Past, Present and Future

From: The Christian Shepherd: 2002 By:

• 3 min. read • grade level: 6

I’ve been thinking some lately of how we sometimes say, “A day’s march nearer home.” “Now is our salvation nearer than when we believed” (Rom. 13:11¹¹And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. (Romans 13:11)). That is the future salvation of our bodies—our translation to heaven at the rapture.

The past, present, and future are all brought out in the verse: “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever” (Heb. 13:8⁸Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. (Hebrews 13:8)). It’s very personal when we consider who it is of whom it speaks.

The past is “the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2:20²⁰I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)). The present is “Jesus Himself drew near, and went with them” (Luke 24:15¹⁵And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them. (Luke 24:15)). And the future is “the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout” (1 Thess. 4:16¹⁶For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: (1 Thessalonians 4:16)).

In a more general way we have:

The Past: “Thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee” (Deut. 8:2²And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. (Deuteronomy 8:2)). “Hitherto hath the Lord helped us” (1 Sam. 7:12¹²Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Eben-ezer, saying, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us. (1 Samuel 7:12)). “The Lord thy God hath been with thee” (Deut. 2:7⁷For the Lord thy God hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hand: he knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness: these forty years the Lord thy God hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing. (Deuteronomy 2:7)).

The Present: “The Lord thy God is with thee” (Josh. 1:9⁹Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. (Joshua 1:9)). “I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world” (Matt. 28:20²⁰Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matthew 28:20)).

The Future: “Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth” (Prov. 27:1¹Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. (Proverbs 27:1)). “The Lord God . . . will be with thee” (1 Chron. 28:20²⁰And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the Lord God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord. (1 Chronicles 28:20)). “He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it unto the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6⁶Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: (Philippians 1:6)).

Salvation in the Scriptures can be considered in three ways. (1) We have been saved from the penalty of sin (when we first accepted Christ as our own personal Saviour; Acts 16:31³¹And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. (Acts 16:31); Rom. 1:16¹⁶For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. (Romans 1:16)). (2) We are being saved from the power of sin (daily kept from evil and harm; Heb. 7:25²⁵Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7:25); Rom. 5:10¹⁰For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. (Romans 5:10)). (3) We will yet be saved from the presence of sin (taken to heaven; Rom. 13:11¹¹And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. (Romans 13:11)).

Salvation can also be considered as a deliverance. “God which raiseth the dead: who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that He will yet deliver us” (2 Cor. 1:9-10⁹But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: ¹⁰Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us; (2 Corinthians 1:9‑10)).

These three deliverances can be connected with the three appearings of Hebrews 9. The first chronologically is in verse 26: “Now once in the end of the world hath He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself . ” The second is in verse 24: “Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us. ” Finally, in verse 28 we have the third appearing: “Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation. ”

So, taken together, we see that Christ is an all-the-way-home Saviour! Praise be to His name!

“Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6⁶Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: (Philippians 1:6)).

K. Fournier (from a letter)

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