Rev 7:9-17 I Beheld, and, lo, a Great Multitude Which no man Could Number

[Study Aired June 21, 2024]

Rev 7:9  After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
Rev 7:10  And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
Rev 7:11  And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,
Rev 7:12  Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, [be] unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
Rev 7:13  And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
Rev 7:14  And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Rev 7:15  Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
Rev 7:16  They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.
Rev 7:17  For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

Introduction

It is worth noting that the words ‘After this’ (according to all of the literal translations) should read “After these things” meaning that there is an orderly progression in the way we “keep the things which are written therein.” I noticed in my word search that this phrase appears eight times throughout the book of Revelation, and it is obvious that we all must be “carnal… babes in Christ” before we can grow to the point of enduring seven trumpet judgments followed by the seven last plagues of the seventh trump.

Rom 12:3  For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

Rev 1:3  Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time [is] at hand.

The reverse application of Romans 12:3 is that we are never to “return to our vomit” or fail to “leave the principles of the doctrine of Christ.”

Heb 6:1  Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
Heb 6:2  Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
Heb 6:3  And this will we do, if God permit.

So ‘if God permits’ we will now ask, ‘Who is this “great multitude which no man could number? How do they differ from the 144,000 of all the tribes of Israel?” The Four beasts and the four and twenty elders, who tell us they are God’s elect, are also said to be ‘of all nations and kindreds and people and tongues.’

Rev 5:9  And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
Rev 5:10  And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

These four beasts and four and twenty elders of Revelation 5 are “kings and priests… and reign with Christ on the earth?” Is it possible that this “great multitude which no man can number” is simply another type and symbol of God’s few, chosen and faithful elect? After all, are we not told that this great multitude “came out of great tribulation and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb?” How can we know for certain this group which “came up out of great tribulation and have washed their robes white in the blood of the Lamb” are not the same as the 144,000?

The answer is that we have already gone into great depth to demonstrate that all who come to God “of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues” must first become the true spiritual circumcision, the true spiritual Jews and true spiritual Israelites. This is, was and will be true for all the ages of mankind. The Word of God “shall not pass away.”

Rom 2:28  For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
Rom 2:29  But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

Eph 2:11  Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
Eph 2:12  That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:

Being an Israelite is now no longer a physical matter. It is now a spiritual matter only, and a physical Jew “is not a Jew”, and a physical Israelite is now only “that which is called the circumcision.” What has the coming of Christ accomplished for all of mankind, both physical Jews and physical Gentiles who are “now in Christ Jesus?” Here is what Christ has accomplished. It cost Him His life, but He was willing to make that sacrifice.

Eph 2:13  But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
Eph 2:14  For he is our peace, who hath made both [Jews and Gentiles] one [Jew, one Israelite], and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
Eph 2:15  Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
Eph 2:16  And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
Eph 2:17  And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
Eph 2:18  For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
Eph 2:19  Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
Eph 2:20  And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

Both Jews and Gentiles are now one if they are in Christ, and there is nothing that separates us. It is of utmost importance that we realize all who come to God are now spiritual Jews, spiritual Israelites and must be spiritually circumcised in heart. What this proves is that, as we noted last week…

…The camp of Israel here represents the whole of mankind.

It is out “of all the tribes of Israel” that the very select group of 12,000 from every tribe is chosen and sealed. Yet anyone who ever comes to God at any time must do so through Christ, and the coming of Christ has necessitated that all who now come to God must first become spiritual Israelites. Here are the two verses from above which make this case.

Eph 2:14  For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;

Eph 2:16  And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:

Physical Gentiles were “in time past” not a part of Israel, but now, in Christ, a physical Israelite is now no longer part of the true Israel unless he is in Christ’s “one body”.

Gal 3:29  And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

We have demonstrated that all the promises in Christ are yes and amen for all who are in Christ, because all who are in Christ are now “counted for… Abraham’s seed” regardless of physical pedigree.

2Co 1:20  For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.

It is “by us” that all the promises “in Him are yes and Amen.” The reason that all the promises are surity “by us” is because it is “through our mercy” that all unbelievers, who are not yet “in Christ” and who therefore are not yet “counted for… Abraham’s seed… in Christ,” are yet to receive mercy and are all yet to become Abraham’s seed, through Christ, “by us.”

Rom 11:30  For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:
Rom 11:31  Even so have these [all unbelievers] also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.
Rom 11:32  For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.

All will come to be in Christ because there is no other way to God.

Joh 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Christ is the only way to get to the Father, and if we are in Christ, then we are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise.

Gal 3:29  And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Now we come to a part of God’s Word which is deeply hidden from even those of orthodox Christianity who consider themselves to be the spiritual seed of Abraham, and it was even hidden from those to whom Paul ministered, who considered themselves to be the spiritual seed of Abraham. What is so very hard for most all Christians to see or believe is that…

There are two very distinct seeds of Abraham.

Here is part of the promise made to Abraham. It gives us a clue as to who are “those who come up through great tribulation and wash their robes white in the blood of the Lamb.”

Gen 13:14  And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:
Gen 13:15  For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.
Gen 13:16  And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.

As mentioned at the opening of this study, certain things have to happen before more revelation can be given. “After Lot was separated from Abraham” the above promise is given to Abraham. Later more revelation is given, and this promise is repeated to “the seed of Abraham” of whom very few are aware.

Gen 16:9  And the angel of the LORD said unto her [Hagar], Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.
Gen 16:10  And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.

Hagar returns to her mistress, Sarai, and has a son whom Abraham names Ishmael. Ishmael is born when Abraham is 86 years old. Then about thirteen years later, Sarah has Isaac, and a few years after that, when Isaac is weaned, God tells this to Abraham concerning his son by the bondwoman:

Gen 21:9 And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking.
Gen 21:10 Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, [even] with Isaac.
Gen 21:11 And the thing was very grievous in Abraham’s sight because of his son.
Gen 21:12  And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.
Gen 21:13  And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.

The message here concerning Ishmael is the same message we see in the epistles of Paul and John. Those who go out from God’s elect are, and always have been, much more popular, and therefore a much greater populace, than are those who are faithful to the word of God.

Act 20:30  Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.

2Co 11:12  But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we.
2Co 11:13  For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
2Co 11:14  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
2Co 11:15  Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

Act 15:24  Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment:

1Jn 2:19  They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would [no doubt] have continued with us: but [they went out], that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.

“They went out from us, but they were not of us… Satan’s ministers, false apostles… of your own selves.” This, too, is that part of Abraham’s seed, which “persecuted him that was born after the Spirit,” and this is that great multitude which no man can number of the tribes of Israel, which are the seed of Abraham by the bondwoman, and the rejected twin brother, seed of Abraham of Romans 9.

Rom 9:11  (For [the children] being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)
Rom 9:12  It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.
Rom 9:13  As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.

“The election” are the 144,000 who will rule on this earth and will judge angels in the lake of fire. So, while the camp of Israel typifies all of mankind when speaking of learning how to worship God in the wilderness, the “son of the bondwoman” also typifies “the seed of Abraham” who is cast out but is yet acknowledged to be Abraham’s seed and is promised “I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude. This “seed of Abraham is this great multitude who, at a later resurrection, “come up out of great tribulation and wash their robes and make them white in the blood of the Lamb.”

So “Abraham’s seed,” even those who think of themselves as being “in Christ,” are, in reality, also of two kinds. The first is the seed of Abraham which is of the bondwoman, which “shall not be numbered for multitude.” This “son of the bondwoman… seed of Abraham,” is not and cannot at this time be “counted for the seed” even though they are the “seed of Abraham.”

Joh 8:37  I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.
Joh 8:38  I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father.
Joh 8:39  They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham.

There is also another “seed of Abraham” which is “counted for the seed.” In 1 Corinthians 15:22, Paul informs us that “as in Adam all die, so in Christ, will all be made alive.” In Galatians 4 he goes to great lengths to distinguish between Abraham’s seed as “the son of the bondwoman” and Abraham’s seed as the “son of the freewoman.” Both being “in Abraham” are thereby to be considered as Christians, and Paul is telling the Galatians that both are in the church at Galatia.

Gal 4:19  My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,
Gal 4:20  I desire to be present with you now, and to change my voice; for I stand in doubt of you.
Gal 4:21  Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?
Gal 4:22  For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.
Gal 4:23  But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.
Gal 4:24  Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.

Paul has already told us in Romans 2 and in Ephesians 2 that all who come to God must first become the spiritual seed of Abraham. Paul is very clear here in Galatians 4 that the son of the bondwoman seed of Abraham “answers to Jerusalem that now is and is in bondage with her children, [and] the son of the bondwoman will not be heir with the son of the freewoman.”

Gal 4:25  For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
Gal 4:26  But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
Gal 4:27  For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.
Gal 4:28  Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.
Gal 4:29  But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.
Gal 4:30  Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.
Gal 4:31  So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.

“We are not of the bondwoman, but of the free?” Who is “we?” It certainly is not those who are the seed of Abraham whose seed “cannot be numbered for multitude.”

Gen 16:10  And the angel of the LORD said unto her [Hagar], I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.

“We who as Isaac was, are the children of promise” are the “few chosen” out of all the tribes of Israel who can be and who are numbered. Christ spoke of these two groups when He said this:

Mat 22:11  And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:
Mat 22:12  And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.
Mat 22:13  Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast [him] into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Mat 22:14  For many [cannot be numbered] are called, but few [12,000 of each of the tribes of Israel] are chosen.

The man without a wedding garment appears in the parable to be the minority, but the last verse of the parable reveals him to be of the “many” and of the “great multitude which no man could number.”

Mat 22:14 For many [those who “cannot be numbered for multitude”] are called, but few [12,000 of each of the tribes of Israel] are chosen.

So, as incredible as it may seem to the natural man, there is a “seed of Abraham” which believes in Christ, which is both “of your father the devil” and is also “the son of the bondwoman.”

Joh 8:31  Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

Joh 8:44  Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Let’s read it all again, and understand who it is whose seed is said to be “as the sand of the sea, and as the stars of heaven.” Here again is this mystery as it is first revealed to us in Genesis. We read this above, but let’s read it again.

Gen 21:13  And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.

We all, just like Abraham, hate to let go of our own flesh.

Gen 17:18  And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!
Gen 17:19  And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.
Gen 17:20  And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.
Gen 17:21  But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.

The kingdoms of our flesh always mature before the kingdom of God within us. Therefore Ishmael and Esau, both Abraham’s seed “which could not be numbered for multitude”, had “twelve princes and twelve dukes” which were “fruitful and multiplied exceedingly” and had built cities and established kingdoms long before Israel even went down into Egypt as “seventy souls.”

The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – Part 3

[Study Aired March 27, 2023]

Today, as part of our study of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, we shall look at the life of Isaac to help us grow in our knowledge of Christ. As we indicated in the previous study, the birth of Isaac symbolizes the coming of Christ into our lives. Our lives follow the same pattern as Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Although the details of our lives are different, our relationship with the Lord follows the same pattern. As we go through the experience of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob with Joseph being part of Jacob’s experience, we come to realize that these three men do not represent three separate individuals, but three aspects of one complete person in his relationship with the Lord.

Ecc 9:2  All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath.

Isaac’s life depicts the rest we have in Christ. His father Abraham had amassed all the wealth for him to enjoy. At the point when he needed to get married, his father Abraham took the initiative to get him a wife (Rebekah) who was very beautiful. Isaac did not fight any battles. For example, on two occasions when his servants dug a well, the inhabitants of the land claimed the wells, but Isaac did not contend with them. What this means is that the coming of Christ in our lives is the beginning of our rest in Him.

Heb 4:9  There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
Heb 4:10  For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. 
Heb 4:11  Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

In our study today, we shall therefore take a critical look at certain aspects of Isaac’s life and what they teach us about our walk with Christ. 

Knowing God Through Isaac

Our Exit from Babylon – the Coming of Christ in our lives.

The birth of Isaac marks the coming of Christ into our lives which results in our exit from Babylon where the truth of the word of the Lord has been adulterated by false doctrines emanating from human traditions and wisdom. In this new life in Christ, our eyes are opened and our ears begin to hear the truth of the word of the Lord. This is demonstrated by the fact that Isaac dug again the wells his father Abraham dug which had been filled with earth by the Philistines. The Philistines here represent Babylon. The earth here symbolizes all the false doctrines which include human wisdom and traditions. What this means is that the gold and silver of the word of the Lord have been turned into images of men. As a result of the earth filling the well, spring water was not coming out. During our time in Babylon, we experienced significant famine of the word of the Lord which was caused by the Lord to facilitate our exit from Babylon.

Gen 26:15  For all the wells which his father’s servants had digged in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped them, and filled them with earth.
Gen 26:16  And Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go from us; for thou art much mightier than we. 
Gen 26:17  And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there. 
Gen 26:18  And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them.

Eze 16:17  Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them,

The Offering of Isaac – The Death and Resurrection of Christ 

Gen 22:2  And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. 

Gen 22:6  And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. 
Gen 22:7  And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?
Gen 22:8  And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.

Heb 11:17  By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,
Heb 11:18  Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:
Heb 11:19  Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.

From a spiritual perspective, the offering of Isaac by Abraham typifies how God, our Father, offered His beloved son, Jesus Christ, for us. During the journey to Mount Moriah, Isaac carried the wood to be used for the burnt offering of himself. This shows how Jesus carried the cross through Jerusalem for His crucifixion. Incidentally, Mount Moriah later became Jerusalem.  Even though in the case of Isaac, he was not sacrificed, it was as if he had died and came back to life after that experience. So, the whole experience of Abraham preparing to offer Isaac is to foretell of the coming Messiah’s (Jesus) death and resurrection. As Abraham told Isaac his son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering, and that lamb is Christ. In another perspective, we, like Isaac, represent the scapegoat with Jesus being the other goat that was offered as sacrifice for our sins. If we are to fulfill God’s purpose, therefore, we must be like Isaac as we offer our lives as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable unto God which is our reasonable service.

Lev 16:7  And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
Lev 16:8  And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat. 
Lev 16:9  And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD’S lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering. 
Lev 16:10  But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness. 

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 

Ishmael’s mocking of Isaac – Babylon persecuting the church

Gen 21:8  And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned. 
Gen 21:9  And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking. 
Gen 21:10  Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac. 

The birth of Isaac did not stir up any trouble. It was rather his growth that brought about controversy. As we can see, Ishmael was found mocking Isaac. In Galatians 4:29, we are given to know that this mocking is the same as persecution. Ishmael represents Babylon, which is in bondage with her children. Babylon is characterized by the persecution of the church of the firstborn (the elect) as our Lord made it clear as follows:

Luk 11:49  Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute:
Luk 11:50  That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation; 
Luk 11:51  From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.

