seeing Christ in the five greatest events in the history of the universe

The universe is definitely mysterious, but if you were to point out what are the most mysterious events that happened in the history of the universe, what would they be?

First of all, we haven’t been around that long, so all we can speak is from our own perspective and knowledge.

But if we read the Bible, especially Micah 5:2 and then John 1, we will see that Christ’s goings forth are from eternity, and He stepped on the bridge of time, accomplished a lot of amazing things, and then He went back into eternity with a corporate building with man forever!

In the beginning, was the Word – it was not Love, Faith, Grace, Mercy, or anything else. The Word expresses something, explains something, and defines something.

From the beginning of beginnings, before there was time, God desired to be expressed, explained, and defined through Christ as the Word. God does not want to remain concealed but He wants to be expressed, and this is why the Word became flesh: to express, define, and explain God to man, to bring man into an organic union with God!

In John chapter 1 we see the five greatest events in the history of the universe, which events are developed throughout the book of John as an expansion of chapter 1 of John, and throughout the Bible as an enlargement of the gospel of John.

Seeing Christ in the Creation – the first greatest event

The first greatest event in the history of the universe is the creation. There was nothing that came into being without Christ – God spoke things into being, and Christ Himself is the Word of God (John 1:3).

Christ as God is the Creator, and Christ is also the means, the instrument, through which all things in this universe were created.

Christ is intimately related to the creation – He is the Creator and also the very sphere and means that the creation came into being! Now He upholds and supports all things by His word…

Seeing Christ in Incarnation – the second greatest event

The second greatest event in the history of the universe is God’s incarnation in Christ (John 1:14).

For 4000 years there was man, and there were also “men of God”, but at one point in time there was a God-man, God became a man by putting on humanity.

The invisible, unlimited, infinite God became a finite and visible man, partaking of man’s human nature. This One was man yet God, and in Him divinity was mingled with humanity.

There was never such a One before – He expressed the divine attributes in His human virtues. From the birth of Christ, there is the beginning of a new age, and that’s why even our human calendar changed, starting from Christ’s birth! What a great event!

Seeing Christ as the Lamb of God – the third greatest event

Christ not only became a man but He also became the Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world (John 1:29).

If someone dies instead of his friend, this is a noble deed; but Christ as the perfect God-man died with perfect human blood as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the whole world!

Christ died as the Lamb of God to accomplish the sacrifice for us so that He might fulfill all the judicial, righteous, and glorious requirements of God, that He might accomplish an eternal redemption for us!

Christ’s death was not an accident: He was foreknown and prepared by God in eternity to be our Redeemer, and He was slain from the foundation of the world (Acts 2:23; 1 Pet. 1:20; Rev. 13:8).

Seeing Christ as the Spirit – the fourth greatest event

The fourth greatest event in the history of the universe is that Christ became the life-giving Spirit (typified by the dove in John 1) to impart life into His believers and transform them for the building of God (John 1:42).

After accomplishing an all-inclusive redemption on the cross, Christ became the life-giving Spirit in His resurrection to give life to His chosen people and transform them, preparing them as stones for the building of God’s house.

What a great event, a man being transfigured, transformed, into a life-giving Spirit! This has never happened and will never ever happen again!

This life-giving Spirit today is in us giving us life, being our life, and daily transforming us into the living stones for God’s building.

Seeing Christ as the Heavenly Ladder – the fifth-greatest event

The fifth greatest event in the history of the universe is Christ as the heavenly ladder (John 1:51) bringing the heavens to earth and the earth to heaven at Bethel, the house of God, until God is fully joined, mingled, and incorporated with man to become the New Jerusalem, the consummated dwelling place of God and man in eternity!

From eternity, through time, and unto eternity Christ is fulfilling God’s eternal purpose of gaining a dwelling place, a resting place, a house for Himself.

According to God’s eternal economy, Christ became a man to be joined to man and mingled with man and bring man into God to join and mingle man with God, thus producing a mutual dwelling place of God and man on the earth (signified by Bethel in Genesis).

The unique Only Begotten Son of God traveled out of eternity on the bridge of time, put on humanity, and became the Firstborn Son of God to build up God’s house and become the building material for God’s house.

What a mystery, what an economy, and what a thought!

John 1 really opens up and explains Micah 5:2, and we can now clearly see that the One who has come forth from the days of eternity is now not only the divine One, but He has divinity and humanity mingled together and built together into the dwelling place of God!

Hallelujah for this Christ, who is intimately related to us and is the center of all the five greatest events in the universe!

Lord, uplift our appreciation of Your person and of the things You have accomplished. Praise You for becoming a man and being intimately related to man that You may be joined and mingled to man. Lord, praise You for Your all-inclusive redemption on the cross as the Lamb of God. Praise You for Your resurrection and becoming the life-giving Spirit to impart life into us and transform us for God’s building! Lord, how we praise You for being the ladder joining earth to heaven and heaven to earth for the joining, mingling, and incorporating of God with man for eternity! Lord, we are full of praise to You for all these five great events in the history of the universe!

References and Further Reading

• Sharing inspired from brother James Lee’s sharing in the message and the Crystallization-study of the Gospel of John (msg. 1), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallization-Study of the Minor Prophets, week 9 (entitled, Christ’s “Goings Forth” from the Days of Eternity).
• Further reading: 1 Pet. 1:20 and note 1, Acts 2:23 and note 1, John 1:51 note 2 and 3;
• Hymns on this topic:
  # How wonderful redemption is, / My gracious Lord, in Thee! / Not seen, nor heard, nor e’er conceived / What Thou hast done for me!
  # Jesus is the living Spirit, / Our reality; / We enjoy Him just by calling / In simplicity.
  # Thou art the ladder Jacob saw, / By Thee the heav’n is open; / In Thee we are the house of God, / And earth is joined to heaven.