Tags
Acts 1:6-8, Biblical Prophecy, Ecclesiastes, Great Commission, Malichi 3:6, Numbers 23:19, Psalm 90:4, Revelation, Revelation 22:18-19, Romans 8:18-23, Solomon, Work of the Spirit
What has been is what will be,
and what has been done is what will be done,
and there is nothing new under the sun. (Ecclesiasties 1:9)
While this may sound like modern poetry or lyrics to a folk song, it was written in the 10th century B.C. by King Solomon. The word Ecclesiasties literally means “assembler of the covenant community” and is conventionally translated as “preacher”. He is speaking to the Old Testament covenant community about how they should live in the world as they wait for God to fulfill his promise of sending a redeemer. Just as Paul speaks in his letter to the Roman Church about waiting for the return of Christ and the fulfillment of the promises we have as New Covenant believers.
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. (Romans 8:18-23)
The story of our redemption as it is laid out for us in the Bible, has long pauses, where God’s people struggle to remember His promises and live in the light of them. Those who remain steadfast, such as Noah and Moses, are commended for their faith. Those who fall away are disciplined by the Lord. It is no wonder that Moses cries “For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night.”(Psalm 90:4)
We are living in one of these great pauses. The promised Messiah has come to us in Jesus Christ. His work has been accomplished; He has been exalted; His Church has been founded and is being gathered. We await His return, which will be the next major event in redemptive history. And there is nothing new under the sun. All of the work for our salvation, which the trinity planned before the creation of the world, has been accomplished and explained in the Holy Scripture. We have no need of new revelation.
The Holy Spirit was the inspiration that led the writers of the Bible. And we know that these words were recorded at different times in history. The pattern we see is that an event would be prophesized (that is spoken of by prophets), the event would occur, and then there would be more prophetic words to interpret the event in the larger story of the redemption of God’s people. The Old Testament has several cycles like this, but overall it points to the coming Messiah. Then there was a long pause of over 400 years, when God was silent. This is perhaps one of the reason Zechariah was full of doubt when the angel appeared to him to announce John the Baptist’s birth (see Luke 1).
Jesus came as God incarnate and fulfilled the things prophesized in the Scripture. Then the Apostles and those around them were inspired to write the Gospels and The Acts of the Apostles to tell the facts and the remainder of the New Testament to explain more fully what Christ accomplished in His incarnation, perfect fulfillment of the Law, death, and resurrection from the dead. There was also prophecy given about the return of Christ.
Revelation, which is a recording of prophecy given to the Apostle John near the end of his life, is generally agreed to be the last book written in about 90 A.D. At the end are these words…. I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.(Revelation 22:18-19)
God does not change. For I the Lord do not change.(Malichi 3:6a) He does not change the truth He has revealed. God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? (Numbers 23:19) The last thing he said to his Apostles before He was taken into heaven was this: So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:6-8)
Did you catch what Jesus said the power of the Spirit was for? It was for us to be witnesses to the great salvation that Christ has accomplished for us to the ends of the earth. As we saw in earlier posts, this sometimes involved being given the supernatural power to speak in another language for the purpose of sharing the Gospel. We will look more at New Testament prophecy next time, but for now, let us go out and use the Scripture to be witnesses for Christ.
Soli Deo Gloria,
Diane