The Things That Were Promised

The Things That Were Promised

It is remarkable to read about the heroes of faith—how faithful they were and what they suffered. We read, “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.” V. 13. When such people could not receive the promises, we must ask ourselves: What were those promises that we now can receive? It is the grace that we were to receive in Christ Jesus. The prophets could see that, testifying of the sufferings of Christ and the glory that was to follow. They knew that they were not serving themselves, but us. 1 Pet. 1:10-12. “As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” 2 Pet. 1:3-4. This was impossible before Christ’s coming—He who overcame sin and death.

“And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.” Vs. 39-40.

Each dispensation has its possibilities. We read about these heroes of faith right from the time of Abel. All of them had to live by faith to make the most of the possibilities God gave them in their time. We read about Enoch who did not die but was taken away. However, before he was taken away, he received the testimony that he pleased God. We also read about Noah and others. All of them made the most of the possibilities in their time. Nevertheless, they did not have the possibilities in their time that we have in our time. God had prepared something better for us.

This “better for us” is divine nature. This has now become possible for us after we have been baptized with one Spirit to be one body, because Jesus, through obedience, obtained the fullness of the Godhead in His body in the days of His flesh. 1 Cor. 12:13; Heb. 5:7-10; Col. 1:19, 2:9-10. The gospel is this: “To know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” Eph. 3:19-20.

As we can see, the time during which we can obtain what was promised—divine nature—is from the day of Pentecost until the rapture. That is why we read, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.” 1 Cor. 11:26. This possibility is gone after that. In 2 Corinthians 4:10-11 we read of the possibility which the death of Christ gives us. Paul also gives Timothy a strong exhortation: “That you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ’s appearing.” 1 Tim. 6:13-14. They were the commandments Jesus gave His apostles before His ascension. Acts 1:2. We become partakers of that same life—divine nature—by that same obedience to the faith of which Jesus is the author and finisher.

Since we have such a great cloud of witnesses around us—those who were faithful in their time and who suffered so much for what they were able to obtain—do we not have much more reason to be faithful in the sufferings for the much greater glory we can obtain in the time from the day of Pentecost until the rapture? Heb. 12:1-3, 3:1.