What I Have Escaped

Happy New Year 2021

God called Jeremiah to prophesy from childhood. He risked his life to tell the unpopular truth of Jerusalem's destruction. The people deserted worship of God to worship the Idol Baal with the evil practices of that religion, such as sacrificing the children (sound familiar?). He often had to contradict the "ear-ticklers" who told the people what they wanted to hear. Then Jeremiah gave God's true word.

Jeremiah 29 tells of the surviving people carried to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar. Jeremiah prophesies that in seventy years God will return them to Jerusalem. Those left in Jerusalem will suffer destruction.

God doesn't make the above prophesy to everyone. He iterates that the Jewish exiles will serve Him with all their heart, souls, minds, and strength (my translation). 

2020 brought trouble, including death in every nation. With all the passion we have, we long for the above prophecy to apply to us. Unlike many people, I don't believe 2020 ends on New Year's Eve. But if we as a nation return to the Almighty Creator, we will experience the promise above. Otherwise . . .

Dear Lord, forgive us our sins as individuals and as a nation. Let each person (me) love You with all our hearts, souls, minds and strength.

See you in 2021

 

Photo: David Brooke Martin, Gallery

Eavesdropping on God "In The Beginning"

John 1:1

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Genesis 1:26 

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.

Zechariah 9:9

Behold, your king is coming to you; he is just and endowed with salvation,
Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

vvvv

When I first read the Bible, I passed over what didn’t compute in my thinking. John 1:1 fits that category. How could ink on paper or a spoken word become human?

But one Sunday morning a wave of insight washed over me.

As a new Christian, I read John 1:1 without understanding. But one morning, the pastor of the Free Methodist Church (1986-88) remarked, “the Word simply means prophesy.” Lightbulb over my head.

In the beginning was the Word. When God formed the earth, He beheld every minute of every day thereafter to the end of Revelations.

And the Word was with God. Genesis 1:26 (verse above) eavesdrops on God referring to Himself as “us.” The Father didn’t stand there alone. The complete Godhead; Father, Son. and Holy Spirit created our universe. Jesus (the Word) was with God.

And the Word was God. Jesus affirmed His divinity by fulfilling every Old Testament prophesy. I tried to investigate how many prophesies foretold Jesus. No one knows, but Rapture Ready lists the number as over 400. Josh McDowell Ministries lists over 300.

Scholars can’t confirm the figure.

First, Jesus knew every prophecy, and then He fulfilled them. No one has ever said, “Oh yeah? He forgot this one.”

A favorite prophesy, Matthew 21, tells the story of Jesus riding on the donkey. Sunday School teachers teach this appealing story often.

First prophesied in Zechariah 9:9. (Verse quoted at top)

Not only did Jesus ride on a donkey, others arranged the way for Him. Jesus told the disciples to find the donkey that someone had arranged for him. Children gathered with palm branches. Did someone instruct them? Did they understand they fulfilled prophesy?

If you doubt the deity of Jesus, the First Chapter of John leaves no doubt. Jesus is God and the Son of God.

Dear Lord: Thank You for coming to earth to save us for all eternity. And thank You for the Bible, full of all wisdom.

 

Image: Click FreeBibleImages.org