Fulfillment of prophecy in the Scriptures reassures us that other prophecies yet to be fulfilled will be. A prophet is a person who speaks on behalf of the Lord. Amos 3:7 Indeed, the Sovereign Lord never does anything until he reveals his plans to his servants, the prophets.[1] In this verse, the Lord tells us He reveals events that will happen ahead of time. He does this to both warn and reassure us.
King Hezekiah had a deep faith in God and confidence in the words of the prophets. When Assyrians threatened Jerusalem, Hezekiah sent messengers to Isaiah the prophet. The Lord made it clear as He spoke through Isaiah that the Assyrians would not conquer Jerusalem and would return to their own country without shooting an arrow.
Would God’s Words Come True?
Hezekiah did not know how God would fulfill the prophet’s words and turn back the Assyrians, but he knew it would happen. Hezekiah was familiar with the early books of the Old Testament, such as Numbers, when Moses asked God how He would provide. Numbers 11:23 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Has my arm lost its power? Now you will see whether or not my word comes true!” [2] The Lord’s arm was not too short in the day of Moses, Hezekiah, or today, and what the Lord says will come true.
As the Assyrians gathered outside Jerusalem, everything would change in one day. 2 Kings 19:35 That night, the angel of the Lord went out to the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. When the surviving Assyrians woke up the next morning, they found corpses everywhere. 36 Then King Sennacherib of Assyria broke camp and returned to his own land. He went home to his capital of Nineveh and stayed there. 37 One day, while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him with their swords. [3] God fulfilled the prophetic words spoken by Isaiah and saved Jerusalem from being conquered.
Hope for Tomorrow
Like in our story of Hezekiah, our enemy’s goal is to steal our hope to destroy us. While the enemy works to tear down, the Lord builds up and gives life. God’s Word compels us to look up and look to tomorrow with great expectation. God is in control, which is something I often think about.
The Bible gives us great news but also dire warnings of the future. In the last days, Jesus tells us there will be wars, famines, earthquakes, and persecution. This may give us reason to pause, but the Lord also has good news. Acts 2:17 ‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. [4] We are in the last days as Jesus rules from heaven, and this verse is being fulfilled now.
To learn more about the fulfillment of prophecy, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/hezekiah-assyrians
[1-4] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Tyndale House Publishers.