The Extra-Celestial

When God created and placed Adam in the garden of Eden and then made Eve from Adam's side, they were brand new. There is no indication from the bible that they had any previous existence nor is there any indication that any of the rest of us did.

There is one person, however, who did exist before coming to earth. Jesus (the second Adam), came down from heaven.

The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second man is the Lord from heaven.[i]

Jesus said;

And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.[ii]

Jesus is called the Creator:

For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.[iii]

All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.[iv]

So, you see, Jesus is not, nor ever was, an extraterrestrial being. He is the extra-celestial being. He came to earth from another realm. He came from the presence of the Father, God.

Jesus is a man, but he is not merely a man. He is God who has become flesh.

Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.[v]

As we think upon Jesus’ birth, let us remember that he was born to die. Consistently, in the scriptures, we see the connection between his birth and his death.

The wise men[vi] brought gifts from the east for the child who was King. Those gifts they brought were gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

The gold was a gift fitting for a King, one who was of royal ancestry. As a descendant of David, the King of Israel Jesus is fully qualified to inherit that throne, but he was also the King of Glory.[vii] He sits now at the right hand of the Father in heaven. When he returns, he will be called “King of Kings and Lord of Lords.”[viii]

The perfume frankincense was, I believe, a gift which speaks of the fragrant aroma of his life. He was without sin. He was holy, harmless, undefiled and separate from sinners and made higher than the heavens. [ix] He did no violence nor was there any deceit in his mouth.[x] All things are for him and by him.[xi] When he spoke, he spoke the words of eternal life.[xii] He showed love and compassion to the downtrodden and outcast and was no respecter of persons.

The myrrh was an oil of incense for one’s burial. Jesus said of himself:

Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.[xiii]

Here’s what the Extra-Celestial Jesus did. He left heaven’s praise and glory to step down into this sinful cesspool of humanity as one of us and then to die for all of us –  sorry sin stained creatures that we are. That, my friend, is love.

Merry Christmas.

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[i]     1 Corinthians 15.47

[ii]    John 17.5

[iii]    Colossians 1.16-17

[iv]    John 1.3

[v]     Philippians 2.5-7

[vi]    Matthew chapter 2

[vii]   See Psalm 24

[viii] Revelation 17.4 and 19.6

[ix]    Hebrews 4.15; 7.26

[x]     Isaiah 53.9

[xi]    Romans 11.36

[xii]   John 6.68

[xiii] Matthew 20.28