For many people, the following account is little more than a “fairy tale”:
“Beyond question, great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, Was vindicated in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Proclaimed among the nations, Believed on in the world, Taken up in glory” (1 Timothy 3:16 New American Standard Version).
This is about Jesus Christ, the Son of God (John 3:16), but it is only part of the story about Him. He is also revealed as the “Word”:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1-3, 14).
What Jesus did was actually planned “before time began” (2 Timothy 1:9), as the Apostle Peter confirms: “He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you” (1 Peter 1:20).
Is this the Jesus Christ you believe in, know and serve? Furthermore, is the biblical description of the glorified Christ how you view Him to be? Note how it is found in Revelation 1:13-15:
“[A]nd in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters…”
Not only who Jesus is and what Jesus did misunderstood, but what He is doing and will do seems to hold no relevance for most people. Right now, He is the living Head of the Church of God (Ephesians 1:22; Hebrews 4:14-16). Following His resurrection, He said, “‘…All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth’” (Matthew 28:18). We are also told that He will come back to the earth from heaven (John 14:1-3; Acts 1:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Revelation 1:7).
Yet, for all the prophecies about Jesus Christ, people continue to ignore the very signs He gave which will herald His return, and we find this stern warning from Him:
“‘Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect’” (Matthew 24:44).
We simply don’t know the exact time, but we must not ignore events that are now signifying and heralding the end of this age and the establishment of the Kingdom of God. These things are happening exactly as Jesus foretold.
The key for us who know the story of Jesus Christ found in the Word of God is to be preparing, because we truly believe it! Let’s not treat the warnings of the Bible as improbable fairy tales, but as what they are—the very Truth of how God will bring salvation to mankind, which He promised before time began (Titus 1:2).