Christmas and the Second Coming

"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you." (Zechariah 9:9)

The Old Testament book of Zechariah is a fascinating book. If you want to know about the last days and the end of the world, it's a great place to go. One of the most intriguing verses in Zechariah is the one above. Of course, we understand it to be speaking of our Lord and His first advent. (advent: "the coming of Christ into the world." ~dictionary.com)

And so this verse in Zechariah is really a verse about our Lord's first coming. In particular it predicts that the Messiah would ride on a donkey into the city of David. He did that.

Now, for practical purposes it's not a stretch to refer to Zechariah 9:9 as a "Christmas" verse. It has to do with Christ's coming into the world, His initial coming/advent. (advent also means: "a coming into place, view, or being; arrival." ~dictionary.com) And when you understand the very next verse following Zechariah 9:9, I think it'll come all the more into focus...

And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem; and the bow of war will be cut off. And He will speak peace to the nations; and His dominion will be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. (Zechariah 9:10)

This next verse is about the second coming/advent. Zechariah 9:10 is about our Lord's return! Do you see that? (Read it again.)

And isn't it interesting? Zechariah 9:9 predicts the first coming/advent (Christmas!). Zechariah 9:10 predicts the second coming/advent (another "Christmas" event!). And what makes it even more awesome is the fact that the two events are so intertwined.

It is not without purpose that God the Father spoke to Zechariah to record both the first and second coming predictions together like this in one verse and then in the next. I hope you can gain the import of this.

And here's the point: The first verse is a guarantee on the second. Are you hearing me?!

Zechariah 9:9 ~ and Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey 2,000 years ago ~ it's a guarantee of His coming the second time!! You can take it to the bank. You can bet your life on it (and life's savings). There is no other event in the future that is more set on the calendar (in cement) than Jesus coming back to planet earth.

Does that change how you see things in your country and world?

(The Last Judgment, by Jean Cousin the Younger in the public domain: click here. PD-US)

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