HOW DID JESUS AND HIS APOSTLES UNDERSTAND GOD'S PROMISES?

Going Deeper — From the Prophets to Their Fulfillment in Christ

Did God postpone His promises, or did Jesus begin fulfilling them in ways many people did not expect?

The Old Testament contains remarkable promises about Israel, David's kingdom, a new covenant, a restored people, and the nations coming to worship God.

Christians generally agree that these promises are important. But they do not always agree about when or how they are fulfilled.

Some believe that many promises concerning Israel and the kingdom await a future earthly reign of Christ. Others believe that Christ's death, resurrection, ascension, and the establishment of His church began fulfilling these promises in ways the prophets themselves may not have fully understood.

How should we decide?

Rather than beginning with a prophetic timetable, we can begin with a simpler question:

How did Jesus and His apostles explain the promises after Christ came?

Their explanations provide the foundation for understanding what God promised and how He is carrying out His purpose.

1. Did God Change His Plan?

One familiar explanation of prophecy teaches that Jesus offered the promised kingdom to Israel, but Israel rejected Him. As a result, the kingdom was postponed, and the present church age began.

Not everyone who believes in a future earthly millennium explains the church this way. Many premillennialists recognize that the cross, the church, and the inclusion of Gentiles were always part of God's purpose.

Nevertheless, the question remains important.

Does the New Testament describe the church as an interruption in God's plan, or as part of the plan itself?

Paul gives us a direct statement.

Ephesians 3:3–11 — God's Eternal Purpose

Paul explains a mystery that has now been revealed through the Spirit.

In verse 6, he identifies that mystery:

"The Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel."

Then, in verse 11, Paul connects God's work through the church with His eternal purpose accomplished in Christ.

Notice what Paul does not say.

He does not say that God invented a different people because His original plan failed.

Instead, the gathering of Jews and Gentiles into one body belongs to God's eternal purpose.

This does not answer every question about Israel's future. But it establishes that the church is not an unexpected substitute for something God had intended to accomplish.

The church belongs to God's eternal purpose in Christ.

2. Was the Cross an Unexpected Development?

If Israel had accepted Jesus as Messiah, could the kingdom have been established without His death?

That question must be tested against Jesus' own words.

Mark 8:31: Jesus taught that the Son of Man must suffer, be rejected, be killed, and rise again.

Luke 24:26: After His resurrection, Jesus asked whether it was not necessary for the Messiah to suffer before entering His glory.

Acts 2:23: Peter said Jesus was delivered up according to God's predetermined plan and foreknowledge.

1 Peter 1:19–20: Peter describes Christ as the spotless lamb who was foreknown before the foundation of the world.

These passages establish that Christ's suffering and death were not unexpected events that forced God to revise His plan.

The cross was necessary to God's saving purpose.

That does not mean every premillennialist believes the cross was optional. Many strongly affirm that Christ's death was always planned.

The question is more specific:

How can a proposed postponement of the kingdom be understood consistently with the necessity of Christ's death and resurrection?

Any explanation must account for what Jesus and His apostles actually taught.

3. Did the Prophets Anticipate the Gentiles?

The inclusion of Gentiles was not a new idea that appeared only after Israel rejected Jesus.

God had already promised Abraham:

Genesis 12:3: All the families of the earth would be blessed through him.

Isaiah 49:6: God's servant would be a light to the nations so that His salvation might reach the ends of the earth.

Isaiah 2:2–4: The nations would come to learn the ways of the Lord.

The Old Testament repeatedly looked beyond Israel to the nations.

Yet Paul calls the union of Jews and Gentiles in one body a mystery that has now been revealed.

Is that a contradiction?

No.

Ephesians 3:5 says the mystery was not made known to earlier generations as it has now been revealed.

The prophets anticipated blessing for the nations. Through Christ, the apostles came to understand more fully how Gentiles would share equally in God's promises.

The promise was already present. Its full meaning became clearer through Christ and His apostles.

4. What Did Peter Say About David's Kingdom?

Acts 2:22–36

On Pentecost, Peter explained Jesus' death, resurrection, and exaltation.

He reminded his listeners that God had promised David a descendant who would occupy his throne.

Peter then explained that David spoke prophetically concerning the resurrection of the Messiah.

Jesus had been raised from the dead and exalted to God's right hand.

Peter concluded:

"God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified." (Acts 2:36)

This is important.

Jesus is not waiting to become Lord and Christ. Peter declares that the crucified and risen Jesus has already been exalted.

Psalm 110:1, which Peter quotes, describes the Lord inviting David's Lord to sit at His right hand until His enemies are made His footstool.

The New Testament repeatedly applies this passage to Jesus.

But we must ask a further question.

Does Christ's present exaltation completely fulfill every promise associated with David's throne, or could there be additional future expressions of His reign?

Christians disagree about that.

Acts 2 clearly establishes Jesus' present exaltation and royal authority. It does not provide a complete description of every future event.

