Jesus came to earth because of hell.  Maybe you never thought of it that way.

We’d rather say that He came for you and for me and for us and for all.  Maybe its more comfy to say He came for the redemption of man and the reconciliation of the creation to its Creator.  Or that He came to “seek and save that which was lost.”  After all, that’s in the Bible (Lk 19:10).  So, we should say that.  And we do.

But let’s not forget what we’re being saved FROM.  This is the underside of Christmas.  This is what we leave unsaid while we trim the tree and bake the cookies.  This is the message that doesn’t make it into our line-up of Christmas carols, Christmas movies, and Christmas messages.  But make no mistake about it–this truth is THE truth of why Jesus came to earth.

When He left heaven, His destination was hell.  His advent on earth was the conduit, the method, the way in which He chose to travel from the throne of God to the throne of Satan.  And let’s not be unclear.  His sole purpose was to take the keys of death and hell from the hands of Satan.  The manger, the star, the magi, the disciples, the miracles, the cross, and the tomb were all part of the unfolding story of exactly how Jesus was going to take those keys.

Consider the words of God the Father to the serpent in the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3:15:

“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

Three measly chapters into the Scriptures and the Messiah is revealed!  Not merely the Messiah, but the Messiah’s mission; to “crush the head” of the serpent, that is Satan our adversary!  Jesus Christ left heaven at the appointed time, made a 33 (or so) year stop through earth and achieved the objective of His mission when, through His death and resurrection, He stripped Satan of the last shred of power he had.  Satan continues to reek havoc in many lives, but be sure that he is nothing more than a fish flopping on a pier, gasping for air.

Read the words of Jesus the risen Messiah in Revelation 1:18:

“I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.”

What does Jesus display as proof of His accomplished mission?  He holds out “the keys of death and Hades”!  Yes, Jesus came for you, for me, for us, and for all.  Yes we’re right to celebrate the Advent season.  Yes, its good for us to decorate, sing, give gifts, eat cookies, and be with family.  But this Christmas season, even if  only in your own heart, would you be willing to celebrate Jesus our Messiah by declaring that it was for the defeat of death, hell, and the grave that Jesus came to the manger?