My family spent the weekend decorating for Christmas. We have crates full of lights, Santa’s, mangers, ornaments, wall hangings, lights, and many other Christmas knick-knacks.
We decorate because we want to welcome family and guests to our home. We are preparing for their arrival. We want them to have a memorable visit and commemorate the season by making memories with the right atmosphere.
As we enter Advent, which leads to the birth of Jesus, we are reflecting on the many verses in the Bible that foretold the coming of our Savior. Jesus was referenced at least 23 times in the Old Testament. Here are a few of the Old Testament references to Jesus.
- Genesis 3:15 Christ is the Seed of woman and we are told He will one day crush Satan
- In Exodus, we learn of the story of the Passover Lamb, and Christ is the sacrificial Lamb given for us
- In Leviticus, we read of the high priests making sacrifices to the people, and Christ has become our High Priest
- In Deuteronomy, Moses prophesied a prophet who would come that would be greater than Himself
- Ezra depicts Jesus as the Lord of our fathers
- Job says that the Redeemer is coming
- Christ appears several times in Psalms, including when David describes Him as “the Shepherd”
- Isaiah details Jesus’ birth in chapter 9:6 “For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder, And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
- Joel describes Him as the hope of His people
- Amos tells us that Jesus is the judge of all nations
- Obadiah warns of the coming eternal kingdom
- Jonah offers a picture of Jesus being dead for three days, then coming back to life to preach repentance
- Zephaniah says Jesus will be the king over Israel
- Zachariah is the prophet who speaks of Jesus riding on a colt
- Malachi is the one who calls Jesus the Son of Righteousness
For thousands of years, God prophesied the coming of Jesus through His prophets, and many people of Jesus’ time still got it wrong. They were not ready. God prepared them for the birth of Jesus and yet many did not believe or recognize Jesus was the son of God. They were either in denial or not prepared for Jesus’ arrival.
What we know for sure is that Jesus will come again. His return is referenced in at least eleven books of the New Testament which include Matthew, Mark, Luke, Acts, Romans, 2 Peter, Jude, Revelations, John, 1 Corinthians, and Thessalonians. Christ is coming again, and we should prepare for His arrival. When Christ comes back for the second time, judgment will be brought to those that believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and to those that do not.
What we know is that we worship a loving God. He sent His only Son to live amongst us on earth, to suffer and die so that we may live eternally with Him in Heaven. Our God seeks a relationship with us through His love and care for us. He wants to be our resting place in times of challenge and strife and relieve us of our burdens. We live on earth not for this world but for our next life, in Heaven with our Savior. Our Lord is very clear though, we will not reside with him in Heaven if we do not believe that Jesus died on the cross to forgive our sins. We must repent of our sins by asking God for forgiveness.
Let us reflect during the Holiday Season of not only Jesus’ birth but also of Jesus’ return. He will come to the earth to judge and separate the believers from those who do not believe. Matthew 13:49 tells us “So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”
Jesus provides us the path for a happy and blessed life on earth as well as He saves us from hell. His birth meant our salvation from a life of eternal damnation. Let’s use this Holiday Season to remember that Jesus’ birth was the beginning of the promise of eternal salvation in Heaven.
Heavenly Father, Thank you for the birth and sacrifice of your son Jesus. We praise you for your desire to love and be close to us. We recognize our sinful nature, and we repent and ask for your forgiveness. Please wash over us with your grace and peace, to provide an understanding like no other. Please move us to you, oh Lord, to see what we are supposed to see, hear what we are supposed to hear, and act on what we are supposed to do. Amen