Gal 4:28  Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.
Gal 4:29  But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. 
Gal 4:30  Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.
Gal 4:31  So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.

As Paul indicated, Hagar represents Jerusalem which is in bondage with her children. That is Babylon, which symbolizes the physical churches of this world.  The elect represents Jerusalem, which is above, that is destined to inherit the promise.

Heb 6:12  That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Isaac, the inheritor of Abraham’s Inheritance – Learning to Rest in the Lord

Gen 25:5  And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac. 
Gen 25:6  But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country. 

Isaac becoming the inheritor of Abraham’s possessions is a type of Christ who has been appointed heir of all things, and if we are found in Him, then we are also destined for the inheritance just like Isaac.

Heb 1:1  God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 
Heb 1:2  Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 
Heb 1:3  Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; 

What we need to understand is that Abraham did all the work to amass the wealth for Isaac. Just as God the Father did all the work for our Lord Jesus Christ, we are also privileged to have Jesus doing all the work as we rest in Him.

Joh 14:10  Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. 

Heb 4:9  There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. 
Heb 4:10  For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. 
Heb 4:11  Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. 

The Famine in the Land

Gen 26:1  And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar.
Gen 26:2  And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of:

Gen 26:6  And Isaac dwelt in Gerar: 
Gen 26:7  And the men of the place asked him of his wife; and he said, She is my sister: for he feared to say, She is my wife; lest, said he, the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah; because she was fair to look upon. 
Gen 26:8  And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was sporting with Rebekah his wife. 
Gen 26:9  And Abimelech called Isaac, and said, Behold, of a surety she is thy wife: and how saidst thou, She is my sister? And Isaac said unto him, Because I said, Lest I die for her.

As we can see, the Lord had to warn Isaac from going back to Egypt. Whenever we are starved of the word of the Lord (famine), there is the tendency to become worldly (Going to Egypt). It is during times of famine of the word of the Lord that our weaknesses are exposed by the Lord.

In the case of Isaac, his inability to believe that the Lord will surely protect him from any harm or danger became obvious as he lied about Rebekah being his wife. As we know from the word of the Lord, the church is where we are fed with the word of the Lord. Anytime we are starved of the word of the Lord, our relationship with the church suffers as the deep union with the church (wife relationship) is sacrificed for a superficial relationship (sister relationship) as we see Isaac saying that Rebekah was his sister instead of being his wife.

These periods of famine are common during the early part of our walk after we have left Babylon to become part of the heavenly Jerusalem. We were not prepared to lay down our lives for the wife of Christ, the church just as Isaac refused to lay down his life for Rebekah when he went to Gerar. However, as we mature spiritually, we are able to lay down our lives for the church irrespective of the circumstance we find ourselves in even as our Lord Jesus Christ laid down His life for the church. 

1Jn 3:16  Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 

Isaac Prospered – We are to grow in spiritual insight.

Gen 26:12  Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him. 
Gen 26:13  And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great: 
Gen 26:14  For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him.

The physical prosperity of Isaac refers to our growth in spiritual riches as our eyes are opened and our ears hear the mysteries of the kingdom of God. As Christ comes to us, we begin our spiritual growth (riches in Christ) as our Lord cleanses us of all that offends and enlightens our understanding to know Him better. This is what Paul and Peter had to say about our spiritual blessing:

Eph 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 
Eph 1:4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

2Pe 1:3  According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
2Pe 1:4  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

As we grow in spiritual riches, we are envied by all men, just as the Philistines became envious of Isaac’s prosperity. This envy is what drives our being hated by Jerusalem which is in bondage with her children, resulting in us being dead in the streets of the great city – which represents spiritually, Sodom and Egypt where our Lord Jesus was crucified.

Rev 11:8  And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. 

Mat 10:22  And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

This strife or hatred is exemplified on two occasions when Isaac’s servants dug a well, and there was contention. This means that it is as we search the scriptures and we become enlightened by the truth of the word that we are hated by the world.

Gen 26:19  And Isaac’s servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water. 
Gen 26:20  And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac’s herdmen, saying, The water is ours: and he called the name of the well Esek; because they strove with him. 
Gen 26:21  And they digged another well, and strove for that also: and he called the name of it Sitnah.

Isaac’s Marriage – Our Marriage to Christ

The scriptures did not go into as many details about the life of Isaac as it did with Abraham and Jacob. However, when it came to Isaac’s marriage, a whole chapter was devoted to it. This is because the marriage of Isaac is significant, and it represents the church’s marriage union with Christ. From this marriage chapter we can glean a lot of spiritual truth and what is required of God’s bride.

Gen 24:3  And I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell: 
Gen 24:4  But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac.

Gen 24:8  And if the woman will not be willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be clear from this my oath: only bring not my son thither again.

Gen 24:15  And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder. 
Gen 24:16  And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up. 
Gen 24:17  And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher. 
Gen 24:18  And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink. 
Gen 24:19  And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking.
Gen 24:20  And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.

There are several truths we can glean from this marriage chapter of Genesis. The country Abraham had left spiritually signifies Babylon where we worship another Jesus. It is from Babylon that Christ came to pick us as his bride. It also means that we cannot marry just any person. We must marry from our kindred – our fellow elect. When Abraham’s servant asked if the potential bride to Isaac refuses to come to Canaan, Abraham told him that in that case, the marriage must be called off. If we want to become the bride of Christ, then we must be prepared to leave Babylon.

Rev 18:4  And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

Abraham’s servant went with ten camels. In the Bible camels are used to represent one’s wealth or possession. What this means is that God has made available enough resources for His bride to be joined to her husband Christ. As stated by Peter, God has given us everything we need for life and godliness through His great and precious promises that we might be partakers of His divine nature. 

Gen 24:10  And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed; for all the goods of his master were in his hand: and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor. 

Gen 12:16  And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels.

Gen 24:35  And the LORD hath blessed my master greatly; and he is become great: and he hath given him flocks, and herds, and silver, and gold, and menservants, and maidservants, and camels, and asses.

2Pe 1:3  According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
2Pe 1:4  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 

In order to identify the bride, Abraham’s servant set a criterion. The requirement is that the potential bride must give him water to drink and also quench the thirst of the ten camels. As we are aware, water signifies the word of God. Thus, we must be able to feed God’s people with the word of God first. In addition, Rebecca voluntarily offered to fetch water for the camels. The similarity between camels and human beings is that they are all beasts.  Thus, Rebecca giving water first to Abraham’s servant and later fetching water for the camels signifies that the preaching of the word of God is first to the elect, and then later, through the bride, the word of God will be preached to all humanity. 

Gen 24:11  And he made his camels to kneel down without the city by a well of water at the time of the evening, even the time that women go out to draw water. 
Gen 24:12  And he said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham. 
Gen 24:13  Behold, I stand here by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water: 
Gen 24:14  And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master. 

Ecc 3:18  I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.

Camels drink a lot of water – about 20 gallons of water a day. Thus, giving water to the ten camels means fetching about 200 gallons of water.  That is a huge task to undertake.  It takes someone who has compassion or is merciful to the camels to execute such a task voluntarily. What we are being taught here is that the salvation of the world is impossible looking at it from a human perspective. However, with God all things are possible. Secondly, it takes someone who cares for the beast, just like Rebecca to have compassion or to show mercy to the camels. We, who have received mercy from God are therefore required to be merciful to the whole of humanity in the fullness of time. Thirdly, our service in the house of God as we feed our brothers and sisters with the word of the Lord must be voluntary and without charging for our services. As we can see, Rebecca fed the camels voluntarily and without cost. 

Rom 11:30  For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: 
Rom 11:31  Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. 
Rom 11:32  For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all. 

Mat 10:8  Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. 

One key characteristic which we need to pay attention to regarding Rebekah, who represents the elect, is the fact that, although she had never seen Isaac, she was willing to go to him to become his wife. Our husband, the Lord Jesus, is so pleased when we believe in Him even though we have not seen Him. This is what He told Thomas who was looking for something tangible:

Joh 20:28  And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. 
Joh 20:29  Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. 

That is why as we mature spiritually, signs and wonders become a rare experience. This does not mean that the Lord will not miraculously intervene in our circumstance when the need arises. He will always come to our aid but what we are to avoid is looking for the spectacular to convince us that the Lord is with us. As we can see, as the church matured, signs and wonders became a rare occurrence. We are therefore warned by the Lord about deception which will abound as a result of signs and wonders as we are getting closer to the end of this age.

2Th 2:9  Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 
2Th 2:10  And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

Another key characteristic of Rebekah who symbolizes the bride of Christ was her submission when she saw Isaac and realized who he was. Immediately when Rebekah saw Isaac, she put on her vail and covered herself. 

Gen 24:64  And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel. 
Gen 24:65  For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a vail, and covered herself. 

The putting on of the vail symbolizes Rebekah’s submission to Isaac, just as the bride of Christ (Rebekah) must submit to her husband, Christ (Isaac). 

1Co 11:3  But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God. 
1Co 11:4  Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head, 
1Co 11:5  but every wife who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since it is the same as if her head were shaven.

Our submission must therefore be complete – we must submit to our Lord Jesus Christ in everything. 

Eph 5:24  Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.

Through the life of Isaac, we get to know about the marriage feast of the lamb. 

Gen 24:63  And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming. 
Gen 24:64  And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel. 
Gen 24:65  For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a vail, and covered herself.
Gen 24:66  And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done. 
Gen 24:67  And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.

We can see how both Isaac and Rebekah were eager to meet each other. Our Lord Jesus Christ is so eager to be united with His bride, the church. It is when we meet face to face that perfection shall come!!

Rev 19:6  And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. 
Rev 19:7  Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
Rev 19:8  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. 
Rev 19:9  And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. 

1Co 13:9  For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 
1Co 13:10  But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. 
1Co 13:11  When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 
1Co 13:12  For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. 

Ooh, what a great joy that will be when we see our Lord face to face!! Amen!!

The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – Part 2

[Study Aired March 20, 2023]

In the first part of this topic that was presented last week, it was established that Abraham’s seed and the land are the two prerequisites of achieving God’s purpose. The purpose of God as revealed in His encounter with Abraham is to have a people who express Him, and through them all the families of the earth will be blessed. The seed here physically represents Isaac. However, spiritually, Isaac represents Jesus whose coming is to cause a people to express God’s image and His dominion. This people (a great nation) will later become a blessing to all the nations of the earth. Unfortunately, Abraham did not have a seed and had to believe the Lord even though physically, it was impossible for him to have a seed.

Rom 4:18  Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. 
Rom 4:19  And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb: 
Rom 4:20  He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; 
Rom 4:21  And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. 
Rom 4:22  And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. 
Rom 4:23  Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;
Rom 4:24  But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;

The second requirement for fulfilling God’s purpose is the land. The land is a place for God’s people to live, a place where God’s enemies would be defeated, a place where God will have a habitation and a place where God will build His kingdom. Looking at it from one perspective, the land is our body. In another perspective, the land represents Christ. As the scriptures say, in Him we live, move, and have our being. It is in Christ that we can defeat our enemies and build the kingdom. We can therefore see that both the seed and the land represent Christ!! This is to let us know that everything in this life revolves around Christ, and without Him, nothing flourishes!! That is why Christ coming to us is crucial!!

Heb 1:3  Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; 

Act 17:28  For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. 

Every kingdom has a territorial domain, and in the case of the elect, our bodies (hearts and minds) are supposed to be the dwelling place of Christ or His throne where His kingdom dwells. Christ has to come and establish His kingdom within us first before the kingdom becomes visible later in another age. Unfortunately, the beast is already occupying the throne of Christ within us when we were born. This was the same with Abraham. When he went to Canaan, the land was fully occupied by Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, etc. That’s why David said the following:

Psa 51:5  Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

It took a long time for Abraham to have a seed and for the seed to multiply enough to be able to possess the land – more than four hundred years. In other words, it took a long time for Isaac to be born and for the twelve sons of Jacob to multiply enough to leave Egypt and to possess the land.

Gen 15:13  And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;
Gen 15:14  And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.

This shows the Lord’s patience in dealing with us before we are capable of dealing with the beast to establish the Lord’s kingdom within. We, His elect, must also learn to be patient in dealing with the Lord, our brothers and sisters in Christ, our family and the people of the world.

Heb 10:35  Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. 
Heb 10:36  For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. 
Heb 10:37  For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. 
Heb 10:38  Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. 
Heb 10:39  But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

In today’s study, we will continue to take a look at Abraham’s life that was written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

1Co 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. 

Abraham’s Life of Faith – Learning to Walk by Faith

When God came to Abraham and made a promise to him, he was seventy-five years old. It was not until he was a hundred years old that Isaac, the seed, was born. From the time of the promise to the birth of Isaac was therefore a period of twenty-five years!! All of us would have given up on God’s promise, but God was able to sustain Abraham to walk by faith as follows:

Heb 11:8  By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. 

Rom 4:18  Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. 
Rom 4:19  And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb: 
Rom 4:20  He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; 
Rom 4:21  And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. 
Rom 4:22  And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. 
Rom 4:23  Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;
Rom 4:24  But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; 

This is to show us that it takes time for God’s promises to come to fruition. This is demonstrated clearly by the parable of a man traveling into a far country who delivered his goods to his servants and took a long time to come back for reckoning.  Thus, it is necessary for us to learn to walk by faith if we are to receive the reward as our father Abraham did. For without faith, it is impossible to please God. In the case of Abraham, the scriptures say that, against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and became the father of many nations. Against all the odds, we must still believe that the Lord will intervene in our circumstance!! Even this belief is not our work. It is the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ that operates within us according to His measure.

The Two Women: Hagar and Sarah – Representing the Physical and the Spiritual Experience of the Elect

Sarah was the legitimate wife of Abraham while Hagar was the concubine. The prolonged delay in the birth of Isaac made Abraham fall into the temptation of depending on his own strength to have a child called Ishmael with Hagar, a handmaid of Sarah. However, Ishmael was rejected by God as the seed. This is to make us understand that in this relation with God, it is what God has promised that counts. Our efforts are useless in fulfilling God’s purpose.  We do not choose to serve the Lord. It is God that chooses us. As the scriptures clearly state, it is not of him that will or of him that runs but of God that shows mercy.

