucifer and the angels who had rebelled with him by casting them out of Heaven. God also prepared a place of punishment for them which is a terrible lake of fire called Hell.
As a result of his down-fall, Lucifer, who became the devil and was called Satan, hated God and sought to revenge God by attempting to destroy God’s most loved creatures, man and woman. He came into the garden in the form of a serpent and by subtilty and guile he deceived Eve into eating the forbidden fruit and Eve gave the fruit to Adam who also ate it. The loving God was very displeased with their disobedience. He cursed them and commanded them to the garden. The curse of God came upon the first family because of their sin of disobedience. Since then, mostly all their descendants were mis-led by Satan. The sorrow of Adam and Eve when driven out by God was very great, for they and their descendants would be without God forever. God, however, promised that He would raise up a Prophet from among them whom all must hear and obey; and in course of time, God in His great love revealed that He would fulfill this promise by giving His own only Son Jesus from Heaven (from His own Bossom) who would deliver the whole world, once and for all, from the curse of sin. His only Son would be incarnated from Abraham’s descends and would be called Jesus and would lead back mankind to God and would die himself for the sins of mankind so that all who believe in Him would be saved and become God’s redeemed people. The ‘Word’ (Jesus), Who is one with God from eternity, also revealed His delight to become man on earth to save mankind – “Sacrifice and offerings You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for me”… “Behold, I come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me. I delight to do Your will, O my God…” For generations, this promise of God was told and retold from father to son, waiting for the coming of the Son who would be their Saviour (Messiah). When the time of fulfillment got nearer, while the people became discouraged by waiting, God sent more specific prophecies to encourage them to have faith.
Some five hundred years later, when Mary, a Jewish girl was a Virgin in Nazareth bethrothed to Joseph, God sent Gabriel, His Arch Angel, to bring news to her who said, “Rejoice highly favoured one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women”. When Mary was troubled at this saying, the Arch Angel said, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour from God: And behold you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son and shall call his name ‘Jesus’. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Highest, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of his father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His Kingdom there will be no end….. The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Highest will over-shadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:28-35)
At last, Jesus was born during the census operation of the Roman Emperor, who then ruled Israel, in a small town of Bethlehem (in Judah) about 2000 years ago. Because of the system of the census, there was no room in the inn because of the crowds and Mary had to deliver her first Son in a stable and laid her Baby in a manger. There were shepherds in the fields at night and behold an Angel of God stood before them and the Glory of God shone around them and they were greatly afraid. But 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 Saviour who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a ‘Manger’. Suddenly, there appeared a multitude of angels, singing, - “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.” (Luke 2:8-14). The shepherds then searched and saw the Baby laid in a manger, His mother, and bethrothed father as told by the angels and they glorified God. This is God’s fulfillment of His promise and the start of God’s salvation to mankind through His own only Son Jesus. Jesus grew up and when the prophet John the Baptist saw Jesus a grown up young man coming to him for baptism in the Jordan said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29).
Jesus taught holiness and led people to the true God. The then rulers both religious and political were offended by His teachings. The Prophet foretold many hundred years ago about this hatred by the rulers against Jesus, “The Kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His Annointed.” (Ps. 3:2). This is the work of Satan, the enemy of God. However, Jesus knew that He was born to earth to suffer and die for sinners of the world, for He Loves them. The rulers falsely accused Jesus and got Him killed by crucifixion at Calvary in Jerusalem about 2000 years ago. Jesus died, was buried but rose to life again from the grave on the 3rd day as He had foretold and after His resurrection He lived with His believers (Disciples) for forty days after which He led them to the Mount of Olive in Jerusalem and while standing and teaching them, He went up to Heaven slowly, blessing them. While the disciples were still looking up to where Jesus had just gone up, two Angels appeared and said to them, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into Heaven? The same Jesus, who was taken up from you into Heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into Heaven” (Act 1:11)
Jesus will soon come again in great Glory. He has said. “…..I say to you, hereafter, you will see the Son of Man (referring to Himself) sitting at the right of the Power, and coming on the clouds of Heaven”. And “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in me has everlasting life.” “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” (Math. 26:64, John 3:17, 6:47).
Christians world-wide celebrate Christmas on 25th December every year as a token of rejoicing and praising God for His greatest Gift to the world of His own only Son Jesus to save mankind. Praise God.
Clanvil S. Soanes
