Characters at the Cradle: Anna, A Witness of Fulfilled Prophecies

by David Chadwick

Have you ever experienced something in your life that you had to wait a long time to see realized?

Do you have any testimonies in your life of waiting for the Lord to answer a prayer and finally seeing it come to pass?

This week's character at the cradle is Anna. She waited a long time to see the promise of her coming Messiah fulfilled, and she eventually saw it happen.

Anna SAW Jesus in human form after all of her times worshipping, fasting, and praying in the temple. Described by Luke as a prophetess, she was able to witness all of her prophecies fulfilled.

What did Anna speak over Jesus? Luke 2:38 says, "And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem." To everyone who would listen, Anna said that this child was the one sent to redeem Jerusalem.

Jerusalem. The holy city. The city of David. A central part of biblical history and of world history. But for no other reason than it being a profoundly important part of God's story. There is no river near it.  It is not on the oceanfront. It is on a mount called Zion, which is surrounded by wilderness. And yet, it is the focal point of worldwide tension even today.

As prophesied by the Old Testament prophets, Jerusalem will be the city that nations will attack in the end times. It will be the city that Jesus rescues. And it will be the city from which Jesus will rule in the establishment of his eternal kingdom. Don't allow anyone to convince you that Israel is not in God's end times plans.

Anna's prophecy was especially powerful because back then, Jerusalem was controlled by the iron-fisted Romans. And before that, the Greeks, the Persians, and the Babylonians.

Even in recent history, for the last 2,000 years, up until 1967, Jerusalem was trampled underfoot by Gentiles. But this won't always be the case! One day, Jesus WILL return to Jerusalem and rule forever from there, and the redemption of Jerusalem will happen in full.

Anna knew that Jerusalem was key to God's eternal economy and that Jesus's birth was the key for the redemption of Jerusalem. We must all see its importance as well as we wait expectantly for that glorious day when Jesus brings full redemption to Jerusalem and to the world.

This WILL happen. God's Word says so.