BIBLE MEDITATION: 2 Thessalonians 1: 6-7, 9-10; “since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, These (Those who trouble you) shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed.”
ENCOURAGING WORD: The Jesus who came the first time is coming again, and Christmas is not complete without the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. The incarnation without the coronation would be like east without west. It would be like an engagement without a marriage. The story is not complete until Jesus comes again. You may think that this is a good Christmas for you, but I want to say this...the best is yet to come! The Heavenly Father has so much more in store for us when Jesus Christ comes again. You see, we get all wrapped up with the baby in the manger, and we should, but then we need to go beyond the birth of the baby, saying, "Yes, He came to die for our sins" (thank God He did that), but I want to remind you that the First Coming of Jesus and the Second Coming are linked together. The Christmas Story in Luke 1 and 2 speaks not only of the Jesus who redeemed, but the Jesus who reigned. Not only Jesus who came the first time, but Jesus who is coming the second time to sit upon the throne of His father David, to rule over the house of Jacob forever and ever. Luke 1:30-32; “Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with 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.” There are those religious sects that say this event has already happened. This is not a symbolic message to be allegorized, it is truly going to take place in the not-too-distant future. If someone can tell me when Jesus Christ sat on the throne of David, then I will listen to their theology. When Jesus died on the cross, He spent three days in Abraham’s bosom as we read in Ephesians 4:8-9; “Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.” (Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth?” He then ascended into heaven where He is now sitting at the right hand of the Father. He has been there for the last two thousand plus years. He has never sat on David’s throne, but He will!
If you are living for this world and this world alone, you are missing out on the greatest part of existence. Whether you want to believe it or not, your soul is eternal, and you will spend eternity in one of two places. When you come to the understanding that you can spend eternity in heaven, it will make your stay here on earth so much more enjoyable. Find the comfort that comes to those that have given their life over to Jesus Christ! Every day will not be peaches and cream, but your ultimate destination will more than make up for it. Here is what Paul tells us in Romans 8:18; “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” We have all eternity to enjoy the perfect paradise that God has created for us, but we do need to get through this thing called life first! Give it to Jesus Christ and know that everything that you go through in this life is Father filtered and nothing can harm you unless God allows it, and if He allows if, refer to Romans 8:28. “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” A promise from God that I refer to often! ACTION POINT: Imagine for a moment what your life would be like without the Resurrection, the Rapture, and the Second Coming of Jesus. The most glorious fact of the past is that Jesus Christ came the first time. The most glorious fact of the future is that this Jesus is coming again. The one sure hope of this jittery old world is the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Luke 18:8 tells us this; “I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” If He doesn’t come soon, there will be found no faith on the earth. The earth is not getting better and better as some denominations proclaim. It is getting deeper and deeper into the apostasy that the Bible clearly states will take place in the end times. Jesus Christ loves you and He is coming for you…are you ready to receive Him? “Written To the glory of God." Amen!
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