Christmas Stories Part III
I had a dream. In this dream, I was translated into the very presence of God and, being there, he was privileged to witness a great heavenly convocation. All the members of the heavenly order had gathered around the great throne of God, and, from every direction, the angels and arch angels came riding in upon the wings of the wind. The atmosphere was electric as though something of cosmic significance was about to transpire.
Suddenly, a great voice spoke from the throne of God, voice filled with agony and repentance. For the one whom he had crowned with glory, with the glory of His own image had fallen. Man had sinned, he disobeyed God, he refused friendship with his creator, he forsook his loyalty to the one whom loyalty was mightily due. Man had there by subjected his own soul and all of God’s creation to the prince of the power of darkness, and to the judgement and curse of death.
God was grieved and cried out with deep compassion. “Who will go down and bring mankind back to me, who will go down and restore unto me the joy of my creation?” There was strange discomforting silence, and, after a while, from the back of the throne Uriel spoke up, the angel of light, and he said, “Father, send me, and I will go down and illuminate the habitations of man. I will display the great shekinah of God, and the wonder of your creation. Then man will see something of your glory and power. Then he will come to you in repentance.”
And God smiled and God said, “Uriel, your thoughts were to be honored and your intentions are noble, but I am not a magician, and a mere display of power is not enough to bring man back to me.”
Then Raphael spoke up, the angel of the mind, and Raphael said, “Father, send me and I will go down and illumine the mind of man. I will teach them the great truths of your most holy and righteous law. I will instruct them in the great doctrines of the way of salvation. Under the influence of this knowledge, man will understand the logical necessity for repentance.” God was silent, then he nodded his head slowly and said, “Raphael, indeed man must be taught the doctrines of the faith, but doctrine alone will not bring man back to me for doctrine is not the essence of the faith.”
Then Gabriel spoke up, you remember Gabriel, the angel of the heavenly son, and Gabriel said, “Father, send me and I will down and chant the great anthems of praise, ‘Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty.’ I will sing to your most holy majesty and man will be made to feel something of your presence and power. In this way man will know that you are God and will come to you in repentance and remorse.” God looked at Gabriel with deep understanding and love and God said, “Gabriel, titillating the emotions of man and inducing in him a feeling regret is not enough to bring him back to me.”
Then Michael spoke up, the angel of the sword, and he said, “Father send me. I will go down and declare your wrath upon the earth. I will show man something of the terror of your judgement and man will fear you. This fear will drive man back to you.” And God said, “Michael, even the demons fear and tremble and remain demons still. Fear alone will not bring man back to me.”
And there was another great silence across heaven, a silence pregnant with expectancy and wonder. Then, suddenly, a light shone forth, a light likened unto the great theophany of the Son of God. And a voice spoke up from about the center of the convocation, a voice of love and compassion. And the angels bowed down, and arch angels bowed down and cherubim and seraphim all bowed down and Jesus said, “Father, send me, and I will go down and love mankind. I will become poor so that in my poverty man will be made rich. I will bear the sin, the guilt and shame of man and I will suffer death on a rough, rugged, wooden cross. My death, my blood will bring man back to you.
And there was great shout of triumph and heaven rejoiced. The angels chanted in great chorus, “Go down, thou Son of Man, go down, go down, for only you and you alone can save mankind, only you can rescue man from eternal death.”
18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about[a]: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet[b] did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,[c]because he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”[d] (which means “God with us”).
Matthew 1;18-23
