Christmas Prophecy (2)

I don’t know about you, but when I look at the Old Testament, these prophecies seem black and white. The Messiah is to be born in Bethlehem, Jesus was born in Bethlehem. The Messiah was to be born to a virgin, Jesus was born to a virgin. The Messiah is to suffer, Jesus died on a cross. It’s very easy to get the point where you say, why didn’t they all get it? Why are people still waiting for the Messiah?

How did some people miss Jesus?

Did you know that there are five times more prophecies of Jesus’ second coming than his first. Now, the prophecies aren’t as specific in terms of location, but there are many more of them. Jesus has promised to return, the gospel writers record this, the apostles record this. There will be second advent, a second coming of Christ to judge the living and the dead, to call the faithful to eternal life with Him. The Bible calls us to be watchful, to live a life of service until the day Christ returns. To outwork our faith in order to direct others to the hope we profess….

Yet, I don’t hear many people talking about the second coming?
Why? Because it’s scary, maybe we doubt it, we don’t know what to think about heaven and hell so we don’t think and talk about it. It’s become a bit of the Bible that we avoid or gloss over. But, Jesus promised he would return.
It’s easy to look back at those who didn’t get the Messiahs first coming... But are we at risk of not getting his return? Are we making similar mistakes?

The people who heard the prophecies of Jesus' coming were expecting a military ruler, a powerful king, someone who would be on their side, someone who would lead them to victory.... Jesus came as a baby, in a stable, in a small town

I just googled 'Jesus coming again', and every picture was of a military leader, leading his people into battle.. are we making similar mistakes?

Are we at the risk of being lazy and missing Jesus? Are we in danger of careering through life forgetting that we only have life because God gave it to us?
What does the idea of the Messiah returning bring up in you? Excitement, angst, uncertainty, fear, worry, joy, peace, hope…
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. He came then, is for now and will always be. He will therefore be an entirely fair judge, he won’t be swayed by public opinion, he wouldn’t be cajoled by loud bystanders, he won’t be affected by persuasive argument. He will be a perfect, peaceful, pure judge.
Advent is a time when we reflect on the Christmas story, when we prepare our hearts for the birth of Jesus and when we remind ourselves that he has promised to come again…