In all the corners of this little world, many are those who celebrate the birth of Jesus. But, did you know that when He was born, the world didn’t know?

To understand what happened, let’s take a look at the world 2,000 years ago. The age of the Caesars begins, the Greeks had been left aside and lost their dominions, Rome had left their republic to become an empire, and rapidly start expanding their territory, crushing and breaking everything in its path.

Nations, long weakened by crisis, disease, and war had submitted to the new system, and God’s people, the Jews, was not an exception. The Roman Empire was strong as iron, and with hardness ruled the nations.

D­ecreasing Morality, just before Jesus Coming

Men lived without compassion while they were separated from their families and condemned to die alone, because of their leprosy. The richest men became more and more powerful and wealthy. In contrast, the poor worked under a terrible burden of misery to be able to bring bread to their tables.

Women were not treated with love and respect, and few men could exercise their rights in society. Injustice was the bread of every day, and they could buy freedom with money. Sickness and disease, transmitted from father to son, generation after generation. This had increased over the years. The vigor and health of body and mind declined as much as the morality.

The world was about to perish.

The crisis had already aroused the wrath and indignation of the people. The Jewish nation was on their way to suicide, because of the rebellion that was kindled against the Romans. Entire families suffered. Great was the affliction and dramatic the panorama. It seemed that after 4000 years of sin, the human race had reached the bottom.

The Desire of Ages came to Rescue

This generation wouldn’t last, but here, at this precise moment in the history of this world, when our race was on the edge of the abyss, between life and death, the Author of our salvation was made man. The beloved of heaven, the desire of ages, broke forth like a light of hope in the midst of the thick darkness that overshadowed the world.

But they didn’t realize it. Despised and rejected by men, He came to his own, and his own did not know him. The great clock of time marked that prophetic hour. More than 125 prophecies in the Old Testament pointed to the first coming of Jesus.

A Promise Given

What happened to that generation? To understand what happened, we have to go back in history. The promise of the savior was not first given to the Jews. No the promise of a savior was first given in Eden, at the very right moment when the human race realized the transgression of God´s law and their future destiny. “You will surely die” had been the warning.

God’s law, the 10 commandments, requires the life of the transgressor.

And without God’s intervention, man would no longer even exist. It was there, when the entire universe cried for our betrayal, and while man waited to hear the condemnation,

God made him a promise. A son would be given to him, the seed that would be born of the woman, He will take the place of Adam and die for him, he will carry his sin and the sin of his offspring.

What is man to deserve the life of Jesus, the son of God? I look to our race and I can’t understand why God loved us. How good is God!

Now, listen to this. It was Adam who instructed Cain and Abel about the meaning of the offering of the lamb. This was only a symbol of the one who would come to fulfill the promise of God.

This promise of the Savior’s coming was repeated from father to son, generation after generation. From Adam to Noah, from Noah to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the 12 tribes of Israel, where the Jews come from. God’s plan since the beginning was to save every child of Adam through Jesus.

 Jesus first Coming and God’s People

But the Jews seemed not to be so happy to carry that knowledge to other nations. And you know, God didn’t give up. No! Time after time He tried it, rebellion after rebellion, reformation after reformation. It was God who worked to extend this message beyond the walls of Jerusalem.

He allowed the Jews to be conquered and carried into captivity by those who ruled the world in this time. So with them, the gospel would reach these pagan nations. From Egypt, to Babylon, from Babylon to the Persians, from the Persians to the Greeks, and from the Greeks to the Romans. There was no internet at this time, no, but because of the trade, the world was closely connected.

But the rebellion of men had no limits, and little by little the pure and undefiled religion, that in all its forms and figures symbolized Christ, became corrupted. In the exile many of the people had adopted the pagans traditions, and these ideas soon infiltrated into the church.

In all its parts, the religion was a symbol of Christ; and it had been full of vitality and spiritual beauty. But the Jews lost the spiritual life of their ceremonies, and they held to the dead forms. They relied on the sacrifices and the rites, instead of trusting the One to whom they pointed.

The Jewish leaders tried to keep up their reputation and influence. To counteract their lack of spirituality, they added more rites and laws to the people, as they were losing their followers.

Jesus First Coming compared to Today

If we compare it with our time, it is not difficult to imagine the spiritual condition of the church that received Jesus at His first coming. They no longer expected to be freed from sin, they wanted wealth, power, prosperity and to be delivered from the yoke of the Romans.

But not everything was lost. Between the hills of Judea and the lowly shepherds, there were those who diligently studied the scriptures, and they knew that the time was at the door, and that the promise was soon be fulfilled.

There is something important to point here. During the time Jesus’ first advent, one language was widely spoken. The Greek was to them what the English is for us today. The first part of the Bible was already finished approximately 450 years before Jesus came. Therefore, all the prophecies about the Messiah were spoken at least 450 years before His birth. In addition to this, 250 years before his coming, the scriptures had been translated entirely into Greek.

So, as to the Jews, the Scriptures were available to others.The three wise men were not Jews, and yet they diligently studied the Scriptures and knew how to understand the times and the meaning of the star that showed the way.

You know, the Jews were very blessed by God, perhaps those who are parents will be able to understand the degree of their betrayal. They rejected and killed the promised Son, Jesus – our Righteousness.

The righteousness of God is still revealed in the life of Jesus Christ, because Jesus is not dead, he resurrected and lives to intercede for us. Since the Jews had rejected the Messiah, God could no longer trust them with His Holy Word. So the prophetic Word passed over them, and was given to the apostles.

Apostasy in the Church, shortly after Jesus’ First Coming

The Christian primitive church was rapidly growing, but the new believers who previously belong to the roman churches, introduced their pagan traditions to the early church. The pure and undefiled religion which the apostles brought forward under the cost of a tremendous sacrifice, and which they sealed with their own blood, soon became corrupted.

The apostle Paul, in one of his letters to the church in Thessalonica, warned that the mystery of iniquity was already at work, which would oppose the truth and pass itself off as God on earth.

“The man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things?  

For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. (2 Thessalonians 2:7)

The First Coming of Jesus vs. the Second Coming of Jesus

2000 years have passed since then. How difficult is it today for the believers, to distinguish between truth and error? If God wouldn´t have intervened, the Bible would never have survived the great persecution. Today, the Bible is our only safeguard against error.

Just like the faithful in the hills of Judea and the lowly shepherds, before the second coming of Jesus, God will have a people upon the earth to maintain the Bible, and the Bible only, as the standard of all doctrines and the basis of all reforms.

With the same accuracy that Jesus predicted His death, He also predicted the time when the first of the events announcing His second coming would appear.

With the same accuracy that more than 125 prophecies predicted His first coming, the Word of God has predicted the second coming as well.

Many say that God does not exist because He does nothing, 5 years ago I discovered the truth. If Jesus had already come, I would have perished. God is showing us his mercy to everyone by giving us time so that no one will perish, and everyone will have he opportunity to hear his message of salvation.

So, in which group would you like to be?

Do you think the history of the Jews will repeat again in this generation?

This is our last chance. Get to know the signs of the time, and what this implies for you.

Read the bible, search in history, seek the truth.

Susan Hjortland

Ps. see our video on this topic.