FULNESS OF TIME

FULNESS OF TIME

The environment that the time of coming of Jesus Christ by the way if the first coming is reality then the second coming also true.

Environment.

a. Political Condition of the Roman Empire: Almost 100 years before the coming of Jesus Christ all the civilized nations in the West it has been crowned in the Roman Empire. So the Romans were rulers especially the Western world. All others outside the Roman Empire were considered as barbarians. Roman Empire included many languages, nations, religions, cultures, but all these cultures and nations were under the Roman Empire. The emperor was nearly all in all. He was total control the nation.

b. Religious condition: There were many languages and religion but under Roman Empire. The subjugated people were allowed to worship local gods as long as that did not interfere the Roman law. All religions were respected. But at the same time they have to respect and pay homage to Roman Empire.  But Jews were exempted. By the time Jesus came, some of these religions and gods and goddesses were lost. People lost their faith.  There were many spiritual vacume. The Greek religion lost their honor because of the Roman conquest.   Philosophy began to take place of Religion. But the philosophy can be understood by the intellectual ones. Ordinary people were completely lost. They were looking for alternative. When Jesus come almost all people followed Jesus.

c. Intellectual conditions: By the time of Jesus came for the first time, the Greek philosophical movements came to an end. However, Greek philosophers were very influential. There were different groups of Greek Philosophers. Some of them are

i. Epicureanism: This group of philosophers thought that mental bliss, happiness is the highest aim of human life. They thought that man and woman can be happy in spite of suffering and meet defeat and achieve with courage passively, not trying to overcome it. Therefore it was a kind of escapism and not conquest.

ii. Stoicism: Stoicism is one of the noblest of all early ancient pagan teachings. They said that all men and women are equal in God’s side. Therefore they emphasis universal brotherhood of humanity

iii. Gnosticism: They rejected all kinds of display of wealth and also they rejected all religious superstitious and idol worship. They promoted more rural kind of life than that of city life. It has the practice of asceticism.

iv. Neo- Platonism: This was of the very influential. They told the existence of an absolute being from whom everything was created by the process of overflow. This overflows from that absolute being resulted in created man as a reasoning soul in body. The purpose is absorption by the Supreme Being.

How they prepare the way for the coming of Jesus.

1. Some of these philosophies made people to realize the fatality. They rejected idol worship and prepared for something new.

2. They began to arouse in enquire the great question about life.

3. These philosophers introduced to the Supreme Being outside the being.

4. Some of these philosophers opened up the ethical and moral phenomena and values.

d. Moral and Social Condition:  The moral and social condition was so weak. There were many vices and standards in the society. Moral condition was declined and the vice were done in public. Every household has slave and infanticide was practiced. Very little respect to human being. Wealth was distributed unjustly. Religion and Philosophy could not give the remedy of that situation.

            According to H.P.Hares at such a time in the world’s history when everything was down a star appear in the east which directed the wise men to Bethlehem where they discovered a little child recently born who was become the savior of the world. They were needed such a savior so badly and in fullness of time world has prepared God sent his son Jesus Christ to be savior of all who accepted him in faith.

3. Nations and How they prepared. Jews were expecting Political Messiah. (Hosanna means save us now). They shouted. Pilate was upset. Jews Nationalism expected. Pilate wanted him to dialogue but Jesus remained silent.

THE POLITICAL CONTRIBUTION OF THE ROMANS. Political history preceding the coming of Christ was primarily the Romans. This people who followed the way of idolatry, mystery religion and emperor worshipers. These people were used by God to bring about the fulfillment of his will, whom they were ignorant. Under the political condition of Roman empire-

(i).Roman developed the senesce of mankind under universal law is no other people before them. This sense of unity that had created an environment which was favorable to the reception of Gospel that proclaimed the unity of human race for the fact that all men are under the penalty of sin. Gospel also proclaimed unity that all are offered Salvation that makes them part of a universal character of Christ’s body.

(ii).Roman developed excellent system of road. From Rome everybody can travel to many places. Main roads were built with concrete that it can serve for ages. A study of Paul indicates that he made that Paul also used to travel through these roads.

(iii).Rome had essence of universal organization. Under that organization they wanted to unite entire world. In fact the Roman armies were posted to different parts of the empire. Later some of them were converted into Christianity. God used them to spread the Gospel.

(iv).Romans conquered many nations. The people were conquered they lost their faith in gods and goddesses, because they thought that their gods would protect them from conquering. Such people were left with spiritual vacuum. When Jesus came he filled these spiritual vacuums.

INTELLECTUAL CONTRIBUTION BY THE GREEKS:   Just like the Romans prepared politically, the Greek prepared intellectually. Rome was associated with Christianity in political environment, but the Athens intellectuals were associated with Christianity. Rome may have been political conquest over Greece, but Greece conquered Rome intellectually and culturally.—

(i).Universal Gospel was a need of a universal language to make maximum impact of the Gospel in the world. So the Greek people provided the Gospel of language. It was they who produced the language of the common people through which Christians able to conquer the people of the world.

(ii). The Greek philosophers prepared for the coming Christ by destroying some of the old religions. Even then, they could not satisfy the Spiritual needs. Philosophers made God an abstract intellectual being. They never present God as personal and loving God. But Jesus presents personal and loving God that filled spiritual vacuum.

JEWISH PEOPLE RELIGIOUS CONTRIBUTIONS: They were called to receive God’s revelation. Such as Abraham and Noah also called to receive God’s revelation. They were appointed to preserve and receive the revelation. Therefore they prepared to receive religiously. They did not seek to discover God by the process of human reasons like Greeks. They assume the very existence. Greek people want to find out God with reasoning. They were ready to worship God. They were influenced toward God by the fact that God chose to reveal himself to the Jewish people in history. Therefore they were influenced by God’s revelation to Abraham and then the great leaders of Jewish history. Therefore these people provided the religious atmosphere for Jesus to come through following ways.

• Monotheism: Jewish people believed and emphasized on monotheism. Never again after their return from Babylonian Captivity, they turn to idolatry. Whenever they were scattered they spread the idea of one God. About three century preceding the coming of Christ spread this idea around Mediterranean.
• Their Messianic Hope: The Jewish people always expected Messiah to come who will bring the hope of life.
• Their Ethical Teachings: They offered high ethical moral teachings. Therefore when Jesus came and spread the ethical thoughts, people easily understood.
• Through the Old Testament Scripture: The Jewish people provided to infant church through the teachings of Old Testament Scripture.
• Jewish Synagogues: They had synagogues wherever they went, they build synagogue. Jesus and Paul also participated in Synagogue in many of their worshipping and teachings.