Previously I mentioned that: ‘The fulfilments of times, as set by God in His eternal plan, are of utmost importance.’ We find that times, hours, events planned by God had a great importance in the life of Christ, they are so for every child of God. Our lives are minutely planned, this is why Jesus told His disciples, to say to our Father in their prayer: ‘Thy will be done’! All things, in details were planned in eternity before the world of time was ever created, long before Jesus ever came to earth, the plan of salvation was decided upon by God alone, and the role that each member of the Holy Trinity would have, in the fulfilment of that plan. It helps us to know that it is the Father that decides everything; the Son is the Word, meaning that He puts into words the Father’s decisions; the Holy Spirit puts the word in action and does, what the Father has decided and what the Son faithfully uttered, is created, thus, the Holy Trinity always works as one! God’s sole aim is still the restoration of His creation, to free it and cleanse it by fire, from the awfulness of sin and the chaos that was upon it, due to the fall of Lucifer, better known, as Satan. 

Let me remind you that the subject before us is: 1. ‘Who is a Christian’. 2. What is a Christian? The answer to these questions is only found in the second part of the Holy Bible, called the New Testament, you can ignore it but you cannot delete it. Men will not find the great answers they are looking for anywhere else! The salvation of man from the curse of sin is a decision made by God the Father; Jesus, His Son, having done what was essential by His death on the Cross, He raised from the dead, forty days after His resurrection, He returned to heaven from where, ten days after His ascension, having received from the Father the Holy Spirit, He baptised with the Holy Spirit His disciples, and thus brought into being the Church; in the time predestined by the Father, the Holy Spirit will present a perfect Church to Jesus Christ. The reason that there is such a person called ‘Christian’ is because God alone willed him into being. The Church is a unit, a body of Christians, of which Jesus Christ is the Head, they are people that have been chosen set aside, separated from the rest of humanity: ‘Before the foundation of the world.’ 

I have already quoted the following: “When the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. So, you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son; God has made you also an heir.” (Galatians 4: 4-7) In relation to this we have the astonishing account of the exceptional timing of the birth of Jesus and how the divine plan affected his earthly parents, as eternity and time came together. The greatest miracles, recorded in the New Testament, happened during the life time of Jesus-Christ the Son of God. If you look for excitement, read in the Bible all that concerns Jesus Christ, many like me, regard the incarnation of God the Son as the greatest miracle that ever happened! Yet it happened so naturally, it is written thus: “In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register. Such a very natural decision sparked off the greatest event that ever happened on the earth. God plans by natural means to fulfil His will.

Can you imagine what went on through the entire Roman Empire, spread over two continents? All the citizens, by every means possible, mainly on foot, had to go to the town of their origine, in the case of Joseph it had to be Bethlehem, as prophesied by the prophet Micah, who prophesied from 738 to 698 BC, during the life time of the great prophet Isaiah, He writes the following: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will rule over Israel, whose origins are from old, from ancient times.” (Micah 5:2) God likes poor people, small people, Micah was a peasant of no renown, yet he was important to God who chose him to be a prophet. Jesus too, was born in a poor family, and earned his crust at the sweat of His brow! If you know God you will be able to answer the following question correctly: ‘Did God foreknew that Caesar Augustus would call a census and decided that Jesus-Christ would be born during that time, or did He actually put it into the mind of this mighty Caesar to make this census? Whichever way, it had to happen just as Mary was ready to deliver Jesus, His son? I think that it happened not by chance but by design. In any case, Jesus had to be born in Bethlehem to fulfil the prophesy, as spoken by Micah the prophet. “Yes: ‘Times, and fulfilments of times, are in the hands of God.’ God rules or overrules every event on earth! Men can believe in Him, or be foolish enough not to, but every man will have to face Him; that is what the Almighty decided in eternity, and it will happen in His chosen time! How exciting!