He has made everything beautiful in its time… (Ecclesiastes 3:11, N.K.J.V.)

God works from a schedule, and His timing applies to everything. That even includes the birth of Jesus. The Bible’s first mention of that birth is found in Genesis 3:15 where Jesus is described as being the Seed of the woman (in reference to His Virgin Birth). But almost 4,000 passed before He was actually born. That’s a long time.

In Galatians 4:4, we read these words:

But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. (N.K.J.V.)

Those words “when the fullness of the time had come” tell us that Christ’s birth was a scheduled event that took place right on time. As for why God the Father waited so long to send God the Son into the world, Warren Wiersbe has offered a possible explanation. In his commentary thoughts on Galatians 4:4, he wrote:

Historians tell us that the Roman world was in great expectation, waiting for a Deliverer, at the time when Jesus was born. The old religions were dying; the old philosophies were empty and powerless to change men’s lives. Strange new mystery religions were invading the empire. Religious bankruptcy and spiritual hunger were everywhere. God was preparing the world for the arrival of His Son.

From the historical point of view, the Roman Empire itself helped prepare the world for the birth of the Savior. Roads connected city with city, and all cities ultimately with Rome. Roman laws protected the rights of citizens, and Roman soldiers guarded the peace. Thanks to both the Greek and Roman conquests, Latin and Greek were known across the empire. Christ’s birth at Bethlehem was not an accident; it was an appointment: Jesus came in “the fullness of time. “(And, it is worth noting, that He will come again when the time is ready.)

This Christmas, as with every Christmas, we celebrate Christ’s first arrival into this world and recognize that we are one year closer to His second arrival into it. Additionally, we take comfort in knowing that God really does have a precise schedule from which He works. He’s not making it up as He goes along. He’s not listening to the daily news to discern the signs of the times. He’s not confused by recent events. No, He has a grand plan from which he works, and by way of that grand plan He will make everything beautiful in its time. He’s already proven that once with the birth of Jesus, and He has every intention of proving it again one day with the Second Coming of Jesus.