Fullness of Time
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law. Galatians 4:4
In
this context Paul describes a moment in history when everything was in place
and the stage was all set for Christ to be born.
It started in the Garden of Eden
when God promised that one day the seed of woman would crush the head of the
serpent (Gen 3:15).
Centuries later, in Genesis
12:1-3, God told Abraham that in him all the nations of the earth will be
blessed.
Years later, God said that the
sceptre would arise in Judah (Gen 49:10) which meant that Christ would be born
in the tribe of Judah.
The promise narrows down from
Adam to Abraham to the tribe of Judah.
In Isaiah 7:14, the prophet
Isaiah foretells the birth of Christ by a young virgin, and in chapter 9, he
talks about the Incarnation of Messiah.
And then in Micah 5:2, prophet
Micah prophecies that Christ would be born in the little village of Bethlehem.
In Zechariah 9, the prophet
prophecies the coming of the King of kings on a colt. And in chapter 11, Lord
says to Zechariah about the price value (30 silver coins) that would be fixed
for Jesus.
In Psalms 22:16 & 17, the
psalmist foretells Messiah’s death.
In Daniel 9:24-27, Daniel was
given an insight to the exact timeframe in which Christ would come.
God
has spoken at various times in various ways by the prophets about the coming of
Messiah.
The
Old Testament comes to an end with the book of Malachi. Malachi lived
approximately 433 years before the birth of Christ. Then for roughly 400 years,
nothing happened. It seemed as if God altogether forgot his promise. Bible
scholars refer to this time as ‘400 silent years’.
No
prophets arose at this time, there was no widespread revelation and no
scripture was written during this period.
While
on the outside, it looked like God was silent, he was actually at work. Often
times, when God seems to be most silent in our lives, that’s the time he is
most active.
During
those 400 silent years, God was preparing the world for a great and mega event.
History
tells us how God actually prepared the world for His coming.
1. It was a period of international peace.
It
was a time when Romans conquered the whole Mediterranean world. There was one
government. ‘All roads lead to Rome,’ was very literal. They had established
such a good transport system that Rome was literally connected to most parts of
the world. This enabled the gospel message of Jesus to spread quickly to all
parts of the then known world. Moreover, Greek was established as a common
language throughout the empire. This further united the people and the message
of Jesus could reach the masses.
2. It was a period of religious turmoil.
In
Greece, people worshipped several gods and goddesses that one writer calls
Greece as one large altar. But now most of their religions were declining and
Judaism was ripe for Messiah to come. During the 400 silent years, Jews spread
to different corners of the world. Initially they had one central temple and
now that they cannot access that temple, the dispersed Jews built local centres
of worship called synagogues. These synagogues paved way for the spread of the gospel.
As a result of the synagogues, Gentiles came to know about the God of Israel.
The general expectation of Messiah spread to the Gentile world as well. So,
when the news of the Messiah came, it was easy for people of other faiths to
understand. It was God who placed the Jews in strategic positions for the
advancement of the gospel.
3. It was a period of moral decline.
The
moral virtues were declining. It was a world given over to paganism, sexual
immorality, homosexuality, murder, dishonesty and violence. It was a world of
shattered dreams and broken promises. A sort of vacuum filled every heart. In
order to fill up that vacuum, people resorted to art, literature, music and
play. But nothing could actually fill in the vacuum. At this age of moral
decline and darkness, a Light shone in a stable in Bethlehem.
God gave Christ into this world when “the time had fully come.”
This is a reminder to us nothing in our life ever happens by accident. God’s timing is always perfect. He is never early and never late. As the psalmist says, Our times are in His hands (Psalms 31:15).
Our life is ordered by the highest wisdom of God. That is why the Bible says in Psalms 37:23, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.”
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways
my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the
earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
" Isaiah 55 8-9
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the
LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope
and a future." Jeremiah 29v11
All things work together for good to them that love God, to them
who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28
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