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  document.writeln("<span class=\"body\"><b><span class=\"headings2\"><span class=\"actsititle\">History’s Greatest Event</span></span></b><br>");
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document.writeln("<p class=\"myparagraph\" align=\"left\"><span class=\"style5 style5\">C </span><span class=\"body\">hristmas: at or about 04 BC at the time when Herod the Great was ruler of  Judea, Jesus Christ, an indisputable character of history, was born in  Bethlehem, Judea. Herod, being aware of Biblical prophecy regarding the birth  of a coming ruler, was so threatened by Christ&#8217;s birth that he ordered the  massacre of all children born in and around Judea at that time.<br><br>");
document.writeln("&#8220;The birth of Jesus [<em>history&#8217;s  unquestionable greatest event</em>] in a manger is a dramatic example of the  equality of all people before God. Suppose Jesus had been born in a palace; the  Wise Men might have gotten in, but the humble shepherds would have been turned  away at the gates by armed guards. Yet at the manger, shepherds and kings could  approach on equal footing. God&#8217;s gift is for all people. His love sent down not  a delegation, a commission, an unapproachable monarch, but a baby!&#8221;<sup>1</sup><br>");
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document.writeln("At the time of Christ&#8217;s birth the people of His day were looking for a  king who would overcome the despised reign of the then powerful Roman Empire  under whose direction Herod was reigning. They certainly weren&#8217;t looking for a  ruler who entered their realm as a baby. Hence they totally missed the greatest  event in all of history when Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, came as a  baby born in a manger.<br>");
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document.writeln("Many in today&#8217;s world are  not that much different. Tragically, Christmas has become little more than a  time of parties and the giving of gifts&#8212;not to a needy world but to those of us  who, in our materialist world, have much more than we ever need.</span></p>");
document.writeln("<p class=\"body\" align=\"center\"><img src=\"http://www.actsweb.org/Images/quote-left.gif\" height=\"19\" width=\"20\"><span class=\"headings2\">They  totally missed the greatest <br>");
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document.writeln("<p> <span class=\"body\">The big question we all need to confront  regarding Christmas is why did Jesus Christ, laying aside his garment of  divinity step out of the ivory palaces of Heaven and come to earth as a baby? It  was because of God&#8217;s infinite love for us so Jesus could identify with us and,  thereby, pay the penalty for all our sins so we could be freely forgiven and  once again be restored in relationship to God. <br>");
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document.writeln("God&#8217;s Word, the Holy Bible, reminds us that &#8220;all have sinned and fall short of  the glory <em>[standard]</em> of God,&#8221;<sup>2</sup>  and that &#8220;There is no one righteous, not even  one.&#8221;<sup>3</sup> As sinners we could no longer survive in God&#8217;s  holy presence than a moth could survive in a flame. As God&#8217;s Word also says, &#8220;The  wages <em>[consequences]</em> of sin is death <em>[spiritual death which is eternal separation  from God in the place the Bible calls hell</em>] but the gift of God is eternal  life,&#8221;<sup>4</sup> and that, &#8220;For God so loved the world  that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not  perish but have eternal life.&#8221;<sup>5</sup> <br>");
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document.writeln("Not only does God have the gift of forgiveness and everlasting life for all who  have confessed their sinfulness to Him and have received His forgiveness, but  He has promised that Jesus will come again to earth to take all His true followers  to be with Him to live with Him in Heaven for all eternity!</span><br>");
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document.writeln("<span class=\"body\">History&#8217;s next greatest event will thus be the return of Jesus Christ, and we  can be just as certain of this as was His first coming. The critical issue is,  &#8220;If Jesus came today, would you be caught up in the air to meet Him, or would  you be left behind, having to pay the penalty yourself for all of your sins, meeting God at the great white judgment throne of God? As God&#8217;s Word says: &#8220;It  is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.&#8221;<sup>6</sup><br>");
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document.writeln("But how can we be sure Jesus  will come again? First of all, Christ&#8217;s first coming is an indisputable fact of  history. This event was repeatedly promised and prophesied in the Old Testament  over a period of several hundred years. For instance, 700 years before Christ  was born in Bethlehem, Micah wrote, \"But you, Bethlehem ... though you are  small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come one who will be ruler over  Israel.&#8221;<sup>7</sup><br>");
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document.writeln("A thousand years before Christ\'s death David, the psalmist, predicted how  Jesus would die. &#8220;They pierced My hands and My feet,&#8221; he wrote.<sup>8</sup> This  happened at Christ\'s crucifixion. This is even more remarkable when considering  that in David\'s time, death by crucifixion was unknown. </span><br>");
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document.writeln("<span class=\"headings7\"><strong>History&#8217;s Next Greatest Event</strong></span></p>");
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document.writeln("<p align=\"right\"><span class=\"body\">Page 2</span></p>");
