There are many arguments for the existence of God,
and bible prophecy is certainly one of the most amazing because who can know
the past and future with such accuracy other than the Creator. In the previous three blog posts we have
looked at several of these prophecies. Statistics
of probability only strengthen the argument for the truth of scripture when you
consider the amazing number of prophecies that have been fulfilled. For example, if you asked a crowd of 1000
people of all ages how many had a birthday on July 1, several people might
stand who were born on July 1. Of those standing, you might then ask how
many were born in Chicago. Many of those standing would probably sit
down. Of those remaining, you ask how many like green as their favorite
color. Three questions and you are down to a small number of
people. This is a simplistic illustration of how statistical probability
is developed. We only looked at a few prophecies fulfilled since 1948; we
didn’t even address the prophecies of the Messiah that were fulfilled by Jesus
or the record of history written in advance as recorded in Daniel 10-11 among many others.
Critical evaluations of the Bible (by foes and
fans alike) have been done for a long time, and the amazing statistics of
probability related to the prophecies in the Bible are a great validation of
its truth. Are the prophecies presented in the previous blog posts in this
series that impressive? I truly don’t think a reasonable person can say
otherwise.
My heart is burdened that people everywhere
(especially those I know and care about) recognize all God has done to declare
His existence, His love and His interest in every person—especially through the
revelation of His word. The Old Testament prophecies are many, and most
point to the Messiah, The One who would come to redeem mankind from sin and
make possible our restoration to fellowship with God.
God states in His Word that only by faith
in Jesus Christ can one hope to enter His presence in heaven.
John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the
life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
You can’t earn your way to heaven; you have to
accept it by faith.
Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace are ye saved
through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Romans 10:9 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord
Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead,
thou shalt be saved.”
Notice it says, “Lord” Jesus. In other words, you are accepting Him as THE
authority in your life. That acceptance
is proved by how you live. The sad truth
is that many that claim to be saved are not.
Matthew 7:21-23 “Not every one that saith
unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth
the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Many will say to me in that
day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast
out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess
unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
They may be doing good works—even miracles—in the
name of Jesus, but they aren’t living according to God’s will as revealed in
His Word; they are living for self. His
Word is very clear that if we love Him, we will obey Him.
John 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he
will keep my words.
The Apostle Paul urges us to “examine” ourselves
as to the sincerity of our profession of faith.
2Corinthians
13:5 “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves.”
I believe that time is short and that Jesus is
coming again soon. What soon is—I don’t
know. I do know that I don’t want you to
be left behind!
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