The Christmas Star

 

Image uploaded from https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p091mqb1

During the 2020 Christmas season, ending a year like no other, the world  experienced a celestial event not seen for nearly 800 years, and first seen during the first coming of Jesus Christ more than two millennia ago.

That event was the Christmas Star, an unusual cross-shaped “star,” which is actually the conjunction of two planets, Jupiter and Saturn. As they moved closer to one another and appeared to cross each other’s path (while still more than a billion miles apart), our human eyes interpreted the image as a single bright orb at the intersection of two perpendicular beams, the longer of which is aligned vertically and the shorter aligned horizontally, forming a cross.

Scripture tells us that wise men seeking the prophesied King and Messiah followed this “star,” which guided their path (Matthew 2:1-2) until it came to rest over the house in Egypt where the young child Jesus lived with His parents (Matthew 2:9-11). They had fled from Israel where the jealous, cruel and insecure King Herod had ordered the death of all male infants, as he believed that one of them would grow up to steal his throne ((Matthew 2:13-16).

How amazing that this guiding light took the form of a cross, signifying that Lord Jesus Christ came to die. The perfect, sinless Son of God (Hebrews 4:15) took on human flesh (John 1:14) and entered our world as a frail newborn, to grow to manhood not only to be a great Teacher, Prophet (Matthew 16:14) and Healer (John 3:2), but to die an agonizing death on the cross (Matthew 26:2). Other symbols foreshadowing His death were the swaddling clothes (Luke 2:7), similar to strips of gauze used to wrap a corpse for burial, and the gift of myrrh brought by one of the wise men (Matthew 2:11), also used for anointing the dead (John 19:39).

Only through this extreme punishment of crucifixion, entailing not only physical but emotional suffering from rejection by His chosen people (Mark 15:13), betrayal by His closest followers (Luke 22:33-34), and separation from His Heavenly Father (Matthew 27:46), could the Lamb of God pay our sin debt in full (John 1:29). Thanks to Christ’s sacrifice on the cross (Hebrews 10:10), all who trust in that sacrifice as the only Way to Heaven (John 14:6) are guaranteed eternal life with Him there, and with all our loved ones in Him.

So why did the Christmas Star reappear two millennia after Christ's birth? Only God knows the answer, but it clearly seems to be a reminder of Christ’s first advent as Savior. God then showed His infinite love by sending His only begotten Son to die and rise again from the dead, so that all who trust Him would have eternal life (John 3:16; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4).

In today’s world of pandemics, chaos and division, such a reminder is so sorely needed as a shining glimmer of hope, of assurance that God loves us (1 John 4:8) and has a plan, even though we often fail to understand it. His ways and thoughts are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9), and He works all things together for good for those who love Him, who are the called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).

Even those who are unsaved are seeking understanding and peace in these troubled times. Might the Christmas Star remind us to be a light in the lost, dark world (Matthew 5:14), and to use this heavenly phenomenon to draw others closer to Jesus Christ through our witness?

How interesting that the 2020 Christmas Star shone most brightly on December 21, which marks the winter solstice, or shortest day of the year. In the church calendar, this date traditionally honors John the Baptist, who realized that he must decrease in importance and leadership as Jesus Christ increased (John 3:30). We would do well to follow his perspective in our own lives, seeking not our own self-glorification, but Christ’s preeminence (Colossians 1:18).

The Christmas Star was most visible shortly after sunset, perhaps as a sign that the light of Christ, the Morning Star (Revelation 22:16), shines most brightly in the darkness, when the new light of dawn still seems so far away.

Yet the signs of the times (Matthew 24) clearly herald the Lord’s soon return, His second advent not as the suffering Savior, but as the righteous Judge (Revelation 19:11) and triumphant King of Kings (Revelation 17:14) and Lord of Lords! The first Christmas Star announced the first advent of Jesus Christ as a babe in the manger – might its return herald Christ’s second advent?

Jesus Christ indicated that among other signs of His soon return, there would be signs in the sun, moon, and stars. In 2025, there were two solar eclipses, two lunar eclipses, and  three supermoons. Other signs of the End Times include great dismay among the nations (Luke 21:25), wars and rumors of wars, famine, plagues, earthquakes, false prophets, Christian persecution, and lack of natural affection, which is so evident in all the domestic violence and hate crimes that populate the news of today (Matthew 24:6-12). 

Only the Father knows the day and the hour of the first phase of the second advent (Mark 13:30-33), namely Christ’s return for His children, calling them up in the Rapture, to meet with Him in the air and to live with Him forever (1 Corinthians 15:51-54).

