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IS IT POSSIBLE THAT ONE OF THOSE DAYS IS NEARING?
ONE DAY UNLIKE ANY OTHER.....WHEN EVERYTHING CHANGES....
Have you ever thought about that?
Most people go through life expecting certain things to happen because.....well....they've always happened. The sun always rises in the east. It always sets in the west. There will be summer, fall, winter, and spring. Your spouse is always next to you in bed when you go to sleep and when you wake up. You can always call your mom. You can always go to coffee with your best friend.
ALWAYS......
BUT........
Everyone has a day or two in their lives when EVERYTHING CHANGES.
The day you graduate from college.The day you get your first real job.
The day you get laid off or fired.
The day you get married.
The day you move to a new city or state.
The day your first child is born.
The day your parent(s) move from this earth to heaven.
The day you become single again (for whatever reason).
Although every person on this planet has experienced days when everything changed in their lives, why do most people act like everything will always be the same?
DAYS WHEN EVERYTHING CHANGES AREN'T ONLY PERSONAL---There have been DAYS WHEN EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED FOR THE ENTIRE WORLD....
July 4, 1776
October 29, 1929
December 7, 1941
September 11, 2001
I don't know about you, but on September 10, 2001, I had no idea that the entire world would change the next day. I wasn't alive on December 6, 1944, but I believe most people had no clue as to how the world would change when the United States entered WWII just 24 hours later.
Think about the day Jesus was crucified.
Crucifixions were normal occurrences in the Judea ruled by Rome. To most causal observers that day, nothing was unusual. But that was a day that everything changed. That day had been prophesied for thousands of years...and finally.....it had come!
There was evidence IN WRITING....that there would be a DAY THAT EVERYTHING WOULD CHANGE....BUT VERY FEW, IF ANY, REALIZED THAT DAY HAD ARRIVED.....
Twenty nine specific prophecies regarding the Messiah were fulfilled on THAT ONE DAY....
Here are some of those 29. Remember, these were all written between 1,000 and 500 B.C.
Jesus fulfilled over 300 prophecies in his 33 years that He walked the earth....
Here are 20 of the 29 he fulfilled on the day of his crucifixion........
1. Messiah would be betrayed by a friend. (Psalm 41:9; Psalm 52:12-14)
2. Messiah would be sold for 30 pieces of silver. (Zechariah 11:12)
3. Those 30 silver pieces would be thrown in the temple. (Zechariah 11:13)
4. The 30 silver pieces would be used to buy a potter's field. (Zechariah 11:13)
5. Jesus' Disciples left him. (Zechariah 13:7)
6. Jesus was accused by false witnesses. (Psalm 35:11)
7. Jesus didn't answer his accusers. (Isaiah 53:7)
8. Jesus was physically wounded and scourged. (Isaiah 53:5)
9. Jesus was struck and spit on. (Isaiah 50:6; Micah 5:1)
10. Jesus was mocked. (Psalm 22:7-8)
11. Jesus fell while carrying his cross. (Psalm 109:24-25)
12. Jesus' hands and feet were pierced. (Psalm 22:16; Zechariah 12:10)
13. Jesus was crucified with thieves. (Isaiah 53:12)
14. Jesus forgave those who crucified him. (Isaiah 53:12)
15. Jesus was rejected by his own countrymen. (Isaiah 53:3; Psalm 69:8; 118:22)
16. Jesus was hated without cause. (Psalm 69:4; Isaiah 49:7)
17. Jesus' friends stood far away from him. (Psalm 38:11)
18. The people shook their heads. (Psalm 109:25; Psalm 22:7)
19. The soldiers cast lots for Jesus' garments. (Psalm 22:18)
20. Jesus' bones were not broken. (Psalm 34:20)
THESE AND OTHER PROPHECIES CAME TO PASS ON THAT ONE DAY....BUT NO ONE REALIZED IT!
By the way, if you are thinking that the fulfillment of 29 prophecies in one day by one person is a coincidence....then you should probably buy one lottery ticket in the next MegaJackpot and quit your job before the winner is announced! The mathematical possibilities of one man fulfilling just 8 of the prophecies that Jesus fulfilled can be represented this way:
The chances of that man finding the one marked silver dollar are the same as the chance that Jesus fulfilled just 8 of the prophecies about his birth, life, and death.
- Somehow get enough silver dollars to cover the ENTIRE STATE OF TEXAS TWO FEET DEEP.
- Put a special mark ON ONE OF THOSE SILVER DOLLARS.
- Cover the State of Texas- all 268,820 square miles of it-in silver dollars-2 feet deep.
- Somehow stir up all of those silver dollars.
- Blindfold a man and tell him he can walk as far as he wants-all 268,820 square miles if he so desires-but he may only pick up one silver dollar.
The day Jesus was crucified was a day that changed everything. He paid the price for the sin of humanity.....His blood was shed so yours didn't have to be....Jesus died on the cross so you could be made right with God. No matter how good you try to be on your own, you can't ever be perfect...you will never be able to be a sinless sacrifice....Jesus did that for you....
While crucifixions were normal happenings in Judea in the years of the Roman occupation, what happened three days later was not normal and had never happened before.
