Jeremiah 29:11 (AMP) For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

Most of us take comfort from this scripture after we have come to Christ. Those words were penned to a people who were still in captivity, carried off to Babylon.

Jeremiah 29:10 (AMP) “For thus says the Lord, ‘When seventy years [of exile] have been completed for Babylon, I will visit (inspect) you and keep My good promise to you, to bring you back to this place.

Why did God inspect those in captivity if the promise was to all Israel?

Ezra 1:3-4 (KJV) Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel, (he is the God,) which is in Jerusalem. And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the freewill offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.

Not everyone had a heart to be set free. They enjoyed the riches of their captivity and stayed.

They traded the promise of a future with hope and peace for a future that could only end in disaster. The sad part about trading futures is that they had seventy years to ponder the proposal, to change their hearts, and they did not.

How much time has the Lord given you to change your heart and make it a place of worship?

James 4:14 (KJV) Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

John 11:16 Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellow disciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him.

Do Thomas’ words reflect his belief?

John 20:24-25 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.

Or do these words reflect Thomas’ belief?

Didymus means two fold; twain; twin. It would seem that this Thomas is a double minded man but in truth he is not. Thomas followed the teacher, his rabbi, the miracle worker, the man with power. He believed enough in Jesus that he was willing to die with Him.

When Jesus died where was Thomas? He wasn’t on one of the other two crosses that day. Does his absence mean that Thomas didn’t believe what he said? No. It just means that he didn’t understand the significance of what was about to happen.

In the second occurrence, Thomas said he would not believe Christ had risen until he saw the wounds for himself. This once again reflects upon his not understanding the significance of what had just happened.

Belief without significant understanding is just a baseless opinion. This is why Jesus said that after He left the Comforter would come, the Spirit of Truth. It is the Holy Spirit that gives significant understanding and turns opinion into belief.

John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.