Theologian Jonathan Edwards said in “The Excellency of Christ”: “[Jesus Christ] is the Judge of the world, and the infinitely just Judge of it, and will not at all acquit the wicked, or by any means clear the guilty…Yet how wonderfully is infinite mercy towards sinners displayed in him! Though he be the just Judge of a sinful world, yet he is also the Savior of the world.”

When He returns, Christ will judge the world. When Peter spoke in the house of Cornelius, he summarized Jesus’ life and ministry as “the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all” (v. 36). Peter began with the ministry of John the Baptist (v. 37), continued on to Jesus’ miracles and other good works (v. 38), then the Crucifixion and Resurrection (vv. 39–41), and finally the mission of the apostles and the church to preach this good news “and to testify that [Jesus] is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead” (v. 42). The bottom line: “Everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name” (v. 43).

When we stand before the Judge, the basis of His judgment will be faith in Him. There will be no favoritism or injustice in any form (v. 34). There will certainly be no ethnic or cultural prejudice (v. 35), a lesson Peter learned from the “sheet vision” (vv. 9–23). Everyone who trusts in Christ will go to heaven, and everyone who doesn’t will go to hell. Thankfully, Cornelius’s household responded in faith (vv. 44–48). As we come to the close of this study and this year, consider whether or not you have placed your faith in Jesus.

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Are you eager for Christ’s return? Evangelist Billy Sunday once preached: “The mission of the church—the bride of Christ, or body of Christ—is to be ready to meet the bridegroom. When the body of Christ is completed He will reveal Himself to the members who are alive and in this world at that time, and at the same moment they will be caught up to meet those who have gone on before in the air, and from that moment they are forever with the Lord.”

The “Rapture” is the name we use to talk about meeting Christ in the air, as described in today’s reading (v. 17). This will be followed by the Tribulation and then Christ’s Second Coming. From the moment Jesus ascended to the Father, the church has been looking forward to His return: “This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11).

The Thessalonians believed in Christ’s return, but it seems they thought everyone had to stay alive until that time. As pagan Gentiles, they saw death as the end, and therefore, any believer who died before His return would lose their chance at eternal life. Paul corrected that error, teaching that when Christ comes back, the dead will rise first (vv. 15–16) and those still alive will meet Him in the air (v. 17). No one who trusts in Jesus will miss out!

One day we will hear “the trumpet call of God” and “the voice of the archangel,” and our waiting will be over (v. 16). We long for this day: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever” (Rev. 11:15).

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When we characterize something as “glorious,” we mean it is spectacular, amazingly beautiful, almost defying description. The English word “glory” has its origin in the French gloire (c. 1200) meaning “the splendor of God or Christ.” Jesus is the Lord of Glory, both kingly and divine (Ps. 24:7–10). The Hebrew word for glory refers to brightness, splendor, magnificence, or majesty. What a stark contrast to His death on the cross!

Paul says the gospel is a mystery that was previously hidden (v. 7). Why? Because if the powers of evil, both human and supernatural, had understood God’s plan, “they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (v. 8). Since by Him we are saved, we, too, are part of this mystery. The resurrected Christ proved to be truly God. And one day the entire “earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord” (Hab. 2:14).

You and I were destined to share Christ’s glory from eternity past (1 Cor. 2:7; Rom. 8:17; 2 Thess. 2:14). The blessings of salvation are such that no one has ever seen anything like them and no imagination can reach the heights of what “God has prepared for those who love him” (v. 9). Our eternal future is certainly glorious!

The Spirit has revealed what was previously hidden and inconceivable: God sent His own Son to become a man, die for the sins of the world, bring in the Gentiles, and make eternal life possible for all who believe (vv. 10–12). We have seen this glory! By this same Spirit, we’re empowered to preach the wisdom of the gospel to a foolish world (vv. 6, 13; 1 Cor. 1:20–25).

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Weddings today are usually a grand event, many costing thousands of dollars. Prospective brides spend months, even years, preparing for the big day: reserving a church and a banquet hall, finding the perfect dress, ordering flowers. Often, the couple will send out a save-the-date card, inviting their friends and families to anticipate their marriage with them.

Christ’s Second Coming will be the Wedding Day of the church! Today begins the final section of our study, focusing on Christ’s return and eschatology (the study of the “last things”). Since the church is the bride, then Christ is her Bridegroom. God and Israel were often described this way in the Old Testament, with God as the faithful husband and Israel as a promiscuous wife (see Jer. 3:1–3). We’re living in what could be called the “engagement” period. John the Baptist understood this; he framed his ministry as being the “best man” (John 3:29). We’re to prepare ourselves for the Wedding Day by doing the righteous acts God gives us an opportunity to do, pictured in Revelation as fine linen to wear (Eph. 2:10; Rev. 19:7–9).

When will the big day come? We don’t know (Matt. 25:13), but Jesus charged us to be ready. In this parable, the five wise virgins brought enough oil for their lamps, but five foolish ones did not (vv. 2–4). When the bridegroom arrived, the call came: “Come out to meet him!” (v. 6). The foolish were unprepared. What were the consequences? Only the first five were allowed to enter the wedding feast with the bridegroom. The lesson? “Keep watch,” meaning that through obedience we should keep ourselves in a state of spiritual readiness “because you do not know the day or the hour” (v. 13). There is no save-the-date card for our Lord’s return!