Gen 16:1 Now Sarai Abram’s wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. 
Gen 16:2  And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. 
Gen 16:3  And Sarai Abram’s wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife. 
Gen 16:4  And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.
Gen 16:5  And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the LORD judge between me and thee. 

Sarah represents the church of the elect, or Jerusalem which is above, while Hagar symbolizes the physical churches of this world (Babylon) or Jerusalem which is in bondage with her children. As we indicated earlier, we start our walk as carnal and therefore we are more attracted to Hagar, since we can see the immediate result in signs and wonders which seemingly makes Jerusalem, which is in bondage, more productive than the New Jerusalem whose husband is Christ. However, in the fullness of time, the bride of Christ, the church of the firstborn, shall have more children than Jerusalem which is.

Gal 4:22  For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. 
Gal 4:23  But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. 
Gal 4:24  Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. 
Gal 4:25  For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. 
Gal 4:26  But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. 
Gal 4:27  For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. 

Famine in the land – A famine of hearing the word of God

Gen 12:9  And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south.
Gen 12:10  And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land.

When we start our journey in Christ, we experience famine as Abraham went through famine when he started his journey with the Lord. This famine is not the lack of food or water, but of hearing the words of the Lord as shown in the scriptures below:

Amo 8:11  Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: 
Amo 8:12  And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it. 
Amo 8:13  In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst.

As verse 12 of Amos 8 indicates, the result of famine causes us to wander from sea to sea. This means we get hooked to all kinds of false doctrines that originate from the sea of flesh, thinking we are spiritually being fed.  As a result, we end up being more carnal or worldly, as we continue to faint or thirst for the word of God. This was what happened to Abraham when he came to Egypt as a result of famine and lied about his wife being his sister.  In other words, absence of the word makes us carnal, and, in this situation, we cannot please God. We have all been in this situation before, and it is this absence of the word of God that sets in motion our exit from Babylon.

Abraham as a friend of the Lord – The Lord wants to relate to us as a friend.

Abraham’s encounter with the Lord when He visited him in the heat of the day in the plains of Mamre, was a friendly visit. The conversation centered around Sarah and the Lord’s promise of Sarah having a child at the time of life. What was most significant was the fact that when the Lord was leaving, He said that He could not hide what He wanted to do from Abraham. This is what defines friendship – the openness in dealing with one another, and that was what the Lord did. In this relationship with the Lord, He wants us as friends and not servants, as servants do not know the mind of their master.  However, we are privileged to know the mind of Christ.

Gen 18:1  And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;
Gen 18:2  And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, 
Gen 18:3  And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant: 
Gen 18:9  And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent. 
Gen 18:10  And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him. 
Gen 18:11  Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.
Gen 18:12  Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?
Gen 18:13  And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? 
Gen 18:14  Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. 
Gen 18:15  Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh. 
Gen 18:16  And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way. 
Gen 18:17  And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; 
Gen 18:18  Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 

Joh 15:15  Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. 

In this conversation with Abraham, the Lord assured him that at the time of life, Sarah will give birth to a son. There are two instances in the Bible that the phrase “time of life” has been used, and it is all related to the birth of a son. Spiritually, it signifies the time in our lives that the new man (Christ) is born within us, and the old man continues its journey of death.

2Ki 4:16  And he said, About this season, according to the time of life, thou shalt embrace a son. And she said, Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto thine handmaid.
2Ki 4:17  And the woman conceived, and bare a son at that season that Elisha had said unto her, according to the time of life.

Abraham Praying for Sodom – the need to intercede for our brothers and sisters.

Gen 18:17  And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; 

Gen 18:20  And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; 
Gen 18:21  I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know. 
Gen 18:22  And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD. 
Gen 18:23  And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? 
Gen 18:24  Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? 
Gen 18:26  And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.

Gen 18:32  And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake. 

Abraham requesting the Lord not to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah if He were to find a certain number of righteous men was to show us the need to intercede on behalf of the elect. Actually, Abraham had Lot in mind as a righteous man living among a wicked generation. He was not praying for Sodom. On a positive note, Lot here represents the elect. 

2Pe 2:6  And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;
2Pe 2:7  And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: 
2Pe 2:8  (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) 

Abraham’s intercession was based on divine revelation. Our intercession for the brethren must also be based on the Lord’s revelation. We must all have the burden of praying for the Lord’s elect just like Paul. What the Lord has revealed to us to guide our intercession for our brothers and sisters are His words. The following example shows us what we need to pray for: 

Eph 1:15  Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, 
Eph 1:16  Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;
Eph 1:17  That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: 
Eph 1:18  The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, 
Eph 1:19  And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, 
Eph 1:20  Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
Eph 1:21  Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: 

All our physical needs are encapsulated in these spiritual blessings that we need to pray for. 

Abraham Praying for Abimelech – The “Shameful” Intercession

Gen 20:1  And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country, and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar. 
Gen 20:2  And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah. 
Gen 20:3  But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man’s wife. 
Gen 20:4  But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation? 
Gen 20:5  Said he not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this.
Gen 20:6  And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her. 
Gen 20:7  Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine. 

These verses of scripture reveal to us that after several years of walking with the Lord, Abraham was still struggling with the flesh. Even though the process of putting to death the old man has started, he was still overcome by the flesh due to fear of insecurity – being put to death because of Sarah. We, also are going through the same thing as Abraham as the evil one buffets us with all kinds of ailments and circumstances that brings us to our wits’ ends. However, just as Abraham was delivered from Abimelech, we shall also be delivered!! What is insightful here is the fact that in spite of Abraham’s apparent failure, the Lord told Abimelech to ask Abraham to pray for him as the Lord had closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech. In fact the Lord told Abimelech that Abraham was His prophet!! The Lord sees the end from the beginning in spite of our apparent failures!! On many occasions when we have failed, we are unable to pray even though no one knows our sins. We can just imagine how difficult it was for Abraham to pray for Abimelech’s family to be fruitful and be preserved. However, Abraham had not seen the fulfillment of his prayer for the Lord to give Sarah a seed. 

Gen 20:17  So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children.

The lesson we are to learn from this episode of Abraham is that when we intercede for others, we must forget about our failures and circumstances and believe the Lord will answer our prayers. We must not think that because the Lord has not answered our prayers regarding a particular need, the Lord will not answer our prayer for a brother or sister in a similar situation. We need to learn not to pray according to only our victory. It is easy to pray when we are victorious over the flesh, but we should believe in the Lord that He hears us even in our failures!! Interceding for others does not depend upon our condition. It depends upon our standing with the Lord. That is, it depends on who we are – the prophet of God!!

The Birth of Isaac – the Coming of Christ within us

Gen 21:1  And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken. 
Gen 21:2  For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. 
Gen 21:3  And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac. 
Gen 21:4  And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him. 
Gen 21:5  And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him. 
Gen 21:6  And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me. 
Gen 21:7  And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should have given children suck? for I have born him a son in his old age. 

As indicated earlier, Isaac typifies Christ. The birth of Isaac therefore signifies the coming of Christ within us to build His kingdom within us (great nation) and in the fullness of time, this kingdom will be outward as the Lord will use us to bless the whole earth. As we are aware, when the Lord comes into our lives, He starts to deal with all that offends through the judgment of our old man. This coming of Christ is the birth of the new man within us as our old man is dealt with by the Lord.

Joh 2:13  And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, 
Joh 2:14  And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: 
Joh 2:15  And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables;
Joh 2:16  And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise. 
Joh 2:17  And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up. 

2Th 2:7  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 
2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 

The goal of Abraham’s calling was to bring forth a seed (Christ). The birth of Isaac was based on a promise. If we are called and chosen, then we also have the promise of Christ coming to our temples to build His kingdom within us. This is the promise we have:

Mal 3:1  Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. 
Mal 3:2  But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap: 
Mal 3:3  And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.
Mal 3:4  Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years. 

Here in Malachi 3:4, we are told that it is when Christ comes that Judah and Jerusalem will offer a pleasant offering to the Lord. It is when Christ comes that we can offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to Him. The period of Christ coming into our lives is the time of life – that is, the giving of eternal life to us. This eternal life is knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ.

Joh 17:2  As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. 
Joh 17:3  And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 

May the Lord help us to continue to offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to Him until that day!! Amen!!

The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – Part 1

[Study Aired March 13, 2023]

Introduction

When God burst on the scene to deliver His people Israel (type of His elect) out of Egyptian captivity, He introduced Himself as follows in the following encounter with Moses:

Exo 3:6  And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

Exo 3:15  God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.
Exo 3:16  Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, “I have observed you and what has been done to you in Egypt,

In telling Moses that He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, He is showing us that through His dealings with these three people, He is unveiling to us what His eternal purpose is, how His eternal purpose is being fulfilled and how He deals with the people that He chooses to accomplish His purpose. In this encounter with Moses, He also introduced Himself to Moses that “I AM WHO I AM”. This means that He is the self-existing one and is beyond comprehension.  However, we can know His purpose and His ways through His dealings with our fathers – Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. What we need to understand is that the patriarchs were three and the number three spiritually means the process of spiritual maturity through judgment. So, what we are going to learn about God introducing Himself as the God of our fathers is to show how He takes us from the pit of darkness to become spiritually mature sons through His judgment to accomplish His purpose.

If we add together all the different aspects of the experiences of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob including Joseph, who was technically part of Jacob, we see a clear picture of the complete experience of the elect and our understanding of God’s eternal purpose and how His eternal purpose is being fulfilled through His elect.

Exo 3:14  God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” 

Isa 51:1  “Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the LORD: look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug. 
Isa 51:2  Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for he was but one when I called him, that I might bless him and multiply him.

The question is why did God introduced himself as the God of our Fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and not anyone else? It is because from the time of creation to the time of Abraham, nobody had been given the task of changing his circumstance to pursue God’s agenda of going through a land to be possessed by his future generation except Abraham. That takes a lot of faith since at that time, it was humanly impossible for Abraham to have a child!! This task given to our father Abraham was subsequently transferred to Isaac and then Jacob and it unveils God’s plan of salvation for the elect first and then the whole of mankind. God in His wisdom had caused Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to live their lives on earth in such a way as to demonstrate to us how those who will come later to believe in Him will come to know Him, understand His purpose for His creation and how He deals with His elect to fulfill His purpose. What we need to note is that while we walk here on this earth, it is impossible to fully know who God is because here on earth, we only see in part and when we become perfect (when we see him as He is), then we can know Him fully.

1Co 13:9  For we know in part and we prophesy in part,
1Co 13:10  but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.

1Co 13:12  For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

1Jn 3:2  Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

I remember several years ago when the Spirit of the Lord was moving me in my quest to search the scriptures to know Him, some of my friends in the churches of this world told me that since we cannot know Him so much while we are here on earth, the little scriptures that we know should suffice in our Christian walk and so we should devote ourselves to prayer and obedience. The fact is if you do not know somebody well, how can you know what He likes or dislike? It is impossible to be obedient to someone you do not know well. They quoted this verse of scripture to support their claim:

Deu 29:29 “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law. 

They said that since the secret things belong to God, we should not worry ourselves when we do not understand certain aspects of the scriptures. They were not given eyes to see that the secret things here are those things about God which have not been written. This is because no books can even contain all that Jesus did. We are therefore admonished in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians to not go beyond what is written.

Joh 21:25  And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.

The verse in Deuteronomy 29:29 therefore has become a stumbling block for many as they give up their quest to know God, forgetting that the same verse in Deuteronomy 29:29 says that the things which are revealed belong to us. The things which are revealed pertain to the Word of God that we have in our homes. They also forget Paul’s admonition to Timothy to study to show himself approved, a workman who need not be ashamed but rightly dividing the word.  Some even quote that knowledge brings about pride (1Co 8:1) and therefore as a result, there is no such desire to seek Him and know Him!! We have therefore thrown away knowledge and as the scriptures say, “for lack of knowledge my people perish”!!

1Co 4:6  And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.

2Ti 2:15  Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

1Co 8:1  Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth. 

As we are aware, our relationship with God is governed by knowledge just as our relationship with our family and friends are. Relationships are deepened through knowledge.

God, in His quest to establish a relationship with the Israelites in bondage in Egypt, needed to introduce Himself to the Israelites in a powerful way to convince the Israelites and even the messenger Moses to follow Him. Introducing Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is therefore very significant. As we explore God’s relationship with these patriarchs, we will get to know Him and how He relates to us.  We must remember that for us His elect, we are supposed to know His ways and His acts but for the others, they are destined to only know His acts!!

Psa 103:7  He made known his ways unto Moses (a type of His elect), his acts unto the children of Israel. 

In introducing Himself as the God of Abraham, our Lord Jesus Christ was showing us how He picks us from the miry clay and starts the process of cleaning us up to reflect His image and to give us the hope of salvation. The God of Isaac reveals to us that it is the Lord who does all the work within us, as we rest in Him. Isaac was privileged to have all the wealth amassed by his father Abraham. Even when he needed a wife, it was his father who worked through Eliezer to bring him a virtuous woman, Rebecca. All that Isaac did was to wait for the bride to come to him. The God of Jacob shows us how the Lord seeks an occasion to judge us by causing us to go astray and that through our judgement, we learn righteousness. The story of Jacob therefore highlights his deception as he deceived his father, Isaac, to receive Esau’s blessing and as a result, went through bitter suffering. Through this suffering, he learned righteousness and became spiritually mature such that He was able to inherit the promise – the rulership of the elect under his son Joseph who is technically considered as part of Jacob’s experience.

The Lord introducing Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was therefore a complete revelation of who Christ is, His work and purpose. The Book of Revelation is therefore a summary of the Lord’s introduction of Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It sums up who Christ is, our suffering which leads to righteousness, our reward, and the salvation of the world. In fact, every aspect of the Bible is a revelation of Christ, and most are circumstance specific. That is, we get to know certain aspects of Christ in these circumstances. For example, the transfiguration of Christ tells us about the fact that after our life here on earth (6 days), we shall be changed just like Christ was at the Mount of transfiguration. Our transformation begins as the law serves as our schoolmaster until faith comes (the appearance of Moses). This is followed by our need to repent (the appearance of Elijah) and then Christ comes into our lives to transform us.

Mat 17:1  And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart:
Mat 17:2  and he was transfigured before them; and his face did shine as the sun, and his garments became white as the light.
Mat 17:3  And behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elijah talking with him. 
Mat 17:4  And Peter answered, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, I will make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.
Mat 17:5  While he was yet speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold, a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
Mat 17:6  And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid.
Mat 17:7  And Jesus came and touched them and said, Arise, and be not afraid.
Mat 17:8  And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one, save Jesus only.

