#179 "Did Heaven Miss Him When He Came To Our World?"
December 14, 2010
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1)
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Jesus was there. "Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made". (John 1:3) God made the universe through Him (Hebrews 1: 2). We speculate on what came before the creation. We speculate about exactly when the "beginning" was. There is no speculation on the fact that Jesus was there, in the presence of the Father, full of glory (John 17:5).
He breathed life into the first Adam. His heart broke when Eve was so easily led astray. He accompanied Abraham as he set out from his home, and He stopped the knife before it hit the mark in Isaac's chest. He strengthened Joseph in the pit and in the prison and elevated him to the palace. He heard the cries of His people Israel when they were slaves in Egypt and He was the power in Moses' staff as it parted the Red Sea. He caused the walls of Jericho to come down with only a shout. He raised up Judges and Kings to rule over His people. He watched as they lived out the never-ending cycle of disobedience, supplication for help, and restoration... until the next time they chose to forget Him. He was the Root from which King David sprung. He anointed prophets to plead with His people. And then for almost 400 years, there was neither prophet nor anointed writer. The Voice from Heaven ceased. But Jesus was there.
How glorious it must have been for the heavenly beings and those gone before us to always be in the presence of Jesus. That must be why they call it Heaven! Which one of them would have ever thought that there would be one day in Glory without Glory Himself?
But in the fullness of time. I love those words. The fullness of time. At just the right time. At the proper time. At the pre-determined time. In the fullness of time, God sent His Son, born of a woman, to planet Earth. (Galatians 4:4) Conceived by the Holy Spirit in Mary's womb, the time came for the baby to be born (Luke 2:6). "The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world". (John 1: 9) Heaven's loss would become Earths' great gain and our salvation. Did Heaven miss Him when He came to our world?
Mind you that I have nothing theologically sound to back up what I'm about to say. I just got to thinking. Purely speculating here. I doubt that God the Father shared His plan with everyone in Heaven. Did they wonder where He'd gone? The seat at the right hand of the Father was conspicuously empty.
But in the fullness of time. Bethlehem was overcrowded with people in town to register for the census. Animals roamed the streets. In the pre-dawn hours, street vendors were busy setting up their wares, in hope that the many travelers would spend a farthing or two. Some were still sleeping; some were getting the jars ready for their morning trip to the well. The inn was full. Just another night in Bethlehem. No one even noticed.
No one noticed that in the town of David a baby had been born. No one heard the voice that would one day speak to a raging storm and say, "Peace, be still", let out His first cry. No one noticed. No one cared. Lowly. Humble. Understated. No fanfare. No trumpets. No earthquakes. But I'll bet that all of Heaven ROCKED!
I imagine the Father and all of His angels peering over the banisters of Heaven. Holding their breath. Waiting for the sound. And when it came, that first cry, there must have been cheering and shouting and rejoicing at near biblical proportions. And the proudest Papa ever turned to everyone and said, "That's My beloved Son. And I am well pleased." And for the next 33 years, Heaven watched their Darling, emptied of His Glory; carry out the plan of His Father. Did Heaven miss Him when He came to our world?
No one noticed that in the town of David a baby had been born. No one heard the voice that would one day speak to a raging storm and say, "Peace, be still", let out His first cry. No one noticed. No one cared. Lowly. Humble. Understated. No fanfare. No trumpets. No earthquakes. But I'll bet that all of Heaven ROCKED!
I imagine the Father and all of His angels peering over the banisters of Heaven. Holding their breath. Waiting for the sound. And when it came, that first cry, there must have been cheering and shouting and rejoicing at near biblical proportions. And the proudest Papa ever turned to everyone and said, "That's My beloved Son. And I am well pleased." And for the next 33 years, Heaven watched their Darling, emptied of His Glory; carry out the plan of His Father. Did Heaven miss Him when He came to our world?
I think the saddest verses in my Bible are found in John 1: 10-11. "He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him". And Heaven watched it all. Was Heaven different because He was now on Earth? Did it not smell as sweet? They understood the Treasure...why didn't those on Earth? The Word had become flesh and was dwelling among them. They failed to see the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (see John 1: 14) And then Heaven watched Him die.
For three days, Satan and his minions rejoiced, while Heaven cried. But again, in the fullness of time, they watched as the stone was rolled away from the tomb and Jesus, the One and Only was alive, resurrected, and full of amazing Glory! Just a little while longer and He would sit down at the right hand of the Majesty in Heaven...right where He deserved to be all along. Oh, how Heaven missed Him when He came to our world. But now they understood. It couldn't have been any other way.
In a spiritual sense, we don't have to miss Christ now that He no longer walks the sod of our world. He lives on the inside of each of us who have accepted Him as Lord and Savior of our lives. The Bible says that we are seated with Him in heavenly places. (Ephesians 2:6) However, "the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time". (Romans 8: 22) Do you long for His glorious appearing? Do you long to see Him face to face?
One day, dear friend, Heaven will not have to watch from a distance when He comes to our world again. He will bring those who have fallen asleep in Him (1 Thessalonians 4: 14). He will come with the armies of Heaven following Him (Revelation 19: 14). We will see the Son of Man, Jesus, the One and Only, coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. He will send His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather us, His elect, from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other, to be with Him forever. (Matthew 24: 30-31) Heaven won't ever have to miss Him again. We will never have to long for Him again. Our world will be His world. Our dwelling will be His dwelling.
"To the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! (Jude 25) Amen.
Living the Word along with you,
Donna
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