It was 6 BC, in the oppressive days of Herod, king of Judea, when Zacharias was visited at Rosh Hashanah by the angel Gabriel. Messiah was coming! It had been a long wait, but suddenly the time had come… “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and am sent to speak to you, and to show you these glad tidings!” (Luke 1:19). Everything changed. Hope was in the air.
Another 30 years would pass until Jesus began His ministry. Anticipation of coming good could not be suppressed. It seemed everyone held their breath. Then He began. As news spread, “great multitudes of people followed Him,” from every region, to hear Him and be healed of their diseases. Hope was electric! Life had come.
At His crucifixion, hopes were dashed to pieces – but only for three days. Jesus had worked a far greater victory than anyone imagined… “He is the propitiation (overwhelming ransom payment) for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world!” (1 John 2:2). With sins forgiven, death cannot hold the one who receives Christ as Savior. The Hope of Eternal Life had come!
This undying Hope has circled the globe, leaving a “readiness” of coming good in our hearts that cannot be trampled… “You have an inheritance RESERVED in Heaven for you; you are being kept by the power of God through faith for salvation READY TO BE REVEALED in the last time. In this you greatly REJOICE…” (1 Peter 1:4-6).
The harder this world tries to stomp out our hope, the more it grows by the power of the Spirit. “The path of the Just is as the shining light, that grows brighter and brighter until the perfect day.”
Keep sharing! Jesus is near.
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