Little did Zechariah know how life was about to change for him, for his country, and for the world. Gabriel announced to him that he and his aged wife, Elizabeth, were to be the parents of John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus. In fact, they would be the parents of the greatest prophet in the history of Scripture and the greatest of the Old Testament prophets.
Israel hadn’t heard from God for four hundred years. There hadn’t been a miracle for four hundred years. And there hadn’t been a prophet for four hundred years. Then along came the angel Gabriel, not just with an announcement of a prophet but of a super prophet, one who would precede the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
But because he was an old man, Zechariah had a hard time believing this. So, Gabriel told him that he would not be able to speak until the child was born. And indeed, Zechariah did not communicate verbally until John was born. Then God restored his ability to speak.
Meanwhile, in a seedy little town called Nazareth, there was a godly young woman named Mary. The angel Gabriel also appeared to her and told her she would have the privilege of being the mother of the Messiah of Israel and the Savior of the world.
But in contrast to Zechariah, who doubted, Mary believed. She said to Gabriel, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true” (Luke 1:38 NLT). o […]
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