READING REPORT

The Fullness of the Time

Beginning with the fall of men in the Garden of Eden the !a"ior#s $oming was
foretold% The &romise of a $oming Deli"erer from sin was re&eated from generations to
generations through the &atria$hs and &ro&hets to 'ee& ali"e the ho&e of (is a&&earing%
But those who first re$ei"ed the &romise alread) died without seeing the fulfillment of
this &romise% But God#s &ur&oses are not hurried nor dela)ed for hea"en#s $oun$il has
determined the hour for the $oming of *hrist% +hen the world was ri&e the Deli"erer
would $ome%
God#s &ro"iden$e dire$ted the mo"ements of nations% As the ,ews had de&arted
from God and the light of truth seemed to ha"e de&arted from them there were still
souls who were loo'ing for light filled with sorrow and $onfusion thirsting for a
'nowledge of the -i"ing God for some assuran$e of life .e)ond the gra"e% The) were
longing for the $oming of the Deli"erer% Through men who foretold of the a&&earan$e of
a di"ine instru$tor ho&e in the hearts of thousands of Gentiles were 'indled%
God s&ea's to the world through nature s)m.ols and &atria$hs and &ro&hets%
But the .igotr) of the ,ews hindered the s&read of light to longing souls for the) were
unwilling to im&art the 'nowledge the) still &ossessed $on$erning the s)m.oli$ ser"i$es%
The) tried to shut u& the religion to themsel"es defrauded the world .) $ounterfeit of
the gos&el% The) refused to surrender themsel"es to God to .e used as agents for the
sal"ation of the world instead the) had .e$ome re&resentati"es of !atan for the world#s
destru$tion% And so the true Inter&reter must $ome to e/&lain the signifi$an$e of these
t)&es and s)m.ols% The 0essenger must s&ea' lessons to humanit) in the language of
humanit)% *hrist must $ome to utter words $learl) and definitel) understood .) men%
In e"er) generation God had (is agen$ies .e$ause the message of sal"ation is
$ommuni$ated to men through human agen$ies% There were still among the ,ews the
des$endants of the hol) line steadfast souls whom the 'nowledge of God has .een
&reser"ed% E"en among the Gentiles there were men through whom *hrist was
wor'ing to u&lift the &eo&le from sin and degradation%
The fullness of time had $ome when humanit) had .e$ome more degraded
through ages of transgression when sin had rea$hed its height% The !on of God
loo'ing at the world .eheld the suffering and miser) of men in their &ro$ession towards
eternal ruin1to death in whi$h there is no ho&e of life% At the "er) $risis when !atan
was a.out to trium&h the !on of God $ame with the em.assage of di"ine gra$e to
e/er$ise the lo"e of God toward the fallen ra$e%
+hen the fullness of time had $ome ,esus &oured out the healing gra$e whi$h
$an ne"er .e o.stru$ted till the fulfillment of the &lan of redem&tion% ,esus alone $an
fashion anew the $hara$ter whi$h has .een ruined .) sin% The !on of God $ame to
restore in man the lost image of his 0a'er% (e $ame to .ring us out of the dar'ness into
(is mar"elous light%
READING REPORT
The *hosen Peo&le
The ,ewish nation had awaited for the !a"ior#s $oming for thousands of )ears%
But when the !a"ior $ame to them the) re2e$ted (im% 3et God had $hosen Israel to
&reser"e among men the 'nowledge of (is law and the s)m.ols and &ro&he$ies that
&ointed to the $oming !a"ior% There were to .e as wells of sal"ation to the world to
re"eal God to men to .e a .lessing to all the families of the earth% But .e$ause of their
unfaithfulness God &ur&ose $ould onl) wor' in them through $ontinued ad"ersit) and
humiliation%
In their affli$tion man) renewed their faithfulness to the -ord% As idolaters were
roused to $rush the truth the -ord .rought (is ser"ants fa$e to fa$e with 'ings and
rulers that the) and their &eo&le ma) re$ei"e the light%
God instru$ted in (is laws to &la$e restri$tions u&on their asso$iation with
idolaters to &re"ent them from $onforming to their sinful &ra$ti$es% But the ,ews ha"e
misinter&reted it and instead used it to .uild u& a wall of se&aration .etween Israel and
all other nations%
During their $a&ti"it) man) ha"e ada&ted the heathen ideas and $ustoms and
.rought it into their religious ser"i$es% The) ha"e de&arted from God and lost sight of
the tea$hing and essen$e of the ritual ser"i$e% The &riests and ra..is multi&lied
re4uirements of their own measuring holiness .) the multitude of $eremonies while
their hearts are filled with &ride and h)&o$ris)% As the ritual ser"i$e and $eromonies
grew more rigid the less of the lo"e of God was manifested% 0an) desired to ser"e
God .ut their &re$e&ts were a .urden ma'ing it im&ossi.le to 'ee& the law%
!atan wor'ed to dis$ourage the &eo&le to alter their $on$e&tion of the $hara$ter
of God to esta.lish the $laim that the re4uirements of God were un2ust and im&ossi.le
to o.e)% Greed "iolen$e distrust and s&iritual a&ath) were eating out the heart of the
nation% Though the) ha"e studied the &ro&he$) &ride o.s$ured their "ision and the)
inter&reted the &ro&he$) a$$ording to their selfish desires%
READING REPORT
5nto 3ou a !a"ior
The hosts of hea"en wondered at the glorious &lan of redem&tion and wat$hed to
see how men would re$ei"e the !on of God who stoo&ed so low to .e $lothed in the
gar. of humanit)% The 6ing of Glor) shunned all outward dis&la) showing that ri$hes
worldl) honor and human greatness $an ne"er sa"e a soul from death%
!in$e the times of old *hrist#s $oming has .een announ$ed and the tidings of
(is mission has .een s&read a.road% The ,ewish nation has .een &reser"ed as a
witness that *hrist was to .e .orn of the seed of A.raham and Da"id#s line7 the dail)
tem&le sa$rifi$es &ointed to the -am. of God7 )et there was no &re&aration to re$ei"e
(im% The) rehearsed meaningless &ra)ers and &erformed rites of worshi& to .e seen .)
men7 stri"ing for worldl) honor the) were not &re&ared for the re"elation of the 0essiah%
As ,ose&h and 0ar) 2ourne) in the $it) of Da"id the) were unre$ogni8ed and
unhonored% !ee'ing a &la$e to rest for the night there is no room for them at the inn7
instead a .uilding where .easts la) .e$ame their refuge and here the Redeemer of the
world was .orn%
The angels gathered in Bethlehem waiting for the signal to de$lare the glad news
to the world% The) $ame u&on the fields where she&herds were wat$hing their flo$' to
de$lare the glor) of highest% (umanit) is the o.2e$t of hea"en#s soli$itude as when
$ommon men of $ommon o$$u&ations met angels in their $ommon wal's of life%
+e mar"el at the !a"iour#s sa$rifi$e in e/$hanging the throne of hea"en for the
manger and the $om&anionshi& of adorning angels for the .east of the stall% (uman
&ride and self9suffi$ien$) stand re.u'ed in (is &resen$e% 3et this was .ut the .eginning
of (is wonderful $ondes$ension% (e $ame to gi"e us an e/am&le of a sinless life% God
&ermitted (is !on to $ome su.2e$t to the wea'ness of humanit)% (e &ermitted (im to
fight the .attle as e"er) $hild of humanit) must fight it at the ris' of failure and eternal
loss% God ga"e (is onl) .egotten !on that the &ath of life might .e made sure for our
little ones%

