Christ has come. He left heaven where He was in the beginning (John 1:1) and entered the world over 2000 years ago. He came as a baby, called Jesus, born of the virgin Mary in Bethlehem (Luke 2:7). His virgin birth was predicted by the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 7:14).

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Christ also came as Emmanuel, which is translated “God with us.” The New Testament affirms that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). The term “Word” refers to Jesus Christ.

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For those who believe that Christ is God, and He is (Matthew 1:23, John 1:1), every day is a God-given opportunity to reflect on His deity. Signs were given, by Christ Himself and the apostles, which confirmed the divine nature of Jesus of Nazareth (John 20:30; Luke 9:10).

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A testimony to the miraculous power of Jesus, to cite only one, is given by Luke in his account of the story of the extraordinary catch of fish (cf. Luke 5:1-8). Peter and his associates fishermen had toiled all night in the lake of Gennesaret, but caught nothing, when Jesus ordered Peter to let down his net in the sea for a catch. The net this time came out full of fish; it was so full that it “was breaking”. Two boats on which the fishermen loaded the bundle of fish “began to sink.”

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But the most powerful of all those signs concerns His resurrection from the dead. Paul said that Jesus was “declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.” (Romans 1:4). Christ died, was buried, and rose again the third day (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). 

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Some 40 days after His resurrection, Christ went up to heaven where He is seated at the right hand of God (Acts 1:3-9; Ephesians 1:20). He now reigns as Lord, to whom “every knee should bow” and whom "every tongue should confess" (Philippians 2:10-11), because He has all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18).

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Christ has promised to come again (John 14:3). When He returns, He will judge the world (John 12:48; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Acts 17:31). He will not be saving sinners anymore then, because His mission of salvation ended with His first coming.

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Constant Coulibaly