Fulfillment

Fulfilled in Him

/ David R Maas / Leave a comment

The Word of God finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ. “IN HIM,” all His promises are “yea” and “amen.” The things that were “hidden” in the past are revealed in the life, words, death, resurrection, and exaltation of the Son, the one in whom all the shadows and types prefigured in the Hebrew Bible have become real. All His mysteries are laid bare in the Nazarene.

In the era that dawned with his death on Calvary, the nation of Israel has not been “replaced” by the New Covenant people of God. Instead, the original promise to Abraham to bless “all the nations” has come to fruition as Jews and Gentiles are united in Jesus to form one new people – (Romans 16:25, Galatians 2:28, 2 Corinthians 1:19-2:0).

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The Ends of the Ages

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The Apostle links the start of the “last days” with the death and resurrection of the Son of God. The time of fulfillment has arrived, and all God’s promises now find their “yea and amen” in him. “In these last days,” God has “spoken” His definitive “word” in His Son.

And Paul declares that the church consists of those men and women upon whom the “ends of the ages have come.” While the term “last days” is not frequent in his letters, the Apostle does demonstrate his understanding that History’s final era has commenced with the death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth; therefore, nothing will ever be the same again.

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From Shadow to Substance

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In its eighth chapter, Hebrews highlights the incomparable benefits believers have received in the New Covenant inaugurated by Jesus. If the fulfillment of God’s promises has arrived in him, returning to the incomplete revelations of the past amounts to embracing types and “shadows” rather than the substance and reality that God has provided in His Son.

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The Tent God Pitched

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In the gospel of John, Jesus is the true Tabernacle where God dwells. Unlike the ancient structure with its inner sanctuary that only the high priest could enter, now, in Christ, His glory is visible for all men to see. No longer is His presence limited by physical walls and geographic boundaries.

In Jesus of Nazareth, the Father and the Creator of all things is worshipped anywhere and anytime “in spirit and truth.”

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These Last Days

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God has spoken His superior “word” in His son, Jesus – “upon the end of these days.” This last clause refers to the end of the period epitomized by the Levitical code with its priesthood and animal sacrifices centered in the Tabernacle. The letter shows only limited interest in the final events expected to occur just prior to the return of Christ in glory. The focus is on the present situation of the church and what it must do to avoid apostasy.

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