Page 715 in my bible only has three words on it. It is blank on the back.
All it says is “The New Testament”. Here are some pics.
Page 714 ends with the last verses of Malachi. Page 718 starts with Matthew.
Think about the bible for a moment…
It covers thousands of years of history. There are many genres and writing styles used by 40 some authors. Can you count all of the people of which the bible speaks?
But yet, in all of that amazing stuff there is a period of silence. Page 715
That single page represents silence. History tells us that the silence between Malachi and Matthew is 400 years. 400 years of nothing.
No prophets. No judges. No stories. No wars. Just…nothing.
Where was God?
Is your life stuck on page 715? Do you feel like God is not there? No voice? Nothing happening? There is silence and it is deafening.
But, (and there is always a But), God. Yep, He is still there.
Let’s jump to page 867 in my bible to Galatians 4:4. This is my favorite Christmas verse.
Here is the first half of the verse in various translations:
New International Version
But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son,
New Living Translation
But when the right time came, God sent his Son,
Berean Study Bible
But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son,
New American Standard Bible
But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son,
King James Bible
But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son,
Holman Christian Standard Bible
When the time came to completion, God sent His Son,
International Standard Version
But when the appropriate time had come, God sent his Son,
Aramaic Bible in Plain English
But when the end of time arrived, God sent his Son
GOD’S WORD® Translation
But when the right time came, God sent his Son [into the world].
After 400 years, God sent His son.
From silence came the Word.
From nothing came a Baby.
From darkness came the Light.
Have hope this season. Christ is alive and well. You don’t need to live on page 715.
So turn the page and keep reading! God has great things for you this December!
Stay tuned next week for another Christmas post.
Have a fantastic day and Merry Christmas!