Reverse Genealogy
Theme of the Week: God's Astonishing Promise
Monday, December 19, 2005
 1 of 1
Key Bible Verse: A star will rise from Jacob; a scepter will emerge from Israel (Numbers 24:17). Bonus Reading: Genesis 3:15; 12:2; 17:19; 28:14; 49:10
The prophetic failures of psychic Jeanne Dixon are well known. World War III, she predicted, would begin in 1954; union leader Walter Reuther would run for president in 1966; and Fidel Castro would be overthrown in 1970. Humans fail, but Bible prophecies about Christ—predicted centuries before they occurred—have been minutely fulfilled.
Immediately after Adam ate the forbidden fruit, God proclaimed the "good news" for the first time, promising from Eve's offspring a Deliverer who would crush the tempter. Who would He be? God chose aged Abraham from Ur to be the father of a new people through whom the Messiah would come. But the messianic line would not include all Abraham's descendents—only those of the lineage of Isaac and of Isaac's son Jacob. Specifically, Jesus would be from the family of Judah, the kingly line. Christ would descend from David (2 Samuel 7:16), have an enduring dynasty and a people and kingdom over which to rule, and inaugurate a worldwide reign of peace.
The prophecies foretelling Christ's genealogy have been precisely fulfilled. We now await the fulfillment of the final prophecy—His rule.
—Paul Enns in Approaching God
My Response: How much do I long for prophecy's final fulfillment with Christ's return and reign?
Adapted from Approaching God (Kregel, 1991) by permission.
Copyright © 2005 by the author or Christianity Today International/Men of Integrity magazine. Click here for reprint information on Men of Integrity. 1 of 1
Lord, keep my familiarity with the trappings of Christmas from blinding me to its quiet but explosive significance.
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