Acts 12:32-37
The resurrection is what sets Christianity apart from all other religions. It truly is the cornerstone of the Christian faith. Without it, we would have no hope. As Paul explains here, the promise of God has been fulfilled in Christ. Paul is revealing nothing that God had not already foretold. This is truly the Good News, for the revelation of the Messiah is the hope upon which the Jewish faith rests.
So why did so many miss Him? Like most prophecy, what has been spoken does not fully make sense until it is fulfilled, and that fulfillment may not even occur within our lifetime. There were approximately 700 years between Isaiah’s prophecy in Isaiah 53 and the arrival of the Lord. We often try to make sense of prophetic events with incomplete information (consider the book of Revelation), and many of the signs and markers do not become clear until they actually occur. In the meantime, we imagine what we think they mean, which may not be how events ultimately unfold. As a result, when things do not happen according to our expectations, we can miss what God is doing right in front of us.
The Jewish people were expecting a king who would deliver them from Roman rule—a role Jesus will fulfill at His second coming. However, before that could happen, He first had to deliver humanity from the rule of sin and Satan. That was the purpose of His first coming, as prophesied in Isaiah 53. Jesus had to die for the sins of mankind and reverse the curse that entered the world through Adam and Eve’s fall in the Garden.
Today, Jesus establishes His rule through His people, who demonstrate the blessings, benefits, and provisions of the Kingdom of God as His ambassadors. We are called to represent the Kingdom of God here on earth.
Many people have misunderstood Jesus’ purpose, which is why it is so important that we educate ourselves by studying what the Bible actually says rather than relying solely on what others say about it. People can be mistaken, but God's truth remains absolute. If you sincerely seek the truth, you will find it. God promises to reveal Himself to those whose hearts genuinely hunger for Him.
As we reflect on these truths, it is worth asking ourselves: Are we allowing Scripture to shape our expectations of God, or are we filtering God through our own expectations? Could we be overlooking what God is doing because it doesn't look the way we imagined it would? And are we faithfully representing Christ's Kingdom in the way we live, speak, and serve others each day?
So why did so many miss Him? Like most prophecy, what has been spoken does not fully make sense until it is fulfilled, and that fulfillment may not even occur within our lifetime. There were approximately 700 years between Isaiah’s prophecy in Isaiah 53 and the arrival of the Lord. We often try to make sense of prophetic events with incomplete information (consider the book of Revelation), and many of the signs and markers do not become clear until they actually occur. In the meantime, we imagine what we think they mean, which may not be how events ultimately unfold. As a result, when things do not happen according to our expectations, we can miss what God is doing right in front of us.
The Jewish people were expecting a king who would deliver them from Roman rule—a role Jesus will fulfill at His second coming. However, before that could happen, He first had to deliver humanity from the rule of sin and Satan. That was the purpose of His first coming, as prophesied in Isaiah 53. Jesus had to die for the sins of mankind and reverse the curse that entered the world through Adam and Eve’s fall in the Garden.
Today, Jesus establishes His rule through His people, who demonstrate the blessings, benefits, and provisions of the Kingdom of God as His ambassadors. We are called to represent the Kingdom of God here on earth.
Many people have misunderstood Jesus’ purpose, which is why it is so important that we educate ourselves by studying what the Bible actually says rather than relying solely on what others say about it. People can be mistaken, but God's truth remains absolute. If you sincerely seek the truth, you will find it. God promises to reveal Himself to those whose hearts genuinely hunger for Him.
As we reflect on these truths, it is worth asking ourselves: Are we allowing Scripture to shape our expectations of God, or are we filtering God through our own expectations? Could we be overlooking what God is doing because it doesn't look the way we imagined it would? And are we faithfully representing Christ's Kingdom in the way we live, speak, and serve others each day?
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