Turning the World Upside-down

This is part ten of my ongoing series about the Story of the Bible. So far, the posts have looked at creation, the fall, God’s promise to Abraham, his covenant with Israel, the consequences of a broken covenant, a ray of hope for the future, and what started off looking like the fulfillment of that hope. This post will continue looking at the fulfillment of Israel’s hope. Although it was not what they expected. 

A Quick Review

Israel had fallen far from their golden age under David and Solomon, ending in exile and a partial restoration. But the hope held out by the prophets was still unfilled. For a brief time, the people held out hope that Jesus would be the one who would restore them to their glory days.

But Jesus was executed, and that hope died. Or did it?

Not the End

Three days after Jesus’ execution, something quite unexpected happened. Some women went to the tomb and found it empty. And angels appeared and told them that Jesus was alive.

Later, Jesus began to appear to his disciples, demonstrating to them that he was indeed alive. This renewed their hope in Jesus as the Messiah, the one who would claim David’s throne (Ac. 1:6). Jesus spent 40 days with them, giving further instructions. And then he was gone.

But before he left them, he told them to wait in Jerusalem for the promised Holy Spirit.

Pentecost

As the disciples waited in Jerusalem, the day of Pentecost rolled around. And, on that day, the world changed. The Holy Spirit was poured out on Jesus’ followers, and nothing would ever be the same.

Immediately, they boldly began to proclaim that Jesus was the promised Messiah. Jerusalem was turned upside down as large numbers of people came to faith in Jesus, accepting him as their Messiah.

It did not take long before opposition arose from those who rejected Jesus as their Messiah, and they attempted to stomp out the new Jesus movement. But the more they tried, the faster and wider the gospel spread. It was unstoppable.

While in the beginning, the gospel of Jesus was proclaimed only to Jews, within a few years, the message had reached out to the Gentiles as well. And it quickly spread throughout the Roman Empire, reaching Rome within 30 years. They were turning the world upside-down.

Preaching Jesus

The disciples of Jesus did much more than just pass on the teachings of Jesus, although they did do that. The message they proclaimed was much more radical than that. They declared that Jesus of Nazareth was more than just a great teacher or prophet.

They announced to the world that Jesus was the promised Messiah, the Son of God, God in the flesh. And that in his death and resurrection, he had made a way for humanity, Jew and Gentile alike, to be reconciled to God. Not based on our own efforts but as an act of God’s grace. And they proclaimed a great hope that would only come to fruition in the age to come.

And that is the end of the Bible’s story. Or is it?

What About the Promise to Abraham?

Roughly 2000 years before Jesus, God made an unconditional promise to Abraham. Has that promise been fulfilled now? Or is it still awaiting a final fulfillment?

The next post in the series will reexamine this promise in light of Jesus and the movement he started.

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