Scripture must be fulfilled
Genesis 1, Matthew 1, Ezra 1, Acts 1
God’s plans are never thwarted. He doesn’t make mistakes, and he always accomplishes his purpose.
That is why we can know with certainty that the Scripture will always be fulfilled.
When our creator spoke into existence the heavens and the earth, he “saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.” (Genesis 1:31 ESV)
And so while we know that sin entered the world through Adam and the curse of pain and death came with it, we also know that God dealt both a mortal blow to both through his own Son.
Such was his plan from the beginning…
“...and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet…”
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel”
(Matthew 1:21–23 ESV) quoting (Isaiah 7:14 ESV).
God always accomplishes his purpose. Not even the greatest kings in all the earth can stop it. No one is beyond God’s power.
“In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom…”(Ezra 1:1 ESV) to rebuild the house of the Lord.
God even provided the workers.
“Then rose up the heads of the fathers’ houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up to rebuild the house of the LORD that is in Jerusalem.” (Ezra 1:5 ESV)
Indeed, God will not let his word go unfilled. He always keeps his promises.
And the surety of God’s word was not lost on the Apostle Peter, who started to piece together God’s plan in Acts 1.
“Brothers,” Peter said, “the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas…. (Acts 1:16 ESV)
Peter knew.
Jesus had just finished explaining to Peter how Jesus himself was the fulfillment of the Old Testament. Peter knew from the mouth of God himself that the Scripture must and will always be fulfilled.
Peter knew what we must know — that a promise from God is more sure than any other promise. It will happen. It is a certainty. It is not a question of whether, but a question of when.
And so it is with this great comfort that we read this final promise from God, given to the disciples as they watched our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ ascend on a cloud into Heaven to sit at the right hand of God almighty:
“And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:10–11 ESV)
This Scripture has not yet been fulfilled, but we can be sure that it will be. Jesus will return. He will return on a cloud, just as he ascended. As surely as there is a God in Heaven, we can know that this will happen. It is a certainty. It is not a question of whether, but when.
The Scripture must always be fulfilled.
And one day we will all look upon a creation completely free of death and sorrow and hurt and pain, a place with no more crying and no more tears. We will look upon it in the presence of our Heavenly Father and say with the utmost conviction, just as He did back in Genesis 1, that it is good.
God’s plan can never be thwarted.
The Daily Bible Journal is just one man’s attempt to meditate on God’s word as he studies it in the sequence set forth by the M’Cheyne Bible Reading Calendar.