Gal 3:23  But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 
Gal 3:24  Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 
Gal 3:25  But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. 

Mat 3:1  In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, 
Mat 3:2  And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 
Mat 3:3  For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

With all these in mind, let us begin by plowing through the life of Abraham to know what our Lord Jesus Christ means when He says that He is the God of Abraham.

Knowing God Through Abraham

Abraham’s Calling – Leaving Egypt (the world)

Gen 11:27  Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot.
Gen 11:28  And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees.
Gen 11:29  And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram’s wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor’s wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah.
Gen 11:30  But Sarai was barren; she had no child.
Gen 11:31  And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son’s son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there. 
Gen 11:32  And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran.

Abraham was steep in idolatry before God called Him to fulfil His purpose. His background was so dark that God had to appear to him twice. He was worshipping other gods in Chaldees when God approached him. Abraham was not the originator of the call. This shows that it is therefore not of him that wills or runs but of God that shows mercy.  It was God who took the initiative.

Jos 24:2  And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.

Act 7:2  And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran,
Act 7:3  And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee. 
Act 7:4  Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell. 
Act 7:5  And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child.

Rom 9:16  So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.

We can easily identify with Abraham. When God called us, we were also in thick darkness with no hope for us. However, God who is rich in mercy came to us to begin our spiritual journey. Even though we did not respond to His call immediately just like Abraham, He was always with us just as His spirit moved over the waters covering the earth at the beginning of creation when the earth was without form and void.

Gen 1:1  In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
Gen 1:2  And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

The number two means a witness. So, God always leaves a witness when He comes to visit us. The first time was in Ur of the Chaldees. In Acts 7:2, it states that the God of glory appeared to Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia before he dwelt in Haran. Abraham did not respond to this call wholly. However, his father was the key influence in moving Abraham from Mesopotamia to Haran, just short of the Promised Land (Gen 11:31). This is to show us that at the beginning of our walk, our own fleshly zeal (denoted by Abraham’s father Terah) carry us to a certain point in fulfillment of God’s purpose but it is not able to carry us far into the spiritual reality of Christ. That is what the scripture means by the following verse in Isaiah 61:5.

Isa 61:5  And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.

The fact that the God of Glory visited Abraham to leave Ur of the Chaldees is significant as Chaldees refers to Babylon. Thus, we are to leave Babylon which represents the physical churches of this world if we are to respond to God’s call.

Rev 18:4  And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. 

When Abraham’s father died, then God appeared a second time to him in Haran (Gen 12:1-5). When we are dominated by the flesh, God uses our flesh to further His course and it is only when we start the process of daily dying to the flesh (represented by Terah’s death) that we can respond to God’s call in a positive way by moving to the Promised Land which signify the beginning of our dominance over the flesh.

1Co 15:31  I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

Gen 12:1  Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
Gen 12:2  And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
Gen 12:3  And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
Gen 12:4  So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.
Gen 12:5  And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came. 

Leaving his country and kindred to follow God speaks of us leaving Egypt, that is, the world to pursue God’s agenda.  The country and kindred that Abraham left signify the fact that God wants us to leave the world and the flesh behind (the flesh must die) in our walk with Him. Unfortunately, we all start our walk with Christ as carnal as depicted by Abraham leaving Haran with Lot.

1Co 3:1  And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. 
1Co 3:2  I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
1Co 3:3  For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? 

God’s Promises to Abraham – Being an instrument to save the world

The promise God made when He came to Abraham the second time is that He will make of Abraham a great nation and will bless Him and that through Abraham all the families of the earth will be blessed. This was God’s purpose when He called Abraham.

Gen 12:2  And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
Gen 12:3  And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

This promise by God is to motivate and strengthen Abraham and the elect that will come later to accept God’s calling. The promises are of three-fold:  First, to make out of Abraham a great nation; Second, to bless Abraham and thirdly, to make Abraham a blessing to all the families of the earth. The great nation to come out of Abraham is the Kingdom of God which is now within His elect but will be manifest at the fullness of time. God’s promise of a blessing to Abraham is explained by Paul as being the promise of the Spirit. In Galatians 3:14, it is stated that the blessing of Abraham is that we His elect will receive the promise of the Holy Spirit through faith. Making Abraham a blessing to all the families of the earth is another way of saying that through the elect (Abraham) all humanity will be saved.

Gal 3:14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Luk 17:20  And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Luk 17:21  Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. 

1Ti 2:3  For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
1Ti 2:4  Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

Now let’s focus a bit on the blessings promised to Abraham our father and to us. Blessings can be physical or spiritual. Physical blessing relates to provision, benefit, protection, etc. In the Old Testament, the blessings that the men of God received are all physical. To be blessed physically is for our existence and as the Bible says, to exist only is vanity of vanities. Are we in this life to make a living for ourselves? Oh no!! It is in the New Testament that we are given spiritual blessings which relates to the fulfillment of God’s purpose. We need both the physical and the spiritual blessings to exist to accomplish God’s purpose. Spiritual blessings relate to being called and chosen to become holy and without blame before Him while we live here on earth as indicated by Paul. In addition to our physical blessing, we need God’s grace (spiritual blessing) to be able to accomplish God’s purpose. Grace means God Himself coming to us as revealed in John 1:17 to chastise us to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world. So, we need both physical and spiritual blessing (grace) to be able to accomplish God’s purpose.

Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 
Eph 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

Joh 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. 

Joh 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Joh 1:16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.

Tit 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Tit 2:12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.

The Departure of Lot – Doing Away with the Flesh

Gen 13:1  And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south.
Gen 13:2  And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. 
Gen 13:3  And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai;
Gen 13:4  Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the LORD.
Gen 13:5  And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents. 
Gen 13:6  And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together.
Gen 13:7  And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram’s cattle and the herdmen of Lot’s cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land. 

As indicated earlier, Lot going with Abraham to the promised land means that we start our walk with Christ as carnal or fleshy. Over time, Abraham grew rich in cattle, silver and gold as he journeyed to Bethel which means the house of God. Becoming rich in silver and gold is to make us aware that Abraham was growing in the truth of the knowledge of God and was also physically blessed (rich in cattle). In other words, his eyes were being opened and his ears were hearing the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven. On the other hand, Lot, representing the flesh, is also growing in flocks, herds and tents. What this means is that the flesh was being strengthened. In other words, the flesh’s resistance to the things of the spirit is increasing within us as our eyes begin to see and our ears hear. Definitely, we cannot have two masters within us – one must be subdued. This conflict between Abraham’s herdsmen and that of Lot is all part of the work of the Lord to get rid of the flesh which in this case is Lot and his herdsmen. This is how the Bible describes this conflict:

Mat 6:24  No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Gal 5:17  For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
Gal 5:18  But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

Since we are led by the Spirit, the flesh will be dealt with through our fiery trials which comes as a result of the word we have received. The exit of Lot from the company of Abraham signifies the dying of the old man and the birth of the new man after the image of Christ. The conflict between Abraham’s herdsmen and that of Lot signifies our fiery trials.

Gen 13:11  Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other. 
Gen 13:12  Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom.

Abraham’s Seed and the Land – The means of achieving God’s purpose.

Gen 15:1 After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
Gen 15:2  And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?
Gen 15:3  And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. 
Gen 15:4  And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. 
Gen 15:5  And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
Gen 15:6  And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

As already stated, God’s purpose as revealed in His encounter with Abraham is to have a people who express Him and through them all the families of the earth will be blessed. However, to fulfill this eternal purpose, there are two things that are needed – the seed (a son to be borne by Abraham) and the land. The seed here physically represents Isaac. However, spiritually, Isaac represents Jesus whose coming is to cause a people to express God’s image and His dominion. This people (a great nation) will later become a blessing to all the nations of the earth. Unfortunately, Abraham did not have a seed and so he counted on Eliezer as the seed. However, nothing that we have is useful for fulfilling God’s purpose.  God promised Abraham that He will work it out through him. In our walk with God, nothing that we have, or we can do (in bringing forth Ishmael) is useful for fulfilling God’s purpose. Just like Abraham, God has promised to work it out in us and bring forth the seed, which is the new man in us, borne after the image of Christ.

The second requirement for fulfilling God’s purpose is the land. The land is a place for God’s people to live in, a place where God’s enemies would be defeated, a place where God will have a habitation and a place where God will build His kingdom. Looking at it from one perspective, the land is our body. In another perspective, the land represents Christ. As the scriptures say, in Him we live, move, and have our being. It is in Christ that we can defeat our enemies and can build the kingdom.

Act 17:28  For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. 

Every kingdom has a territorial domain and in the case of the elect, our bodies (hearts and minds) are supposed to be the dwelling place of Christ or His throne where His kingdom dwells. Christ has to come and establish His kingdom within us first before the kingdom becomes visible later in another age. Unfortunately, the beast is already occupying the throne of Christ within us when we were borne. This is the same with Abraham. When he went to Canaan, the land was fully occupied by Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, etc. That’s why David said the following:

Psa 51:5  Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. 

Since we cannot on our own defeat the beast within us, it is imperative that Christ must come first so that in Him we can drive away the beast or the flesh to establish His kingdom. That’s why it was extremely important for Abraham to have a seed (Christ) first. Without a seed, Abraham can only be a stranger in the land since he does not have what it takes to drive away the Canaanites occupying the land. That is why Abraham’s call was just to go through the land as a stranger. The good news is that Christ had assured us through His covenant with Abraham that we shall possess the Land. That is, we shall possess our bodies for Christ to establish His kingdom within us.

Gen 15:18  In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: 
Gen 15:19  The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites,
Gen 15:20  And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims,
Gen 15:21  And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.

It took a long time for Abraham to have a seed and for the seed to multiply enough to be able to possess the land – more than four hundred years. In other words, it took a long time for Isaac to be born and for the twelve sons of Jacob to multiply enough to leave Egypt and to possess the land.

Gen 15:13  And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;
Gen 15:14  And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.

This shows the Lord’s patience in dealing with us before we are capable of dealing with the beast to establish the Lord’s kingdom within. We, His elect, must also learn to be patient in dealing with the Lord, our brothers and sisters in Christ, our family and the people of the world.

Heb 10:35  Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.
Heb 10:36  For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.
Heb 10:37  For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.
Heb 10:38  Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
Heb 10:39  But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

Next week, we shall continue with the God of Abraham, God willing.

May the Lord be merciful to us as Christ increases within us to establish His kingdom!! Amen!!

(Key verses: Gen 25:19-21)

The scriptures call Abraham “the father of us all” and in that Abraham is a type of our heavenly Father who inspires us to seek Him through the faith of Jesus and obediently follow in His righteousness, which comes through that faith (Rom 3:22; Rom 4:12; Rom 9:7-8):

Rom 4:16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all.

Isa 51:1 Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged.
Isa 51:2 Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.

Through Abraham, this type of fatherhood is explained to us so we can understand the way our heavenly Father cares for all in the generation of the first Adam, but especially for His elect:

1Ti 4:9 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation.
1Ti 4:10 For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.

Like Abraham, we are called to separate from our fleshly kindred and to labor and suffer reproach as we learn about His all-important spiritual inheritance, which is given to God’s spiritual sons “who first trusted in Christ”:

Eph 1:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
Eph 1:12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

Abraham’s life of faith and his sojourning in Canaan reflects our own spiritual experiences and journeys to take possession of the spirit life in Christ. Spiritual sonship is also typified in Abraham’s offspring through Isaac (Rom 9:7):

Heb 11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,
Heb 11:18 Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called.

Spiritual sonship is a foundational theme in the book of Genesis, and it is the major purpose of God with all mankind in the generation of the first Adam (Gen 2:4). Through the lives of Isaac and his offspring, the essence and dynamics of spiritual sonship is further developed for us, as this theme is also more detailed in the sum of God’s Word. Isaac is a type of Jesus, in this sense, as Jesus’ relationship with His Father is pictured through the relationship between Abraham and Isaac. In Jesus, the beloved Son of God, all will be accepted eventually as spiritual sons of God at the appointed time (1Co 15:22; Col 1:13; 2Pe 1:17; 1Jn 4:14-15; 1Jn 5:9-11):

Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.

Heb 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
Heb 1:2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds.

God is in the process of forming spiritual sons who will be according to the spiritual image of His Son Jesus Christ. The reason for the creation of this temporary evil carnal eon is to humble us and prepare all in the first Adam to become spiritual sons of God (Ecc 1:13). This is the desire or will of God, and He will succeed 100% through this strange work of His which few are given to understand in this age (Isa 28:21; Isa 55:8-11; Isa 46:10). The first Adam is an important part of this process of becoming sons of God, and no-one will know Jesus in spirit unless they can see the first Adam and his function in them (Joh 3:3-6; 2Th 2:3-4):

Joh 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become [Greek aorist tense indicating a process] the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Joh 1:13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

We also need to see Jesus fulfilling both these positions, as the son of man and the son of God, as He declared that He is indeed the first and the last (Rev 1:11; Rev 1:17; Rev 22:13). The Father has established in Jesus the double portion which is the rulership in the generation of the physical Adam and rulership in the generation of the spiritual Adam, which are also the two eons through which Jesus will make spiritual sons to the glory of the Father (Eph 1:10; Php 2:9-11; Joh 1:1-4; 1Co 15:22-28; Heb 1:5-9). For this reason God appointed Jesus to be worshiped as such by all in this creation (Heb 1:6-7). However, this creation is subjected to corruption from the hand of the Creator from the beginning, while Jesus was given incorruption (the fullness of God’s spirit):

Rom 8:20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
Rom 8:21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
Rom 8:22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
Rom 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption [Greek: “uihothesia”], to wit, the redemption of our body.

The worldly concept of adoption is not expressing the scriptural viewpoint of sonship (Greek: “uihothesia”), as this word “adoption” also causes much confusion. We are not taken into a foster parent’s house in the process of becoming sons of God. We are taken from our original state of corruption in the fleshly house of darkness of the first Adam, as per God’s design, into the house of Light of our heavenly Father. Spiritual sonship is not our first estate but the end result of a process of being born again in Christ, the Son of God:

Col 1:12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
Col 1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son.

This position of sonship in God’s kingdom is what the faith of Christ works now in those whom the Father chose before the foundation of the world to receive this spiritual sonship first:

Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
Eph 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Eph 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children [Greek: “uihothesia”] by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.

