The Wonder of the Gospel

The youth group just completed the book of Daniel, having diligently studied for the past few months at Friday Night Bible Study. There are many well known chapters, like when Daniel and his friends abstained from eating food from the king’s table, and his three friends were thrown in the fiery furnace for refusing to bow down to the golden statue. When Daniel’s enemies convinced the king to outlaw prayer for 30 days, Daniel continued to pray to God and was thrown into the lion’s den. In each situation, God sustained his faithful people. Many of the students had never read past “Daniel and the lions’ den” in chapter 6 (perhaps this applies even to us adults). But these chapters are only the first half of the book, while the latter half details Daniel’s prophetic visions. In fact, the book of Daniel contains several prophecies directly related to Jesus Christ.

The coming of the Messiah was prophesied to happen 476 years after the decree to rebuild Jerusalem (444 BC), and “the Anointed One will be put to death…” (Daniel 9:26). By God’s sovereign plan, Jesus made his triumphant entry into Jerusalem in 33 AD, and in one week’s time, would be crucified for the sins of mankind. After the Daniel 9 bible study, one person shared that she “felt chills” with amazement after understanding the “seventy weeks” prophecy was fulfilled through Jesus Christ. We, who are on this side of the cross, can see that God was giving Daniel a glimpse of his redemptive plan over 600 years before it would occur.

Daniel would never see that decree nor return to Jerusalem, but he rested on that promise that God will rescue his people from their sin. The gospel/good news is that God fulfills that promise through Jesus Christ. This is important as we prepare our hearts for the revival meeting this upcoming weekend. We are the recipients of God’s grace, having been adopted into God’s kingdom & family. Nothing earned, but freely received through faith. Is the gospel still “good news” to you? When we have lost the wonder of the gospel message, we forget the very thing that transforms us; we who were dead & now made alive with Christ (Eph 2:4-5). May the wonder of the gospel be recaptured in our hearts!

“I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart.” (Jeremiah 24:7)