The Merciful God of Prophecy

Introduction

So many people have a distorted view of God. Whether their confusion results from a legalistic background or because sceptics in school or at work have turned them against God, the God they envision either does not exist or he looks nothing like the God revealed in the Bible.
It is crucial that all of us get a clear idea of the God who actually exists, for the day will come when all of us will look to him for mercy and help. I hope that day will not come for you in the form of a major life crisis, especially nothing like the 9/11 terrorist attack that, without warning, claimed approximately three thousand innocent lives and left us grieving, bewildered, and groping for answers. -
Those who gain a good understanding of the merciful God of the Bible are quick to turn to him, where they find comfort in their time of desperation. Those who do not know God -or have the wrong understanding of what he really is have to face their time of tribulation alone. Consequently they find them- selves facing both the present and the future with fear and dread.
Knowing the true God - as he is revealed by the Hebrew prophets and by his Son, Jesus Christ - can be the most comforting experience of life. When our youngest daughter, Lori, was five years old, she had double pneumonia twice within two months. I shall never forget the experience of standing at the side of her hospital bed, her body enveloped by an oxygen tent. As I watched her little chest rise and fall in desperate gasps for breath, the doctor turned to my wife and me and said, 'If you folks know how to pray, you'd better do it now. I have done everything for her that I possibly can!' Beverly and I immediately bowed our heads and prayed to our heavenly father and put Lori's plight in his strong hands.
As we finished our prayer, a deep sense of peace and assurance washed over us. No one can understand such an experience except those who have walked through something like it. Even then we knew that whether she lived or died, she remained in God's loving care and that someday we would see her again. Two days later, Lori was out of the oxygen tent and well on the way to recovery. Today she is the busy mother of four of our nine grandchildren.
But the story doesn't end there. Next to us in that room so long ago sat a couple about our age with a daughter in the same plight. They wept uncontrollably. Though I tried, I could not console them, for God was obviously a stranger to them. That is when I began to realise how very important it is to gain the right understanding of who and what God really is before we face that unknown tragedy or circumstance that will come inevitably to every life.
That is what this book is all about -getting to know the real God, just as he has revealed himself through the most spiritual people in the Bible: the Hebrew prophets and the apostles of Jesus. Even though 'God is Spirit' (John 4:24) and 'no one has seen God at any time' (John 1:18), God has given us many ways to come to know him. As the Psalmist said, 'the heavens declare the glory of God' (Ps 19:1). Certainly the marvels of creation prove that he exists, that he is all-powerful, and that he is the Master Designer of, all things. But creation does not tell us much of who God is -what he is like, how he feels, and whether he is for us or against us. Somehow we all know he is holy, while we are sinners who have fallen short of his standard of holiness. But it is only in the Bible that we learn what he is really like and what kind of relationship we can have with him.
The apostle Paul spoke of two ways to know God: through the revelation the Lord has given of himself through the Hebrew prophets; and through God's only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, who came into this world not only to die for the sins of mankind but also to reveal his father.
God, who at various times and in different ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by his Son...the express image of His person. (Heb. 1:1-3)
Think of it! The Bible calls Jesus the 'express image' of God. When Jesus walked on this earth, everything he did expressed the true nature of God. His attitude towards children reflected the heavenly Father's attitude toward the totally dependant of our world. Jesus said, 'Suffer the little children to come unto me' (Mark 10:14, KJV), which shows God's love for children. We learn that when the Saviour felt the hurt and sorrow of his friends, 'Jesus wept' (John 11:35). He saw the sorrow of Mary and Martha at the death of their brother, Lazarus, and he revealed himself to be completely in tune with human sorrows, grief, and hurts. By doing so he revealed how God the Father responds when we hurt.
While in this book we shall examine the life of Christ as the crowning illustration of God's character, we shall also explore the writings of the most spiritual men of the ancient world: the Hebrew prophets. From Enoch, Moses, Samuel, and the twelve minor and four major prophets, we learn things about God that would otherwise remain unknown. No other religion or philosophy in the world gives anything that will convince us that we do not have to quake in fear before God, afraid of what he may do next but in this study we will learn that he is a merciful God, long-suffering, compassionate, and forgiving. We will learn that God loves us and is for us -a welcome thought in times of need!
Sooner or later we will all face our own personal time of crisis. Your time of need may be self-inflicted. Or it may occur simply because you are a human being living in a fallen world. I pray you will see that, whatever the cause of your misfortune, you can turn from wherever you are, like the Prodigal son, and return to your heavenly Father.
As we begin, I must declare that I cannot view God as a cruel taskmaster, standing at the gate of heaven to keep people out. Instead, I see him as the loving, merciful heavenly Father -just as described by the prophets and Jesus Christ, his Son -who stands at the gate of heaven, seeking to draw the greatest possible number of men and women in. While all those who enter must come through faith in his Son's sacrifice for our sins on the cross and his subsequent resurrection, we can be certain of this: if there is any way to get someone through the pearly gates, God will make sure it happens!
Where did I ever get such an idea of God? The Bible! The Word of God remains the only reliable source of who and what God is - and only there can we discover the wonderful plan he has in store for humanity. l invite you now to join me and make that delightful discovery for yourself.