From Genesis to Revelation, we see God working to a purpose. The objective of His actions is to manifest Himself in the redeemed, which is evident in all His prophets. The greatest of all, the Lord Jesus who was the Word made flesh, urges us to keep our eyes open to the unfolding purpose of God: “What I say unto you I say unto all, Watch” (Mark 13:37).
The future in mind
On the slopes of Sinai, Moses was addressed at the bush and commissioned to appear to Pharaoh. “And Moses said unto God, Behold, When I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say unto me, What is his Name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you” (Ex. 3:13,14).
On page 80 of Eureka Volume 1, Dr. John Thomas writes as follows: “It was a new name…what is this name? The Deity said to Moses by his Elohim, ehyeh asher ehyeh, I will be Who I will be.” On page 81, he writes: “In regard to this term ehyeh, etymologically, I may remark here, that it is the first person singular of the future tense of the verb hahyah,’ to be, or become.’ It does not mean, and never did, what it is made to signify in the English Version, i.e. ‘I am.’ The Deity did not give himself this name; but, on the contrary, said, ‘My name is I will be.”
A sample of the future
In Exodus 23:20-23, we read of an angel sent by God to lead Israel into the promised land. God would go with them, in the person of one of His angels, “Mine Angel shall go before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Beware of him, and obey his voice…for my name is in him.” This anticipates God’s purpose for all generations as He is taking out of the nations a people for His name, a people in whom His name will reside and who will be given authority to work in His name.
The prophetic word
God revealed His purpose through prophets taken from among men. “The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken” (Deut. 18:15). God’s word was manifested in this manner: “…he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him” (v.18). Because they must obey the word revealed through a prophet, they must be able to tell the true from the false: “And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken? When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him” (Deut. 18:21,22).
In our own days, we see this confirmation continued in fulfilling prophecy. In doing so, we see God continuing to work toward His intended objective.
The word in unexpected places
There are times when we see God revealing His word through people whom we might not have expected Him to use. Balaam spoke words he was compelled to speak, which, no doubt, he would rather not have spoken. Hired to curse Israel, he instead blessed them, speaking only the words God spoke to him (Num. 22:35). Nebuchadnezzar, after he regained his sanity, and Cyrus, a pagan king, are other examples.
In the New Testament, we find Caiaphas the high priest, an unbeliever and bitter enemy of Christ, being used in this same way. He declared, “Ye know nothing at all, nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not…he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation” (John 11:49-51).
The greatest prophet
Jesus, the beloved Son of God, was the great prophet like unto Moses. Supremely, God revealed His purpose in His Son. “The words I speak unto you I speak not of myself; but the Father, that dwelleth in me, He doeth the works…and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me” (John 14:10,24).
The plan of God was revealed in and through him and it was revealed by him through the apostles. “God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them, and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us; we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God” (2 Cor. 5:19-20).
God manifest in Jesus
Jesus declares to Philip, “Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake” (John 14:11). We have the great opportunity of being baptized into him. By so doing, we become the sons of God, bearing His family name now in hopes of sharing His divine nature in the future (Eph. 3:15).
We need to remember, however, that in the kingdom no one will be there out of character. Our characters will not be changed, only our nature will. What we are now, we will be then, but in a far greater and more wonderful way. Then, what Jesus said to his brethren and servants will be fully accomplished: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” Finally, after the millennium, the words of Paul will be fulfilled: “Then cometh the end, when he (Christ) shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he (Christ) shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he (Christ) must reign till he (Christ) has put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death” (1 Cor. 15:24-27). Then God’s plan will be completed for this creation, and God will be all and in all.
The glorious future
It is fitting that we conclude with words taken from Revelation 22:1-5: “And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb…And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.” Here is God manifest in all His creation, the ultimate objective of His work from the beginning.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One