{"id":4233,"date":"2025-12-03T07:00:21","date_gmt":"2025-12-03T07:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cornerstonecem.org\/blog\/?p=4233"},"modified":"2025-11-30T23:02:47","modified_gmt":"2025-11-30T23:02:47","slug":"two-comings-of-christ","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cornerstonecem.org\/blog\/two-comings-of-christ\/","title":{"rendered":"Two Comings of Christ"},"content":{"rendered":"

Wednesday, December 3<\/strong><\/p>\n

Two Comings of Christ <\/strong><\/p>\n

The LORD says, “Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are one of the smallest towns in Judah, but out of you I will bring a ruler for Israel, whose family line goes back to ancient times.” Micah 5:2<\/strong><\/p>\n

Advent means coming and it invites us to remember two comings of Christ.<\/p>\n

At first when we look back to the fragile beginning of the Messiah\u2019s life: a helpless infant, delivered into the cold night air, wrapped in cloth, laid in a manger. Second, we look forward to his return as the reigning King who will make all things right. To feel the weight of these promises, we step into Jeremiah\u2019s world. The future of God\u2019s people was bleak. The Babylonian army surrounded Jerusalem. Political collapse, cultural annihilation, and exile seemed inevitable. The golden era of King David was long gone only a fading memory slipping toward extinction. It was a moment drenched in fear, failure, and the sense that God\u2019s promises had run out.<\/p>\n

Jeremiah proclaimed a hard truth: Israel\u2019s suffering was the fruit of their own rebellion. Their leaders weak, unjust, spiritually compromised had dragged the people down with them. King Zedekiah, desperate to preserve his own power, silenced Jeremiah by imprisoning him.<\/p>\n

Yet it is from inside that prison cell that hope breaks in.<\/p>\n

God speaks again, and this time His words shine like a lamp in a dark cave:<\/p>\n

\u201cI will raise up a righteous Branch for David.\u201d <\/em>A King is coming one unlike any they had known. He will be marked by justice, compassion, and uprightness. His leadership won\u2019t be corrupted by fear or selfishness. His people will live in safety because his righteousness will guard them.<\/p>\n

Centuries later, Gabriel\u2019s announcement to Mary reveals the identity of that promised King\u00a0 – \u201cThe Lord God will give him the throne of his father David.\u201d<\/em> (Luke 1:32). And when Jesus steps onto the public stage, Nathanael sees what Jeremiah foresaw and exclaims – \u201cYou are the King of Israel!\u201d<\/em> (John 1:49)<\/p>\n

Advent calls us to listen again to Jeremiah\u2019s promise. To remember that God sends a King who represents His people perfectly a King who is neither corrupt nor afraid, who does not waver in justice or love, who does not abandon His people in their suffering.<\/p>\n

Jesus is that King.<\/p>\n

And he is coming again.<\/p>\n

King Jesus!<\/p>\n

Prayer for today<\/strong>: You are the righteous Branch promised to Jeremiah. When the world feels unsteady and the future dark, remind us that Your kingdom is unshakable. Teach us to trust Your justice, Your compassion, and Your unfailing presence. During this Advent season, turn our hearts toward Your coming the child in the manger and the King who will return in glory. Amen.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wednesday, December 3 Two Comings of Christ The LORD says, “Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are one of the smallest towns in Judah, but out of you I will bring a ruler for Israel, whose family line goes back to ancient times.” Micah 5:2 Advent means coming and it invites us to remember two comings of Christ. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4233","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cornerstonecem.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4233","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cornerstonecem.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cornerstonecem.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cornerstonecem.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cornerstonecem.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4233"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cornerstonecem.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4233\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4234,"href":"https:\/\/cornerstonecem.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4233\/revisions\/4234"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cornerstonecem.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4233"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cornerstonecem.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4233"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cornerstonecem.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4233"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}