The Fulness of the TimeA study in Galatians

Galatians 4

4. but when the fulness of the time came, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law,

5. that he might redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

Why in this particular time?

• God can chose to send Jesus into the world at any time He wants... Why did God chose this particular time?

• Why not?– As Abraham’s son?– Or in the time of Moses?– Or the time of Elijah?– Or in the Middle Ages?– Or in the 21st century?

Objection!calls for

Speculation

Luke 24 44. And he said unto them, These are my words

which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must needs be fulfilled, which are written in the law of Moses, and the prophets, and the psalms, concerning me.

45. Then opened he their mind, that they might understand the scriptures;

46. and he said unto them, Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer, and rise again from the dead the third day;

47. and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name unto all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

Mark 1

1. The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

2. Even as it is written in Isaiah the prophet, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, Who shall prepare thy way.

3. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make ye ready the way of the Lord, Make his paths straight;

14. Now after John was delivered up, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God,

15. and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe in the gospel.

Luke 2 1. Now it came to pass in those days, there went

out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be enrolled.

2. This was the first enrolment made when Quirinius was governor of Syria.

3. And all went to enrol themselves, every one to his own city.

4. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David;

5. to enrol himself with Mary, who was betrothed to him, being great with child.

Now it came to pass in those days, there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus... - Luke 2:1

According to Prophecy

• Jesus was born in a time that fulfilled prophecy

• Daniel 2:44 “And in the days of those kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom...”

• Daniel’s prophecy points to the kings of the 4th world empire– Babylonian – Medo-Persian – Greek - Roman

Luke 3 1. Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of

Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,

2. in the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.

3. And he came into all the region round about the Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance unto remission of sins;

4. as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make ye ready the way of the Lord, Make his paths straight.

5. Every valley shall be filled, And every mountain and hill shall be brought low; And the crooked shall become straight, And the rough ways smooth;

6. And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.

Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar... – Luke 3:1

22. Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or not? 23. But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them, 24. Show me a denarius. Whose image and superscription hath it? And they said, Caesar's. 25. And he said unto them, Then render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's

Acts 3

18. But the things which God foreshowed by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ should suffer, he thus fulfilled.

19. Repent ye therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that so there may come seasons of refreshing from the presence of the Lord;

20. and that he may send the Christ who hath been appointed for you, even Jesus:

21. whom the heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, whereof God spake by the mouth of His holy prophets that have been from of old.

22. Moses indeed said, A prophet shall the Lord God raise up unto you from among your brethren, like unto me. To him shall ye hearken in all things whatsoever he shall speak unto you.

23. And it shall be, that every soul that shall not hearken to that prophet, shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.

24. Yea and all the prophets from Samuel and them that followed after, as many as have spoken, they also told of these days.

Acts 3

25. Ye are the sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with your

fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

26. Unto you first God, having raised up his Servant, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities

Acts 3

Acts 13

26. Brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and those among you that fear God, to us is the word of this salvation sent forth.

27. For they that dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him.

28. And though they found no cause of death in him, yet asked they of Pilate that he should be slain.

29. And when they had fulfilled all things that were written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a tomb.

30. But God raised him from the dead:

Acts 13

30. But God raised him from the dead: 31. and he was seen for many days of them that came up

with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses unto the people.

32. And we bring you good tidings of the promise made unto the fathers,

33. that God hath fulfilled the same unto our children, in that he raised up Jesus; as also it is written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.

34. And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he hath spoken on this wise, I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.

Acts 13

38. Be it known unto you therefore, brethren, that through this man is proclaimed unto you remission of sins:

39. and by him every one that believeth is justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.

40. Beware therefore, lest that come upon you which is spoken in the prophets:

41. Behold,ye despisers, and wonder, and perish; For I work a work in your days, A work which ye shall in no wise believe, if one declare it unto you.

The Galatian Problem

• The brethren in the churches of Galatia were in danger of being severed from Christ

• They were embracing false teaching that would “entangle” them again in a yoke of bondage

• HOW did this problem arise among the churches there?

False Teachers

• Some were preaching another gospel

• Galatians 1:6-8 I marvel that ye are so quickly removing from him that called you in the grace of Christ unto a different gospel; 7. which is not another gospel only there are some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. 8. But though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach unto you any gospel other than that which we preached unto you, let him be anathema

They were bewitched

• Galatians 3:1-3 O foolish Galatians, who did bewitch you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was openly set forth crucified? 2. This only would I learn from you. Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 3. Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now perfected in the flesh?

Return to the OT Law?

Galatians 5:1-4 For freedom did Christ set us free: stand fast therefore, and be not entangled again in a yoke of bondage. 2. Behold, I Paul say unto you, that, if ye receive circumcision, Christ will profit you nothing. 3. Yea, I testify again to every man that receiveth circumcision, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. 4. Ye are severed from Christ, ye would be justified by the law; ye are fallen away from grace

The Root of the Problem

• They did not understand – or respect the “times” of the Bible

• There was a time when the law of Moses was in effect

• After the cross – the old covenant was no more; rather it had been replaced by a new covenant– cf. Hebrews 8:8-12

Hebrews 8:8-12 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, That I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah; 9. Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers In the day that I took them by the hand to lead them forth out of the land of Egypt; For they continued not in my covenant, And I regarded them not, saith the Lord. 10. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel After those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, And on their heart also will I write them: And I will be to them a God, And they shall be to me a people: 11. And they shall not teach every man his fellow-citizen, And every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: For all shall know me, From the least to the greatest of them. 12. For I will be merciful to their iniquities, And their sins will I remember no more.