The New Testament Affirmation of the promises
The promises made to Abraham were not only significant in the Old Testament, but they are also affirmed in the New Testament because New Testament teaching was grounded in the Old Testament. When the New Testament authors were writing the Gospels and the Epistles to the early church, the Old Testament was the only Bible the church had. Therefore, in-depth study and understanding of the Old Testament were assumed by the authors of the New Testament.
The authors of the New Testament primarily dealt with the revelation of Jesus and the various challenges related to the dramatic expansion of the gospel among the Gentiles. While specific things, such as how God relates to His people, changed dramatically in Jesus’ first coming, the authors of the New Testament assumed that the rest of the Old Testament understanding and expectation remained in place. This is why the promises given to Abraham continue to be affirmed in the New Testament. The real shock of the New Testament is not that those promises have been altered, but rather how God is going to fulfill them—through the suffering, death, resurrection, and second coming of His Son.
We must be able to recognize the primacy of Abraham’s three promises in the New Testament because both Jesus and the apostles assume and affirm that God will fulfill, in literal detail, what He promised to Abraham. This quickly becomes apparent by looking at a few New Testament passages. The promises’ fulfillment will go far beyond what Abraham would have expected, and the way they will be fulfilled is far different than anyone would have imagined, but their literal fulfillment is sure, nonetheless.
MATTHEW 23 AND 24
Matthew 21 through 23 tells the story of Jesus entering Jerusalem as King while being rejected by the religious leaders of the city as their King. After facing their rejection, Jesus makes a staggering statement in Matthew 23:39. He says,
“For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’
End of this sample Kindle book.