Might the Christmas Star also be a reminder to look up (Luke 21:28), as the final stage of our redemption draws near?

© 2020 Laurie Collett

Edited, expanded, and reposted from the archives

Now is the Time!

Photo by Donatas Dabravolskas 2024

One day, I believe very soon, Jesus Christ will meet with His church, or His called-out assembly of believers, in the clouds. Without warning, we will instantaneously be changed into immortal, glorified bodies that will never sin, die, age, sin, or experience death, pain or sorrow. In these bodies, we will rise to meet Him and all our loved ones in Him, and live with them in Heaven throughout eternity. Praise God for this glorious promise and living hope (1 Peter 1:13) of the Rapture! (1 Corinthians 15: 35-57).

As students of history have seen proven over and over, any attempt to predict the date of Christ’s second coming only makes the self-proclaimed “prophet” look foolish. Just recently, a pastor in South Africa convinced his flock that the Rapture would occur on September 23 or 24, and urged them to quit their jobs, sell their homes and all their possessions. 

He even issued instructions for how to be Raptured, which did not mention the necessity of being saved by faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) as the only Way to Heaven (John 14:6). Instead, he told his followers to stand up, hold their arms out to the sides, relax and look up, for if they looked back at the Earth, they would turn to a pillar of salt, as did Lot's wife (Genesis 19:26). Not only does this fail to rightly divide the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15), but it seems incredibly time-consuming for an event that Jesus told us would happen in the "twinkling of an eye!" (1 Corinthians 15:52)

Sadly, such false prophecies discourage and even devastate those gullible enough to believe them, while discrediting and making a mockery of Christians’ well-placed faith in the Rapture. As Christ so clearly told His disciples,

Matthew 24:36: But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

Nonetheless, Christ clearly wanted us all to be aware of the signs that would precede and build up to His second coming, as He further described to His disciples in the Olivet discourse (Matthew 24), including men falsely claiming to be Christ (v. 5); wars and rumors of wars (v. 6-7); famines, diseases, and earthquakes in varied and unexpected places (v. 7), persecution of Christians (v. 9), false prophets (v. 11), and spread of the Gospel message to all nations (v. 14).

These general signs will culminate in a very specific sign, the “abomination of desolation,” (v. 15). The Antichrist, who will have been regarded as a peacemaker and messiah, will desecrate the holy temple in Jerusalem, most likely by slaughtering a swine on the altar, clearly revealing that he is not the promised one the Jews are awaiting, but quite the opposite. This ushers in the great tribulation (v. 21) and ultimately Christ’s second coming (v. 30).

As we hear of all that is going on the world today we must realize that all these general signs are present and increasing, suggesting that the second coming will be very soon. Even more exciting is the realization that before Christ returns with His armies of believers to fight the battle of Armageddon (Revelation16:16), the Rapture must happen at least seven years before! So, as close at it seems the second coming must be, based on the signs of the times, it is actually seven years closer!

Of course, even the disciples who watched as Christ ascended into Heaven believed, as we do, that Christ’s return is imminent, meaning that it could occur at any time. God’s timing is always perfect, and His sense of time is very different than ours (2 Peter 3:8). We can thank Him for what we experience as a delay in His return, because it gives more souls an opportunity to be saved (2 Peter 3:9), and because it gives us more time to lead others to him and to win crowns to lay at His feet.

The world mocks Christians for believing that Christ will come again (2 Peter 3:3-4), but we can be blessed by knowing that we can have the crown of righteousness to lay at His feet just by eagerly looking forward to His second coming! (2 Timothy 4:8). Although we don’t know what day or hour the Rapture will occur, we do know for certain that it is closer today than it was yesterday, and that we should live each day as if it were our last before He comes again!

Matthew 24:44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

And we also know that for those who don’t yet know Christ, that now is the time for salvation. We’re not promised tomorrow, so let’s be ready for His sure, imminent return, and waste no time in telling others about Him. Let's make sure that we and our loved ones are saved, that we are yielding to the Holy Spirit daily, following His Word and doing His work!

 

2 Corinthians 6: 2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

Copyright Laurie Collett 2011 

Reposted from the archives, edited and expanded 

What Time Is It?

 

I recently dreamt that I was attending a large congress held at a hotel, and it is the last day of conference activities. My mother calls and says I should get home before midnight, as my father is there. I realize that the home where I grew up is a 3-hour car ride from the hotel; I still have to pack; and I have no idea what time it is.