Jesus was Resurrected. Resurrection Day was a day that EVERYTHING CHANGED. That had never happened before.
Never? NEVER.
You might ask, "What about Lazarus? What about Jairus' daughter? What about those who were raised from the dead by Elija and Elisha?"
Others that were raised from the dead were resuscitated. They were brought back to life by the power of God, but they died again. The day Jesus rose from the dead was unlike any other day in history.....
Jesus is still alive.
His tomb is still empty. For over 2,000 years those who oppose Christianity have tried to disprove Jesus' resurrection. All they ever had to do to completely END CHRISTIANITY was produce Jesus' dead body. The Roman government would have produced that body if it could have. The Jewish religious leaders would have produced that body if it was anywhere to be found. But they never did.
Jesus is coming back......it could be quite soon....
It will be a day that changes everything.
I can hear some of you now, "They've been saying that for years, and it hasn't happened."
The day before the stock market crashed no one knew that everything would change the next day, but there were people who knew that the indicators pointed to an eventual economic catastrophe.
The day before the attack on Pearl Harbor no one knew that everything would change the next day, but there were signs that eventually the United States would be drawn into World War II.
The day before the attack on the World Trade Center no one knew everything would change the next day, but there were warnings that one day America and the free world could be facing a war with Islamic terrorists.
Even though Jesus' death had been prophesied for a thousand years before it happened, people didn't recognize the significance of his crucifixion when it happened.
Jesus' return has also been prophesied for thousands of years. One day it will happen.
No one will know for sure the day before he comes back that tomorrow will be the day, but there are signs that indicate things are changing....right now.....
Here are signs the Bible tells us we will see before Jesus' return:
- Increase in earthquakes. (Anyone in Irving, Texas?)
- Increase in wars.
- Development of superpower nations.
- A lukewarm church.
- Lawlessness of humanity.
- Increase in knowledge, technology, ability to travel.
- Establishment of the nation of Israel.
- Return of the Jewish people to Israel from all over the globe.
- Nations aligning themselves against Israel.
The Blood Moons
Furthermore, the Bible tells us that God uses "signs in the heavens"-the stars, the sun and the moon to signal that something big is happening. Remember the star that the Magi followed when Jesus was born?
The Bible also says there will be "wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire...the sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord." (Joel 2:31; Acts 2:20)
The moon turned to blood is known as a blood moon. A blood moon is a natural phenomena....It is a total lunar eclipse, when the earth passes between the sun and the moon and casts its shadow on the moon. The moon appears red...like blood...hence the term, "Blood Moon." It's a natural occurrence that can be scientifically explained....it has happened before.....There will be one this weekend....April 4.....
When Blood Moons happen in a series of 4 within a year with total solar eclipses between them and they each fall on a major Jewish holy day....you've got to admit....that is unusual.....
When you watch the news and it seems like humanity has completely lost any sense of morality...
When you notice that the world is fighting around and over Israel-a nation the size of Rhode Island-....
When lawlessness seems to be running rampant from the highest levels of leadership in government to the public school classrooms.....
Something is happening. A day that changes everything is coming......
The Bible says that a day is coming when those who believe in Jesus will "all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." (1 Corinthians 15:51-52)
You can believe it or not. Either way that day is coming.
What if I'm Wrong
Maybe I am completely wrong.
Maybe this world will somehow straighten itself out all on its own.
Maybe Jesus isn't returning in my lifetime or in yours....
Regardless of when Jesus returns.... the day still isn't far away when you will stand before him....
If you live to be 100 years old, how many years do you have left?
Do you know FOR SURE that you will live on this earth another decade, or another year, month, week, or even day?
Get real. One day your life as you know it will end.
It will happen in ONE DAY- A DAY WHEN EVERYTHING CHANGES!
If you are a believer in Jesus then live today like there is no tomorrow. Be serious about your relationship with God. You know what to do. Stop putting it off and do it.
Maybe you're not a believer in Jesus. However, you are a really good person, quite intelligent, and maybe even consider yourself spiritually astute....but if you are not a believer in Jesus, you need to become one today.
History supports Christianity....if you look at it with an open mind....but my life is proof that Jesus is alive. He has changed my mourning into dancing. He has given me life and joy and hope and peace. I don't fear death. I don't fear the "end of the world." I know there is a day coming when everything will change and for me and others like me....it will be a very good thing!
Pray this prayer to receive Jesus Christ as Messiah or to recommit your life to him now:
Father, I believe you sent your Son Jesus to die on the cross for my sins. I believe he is risen from the dead. I give my heart to you, Jesus. Take my life and do something with it. I am now a child of God and heaven is my home. Thank you, Father, in Jesus' name.
If you prayed that prayer......
Today was a day that everything changed...
You have no reason to fear any other day WHEN EVERYTHING CHANGES!
Message me if you prayed that prayer or if you have questions.....You need to get connected with a good church and some other Jesus followers...Please share this blog. This is an important and timely message.
Have a wonderful celebration of the Resurrection this weekend....and don't eat too much chocolate!
Until next week, do something today to fulfill your purpose!
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