Why did Jesus take so long to appear?

[Ian]

I watched a Jewish Rabbi debate Dr Michael Brown on youtube today. One of his off-the-cuff challenges was: ifJesus was the Messiah and he had to come to Earth to save people from their sins, why didn`t he do it prior to the flood? I have heard Christopher Hitchens pose a similar question.
My only reaction would be - there would have been no written language to hand down from that time - but that is to me an inadequate reason. Would anyone here have an idea? (I appreciate we could be in the realm of educated guesses, though perhaps there is a scripture that has not occurred to me).

[steve]

I believe that the delay in Jesus coming did not prevent those living before that from being saved. The fact that Jesus came (regardless when it would have occurred) is the central event in God's redemption of those who lived before and those who lived after His appearing. There certainly are special advantages to those who have lived after Christ's coming and have heard the gospel plainly presented. However, God was not unmerciful to those who would call upon Him in earlier ages.

As for God's reasons for picking the specific time, as opposed to some other time, for Christ's coming, we can only make educated guesses. There was clearly a preparation process in history. Jesus came, as far as God was concerned, "in the fullness of time" (Gal.4:4).

[Ian]

Thanks Steve.

I wonder too whether the Roman occupation was a necessary factor - partly in order to precipitate his life towards its grisly conclusion. Maybe God deemed it appropriate that that part of Himself that was Jesus suffer the cruelest death (in order that no one may quibble that He has not shared in our suffering to the utmost)?

[mikew]

There are various reasons that are possible.

One reason is that God wished that a certain history of events might be available for direction and instruction to the followers of Christ.

God has also let certain situations mature into the stage where judgment was reasonable and just. God is demonstrated to be righteous and just in what He does.

We know there was originally 70 years for Jerusalem (or Israel or such) to come to its sensibility. Then that time was extended to 70 *7 years (as described in Daniel). So at certain times there were established time intervals. This was also to give the nations of Daniel time to become established and eventually lose their power.

Another thought is that God wanted to establish evidential background to show that only one person could actually have fulfilled the position as Messiah.

One aspect might be that the writing materials had to be available and there had to be sufficient people in the world in order to establish the momentum to preserve the gospel in the face of a fleshly evil world. The population was intended to grow as we see in God's command to Adam and the woman to "be fruitful and multiply" (Gen 1:28). As such God would seek the population to grow properly.

I think, to some degree, God was letting things unfold as they would.

[mikew]

Much of what I described could simply be described as "pruning the vine." God was doing what was necessary in order to enhance the growth.