My mom is giving a lesson in church today, on the subject of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Speculating on how she might relate the topic to Christmas, if she does, it occurred to me that the Savior's Second Coming will be nothing like His first.
The lyrics of "Jesus, Once of Humble Birth" contrast the difference fairly clearly in the first two lines: "Jesus, once of humble birth, Now in glory comes to earth." When Christ was born in Bethlehem two thousand years ago, only a handful of people knew about it. He came to earth the same way that everyone else does, and He lived in much the same way that most people do. If you weren't one of the few-dozen people who were visited by angels, Jesus' birth would have seemed like a fairly normal occurrence, remarkable only in that it took place in a stable.
The Savior's Second Coming, in contrast, will be an incredibly remarkable event. At that time, Jesus Christ will descend from heaven as our Lord and Savior, and everyone will recognize Him as such. Once again, angels and astrological events will tell of His coming, but this time, I'm sure everyone will see and hear them. His life on earth after His Second Coming will be different, too. Rather than spending His days as a humble teacher, He will reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. When Jesus comes again, everyone will know Him for who He really is.
Thinking of the contrast between the first and Second Comings of Jesus Christ, it makes me wonder how Jesus must have felt during His mortal ministry, to know who He was, but know that almost no one else knew Him. He was the greatest person to ever set foot on this planet, yet very few people recognized that. Many people largely ignored Him. Many others reviled Him. Yes, there were also many who listened to Him, but very few people actually worshipped Him. In contrast, I'm pretty sure that everyone will worship Him when He comes the second time.
Because of His humble beginnings, only a small number of people recognized and worshipped Jesus at His first coming, and partly because of the grand entrance He'll get at His Second Coming, I think everybody will. Being somewhere between those two events, we have to decide whether we will recognize and worship Jesus or not. Will we see Him as a mortal man, a humble teacher, someone who was only a good man, and maybe even a prophet, but certainly not the Son of God, or will we give Jesus Christ the recognition and reverence He deserves? Every day, we choose whether we will listen to or read His words and hearken to His teachings. Every day, we choose to what extent we will truly worship our Savior. This Christmas season, let us think of the Savior, not just as the people of His generation thought of Him, but as all will think of Him when He comes to earth again.
2 comments:
I never thought of it quite this way before. One of the things I like about your blog is how you liken the scriptures unto ourselves. Just might use it in class. thanks
Andrew, what a wonderful post, thanks so much for sharing. It reminds me of the hymn "Who's on the Lord's Side, Who?" This will make a good addition to our FHE tomorrow.
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