A Quantum Christmas

With every story, the best place to start is at the beginning. So, when we retell the Christmas story, we find its backstory—thesetup for the plot—in the book of Genesis and in the magnificent treatise found in my favorite book in the Bible, John’s Gospel.The book of John happens to be my favorite because of how close John was to Jesus; he refers to himself as the one whom Jesus loved in John 19:26:

"When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!” I deeply relate to John’s heart and aspire to his level of intimacy with the Lord."John 20:31 tells us the very reason why his book was written, and it could be said that this is the reason the entire Bible was given to us by God. His message is:

"But these things are also written that you may believe that Yeshua is The Messiah, the Son of God, and when you believe, you shall have eternal life in his name (John 20:31 Aramaic Bible in Plain English).

"So in the beginning of John’s Gospel, he gives us the backstory of the Christmas story, which begins before time began:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it (John 1:1-5)."We are given an amazing insight into just how the “darkness” did not understand or comprehend the plan of God’s salvation in First Corinthians 2:8:

"Which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory."

The “rulers of this age” totally missed what was happening, and their darkened comprehension left them blind to the Light who had come and His ultimate purpose.John continues his magnificent treatise in John 1:6-14:

"There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."

This is the awesome reality of the Christmas story—that the Word became flesh. God became the baby in the manger, and this was His plan from the very beginning—that we would become the children of God. We note that in both John’s account and in Genesis, Jesus is revealed to be the Creator and that one of His awesome creative attributes is light.Let’s consider a word about light. Genesis says:

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light (Genesis 1:1-3).

"What is light? The concept of light is one of the foundational aspects of reality that defines our universe. Albert Einstein’s famous equation E=mc2 tells us that there is a direct relationship between all matter (m), energy (E) and the speed of light (c2), implying aspects of time and space. In modern science, particularly in quantum mechanics, man has discovered that time does not function in a linear fashion. The reality about time is that it does not function as we experience it. The science fiction movie Interstellar uses this reality as an important plot element. In this movie, time is experienced differently based on a person’s location and speed, particularly in proximity to a massive gravitational field. Now before I lose you with these scientific details, please let me explain as I tie this into the Christmas story. In fact, science begins to substantiate what the Bible teaches us about the cosmos. Time for God is very different from our experience. This aspect of God is revealed in Second Peter 3:8:

"But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."

Getting back to the concept of light—again, it is John who says in First John 1:5:

"This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.

"When light travels, it relates to time very differently from us who are time bound. When it reaches us, a ray of light from the other side of the universe only shows us what an event looked like millions of years ago. In fact, to that ray of light only a moment has passed. So, in essence, all of time may have passed for us, but only a moment has taken place for that beam of light.Take a moment and contemplate that! Time is not what it seems. In reality, this is how God see things. He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. That is why He is omniscient—every thing that ever will be, for Him, has already come to pass. He knows what we will decide even before we, of our own volition, make the decision. This concept by no means takes away the responsibility we have for our own actions, even though it is clear that not everything that happens on earth is what God desires. Our free will is still intact despite God’s foreknowledge. It just happens that God is beyond time and knows the outcome due to His perspective, having created the dimension of time itself. This concept alone explains why God can prophetically speak to us and “tell us of things to come.”That is why John 16:13 confirms this to us:

"However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come."

Second Peter 3:8-9 further states:"But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance."

Which brings us back to the “reason for the season.” Paul brings God’s perspective on the flow of time and our destiny in Romans8:29:

"For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren."

The reason Christ came was so that we could become God’s children and be gloriously conformed to His image and become like Him. Children have their parents’ DNA and therefore display similar physical qualities. Likewise, because Jesus came in the flesh we have the destiny to become transformed, to become like Him because we are God’s children. Revelation 13:8 says:

"All who dwell on the earth will worship him [in this context, “him” refers to the beast—the anti-Christ], whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world."

Here we see that God’s plan of redemption was established before the foundation of the world at a moment when time itself had not become its current reality. It was in the heart of God to redeem us even before we existed, knowing each of us individually in advance! First Peter 1:18-21 gloriously explains the foreknowledge of God in regard to our redemption:

"Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God."

