Advent

2 Peter 1:19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
 
This is the Advent season and first Sunday, December 1, is the first Sunday in Advent. Many churches light candles on an “Advent Ring” to commemorate the coming of Christmas. Some use four candles and others five candles with the fifth candle being in the center of the ring. Some churches do not participate in this type of service feeling that it is unnecessary and too much “Romanish” for Protestant churches to include in their services. However, the reason for Advent is to focus our attention upon the approaching season and encourage us to look to the real reason for the season – Jesus Christ. Each candle represents an aspect of the coming of Christ into the world to be our Savior.
The first candle is called the “Prophecy” candle and represents the many prophesies that were given to us through the men God used to pronounce them. Our text verse tells us that we have a more sure word of prophecy that we do well to heed. The very first prophecy was in Gen 3:15 “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” God spoke this to us but was actually directly addressing the devil telling him that one day God would send a Deliverer that would be of the seed of woman and He would crush the head of the devil but would suffer a bruising of the heel in the process. The devil attacked mankind through his deception of the woman, and God would use the seed of woman to crush his head. There are too many prophecies concerning the coming of Christ to list in this devotional blog and keep it reasonable in length, so I will choose only a few.
These prophecies were given to man so they might recognize the Messiah when He came to earth, but as Paul wrote, the Bible is a spiritual book and we are not able to even understand unless we have been made spiritual by God’s Holy Spirit – “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. {13} Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. {14} But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (Discerned means understood). When Jesus came the religious leaders did not recognize Him as the Messiah because they were only religious and not spiritual. There are many people in the church today, who are very religious, but they do not have any insight or perception of spiritual things because they are not spiritual. They attend church regularly, sing the songs, take communion, pray and on and on we could go, but they are only religious. They are trusting in these things to get them to heaven and not the finished work of Christ. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day wanted only to see their deliverance through the Messiah/King and could not see His coming as a Lamb for their sins.
One such prophecy was given by Daniel – “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. {14} And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.” Daniel plainly describes a coming Messiah that would rule the world and destroy all Israel’s enemies – the leaders liked that type of Messiah.
Another prophecy they knew was given by their father, Jacob as he prophesied about Israel’s future – “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.” This told of a ruler to come and rule over Israel. They were correct in interpreting these passages as a King to come and rule but they failed to see prophesies that indicated that the first coming would bring a suffering Messiah, not a King to rid them of their enemies. They did not recognize that sin was a more fearsome and formidable enemy that any Roman soldier.
One passage they failed to see and associate with the Messiah was in Isa 53:2-9 “For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. {3} He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. {4} Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. {5} But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. {6} All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. {7} He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. {8} He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. {9} And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.” They could not imagine a Messiah that would suffer; they wanted a powerful Messiah to rid them of the domination of other countries. And because of this they missed their Messiah when He came the first time. He will come again as prophesied and establish His kingdom on this earth. Meanwhile let us be reminded of Christ’s coming whether we have an Advent ceremony or not and let us prepare our hearts for His presence and visitation.