We should affirm what Peter establishes without adding conclusions he does not explicitly state.

5. What Did Jesus Say About Restoring the Kingdom to Israel?

Acts 1:6–8

Shortly before His ascension, the disciples asked Jesus:

"Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?"

Jesus replied that it was not for them to know the times or seasons the Father had established by His own authority.

He then promised that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them and become His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

Notice two things.

First, Jesus did not give them a timetable for restoring the kingdom to Israel.

Second, He directed their attention to the coming Spirit and the worldwide mission they were about to undertake.

Some readers understand this as a correction of their expectation of a national kingdom.

Others understand it as a refusal to disclose the timing of a future restoration.

The passage does not explicitly settle that entire disagreement.

But it certainly shows where Jesus directed their immediate attention:

The Spirit would empower His witnesses to carry the gospel throughout the world.

That mission was not an interruption in their work. It was what the risen Lord commanded them to do.

6. How Did James Interpret Amos's Promise?

Acts 15:13–18 and Amos 9:11–12

This is one of the most important examples of an apostle applying Old Testament prophecy.

The early church faced a serious question.

Must Gentiles become Jews and keep the Law of Moses in order to belong to God's people?

Peter explained how God had accepted Gentiles through faith.

Paul and Barnabas described God's work among the nations.

Then James appealed to the prophets.

He quoted Amos's promise that God would rebuild David's fallen dwelling and that the nations called by God's name would seek Him.

James said this agreed with God's work among the Gentiles.

That is significant.

An Old Testament promise concerning David's fallen house was being used to explain why Gentiles could belong to God's people without becoming Jews.

A detail worth examining

The wording of Amos in Acts 15 follows the Greek form of the prophecy more closely than the surviving traditional Hebrew wording.

Amos 9:12 in Hebrew speaks of possessing the remnant of Edom and the nations called by God's name.

Acts 15:17 speaks of the rest of humanity seeking the Lord, including the Gentiles called by His name.

These readings are related, but they are not word-for-word identical.

The difference deserves careful study rather than being ignored.

Does James say the prophecy is completely fulfilled?

James clearly teaches that Gentile inclusion agrees with what the prophets foretold.

But readers differ over whether he is describing the complete fulfillment of Amos's promise or a present fulfillment that does not exclude additional future developments.

We should distinguish what is certain from what remains debated.

What is certain: The apostles did not treat Gentile inclusion as a departure from God's prophetic promises.

They saw it as consistent with what God had already announced.

7. Did God Create Two Separate Peoples?

Ephesians 2:11–22

Paul reminds Gentile believers that they were once separated from Christ and strangers to the covenants of promise.

But through Christ's blood, those who were far away have been brought near.

Paul says Christ has made both groups one.

He has broken down the dividing wall of hostility and reconciled both to God in one body through the cross.

Both have access to the Father through one Spirit.

Paul then describes believers as fellow citizens, members of God's household, and part of a holy temple in which God dwells by His Spirit.

These are remarkable statements.

The distinction between Jews and Gentiles had been important under the old covenant.

But in Christ, both are reconciled to God in one body.

This raises a question for every prophetic interpretation:

How should future promises concerning Israel be understood in light of the unity Christ has already established?

Romans 11 must also be considered. Paul continues to discuss Israel's relationship to God's promises and speaks of a future salvation of "all Israel," a phrase whose meaning Christians debate.

Therefore, Ephesians 2 should not be used to dismiss Romans 11, nor should Romans 11 be interpreted in a way that ignores Ephesians 2.

Both belong to the same apostolic teaching.

8. What Happened to the Old Covenant?

Hebrews 8:6–13

The writer of Hebrews explains that Jesus is the mediator of a better covenant, established on better promises.

He quotes Jeremiah 31:31–34, where God promised a new covenant.

Then Hebrews 8:13 concludes that by speaking of a new covenant, God made the first one obsolete.

This is not merely an opinion about how Christians should view the Law of Moses.

It is the New Testament's explanation of Jeremiah's prophecy.

The old covenant had served its purpose, but it was not the final arrangement through which God's people would approach Him.

The new covenant was established through Jesus Christ.

The destruction of Jerusalem's temple in AD 70 was a major historical event. But Hebrews does not make the destruction of the building the reason the old covenant became obsolete.

The decisive change comes through Christ and His superior priesthood and sacrifice.

9. If Christ's Sacrifice Was Final, Why Would Animal Sacrifices Return?

Hebrews 9–10 and Ezekiel 40–48

This question becomes especially important when considering interpretations of Ezekiel's temple vision.

Ezekiel describes a temple, priests, offerings, and sacrifices.

Some understand these chapters as describing a future literal temple during an earthly millennium.

Others understand the vision as a prophetic picture of God's restored presence among His people, fulfilled through Christ and ultimately in the new creation.

Hebrews gives us important evidence for evaluating these interpretations.

Hebrews 10:1: The Law had a shadow of the good things to come rather than the true form of those realities.

