We are approaching Christmas this month, a time of year when the world is giving and receiving gifts. But we wonder how many people ever realize what the greatest of all gifts given to man on this earth was.
Now, when Jesus was here on earth, He was the greatest Gift that God ever give to the earth, because He was God. God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself.
55-1004 Come Let Us Reason Together
Have you ever stopped to wonder where YOU would be today if the Lord Jesus had never come to redeem us from our sin?
We know that Jesus was actually born in April, not in December. However, since this is the season that the world celebrates His birth, we feel it would be appropriate to bring this thought to you in our December issue of Lifeline.
Your ancestors, even if some were Native Americans, originally came to the Americas from the “Old World”. If your ancestors had come from Israel, and Christ had not come, you probably would still be following one of the three forms of Judaism: Orthodox, Conservative, or Reform, practiced today.
At the time of Jesus’ birth, Judaism was the ONLY non-pagan religion in the world. All the rest of the inhabited world worshipped various deities or man-made idols. Scientists believe that “religion” is universal to mankind, and has been found in every human culture ever studied.
Where would YOU be today, if Christ had not come?
What would this world be like? Would we still be in the “stone age” or the “iron age”? We don’t think so.
Although it is thought by many people that civilization was the result of Christianity; that the Roman Catholic Church influenced the “Age of Discovery” by sending their “missionaries” to explore other parts of the world; but that is not true. Look at what God’s Prophet said about “civilization”.
But did you know that civilization, science, education, and the things that we cherish so great today, is the very instrument of Satan, even civilization? Civilization never come by God. Civilization come by Satan. Now I’ll prove that to you by the Word, just in a few minutes.
Civilization is not of God. For, let me show you; in this civilization, the more civilized we get as we work through science, we are always killing ourselves. See? And this civilization has built up to its pinnacle now, and we got death in this civilization. We got sin in this civilization. We got sickness in this civilization. That can't be of God.
65-1031M Power Of Transformation
Inasmuch as civilization came by Satan, if Christ had NOT come, it still would have progressed just as it has, for we know that Satan is the ruler of this world.
What then, would be different? Well, for one thing, while the Jewish people would still have the Old Testament, there would have been NO New Testament written.
There would be buildings specifically made for worship of deities, but they would likely be pagan temples, such as there were in ancient Greece, Rome, Italy, and other developed nations of that era.
If Christ had not come, to whom would you go when serious trouble arose? Praying to a pagan idol or some force of nature would not have achieved one thing.
When your baby was sick, who could heal him? Surely, no pagan god would have that power.
What about when you came to the end of your life? While most pagan religions taught of an afterlife, could you really count on what your pagan priest said?
Brother Branham said,
If Jesus hadn’t come, Job couldn’t have been redeemed, ‘cause He was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. He knowed His place. He knowed His position.
62-1223 The Reproach For The Cause Of The Word
Oh, aren’t you glad that Jesus Christ did come! For without Him, we would have absolutely no means for salvation for our souls. We would be lost, with no hope for life beyond the grave.
The subject for this issue of Lifeline came about when we happened upon a little poem, written by a teenager and, published in a Youth For Christ publication over 60 years ago. We think it expresses what we all feel about the first coming of our Lord Jesus.
If Christ had not come to this earth here below,
We would have no wonderful Saviour to know.
If Christ hadn’t been born in a stable so lowly,
We could not pray, “Father” to Him that is Holy.
If Christ was not lain in a poor little manger,
He could not have come for the poorest stranger.
If He couldn’t heal the sick, and make the blind see,
He could never have taken my burdens from me.
Had the crown of thorns not pierced His brow,
He would not have been my Saviour just now.
If up Calvary’s hill He had not been led,
Before Him in prayer, I could not bow my head.
If He had not been hung on Calvary’s tree,
I would not from all of my sins now be free;
If the Resurrection story was not true,
I would not meet Him beyond the blue.
So, if Christ had not come to this Earth, you see,
There would have been nothing in life for me.
In closing, we would like to leave you with a special Gift, a prayer that is a portion of the Word of God that His prophet brought to us from the Branham Tabernacle fifty-five years ago this Christmas:
Holy and gracious God, Who gave us the greatest Gift that this world has ever known of, the Lord Jesus Christ, we humbly come to Thee, tonight, in thanksgiving, and expressing from our innermost being, the deep adorations of our heart, to Thee, for this marvelous Gift. We have nothing to give in return. And it was very little that You asked; just, ‘Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I’ll take your burdens and your sins, and set you free.’ Oh, what an exchange! No one could do that but Thee, our Father. And we thank Thee that Thou has did that for us. And we are Thy witnesses in this hour, that You take our burdens and sins, and give us joy and peace, instead. How thankful we are for, Lord, this inner, Christian experience, Christmas in our hearts. We are so glad for this. So happy to know that we’re living at the end day, when we see the signs coming again like it was in that day, of His approach. We humble our hearts in Thy Presence, O Great Noble One. Let Thy Spirit reign supremely in our heart, in our lives. And strengthen us, from the inside out, that we might be servants of Thine, in this great and dark hour that the world is now facing.
We present this reading of Thy Word, Lord, to Thee, for this one purpose, that, out of This, the Holy Spirit might bring together a context that would be sufficient, tonight, as a Christmas Message to Thy people that are waiting. And we are waiting on Thee. Lord, circumcise the lips that will speak, and the ears that will hear. And empower, and put Life in the Words that goes forth, that it might bring us to a better knowledge of the Lord Jesus. For we ask it in His Name. Amen.
60-1225 God's Wrapped Gift