1st Coming - Understand Prophecy - Yamartino
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Chapter 9 of  60

There would have been no one to whom you could have turned for true guidance; no one who could have led you. All those who were regarded with respect, who were noted for their wisdom and faith, and who seemed to understand the scriptures, nevertheless, would have had the wrong "picture" of the coming Messiah. These same people who completely misunderstood the meaning of the scriptures, however, would have been the very people you would have been brought up to obey and revere (9:16)

Furthermore, although the religious leaders of Christ's time were completely wrong in their understanding of the scriptures, still they did not cease to pray for the Messiah to come. They continued to long for the peace, justice, and victory promised them in their sacred scripture. These same people who ignored, rejected, and even persecuted Christ, in their hearts beseeched God to send the Messiah to fulfill the ancient prophecies which their ancestors had longed to see. If you had asked those at the time of Christ, "Will you accept the Messiah when he comes?", no doubt they would have replied, "Accept? We'll lay down our very lives for so Holy a One!" (9:17)

But how would they have identified the Holy One? Prophecies are words, not pictures. The "picture" comes from the mind of those trying to understand the prophecy, not from the prophecy itself. At the time of Christ, there was no infallible authority that could interpret the words or provide the key that would explain their secrets and inner meanings, and thus lead the people to identify the Christ. Since there was no infallible authority, the seeker could not rely on his fellow men for guidance (9:18)

So who could the seeker have relied on? The only answer that makes sense to me is God, alone. For the seeker at the time of Christ, only an attitude of humble supplication to God and acceptance of His Will could have ensured that he would have recognized Him (9:19)

The conditions at the time of Christ were certainly perplexing, and the choices facing seekers of truth formidable. What greater predicament, in fact, could be imagined than the one that faced the people living at the time of Christ. Their choices were bewildering, never simple, and they were fraught with sacrifice. The choices of those who witnessed the birth of Christianity involved ultimately the severing of many ties - ties both of blood and of faith. Choices, however, made in humility and purity of heart held the promise, not only of forging new ties, transcending both blood and faith and all human limitations, but also of leading the seekers themselves to the one everlasting tie with God's Beloved Son (9:20)

This story of Christ's Coming into the world, moreover, continues in our time; it did not end in first century Israel. We too have choices to make. Until we recognize Christ at His Return, we, like those who lived at the time of His First Coming, cannot claim to understand the meaning of prophecies about our own time. We likewise have no one to whom we can turn for guidance except God. And for us too, only decisions made in humility and purity of heart can lead us to recognize the Christ at His Second Coming (9:21)

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