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Chapter 3—Man’s Sin and the “Fullness of the
Time”
When Adam and Eve in Eden first heard the promise of the
Saviour’s coming, they looked for its speedy fulfillment. They
welcomed their firstborn son, hoping he might be the Deliverer. But
those who first received the promise died without seeing it fulfilled.
The promise was repeated through patriarchs and prophets, keeping
alive the hope of His appearing; yet He came not. The prophecy of
Daniel revealed the time of His advent, but not all rightly interpreted
the message. Century after century passed away. The hand of the
oppressor was heavy on Israel, and many were ready to exclaim,
“The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth.”
Ezekiel 12:22
.
But like the stars in the vast circuit of their appointed path, God’s
purposes know no haste and no delay. In heaven’s council the hour
for the coming of Christ had been determined. When the great clock
of time pointed to that hour, Jesus was born in Bethlehem.
“When the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His
Son.”
Galatians 4:4
. The world was ripe for the coming of the Deliv-
erer. The nations were united under one government. One language
was widely spoken. From all lands the Jews of the dispersion gath-
ered to Jerusalem to the annual feasts. As these returned to the
places of their sojourn, they could spread throughout the world the
tidings of the Messiah’s coming.
The systems of heathenism were losing their hold on the people.
Men longed for a religion that could satisfy the heart. Souls looking
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for light were thirsting for a knowledge of the living God, for some
assurance of life beyond the grave.
Many Longed for a Deliverer
The Jews’ faith had grown dim, and hope had well-nigh ceased
to illuminate the future. To the masses, death was a dread mystery;
beyond was uncertainty and gloom. In “the region and shadow of
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