The Bible commonly uses differing language at various points to explain or emphasize recurring themes. For example a great gathering in of souls is spoken of in one place as a catch of fish, and in another place as a harvest of wheat. Both of these are just different figures of speech or metaphors for the same thing.
The many names of God are used in different contexts to bring out aspects of his nature. He is the Lord our righteousness, he is our healer, the lord of hosts, our provider and so on. Still all these names refer to the same God. And again the church is looked at as the body of Christ, the bride of Christ, a vineyard, a tree etc.
In this article, we will look at the differing ways the bible talks about the Promise. What exactly is the promise; how is the promise related to the gospel; what differing aspects of the promise are brought out in the way the Bible describes it, and when will be promise be fulfilled?
The Promise
In Genesis 12 the Lord makes a multi part promise to Abraham.
Gen 12:1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
We’re going to focus on the final part of that promise, the blessing to all the earth. Galatians 3 makes reference to it as follows.
Ga 3:6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.
9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
Here the meaning of the blessing is spelled out. That God would justify the heathen by faith. Also in verse 8, this promise is described as the gospel! [In old testament texts you will find the phrase glad tidings.]
The gospel, then is a promise to the nations that they would be justified and receive this blessing, if they have faith like Abraham. For Abraham believed God and this was accounted as his righteousness, verse 6.
The Kingdom
In Mathew 24, this promise is clearly linked with the end times.
Mt 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
The promise that the nations would be justified is called the gospel of the kingdom. The terms ‘nations,’ ‘heathen,’ ‘Gentiles,’ and ‘families or tribes of the earth’ all mean the same. In Revelations they are spoken of as of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation. Today missionaries speak of them as people groups or ethnic groups. And they keep close track of the numbers of people groups that have not yet heard the gospel preached. There are some who will tell you that the gospel has already been preached throughout the world even as far back as the time of Paul, but the missionaries will tell you quite different. And after all that’s their business, they’re in a position to know.
The Rest
In Hebrews 4 there is another passage relating to the promise that also speaks of the gospel.
Heb 4:1
Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.
2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.
3 For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.
4 For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.
5 And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest.
6 Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:
Here the gospel is explained as a promise to enter into his rest. ‘Them’ in verse 2 refers to those ‘that came out of Egypt by Moses’ [Heb. 3:16]. And in their case the gospel was not received with faith. Also the rest is connected to the Sabbath as it mentions the seventh day, when God rested. The seventh day, of course, can also refer to the seventh day of God’s week, the millennium or end times, as the following scriptures suggest.
Ps 90:4 For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.
2Pe 3:8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
So we see the Gospel can be characterized in several ways.
The Gospel message is a promise of a kingdom to come.
The Gospel message is a promise of entering into His Rest.
This promise of entering into His Rest, still waits fulfillment, on the seventh day, the day of rest.
Heb 4:8 For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.
9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
Now let’s take a closer look at the idea of rest.
Ps 132:8 Arise, O LORD, into thy rest; thou, and the ark of thy strength.
There is a popular worship chorus that makes use of the above scripture. It goes like this:
Oh the glory of your presence
We your people give you reverence
Now arise to your rest and be blessed
By our praise as we glory in your embrace
As your presence now fills this place.
Another worship song, Baruch Haba, also draws upon Psalm 132 in its verse:
Now arise Oh Lord, come to your resting place
You and the ark of your might
and we will rejoice
as we’re clothed with your righteousness
And celebrate the light.
The same music company also released a worship music session later which used the same first chorus, but for some reason they changed the wording from “Now arise to your rest” to “Now arise from your rest.” Perhaps someone thought that it didn’t make any sense to say ‘arise to your rest’ because naturally people get up from resting. This comes from a failure to understand that here ‘rest’ speaks of a place of rest, not being at rest. So to say arise to your rest means to get up from some place or other and go to, or into a place of rest. For example, someone would arise from their sofa and go into their bedroom, a place of rest.
Psalm 132:8 is a prayer to the Lord to rise up from where ever he is and come to his place of rest. If you look further down, the Lord clearly says his rest is Zion, a place he will dwell forever.
Ps 132:8 Arise, O LORD, into thy rest; thou, and the ark of thy strength.
9 Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness; and let thy saints shout for joy.
10 For thy servant David's sake turn not away the face of thine anointed.
11 The LORD hath sworn in truth unto David; he will not turn from it; Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne.
12 If thy children will keep my covenant and my testimony that I shall teach them, their children shall also sit upon thy throne for evermore.
