"When the fullness of time was come, God sent forth His son ..."
What does "Fullness of time" The Messiah had been promised since the beginning. God said, "I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head and thou shalt bruise his heel." Genesis 3:15
Although God was speaking to the serpent, Adam and Eve were present and they understood what God meant by the word 'seed.'
They knew that God would provide a substitute for their sentence of death sometime in the future. However the time was not specified.
No doubt Eve thought that this promised Redeemer, or Messiah, would be her son.
Gen 4:1 - "I have gotten THE man from the Lord."
But she was disappointed for neither Abel, nor Cain, nor Seth fulfilled the promise.God said to Noah - "And behold, I establish my covenant with you and your seed after you." Gen. 9:9. I'm sure Mrs. Noah hoped that one of her boys would be the Messiah.
God said to Abraham - "Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son,... and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant." Gen 17:19. No doubt, Sarah thought that Isaac was the Messiah.
This continual looking for the Messiah went on for 3500 years, and each time the promise was renewed, it was thought that finally the Messiah had arrived.
Not until Daniel was the time of His arrival given.
"Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and three-score and two weeks." Dan. 9:25.
Finally, the long awaited announcement is given. The wonderful event was to take place in 69 weeks (483 days), a little over a year.
Strangely, Daniel did not rejoice as you would expect.
In fact, he became so sick that he didn't take a bath for three weeks.
WHY?
Because Daniel understood prophetic time, and he knew that 69 weeks was a long time, and that he would not be alive to see the Messiah. He realized that "the appointed time was long." Dan 10:1,14.
Just how long is 69 weeks of prophetic time?
69 weeks is comprised of 483 days and each day represents one year. (Eze. 4:6).
The command to restore Jerusalem was given by Artexerxes in 457 B.C. If we count forward 483 years from 457 B.C., we arrive at 27 AD In AD 27, right on schedule, Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist and began His ministry as the Messiah.
"The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand." Mark 1:15.
So, prophetic time was fulfilled in AD 27.
But there were other factors involved in the "fullness of time." Prophecy is not all.
E.G. White's comments on this text are quite interesting.
"Providence had directed the movement of nations and the tide of human impulse and influence until the WORLD WAS RIPE for the coming of the deliverer." Desire of Ages, page 32.
What other factors made the world ripe? Let us look at some of the conditions that existed at the time of Christ's first advent.
1. There was a one-world government, Rome - military, economic, political unity known as the PAX ROMANA. 2. There was a common money system - Caesar's coin. 3. There was a common language - Latin. 4. There was a common religion - Paganism. 5. There was a remnant people of God - Rom. 11:5
If we could show that similar conditions will exist at the time of Christ's second advent, then would it not be appropriate to paraphrase Gal 4:4? "When the fullness of time has come, God will send forth His Son again."
How about prophecy? "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father only." Mark 13:32.
Jesus predicted signs in the sun, moon, and stars. and the prophecies of Daniel and the Revelation indicate that this time is near.What about the conditions of world ripeness?
1. Military, economic, and political unity. We are getting pretty close - NATO, ECM, UN, and OAS. 2. A common money system. The financial experts are predicting that we are headed for a universal cashless society in which all buying and selling will be handled by the use of plastic money. credit cards, debit cards, etc. 3. A common language. Few events in man's history compare to the scope and significance of the global linguistic conquest of English. There are few civilized areas where English has any competition. It is the international language of commerce, diplomacy, science, and literature. English is found everywhere in radio, motion pictures, television, and recording. English words such as babysitter, hotdog, jazz, jeep, holdup, ice cream, juice, knockout, ok, pipeline, pinup, and sandwich are universally used. 4. A universal religion. The influence of Christianity is world-wide. Through the aggressive missionary efforts of Christian denominations, and a strong ecumenical movement aimed at the imminent union of Catholic and Protestant denominations foretell that the day is at hand - "when protestantism shall stretch forth her hand across the gulf..." 5T 451 5. A remnant people of God. The Bible identifies that in the last days there will be a remnant people who will keep the commandments and have the spirit of prophecy. Rev. 14:6-12, 12:17, 19:10
Brothers and sisters, I believe that the fullness of time has come, that prophecy has been fulfilled, and that the WORLD IS RIPE FOR THE COMING OF THE REDEEMER.
The question is - how shall we prepare? 5T 452 - 457 outlines this preparedness program.
"We are not to sit in calm expectation of the coming storm, comforting ourselves that the Lord will shelter us in the day of trouble." So, we must be actively engaged in preparing ourselves and our neighbors for the coming of the Lord. She outlines a five-point program. 1. We must disarm prejudice with an aggressive PR program. 2. We must be able to give a reason for our faith through Bible study and witnessing. 3. We must pray for the success of the work. 4. We must support a strong evangelism program so that the truth will be proclaimed. 5. We must consecrate ourselves to finishing the work and getting ready to stand in the judgment. Time is running out. The question is- are you ready for Jesus to come?
ARE YOU READY FOR JESUS TO COME? (Adventist Youth Sings, p 6) V1. The theme of the Bible is Jesus And how He died to save men. The plan of salvation assures us He's coming back again. V2. Don't cling to the world or its treasures, This world will soon pass away. Oh, give Him your life without measure, He's calling you today. Chorus. Are you ready for Jesus to come? Are you faithful in all that you do? Have you fought a good fight? Have you stood for the right? Have others seen Jesus in you? Are you ready to stand in your place? Are you ready to look in His face? Can you look up and say, "This is my Lord?" Are you ready for Jesus to come?
