To Encourage You

John 20:8-9 “Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead.”

The account of the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ is filled with references to how everything that happened there was a fulfillment of the Scriptures.  In John 19 we find that the soldiers divided Jesus’ garments among themselves and cast lots for His tunic “to fulfill the Scripture,” for these very things had been prophesied in Psalm 22:18.  In John 19:28 we are told that Jesus’ words “I thirst” and the subsequent response of the soldiers to give Him sour wine to drink was a fulfillment of Psalm 69:21.  Again, in John 19:36-37 we are told that the fact that Jesus’ bones were not broken on the cross and that His side was pierced were also fulfillments of Scripture (Exodus 12:46; Zechariah 12:10).  And of course, the resurrection itself had been prophesied over and over again both in various places in the Old Testament and by Jesus’ own words.  After the resurrection we find Jesus on the road to Emmaus with some of His disciples, where, “beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:27).  All of this was also pointed out by Paul with these words: “Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).  

So, what does this all have to do with you and me?  For one, all of these things point to the fact that Jesus is indeed the Messiah. He alone fulfilled all the Scriptures that were given to us to tell us who the Messiah would be, what He would do, and what would happen in His life, death, and resurrection.  But we should also be aware that not all the prophecies in the Scriptures about Christ have been fulfilled as of this moment. There’s much more to come, and shame on us, in light of all that has happened to this point “according to the Scriptures,” if we go on in life knowing nothing about the things that are to come and not living in anticipation of them, for they are sure to occur.  

We have been told such things as the following:  Jesus is coming again, and when He comes, every eye will see Him (Revelation 1:7); one day every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord (Philippians 2:10-11); we will all one day stand before the judgment seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10); and at that time Jesus will separate the “sheep,” i.e., those who have put their faith and trust in Him, from “goats,” i.e., those who have not. The “sheep” will be welcomed into an eternity in Heaven, while the “goats” will be cast into eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:31-46).  All of these things, and much more, will happen in the future with the same exactness and perfect fulfillment as all the things that were prophesied about Christ in the past.  And it doesn’t matter if you believe them or not, for they are coming, nevertheless. 

Surely the soldiers had no idea about the prophecies their wicked acts fulfilled at the cross. Yet they occurred and the soldiers were willing, albeit, unknowing participants.  So, each and every one of us should take the following words to heart as we wait for all things to be done “according to the Scriptures:”  “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people you ought to be in lives of holiness and godliness. waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.  Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace” (2 Peter 3:10-14).  

The only way to “be diligent to be found in him” is to believe on everything Jesus has done for us in the past on the cross and receive Him as our Lord and Savior.  And this is the only way that all the things that are surely coming to those who reject Him do not come upon us in the future, according to the Scriptures.