Dear Friends,

December sees us in the season of Advent in the Calendar of the Church. Advent starts on Sunday, 1st December, and takes us up to Christmas day. Advent is derived from the ancient Latin language and means "coming". In Advent we are directed specially to think about and meditate upon the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus has come in the past. Jesus comes in the present. Jesus is coming in the future. These three "comings" of Jesus are all referred to in Revelation 1:4 - 7. In my letter this month, I would like to say a few words about each.

JESUS HAS COME. This is his advent which we remember and celebrate at Christmas. It happened in history over 2000 years ago. Revelation 1:5 speaks of it. "Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the first born from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth".

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, although he is eternal God, he took our human nature and became a man. He came down to our world at this time to live, and to die, and to rise again from death. He then ascended back to heaven to rule and reign over our world. This is why Revelation 1:5 speaks of his coming in this way.

The birth of Jesus cannot stand alone. He was born and took our humanity so that he could take our place and represent us before God in heaven. He came to suffer in our place. He came to save us from the judgment of God due upon our sins. So he took responsibility for our sins, died and suffered hell upon the cross in our place. When he rose from the dead, he showed he had really done this. When he ascended back to heaven to reign he started to save people from their sins by the merit and virtue of his death.

We celebrate Christmas because Jesus, the Saviour of the world, was born. So Joseph was told to call his name Jesus. Why? Because he was to save his people from their sins. St. Matthew 1: 21.

JESUS COMES. Jesus comes today to everyone who truly calls to him to come to them and be their Saviour and Lord. He comes to them through the Holy Spirit as he promised in John 14:18. "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you."

This coming today is what Revelation 1:5b,6 is talking about when we read, "To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood; and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God and Father." Jesus does love us even though we are in God's view and estimation real and vile sinners. When we call to Jesus to come and save us, he frees us from our sins by his blood. 'His blood' is another way of saying he has died to take our punishment. Our experience then is spiritually wonderful, for we have a deep sense that we are freed from the guilt of our sins before God. We experience a new power to combat temptation in the our lives. We know that we are welcomed by God into his presence, and prayer becomes a new experience in communication with the living God. We joyfully live for God.

JESUS IS COMING. Jesus is going to return to this earth sometime in the future. He will come with power and great glory. He will come as almighty king over the earth, and everyone will be compelled to submit to and acknowledge his power and authority. This future coming is what Revelation 1:7 is speaking of when we read -- "Look, He is coming with clouds, and every eye shall see him, even those who pierced him; all peoples of the earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be! Amen."

The Christian Creed has the words in it describing his future coming -- "from their (Heaven) Jesus will come to judge the living and the dead."

The coming of Jesus in the future will bring in the end of this world as we know it. Everyone living at the time will be judged by Jesus, and everyone who has died will also be judged, as they will be raised to life to face this judgment. The words in Revelation speak of the peoples of the Earth mourning because of him, because the majority of people will face condemnation, and a sentence of eternal punishment in Hell. They will receive this eternal suffering, not simply because they have sinned against God, for all are sinners; but because they refused to call on Jesus, in this life, to come and save them from their sins and this judgment.

All those who received Jesus as Saviour in this life will find this future coming of Jesus a time of great joy. They will not be judged for their sins, because Jesus has received that judgment for them on the cross, and their sins have been completely washed away. They will hear the glorious words of Jesus -- "Come, you are blessed of my Father, receive the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world." All these saved ones will be with Jesus in the new heaven and new earth that Jesus will create after this judgment.

The COMINGS or ADVENTS OF JESUS are all linked together. If Jesus had not come at Bethlehem, there would be no escape from hell for any of us for ever. Now, because Jesus came at Bethlehem and won eternal forgiveness on the cross, he offers to come now and save us, and wash away all our sins, because he has borne the punishment in our place. Those who receive him will rejoice when he comes in the future. Those who reject him will mourn.

Will Jesus truly come in the future in this way. Yes, He will! Just as he promised to come at Bethlehem and did so; so he has also promised to come in the future, and he will indeed come.

Are you ready for that coming in the future, so that you will rejoice, or are you still rejecting Jesus so that you will mourn on that day. I beg you to receive Jesus now as your Saviour and Lord, so that when he comes again at the last day you will be welcomed into heaven and not cast into Hell.

Your servant for Christ's sake,