They would now and forever be delivered from the hand of their enemies! This had been a long time coming. Zechariah went on to say that his own son, John, would be called “the prophet of the Most High” who would go before the Lord to prepare the way for Jesus. Throughout the Old Testament, there were many prophecies pointing to the birth of Jesus, and these final ones were hundreds of years after God had spoken through Isaiah, Micah, Jeremiah, and others. Zechariah and his son, John the Baptist, were the final prophets of the Old Covenant as they shared the prophecies of our Prince of Peace. But why do we need a Prince of Peace? As humans, I think we all crave peace. Most people do not want to live in conflict, but the world we live in is not a peaceful place. A long time ago, in the Garden of Eden, true Peace existed. Unfortunately, that did not last long. Sin entered into the world, and conflict was born. Man would now have to live in a world filled with sorrow, grief, and discord. Since God is absolutely holy and just, this caused a vast separation in our relationship with Him. God was greatly grieved by this, but all along, He had a plan to restore that relationship. God’s only Son, Jesus, came to bring restorative peace, which goes way beyond an absence of conflict. Restorative peace is a state of wholeness, right relationships, and constantly draws us closer to our Creator. It heals wounded hearts, which is the only way to truly mend relationships.
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