According to Dr. James Strong’s explanation of this Greek word “uihothesia”, it is formed from two concepts being “uihos” (meaning “a son”) and a derivative of “tithēmi”, which is a ‘prolonged form’ for the Greek word for God, namely “theō” or “theos”. “Tithēmi” therefore has to do with the positioning or placing of a person by God in His spiritual family or kingdom (Joh 6:44). We naturally have no place in that spiritual kingdom (1Co 15:50). Here we have a verse to clearly express what is meant by “uihos” and then also what the concept of “uihothesia” scripturally implies:

Rev 12:5 And she [the woman connected to the earth/wilderness] brought forth a man child [Greek: “uihos”], who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

This man child is the “uihos” who is given rulership and authority over all nations, as this man child initially refers to Jesus Christ. This “uihothesia” is therefore those who have been given a higher authority in Christ, who is the mature son (the “uihos”) of the Father because He was given the fullness of God’s spirit from His creation (Joh 3:34; Col 1:19; Col 2:9). The “uihothesia” are those elected by God to be the first to be seated with Christ in God’s kingdom as the mature sons of God. This is the positon of those who have the mind of Christ and have been given dominion over sin, even while in a fleshly body (Rom 6:14):

Eph 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

This all links with the inheritance in type which God promised Abraham, even through Isaac, the son “by promise”:

Gal 3:18 For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

Gal 4:23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.

“…by promise” is the only way anyone will receive the spiritual inheritance from the Father in this life. Spirit life is now given in downpayment through the faith of Christ, but it is already exceeding anything in this physical creation (Luk 24:49; Act 1:4; Act 2:33; Eph 1:13-14; Gal 3:14). God only works through faith, and this is a hard lesson for all of us to learn who become so attached to physical solutions and “the arm of flesh”, as our natural instinct is always aligned to what mankind supplies (2Ch 32:7-8).

Jer 17:5 Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.

Abraham was the man of faith and was given two sons initially – the firstborn was Ishmael, who was born of a concubine named Hagar, who was a slave from Egypt in his household. Ishmael was about fourteen years old when Isaac was born, revealing to us that the fleshly offspring is first on the scene and matures much quicker than the spiritual offspring – this is why this physical connection is so strong in us (Gen 17:21; Gen 17:24-25; Gen 21:5). Isaac was the offspring “by promise” through Sarah, the “free woman”. Abraham, like all of us, was attached to the flesh and wanted Ishmael to live before God (Gen 17:18):

Gen 21:12 And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad [Ishmael], and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.

Ishmael and his offspring in us are also seen in the way Christ first comes to us in fleshly form (2Co 5:16; Gal 4:25). Many indeed receive Christ in His fleshly ministry, but very few are given to receive Him in His spiritual ministry in this age:

Mat 22:14 For many are called, but few are chosen.

The “many” are referred to as babes in Christ as they are inspired by the fleshly blessings they receive in Christ, and these are still their primary concern:

1Co 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes [Greek: “nepios”] in Christ.

The focus of the “nepios” is also on causing divisions and strife through fleshly comparisons, among other problems the struggle with, as some in the Corinthian church:

1Co 3:3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

The spiritual Christ is not yet formed in these “little children” who still attached themselves to the weak and beggarly elements of the world:

Gal 4:19 My little children [Greek: “teknion”] of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you.

God inspired the “uihos” to travail in birth with these little children in showing patience and much physical affection (this is what “teknion” means) until the spiritual Christ is formed in them. The spiritual inheritance of God rests now on the “uihos” in Christ who are clearly distinguished from others as these verses clearly indicate:

Rev 12:5 And she [the woman connected to the earth/wilderness] brought forth a man child [Greek: “uihos”], who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child [Greek: “teknon”] was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

Rom 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children [Greek: “teknon”] of God:
Rom 8:17 And if children [Greek: “teknon”], then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

The Greek word “teknon” relates very closely with the “uihos” as God’s offspring who He is elevating to a deeper and higher understanding of spiritual things in Christ, which is also referred to as being seated in heaven – having the mind of Christ (Eph 2:6; 1Co 2:16). Many find these different stages of spiritual growth offensive, as if there is a carnal hierarchy at work, which is not true. The “uihos” is called to “reasonable service” to others, which is quite the opposite to what the worldly concept of elevation is (Rom 12:1). Service in the kingdom of God is to give your life in ministry to others through the inspirational work of Christ:

Mat 20:25 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.
Mat 20:26 But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;
Mat 20:27 And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:
Mat 20:28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

Spirit life will eventually be given to all in the generation of the first Adam, but now it is only reserved for those whom God humbles to take up their cross and bear His reproach “without the camp” (Heb 13:13). Humility comes only through fiery trials in order to be glorified together with Him in service to others:

Rom 8:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

Those who can receive chastening and judgment on their sins and transgressions are brought to glory through those sufferings, and that is how we see God’s face in glory – “mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth” (Exo 33:17-20; Col 3:1-5). Only these humbled sons of God can receive correction because of the teachable spirit of Christ in them:

Heb 12:5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children [Greek: “uihos”], My son [Greek: “uihos”], despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
Heb 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son [Greek: “uihos”], whom he receiveth.
Heb 12:7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons [Greek: “uihos”], for what son [Greek: “uihos”] is he whom the father chasteneth not?

This is how we will all access our inheritance in the spirit when we are ready to receive it:

Heb 2:10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

It is only when our heavens are opened through the baptism of fiery trials that we are enabled to see spiritual things, as testified in Christ after His baptism, and then the Father is only pleased with the mature sons:

Luk 3:21 Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened,
Luk 3:22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son [Greek: “uihos”]; in thee I am well pleased.

Isaac is revealed in scripture as the beloved son of Abraham who displayed obedience and submission. Even when his father wanted to sacrifice him, there was no resistance:

Gen 22:7 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?
Gen 22:8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
Gen 22:9 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.

Isaac was “brought as a lamb to the slaughter” as a type of Christ being the Lamb of God showing mature sonship in accepting the Father’s will and His fiery judgment above his own will and desire (Isa 53:7; Mat 26:39; Mat 26:42; Mat 26:44). This judgment is on the household of Christ now, and it is the place of pressure and tribulations where all the mature disciples will follow Jesus, as this will be “according to custom” of Jesus (1Pe 4:17; 1Jn 4:17):

Luk 22:39 And going out, according to His custom, He went to the Mount of Olives. And His disciples also followed Him.
Luk 22:40 And when He was at the place, He said to them, Pray that you do not enter into temptation.
Luk 22:41 And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw. And He kneeled down and prayed,
Luk 22:42 saying, Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me. Yet not My will, but Yours be done.

Even when Abraham was prepared to sacrifice Isaac in obedience to God’s commandment, God has given Abraham the faith that Isaac will be raised from the dead (Heb 11:17-19):

Gen 22:15 And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time,
Gen 22:16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:
Gen 22:17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
Gen 22:18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

Although the context of a land was part of God’s covenant with Abraham, the inseparable promise of sonship through whom the whole earth will be blessed is tying it all together. God repeated this promise of sonship directly to Isaac after Abraham’s death:

Gen 26:2 And the LORD appeared unto him [Isaac], and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of:
Gen 26:3 Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father;
Gen 26:4 And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;
Gen 26:5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.

Isaac is reminded of Abraham’s obedience to the commandments of God and how God will fulfill this promise of numerous offspring through Isaac. God ordained that the faith of Christ, our spiritual Father, will be the way to please God, and through this faith of Christ sonship matures (Heb 11:6). This sonship is what Isaac brings to us in type as we read about his life in the scriptures. Isaac married Rebekah when he was at the age of forty (Gen 25:19-20). But Rebekah was like her mother-in-law, Sarah, barren initially:

Gen 25:21 And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him….

Isaac “intreated the Lord” for twenty years in prayer and did not seek a quick way out. His focus was on the Giver of life, and he learned from His father that consulting with flesh is not the way God wants His true sons to go. Those who are sons of God are led by His spirit, which are His words – they do not think or go beyond “that which is written” (1Co 4:6). Like Isaac, they obey God and accept His will in all things:

Rom 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons [Greek: “uihos”] of God.

Isaac learned that faith waits and is patient, even as love is the obeying and doing of God’s Word, not just the hearing (1Jn 5:2-3):

1Jn 5:1 Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.
1Jn 5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
1Jn 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

1Co 13:4 Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
1Co 13:5 doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not its own, is not provoked, taketh not account of evil;
1Co 13:6 rejoiceth not in unrighteousness, but rejoiceth with the truth;
1Co 13:7 beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

A “uihos” spirit is the spirit of love and of the knowledge of Christ and the Father who will take us out of being childish and encouraging us to progress to spiritual maturity being able to handle the truth of judgment on flesh and the losing of all in this life (Mat 10:38-39):

Eph 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son [Greek: “uihos”] of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
Eph 4:14 That we henceforth be no more children [Greek: “nēpios”] tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
Eph 4:15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

Spiritual maturity is marked by the love of Christ through the spirit of sonship which is poured in our hearts by the spirit of the Father (Rom 5:5; Rom 8:23; 1Jn 5:1-3):

Rom 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption [Greek: “uihothesia”], whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

In Christ alone we have been made the “adoption of sons” even as we are waiting for the release or redemption from this body of flesh:

Rom 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption [Greek: “uihos”], to wit, the redemption of our body.

Gal 4:5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive [Greek aorist tense=process] the adoption of sons [Greek: “uihothesia”].
Gal 4:6 And because ye are sons [Greek: uihos”], God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son [Greek: “uihos”] into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

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Detailed studies and emails relating to these foundational themes in Scripture are available on the iswasandwillbe.com website, including these topics and links:

The Benefits of The First Resurrection
Do Babes in Christ Have The Spirit of God?
Begotten and Born
The Meaning of Love Your Enemies

The book of Genesis is named after the Greek word “genesis” which has its Hebrew equivalent in the word “tôledâh” which appears at least 13 times in the book of Genesis and is translated as “generations” (Gen 2:4; Gen 5:1; Gen 6:9 (2); Gen 10:1; Gen 10:32; Gen 11:10; Gen 11:27; Gen 25:12-13 (2); Gen 25:19; Gen 36:1; Gen 36:9; Gen 37:2). Generational lines are given to help us understand God’s way of working with mankind. First of all the created generations which God works with are divided into two opposing dimensions called heaven and earth:

Gen 1:1 In the beginning [Hebrew: rê’shı̂yth = first in order/firstfruit] God created the heaven and the earth.

Gen 2:4 These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens.

Through Jesus Christ, who is “the beginning of the creation of God” (the firstfruit), The Father works all in the generations of the heavens and the earth (Joh 1:1-4; Rev 1:8; Rev 3:14; Col 1:15-17). Only few are chosen by God to see and receive God’s plan with these generations (Mat 22:14). To understand the invisible heavens, we are first given an earthly parable. This earthly parable on the one hand makes the invisible creation of God understandable for those who can receive that, but on the other hand it also restricts the spiritual insight of many – also called the “multitudes” (Rom 1:20; 1Co 2:14; Mat 13:34):

Mat 13:2 And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.
Mat 13:3 And he spake many things unto them in parables….

Mat 13:10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them [the “multitude”] in parables?
Mat 13:11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

It was written in God’s book that the generational line of the first Adam was to first go through this earthly eon and all in that Adam will eventually be made in the spiritual likeness of God (Gen 5:1; 1Co 15:22-28; 1Ti 2:1-6). The first man is “the figure” or type of the second man although the first physical Adam is also the total opposite of the spirit man, Jesus Christ (Rom 5:14; Rev 1:8). This opposition or resistance to the belief of new spirit life in Christ is a foundational theme in Genesis but is always further developed and exposed throughout scripture. God created and inspired these oppositional forces which are vital for the purposes of both sides in the final analysis. Here is where these foundations of these general lines are explained by God:

Gen 3:14 And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
Gen 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

Both sides operate as adversaries (Hebrew: “śâṭân”) to each other, but God ordained that His elect in Christ, typified by the woman, will be the first to benefit from these encounters (Eph 1:3-7; 2Ti 2:12; Rev 20:4). The spiritual principle that those who live by the faith of Christ shall suffer under those who wax worse and worse is established early in the first two sons of Adam (Gen 4:1-8; 2Ti 3:12-13):

Heb 11:4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.

1Jn 3:11 For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
1Jn 3:12 Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one [the spiritual seed of the serpent], and slew his brother [the spiritual seed of the woman – Christ]. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.
1Jn 3:13 Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.

Our firstborn is our fleshly existence (or the carnal and death eon in us) which cannot please God and is given to think it can do its own thing by disobeying God’s order and commandments (Rom 8:6-8). The fleshly lawless man of sin in us will always oppose and hate the second born, which the new creation of spirit typifies and this new creation is coming through the last Adam, Jesus Christ (2Th 2:3-4; 1Ti 1:9; 1Jn 2:7-9):

1Jn 3:15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

But in this long process we are mercifully exposed to all the hidden evils in us first, as we also learn in this process what Godly love and righteousness is all about. Since the beginning God has always preserved a very small remnant who is up against an overwhelming number of adversaries, but they will be victorious against all physical and carnal calculations and scheming (Isa 1:9; Isa 16:14; Rom 11:5). Through the generational line of Seth, whom God gave to Adam and Eve in the place of the murdered Abel, new life came forth. Yet even in this chosen generational line of Seth new adversaries were added, but God kept Noah faithful among these adversaries in his generation also and through the judgement of a global flood all these opponents were removed (Gen 6:9; Gen 7:11-24). After the flood these opposing generational lines between earth and heaven are further developed and exposed:

Gen 10:1 Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood.

Gen 11:6 And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.
Gen 11:7 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.
Gen 11:8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.

Through Shem God again emphasized His choice when He brought forth the generational line which will be used as types of those who are enabled by God to follow His commandments (Gen 11:10). Here is a short summary of this generational line from Adam right down to Abraham, and Abraham being one of the major examples who showed through his life what God uses to make the faithful endure until the end amidst their “śâṭâns”:

1Ch 1:1 Adam, Sheth, Enosh,
1Ch 1:2Kenan, Mahalaleel, Jered,
1Ch 1:3Henoch, Methuselah, Lamech,
1Ch 1:4Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

1Ch 1:24 Shem, Arphaxad, Shelah,
1Ch 1:25Eber, Peleg, Reu,
1Ch 1:26Serug, Nahor, Terah,
1Ch 1:27Abram; the same is Abraham.

