Many years ago, an editor of The Farmer’s Almanac predicted the weather conditions for every day of the coming year except July 13. He figured it could be filled in the next morning. But that evening, the office boy told him that the printer needed the manuscript immediately. The editor ordered the office boy: “Put in something suitable for July 13.” When the finished copies were distributed—to the editor’s horror— the prediction for July 13 read: “Wind, Hail, and Snow.” The office boy replied that such weather would be nice and unusual for that date.
Lo and behold, on July 13, 1884, wind, hail and snow did strike their region!
While the office boy made a far-fetched prophecy, God’s proven prophecy is never a fluke. He is sovereign. That’s what the writer of 2 Chronicles wanted to impress upon his readers, who had returned from exile and were facing an uncertain future. The word fulfilled appears three times in the last three verses of chapter 36, and we can learn three lessons from each reference:
• “The message of the Lord spoken through Jeremiah was fulfilled” (2 Chronicles 36:21). Jeremiah was an unpopular prophet who spoke an unpopular message. As God’s spokesman, he showed us that popular opinion is not a good gauge for reliability. Only God’s opinion is.
• “Until the seventy years were fulfilled” (2 Chronicles 36:21). Every iota of God’s Word will be fulfilled in great precision (Matthew 5:18).
• “In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, the Lord fulfilled the prophecy” (2 Chronicles 36:22). God can use the most unlikely instrument to fulfill His promise. He’s the King of kings!
God’s promises—as well as His warnings—are for real. Every word will be fulfilled, for He has both the will and the ability to accomplish it.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Mark 15:6-24
More:
Read about Jeremiah’s prophecy in Jeremiah 25:11-12 and 29:10.
Next:
What are some of God’s promises? Which one do you need to cling to today?
staci54 on September 25, 2012 at 10:14 am
I can attest to that as he gave me His word about a personal matter and 6 years later it was fulfilled! I had made a notation of what he said in one of my bibles and 6 years to the date i was reading another of my bibles and saw that I’d made a notation to see a particular chapter in the other bible. I sat transfixed and had to share with one of my in-laws. Hallelujah
pohfangchia on September 25, 2012 at 9:06 pm
Hi staci54,
Praise the Lord.
God is indeed amazing.
🙂
Poh Fang
tom felten on September 25, 2012 at 11:17 am
Thanks for lifting up these powerful truths, Poh Fang. When we consider the abundant fulfilled prophecies of Scripture, it affirms that God has revealed Himself, His ways, and His plans throughout the ages. Consider these words:
“The Christian faith offers continuity with our deepest ancestral roots. Those who trust Christ are accepting the same Creator and Lord worshiped by Adam, Abraham, Sarah, and Solomon. Jesus didn’t reject the past. He was the God of the past (John 1:1-14). When He lived among us, He showed us how to live according to the original plan. When He died, He fulfilled the whole Old Testament sacrificial system. And when He rose from the dead, the salvation He offered fulfilled God’s promise to Abraham that through his descendant He would bring blessing to the whole world. The Christian faith is not new with Christ. From Genesis to Revelation it is one story. It is His story — and ours (Acts 2:22-39; 1 Corinthians 15:1-8).” —Taken from the online article 10 Reasons To Believe In The Christian Faith.
BearPair on September 25, 2012 at 3:49 pm
What a fun illustration of smething our God takes verty seriously–I might have been tempted to write in something similar to the office boy’s!
What would we do if we could not rely on God’s faithful fulfilling of His every word.
Thanks PohFang!