I have to attend the last lecture, for which I’m already late. A well-known Broadway director is lecturing and gives me a dirty look as I try to sneak in unobtrusively. I look for a seat in the darker part of the auditorium, but the only empty seat there is a high chair, like a director’s chair.

Once settled in, I look around for clocks but there aren’t any. When the lecture is over I leave and look for clocks in the hallways and lobby but there are none. I’m surprised to find myself in what looks like an ICU. Seven patients are in beds with monitors and lines, each with a clock over the bed, but they all show different times. One of the clocks is like a melting Dali clock with all the numbers on the left side.

There is only one staff member present, a nurse. I ask if she knows what time it is and she yells, “Can you please keep your voice down!” She points to the clock behind her, on which the hands show 9:50, and says “It’s 10:10.” I reply “You mean 10 till 10?” She yells again, “Can’t you even tell time?”

As I realize I’m not going to make it home in time, or accomplish what I need to before time runs out, I awaken in a panic.

When contemplating the meaning of the dream, the overriding theme seemed to be not having enough time to do what needed to be done, and even worse, not knowing how much time was left.

Much of my professional life has been spent in large conference or meeting settings, first as an academic neurologist teaching, giving lectures, or as an expert witness in a courtroom. More recently, my husband and I have danced at competitions or performances held in large hotels, venues or theatres. Deadlines and time constraints always loomed large in these settings, but at least the boundaries and expectations were clear.

The dream had more of a sense of urgency, as I didn’t know when I would be called upon or how much time had already elapsed. I had to return to my parents’ home, which I believe symbolized Heaven, as both parents have passed into eternity. I didn’t know how much time I had to get there, only that there were many demands on my time before I left.

Arriving late to the lecture and not being able to sneak in suggests that I already feel like I am falling behind in the race God has set before me (1 Corinthians 9:24; Hebrews 12:1), and that my tardiness will be found out. The elevated chair may represent attention falling on my being late, or perhaps that I will unexpectedly be called on to speak or to assume more of a leadership role. We are to be ready to witness to the Gospel any time – in season or out of season (2 Timothy 4:2).

But again the nagging question – how much time do I have before the Lord calls me home, or before the Rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; 1 Corinthians 15:51-54), when no born-again Christian (John 3:3-8) will be left behind to complete the Lord’s unfinished business?

In the dream I sensed time was running out, but there were no clocks to tell me how quickly. The clocks in the ICU were all set to different times, perhaps reflecting the different numbers of days remaining that the Lord has appointed to each of us (Psalm 90:10). The surrealistic, distorted clock with all the numbers on the left side of the face may indicate how time seems to move more swiftly the older we get.

Perhaps the nurse did not want me to upset the patients by alerting them to the lateness of the hour, for her yelling at me suggested that noise levels were not her main concern. She did nothing to clarify how late it was, but chided me for being able to figure it out for myself.

Once we are saved by trusting in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) as the only Way to Heaven (John 14:6), our time is not our own, for we are bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:20). The hour is coming when no man can work (John 9:4), and when we will give an account at the judgment for how we spent our time, talent and treasure when we had the opportunity (1 Corinthians 3:13-15).

We are not promised tomorrow (James 4:14), and no man knows the day or the hour of our Lord’s return (Matthew 24:36,44; 25:13). But we do know that it is one day closer today than it was yesterday, and that yesterday’s hours are gone forever.

Man has created a “Doomsday Clock,” predicting the time of Earth’s apocalyptic destruction based on the likelihood of nuclear war and other annihilating forces. The planet has never been closer to midnight than we are now – just seconds away. But man’s “wisdom” pales next to God’s infinite knowledge of eternity past and eternity future.

Although no one knows when the Rapture will occur, Jesus taught us about the signs of the times (Matthew 16:3), indicating His soon return. As He predicted (Matthew 24), these have been like labor pains, intensifying in frequency and intensity. Just browse the headlines and you’ll see it all unfolding – wars, rumors of wars, plague, famine, evil running rampant, false prophets, apostasy, family members killing one another, earthquakes, signs in the sky, with blood-red moons (Joel 2:31; Acts 2:20) and even blood-red skies, recently reported in China.

May we not be alarmed by these devastating events but rather reassured that Christ’s plan is unfolding before our eyes, and that His return is ever so near. May we redeem the time in these evil days (Ephesians 5:16), and be not weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not! (Galatians 6:9). May we look up, for our redemption draws nigh! (Luke 21:28).

© 2022 Laurie Collett