Examples of God’s Faithfulness Against All Odds
Story: Abraham and Sarah (Genesis 12-21)
Promise: God would make Abraham a great nation
Problem: Abraham was nearly 100 years old, and his wife was barren.
Outcome: God gave Abraham and Sarah a son, from whom the nation of Israel came
Story: Joseph (Genesis 37-46)
Promise: Joseph dreams his brothers would bow to him
Problem: Joseph sold into slavery by his brothers, and later imprisoned
Outcome: Joseph becomes 2nd in command of Egypt, and his brothers bow to him and are reconciled to him
Story: The Exodus (Exodus 1-14)
Promise: God would rescue the Israelites from Egypt
Problem: They were up against the Red Sea, and the Egyptian army was pursuing them
Outcome: God parted the sea, so they could pass. And the sea drowned the pursuing army.
Story: Gideon and the Midianites (Judges 6-8)
Promise: God would use Gideon to defeat the Midianites
Problem: Gideon only had 300 soldiers
Outcome: The Midianites are defeated by surprise
Story: King David (1 & 2 Samuel, the Psalms)
Promise: God anointed David to be king of Israel
Problem: David was on the run from Saul for years
Outcome: David becomes king of Israel
Story: Sennacherib and Isaiah (Isaiah 37; 2 Kings 18-19)
Promise: God would defeat Sennacherib, despite his threats against Jerusalem
Problem: Sennacherib has a huge army, and has already gone through Judah
Outcome: The Angel of the Lord kills 185000 soldiers
Story: The Building of the 2nd Temple (Isaiah 44-45; Ezra 1-5)
Promise: God would use Cyrus to release the exiles and build the temple
Problem: Opponents blocked the temple’s completion
Outcome: Darius reauthorizes the building of the temple
Story: The Death and Resurrection of Jesus (Matthew; Mark; Luke, & John)
Promise: God would give Israel a Messiah that would rule the whole world
Problem: The Romans killed Messiah Jesus.
Outcome: Jesus came back to life, so he can rule the nations after all.
If God has acted this way in the past, it would seem he would continue to do so now and in the future.
Story: The Gospel to Every Nation (Luke 24:44-49; Matthew 24:14)
Promise: The Gospel would go to every ethnic group before the end
Problem: It was not physically possible to go to every ethnic group in Jesus’ day (i.e. Oceania)
Outcome: 2000 years later, the task is 5-10 years from completion (per Jesus Film Project)
Story: The Rebirth of Israel (Ezekiel 38-39; Zechariah 12-14; Daniel 11-12)
Promise: God would regather the Jews to Israel in the end times
Problem: The Romans sacked Jerusalem and destroyed the temple in 70 AD
Outcome: 1900 years later, they are back in the land
Story: The Rebirth of the Roman Empire (Daniel 2, 7; Revelation 13, 17)
Promise: God would defeat the Roman Empire in the end times
Problem: The Western Roman Empire stopped existing for over 1400 years
Outcome: The European Union was founded at the Treaty of Rome
Story: The Salvation of Israel (Matthew 23:37-39; Zechariah 12)
Promise: Israel will one day turn to the Messiah
Problem: Jews have been extremely resistant to Jesus for nearly 2000 years
Outcome: The Jews will turn to Jesus
Story: European Unification (Revelation 17:12-18)
Promise: The end times Roman Empire will unite around a single leader
Problem: European leaders are extremely divided and hesitant to give up their power
Outcome: Ten kings will give their sovereignty to the Antichrist
Story: The Rise of the Antichrist (Daniel 7; Revelation 17)
Promise: The Antichrist will rise to power among ten kings, humbling three in the process
Problem: The person who did this, Javier Solana, is nearly 80 and has not held office since 2009
Outcome: Javier Solana exits retirement to dominate the world
Story: The Rebuilding of the Temple (2 Thessalonians 2:4; Matthew 24:15)
Promise: The Antichrist will sit in a rebuilt temple in the end times
Problem: There has been no temple for over 1800 years, and rebuilding it faces ferocious political opposition
Outcome: The Temple will be rebuilt and sacrifices reinstituted
Story: The Second Coming of Christ (Matthew 24; 1 & 2 Thessalonians; Revelation)
Promise: Jesus will return, and some signs will precede his coming
Problem: He will come during humanity's darkest hour, when we least expect it
Outcome: Jesus will return to defeat the powers of evil, just when it seems they are winning