The Messiah – 4000 Years After the Fall
The Bible tells us that “When the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, . . . to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons” (Galatians 4:4, 5). The Savior’s coming was prophesied in the Garden of Eden. When Adam and Eve first heard the promise, they looked for its quick fulfillment. They happily welcomed their first-born son, eager that he might be the Deliverer.
But the fulfillment of the promise lingered. Those who first received it died without seeing it fulfilled. Since the days of Enoch, the promise was repeated through patriarchs and prophets, keeping alive the faith of His appearing, and yet He didn’t come. The prophecy of Daniel publicized the time of His advent, but not all accurately interpreted the meaning.
Century after century passed away; the declarations of the prophets stopped. The hand of the oppressor was weighty upon Israel, and many were prepared and wondered saying, “The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth” (Ezekiel 12:22). God waited 4,000 years.
But the Lord’s purposes know no haste and no postponement. Through the signs of the great darkness and the smoking furnace, God had shown Abraham the slavery of Israel in Egypt, and had professed that the time of their staying should be four hundred years. “Afterward,” He said, “shall they come out with great substance” (Genesis 15:14).
In opposition to that word, all the power of Pharaoh’s proud empire battled uselessly. On “the self-same day” designated in the heavenly promise, “it came to pass, that all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt” (Exodus 12:41). So, in heaven’s assembly, the hour for the coming of Christ had been decided. When the great clock of time pointed to that hour, Jesus was born in Bethlehem.
Wisdom had directed the actions of nations, and the current of human impulse and influence, until the world was ready for the coming of the Deliverer. The nations were joint under one government. One language was broadly spoken. So the world was set to receive the Savior.
After 4,000 years the world yearned for a religion that could bring contentment to their heart. While the light of truth was faint, there were souls who were looking for the light. They were looking for a knowledge of the living God, for some promise of a life beyond the grave. “When the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son.”
In His service,
BibleAsk Team