Through the recurring cycles of expansions and contractions (narrowing) since Adam, we see a pattern being established which is admonishing us to always take note of God’s modus operandi. A big section of the first part of the book of Genesis was taken up by the life and journeys of Abraham (from the last verses of Chapter 11 right into Chapter 25). Abraham was used by God as a type of what the faith of Christ is bringing into those whom God has chosen as the fulfillment of His word for His purposes through Jesus Christ:

Mat 1:1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Faith is a gift from God, and it is not given because of anything we do or even contribute to earn or claim anything from God (Eph 2:8-10). The faith of Abraham is used to introduce many spiritual types which encourage us to recognise the works of the faith of Christ in our own lives, if we are given to receive this. Abraham’s death is our death to fleshly desires which brings forth the spiritual concept of maturing sonship in Christ which we learn so much of through the life of Isaac. As Adam was put to sleep to bring forth the new life of Eve and “all living” through her, so we need to know how dead we are in flesh and why death (our first and last “śâṭân”) needs total destruction before new life can be established in us (Gen 2:21-22; Gen 3:20; Joh 8:52-53; Rom 8:6-8; 1Co 15:26):

Gen 25:8 Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people.

Ecc 9:5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.
Ecc 9:6 Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.

1Co 15:26 The last enemy [Greek: “echthros” – opposition/adversary] that shall be destroyed is death.

Several times the scriptures are clear that God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. Are these scriptures referring to Abraham contradicting this truth that dead people are really dead? (Mar 12:27; Luk 20:38):

Mat 22:32 I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.

Mat 8:10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.
Mat 8:11 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.

These are not contradicting the truth that Abraham is as dead as a dead beast right now (Ecc 3:18-21). Not only is the Scripture written as a parable to blind the eyes and dull the hearing of those whom God is not giving the truth now, but the very same words of God are spirit and are interpreted differently in those with spiritual eyes and ears (Exo 14:20; 1Co 2:7-10):

Mat 13:13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
Mat 13:14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
Mat 13:15 For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

Joh 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

Abraham sitting in the kingdom of God is a parable – the name “Abraham” is speaking of those who have been given the faith of Christ, even as Lazarus, typifying this elect, are taken into this same “bosom of Abraham” which again refers to Christ and the faith He gives to those whom He embosoms (Mat 1:1; Luk 16:20-22; Gal 2:16; Php 3:9):

Gal 3:16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

Gal 3:29 And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Although Abraham was a true historical figure who lived on the earth, whenever we read of Abraham in the sum of God’s Word, the spirit of God is teaching us that it is actually referring to Christ and those in whom He instills His faith in this eon (Mat 4:4; 1Co 2:13). Faith is the only way by which we can please God and receive His spirit life to sit in His spiritual kingdom, even now (Heb 11:6):

Eph 2:6 And [God] hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

But there are also other sons and daughters of Abraham who are in bondage, like all of us must be before we are loosened by Jesus:

Luk 13:16 And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?

These are the sons from the bondwomen or concubines in Abraham’s life, also representing our own time when we believe on Jesus, but cannot see our own carnal heart and that its true condition is spiritual bondage:

Joh 8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
Joh 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Joh 8:33 They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?

These sons and daughters of Abraham from the bondwoman or concubines are an extremely necessary part of the kingdom of God inside and outside, like the tares which God ordained to grow in His field until the time of judgment or all the different kinds of sea creatures (good and bad) caught in the one net and separated at the appointed time (Mat 13:27-30; Mat 13:47):

Joh 8:37 I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.

This seed of Abraham from the bondwoman and concubines could not see and still do not know how to apply the opposing generational lines of the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman in their own lives first and foremost. We all play our role on both sides of this divide, but at first we cannot even see that our own words and actions are openly witnessing to our hostility toward the truth and to those who bare that testimony of Jesus in them. This is our time in spiritual captivity which is for our good:

Jer 24:5 Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge them that are carried away captive of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans for their good.

It comes as a great earthquake when our book is being opened progressively and we can hear these words of Jesus directly spoken to us:

Joh 8:42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.
Joh 8:43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.
Joh 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

In our time, we do not like the elect of God and despise their calling and words which we cannot see as the very words of God. These immature Jewish converts who rejected Jesus’ admonishing words wanted to kill him when they thought they were following Him. But they were following Him – it was only for the wrong reasons and selfish motives:

Joh 8:59 Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

One of the offspring of Abraham who needs to fulfill this important task of opposing the generational line of the true son of Abraham was Ishmael (Gal 4:29-31). God indeed blessed Ishmael with a physical offspring of twelve sons which is also spiritually referring to the foundations of flesh which opposes the foundations of the spirit (Gen 17:20; Luk 6:13; Eph 2:20; Jas 1:1; Heb 11:10; Rev 21:14):

Gen 25:12 Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s handmaid, bare unto Abraham:
Gen 25:13 And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,
Gen 25:14 And Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa,
Gen 25:15 Hadar, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah:
Gen 25:16 These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their towns, and by their castles; twelve princes according to their nations.
Gen 25:17 And these are the years of the life of Ishmael, an hundred and thirty and seven years: and he gave up the ghost and died; and was gathered unto his people.
Gen 25:18 And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur, that is before Egypt, as thou goest toward Assyria: and he died in the presence of all his brethren.

Ishmael and his offspring settled in the region of Havilah, and they were somehow protected in their towns and castles which were situated in the vicinity of the wilderness region of Shur. Havilah is known in the scriptures for its gold, but the wilderness region of Shur has no water of life there, but only the bitter waters from the rivers of flesh. The flesh does increase in goods, but that is not fulfilling the inward spiritual needs (Rev 3:17):

Gen 2:11 The name of the first [river that went out of Eden] is Pison [meaning “increase”]: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;
Gen 2:12 And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone.

Exo 15:22 So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water.
Exo 15:23 And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah.

The words “and he died in the presence of all his brethren” in verse 18 of Genesis 25 are from the King James Version, but in other translations we find a deeper meaning to the original written words:

Gen 25:18 ASV And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur that is before Egypt, as thou goest toward Assyria. He abode over against all his brethren.

Gen 25:18 GNB The descendants of Ishmael lived in the territory between Havilah and Shur, to the east of Egypt on the way to Assyria. They lived apart from the other descendants of Abraham.

Gen 25:18 GW His descendants lived as nomads from the region of Havilah to Shur, which is near Egypt, in the direction of Assyria. They all fought with each other.

Gen 25:18 ERV His descendants camped throughout the desert area from Havilah to Shur, near Egypt, all the way to Assyria. And they often attacked his brothers’ people.

Gen 25:18 ISV His descendants settled from Havilah to Shur (that’s near Egypt), all the way to Assyria, in defiance of all of his relatives.

These versions reveal much more of the function of these twelve sons of Ishmael and their offspring which confirm the important and helpful role the opposition plays in our own lives. They give us the necessary opposition to develop us stronger in our faith. These twelve princes of Ishmael lived in the wilderness, even unto Assyria. Assyria dwelled in the region between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, and they were also used by God as one of His heavy-handed instruments to correct physical Israel (Isa 105-7; Isa 36:1-22; Jer 50:17; Hos 11:4-6). We are all upset when we see evil around us, and we cannot understand God’s work in this creation, as the prophet Habakkuk also approached God with this dilemma. In our immaturity we actually accuse God of being uncaring and slack in answering our prayers to remove all the evil oppositions from our lives?

Hab 1:1 The burden which Habakkuk the prophet did see.
Hab 1:2 O LORD, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save!
Hab 1:3 Why dost thou shew me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance? for spoiling and violence are before me: and there are that raise up strife and contention.

God indeed answers all prayers but not in the way we like them to be answered. The spiritual Chaldeans or Babylonians, like the spiritual Assyrians are all used by God to fulfil His judgement in order to reveal where the worst evil was being committed, and the biggest criminal is hiding (Psa 17:13; Jer 1:15; Jer 2:19; Jer 50:17; 2Th 2:1-12; Rev 13). It is all inside our own hearts, and our own evil hearts are used by God to judge us:

Hab 1:6 For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadth of the land, to possess the dwellingplaces that are not theirs.
Hab 1:7 They are terrible and dreadful: their judgment and their dignity shall proceed of themselves.

God’s answers to our prayers are always to bring more evil, strife and contentions to ‘solve’ the previous problems, and yet there seems no end to it all as Habakkuk also reveals to us. He also found the reason for these increasing oppositions by which we are to be humbled:

Hab 2:4 Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.

When we can detect false solutions and do not expect quick answers to our prayers, then we are ready to receive the more intense trials and tribulations which God brings to move our faith to a deeper and higher level. Our enemies, even our own carnal heart, are given for our benefit:

Joh 16:33 I have said all these things to you so that in me you may have peace. In the world you have trouble: but take heart! I have overcome the world.

Hab 3:16 When I heard, my belly trembled; my lips quivered at the voice: rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled in myself, that I might rest in the day of trouble: when he cometh up unto the people, he will invade them with his troops.
Hab 3:17 Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:
Hab 3:18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
Hab 3:19 The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.

Joy in the midst of darkness and pain is not natural – it is the strength of God in operation. We are taught how to use the faith of Christ in us to deal with this through patience and endurance. This is what sonship is about – to be faithful in the things which our Father entrusted to us through faith. This is also what Abraham has left as an inheritance for Isaac. Abraham’s legacy is the good works and fruit which faith produces as the just shall live by the faith of Christ and that faith alone (Gal 5:22-23). Isaac will have to learn, through his own application, how he needs to live by every aspect of life. In Isaac the true generational line of spiritual sonship is developed, and this is the theme we will look at in the following weeks, God willing:

Rev 21:6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
Rev 21:7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son [Greek: “uihos”].

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Detailed studies and emails relating to these foundational themes in Scripture are available on the www.iswasandwillbe.com website, including these topics and links:

Why Christ Spoke in Parables
Why Are The Multitudes Not Given to Understand?
Was Satan Created as An Adversary?
Satan and The Carnal Mind
Will Abraham, Isaac and Jacob be in The Kingdom?
Lazarus and The Rich Man
The Spiritual significance of Assyria

The book of Genesis reveals mankind’s biggest needs which consume his whole life from beginning to end. The first man Adam was created void of spirit life and was formed in a corruptible earthy body of sin and death (Gen 1:2; Gen 2:7; Psa 51:5-7; Jer 18:4; Mat 6:19; Mat 7:17; Act 13:33-34; Rom 1:23; Rom 6:6; Rom 7:24; 1Co 15:45). God also places in the heart of all mankind the hope of this spirit life, and He will not disappoint anyone in that hope:

Rom 8:20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope.

God’s plan to bring all in the generation of the first Adam to spiritual perfection is indeed a secret or a mystery which is hidden in His Word, Jesus Christ, through whom He chose to make this all possible (Rom 16:25; 1Co 2:7; Eph 1:9; Eph 3:9-11). Through Christ all will eventually receive this new life as God now reveals to His servants what He is busy doing to bring all to Him (1Co 15:22-28):

Rev 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John.

Amo 3:7 Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.

This revelation of Jesus includes the unveiling of who the first Adam is and how God is working this process to make all in His image:

Gen 1:27 And creating [this Hebrew verb “bârâ” is used here in the imperfect tense which indicates the action, process or condition is incomplete] is the Elohim humanity in His image. In the image of the Elohim He creates it. Male and female He creates them.(CLV)

We are still discussing the foundational theme of faith, and in Genesis chapter 24 this process of making man in the spiritual image of God is also highlighted where the Godhead and their work in the hearts of humanity are revealed through the union of the male with the female (1Co 11:3; Eph 5:31-33). Abraham appoints his elder faithful servant to bring a bride for his Son, Isaac, who is a type of Christ (Gen 22:2; Mat 1:1-2; Gal 3:16; Gal 3:29; Heb 11:17-19). Through the faith of Christ, the Father draws all in the generation of the first Adam to be in Christ at the appointed time (Joh 6:44; 1Co 15:22-28; 1Ti 4:9-10):

1Ti 2:3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
1Ti 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
1Ti 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
1Ti 2:6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

The faith of Christ brings forth life and works, and these works are visible in our actions (Jas 2:14-18). As with Abraham, the Father made all the necessary provisions for this salvation process to be 100% successful and also give His servants all that is needed to fulfill their task. Everything God created was good for the purpose He is using it, even the evil and the wicked – although evil is never good, and darkness can never be equated to light (Gen 50:20; Pro 16:4; Isa 5:20; Mal 2:17; Isa 54:16; Eph 1:11):

Gen 1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

Isa 45:7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

In this story in chapter 24 of Genesis, several role-players are used as types to reveal the works of God through His Christ in the generation of the first Adam. The main players in this scene in Genesis 24 includes a mature in faith and physically aged Abraham, his faithful servant, Abraham’s son Isaac, a young, beautiful virgin named Rebekah and her family, and also ten camels who are also playing their part in this story. We will recap in short each one’s role and will conclude this discussion with the main focus on verses 62 to 67 – the romantic meeting between Isaac and Rebekah which pictures the marriage of Christ and His church. It all starts off with Abraham sending his elder and faithful servant to find a wife for Isaac with very specific instructions:

Gen 24:1 And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things.
Gen 24:2 And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh:
Gen 24:3 And I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell:
Gen 24:4 But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac.

God the Father placed in Christ all of Himself, which includes all His spiritual blessings needed to make this all possible (Joh 1:1-4; Joh 1:14-16; Col 1:19; Heb 2:1-3; Rev 1:1-3). God then prepares the hearts of those to whom He reveals this Jesus to receive and do His spiritual words and bear this testimony of Jesus Christ faithfully until their task is concluded (Isa 28:23; Mat 7:24-25; Joh 17:6-8; Eph 1:10; Eph 1:23; Rev 19:10). The faith of Abraham in God’s provision and promises was witnessed in his words and in his life by this servant over many years in the company of Abraham:

Gen 24:7 The LORD God of heaven, which took me from my father’s house, and from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me, and that sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence.

All God’s true servants know that God works all things to happen precisely at the appointed time and place, as He also prepares the hearts and directs the steps of all, especially as revealed to those whom He humbles to hear His truths (Psa 10:17; Pro 16:1; Pro 20:24; Jer 10:23; Rom 9:16). The faith of Christ removes the fear of failure, although we all will fall and stumble in the process, but God raises up again and heals all wounds (Job 5:17-19; Psa 34:19-20; Pro 24:16). In the performance of their task, the servants of God use this faith of Christ also; first of all in prayer as an important tool to operate in humility and in God’s perspective of things:

Gen 24:12 And he [the servant of Abraham] said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham.