13 For the LORD hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation.
14 This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it.
In Ezekiel’s descriptions of the temple, the house of the Lord, there is another mention of God’s dwelling or resting place. Here the figure of the temple is used interchangeably with Zion.
Eze 43:4 And the glory of the LORD came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east.
5 So the spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and, behold, the glory of the LORD filled the house.
6 And I heard him speaking unto me out of the house; and the man stood by me.
7 And he said unto me, Son of man, the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever, and my holy name, shall the house of Israel no more defile, neither they, nor their kings, by their whoredom, nor by the carcases of their kings in their high places.
In the Revelation of Jesus Christ, there is a scene that depicts the Lord [as a lamb] coming to Zion.
Re 14:1 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.
Now let’s go back and look at the opening parts of Psalm 132.
Ps 132: A Song of degrees.
1 LORD, remember David, and all his afflictions:
2 How he sware unto the LORD, and vowed unto the mighty God of Jacob;
3 Surely I will not come into the tabernacle of my house, nor go up into my bed;
4 I will not give sleep to mine eyes, or slumber to mine eyelids,
5 Until I find out a place for the LORD, an habitation for the mighty God of Jacob.
6 Lo, we heard of it at Ephratah: we found it in the fields of the wood.
7 We will go into his tabernacles: we will worship at his footstool.
8 Arise, O LORD, into thy rest; thou, and the ark of thy strength.
9 Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness; and let thy saints shout for joy.
Here we see David, who is a type of Jesus, in verses 3 and 4 saying he will not sleep or get any rest till he finds a resting place for God. In the original historical sense, this is about David’s desire to build the temple. In the spiritual sense, it speaks of Jesus’ desire to build his church, a temple made of living stones. This is to be an eternal dwelling place for the Lord, based on an eternal covenant. This again is Mt. Zion, the place where he is worshipped.
In Matthew 8, Jesus is involved in a discussion with a scribe. The issue at hand is that of following Jesus. He gives the scribe a cryptic answer indicating that he has no particular resting place. Jesus seems to be changing the subject from following him to finding a resting place.
Mt 8:19 And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.
20 And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
21 And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
22 But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.
23 And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.
24 And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.
Then just 4 verses later, we find that he has found a place to rest and was sound asleep. The key to this apparent contradiction is in verse 23. When he enters the ship, two things happen. First, his disciples follow him. This deals with the issue of following Jesus. The second thing is that he finds a place of rest. Entering into the ship and winding up sound asleep is an illustration of arising to his rest. The fact that the disciples follow him illustrates the next verse of Psalm 132. Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness. [Here we must be clear that following him means obeying him, not just tagging along after.]
Now look back at Revelation 14.
Re 14:1 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.
2 And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps:
3 And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.
4 These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.
Here the same two issues are dealt with, Mt. Zion is the resting place, and when the Lamb appears atop Mt. Zion, he has with him a group who will follow him. The ship in Mathew is typical of Mt. Zion, the same two issues are dealt with and the results are the same.
So who is it that comes to rest? Is it God who comes to his place of rest, or is it his people who enter into his rest? As we saw above, there are two issues involved and that provides our answer. It’s both! God comes into his temple, the place of rest, and his people follow. As it says in Isaiah 6, his train filled the temple. His train is whoever is following behind him. You can also think of it as the body of Christ coming together with Jesus, the head.
The Spirit
Galatians 3 speaks of the blessing of Abraham as The Promise Of The Spirit in verse 14, a very interesting connection. In verse 17, the Lord refers to the law as the covenant that came 430 years later, saying it could not cancel out the promise.
Ga 3:14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
15 Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto.
Ga 3:16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.
Ga 3:17 And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.
We can conclude here that the gospel promise of a kingdom to come, is also the promise of the spirit. So lets add that to our list of meanings for the gospel.
The Gospel message is a promise of a kingdom to come.
The Gospel message is a promise of entering into His Rest [Mt. Zion].
The Gospel message is a promise of the Spirit.
The New and Everlasting Covenant
Galatians goes on to talk of the promise and relate it to the two covenants.
Ga 4:21 Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?
22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.
23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.
24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.
25 For this Agar is, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
As a side note, check the language in verse 21. It asks, do you not hear the law. It doesn’t ask if you have read the law or know the law, it asks if you hear the law. Then in verse 24 he explains that it is an allegory. In other words, if you do not pick up on the idea that the story of Abrahams 2 sons is an allegory, you are not hearing the law. He that hath an ear, let him hear.
Now verse 24 gives us the idea that the promise to Abraham is also related to the new covenant or new testament. The two mountains, correspond to the bond woman and the free woman; the old covenant and the new covenant. You can see this contrast spelled out in Hebrews 12.
