THRILL of HOPE - Day 4

“The thrill of hope, a weary world rejoices…..”

Jesus really came.  There really was a birth in Bethlehem that changed everything.  Time itself is calculated by what happened in the small town.  A seemly insignificant place out in a cave amongst the animals, the Seed was placed in the earth.  The promise told of long before, One who would come and crush deception so we could see Father accurately and understand who we are, had come to fruition.  Now a baby unknown but by a few was the manifestation of love and glory.  Hope prevailed as determined before creation, and in that moment the skies opened with the myriad of hosts to release the sound of His goodness.  The announcement was the Father’s GOOD will was toward us.  He is actually for us and not against us.  He really took care of what was needed for us to have peace ON earth.  Not just the absence of war and tension, but the reality of nothing missing and nothing broken.  Peace/shalom means to be whole.  Our hearts, our minds, our homes, our cities, the nations can be whole.  Government systems, economic systems, family function, and cultures can be whole.  The goodness of God became flesh.  His heart for us was displayed.  He showed the magnitude of His greatness. 

This moment wasn’t random.  This delivery into the earth was set before creation and prophesied thousands of times. It lined up with so many events that it’s astounding in accuracy.  Even Daniel’s vision of 70 weeks coincided perfectly with Jesus stepping into His public ministry exactly on time as Daniel 9 foretold.  His birth happened exactly when needed for His ministry to be carried out so His death could conclude the sacrificial and temple system.  It all worked as planned to fully do away with the Mosaic Covenant in AD70 according to Jesus’ prophecy in Matthew 24.  The “new” that entered earth in a manger removed the “old” that had a diminishing glory so Father’s ever increasing glory could be made available to all peoples for all time.  Wholeness/peace invaded earth and it is walking through history bringing forth the results.  His coming was on time and it has sent ripples of peace through time because Father’s will is good toward us.