Zechariah 9,10; Revelation 1

I have always been fascinated with how prophecy has been fulfilled. While you can chalk some of the prophecy proclaimed in the Bible to coincidence, I don’t see how anyone can explain away all of it. I remember hearing the long list of the prophesies of Jesus. How many of them there were, and how they were all fulfilled. Amazing.

Today we read of the prophecy of Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem just five days before his crucifixion:

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey. (Zechariah 9:9)

In the next verse we read about Jesus’ message of peace:

¹⁰ I will take away the chariots from Ephraim
and the warhorses from Jerusalem,
and the battle bow will be broken.
He will proclaim peace to the nations.
His rule will extend from sea to sea
and from the River^[b] to the ends of the earth. (Zechariah 9:10)

Not only do prophesies help build our faith in the truth of the Bible, but they give us vital information to read and heed:

³ Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near. (Revelation 1:3)

Can you imagine being John, receiving the vision of what he writes in Revelation? But God speaks those ever reassuring words: “Do not be afraid.”

¹⁷ When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. ¹⁸ I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. (Revelation 1:17-18)

As I enter this week full of anxiety over many things, I will keep these simple words close at heart: “Do not be afraid”. I will remember that I already know the end of the story, and there is victory.

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