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document.writeln("<p><span class=\"body\">Five hundred years prior to Christ\'s coming Zechariah told how Christ would enter  Jerusalem riding on a donkey; how he would be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver;  and how this money would be used to buy a potter\'s field.<sup>9</sup><br>");
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document.writeln("            Just as these, and every other prophecy in the Old Testament section of  the Bible, written hundreds of years before Christ&#8217;s first coming, fulfilled  in minutest detail, we can be just as certain that all the prophecies  concerning Christ&#8217;s second coming, written in the New Testament, will also be  fulfilled in minutest detail. <br>");
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document.writeln("            The exact day of Jesus&#8217;s return is known only to God.<sup>10</sup> However,  God&#8217;s Word does give us some indication as to the nearness of that time. </span></p>");
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document.writeln("<p align=\"center\"><span class=\"body\"><img src=\"http://www.actsweb.org/Images/quote-left.gif\" alt=\"\" height=\"19\" width=\"20\"></span><span class=\"headings2\">Every  eye will see him.</span><span class=\"body\"><img src=\"http://www.actsweb.org/Images/quote-right.gif\" alt=\"\" height=\"19\" width=\"20\"></span></p>");
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document.writeln("<p>            <span class=\"body\">Jesus said, &#8220;This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as  a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.&#8221;<sup>11</sup> With  today&#8217;s revolution in modern communications we are getting closer every day to  seeing this prophecy fulfilled. <br>");
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document.writeln("            Furthermore God&#8217;s Word predicted, &#8220;But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words  and seal up the book until the end of time; many will go back and forth, and  knowledge will increase.&#8221;<sup>12</sup> Ours is certainly a day of people going  back and forth all over the world. And we are certainly living in a time of an  incredible explosion of information and knowledge, especially with the computer,  the Internet, and all of today&#8217;s electronic means of communication.<br>");
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document.writeln("            When Christ returns to earth, Jesus said that every eye will see him.<sup>13</sup> TV, the Internet, and modern technology has made this possible.<br>");
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document.writeln("            Jesus <em>is</em> coming again. He promised He would. The  angels of God promised He would. And God in His Word promised that Jesus would  come again. <br>");
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document.writeln("            Christmas, Act II, may be much closer than we think. The important thing is to  be ready for Christ&#8217;s return. As Jesus said, \"So you also must be ready,  because the Son of Man [Jesus] will come at an hour when you do not expect  him.\"<sup>14</sup><br>");
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document.writeln("            If you are not absolutely certain that you are ready for Christ&#8217;s return and have  never received God&#8217;s forgiveness, you can do so right now by praying the  following prayer:<br>");
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document.writeln("            <em>\"Dear  God, how can I ever thank you enough for loving me so much that you sent your  Son, Jesus, to come to earth on that first Christmas. I admit and confess that  I am a sinner and am sorry for all the wrongs that I have done. I believe that  Jesus died on the cross for my sins. Please forgive me. And I invite you,  Jesus, to come into my heart and life as my Lord and Savior. I commit and trust  my life and way to you. Please give me the desire to be what you want me to be  and to do what you want me to do. Thank you for dying for my sins, for your  free pardon, for your gift of eternal life, and for hearing and answering my  prayer. Amen.\"</em></span><em><br>");
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document.writeln("              </em><span class=\"body\">If  you prayed this prayer, please</span> <a href=\"http://www.actsweb.org/decision.php\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Click  HERE</strong></a> <span class=\"body\">and fill in the response form and we will send you the web address  for the free copy of the e-Brochure, &#8220;How to Grow&#8221; to help you in your new  Christian life. (<strong>Note</strong>:  If you are on any other than that of the main website of ACTS International,  click on the \"My  Commitment\" or \"Yes to God\" button or link at the bottom of the  page.)</span><br>");
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document.writeln("            <span class=\"small10pt\">1. Albert  Stauderman, <em>Let Me Illustrate, page 40. </em>Publishedby Augsburg Publishing House,  Minneapolis. &copy; 1983. &nbsp;2. Romans 3:23 (<em>NIV</em>).&nbsp; 3. Romans 3:10 (<em>NIV)</em>. &nbsp;4. Romans 6:23 (<em>NIV)</em>.&nbsp; 5. John 3:16 (<em>NIV)</em>.&nbsp; 6. Hebrews 9:27 (<em>NKJV</em>). &nbsp;7. Micah 5:2 (<em>NIV)</em>.&nbsp; 8. Psalm 22:16 (<em>NKJV</em>).&nbsp;  9. See Zechariah 11:1 (<em>NKJV</em>).&nbsp; 10. See Matthew 24:37-42 (<em>NIV)</em>.&nbsp; 11. Matthew 24:14 (<em>NASB)</em>.&nbsp; 12. Daniel 12:4 (<em>NASB)</em>.&nbsp; 13. Revelation 1:7 (<em>NIV)</em>.&nbsp; 14. Matthew 24:44 (<em>NIV</em>).</span></p>");
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  document.writeln("<p style=\"font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size: 10pt;\">This and other articles by Richard (Dick) Innes <a href=\"http://www.actsweb.org/articles/\" target=\"_blank\">can be read online</a>.<br><br>Copyright &copy; 1990 - 2024<br /><a href=\"http://www.actsweb.org/\" target=\"_blank\">ACTS International</a></p>");
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