As ridiculous as it sounds, that’s what I hear from atheists regarding the prophecy that said, ‘Israel will disappear as a nation. Then far down the road, in the “latter years of history” Israel will be brought back into existence again and all the nations of the world will revolve around it. Israel will be like a stone around the neck of the world.
Atheists read that and say, “Anybody could say that about any country and it might happen.” And they’re serious! It’s my belief that anyone who makes those kind of comments simply don’t understand the mathematically prohibitive odds of something like that coming true by accident.
As astonishing as the prophecies of Jesus and Israel are, here’s one that I find especially amazing. In the Bible it was foretold that:
. A magnificent temple for the Lord would be built. This temple would become the centre of worship for Israelites. The temple would become the symbol of Israel’s national identity.
. Because of Israel’s disobedience the temple would be destroyed.
. Another temple would be built; less physically impressive than the first.
. The second temple would also be destroyed (this took place in AD 70) but not before Messiah Himself would come “suddenly” to the temple.
. Jesus the Christ would cause people from all the nations of earth to worship the God of Israel, Creator God, Yaweh, the King of kings and Lord of lords.
. Jesus the Christ would be brutally killed and by His death He would provide atonement for all people’s sins.
. This killing of Messiah would take place BEFORE the second temple was destroyed.
That what was prophesied hundreds and in a couple cases over one thousand years in advance.
Think about that! It's important!
Thousands of years before Jesus was born, God caused his prophets to foresee not only what race, what nation and what town the Messiah would be born in. Not only was it predicted how He would be killed. God, in the form of Jesus did come to this second temple before it was destroyed, and before Israel as a nation was destroyed. And this Jesus HAS caused people from around the world to abandon their former philosophy of life so they could worship, actually worship Creator God - Israel’s God. There are currently two billion people from almost every nation on earth who have placed their trust in this Jesus, just as predicted several thousand years ago.
Do you get that? Do you have ears that can hear what has been done?
This is not luck. This is not chance. This is supernatural. This is more proof that Creator God exists.
The Book that atheists derisively call a bronze age book (just as though time has bearing on Truth), this Book says that after these things have happened, Jesus will come again, this time bringing Peace and Justice to earth. Peace and Justice are what atheists demand of God - NOW! Trouble is, when Jesus comes again, evil and all those who persist in doing evil will be cast out from the presence of the Lord, for all time.
We can know that His second coming will happen because His first coming took place exactly as predicted, exactly when it had to happen, just before the second temple was destroyed and just before Israel ceased to exist as a nation.
These things have happened. They happened, not by luck but by the power of God. The Bible is supernatural. It’s amazing. It is a sign of God’s existence.
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6 comments:
thanks for stopping by my blog before, not sure how you found it but the blog world is all connected somehow :) Thanks so much for praying for my friend. I thought I would pass along her name Eva and her husband is named Laci. Thanks so much....
If it's not too much trouble, could you post the verses which you claim as containing prophetic content?
Thanks
(More convenient for seekers-after-truth, you know).
Yes of course. As an avid truth seeker I shant keep you waiting any longer than necessary.
Also, welcome back to the world of blogging. I had become worried at your overlong absence.
Thank you for the welcome back. I was going through some stuff. Anyhow -
So that you might partake in as much truth seeking as possible, I’m going to back up just a bit.
Even in Jewish traditions Isaiah 42for example is interpreted as the Messiah saying that He will not falter until justice is brought to earth. Later, in the New Testament, Jesus says, “I will build my Church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.
Jewish tradition interprets Isaiah 49 as saying the Messiah will re gather the tribes of Israel and bring them back to God. In 49:6 it is said that Messiah will “Make [Israel] a light for the Gentiles that [Israel] may bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.”
In Isaiah 52:13 to 53:12, these verses say the Messiah will be highly exalted but first He will suffer terribly. He will actually be disfigured beyond recognition in his suffering. The verses also predict that the people of Israel won’t get it. They won't understand what's going on. They will think that He is suffering for His own sins and wickedness. They won’t realise that He is bearing their sins, suffering on their behalf and that by His wounds there was healing for them. Then it speaks of His death and His continued life after death.
In 2nd Chronicles 2:19-22 God says that if Israel’s sin reaches a certain level, he’ll destroy the first temple, exile the people, and leave them in a state of judgment. This comes to pass. It’s not speculation. It’s historical fact. In Daniel 9:24 it says that God would have mercy, and the temple would be rebuilt - the second temple. Before this new temple is destroyed, Daniel is told, several things are going to take place, including the bringing of everlasting atonement - the final dealing with sin.