Our redemption was and is God’s plan from the beginning. We are not Plan B. It was His intention before time began to call you to Himself so that you could experience His lavish love. In the beginning we see the promise of Christmas. The Lord condemns satan, the serpent:

"And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed [in the Bible, only the seed of man is referred to, not woman—this is a reference to the virgin birth Isaiah prophesies]; He shall bruise your head [satan defeated], and you shall bruise His heel [Christ crucified] (Genesis 3:15)."

Isaiah 7:14 prophesies the virgin birth that is so much a part of the message of Christmas:

"Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel."

Isaiah 9:6-7 contains the Christmas narrative hundreds of years before it came to pass. I can’t help but hear the strains of Handel’s “Messiah” when I read this scripture:

"For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this."

So not only has the Lord planned for redemption for us as individuals, but His plan encompasses the renewal of the whole world.This change in world history is imminent. But the good news is that this transformation is available for us right now! First John 3:1-3 joyfully informs us:

"Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure."

That is why all year round we can sing, “Joy to the world, the Lord has come!”His love has come to us, and because of this we are transformed. We have the hope of His coming, but we also have unspeakable joy because we are becoming like Him. This was the purpose of His first advent! In His second advent He will bring the resurrection of the dead and the renewal of the whole world!

Second Corinthians 3:17-18 tells us of this great hope:"Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord."

At the birth of Messiah Jesus, the angels proclaimed in Luke 2:14: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwilltoward men!

Truthfully, we have not yet seen much peace and goodwill here on earth since that day. But from God’s perspective, His timeless perspective, the work of salvation that was planned from the foundation of the world was as good as accomplished. Ultimately, in God’s dimension the Lamb had already been slain. The work of the Cross, where Jesus declared “It is finished,” had already made the way for us to become the children of God. The only thing that remains for us, in this time frame, is to say yes to what He has already done for us!

The Christmas Star: A  Sign in the Heavens

Here is one last parting thought on the Christmas story specifically as it relates to the cosmos. As is retold year after year, at the time of the birth of the Messiah there were wise men identified as the magi who had a keen interest in the movement of the celestial bodies. Some assume them to be astrologers, but they obviously understood that the appearance of an unusual “star” signified the birth of the Messiah, the King of Israel. This presents a supernatural event marked by an astronomical anomaly never previously detailed in history.We read this account recorded only in Matthew 2:1-12:

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:

‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel.’” Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.

There are a number of things that we can observe about this wondrous astronomical event. In his documentary The Star of Bethlehem, Frederick Larson, an American lawyer and law professor, notes nine specific qualities of the Bethlehem star as recorded in this well-known portion of scripture:

1. It signified a birth (Matt. 2:2).

2. It signified kingship (Matt. 2:2).

3. It was related to the Jewish nation (Matt. 2:2).

4. It rose “in the East” (Matt. 2:2).

5. King Herod had not been aware of it (Matt. 2:3-4).

6. It appeared at an exact time (Matt. 2:7).

7. It endured over time (Matt. 2:9).

8. It was in front of the magi when they traveled southfrom Jerusalem to Bethlehem (Matt. 2:9).

9. The star stopped over Bethlehem (Matt. 2:9).

From these observations, we can conclude that this was no ordinary star. I remember in my youth attending a special Christmaspresentation at the local planetarium. The presentation suggested that perhaps the star of Bethlehem was an alignment of planets that caught the attention of the magi. Frederick Larson used the astronomy computer program Starry Night when researching to verify this alignment. Starry Night is an excellent software that I have used personally, but currently my program of choice is an iPhone app called Star Walk. I was thrilled to have use of this amazing technology, which I shared with the members of my team during my observation of the final blood moon in Jerusalem that I referenced at the start of this book.Larson was originally inspired to produce his movie when he read an article by astronomer Craig Chester who postulated that the star of Bethlehem was a factual event. Using software, the position of the planets and the stars could be determined, and indeed an unusual alignment took place in 3 to 2 B.C., which Chester concluded fit the evidence found in the Bible. He further suggests a conjunction involving Jupiter and its retrograde motion—at the edge of the orbit of the planet as observed from Earth at that exact moment, the motion of the planet would appear to come to a stop in the sky, explaining the phenomenon described in Matthew 2:9.

I hope this has touched your heart and has challenged you to believe in the veracity of the Scriptures. As God is outside of time and space, He is able to intersect our dimension and enter into it at will and at the exact time of His choosing. He is well able to bring about His wonderful plan for all of the planet and especially for your own individual life.