DAILY TEXT, Today Wednesday September 18, 2024,  No prophecy was ever made by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit (2 Pet. 1:21).

Let us examine the Scriptures every day 2024

Wednesday, September 18, 2024

No prophecy was ever made by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit (2 Pet. 1:21).

There are many fulfilled prophecies in the Bible, some of which were written centuries ago. History confirms that these prophecies were fulfilled. This is not surprising, for we know that the author of these prophecies is Jehovah. Consider the fall of the mighty city of Babylon. In the eighth century B.C.E., Jehovah inspired the prophet Isaiah to predict that Babylon would be conquered. Isaiah even said that the conqueror would be named Cyrus and explained in detail how he would invade the city. (Isa. 44:27–45:2) He also prophesied that Babylon would eventually be destroyed and completely uninhabited. (Isa. 13:19, 20) The once glorious city fell to the Medes and Persians in 539 B.C.E., and is now nothing more than a pile of ruins. w23.01 4 par. 10.

How is Daniel 2:41-43 being fulfilled?

But Bible prophecies were not only fulfilled in the past. Today we are seeing the fulfillment of other prophecies. For example, think of the stunning fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy about the world power formed by the United Kingdom and the United States (read Daniel 2:41-43). According to the prophecy, this power would be “partly strong” like iron and “partly brittle” like clay. And that is exactly what we are seeing. These two countries have been strong like iron, because they played a decisive role in the victories of the two world wars and they continue to have great military power. Yet their citizens have weakened their power through unions, civil rights campaigns, and independence movements. Recently, one international political analyst said: “Politically, the United States is by far the most dysfunctional and divided country of all the advanced industrial democracies in the world.” And what about the United Kingdom, the other part of this power? In recent years, it has been deeply divided by differences of opinion over its relationship with the countries of the European Union. With so many divisions, the world power formed by the United Kingdom and the United States has found it very difficult to act decisively.

What do fulfilled Bible prophecies convince us of?

Knowing that many Bible prophecies have already been fulfilled further convinces us that God’s promises for the future will also be fulfilled. We feel like the writer of a psalm who said to Jehovah: “I long for your salvation, for your word is my hope.”—Ps. 119:81. Through the Bible, Jehovah lovingly offers us “a future and a hope.”—Jer. 29:11. Our hope for the future depends on Jehovah’s promises, not on human actions. Let us continue to study Bible prophecy diligently so that our confidence in God’s Word will grow stronger.

What is another reason to trust the Bible? (Psalm 119:66, 138).

Another reason to trust the Bible is that it helps people who follow its advice. (See Psalm 119:66, 138.) For example, couples who were on the verge of divorce are now happy and united. And the children in these Christian families live in a loving environment where they feel safe and loved. (Eph. 5:22-29.)

What example shows that the advice from the Bible helps us become better people?

Thanks to wise counsel from the Bible, even dangerous criminals can change. Let’s see what effect that counsel had on a prisoner named Jack. He was a violent criminal, and he was known to be one of the most dangerous inmates on death row. But one day he sat down to listen to a Bible study. The kindness of the brothers touched him, so he began to study, too. As he put the Bible’s counsel into practice, his behavior and even his personality improved. Eventually, he qualified to become an unbaptized publisher and was baptized. He enthusiastically spoke to other inmates about God’s Kingdom, helping at least four of them learn the truth. When the day of his execution came, Jack was a different man. One of his lawyers said, “Jack is not the same person I knew 20 years ago. What he learned from Jehovah’s Witnesses has changed his life.” Although Jack was executed, his example is clear proof that we can trust in God's Word and that it has the power to help us become better people (Is. 11:6-9).

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