Of all the events described in the Bible, if I had the chance to be present at any one of them, my first choice would probably be beside the shepherds that night when God filled the sky with angels announcing the birth of the Promised One, the Messiah. Luke 2: 8-14 (NLT)
"That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”
Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”"
Various translations describe the reaction of the shepherds as: “sore afraid, terrified, greatly afraid, terribly frightened, and filled with great terror.”
That’s because these were not cute little cupid angels with bows and arrows with hearts on them. No, verse 13 says God had sent his angel army to make the proclamation of the Good News for all people.
This was war. This was an invasion. The Kingdom of Light had stepped into battle against the forces of darkness.
Let’s put this in context: The expectation of a future leader or king (Mashiach, meaning "anointed one") who would restore the line of King David and bring an era of universal peace and justice to Israel (and the world) is found in Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Daniel. These prophecies date back at least to the Babylonian exile, around 6th century BC (over 2,600 years ago). Since the twelfth century, (that’s for the last 700 years, folks) orthodox Jews have been praying, "I believe with perfect faith in the coming of the Mashiach (Messiah), and even though he may tarry, nonetheless, I wait every day for his coming". They have been praying that three times a day!
Those shepherds would have been absolutely familiar with the promise of a messiah. They would have known that what they were witnessing that holy night was the fulfillment of the promise God made back in Genesis 3:15.
The King of Kings had come to earth to crush the serpent’s head, but He had not arrived on a war horse with a sword of vengeance in his hand. The entire night sky was filled with the armies of heaven singing and praising God in a glorious proclamation over a tiny, helpless baby sleeping in the feeding trough of livestock.
This was a proclamation of the Gospel! Note the angel says, “I bring you GOOD NEWS of great joy that will be to all people. The word “gospel” literally means “Good News!”
This was the news, the proclamation that would change the world!
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the new-born king
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled"
This wasn’t conventional warfare. This was spiritual warfare.
This was the fulfillment of Isaiah 9:6: “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
But wait a minute, you ask. The government of every nation in the world isn’t on the shoulders of Jesus right now.
Or is it?
Well, as of this moment, there are currently about 2.3 billion Christians living in every nation in the world. In 120 of those 201 nations, they are the majority of the population.
The teachings of Jesus Christ, specifically that we are made in God’s image and that every human being has God-given rights, was a radical concept at the time. To kings and emperors and dictators it was foolishness – but today that concept has influenced and changed the entire world.
We also know that the vast majority of the world believes that human beings were and are destined by God to be free. One of my favorite countries, the Dominican Republic, has a flag that proclaims at its top: “Dios, Patria, Libertad” which means “God, Country, Freedom.” In the very center of that flag there is a Bible opened to John 8:32, “And the truth shall make you free.” That’s a direct quote from the Savior of the World, Jesus Christ – and the list of countries that treasure the freedom Jesus talked about goes on and on.
Since that holy night when God’s angel armies filled the sky and scared those shepherds silly, absolutely no one has had more impact on human history than Jesus Christ. It is undeniable to say that the majority of the governments in the world have their very foundations resting on His shoulders.
Oh, and as long as we’re on this subject, do you remember in the New Testament how the Jews were all disappointed and angry when they figured out that Jesus was not going to violently overthrow the Romans while He was here with us?
In 313 AD, Emperor Constantine I and his co-emperor Licinius issued the Edict of Milan, which granted full religious tolerance to Christianity and other religions throughout the Roman empire. By 380 AD, Christianity was the official religion of the Roman Empire.
So Jesus did conquer Rome!
And, if you remember, we still call it the Roman Catholic Church and it pretty much ruled the world for about, oh, 1500 years or so!
Now, I will grant you this: Those governments, the church, and the people who run them are imperfect. They always have been and they always will be.
Yes, people calling themselves Christians would go on to do horrible, ghastly, even evil things in the name of Jesus. Hate is strong and mocks the song of peace on earth, goodwill to men.
But, despite all the bad, the influence of Jesus on humanity has been profound and unparalleled, impacting history, culture, global ethics, and the lives of billions of people. His teachings and life since the birth of that tiny baby shone in the dark streets of Bethlehem shaped core concepts of human dignity, compassion, forgiveness, and justice that form the foundation of almost all modern societies.
Jesus’ teaching on love and compassion, forgiveness, humility, and service were radical and absolutely opposite human nature. His teachings absolutely and massively changed how humans treated people who were considered lower on the social scale by those with power and authority.
Jesus treated women with dignity and respect. And that was scandalous in His time! It took many, many centuries, but as we came to fully understand what He taught us about the role of women in the church and society, that has changed dramatically.
Hospitals, schools, and orphanages all over the world were founded as a result of His teachings.
"The blind will see
The deaf will hear
And the dead will live again
The lame will leap
The dumb will speak
The praises of the Lamb."
Education, art, literature, government, and law all bear His fingerprints.
And let’s not forget that slavery, an abhorrent practice that was common for thousands and thousands of years, also eventually came to an end as a result of a Christian movement called Abolitionism. Slaves all over the world were set free.
"Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His Gospel is peace,
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother."
All-in all, there is virtually no aspect of human culture which has not been influenced by Jesus Christ.
So, many, many battles have been won! But, yes, the devil does still roam the earth like a roaring liar, I mean lion, looking for whom he could devour.
That is until the day when Jesus comes back and the war is won for once and for all.
See, what those angels announced was an invasion that began spiritual warfare here amongst we human beings and our enemy the devil.
The songs of those warrior angels sang heralded God in the flesh, Immanuel, and He would go on to defeat sin, death, and the devil himself not with hatred or violence, not with swords or guns or knives, but with a love so perfect, so intense, so pure that He Himself would die on a cross to set us free and redeem us.
Love itself had come down to earth to die for you and me and all that would remain of our former condemnation and hopelessness would be an empty tomb.
And when the battle had been completed, (When, as He said, “It is finished.) When this peasant King had won back all authority in heaven and on earth, He would proclaim the SAME Good News those angel armies proclaimed on that holy night, that night divine.
He would send us out to go tell it on the mountains, over the hills and everywhere –that the Good News for all people was that He had set us free, that eternal life was ours for the asking, that our relationship with the Father of heaven and earth had been restored. He would tell us to tell all the world and to baptize all those who believed in this Good News in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
He would tell us to obey His commandment to love one another.
The devil and his demons haven’t been cast into the pit yet, but their fate is sealed. They no longer have the right to rule over us unless we allow it by believing their lies. The truth is, Jesus is LORD! And what that means is that they have NO authority or dominion over us anymore. Jesus reigns in love and truth!
The KING HAS COME! GLORIA IN EXCELSIS DEOS! HALLELUJAH!
Oh come, let us adore Him, Christ the LORD!
Add comment
Comments