The prayer of faith will always produce results as we learn through prayer that the will of God is done in every situation as He alone provides in every aspect of life:

Mat 6:9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Mat 6:10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Mat 6:11 Give us this day our daily bread.

Whatever we will inherit or receive from God was already predetermined (“having been bound in the heavens”) and is being worked after the counsel of His will, for those who are given to see this truth (Eph 1:11):

Mat 18:18 CLV Verily, I am saying to you, Whatsoever you should be binding on the earth shall be those things having been bound in the heavens, and whatsoever you should be loosing on the earth shall be those loose in heaven.

Before this servant of Abraham finished his prayer, Rebekah already appeared on the scene to prove that his prayer had already “been bound in the heavens” as it will also happen in the sight of this servant of Abraham:

Gen 24:15 And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder.

Rebekah was from the right family, and her heart wanted to do the right thing, even according to the prayer which this servant prayed in his heart. Here we also see a few pointers on how the true bride of Christ is to be recognised and identified, as typified by Rebekah and her behaviour:

Gen 24:16 And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up.
Gen 24:17 And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher.
Gen 24:18 And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink.
Gen 24:19 And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking.
Gen 24:20 And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.

She was “very fair to look upon”, and this relates to the bride of Christ in terms of their appearance or insight into the word and doctrine of Christ as witnessed by their actions (Mat 7:16-21; Rev 4:8-11). Their words and actions will be in harmony with the doctrine of Christ and always as refreshing as the morning and clear as the sun which will help us also on our path (Psa 119:105; Psa 119:130; 2Co 4:6):

Son 1:15 Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves’ eyes.
Son 1:16 Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea, pleasant: also our bed is green.

Son 6:10 Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners?

Rebekah was a virgin, which reflects on those who are espoused to Christ having a pure heart. This is achieved by God as He blots out our previous life of sin and transgression through Christ, even as far as the east is from the west, and He never thinks about it again as He indeed makes all things new (Psa 103:12; Isa 43:25; 2Co 5:17):

2Co 11:2 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

Mat 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

Rebekah did what she had to do in haste, and this also points to those in Christ who know that the time is at hand and that every word of God is applicable in their lives as they do His commandments and work out their salvation with fear and trembling (Php 2:12-13; Jas 1:25-27):

Rev 1:3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

She was not only diligent to serve this servant of Abraham and those with him, but also serve all the ten camels with fresh water, which are unclean animals in the scriptures. The true bride of Christ is diligent not only in their unconditional service to each other, but also to those who will come to Christ later in the second resurrection (Oba 1:21; Rev 20:11-15). They do not look for vainglory, but deem others more important than themselves (2Co 1:24).

Php 2:3 KJV Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
Php 2:4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
Php 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Php 2:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
Php 2:7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
Php 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Rebekah was from the family of Abraham who were still living in the land of the Chaldees, which was situated in the region of Babylon (Isa 47:1; Isa 48:14; Dan 2:1-2; Dan 5:30; Dan 3:8-12; Isa 13:19). This typifies our own route through spiritual Babylon where we also thought we served God while hating His true doctrine and servants. From this state of spiritual delusion all of God’s elect are called to come out of and be humbled to be joined to His bridegroom, Jesus Christ. God’s elect has compassion and understands that although our brothers and sisters in spiritual Babylon recognise and use the words of God, they rather fixate their attention on the physical application of those words and are in captivity and puffed up in their own delusional understanding of His Word (which is His gold and His silver):

Eze 16:15 But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that passed by; his it was.
Eze 16:16 And of thy garments thou didst take, and deckedst thy high places with divers colours, and playedst the harlot thereupon: the like things shall not come, neither shall it be so.
Eze 16:17 Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them,

This is the status of Rebekah’s family also:

Gen 24:50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing proceedeth from the LORD: we cannot speak unto thee bad or good.
Gen 24:51 Behold, Rebekah is before thee, take her, and go, and let her be thy master’s son’s wife, as the LORD hath spoken.
Gen 24:52 And it came to pass, that, when Abraham’s servant heard their words, he worshipped the LORD, bowing himself to the earth.
Gen 24:53 And the servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to Rebekah: he gave also to her brother and to her mother precious things.

Those who cannot leave the old earthly Jerusalem with her fleshly attachments are used by God to eventually persecute and kill His elect, for the benefit of the elect. This is very much needed as they are used to crush and kill God’s elect in their streets (in public) and also openly display the bodies of the elect in public retribution and unforgiveness (Act 4:10; Rev 11:3-10):

Luk 13:33 Nevertheless I must walk to day, and to morrow, and the day following: for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem.
Luk 13:34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!

Rebekah’s family wanted to keep her a little longer…”at the least ten” days as this is also the time the flesh needs to stay in a spiritual delusion of perfection or maturity and try to cling to those who are called out (the “ekklēsia”), who are being separated and drawn away. However, the call in the hearts of God’s true elect to go and leave the fleshly attachments is stronger than anything any human can resist. This separation is always viewed by the fleshly mind as unloving, very cruel and unjust (Mat 10:22):

Gen 24:55 And her brother and her mother said, Let the damsel abide with us a few days, at the least ten; after that she shall go.
Gen 24:56 And he said unto them, Hinder me not, seeing the LORD hath prospered my way; send me away that I may go to my master.
Gen 24:57 And they said, We will call the damsel, and enquire at her mouth.
Gen 24:58 And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go.

Now Rebekah is taking the long road as she left with this stranger, in the form of this servant of Abraham, to be with her unknown husband whom she wants to be with, no matter the discomfort and trials along this journey and which is still ahead of her (Act 14:22). Only the Father knows the time of the gathering of His elect, even the marriage feast between His Son and His bride (Mat 24:36; Joh 6:44; Joh 17:11; Php 3:11-14). God caused Isaac to come from the “south country” without any precise time when he will meet his wife:

Gen 24:62 And Isaac came from the way of the well Lahairoi; for he dwelt in the south country.

This well of Lahairoi is first mentioned in relation to Hagar, the slave of Sarah earlier on in Genesis:

Gen 16:10 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.
Gen 16:11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
Gen 16:12 And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.
Gen 16:13 And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?
Gen 16:14 Wherefore the well was called Beer-lahairoi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.

Hagar gave birth to Abraham’s firstborn after this, but Ishmael was to be the rejected son of Abraham who was “after the flesh” and not like Isaac, who was “by promise”:

Gal 4:22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.
Gal 4:23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.

This well is also the place where Isaac dwelled after the death of Abraham:

Gen 25:11 And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac; and Isaac dwelt by the well Lahairoi.

Lahairoi means “the well of the Living One seeing me”, and this confirms that God is the Well of living waters from whom all in this creation live and have their being in full view of Him (Luk 8:17; Act 17:28; Heb 4:12-13). It is the same God who brings forth both of Abraham’s sons: one from the bondwoman and the one from the free woman, to be significant for His purposes in their own generation. From this well Isaac also went out to meditate (“chew the cud” of God’s Word), and it is during this time of meditation his vision also cleared to see his wife arriving (Lev 11:4; Deu 14:7; Joh 3:29; Rev 21:1-3; Rev 21:9). As the bridegroom lifted up his watchful eyes, his expectation is met with the coming of the camels which is known to him:

Gen 24:63 And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming.

The true church of God also keeps the lamps burning, because their eyes are fixed on the prize of the high calling in Christ as they also do not know the time of the appearance of the bridegroom (Mat 25:1-13). Rebekah was also watchful and prepared to meet her bridegroom. The bride of Christ is veiled and covered to be His alone:

Gen 24:64 And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel.
Gen 24:65 For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a vail, and covered herself.

The true spiritual Israel of God after the spirit is the true elect and the chosen bride of Christ whom He prepares and arrays in His righteousness (Isa 54:5):

Rev 19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
Rev 19:8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
Rev 19:9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.

The task of the servant was complete, and great joy was also in his heart as he is requested to give a full account to His master’s son:

Gen 24:66 And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done.

We all will give an account of all we had done as God works all things in our lives and we rest and account to this truth alone:

Joh 3:29 He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.

Rom 14:11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
Rom 14:12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

Now the wedding feast can start referring to those in the first resurrection where they will be comforted and find true love in the “tent” or covering of Christ. “Jerusalem which is above”, referring to Christ and His mind, “is the mother of us all” and is here symbolized by Sarah’s tent. In Christ the church has spiritual intimacy and unity through the mind of Christ – away from the eyes and mind of the world (Isa 62:2-5; Eph 2:6; Gal 4:26; Rev 21:2-4):

Gen 24:67 And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.

Detailed studies and emails relating to these foundational themes in Scripture are:

Revelation 1:3
Revelation 14:1-5
Revelation 21:1-3
New Jerusalem Comes Down From Heaven
The Third Heaven

(Key verses: Gen 22:20-23; Gen 23:1-20)

In our previous discussion we saw how God intervened to save Isaac’s life after God revealed Abraham’s obedient heart of faithfulness to His commandments. The scripture says Abraham received Isaac back from the dead in a figure as he had already accepted Isaac’s death (Heb 11:17-19). After this event on mount Moriah in Genesis 22, the scriptures added a few names which seem to have no relation to this trial of Abraham’s faith. This all prepares us for what is about to take place in Abraham’s household:

Gen 22:20 And it came to pass after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying, Behold, Milcah, she hath also born children unto thy brother Nahor;
Gen 22:21 Huz his firstborn, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram,
Gen 22:22 And Chesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Bethuel.
Gen 22:23 And Bethuel begat Rebekah: these eight Milcah did bear to Nahor, Abraham’s brother.

These are very emotional times for Abraham as he also received news from his family in Mesopotamia. The name that stands out in these verses is that of a daughter, Rebekah, who was an offspring of one of the eight sons of Abraham’s brother, Nahor. As God knew all things in advance and works all these things after the counsel of His will, He never intended Abraham to slay Isaac because God had already prepared a wife for him (Isa 46:10; Isa 55:8-9; Rom 11:33; Eph 1:11).

That trial in Abraham’s life prepared him for the next one which would test Abraham’s faith in a much deeper and personal way. In this discussion on the foundational theme of faith, we are once more encouraged to see that the faith of Christ will indeed see us through the deepest sorrows in life and even keep us faithful not to compromise within our weakest moments:

Gen 23:1 And Sarah was an hundred and seven and twenty years old: these were the years of the life of Sarah.
Gen 23:2 And Sarah died in Kirjatharba; the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan: and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.

The last time we heard about Abraham and his family is when they stayed in Beersheba after God saved Isaac’s life when Abraham was prepared to sacrifice him in obedience to God’s commandment. From there they moved to Kirjatharba, which was another name for Hebron, where Abraham, Sarah and their family also stayed before in their times of sojourning in Canaan (Gen 13:18). Here in Hebron Sarah spent her last days before she died at the age of one hundred and twenty seven years. Sarah’s death brought Abraham to a very vulnerable state, and this is also the first time we read that Abraham wept. Emotions and sensual things are part of this life of mankind, but the faith of Christ in us will give us the ability to handle these powers in our flesh in the proper way (Pro 25:28; Ecc 3:4; Gal 5:16-17; Rom 8:28; Heb 10:23):

Php 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Amid this emotional and painful time in Abraham’s life, it was his faith in God which still empowered him to stand firm on his status as being a stranger and sojourner whose only inheritance is death on this earth:

Gen 23:3 And Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spake unto the sons of Heth, saying,
Gen 23:4 I am a stranger and a sojourner with you: give me a possession of a buryingplace with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.

Death is the spiritual state of all in the fleshly Adam as created by God to be our temporal dwelling:

Rom 8:5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
Rom 8:6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Rom 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
Rom 8:8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

Abraham wanted to “bury [his] dead out of [his] sight”, and this is something the faith of Christ in us will always encourage us to do when we are in a position to do that:

Luk 9:59 And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
Luk 9:60 Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.

The primary meaning of God’s word has to do with its spiritual interpretation:

Joh 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

These words of Christ to “let the dead bury their dead” is referring to the taking up of our own cross and dying to our own earthliness (death), and that is how we can follow Christ (Joh 6:63). This is how we preach the kingdom of God in the most powerful way:

Mat 10:38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
Mat 10:39 He that findeth his [earthy] life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

Abraham spoke to the sons of Heth about taking possession of this “buryingplace”. Heth means “terror”, even as death brings the most fearful emotion in a human heart. Heth was the second son of Canaan, the son of Ham who was cursed by Noah when Ham did not cover his father’s nakedness (Gen 9:21-25). From Heth the Hethites or Hittites came forth (Gen 23:10; Gen 49:32). The Hittites were one of the tribes which occupied the land of Canaan, but this very land was promised to Abraham by God as a possession (Gen 15:19-21; Gen 17:8). Taking possession of our own “buryingplace” is to be given the ability to see that flesh and its carnal mind is spiritual death, and that losing this earthiness is the only way to get the new life of Christ (Gal 2:20). Life in the spirit is the true inheritance God has promised as we overcome “by little and little” in our dealings in our land of flesh (Exo 23:30; Deu 7:22):

Gen 23:5 And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying unto him,
Gen 23:6 Hear us, my lord: thou art a mighty prince among us: in the choice of our sepulchres bury thy dead; none of us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre, but that thou mayest bury thy dead.

Abraham was seen as a “mighty prince” to these Canaanites as they were well aware of Abraham’s life before God. Through Abraham we also learn that “every good gift and every perfect gift” we receive from God will come through faith as that keeps us “unspotted from the world” and its standards (Jas 1:17-27; Heb 11:6). Although Abraham knew that this land of the Hittites was promised to him and his offspring by God, Abraham still approached these children of Heth with respect and humility:

Gen 23:7 And Abraham stood up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the children of Heth.
Gen 23:8 And he communed with them, saying, If it be your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight; hear me, and intreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar,
Gen 23:9 That he may give me the cave of Machpelah [meaning to fold/double], which he hath, which is in the end of his field; for as much money as it is worth he shall give it me for a possession of a buryingplace amongst you.

