June 23

2 Kings 15:32-38; 2 Chronicles 27:1-9; Micah 1:1-16; 2 Kings 16:1-9; 2 Chronicles 28:1-15; Isaiah 7:1-25

The end of Israel is drawing near, and the guarantee of their destruction is a prophecy. This prophecy is “the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. He will be eating curds and honey when...the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste” (Isaiah 7:14). At this point you may be thinking: what? When you read this prophecy, you probably thought about Jesus and now are confused about whether it is about Jesus or about a child being born before the destruction of Syria and Ephraim. The answer is yes. It is a prophecy about Jesus and about another child who would be born in the days of Ahaz. You still might wonder─how can a prophecy be about two different things? The answer is many Biblical prophecies have a close fulfillment and a later ultimate fulfillment.

For example, we will see this idea in prophecies regarding the Day of the Lord. These prophecies speak to God's immediate judgment on a nation, as well as foreshadowing the final judgment of God. As we journey through the prophets, we must ask ourselves the question: Is this something already fulfilled, something awaiting fulfillment, or something that both has been fulfilled and for something we are awaiting?

Father God, thank you for always being faithful in your promises. Thank you for the security I have knowing everything you have said is true. Amen. 

If you struggle with this idea of dual fulfillment of prophecy, what would help you to better understand this?

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