mises) in these Scriptures had been fulfilled, except for those regarding their Messiah. The next event on the prophetic calendar now is the rapture of the church (or the appearance of the anti Christ, if one holds to a later than pre tribulation rapture). In the same way, at that time the next prophetic event was the arrival of the Messiah. The time frame Daniel gave in fact had only about 30 years to go before the Messiah would appear in the temple (Daniel 9:25).
But God is a personal God. He is concerned with my personal needs and concerns as much as with anyone's. The angel had been sent to announce the answer to Zecharias and Elisabeth's prayer for a child, but it was not their prayer for a child be their Messiah which Isaiah 9:6 speaks of. Elisabeth's cousin Mary brought that news shortly afterwards. The angel Gabriel announced that their prayer for a child of their own had been answered:
And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw [him], he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth (Luke 1:11-13).
Zacharias's response to Gabriel indicates he had a strong faith in God for certain things, but not for all things.
And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years (Luke 1:18).
I, too, am tempted to question God's answers. I have prayed for things that seemed so impossible that, if God were to answer my request, I would think He meant something else. Zacharias needed to learn that, if God wanted to keep him alive another 200 years before he and Elisabeth would have a son, that is what God would do, and it would not be any more difficult than anyth...