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Bible Answer
Was the Law wholly fulfilled with Jesus' death on the cross?
The Bible teaches that Christ fulfilled the Law through His perfect life and death on the cross. But what about how the feast of weeks, which is itself described in the Law, was fulfilled later at the point of Pentecost (in Acts 2)? Is it correct to say that the Law was fulfilled in its entirety at the cross, or were/are other parts fulfilled later?
As you correctly point out, the Law is fulfilled in Christ. Christ Himself puts it this way:
Matt. 5:17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.
Matt. 5:18 “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
Jesus says He will fulfill all the Law, which began with His perfectly obedient life and His sacrificial death:
2Cor. 5:21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
But notice Jesus also said that His accomplishment of the whole Law will not be complete until heaven and earth pass away, which refers to the end of the millennial kingdom. Jesus is referring to the Law’s promises to Israel as a nation, which are to be fulfilled during the 1,000-year kingdom. So while Christ fulfilled the Law’s requirement for an obedient life and an atoning sacrificer sin during His first coming, the fulfillment of the Law’s promises to Israel in the Kingdom await Christ’s Second Coming and His reigning on earth.
As Paul explains:
1Cor. 15:25 For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.
1Cor. 15:26 The last enemy that will be abolished is death.
1Cor. 15:27 For He has put all things in subjection under His feet. But when He says, “All things are put in subjection,” it is evident that He is excepted who put all things in subjection to Him.
1Cor. 15:28 When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.
For a more complete understanding of these issues, we invite you to watch our End Times Seminar.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org
