When Jesus first came as the incarnate Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary, there was a star that appeared in the east Matt 2:2 to signify His arrival. It was a sign in the heavens given by the Father to mark the arrival of His Son. Those who understood how to interpret the signs for the coming of the Lord, were given the means by which they might follow the star and it led them to Bethlehem, where they worshipped the One born King of the Jews, and bowed down to present to Him their offerings of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Yet these wise men were not Jewish but from the lands in the East, and as John writes “He came to His own, but they received Him not”. John 1:11 In meekness and majesty, as a baby laid in a manger in humble attire, was born the Star that even the pagan prophet Balaam foresaw when he prophesied concerning the Messiah in Numbers 24:17 “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel;” Yet when Jesus returns, it will not be in obscurity or without the observation of the entire world. On His first Coming, His own did not receive Him, but when Jesus comes again, “they will look on Him, the One they pierced and they will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child” Zech 12:10 On His first coming, a star went before Him and was noticed by only a few, on His second He will be that star, and the whole world will witness His arrival. Jesus said, “I am the Bright Morning Star”. The term ‘Morning Star’ is significant, and is known to astronomers as the planet Venus. Apart from the sun and the moon, Venus is the brightest object in the sky. The reason it is called the morning star, is because at certain times of the year, Venus rises above the horizon to greet the dawn whilst it is still dark, as a precursor to the rising of the sun that heralds a new day is dawning. This is the description Jesus uses for Himself as the ‘Morning Star’, His coming signifies that a new day is dawning, and that night is ending. His coming will usher in a new era in which He will reign forever and ever.
Worthy of note is that the term ‘morning star’ was also used of Lucifer in Isa 14:12 “How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!” But there is a great difference between the Lord and Lucifer – a chasm so great that one cannot be reconciled to the other. Lucifer was a created light, so given to radiate the glory of God. But Jesus is no created light, for He is the Light, the Light of the world. A light so great not an infinite number of lights combined could compare to His radiance. That is why He is not only the ‘Morning Star’, but Jesus is the ‘Bright Morning Star’. Paul writes in Thessalonians concerning the coming of the Lord saying “And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of his mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming” 2 Thess 2:8 His brightness will dispel the greatest of darkness, that no power of Hell will be able to stand, or hold Him back. His brightness will expose all counterfeit light and herald a new day, the Millennial Reign, in which we as His Glorious Bride shall radiate His glory as we reign together with Him.
