As Christians, I think we have lived with the gospel story for so long that even we fail to grasp the astonishing claims of our faith. So, here is an attempt at putting it into plain english.
At a certain, specific moment in time, the Second Person of the Godhead, came down to earth and took on a human form and identity in order to reach the human race that had been lost due to sin. He did not “heist” a human body, but rather was born just like everyone else with at least one colossal exception: He had an earthly mother but no earthly Father, since His father was God.
At birth, He was given the name Jesus. After living a sinless life, during which He performed many mighty miracles—the accounts of which, if written down, the world would not be big enough to contain according to John 21:25—He was crucified on a cross. His death was planned and prophesied: the ransom necessary to redeem all of mankind.
After being in the tomb for three days, His body took on life again and resurrected. He is alive now and sitting at the right hand of God the Father (having ascended in plain sight of His disciples ten days before Pentecost Sunday). He hears our prayers and He prays for us.
We expect to see Him for ourselves someday. Of course, in death we expect to immediately leave this body and be in His presence, but, we also expect to see Him return in the air to rapture, or catch away, His church, and again to bring about judgment upon the earth at which time He will insert Himself into history—the term “insert” used here only to help us grasp the concept since history is actually His-story, something He has always been a part of and actively involved in— this time to remain.
Ultimately, all creatures that have ever existed will acknowledge Him as Lord and will bow down before Him! It is estimated that 96 billion people have thus far existed on the earth—56 billion if you throw out evolutionary hallucinations— and Christians believe that none of them will go to heaven unless they have confessed Jesus Christ as Lord.
