I once knew a Christian lady who would become angry whenever the prophetic words of Jesus were spoken of. She believed the Bible was God’s word but balked for some reason at prophecy. Even after talking with her about the glorious message and hope in the prophetic side of the Bible I never had a clear understanding why she felt that way. The words of God’s prophecies bring hope. Almost 1/3 of the Bible deals with future events; some already fulfilled and some yet to be.
We’re heading into the New Year with a lot of grief traveling with us. There is a great moral lapse in America and in the world in which millions push God away and practice wickedness with no fear. Justice is perverted. Those in power take advantage of citizens while pushing destructive agendas. Add to this the organizations that threaten and murder innocent people by the score sowing the seeds of fear and dread. Nations rattle swords with impending rumors of hostilities. At the time of this writing North and South Korea are standing on the brink of reigniting a full scale war on the peninsula with possibility of nuclear intervention which could possibly drag the human race into World War III. We may be less than two years away from Iran developing a nuclear device which surely would become a major threat to Israel and world peace. And it goes on and on. But there is hope.
Jesus Christ was the ultimate prophet of history. He not only foretold future last day events but prophesied of His own life in His death and resurrection. Christ fulfilled 48 prophecies from the writings of the Old Testament prophets. Just to have fulfilled only 8 the odds would be 1 in 10 to the 17th power. To have fulfilled all 48 prophecies the odds are astronomical at an astounding 1 in 10 to the 157th power. It looks like this; the smallest object known to man is the electron. It is so small that it will take 2.5 times (10 to the 15th power) to make a single file line one inch long. Counting this one inch long line of electrons at 250 per minute, day and night, would take 19 million years to count just that one inch. Let’s suppose we mark only 1 electron and stir it back into the mass, blindfold a person and tell them to find the marked electron. Those are the same odds of any man fulfilling 48 prophecies as it is recorded Jesus Christ did in His lifetime (Evidence That Demands a Verdict, p 167).
I don’t know about you but believing in a God who can do that builds within me a lot of hope that the world will soon be redeemed and returned to its first estate. The Apostle Paul likened the travail of the present earth system to a woman laboring in birth pains (Romans 8:22, 23). We agonize in our spirits as we wait for God to return and set things right. As God is a loving heavenly Father He desires to show us His plans so we may be encouraged. God will fulfill all the things He promised through His Son. Be encouraged as we enter the New Year; the odds are in our favor things will turn out just fine.
Ken
