422. Possess Prosperity and Fruitfulness
Zechariah 8:12 For the seed shall be prosperous; the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, and heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things.
Material prosperity from the seed, the vine, the ground and the heavens is promised for the remnant of the people. And the people will possess prosperity, fruit, increase and dew. This promise of material, earthly prosperity was never fulfilled on earth, and it will not be fulfilled until the new heaven and new earth replace the present universe. Then, in eternity, believers will own and control the material prosperity and abundance. The prosperity promised refers to farming and the growing of crops of various kinds. To grow abundant crops the farmer needs seed, plants, ground and water. God gives all these.
Adam was given all this freely, and all he had to do was obey one commandment. He could enjoy the fruits of material blessing without hard labor. He was a steward of God’s gifts and he was expected to guard the Garden and the Tree of Life. But he failed, and so do we fail, and now under the curse everything is very difficult and troublesome. Material abundance is not universally guaranteed.
The promise of possessing prosperity and abundant fruitfulness has all come true and real for us if we regard the promise as spiritual. Spiritually, in the kingdom of God, which we enter by faith, prosperity is abundant and it is free for the believing. The riches of God are all ours by grace through faith in Christ, And that spiritual kingdom with its abundance is within us. All spiritual blessings are given to us by the Holy Spirit upon the hearing of the Gospel. Jesus has earned it for us, given it to us, and now we possess it. We do not know of these riches naturally, so it must be revealed; we do not see them so they must be believed; we do not use them for our good and the good of others as often as we might. The reason we do not exercise and employ the spiritual blessings that are ours is mostly because we do not believe it; we think we get what we earn and deserve instead of freely receiving what Jesus earned and deserved for us. Therefore, we need to hear the word of Christ. “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. [Romans 10:17].”