Consider this description of our God: Romans 4:17b “God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did.”
God is the only one who has the power to give life. God gave life to Adam and Eve and to all the animals. No one else has the power of life. He also has power to give life to the dead. He proved that by raising Jesus from the dead after He had been crucified. 1 Corinthians 15:20-23 “But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.” Just as He gave life to Jesus after His death, God has the power to give us life after we have died on this earth. He has power to give us eternal life. We should not doubt the power of God to give life since He is the source of all life.
God also is the only one who “calls those things which do not exist as though they did”. I understand this to mean that He knows what will happen in the future. Those things which he foretells and promises are so certain, that sometimes He speaks of them as already in existence. To Abraham He said: Genesis 17:5-6 “No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you.” Of course, that is just what happened. The Bible is filled with hundreds of prophesies that God sent through His chosen prophets. Many of these have been fulfilled, just as He said. Some are still for future events.
Here are just a few prophesies concerning Jesus. Jesus was to be a Prophet like Moses. Deuteronomy 18:15 “The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear.” Jesus was to be born of a virgin and called Immanuel, meaning God with us. Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” Jesus was to suffer and die upon the cross to take away our sins. Isaiah 53:3-6 “He is despised and rejected by men a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” These prophesies about Jesus happened just as they were foretold.
Jesus foretold the destruction of Jerusalem. Luke 21:20, 24 “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near.” “And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” Jerusalem was surrounded by the Roman army and destroyed in AD 70, just as Jesus foretold.
We also have prophesies for the future. Revelation 21:2-4 “Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.’” We can be confident that these things will happen in the future just as it has been written.
The apostle Peter gave this exhortation: 2 Peter 1:19-21 “And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” Prophesies were given by God through His Holy Spirit.
By the inspiration of God, Peter gave the following description. 2 Peter 3:10-13 “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” Since God holds the future, you can be sure that this is an accurate description of the future. Since that is true, what manner of person ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness?
Here is our text again. Romans 4:17b “God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did.” God is the only one who has the power to give life to you after you have died. He has promised eternal life. He also knows what will happen in the future. He has proven this time and again in the past. I encourage you to ask God to strengthen your faith as you look forward to your resurrection and living in His presence eternally.