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"Awake, O sword, against
my shepherd, against the man who is close to me, declares the Lord
Almighty! Strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered, and
I will turn my hand against the little ones. In the whole land,
declares the Lord, two-thirds will be struck down and perish; yet
one third will be left in it. This third I will bring into the fire;
I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will
call my name and I will answer them; I will they say, 'They are
my people,' and they will say, 'The Lord is our God.' " - Zechariah
13: 7-9
Just Coincidence?
It is amazing how many 'coincidences'
can be found in the Bible. Take Zechariah 13: 7-9 (above),
I look at this verse and see that it says 1/3 of all the people
will go through the 'fire' and say, 'The Lord is our God.' The book
of Zechariah was written around 480 B.C. (or about 2500 years
ago). I teach World History/Civilization at Goshen High School and
we recently did a study of world religions. In our research (using
the Nystrom Desk Atlas) we found on a pie graph that 33.1% of the
world's population is Christian. 33% would be 1/3! Just coincidence?
Or take Psalm 22. In verses 16-18 it says, "...they
have pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones; people
stare and gloat over me." Compare that to the account of
the crucifixion of Christ written in Matthew 27: 27-44 (get
out your Bibles and read it). Psalm 22 accurately describes the
crucifixion of Jesus, yet it was written by King David several hundred
years before there was a Roman Empire, several hundred years before
crucifixion was ever used as a means of execution! Just coincidence?
Then there is Psalm 118. Psalm 118 is the middle chapter
of the Bible. Psalm 117 is the shortest chapter of the Bible
while Psalm 119 is the longest chapter of the Bible. There
are 594 chapters before Psalm 118 and 594 chapters after
Psalm 118. If you add up all of these chapters, 594 + 594,
you get a total of 1188 or Psalm 118: 8 as the middle verse
of the Bible. What does Psalm 118: 8 say? "It is
better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man."
Isn't this central verse of the Bible not also the central theme
of the entire Bible? Just coincidence?
What I have written here are but a few of the many 'coincidences'
that can be found in the Bible. I can think of my own life and the
many 'coincidences' that have happened to me that have brought me
closer to God. Praise the Lord for His love and the 'coincidences'
of our lives that remind us of Him. Many would look at these examples
that I used and say that they are nothing more than a coincidence.
But to me, these 'coincidences,' are evidence of the greatness of
God. They remind me that He has a plan and a purpose for everything.
He has a plan and purpose for me and you. Trust in Him! Amen.
Take a moment and encourage someone this week!
I pray that all is well with you. Please let me know if you have
any prayer concerns or praises. Have a great week and remember to
smile :), the Lord loves you!
In Christ,
Shan D. Hartsough
"It is better to take
refuge in the Lord than to trust in man."
-Psalm 118: 8
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