Reading Re&ort
The Dedi$ation
A$$ording to ,ewish law *hrist must $onform to the law in e"er) &arti$ular9
$ir$umsi$ion and as a &ledge of (is o.edien$e to the law% *hrist was a.out fort) da)s
old when 0ar) and ,ose&h too' (im to ,erusalem and &resented (im to the -ord% The
offerings &resented to the -ord were to .e without .lemish% This was e"ident that ,esus
was free from &h)si$al deformit)% (e was strong and health)% Throughout (is lifetime (e
li"ed in harmon) with the nature#s laws% (e was an e/am&le of what God designed all
humanit) to .e through o.edien$e to (is laws%st has the &ower to sa"e the world%
God has gi"en (is first9.orn !on as a gift of hea"en to the sinners% This gift was
to .e a$'nowledge in e"er) household .) the $onse$ration of the first9.orn son% The)
were the re&resentati"e of *hrist among men% The law for the &resentation of the first9
.orn was made &arti$ularl) signifi$ant% During Israel#s time .lood s&rin'led on the door
&ost had sa"ed the first9.orn son from death so as with the .lood of *hrist has the
&ower to sa"e the world%
,ose&h and 0ar) were &oor7 and when the) $ame with their *hild the &riest saw
onl) a man and a woman on hum.lest garments% -ittle did he 'now that the *hild in his
arm was the 0a2est) of hea"en the 6ing of Glor)% As he enroll the $hild#s name he was
enrolling the foundation of the whole ,ewish e$onom) the ho&e of fallen humanit) the
Bright and 0orning star the one who was to &a) for the sins of the whole world%
!imeon has &ro&hesied of (im as a light to lighten the Gentiles as well as a
glor) to Israel% From the manger to the $ross the life of ,esus was a $all to self9
surrender and to fellowshi& in suffering% God will stand $lear of .lame for the e/isten$e
or $ontinuan$e o e"il% +hen the thoughts of all heart shall .e re"ealed .oth the lo)al
and the re.elious will unite in de$laring%