The Messianic Promise
“And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers” Acts 26:6
The words of this verse encompass both the general expectation of a Divine kingdom, of which Christ was to be the head, and the specific expectation of the resurrection of the dead. The writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews says of God's earliest revelations, "God, having long ago spoken to the fathers via the prophets in various portions and in various ways". And the depiction of Messiah in the Old Testament Scriptures has been compared to the creation of a monumental painting by many hands over many centuries. In his promise to our ancestors, God provided us with only a sketchy map of our future.
THAT IT WAS EARLY PROVIDED In the dawn of the world. In the beginning of the world's sin and misery. God sent forth this magnificent beam of hope almost before the shadow of man's sin could fall on his life.
IT WAS FREQUENTLY RENEWED. For each next generation; for each fresh set of circumstances. In ever-varied shapes. With graciously advancing clarity and completeness. Real-world examples serve as illustrations. These can be found in the appendices of contemporary Bibles.
III. THAT IT WAS ODDLY MiSUNDERSTOOD Because men did not accept the messianic figure in its whole, but rather chose only the aspects that they desired. And since men did not accept the revelation in its simplest form, but instead interpreted it in light of their circumstances, particularly their temporal needs. As a result, a nation whose freedom had been revoked found in the Messianic promise only a liberator, a Judas Maccabeus, a victorious ruler according to Daniel's pattern. Messiah is for all men, not only Jews, sinners, or enslaved people. -