Haggai lives to see the second temple built but it is nothing like the first. Not only was the first temple structurally superior to the second, the glory of God was present in the first temple. The second temple did not have the presence of God nor the divine fire to consume the offerings. Yet, in Haggai 2:6-9 - the prophet says that the glory of the second temple would be GREATER than the glory of the first temple. God would “fill” the second temple with “His” glory. Now, as I’m sure you have noted, the Hebrew word for glory can sometimes refer to great wealth, but when God says that He will “fill” the temple with glory, surely that can only mean His presence. After all, what would it take to literally fill a temple with money? That most certainly never happened.
Then the prophet Malachi says that the Lord will COME to his temple, purifying some of his people and bringing judgment on others. Malachi 3:1-5. Malachi uses the Hebrew term that always refers to God himself: The Lord - He will come to the second temple.
Now, keep in mind that the second temple was destroyed in AD 70. If Biblical prophecy is true, then atonement for sin had to be made and the divine visitation had to take place before the second temple was destroyed. So, it’s not a matter of maybe there’s another one who’s the Messiah who’s coming at a later date. For Jesus or Yeshua to specifically fulfill these prophecies in this manner is simply mathematically impossible - unless something supernatural is going on. No one BUT Jesus accomplished what needed to be done prior to AD 70.
I mean, what divine visitation did take place if not for Yeshua? When else did God visit the second temple in a personal way before it was destroyed? Who else atoned for sin before the temple was destroyed? How else was the glory of the second temple greater than the first? Either the Messiah came two thousand years ago or the prophets were wrong and the Fiddler is right. But I don't think you are right Fiddler. I think that you’ve either missed or ignored something here that an intelligent man such as yourself has no business allowing yourself to ignore.
It's almost time for bed so let me press on. The Talmud asks whether the Messiah will come “with the clouds of heaven - Daniel 7:13 or “gentle and riding on a donkey -Zechariah 9:9. The rabbis said ‘If we’re worthy he’ll come with the clouds of heaven, meaning swiftly and powerfully; if we’re unworthy he’ll come meek and lowly.’ They mistakenly believed it was either / or but it is both. Jesus came meek and lowly riding on a donkey. But - Jesus himself specifically foretold at his trial before the high priest that the next time those folks saw him it would be when He returns in the clouds of heaven.
These verses tell us that prior to the destruction of the second temple, Messiah:
. Will first suffer before He is raised up and exalted
. He will come riding on a donkey meek and lowly
. He will first be rejected by his people
. He will suffer terribly for our sins as a righteous substitute.
. He will then be a light to the nations
. The power of His deliverance from death will cause the ends of the earth to worship the Creator God, Israel’s God.
. Redemption had to come and there had to be divine visitation before the temple was destroyed in AD 70 and all this did take place prior to the destruction of the temple.
Yeshua fulfilled the essential prophecies that had a definite time frame and which had to be completed before the second temple was destroyed. This is not a matter of speculation; it’s historical fact.
For 2,000 years, traditional Jews have had no functioning temple. There has been no functioning priesthood with sacrifices. I think that it’s significant that Isaiah 53 says the servant of the Lord will Himself be a guilt offering. Either God has left us completely bereft of the major atonement
system, a functioning priesthood, and a functioning temple or else everything that I’ve just written finds its fulfillment in the One who came when He had to come. The final atonement for sin had been made through Yeshua, just as had been prophesied.
Fiddler, what other sacrifice is great enough to cover the guilt of the entire world? Who’s pure enough? Who’s perfect enough? Only this One, the great Son of God, takes the sin and guilt of the entire world on His own shoulders and dies on behalf of our sins so we can now receive forgiveness, cleansing and righteousness. All of these clues point to Yeshua and Yeshua alone. He fulfills the prophecies in the most incredible way. Since the Messiah had to come almost two thousand years ago, according to the testimony of the Jewish scripture, then if Yeshua isn’t the Mesiah, there will never be a Messiah. It’s too late for anyone else. It’s Him or no one. If Yeshua didn’t come and do what had to be done in the first phase of things, when there was a definite deadline, then there’s no hope that the second phase will ever come, when He will come in the clouds of glory to rule and reign.
The good news is, we have the deposit. We have the down payment. We can be confident He will return to accomplish the remainder because He fulfilled the former. He did that for you Fiddler. He did that for me. Yeshua fulfilled these amazing prophecies in such as way that we could say, "There really is a Creator God who loves us and cares for us and who is drawing us home. I'd love to see you there man. Don't be such a stubborn old prick and get on board :-)
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