Jesus Christ has made promises to the world that some were fulfilled long time ago, some are fulfilled as we live and others are yet to happen. I write this post after one popular pastor in Eswatini publicly declared that Jesus Christ will never come back. In this post I will highlight just two of the promises He made which were fulfilled just after His death, one that is being fulfilled in our time and one that is yet to be fulfilled.
His resurrection from the dead
Jesus’ resurrection is one major even that makes Christianity distinct from all other religions. Jesus Himself spoke openly about His death and His resurrection in the third day. This declaration is recorded in the Gospels of Matthew 17:22- 23, Mark 8:31 and Luke 9:22. Read the verses quoted from the New International Version (NIV):
Matthew 17:22 – 23 – When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. 23 They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life.” And the disciples were filled with grief.
Mark 8:31 – He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.
Luke 9:22 – And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”
These verses are straight forward, Jesus will be tortured before being killed and in three days He will rise again. This promise was fulfilled according to the same Gospels;
Matthew 28:5-6: “The angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.’”
Luke 24:1, 6-8 – On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” 8 Then they remembered his words.
Mark 16:5-7: “As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. ‘Don’t be alarmed,’ he said. ‘You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is a bone of contention between Christians and other religions, Islam in particular. However, I believe that things recorded in the Bible can be supported by other many other historical records and physical marks.
He promised to send a Helper (Comforter)
The Holy Spirit was promised to the disciples and all others that will live the Christian life afterwards. By extension, we are all His disciples and therefore the promise is ours. The promise is recorded in the Gospel of John 14:15-18.
The day of the Pentecost is marked by the manifestation of the Holy Spirit for the first time. This is recorded in book of Acts 2:1-4. It reads;
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues[a] as the Spirit enabled them.
We believers that we receive the same Comforter (Holy Spirit) when we accepted Jesus Christ into our lives. His presence is evident in our lives in the following ways:
- He teaches us what is right from wrong and reminds us of God’s commandments (John 14:26).
- He works to transform us into the glorious image of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18).
- He is the believer’s security as He serves as a guarantee of the promised believer’s inheritance (Ephesians 1:13-14).
- He gives us Spiritual gifts and apportions them according to His will (1 Corinthians 12:1-11).
The promise being fulfilled
Jesus promised that perilous times will come, which in my opinion have already started. His definition of such times align with what is happening today. Just as the Gospel of Mark 13 foretold, today there are people who claim to be Jesus Christ, wars and rumors of war, nations are rising against each other, earthquakes, famines, brothers betray each other and Christians are not popular with many. I believe that we are living in the time Jesus prophesied about in this portion.
Promises yet to be fulfilled
The world awaits a time of great tribulation. Jesus talks about them in the book of Matthew 24:15 – 22. The tribulations will be hard to endure such that they will have to be shortened for the sake of the elect, which are the remnant. Such times will have not been heard of before in history.
There are also seven seals that contain the wrath of God that shall befall the world when Christians have been raptured. These are shown to John in the book of Revelation. The revelation reveals that there are some people who will survive this period and be saved.
Conclusion
The Bible is enough evidence for the world to know why things happened the way they did in the past, the way they presently do and what shall unfold in future. The things that have not happened yet, they surely shall come to pass.
Whatever the case – past, present and future biblical event manifestations, should not instill fear to believers but make them be at peace with it because they have been foretold of them. The solution is staying in the Lord who has to power to help us live through the tribulation.
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