02/13/2026
What DIFFERENCE Does it Really Make?
How Important Is It to Believe in Fulfillment?
As someone who has believed in and taught the message of fulfillment for the past forty years, one question people often ask is, “What difference does it make whether a person believes in the message of fulfillment or not?” In their minds, it is just a viewpoint, nothing more, nothing less, and has no practical benefit in the lives of Christians.
Jesus, during His earthly ministry, encountered a man who was “blind from birth” (John 9:1). This man had never had the experience of seeing a glorious, colorful sunrise or the magnificence and beauty of the mountains in the distance, or looking across the cool, blue waters of the sea, things most people simply take for granted. Blindness is an impairment that prevents a specific aspect of quality of life. Each of the five senses is designed to provide both enjoyment and appreciation to all that God has created.
This is not to imply that one who has some sort of physical challenge cannot appreciate the majesty of God’s creation. During their lifetime, every person experiences some hearing problems, difficulty walking, and aches and pains in the hands, knees, joints, and other muscles. These issues often prevent full enjoyment of life.
When Jesus reached out to heal this one “blind from birth” the exclamation of faith from the man with excitement was, “...one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see…Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind.” (John 9:25, 32).
WHEN THE ‘EYES’ OF UNDERSTANDING ARE FINALLY OPEN
Learning about the reality of the message of ‘accomplished salvation’ (fulfillment) is like a person “blind from birth” having his eyes opened to all that God has done! It has been the gradual movement in careful study of the Scriptures, “so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (I Pet. 2:9b). It embraces the necessary respect and understanding of the “whole purpose of God” (Acts 20:27). Gone now is the eschatological and doctrinal “confusion” (I Cor. 14:33) that permeates the majority of the religious world today. The fear associated with uncertainty surrounding the expectation of “what’s next?” is now replaced with the confidence that comes from a “knowledge of the truth” (I Tim. 2:4), that sets God’s people “free” (John 8:32).
The next section will be a candid discussion of the importance of knowing and embracing the message of fulfillment.
A MATTER OF SALVATION?
Some ask, “Are you saying that understanding the message of fulfillment is a matter of salvation?” The answer to this question is decidedly “No.” No one teaches that “unless you become a full preterist, you cannot be saved.” However, we maintain that the complete gospel includes this message of fulfillment as a reflection of the inspiration, integrity, and veracity of the Word of God.
The message is simple: God has fulfilled all of His promises and has completed His “purpose of the ages” (Eph. 3:11). Redemption is complete, and salvation is accomplished on behalf of believers (Heb. 11:6). Near the end of the book of Joshua in the Old Testament, this proclamation was made:
“So the LORD gave Israel all the land which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they took possession of it and lived in it. And the LORD gave them rest on every side, in accordance with everything that He had sworn to their fathers, and no one of all their enemies stood before them; the LORD handed all their enemies over to them. Not one of the good promises which the LORD had made to the house of Israel failed; everything came to pass” (Josh. 21:43-45).
Promises made. Promises kept. The confidence to believe and to trust God in every area of life was manifested by the faithfulness of God in keeping His Word to His people.
Redemptive history is revealed in the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation. The first 39 books of the Bible (OT) was the time of promise and of prophecy. The last 27 books of the Bible (NT) were the time of the realization and fulfillment of all that had been promised and prophesied in the first 39 books of the Bible. It is a fulfilled revelation.
NOTHING LEFT IF FULFILLMENT IS TRUE?
One mistaken notion is that if the message of fulfillment is true, it means there is nothing left for believers today. Some mistakenly proclaim that the message of ‘accomplished salvation’ removes the very basis of hope itself.
The Biblical narrative is historical within the context of ‘redemptive history,’ and the events recorded in the text do not lose either their power of significance simply because they have occurred in the past. Does the Genesis account of the events that took place in the Garden of Eden somehow lose their significance? What about the judgment on “the world of the ungodly” (II Pet. 2:5) in the “days of Noah” (Matt. 24:37; Luke 17:26; I Pet. 3:20) render the event meaningless to the successive generations that were to follow? Has the power of the Cross and what Christ accomplished as the redemptive “lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29) somehow diminished because it occurred 2,000 years ago? The fact that documented events occurred within the corridors of past ‘space and time’ has no effect on those who accept and honor them in their proper context. The apostle Paul reminds his first-century readers:
“For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope (Rom. 15:4). “Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come” (I Cor. 10:11).
The fact that those believers stood on the very threshold of the “ends of the ages” had no negative effect upon their understanding and acceptance of all that was taking place during the “last days” (Joel 2:28-32; Acts 2:16-20) prior to the approaching destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. These very believers were experiencing the “powers of the age to come” (Heb. 6:5). The “eternal redemption” (Heb. 9:12) on the basis of the “everlasting gospel” (Rev. 14:6) was bringing both Jews/Gentiles into the “everlasting covenant” (Heb. 13:20) provided by the past event of the shed “blood of Christ” (Heb. 9:14) and His “death of the cross” (Phil. 2:8) was resulting in access to the promised “eternal inheritance” (Heb. 9:15) and the ‘complete’ fulfillment of the “promises made to the fathers” (Rom. 15:8)
The Bible was not written to us, but it was written for us as a testimony of God’s goodness. The apostle Paul, after revealing the unity and solidarity for those “in Christ,” uttered a powerful prayer for the Ephesian believers:
“For this reason I bend my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner self, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen” (Eph. 3:14-21).
The promise of God for believers is, “and in Him you have been made complete” (Col. 2:10). The message of fulfillment made simple is, “We have it all in Jesus,” nothing more, nothing less, nothing else! While people and churches around the world are waiting for God to do something more, the reality is that the work of God is finished, and our part is to simply appropriate the benefits of what has already been accomplished and to lift up our hearts, and our voices in praise to God who has blessed us and provided all of our needs according ot His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:19).
CONCLUSION
There is every reason for genuine believers to rejoice in the reality of all that God has accomplished. The promise given by the Lord Jesus for those waiting with eager anticipation of His Parousia (coming) in connection with the Divine Judgment on Old Covenant Israel was, “these are days of punishment, so that all things which have been written will be fulfilled” (Luke 21:22), “But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near…“So you too, when you see these things happening, recognize that the kingdom of God is near. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all things take place. “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away” (Luke 21:31-33). This is the meaning of the message of fulfillment. God’s Word is true, and what was foretold would come to place during “these days” (Acts 3:24) took place in the time, manner, and for the purpose God had intended.
The time has arrived for those who understand and accept the ‘message of fulfillment’ to take a bold stand for this truth! Despite criticism, opposition, or persecution from detractors, the evidence remains and simply cannot be ignored. With all of the division that rages over various views of eschatology (last things), God has given genuine clarity for all who choose to honestly investigate what the Bible teaches!
Join us as fulfilleddynamics.com as we continue to affirm the truth of fulfillment today!
