The Prequel: Part 4

The Prequel: Part 4

The broken world had been crying for a long, long time. Hopelessly chained under a deadly curse, every man and woman in the history of humanity have lived their lives separated from God in a world where His goodness was distorted by the forces of darkness and the pain of sin.

But for as long as the world had been broken–since Adam and Eve’s fatal decision in the garden of eden–God had promised to send a Rescuer who would set life right again. And faithfully, through generation after generation, God had been putting His rescue plan into motion. He wouldn’t let His beloved people stay in chains.

God had promised ancient Abraham that even though he didn’t have a son, all the world would be blessed through his descendants. Years later, God promised King David, the man after His own heart, that the greatest king would come from his family line. And He promised His people that there would be a wonderful Counselor, a Prince of Peace, and a Ruler of Justice who would come and set them free.

Yet centuries had passed and no Rescuer had come.

At the close of Old Testament History, God spoke one more promise through the prophet Malachi: For you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in His wings (Malachi 4:2 NLT)

For 400 years after God’s promise through Malachi, no prophets’ words were recorded. but God was busy–very busy. During those 400 years, God caused the rise and fall of world powers, each one setting the stage for God’s Rescuer.

First, the Greeks conquered the majority of the known world and as their culture spread, so did their language–creating ideal conditions for good news to be clearly communicated and easily understood by all. Then, for about 100 years, Israel was free of any world power and the people’s taste of freedom grew into a hunger for ultimate freedom.

Then the Roman Empire rose to power, conquering Israel and also building roads that would eventually pave the path for missionaries who would carry God’s Good News. Broken and chained, the world was both pining and poised for a Rescuer.

Then, when the time arrived–the time that had been set before the foundation of the world–God put His rescue plan into motion. This time God didn’t send a profit to speak on His behalf. And He didn’t send an earthly king. The Angels watched in awel as the very Son of God stepped out of Heaven and into the womb of a woman.

God himself had come. He was the Savior who would rescue the world.

The King of Heaven was born on a fallen earth. He grew up as a human being, feeling the pain of the broken world, experiencing all of life in a world under the dominion of darkness. Yet He thought after the heart of His Father and followed him.

And when the time came, God made it very clear who Jesus was. At the Jordan River, when Jesus was baptized by John, God thundered from Heaven: This is my Son whom I love; with him I am well pleased (Matthew 3:17).

Jesus, fully God, showed the people what the fall had blinded them to–what God is really like. His actions were God’s actions. His words were God’s words. His smile was God’s smile. While He walked through life, He showed people the ways of His Kingdom, the Kingdom He was inviting them into, the way things were meant to be.

Heaven had come to earth. God had taken the first step to tearing down the wall that sin had built up. The greatest rescue mission of all time had begun.

*** © 2024 by Walk Thru the Bible

In case you missed it, read Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 here!