This month we may celebrate the event of Christ's birth in Bethlehem in that memorable night when angels sang, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased” (Luke 2:14). It may be clear to us again that this birth is of the greatest significance for each of us personally and for all the world.

It may be good to reflect for a few moments on the fact that this birth of our Lord took place at a very precise moment. The apostle Paul alludes to this when he writes in Galatians 4: 4, “But when the time had fully come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman…” God Himself determined the exact moment in history when everything was ready for the birth of the Messiah promised many ages earlier.

Such a Strange Time?⤒🔗

It is apparently not self-evident that our Lord had to be born precisely at that time. In the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice ask the question why Christ was born in such a strange time and in such a backward place. Neither Israel nor the rest of the world had “mass communication.” If Christ had been born in our modern age, they suggest, He could instantly have reached “the whole nation” via “live” interviews on television.

Was it not a strange time for a world-wide Redeemer to be born? Could the birth of Christ not have come at a more opportune moment in history when there was, perhaps, an imperial vacuum to be filled, more global readiness to receive a new leader, and better means of communication? Who would really care about a king born under obscure circumstances and in a remote place without the benefit of the power of the modern media?

Of course, the question posed by Lloyd Webber and Rice betrays their lack of biblical knowledge. Careful reading of Scripture demonstrates that according to God's Word the Messiah was to be born at a carefully determined time.

The Fullness of Time←⤒🔗

The apostle Paul literally uses the expression, “the fullness of time.” The word fullness indicates that the preceding time has indeed come to its fulfillment. Everything is ready, and therefore, in God's wise counsel, the birth may no longer be postponed. The time has come.

The expression, “fullness of time” suggests that a certain period of time, characterized by constant preparation, has finally come to its conclusion. At the same time it means that a new era has definitely begun! The birth of Christ marks the close of an era and the beginning of a new period in the history of the world.

The words, “when the fullness of time had come,” make clear that history can be divided into two specific periods of time. These periods are different, yet related. The one is a time of preparation, while the other is a time of fulfillment. The one period of time cannot stand on its own but seeks its fulfillment in the other. Christ was born when all preparations had been made and when, according to God's plan, the conditions were perfect.

From this expression, “the fullness of time,” we may learn that the birth of Christ propels the whole world into a new era. Christ's birth is a decisive event. Everything was moving towards this event and this event now determines all that still follows in the history of the world.

The Centre of History←⤒🔗

We may conclude that the event which we celebrate at Christmas is the central event in the history of the world. God was guiding all things towards this birth as a focal point. All previous history makes sense only when seen in this light. Time had only one purpose: to come to its fullness, to the moment when the Messiah would be born.

This also means that all events since then only make sense when seen as being connected to this birth. Whereas the time before Christmas was focused on the birth of Christ, the time after Christmas is focused on the return of Christ.

Christ is the centre of history. Without Him, time has no real meaning or function. He binds the ages together and molds them into a unity. Therefore all time must be measured and esteemed from out of this centre. Take away the birth of Christ, and time becomes fragmented and disjointed, without any cohesion or direction. Take Christ out of your life, and it, too, like time, becomes senseless.

Maybe here lies the reason why Christ was born in a time without “mass communication.” Television is a deceptive medium; it only gives fragments of what is really happening. God's Word gives us the whole picture.

Many people may celebrate Christmas. But often “Christmas” is isolated from its true context as central fact in the history of the world. People do not see in the birth of Christ a fulfilling of previous ages and a decisive step towards the end of all the ages. “Christmas” is then celebrated merely as a nostalgic tradition instead of the central event in the history of redemption.

The Perfection of Time←⤒🔗

At Christmas, many people only look back for a few moments to reflect on that moving story of a child laid in a manger. Nostalgia prevails. But Christians must look forward. The “fullness of time” directs us to the perfection of time, when the second period of history is completed with the return of Christ.

The period after Christ's birth is also of a preparatory character. Everything that happens in the world today has only one goal and purpose: to open the way for the glorious return of the Lord. He who once came in deep humiliation, will return with heavenly majesty. On that day time will be perfected, that is, it will have perfectly reached its goal: the establishment of a new heaven and a new earth.

When that has happened, we no longer need “time” as we know it. There will be no more counting of hours, days, months, or years. We will not move anymore from one mournful period to another. The pain of transition will have disappeared.

Behold the dwelling place of God is with men. He will dwell with them and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be with them; He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.Revelation 21: 3,4

This Christmas, at our house, as we remember the “fullness of time,” we will look forward to the perfection of time, when we will all be home, together, with Christ.