Hebrews 10:4: The blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sins.

Hebrews 10:12: Christ offered one sacrifice for sins for all time.

Hebrews 10:18: Where forgiveness has been granted, there is no longer an offering for sin.

The final statement deserves particular attention.

If Christ has offered the sufficient and final sacrifice for sins, what purpose would future animal sacrifices serve?

Some interpreters suggest that sacrifices in a future temple would be memorials, looking back to Christ's completed work, just as earlier sacrifices pointed forward.

That explanation should be examined fairly.

However, Ezekiel's text does not simply identify these offerings as memorials. Ezekiel 45:17, 22–25 describes sacrifices connected with atonement.

The Hebrew verb often translated "make atonement" must be studied in its own covenant setting. It would be too simple to assume that every Old Testament use of atonement means exactly the same thing as Christ's final removal of sin.

Nevertheless, the question remains:

How can a future sacrificial system be reconciled with Hebrews 10:18?

This is a genuine question raised by comparing Scripture with Scripture.

It deserves more than a quick answer from either side.

10. Does Fulfillment Always Mean Something Nonphysical?

No.

This is an important safeguard.

The New Testament teaches that Christ fulfills the promises and institutions of the Old Testament. But that does not mean every promise becomes merely inward or nonphysical.

Jesus rose bodily from the dead.

Christians await the resurrection of the dead.

Romans 8:18–25 speaks of creation itself being set free from corruption.

Revelation 21–22 describes a new heaven and a new earth.

The apostles did not teach that God's final purpose was to abandon creation.

Therefore, we should avoid a rule that says every Old Testament physical promise must become a nonphysical reality.

Instead, we should ask how each promise is explained by the New Testament.

Sometimes the fulfillment is greater than the original picture.

Sometimes the fulfillment has already begun but awaits completion.

Sometimes the New Testament speaks of events still future.

We must let each passage establish its own meaning.

11. What About Promises That Still Await Fulfillment?

The New Testament repeatedly teaches that Christ is reigning and that His people already share in the blessings of His kingdom.

But it also looks forward to future events.

1 Corinthians 15:20–28: Christ reigns until all His enemies are placed under His feet. Death is the last enemy to be destroyed.

Acts 3:19–21: Peter speaks of the restoration of all things, concerning which God spoke through His holy prophets.

Romans 8:23: Believers still await the redemption of their bodies.

2 Peter 3:13: Christians await new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

These passages remind us that present fulfillment and future hope are not opposites.

The question is not simply whether God's promises have been fulfilled or remain future.

The more careful question is:

Which promises does the New Testament say are already being fulfilled, and which does it place at Christ's return and the final renewal of creation?

Different millennial interpretations answer that question differently.

But all must account for the full testimony of Scripture.

12. Seven Questions That Can Help Us Test an Interpretation

When reading a prophetic promise, consider the following:

1. What did the prophet actually say? Begin with the words and their original setting.

2. Who originally received the promise? Identify the people, circumstances, and covenant involved.

3. Does Jesus or an apostle quote or explain the passage? If so, examine that explanation carefully.

4. Does the New Testament describe the promise as fulfilled, being fulfilled, or still future? Do not assume these are always the same.

5. Does the proposed interpretation agree with Christ's completed sacrifice and the new covenant?

6. Does it account for both the unity of God's people and the passages concerning Israel's future?

7. Does the conclusion actually follow from Scripture, or have we added something the text does not say?

These questions apply to every interpretation, including the one we personally prefer.

We should not reject an interpretation merely because it differs from our tradition.

Nor should we accept one simply because it sounds familiar.

13. What Can We Conclude?

The passages we have examined establish several important truths.

The death of Christ was part of God's predetermined purpose.

The inclusion of Gentiles was anticipated by the prophets.

The church, made up of Jews and Gentiles united in Christ, belongs to God's eternal purpose.

Jesus has been raised and exalted as Lord and Christ.

The apostles understood God's work among the Gentiles as agreeing with the prophetic promises.

The old covenant has given way to the new covenant established through Christ.

Christ's sacrifice for sins is final and sufficient.

And God's people still await the bodily resurrection and the renewal of creation.

These conclusions are not dependent upon first accepting a particular millennial system. They come from the New Testament passages themselves.

Questions remain about the exact relationship between Israel's promises, the present reign of Christ, and future events.

But those questions should be answered in light of what Jesus and His apostles have already made clear.

The goal is not to make the apostles agree with our prophetic timetable.

The goal is to understand God's promises as Jesus and His apostles explained them.

Continue Exploring Scripture

Was the Kingdom Postponed?
Explore whether the New Testament teaches that Jesus delayed the promised kingdom after Israel rejected Him.

Will There Be Another Temple?
Consider the New Testament's teaching about the temple, priesthood, and Christ's completed sacrifice.

Does Revelation Describe the Same Final Battle More Than Once?
Examine how the structure of Revelation affects our understanding of future events.

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