Alright, this is my last posting about this stuff (for now at least ha). Here are just some final things to think about ...
If the authors of the Bible were not guided by God, then how on earth did all of the proclaimed prophecies end up fulfilled?!? Because the Bible was written over 1600 years, many earlier writers made bold predictions about what would happen in following centuries. They went out on a limb and said, “Under the inspiration of God, we are gonna tell you what will happen 1000 years from now!” Here are some of those prophecies …
The birth of Jesus was predicted several hundred years before His arrival. It was in print. These prophecies were incredibly detailed, in fact, they included the following:
· Jesus would be born of a virgin.
· He would come 483 years after the year 444 BC.
· He would be of the lineage of Abraham,
· the tribe of Judah,
· the house of David.
· His birth place would be Bethlehem.
· He would have a ministry of miracles.
· He will cleanse the temple.
· He would die a humiliating death involving …
*rejection of his own people,
*silence before his accusers,
*being mocked,
*piercing of His hands and feet,
*being crucified with thieves,
*praying for his persecutors,
*speared in his side,
*buried in a rich man’s tube,
*and casting of lots for his garments.
That is a total of 18 prophecies concerning one man alone. And every single one of those 18 prophecies came true … every single one! A mathematician, Peter Stone, wrote a book as he tried to figure the odds of any one person fulfilling all of these prophecies. He found that the odds of one person fulfilling only 8 of them are 1 in a million-billion. I didn’t even know that number existed!! How can anyone account for these prophecies being filled hundreds of years later; apart from the admitting that God played a part in authoring these predictions.
Another example …
In the 5th century BC, the city of Tyre was on the Mediterranean coast. The Bible prophet Ezekiel made the assertion that Tyre was going to be destroyed and that no city would be built on that site again. The people who heard that prophecy during that time must have thought Ezekiel was deluded. It would be like me announcing to you that some big city like Boston is about to be wiped out, and some national wildlife preserve is gonna replace its location. You'd think I was crazy for suggesting such a thing. But a few hundred years after that prophecy by Ezekiel, the prophecy was fulfilled in amazing detail. The city of Tyre was utterly destroyed. If you go to the holy land today, you can take a tour and be brought to the flat rocks that once provided the foundation for that city … they have never been built on since. How do you account for the fulfillment of that and hundreds of others prophecies of scripture being fulfilled? It had to have been inspired by God.
The reality is, it is easier to criticize the Bible then it is to yield oneself and allow scripture to make an appraisal of our lives. The Bible gets to the root of issues of character. People know that if they read it, it’s gonna speak truth to them about their condition. It is going to bring up matters of sin, repentance, heaven, and hell. And nobody wants to bring those things to the forefront. But I can assure you that being vulnerable to this appraisal of your life will open up a world of freedom if you recognize and accept what God is offering. There is a reason that the Bible is translated into over 1200 different languages. There is a reason that it has stayed atop the best seller list for about 300 years. There is a reason why is has survived bans and burnings – it has outlived its cruelest opponents. And it is because the God of this universe is behind everything in it, and the God of this universe has to power to keep His Word alive so it can continue to save and transform the lives of millions of people until the end of time. So I challenge you to think about all of these things and really ask yourself, “what’s stopping me from at least searching deeper about this gift of Salvation that Christ offers?” Because the message of salvation in the Bible is very clear. And the Bible has proven to be accurate and credible. And the Bible has undoubted markings that it was inspired by God. So doesn't it seem like it is worth considering its message, rather than disregarding it because of the inconvenience? If you allow God to “rain on your current parade,” you will find that your parade is nothing compared to the freedom, and love, and hope, and joy that He can give you when you turn to Him. That's a promise from me, but more importantly, from God.
Alright, that’s it. Thanks for reading. Grace and peace ♥
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