[In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was 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](John 1:1,14).
Jesus Himself says, [The Lord possessed me in the beginning of His way, before His works of old. I have been established from everlasting from the beginning, before there was ever an earth, When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no fountains abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills, I was brought forth; while as yet He had not made the earth or the fields, or the primeval dust of the world. When He prepared the heavens, I was there. When He drew a circle on the face of the deep, when He established the clouds above, when He strengthened the fountains of the deep, when He assigned to the sea its limit so that the waters would not transgress His command, when He marked out the foundations of the earth, then I was beside Him, as a master craftsman, and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him](Pro. 8:22-30).
When He was on the earth the Father said, [This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased](Matt.3:17, 17:5); the Son said to His Father, [And now O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was](John 17:5).
Truly [He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities - all things were created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together](Col. 1:15-17). But [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](John 1:10,11).
I remember a story I heard when I was a little boy. Once there was a benevolent king in Korea called "Seong Jong the Great," who used to leave his royal throne at times and travel incognito, dressing himself as a commoner in order to observe the circumstance of his people. One night, as he was walking around Seoul, the capital city, he heard a loud banging from a blacksmith's shop though it was already past midnight. He drew closer towards the shop and making a sudden appearance, he addressed the smith, who was deeply absorbed in his work.
"Hello! why is it that you are working so hard this night?" And the smith answered without even casting a look at him.
"I have to work hard in order to pay debt and lay debt." But the king did not catch his meaning. If he has to pay off debts, he must be a debtor; then, how can he "lay" debt being a debtor himself? And he asked again, "How can you 'lay debt' being a debtor yourself? And the smith, displeased with this annoying, uninvited guest, replied coldly, "How are you so dull-brained that you cannot even understand this? To pay off to lay debt means to practice filial piety toward my parents,and to lay debt means to bring up and educate my children." And the king nodded, saying, Oh! Is that so? Now I see. I am very sorry for hindering your work. May you succeed in what you do." And the king went back to his court.
The next day, the king sat on his royal throne dressed in his kingly robes as usual and commanded that the blacksmith be brought to him. Now someone so lowly and unknown as himself to be present before the king immediately ceased his work, dressed quickly and went to the king. Falling prostrate before him he said, "Your Majesty, I present myself before you."
"Lift your face and look at me. I am the man who visited your shop last night."
The smith was exceedingly frightened and thinking about how bluntly he had talked to the stranger the night before without realizing he was the king, he fell to the ground and begged for pardon.
"I have committed a death-deserving sin against you, your Majesty."
"No I will greatly reward you for you filial piety and diligence."
Thus the Great King Seong Jong sent the humble and industrious smith back granting him a large and abundant reward.
Likewise Jesus, the King of the universe, the Majesty of heaven who made the universe and all the worlds in it with His Father, having dominion over them, exchanged His royal throne and robe for the plain clothes of a carpenter. And He came into this dark earth devoid of light and life into the land of Judea as an uninvited Guest. And like any other human being, He talked with people, ate with them, slept with them, labored with them, and personally tasted and experienced their hardships and difficulties before He returned to His royal throne in heaven.
[He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not receive Him](John 1: 10.11). Now everyone upon the earth will see how he (or she) treated the holy, benevolent King of heaven. In the near future He shall [sit on the throne of His glory] and call [all nations before Him] as with the case of the blacksmith, and everyone will see Him clearly face to face finding out who it was that appeared two thousand years ago in plain clothes(Matt. 25:31,32).
Indeed, our God Jesus was [the true God] sitting on the throne of heaven, who had taken compassion on His children of earth. He come down to save them [who were all their lifetime subject to bondage] under the power of the enemy Satan and his agents, and who were destroyed under the [power of death](John 5:20, Heb. 2:14-16). He is the One whom all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him](Col 1:16). And our earth-Eden was also His handiwork, made and decorated by Him who had been with the Father from the beginning of His works, and given to us as a gift to be our haven.
And so our heavenly Father says, [This is My Companion,' in whom I am well pleased' says the Lord of hosts](Zech. 13:7, Matt. 3:17). Indeed, our Lord Jesus is the true God, the Creator, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity [who being in the form of God... equal with God] who has been "a Companion" with God the Father from everlasting to everlasting(Phil.2:6). There is none in heaven nor on earth who can deliver the children of earth from the power of the furious devil and his agents except for the mighty power and precious blood of this God Jesus. His hand has hung the worlds in space and made the beautiful flowers of the fields. [Who established the mountains by His strengths?] [The sea is His, for He made it](Ps. 65:6, 95:5).
As He filled the earth with beauty and the air with singing, He wrote the message of His Father's love upon everything on earth, in the air, and in heaven.
He says, ['I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End says the Lord, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty'](Rev. 1:8). [And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give everyone according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.] [Surely I am coming quickly. Amen. Even so, come Lord Jesus!](Rev. 22:12, 13:20).
Praise the Lord! Glory to our God Jesus, our Creator, our benevolent King forever! Praise the Lord!
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