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Did you ever think about the parallels between the biblical story of Ruth and Matthew’s account of Jesus’ birth? In Small Faith, Great God, one Bible scholar notes: “The city of David, which Ruth and Naomi reached without hope except in God, became the birthplace of the Son of God in whom all the nations would hope. That is why the kings of the world came, at Epiphany, to the city of David—to pay homage to great David’s greater Son. In doing so, they followed Ruth exactly, in coming as foreigners to acknowledge Israel’s God, Naomi’s God, as the one who is sovereign over all human affairs.”

Jesus the Messiah came as part of God’s plan for Israel and for the world (Luke 2:6; Acts 2:36). The Gentile magi, upon their unexpected and very public arrival in Jerusalem, asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?” (Luke 2:2). Herod was disturbed (v. 3), because to him the coming Messiah-King represented a potential change in the political status quo. He liked the status quo, in which he held a decent amount of power.

Resident Bible scholars knew, based on a prophecy of Micah, the birthplace of the Messiah—Bethlehem, the city of David, about six miles south of Jerusalem (vv. 5–6). The magi went there and were led by the star straight to the house with the child Jesus (vv. 9–11). “Overjoyed” at the fulfillment of their quest, “they bowed down and worshiped him” (vv. 10, 11). They also presented Him gifts worthy of a king.

Herod lied to the magi, but God warned them of his deception so they could return home another way (v. 12). How did they know the one true God and the prophecy of a Messiah? Only God knows that full story!

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“I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” was written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, following the death of his wife and in the midst of the American Civil War. The sixth stanza reads: “And in despair I bowed my head; ‘There is no peace on earth,’ I said; ‘For hate is strong, And mocks the song, Of peace on earth, good-will to men!’” Despite his grief, he clung to hope and faith: “Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: ‘God is not dead, nor doth He sleep; The Wrong shall fail, The Right prevail, With peace on earth, good- will to men.’”

Jesus was born as our Prince of Peace (v. 14; Isa. 9:6). The word “peace,” or shalom in Hebrew, means well-being, flourishing, and wholeness. Whereas sin had made us enemies of God, Christ made possible peace with God (Rom. 5:1). Sin had broken human relationships, but Christ has made possible peace witPeace is given to “those on whom his favor rests” (Luke 2:14). As we know from our month’s study, God’s “favor” or grace rests on those who trust in the name of His Son for salvation. This is the only way to please God. On our own, shalom is unattainable. That’s why Christ came, and that’s why He’ll come again. When He returns, the whole earth will enjoy shalom and worship Him alone (Isa. 9:1–10).

The shepherds modeled the best possible response to this good news (Luke 2:10–11): In faith, they heeded the angels’ message and went to find the baby (vv. 15–16). In faith, they told others about their amazing experience (vv. 17–18). In faith, they gave all the glory to God (v. 20).

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In the United States, Christmas involves lots of money. During one recent Christmas, $22.7 billion was spent in retail department stores…in December alone! Nearly 50 million Christmas trees were sold, including 27.4 million real ones and 21.1 million fake ones. And, last year, the average American family planned to spend $794 on gifts during Christmas.

It is clear that we can easily forget the true reason for the season! Christmas is first and foremost about Jesus. He came, not to usher in a heartwarming holiday but to save us from our sins (v. 21). In the words of Paul: “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23).

After Gabriel’s announcement to Mary, an angel told Joseph the news in a dream. Joseph was Mary’s fiancé, and her story of a “virgin birth” didn’t sound very believable. Still, Joseph was a good man and didn’t want to embarrass Mary publicly, so he’d decided to divorce her quietly (engagement was a more binding relationship in that culture than in ours). When the angel confirmed the truth of Mary’s news (v. 20), as did Scripture (vv. 22–23), Joseph had an important choice to make. It wasn’t automatic. He chose to trust his fiancée, trust God, believe in a humanly impossible conception, and prepare for gossip and ridicule from the world.

From this perspective, Joseph’s obedience seems extraordinary (vv. 24–25). He acted as soon as he awoke, without delay. He took a big risk in both his relationship with Mary and his walk with the Lord. By faith, he accepted the impossible as true. He even held off on consummating the marriage so there would be no questions later about the virgin birth of Christ. Last but not least, he obediently named the baby Jesus.

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Once King David was securely established on his throne, he wanted to build a temple for the Lord. God told him no, but also made a remarkable promise: “The LORD himself will establish a house for you” (2 Sam. 7:11). God’s faithful love would never be withdrawn from the line of David: “Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever” (v. 16).

And we know the rest of the story! God’s covenant with David was fulfilled in the person of Jesus, Son of David (Luke 1:32–33). Today begins a four-day stretch of Christmas readings, starting with Gabriel’s announcement to Mary, called the Annunciation. The Eternal Word would become flesh, literally, in her womb (John 1:14). God would be one of us, and be with us—Immanuel (Isa. 7:14).

The baby’s name would be Jesus, the Greek form of Joshua, meaning “the Lord saves” (Luke 1:31). He would be “the Son of the Most High” or the “Son of God,” that is, the second person of the Trinity (vv. 32, 35). As the Messiah and a descendant of King David (see the genealogies in both Matthew and Luke), He would be given the throne of David and fulfill God’s promise (vv. 32–33).

There would be no biological father, though Joseph would become Jesus’ human father. Mary was a virgin. The life inside her would be conceived by God (v. 35). This is a miracle but not necessarily that surprising, given that God is the source of all life and made the first man out of dust, the first woman out of a rib.

Mary’s response was filled with faith, submission, and humility, despite the sheer size of the news and its unprecedented nature. Gabriel encouraged her with the reminder, “No word from God will ever fail” (v. 37).

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