When the war ended, we were in Germany and faced the danger of forced repatriation.  The Yalta Agreement of 1945 between Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt allowed the Red Army to abduct everyone who had previously lived on the territory occupied by the Soviet Union. 

Capture meant banishment to Siberia. For some - immediate execution.  I still remember the horror on the faces of my parents as we fled into the forest to escape capture by the Soviet Army. Unable to return to our adopted home in Poland, much less to our real home in Russia, for years to come we became known as “Displaced Persons.”

Today the world has become even more dangerous. The wanton cruelty of radical Moslems numbs the mind. Some refer to the war with ISIS as World War III. Where can we find “a place of quiet rest” and reassurance in the midst of all this chaos and destruction?  It can be found only in God’s presence. Near to the heart of God.

In the case of the prophet Isaiah it was the Jerusalem temple. Anxious about Israel’s future, following the death of  King Uzziah who had reigned over Israel for 52 years, Isaiah sought solace and reassurance in God’s house. 

While in the temple, the prophet had a vision of God “seated on a throne, high and exalted,” surrounded by seraphs declaring His holiness (Is. 6:1,3). As he beheld  the glory and holiness of God, Isaiah’s focus shifted. His main concern now became his own sinful condition and that of his people.  He understood that Israel’s safety lay in their recognition of God as their King and Lord Almighty. He immediately volunteered to become God’s spokesman to his own people.

More than twenty seven hundred years have passed since Isaiah’s time. God is still on His throne, high, exalted and in full control of the world He created. 

God’s plan to redeem mankind from its enslavement to sin was put into operation even before the creation of the world (I Pet. 1:20).  In Galatians 4:4 the ap. Paul reminds us that in Jesus, God took on human flesh, “when the right time came.” In other words, Jesus was born at a time regarded by God as the ideal time for our redemption.    

From the human perspective the conditions under which Jesus was born and ministered were anything but ideal. Once sin entered the human heart, the world never again experienced an “ideal time.” In fact, the times of Jesus were especially cruel, as attested by the use of the cross as an instrument of punishment.  Yet, from God’s perspective it was the ideal time for the incarnation of His Son and His redemptive mission on earth.

Much like our world today, the world into which Jesus was born was in great turmoil.  The census ordered by Caesar Augustus caused a massive migration that threatened even the very birth of Jesus. It forced Mary to undertake a journey of some eighty miles when she was in her ninth month of pregnancy.  Before Jesus turned two, His family was forced to flee to Egypt in order to escape the wrath of King Herod. Upon their return to Israel, fearing Herod’s son, the family sought safety in Gentile Galilee. 

Today, as we contemplate the future of mankind, we need not be anxious. It is said that “timing is everything” and God’s timing is always perfect. Even as Jesus’ first appearance on earth occurred just at the right time, He will also return just at the right time to rescue those who put their trust in Him. 

 

Instead of focusing on the events of the day, it would be wiser to focus on God’s glory and His holiness.  Then, as Isaiah did, we need to plead with the people among whom we live to turn to God in repentance and acknowledge His lordship over us before Christ returns to judge the world. 
    
What better time to do this than the Christmas Season!
Have a joyous Christmas!

Dr. George Boltniew