God's Due Time

"Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way." Matthew 26:53-54

"But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfil lied." Matthew 26:56

As we read the accounts of Jesus' life, death, and Resurrection, we see references over and over to Old Testament prophecy. Jesus was the fulfillment of a promise thousands of years in the making. God, through his mighty sovereignty set the course for our salvation before the formation of the world. He knew Adam and Eve would sin, he knew we would be bound by death unless He provided the means of our salvation.

Do you know where the first prophecy of Jesus appears? In Genesis 3!! God, admonishing the serpent says, "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will bruise his heel." (Genesis 3:15) Her offspring would be Jesus....who would deal a fatal blow to the head of sin and death but only after Satan had struck His heal (crucifixion is the only form of corporal punishment that bruised the heal!!).

If you were like me and ignorant to this passage and it's significance, take a moment to let the magnitude of it soak in. God knew from the moment sin entered the world how and when it would be conquered once and for all!! From that point on, there are many references to the coming Christ throughout the Old Testament, some more subtle than others. Most notably Isiah 53, written some 600 years before the coming of Christ and ending with Malachi 4:6, when God shut His mouth and the people waited.....for 400 years!!

The perfect solution to conquering sin and death once and for all took time and great patience. God knew what He was doing, creating the exact moment when all the prophecies would be fulfilled and we would be given THE promise. Many people question why God would take so long, if He is the Sovereign Lord or all, why he didn't just kill the serpent in the Garden and be done with it? Why allow sin and death in His world at all?

Well, let me say, I don't think our little pea brains have the capacity to comprehend or understand God's grand plan. We are not God. That being said, I believe everything was designed so that faith would be our key. God took the time to lay out His plan so we could see promises made and promises fulfilled thereby building a faith in us which would be the key to salvation.

"But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe. Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law locked up until faith should be revealed. So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law. You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." Galatians 3:22-29

I don't know about you, but God's abundant grace in patiently and perfectly laying out the plan for our salvation, for our reconciliation with Him, shows me just how much He loves us and wants a relationship with us. In His final appearing to the Apostles, Jesus said to them,"This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms,"..."This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise form the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these of these things." Luke 24:44-48

For 2,000 years the faithful have been charged with spreading the Gospel of Jesus, so that "none will be lost." In God's due time, we, the faithful, will rule and reign with our Lord Jesus Christ in the New Jerusalem!!!