The Never-ending Story
John 1:1 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Psalm 119:89 (New International Version)
89 Your word, O LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.
Picture this: God, the Source, the Genesis of all life, who is and was and always will be, longs to commune with and be known by, a race of beings he created - known as Humanity. Mankind, a creation with unlimited potential, whom he created in his own image and with the capacity to know him, inexplicably, but evidently, is a particular object of love for him.
Like the incredible energy released during nuclear fission, the splitting of the nucleus of an atom, reversing itself and returning to the tiny particle (if that were possible), is God condensing himself into words in the pages of a book so that he can reveal himself to those who care to find him.
But this is not just any book; this book is a collection of sixty-six books written by many different people, and to each of those people he gave part of the picture, each piece in perfect harmony with the entire picture as a whole. He left clues, prohecies about himself scattered throughout the pages, throughout the stories - shadows, glimpses, reflections of who he is - all like the needle of a compass pointing due north, pointing consistently and constantly to him.
The part of the book known as the Old Testament is filled with references to One who was to come, whom we recognize as Jesus. God gave specific clues about parts of his life, things that would happen to him, so that when we saw that they happened we would recognize him and say, "Ah, he's the One!"
The template was so incredibly complex that no human being would have been able to contrive or fake it, and yet when we look at the life of Jesus in the context of the whole scripture, when we spend time reading it, so that it becomes familiar to us - it's him we see; the One we read about through all the pages of the Old Testament and whom we read about in the book of Revelation, the last book of the Bible; it is "HIM". He is the One we see in the pages of the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
Revelation 1:8 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
8"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."
John 1:1 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Psalm 119:89 (New International Version)
89 Your word, O LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.
Picture this: God, the Source, the Genesis of all life, who is and was and always will be, longs to commune with and be known by, a race of beings he created - known as Humanity. Mankind, a creation with unlimited potential, whom he created in his own image and with the capacity to know him, inexplicably, but evidently, is a particular object of love for him.
Like the incredible energy released during nuclear fission, the splitting of the nucleus of an atom, reversing itself and returning to the tiny particle (if that were possible), is God condensing himself into words in the pages of a book so that he can reveal himself to those who care to find him.
But this is not just any book; this book is a collection of sixty-six books written by many different people, and to each of those people he gave part of the picture, each piece in perfect harmony with the entire picture as a whole. He left clues, prohecies about himself scattered throughout the pages, throughout the stories - shadows, glimpses, reflections of who he is - all like the needle of a compass pointing due north, pointing consistently and constantly to him.
The part of the book known as the Old Testament is filled with references to One who was to come, whom we recognize as Jesus. God gave specific clues about parts of his life, things that would happen to him, so that when we saw that they happened we would recognize him and say, "Ah, he's the One!"
The template was so incredibly complex that no human being would have been able to contrive or fake it, and yet when we look at the life of Jesus in the context of the whole scripture, when we spend time reading it, so that it becomes familiar to us - it's him we see; the One we read about through all the pages of the Old Testament and whom we read about in the book of Revelation, the last book of the Bible; it is "HIM". He is the One we see in the pages of the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
Revelation 1:8 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
8"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."
Prayer: Everlasting Father, in our hands we hold a priceless treasure, your Word. I confess that I have not cherished it, hungered for it, sought its pages for you as I ought to have done in my life. And yet you patiently wait for us to discover you there, where you are ready to reveal yourself to us. Lord, show me your glory!
Exodus 33:18 (New King James Version)
New King James Version (NKJV)
Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
18 And he said, “Please, show me Your glory.”
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