“Joy to the world, the Lord has come!” This is the message and the song of our hearts during this season. Welcome to our series, “12 Days Before Christmas.”

Bigla nilang nakitang kasama ng anghel ang isang malaking hukbo ng mga anghel sa kalangitan. Sila’y nagpupuri sa Diyos at umaawit, “Papuri sa Diyos sa kaitaasan, at sa lupa ay kapayapaan sa mga taong kinalulugdan niya!”

Lucas 2:13–14

Can you imagine what a host of angels looks like? The awesome sight of an army of angels that filled the sky on the night Jesus was born could surely scare any human being. That’s why the shepherds were gripped with great fear, and the first angel that appeared to them had to say, “Fear not” (Luke 2:9–10). But the magnificent sight of a multitude of angels rejoicing and singing praise to God is only a glimpse of the glorious celebration that was happening in heaven at that very moment.  

Heaven was rejoicing because Christ the Lord, the promised Messiah was born. “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given” (Isaiah 9:6, ESV). The birth of Jesus fulfilled ancient prophecies like this one from the prophet Isaiah who said, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14, ESV). And as the angels had told the shepherds, Christ’s birth is “good news of great joy for all the people” (Luke 2:10, ESV).

Christ’s birth is indeed “good news of great joy for all the people” because He would call all sinners to repent of their sin and return to God. And everyone who repents and receives His message will be saved. “Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10, ESV).  

There was rejoicing in heaven because the newborn king would usher the coming of the Kingdom of God here on Earth. With His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus opened the gates of God’s Kingdom to all who would embrace His rule over their lives. And when He returns for His people, there will be greater rejoicing because the coming King is “the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End” (Revelation 22:13, NLT).

 Today, in heaven and on Earth, let everyone rejoice because our Savior is born!