The Greatest Event in History
Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel which being interpreted is, God with us. He shall save His people from their sins. – Bible
When the American astronauts who landed on the moon returned safely to earth President Nixon acclaimed the event as “the greatest week in the history of the world since creation.” We believe Mr. Nixon knows better than this. Perhaps what he had in mind was that this week witnessed the greatest political achievement of all time. This we would hardly want to challenge. Most of the nations of the world seem to feel this way. The United States’ prestige and the Nixon image rose significantly – at least momentarily.
But the national and international problems and unrest that continue to plague the president have increased to such proportion that this acclaimed “greatest week – since creation” seems so far as being an achievement of world renown, to be almost forgotten.
In contrast to this political appraisal of the moon flight we turn our attention to the even on the pages of history before which all other events, regardless of their value or importance fade into insignificance—the birth of Emmanuel, the manifestation of God in the flesh.
The entire era of time in which our Lord made His appearance on earth may well be thought of as the parenthesis of eternity—a little period of temporary existence parenthetically placed between eternity past and eternity future. The following simple chart will illustrate this and show Christ’s advent into the world as the most important event of this parenthesis of eternity. Time is seen as coming out of eternity and speeding on into eternity. The work of Christ on earth is shown as a pivotal event around which all time and eternity revolve. The Holy Scriptures also revolve around His advent and here the soul finds a turning point from a destiny of woe to a destiny of glory. We use the figure of the cross in the chart because it symbolizes the great purpose of Christ’s coming to earth. He was born in the flesh to die in the flesh—“even the death of the cross”.
The fact that all over the world time is dated from, and revolves around, the advent of Christ indicates that consciously or unconsciously the world is still acclaiming the birth of Emmanuel as the greatest and most significant event of history. No other achievement of time has been able to take this honor away from our Lord Jesus Christ. Not even the beginning of the “space age” nor the walk on the moon can claim such universal and timeless recognition. Even Madalyn O’Hair, America’s most noted and militant atheist, cannot date her atheistic manuscripts without unconsciously paying tribute to the coming of Christ to this earth as that which outvalues and outshines every other achievement of the ages.
Eternity also revolves on this great pivotal event of the ages. Beginningless eternity foreordained His coming and designated and waited for the time when He should arrive—and “in the fullness of time” Christ came. When eternity has again absorbed this present period of temporary existence and “time shall be no more,” the worthiness of the Lamb that was slain on earth will be the joy and the song of the redeemed in the blessed endless existence of eternity.
Next, the greatness of Christ’s coming to earth is seen in this that the message of the Book of the Ages revolves around His earth work. From the fall of man in the Genesis account the focus of the Old Testament Scripture is on this greatest of all events. The unalterable promises of God, the inerrant predictions of the prophets, and the significant types and shadows all pointed forward to and gave constant assurance of the coming of Emmanuel as the answer to the needs of a sick world. After Christ came and accomplished His work and had returned to glory the New Testament pointed back to his person and work as the exclusive provision to meet the aching void and crying need of the heart.
There is none other name under heaven” declared the apostles “whereby we must be saved.”
This we believe to be the basic reason for the priority of importance of the coming of Emmanuel. The cross of our blessed Lord Jesus Christ is the pivot on which the destiny of the soul turns. The soul on his way to the devil’s hell can stop at the cross, have his life transformed, change his course of travel, and move upward toward the celestial world to enjoy eternity with Christ. Alleluia!
Finally, the coming of Christ to earth was a one-time event great enough in its provision that it need never be repeated and matchless enough in its accomplishments that it can never be duplicated. Because of its inestimable value Satan will try to counterfeit it, but his efforts to do so will end in failure and eternal doom in the Lake of Fire.
The nearest thing to the duplication of the birth of Christ in the world is to have Him born anew in our hearts—“Come into my heart, Lord Jesus.”
All Hail, Emmanuel!
Aaron M. Shank