The Impact of Revelation
Many Christians are neglecting to read the Old Testament, not realizing that the New is the very fulfillment thereof. 109 predictions of the Old Testament pertaining to Christ were literally fulfilled at His first coming. Every doctrine in the New Testament is based upon the “Thus Saith the Lord” of the prophetic Word. It is beyond comprehension, how the Bible teachers and religious leaders of that time could fail to recognize the very fulfillment of the Scripture they were teaching to others. They believed and taught their own interpretations and expected God to fulfill them accordingly. Could it be that history is repeating itself in this generation? Great and impressive services are held, much is said about the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, yet the revealed Word of God for this hour is being rejected. Repeatedly, the apostles –the writers of the New Testament –referred back to what the prophets of old had said. In the New, we find 845 quotations from the Old Testament. One cannot be separated from the other. The ‘Counsel of God’ with mankind was foretold and foreshadowed in the Old and is being fulfilled throughout the period of the New, “We are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone” (Eph.2: 20).
According to the promised Word for that time, God sent John, the forerunner of the first coming of Christ. The theologians misunderstood, were offended and fought against him. They clung to their own knowledge. But all who could deny themselves and their previous teachings were ready to receive to God-sent message and messenger. The common people heard him gladly and were not offended at his manner of speech. “He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, who standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice; this my joy, therefore, is fulfilled” (Jn.3: 29)
Do we realize that we are now living in a prophetic age, in which many Scriptures are coming to pass before our very eyes? Are we recognizing the “today” of our visitation?
The ministry of John the Baptist was the fulfillment of Isa.40: 3-5 and Mal.3: 1, as confirmed in the Gospel of Mark, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God: As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, who shall prepare thy way before thee. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight”
In reference to the ministry of John the Baptist, the angel of the Lord said to Zacharias, “And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Lk.1: 17). The angel knew exactly which Scripture passage was to be fulfilled with the ministry of John. He did not say that he was the Elijah, who was to come before the ‘great and dreadful day of him Lord’. He took only the following part from Mal.4: 6, “...to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children”, which was fulfilled at the first coming of Christ, whereas the rest of that verse was to be fulfilled in connection with the second coming of Christ at the end of the ‘day of grace’.
Because the one portion of the prophecy given in reference to the Elijah, who was to come before the ‘great and dreadful day of the Lord’, was fulfilled in the ministry of John, Jesus also called him Elijah. “And if ye will receive it, this is Elijah, who was to come” (Mt.11: 14). “But I say unto you, that Elijah is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed” (Mt.17: 12). Almost two thousand years have passed, and the ‘great and dreadful day of the Lord’ still lies before us, of which Scripture says, “Behold, the day of the lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate; and he shall destroy the sinners out of it” (Isa.13: 9). “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come” (Joel 2:31).
Let it be known to all, that the remaining part of Mal.4: 5-6 reads, “Behold, I will send you Elijah, the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he shall turn...the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.”
In Lk.1: 17, we find a similar mystery as in Lk.4: 19, where Jesus Christ stopped in the middle of the verse and made reference to the “acceptable year of the Lord” but not to the ‘day of vengeance’. The second part of both prophecies was to be fulfilled at the end of the Gentile dispensation, just before the ‘day of vengeance’, ‘the great and dreadful day of the Lord’.
In Mt.11: 10, Jesus identified John the Baptist with Mal.3: 1 and not with Mal.4: 5, “For this he is of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face...” At the climax of his ministry, John the Baptist was asked, “Art thou Elijah? And he saith, I am not...” (Jn.1: 21). John knew exactly, which Scripture applied to his ministry.
The testimony of the Lord Jesus, the angel, John the Baptist and Mark is clear and explicit. It shows us, how harmoniously the writers and speakers of the New Testament collaborated with the Old. Because they were led by the Holy Spirit, they wholly recognized the fulfillment of the Scripture.
Many Christians are neglecting to read the Old Testament, not realizing that the New is the very fulfillment thereof. 109 predictions of the Old Testament pertaining to Christ were literally fulfilled at His first coming. Every doctrine in the New Testament is based upon the “Thus Saith the Lord” of the prophetic Word. It is beyond comprehension, how the Bible teachers and religious leaders of that time could fail to recognize the very fulfillment of the Scripture they were teaching to others. They believed and taught their own interpretations and expected God to fulfill them accordingly. Could it be that history is repeating itself in this generation? Great and impressive services are held, much is said about the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, yet the revealed Word of God for this hour is being rejected. Repeatedly, the apostles –the writers of the New Testament –referred back to what the prophets of old had said. In the New, we find 845 quotations from the Old Testament. One cannot be separated from the other. The ‘Counsel of God’ with mankind was foretold and foreshadowed in the Old and is being fulfilled throughout the period of the New, “We are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone” (Eph.2: 20).
According to the promised Word for that time, God sent John, the forerunner of the first coming of Christ. The theologians misunderstood, were offended and fought against him. They clung to their own knowledge. But all who could deny themselves and their previous teachings were ready to receive to God-sent message and messenger. The common people heard him gladly and were not offended at his manner of speech. “He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, who standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice; this my joy, therefore, is fulfilled” (Jn.3: 29)
Do we realize that we are now living in a prophetic age, in which many Scriptures are coming to pass before our very eyes? Are we recognizing the “today” of our visitation?
The ministry of John the Baptist was the fulfillment of Isa.40: 3-5 and Mal.3: 1, as confirmed in the Gospel of Mark, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God: As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, who shall prepare thy way before thee. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight”
In reference to the ministry of John the Baptist, the angel of the Lord said to Zacharias, “And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Lk.1: 17). The angel knew exactly which Scripture passage was to be fulfilled with the ministry of John. He did not say that he was the Elijah, who was to come before the ‘great and dreadful day of him Lord’. He took only the following part from Mal.4: 6, “...to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children”, which was fulfilled at the first coming of Christ, whereas the rest of that verse was to be fulfilled in connection with the second coming of Christ at the end of the ‘day of grace’.
Because the one portion of the prophecy given in reference to the Elijah, who was to come before the ‘great and dreadful day of the Lord’, was fulfilled in the ministry of John, Jesus also called him Elijah. “And if ye will receive it, this is Elijah, who was to come” (Mt.11: 14). “But I say unto you, that Elijah is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed” (Mt.17: 12). Almost two thousand years have passed, and the ‘great and dreadful day of the Lord’ still lies before us, of which Scripture says, “Behold, the day of the lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate; and he shall destroy the sinners out of it” (Isa.13: 9). “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come” (Joel 2:31).
Let it be known to all, that the remaining part of Mal.4: 5-6 reads, “Behold, I will send you Elijah, the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he shall turn...the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.”
In Lk.1: 17, we find a similar mystery as in Lk.4: 19, where Jesus Christ stopped in the middle of the verse and made reference to the “acceptable year of the Lord” but not to the ‘day of vengeance’. The second part of both prophecies was to be fulfilled at the end of the Gentile dispensation, just before the ‘day of vengeance’, ‘the great and dreadful day of the Lord’.
In Mt.11: 10, Jesus identified John the Baptist with Mal.3: 1 and not with Mal.4: 5, “For this he is of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face...” At the climax of his ministry, John the Baptist was asked, “Art thou Elijah? And he saith, I am not...” (Jn.1: 21). John knew exactly, which Scripture applied to his ministry.
The testimony of the Lord Jesus, the angel, John the Baptist and Mark is clear and explicit. It shows us, how harmoniously the writers and speakers of the New Testament collaborated with the Old. Because they were led by the Holy Spirit, they wholly recognized the fulfillment of the Scripture.