God's Word will be Fulfilled - Ezra 1-2 and John 19:23-42
There is plenty of evidence that the Bible is inspired by God and thus, it is God's Word to us. One of the most convincing parts of the evidence is the prophecy aspect of Scripture. God had the audacity to tell people in advance what would happen, so they could write it down, and it could be checked out by regular people and by scholars. The fact is all of the prophecies of the Bible have come true, just as God said they would. This should give us a tremendous appreciation for the accuracy of the Bible, and for the inspiration of the Bible. However, some people still doubt the Word of God, because they don't want to believe what it says. They do not want to admit there is a source of absolute truth in this world.
Ezra begins with a statement about the prophecy of Jeremiah. Cyrus, the king of Persia, ordered the rebuilding of the Temple right after he became king. This fulfilled Jeremiah's prophecy that the Exile would last 70 years, and then, the people would return. God worked in the heart of a pagan king to do His will. God preserved a faithful remnant of His people for 70 years, so that over 40,000 people returned to the land. God will always make sure that His Word is fulfilled. It is a matter of His integrity. If He said it would happen, it will happen. We can always take God at His Word.
Look at John 19. Count all of the fulfillments of prophecy as you read it. The Jews might have thought that they were making up the plan to have Jesus killed to help the nation, but it was not their plan that was working itself out. It was God's Word being worked out through them. God even used the pagan Roman soldiers as a part of the fulfillment of His Word. God is not limited, and His Word will come true. Everything had been recorded in God's Word hundreds of years before, right down to the use of the rich man's tomb. What an awesome God we serve! What a perfect Word He has given us! I pray that we all have that kind of respect for the Bible. It should make us want to devour the Word of God and feast upon it daily.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Ezra 3-5 and John 20.
Ezra begins with a statement about the prophecy of Jeremiah. Cyrus, the king of Persia, ordered the rebuilding of the Temple right after he became king. This fulfilled Jeremiah's prophecy that the Exile would last 70 years, and then, the people would return. God worked in the heart of a pagan king to do His will. God preserved a faithful remnant of His people for 70 years, so that over 40,000 people returned to the land. God will always make sure that His Word is fulfilled. It is a matter of His integrity. If He said it would happen, it will happen. We can always take God at His Word.
Look at John 19. Count all of the fulfillments of prophecy as you read it. The Jews might have thought that they were making up the plan to have Jesus killed to help the nation, but it was not their plan that was working itself out. It was God's Word being worked out through them. God even used the pagan Roman soldiers as a part of the fulfillment of His Word. God is not limited, and His Word will come true. Everything had been recorded in God's Word hundreds of years before, right down to the use of the rich man's tomb. What an awesome God we serve! What a perfect Word He has given us! I pray that we all have that kind of respect for the Bible. It should make us want to devour the Word of God and feast upon it daily.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Ezra 3-5 and John 20.