We have now concluded this series on the PROMISE OF THE COMING SEED, and it remains to gather together the evidence and learn an important lesson.
Through 4000 years of human history the Bible taught us three important lessons.
- The intransigence of man in his fallen state,
- The presence of a small minority who exercise FAITH,
- The scheming of the Devil, the Anointed Cherub, to prevent the arrival of the PROMISED SEED.
But Paul said, “when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman.” (Gal.4:4) Does this mean that in the purposes of God, the world had to wait 4000 years before any hope of salvation could be enjoyed? Was His hidden chronology of the Passover lamb, mentioned in Part 11, something that had been set in stone?
Not so. This is where the scarlet thread of FAITH comes to our rescue, and helps us understand the ways of God that often produce perplexities in our thinking. God, who knows the end from the beginning, sees down the corridor of time and knows that it will take about 4000 years to achieve His purpose. But this is not to say He set this period of time in stone, whereby nothing could advance or retard it from the stated chronology. Some interpret it in this manner, and thereby miss the point.
Although God has His set plans and purposes, Biblical history shows us that He has designed it to operate using the very men and women He has created. This is why FAITH has been shown to be so important. It is as though a certain quantity of faith was necessary to bring about the fulfilment of His purpose, in respect of the COMING SEED, and He knew that it would take some 4000 years for that FAITH to grow to the point where Salvation could be achieved. The heavenly storehouses of FAITH had reached the point where Gabriel could be sent to Mary, and she was the final link in the scarlet thread of FAITH.
We saw that some men and women were shown to have great faith. Let’s say that they had ONE POUND of faith. But many unnamed individuals amongst God’s 7000 who bow not to Baal, may have had just ONE PENNYWORTH or a few pence-worth of faith, but put together they increased the stockpile until God saw that it was sufficient. Was this accumulation of FAITH the source of “the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead”? A new thought worthy of contemplation.
Now, here’s the lesson. Are we awaiting the return of our Lord and Saviour? Yes, of course we are. But the same principle has been operating since the days of Jesus’ resurrection. FAITH is still the most important operating factor that determines the time of His arrival. No wonder the Lord said He didn’t know the day or the hour of His return. “But of that day and that hour knows no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.” (Mark 13:32)
Shall we not therefore seek to walk the more earnestly by faith, as Peter said, “what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God.” (2 Peter 3:11-12). Yes, hastening, because nothing is set in stone. God is still waiting upon His own people to build up the new accumulation of FAITH until Daniel’s prophecy can be fulfilled. “The Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before Him. And there was given Him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:13-14) Shall we not become partners in bringing THE PROMISE OF HIS RETURN to fulfilment?
Here ends this series on the PROMISE.