Heb 12:18 For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest,
19 And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more:
20 (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart:
21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:)
22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
Note that here the mountain that burnt with fire is the Mt. Sinai; and Mount Zion is the heavenly Jerusalem, Jerusalem which is above as mentioned in Galatians 4.
This tells us the Gospel message is a promise of a new covenant. What exactly is the new covenant? Hebrews mentions it twice.
Heb 8:8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
Heb 10:16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;
17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
Here is another description from Jeremiah 32.
Jer 32:40 And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me.
Here we see that this new covenant will make it so that his people will not depart from him. Ezekiel explains it this way:
Eze 36:26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
The Lord is promising that he will cause us to obey him! Note especially verse 27. This is telling us that he will cause us to obey by putting his Spirit in us. On other words, God says I will put my spirit in you that you might not sin against me. So the promise of a new covenant is also the promise of the Spirit.
So we can add another line to our list
The Gospel message is a promise of a kingdom to come.
The Gospel message is a promise of entering into His Rest [Mt. Zion].
The Gospel message is a promise of a New Covenant
The Gospel message is a promise of the Spirit.
There are many other aspects of this, Hebrews 3 mentions one of them.
Heb 3:14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;
The Gospel of the Kingdom is expressed in Heb 3:14 as a promise to be made ‘partakers of Christ’
Unity of the Brethren
This promise is also a promise of unity. Psalm 133 tells us that Mt. Zion is to be a place of unity.
Ps 133: <<A Song of degrees of David.>>
1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
2 It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;
3 As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.
Fulfilling the Promise
The promise was expressed in many ways and one of the most significant of these is this. The promise of entering into his rest is seen to be a promise of a new covenant in the latter days. For on the seventh day, God rested; and we can also say from this that in the seventh millennium God came to rest.
God keeps his promises and confirms his covenant. One of the ways he does this is by fulfilling the scriptures. Often this is done in stages, so a scripture can have multiple fulfillments. Sometimes there is a partial fulfillment followed later by another fulfillment, and finally by a much later fulfillment in the end times.
The promise to Abraham was of a future time; an end time fulfillment. Later is could be spoken of as a ‘new’ covenant’. This is because another covenant would come first, the mosaic law.
Melchizedek or Melchisedec, is a priest of the eternal covenant. As such he ‘continues forever’. He blessed Abraham, who received this promise, with bread and wine. Jesus used bread and wine as a sign of the new covenant, speaking of his body, about to be broken, and his blood about to be shed. This is his priestly offering as he offered up himself. Both of these cases are partial fulfillments.
So while the promise came first, it’s completion, or fulfillment can come much later. Whereas when the law was given the old covenant was established right then at the first Pentecost on Mt. Sinai.
Another example if this is the partial fulfillment of Joel 2 in Acts 2.
Ac 2:14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:
15 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.
16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
Here it began with the ‘earnest’ of the Spirit.
2Co 5:5 Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.
An earnest is a token of something to come, an assurance. It is like a pledge or down payment. So in Acts 2 the promise of the Spirit was confirmed by an earnest or partial payment. This was the measure of anointing that came upon the gathered disciples that day. And not only is this a foretaste of the Spirit, it is a foreshadowing of the end times.
Fulfilling the promise will finish with the latter day/latter rain blessing of the Spirit, given without measure, the final fulfillment of The promise of the Spirit mentioned in Joel and other places.
Salvation
It is commonly taught that the church began at Pentecost in Acts 2 with the giving of the spirit. But that the kingdom is for a future time, after Jesus returns. We have looked at various aspects of the Covenant and seen that this is only partly correct. The church, as we know it, is not a company newly formed in Acts 2. It is a continuation of the congregation of Israel, the assembly or called out ones, which existed all along. It will become the Kingdom of God as it gets right with God. Then the promise will be fulfilled as God grants repentance with the full pouring out of His Spirit. This will bring us into the end time harvest before the return of the Lord Jesus Christ at the second advent.
Salvation became available through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus. But this is not to say it was unavailable before Calvary because He is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. It is his sacrifice that pays the price for all saints of all times to be reconciled to God.
Abraham, the father of faith, was not saved [or justified] by the old testament Law, but because he believed God.
Ga 3:6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.
9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
Salvation comes to us today no differently than it did to the old testament saints. It can come, by having faith in the promises; by calling on the name of the Lord; by coming to know the Lord through meditating on his word, and by God directly revealing himself to those who seek him.
Let’s conclude by taking a look at one last reference to the everlasting covenant from Hebrews 13.
Heb 13:20 Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,
21 Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.