“But when the time of the promise drew nigh, which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt,” Acts 7:17

When God first promised a seed to Abraham, he was already advanced in years, and childless (Genesis 17:1-’99 years old). And yet, as time unfolded, what God had promised, He fulfilled in not only giving Abraham a son in Isaac, but also through Isaac, the 12 patriarchs. Over time, not only were all of the patriarchs brought into Egypt, but all of their families as well, totaling a number of 75 (Acts 7:14) . Then, as time passed in Egypt, with God’s blessing, the people continued to grow and multiply.

We see in this a microcosm of how God has chosen a people out of every tribe, nation and tongue, to be His people, otherwise called His church (literally: ‘the called out ones.’). Fast forward to the time of the LORD Jesus. Galatians 4:4 states that “when the fullness of the time was come, GOD sent forth His Son…” What God had promised to Abraham, that in him would all the nations of the earth be blessed (Genesis 12:3) and now ‘when the time of the promise drew nigh…” Initially, as with Abraham, there was no seed, but then God worked miraculously in the conception of the virgin Mary, to bring forth His Son. As with the raising up of the patriarchs through Abraham’s seed, our LORD Jesus began to call out His apostles to serve His purpose, laying the foundation of His church on the doctrine of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone (Ephesians 2:19-22).

When our LORD Jesus died, it did not appear that He had many followers, and yet He had declared that He would build His church, and the gates of hell would not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18). It was on the foundation of Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the Living God that the foundation was laid, not only in His Person, but His sacrificial death, by which God the Father, once for all put away the sin of every true son of Abraham (those given by the Father to the LORD Jesus Christ, from eternity (Galatians 3:14, Hebrews 2:16). And yet, it was necessary that in the fullness of time, the promise made to Abraham should be fulfilled, and it was. By His obedient life and sacrificial death, the spiritual seed of Abraham both in the old testament, and since the cross, were once for all forgiven, pardoned, justified, and sanctified.(1 Corinthians 1:30) That is why the apostle Paul declared to the Corinthian church, ‘For all the promises of God in Him are “yea”; and in Him “amen” unto the glory of God by us’ 2 Corinthians 1:20.

Even as from Abraham’s seed the LORD raised up an entire nation that grew from one to between 2.5 and 3.5 million that the LORD brought out of Egypt, so when the time of the promise drew nigh for the ultimate fulfillment in the LORD Jesus, by His life and death, He has saved a nation of sinners which no man can number, but the LORD knows their number, their persons already written in His book of life from eternity (Revelation 7:9)