Good morning, Reader! I hope that you are being blessed by this series. The goals of this blog are two-fold: (1) to tell others about salvation through Jesus Christ, and (2) to encourage Christians to look to the Rapture of the Saints before the Tribulation begins. I know that if even one soul is saved as a result, it will be worth it all! This is definitely an effort of love for the lost.
For me, today’s prophecy is another one of those “aha!” verses. David had many prophetic verses in this chapter of Psalms. Today’s is quite poignant as it refers to Christ’s pierced hands and feet. It breaks my heart to even meditate on the pain that Jesus went through! 😥 If you’ve read my previous posts that touched on the crucifixion of Christ, you know why I feel this way. I hope you have taken a moment to read about it.
Prophecy of Messiah:
Psalm 22:16 For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.
The Apostle John records what he saw when he looked upon Jesus’ physical attributes. He saw Jesus being pierced and he saw Jesus telling Thomas to put his fingers in His side and hands. But notice what the results were! Thomas immediately believed and said, “My Lord and my God.” (John 20:28)
Prophecy of Messiah Fulfilled:
John 19:34 But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.
John 19:37 And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced.
John 20:27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.
Jesus’ response to Thomas is recorded in the very next verse in John 20:29: Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. We are the ones that have not seen, friend! We are the ones that believe even though we haven’t seen. That is the faith of a mustard seed (Matthew 17:20. There is no disputing when someone tells you their salvation story! Their life was immediately changed (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Mine certainly was! I was on the verge of a divorce, confused and depressed. I bought sleeping pills and was planning to end my life that very next weekend. However, God had something else in store for me. When I had decided the when and how, I received a call from my best friend in Northern Maine asking if she could come down to visit me during her vacation. Of course, it was a no brainer! However, she was a born-again Christian and I told her she could come but she could not preach to me as I was a die hard Catholic (even though I wasn’t practicing my religion at the time). Thank God this did not discourage her – her love for me was great! She traveled 1,000 miles to see me and had the prayers of her church family coming with her. At that time, I was an adamant follower of Nostradamus’ writings of the end times. She happened to have an audio tape of Hal Lindsey, author of “Late Great Planet Earth,” preaching at a church. His ministry was to go around teaching about the end times according to the Bible. My friend had no idea that I followed Nostradamus or even had an interest in the end times, but God did. It was the perfect tape to bring with her! It piqued my interest when she told me that she also was interested in the end times and had this tape by Hal Lindsey that was quite interesting. Indeed it was! I had no idea who he was so I didn’t think it had anything to do with her being born again. He explained using the Scriptures what was to happen during the Tribulation. He talked about the Rapture, which is something the Catholic church does not teach, nor does the Catholic church teach biblical salvation. It scared me so much that I would go through the Tribulation! He gave the Gospel message and was very thorough – so much so that I remember thinking that God would have to let me into Heaven because I had never heard these Bible verses about salvation before. At the moment that I had this thought, Hal Lindsey said, “And you can’t say you didn’t know because I just told you so“! God reached deep into my heart and showed me that my excuse was just obliterated and the light of His Word pierced my heart! I fell to my knees and asked His forgiveness for my sins and invited Him into my life to be my Lord and my Saviour. My life dramatically changed at that point! Jesus was now at the forefront of my thoughts every day and I had a tremendous desire to learn all I could about Him. My friend had packed a Bible in her suitcase so she was ready to disciple me as best she could in the few days she had left of her vacation. I now know Jesus Christ personally, just as Thomas believed when He touched Jesus’s hands and side. Thomas believed by sight but I believed by faith! The Apostle Paul met Jesus on the road to Damascus. You can read about it in Acts 26:12-18. Jesus told Paul that his mission would be to tell everyone how they can be saved. Acts 26:18 says it all: To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
Do you know Him personally or do you only know of Him? I want to be sure that anyone who reads the posts on this blog can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are going to Heaven. Have you received Christ as your Saviour? If no, your sins are not covered by His sacrificial offering of Himself. You have not been redeemed by His blood. It is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved if you are not already. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!
