Category: Fulfillment

Fulfillment, Last Days

THE FULLNESS OF TIME

David R Maas

OVERVIEW – The Apostle coordinated the commencement of the “last days” with the Death and Resurrection of Jesus.

The New Testament coordinates the start of the “last days” with the Death, Resurrection, and Exaltation of Jesus. In him, the time of fulfillment had arrived. Now, all the promises of God find their “yea and amen” in Christ.  God spoke partially in the prophets of old, but now, he now speaks fully in His Son – (Acts 2:17-21, 2 Corinthians 1:20, Hebrews 1:1-3).

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Fulfillment, Word Revealed

FULFILLMENT IN JESUS

David R Maas

The promises of the Hebrew Bible find their fulfillment and substance in the Son of God – in Jesus.

According to the New Testament, the promises of God are fulfilled in Jesus. “IN HIM,” all His promises find their “yea” and their “amen.” The things that were “hidden” in the past are revealed in the life, words, death, resurrection, and exaltation of His Son, and in whom, all the shadows and types prefigured in the Hebrew Bible crystallize.

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Fulfillment, Word Revealed

SHADOW OR SUBSTANCE?

David R Maas

SYNOPSIS – The types and “shadows” of the old covenant find their substance in the Son – Hebrews 8:1-5. 

The epistle to the Hebrews develops its exhortation for believers to persevere in the faith from its theme of fulfillment – What God has accomplished already in Jesus. His partial word has been superseded by the complete one “spoken” in His “Son.” Most likely, the letter was addressed to a congregation with a significant complement of Jewish believers. It was facing the possibility of persecution; consequently, some members began to withdraw from the assembly and were contemplating a return to the synagogue to avoid trouble – (Hebrews 2:15, 10:32-34, 12:4, 10:24-31, 13:24-25).

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Fulfillment, Gospel, Spirit

FULFILLMENT OF THE FEAST

David R Maas

SYNOPSIS – The outpouring of the Spirit fulfilled what Pentecost symbolized and began the proclamation of the Gospel to all nations – Acts 2:1-4. 

In the book of Acts, the story of the outpouring of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost stresses the theme of fulfillment – The things foreshadowed in the ancient feast began to receive their substance that very day. The bestowal of the gift of the Spirit by the risen Christ was an epochal event – It marked the start of the messianic age, the age of the Spirit, at least for the people of God. The gift of the Spirit fulfilled what the Levitical feast only symbolized.

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Fulfillment, Torah

Fulfillment or Replacement?

David R Maas

Christians who claim that Old Testament promises are “fulfilled” in Jesus rather than national Israel are accused by some of “Replacement Theology.” This charge is made against any perceived claim that the church has “replaced” Israel in God’s redemptive plan. The controversy amounts to semantics; a false dichotomy. But what does Scripture have to say on what God accomplished in Jesus?

In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus is the promised Messiah of Israel who came to fulfill all the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 5:17-20), a key theme threaded throughout Matthew:  In Matthew, all the Hebrew Scriptures find their fulfillment in Jesus, the Messiah of Israel (e.g., Matthew 1:22; 2:15; 2:17; 2:23; 4:17; 8:17). Continue reading “Fulfillment or Replacement?” →