At Christmas, we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Christmas also reminds us of the Parousia, which is the second coming of Christ. Christmas is not just an event that happened in the past, but it leads us to what is yet to come. In Rev 1:13-16, John, the apostle, declares, “in the midst of the lampstands I saw one like the Son of Man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash across His chest. His head and His hair were white as white wool, white as snow; his eyes were like a flame of fire; His feet were like burnished bronze, refined as in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. In His right hand He held seven stars, and from His mouth came a sharp, two-edged sword, and His face was like the sun shining with full force.”

Jesus’ first coming was with great humility. He was born in a lowly manger. In the second coming, He will come in glory. Then, will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory (Mt 24:30).  This Jesus will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven (Acts 1:11). The season of Christmas increases the longing in our hearts for the promise to be fulfilled of the Lord’s second coming. For those us who await for His second coming, sense this intense longing to behold our Saviour, this constant pining also prepares us to be alert and ready to see Him again. Christmas, the first coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, also prepares us for His second coming. Christmas is a promise already fulfilled with His first coming. Very few recognised the little baby as their Saviour. He is coming again, and all will see and recognise Him as the Lord and Saviour. Therefore, God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Ph 2)

Scripture teaches us on how to prepare ourselves to behold our Lord.

Beloved: The grace of God has appeared, saving all and training us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live temperately, justly, and devoutly in this age, as we await the blessed hope, the appearance of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ, who gave Himself or us to deliver us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for Himself a people as his own, eager to do what is good. (Ti 2: 11-14).

Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand (Ja 5: 7-8).

For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man (Mt 24:27).

For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man (Mt 24:37).

“Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done” (Rev 22:12).

And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. (1 Jh 2:28).

For, “Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay (Heb 10:37).

Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Th 5:23).

“But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” (Lk 21:34-36)

The Day of the Lord (2 Peter 3: 1-18) as follows:
1 Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. 2 I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles. 3 Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4 They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” 5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. 8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. 11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. 14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. 15 Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. 16 He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. 17 Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

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