Can you imagine living in the days of the prophets when they were prophesying of the coming of the Messiah?
Can you imagine wondering if that child that was just born is going to be this Messiah that was prophesied of?
Can you imagine waiting for this Messiah to come and save you from this wicked world we live in?
People must have been wondering "Well, when is He going to get here?" And saying, "He sure is taking a long time to get here!"
Well this Messiah has come and His name is Jesus.
The prophets in the bible told us of the coming of the Messiah, and in God?s time He came.
In Micah 5:2 it was prophesied, "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times." (niv)
This Prophecy was fulfilled in Luke 2:4-7, "So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them." (niv)
In Isaiah 7:14 it was prophesied, "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." (kjv)
Wow! Hundreds of years later our Messiah was born! God gave us a Savior to bring us back to Him the way He had always intended it for us.
This Prophecy was fulfilled in Luke 1:26-31, "In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus." (niv)
In John 3:16 Jesus Himself tells us, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." (niv)
Jesus was to be the sacrifice for our sins; He paid the price to set us free, all we need to do is believe in Him as our Lord and Savior!!
Romans 10:9-10 tells us how to do this, "If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved." (niv)
John also tells us in 1 John 4:9-10, "This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." (niv)
This is true love!!
I tell you all this because our Messiah, Jesus Christ is coming back again to get His Church.
Jesus told us this in John 14:1-4, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in Me. My Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going." (niv)
Jesus also told us the way to get there in John 14:5-6, Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (niv)
That's how we get to heaven, through our belief in Jesus as our Lord and Savior and living for Him!!
Just as those who were waiting for the birth of their Messiah in the days of the prophets, we are waiting for the return of our Messiah today.
It's not a matter of if He is coming back; it's a matter of when He's coming back. Each generation had been looking for and waiting for His return. I believe His return is so near.
Romans 13:11 tells us this, "And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh." (niv)
Look at all the turmoil, the devastating weather occurrences, and the divisiveness of people in our world today. Jesus said these things were going to happen as His return drew closer. Read Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21.
There's no need to be caught off guard if you look at God's Word and what He tells us in it.
Please take the time to read all the scriptures I have referenced in this writing.
If you haven't given your life to Jesus yet, I plead with you to ask Him to reveal Himself to you and then I ask that you make a decision to give your life to Him. Again, in Romans it tells us "If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved."
It's as simple as that!!
And if you've already received Jesus as your Lord and Savior pass this along to someone who may not have done that yet, share His love and offer of the gift of salvation.