Muhammad Ali often predicted in what round his opponent would fall. He once predicted that Larry Holmes would be “mine in nine.” Yet in that very fight, Holmes beat him soundly. God can predict the future accurately. All through the Bible, and especially in the book of Isaiah, God affirms that he alone knows and controls the future. In Isa. 44 and 45, God revealed a startling truth. God said he had chosen the Persian King Cyrus to oversee ancient Israel’s return from exile. The prediction is remarkable in that God gave it 150 years before Cyrus appeared! Despite claims by critics that Isaiah could not know and record this, his words are clear and convincing. God first assures the people that He had not forgotten them. He says He has already paid the price to liberate them. God calls himself their Creator and Redeemer — the one who alone created the universe and controls all history. Based on His absolute power, God declares His ability to name in advance the one he will use to restore the people to their home. God’s past actions to predict and fulfill His word gives us confidence today. God will keep this prediction: every knee will one day bow to Jesus Christ and confess that He alone is God’s appointed ruler of the universe. As believers, we submit to Him. We share His message of love and forgiveness. We foster God’s desire that justice and moral living prevail today.
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