Abraham did not compromise on the truth by conforming to the standards of the world. He wanted to pay for the cave of Machpelah, and he also insisted on paying the full price of the value of this buryingplace (Rom 12:2). There is a very popular false doctrine which claims that salvation is free, easy and quick, even via a short sinner’s prayer. The truth is that salvation comes through a costly and lengthy process as is witnessed throughout the scriptures. One of these examples is given to us through the life of king David. David never offered anything to God that did not cost him:

2Sa 24:19 And David, according to the saying of Gad, went up as the LORD commanded.
2Sa 24:20 And Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him: and Araunah went out, and bowed himself before the king on his face upon the ground.
2Sa 24:21 And Araunah said, Wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant? And David said, To buy the threshingfloor of thee, to build an altar unto the LORD, that the plague may be stayed from the people.
2Sa 24:22 And Araunah said unto David, Let my lord the king take and offer up what seemeth good unto him: behold, here be oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing instruments and other instruments of the oxen for wood.
2Sa 24:23 All these things did Araunah, as a king, give unto the king. And Araunah said unto the king, The LORD thy God accept thee.
2Sa 24:24 And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
2Sa 24:25 And David built there an altar unto the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD was intreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.

This was the very foundation on which the temple built by David’s son, Solomon, was built at a later stage. This foundation also relates to the spiritual foundations of the city of God which Abraham was always looking to in faith:

Heb 11:10 For [“by faith”] he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Ephron, one of the Hittites, was the owner of this cave and also the field in which this cave was situated. Ephron also wanted to give the cave and the field as a gift to Abraham:

Gen 23:10 And Ephron dwelt among the children of Heth: and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the audience of the children of Heth, even of all that went in at the gate of his city, saying,
Gen 23:11 Nay, my lord, hear me: the field give I thee, and the cave that is therein, I give it thee; in the presence of the sons of my people give I it thee: bury thy dead.

The faith of Abraham once again enabled him to openly stand strong amid his vulnerable emotional state, as he did not budge to this gesture which seemed like a bargain in the eyes of flesh:

Gen 23:12 And Abraham bowed down himself before the people of the land.
Gen 23:13 And he spake unto Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying, But if thou wilt give it, I pray thee, hear me: I will give thee money for the field; take it of me, and I will bury my dead there.

There is a saying that there is no such thing as a free lunch – we will somehow pay dearly for free gifts. The words “free gift” appear in the following verses in the King James translation and has also given rise to many false teachings concerning the grace of God. The grace of God does not work the lascivious spirit in many who preach that salvation excludes going through the wrath of God and His fiery judgment on all fleshliness in us (1Co 3:13-15; Jud 1:3-7; Rev 15:8):

Rom 5:15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift [Greek: “charisma”]. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
Rom 5:16 And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift [Greek: “charisma”] is of many offences unto justification.

These two words, namely “free gift”, are actually translated from one Greek word, “charisma”, which refers to unmerited favour. God’s unmerited favour is to bring salvation through His chastening and scourging grace to all in the first Adam by which we give up on the pride and lusts in our life at the appointed time:

Tit 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Tit 2:12 Teaching [Greek: “paideuō” = discipline by punishment] us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.

Heb 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth [Greek: “paideuō”], and scourgeth [Greek: “mastigoō” = flogging/plague] every son whom he receiveth.
Heb 12:7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth [Greek: “paideuō”] not?

Salvation is indeed a gift from God, but can only be obtained when we buy our own oil as the wise virgins also realised in the following parable, but the foolish virgins could not see the purpose for working out their own salvation with fear and trembling (Php 2:12-13):

Mat 25:1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
Mat 25:2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
Mat 25:3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
Mat 25:4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
Mat 25:5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
Mat 25:6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
Mat 25:7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
Mat 25:8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
Mat 25:9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
Mat 25:10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
Mat 25:11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
Mat 25:12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
Mat 25:13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

The wisdom in God’s elect helps them to see that they must zealously keep “buying” and investing into His gold, His raiment and His eyesalve, while at the same time selling all their fleshliness in true repentance to God:

Rev 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
Rev 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

Mat 19:21 Jesus said unto him [the young ruler], If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.

Abraham shows us that the faith of Christ helps us to be patient and merciful in our walk in this life, and in that way we will frustrate the proud and lustful flesh to reveal its true nature and intentions (Rom 12:20; 1Jn 2:16). Ephron eventually reveals his true price for the piece of land which Abraham paid in full to Ephron in the sight of all the sons of Heth:

Gen 23:14 And Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto him,
Gen 23:15 My lord, hearken unto me: the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver; what is that betwixt me and thee? bury therefore thy dead.
Gen 23:16 And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant.

Silver speaks of redemption in scripture – we need complete redemption and deliverance from our old life in the flesh to be given the new spirit life of Christ (Rom 8:23-25 Eph 1:13-14). We must patiently work out our own salvation, even when it seems others have an easier path. The pride in us naturally wants to compare with others and naturally we are dead wrong about what our carnal mind wants us to believe about others (1Jn 2:16; 2Co 10:12-13).

More than this, we are also given this deep assurance that all those to whom we are attached in the flesh will in their own time be taken through their unique process as determined by God to eventually receive the new life in Christ. Ephron not only sold the cave, but also the field with all the trees to Abraham:

Gen 23:17 And the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, and the cave which was therein, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all the borders round about, were made sure
Gen 23:18 Unto Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all that went in at the gate of his city.
Gen 23:19 And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre: the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan.
Gen 23:20 And the field, and the cave that is therein, were made sure unto Abraham for a possession of a buryingplace by the sons of Heth.

It is in this area where Abraham and all his offspring were buried, including Isaac, Jacob and Joseph (Gen 25:9; Gen 35:29; Gen 49:29). Abraham prepared a place for his offspring to bury their own dead, as Christ also prepared a place for all in Adam by showing that life comes through death, even the burying place of the cross which He prepared for us before He comes to take us to be seated with Him in heaven (Eph 2:6; 2Co 12:1-11):

Joh 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
Joh 14:2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
Joh 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
Joh 14:4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.

Even in His deepest sorrow and a time of great loss Abraham is given to us as a type of how the faith of Christ provides for those who come after Him by taking up their own cross and burying their own dead (Mat 10:38-39):

Pro 13:22 A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.

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Detailed studies and emails relating to these foundational themes in Scripture are available on the iswasandwillbe.com website, including these topics and links:

The Image of The Beast
How to Handle Freeloaders
Is Our Faith a Gift or a Free Choice?
Does God Foreknow Our Decisions?

(Key verses: Gen 22:1-19)

The foundational theme of “faith toward God” is beautifully revealed through the faith of Abraham as one of the types given in the scriptures to show us how the faith of Christ in us works and takes us to spiritual maturity through the chastening grace of God (Heb 6:1-2; Rom 4:16; Php 3:9; Eph 2:8-10; 1Co 13:13):

Tit 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Tit 2:12 Teaching [Greek: “paideuō” = discipline by punishment] us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

Heb 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth [Greek: “paideuō”], and scourgeth [Greek: “mastigoō” = flogging/plague] every son whom he receiveth.
Heb 12:7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth [Greek: “paideuō”] not?

The natural mind in us cannot see or accept this “strange work” of God through His scourging judgment on everyone in the first Adam, at the appointed time, to make them His children in Christ (Isa 28:17-29; Isa 26:9; 1Co 15:14; 1Pe 4:17). This is the way true love works, and every spiritual son the Father receives will go through this experience. This disciplining and sending of plagues will also increase in intensity according to the measure of faith we receive, but everyone will be enabled also to bear this through Christ (Joh 16:12; 1Co 10:11):

Rom 12:3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to every one who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think. But set your mind to be right-minded, even as God has dealt to every man the measure of faith.

We examine ourselves during our time of judgment, and we also learn to discern the Lord’s body as we wait on each other by serving one another in humility (Joh 13:3-15; 1Co 11:28-34; 1Pe 4:17). God will reveal to us His true witnesses and helpers of our joy who will compass us about with great comfort within this time of judgment:

Heb 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Heb 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Heb 12:3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
Heb 12:4 Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.

The accusers and “contradiction of sinners” against the elect will not ease off in their accusations and derisions, but Jesus is our biggest example in all of this as He also supplies the inward strength to be content with whatever situation we are placed in:

Php 4:11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
Php 4:12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
Php 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Abraham was taken through many trials during his time of sojourning in the land of Canaan, but in Genesis 22 Abraham was taken to a new threshold of enduring God’s testing:

Gen 22:1 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt [Hebrew: “nâsâh”; Greek: “peirazō”] Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.

The Greek equivalent verb for “nâsâh” is “peirazō” (according to the Septuagint translation). The Hebrew word “nâsâh” was translated as “tempt” here, but to get the true meaning of this expression “God did tempt Abraham” we must also note that “nâsâh” is also translated as “prove” or “try” in these verses, among others:

Exo 16:4 Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove [Hebrew: “nâsâh”; Greek: “peirazō”] them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.

2Ch 32:31 Howbeit in the business of the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who sent unto him to enquire of the wonder that was done in the land, God left him, to try [Hebrew: “nâsâh”; Greek: “peirazō”] him, that he might know all that was in his heart.

The New Testament also confirms what this temptation of Abraham was about:

Heb 11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tried [Greek: “peirazō”], offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son.

Temptation has to do with all the trials which the Father works and sends to us via His appointed agencies, whether spiritual or physical (Heb 12:9; Eph 1:11). God Himself never tests, tries and tempts anyone Himself because He knows what is in our hearts, but we do not know – He is truly omniscient (1Sa 2:3; Job 28:24; Psa 139:4; Psa 147:5; Heb 4:13). Testing or trials are all for our learning about who we are and His works in us (Deu 8:2). Naturally we do not know our own ignorance, and it is a humbling process to go through these trials. Trials are common to all in Adam, even Jesus had to endure them personally while being in an earthly body of death, and even now through His church (Rom 6:6; Col 1:24-27):

Mat 4:1 Then was Jesus led up [this verb is in the Greek aorist tense] of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted [Greek: “peirazō”] of the devil.

1Co 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape [Jesus is, was and will be the only way to overcome temptation], that ye may be able to bear it [cast your cares on Him – Psa 55:22; 1Pe 5:7].

However, we are taught to see temptation as God’s instruments to bring joy, and even though it is common to all, it still is experienced as strange and something horrible by our flesh every time. The mind of Christ sees trials differently:

Jas 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations [Greek: “peirasmos” – noun form of the verb “peirazō”];
Jas 1:3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

1Pe 4:12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try [Greek: “peirasmos”] you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.

It is in obedience to this truth which highlights the faith of Abraham and all his dealings with God:

Gen 22:2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

The mountain in the land of Moriah is very significant as it is also relates to the vicinity where the first physical temple was built by Solomon. Moriah means “chosen by God” as it also links to what the mountain of the Lord spiritually represents as the house of God or His household of faith (Zec 8:3; 1Co 3:16; Eph 2:19):

2Ch 3:1 Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where the LORD appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.

Isa 2:2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
Isa 2:3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

The mountain of the Lord relates to threshing and teaching, and this also confirms that trials are brought to us through which God separates the chaff (lies) from the wheat (truth) in our lives. This separation He performs with His “threshing instruments of iron” which destroys the mountains of flesh in us (Psa 1:4-6; Pro 20:8; Pro 20:26; Isa 28:27; Isa 41:15; Amo 1:3):

Luk 3:17 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable.

This is what Abraham faced as he and Isaac, with two young men, rose up early in the morning and travelled for three days – and still the place was afar off:

Gen 22:3 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.
Gen 22:4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.

This number three spiritually indicates the process of threshing or chastening we have to fulfill as “no man [is] able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels [are] fulfilled” (Act 14:22; Rev 15:8):

Gen 22:5 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.

We will be brought to the point in our growth in faith to understand the purpose of the outward physical application and the “putting forth of the finger” (Isa 58:9). Concentrating on other’s evil is the beast’s way to divert attention from itself and “comparing themselves among themselves” (2Co 10:12; 1Co 1:19-20). We will indeed see that we ourselves are the worst of sinners in every aspect, and we have to carry our own load or burdens in that sense (1Ti 1:15; Gal 6:4-5).

Gen 22:6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.

Here we are also given a picture of the task the Father has laid on Christ to take on Him the load of the iniquity of us all while we are led astray to follow our own carnal ways (Psa 51:5; 2Co 5:21):

Isa 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

In the words “I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you”” we see an expression of Abraham’s expectation to return with Isaac. Abraham’s faith was at such a level that he could see beyond the death of Isaac, even God being able to raise Isaac from the dead. Isaac died “in a figure”, and this expresses the heart of Abraham concerning Isaac. This also reveals the Father’s heart concerning Christ in the flesh and all in the first Adam, who will be brought through the resurrection from the dead to receive spirit life:

Heb 11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,
Heb 11:18 Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:
Heb 11:19 Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.

Abraham never witnessed a resurrection from the dead at that stage, but faith made this possible for him to see and accept (Psa 119:130; 1Co 13:12; 2Co 4:6; Eph 1:17-18). Abraham believed that Isaac will be brought back to life because of God’s Word to him – faith comes only through the Word of God (Rom 10:17). God promised that through Isaac all Abraham’s offspring will be brought forward (Gen 12:1-3; Gen 21:10-12):

Gen 17:19 And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.

Christ, the Word of God, is the incorruptible seed of God through whom the “everlasting covenant” of life in spirit will come (Luk 8:11; 1Pe 1:23). There is no way God will ever go back on His word – His word will accomplish everything He sets out to achieve, even the salvation of all who were made after the corruptible seed of the first Adam (Isa 55:10-13; 1Co 15:22-28; 1Co 15:42). In our time of spiritual immaturity we cannot accept that we are to sacrifice our own lives or that a grain of wheat can fall into the ground and die, yet will produce a huge harvest after that (Joh 12:24). As faith grows, however, there comes a peace as we learn how God’s glory is revealed through these trials. Trials bring the death of our old man, and progressively we can see His face in glory (Exo 33:17-23; Mat 16:28; 2Co 3:18; Rev 1:17). This quiet Godly confidence in us comes with maturity, and this is seen in us when we are not easily swayed by the trials and the accusers (Eph 4:11-14; Heb 12:1). This confidence in God’s works in us is not cast away or squandered for temporary earthly glory and pleasures as we can see the rewards trials bring (Heb 10:35-39).

Gen 22:7 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?
Gen 22:8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering [Hebrew: “ôlâh” = ascend]: so they went both of them together.

God indeed has supplied a Lamb as a burnt offering for the sins of the whole world, even as Jesus Himself experienced the fiery wrath and judgment of God on His flesh (Isa 54:8; Mat 27:46).

1Pe 1:19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
1Pe 1:20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.

Abraham was known for his sojourning in his tent and his altars, and here we have the fourth time that Abraham built an altar to God. (We already dealt with the altars in Abraham’s life in more detail in a previous discussion – Study #56):

Gen 22:9 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. 10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.

It seemed that Isaac gave no resistance to what his father was requesting him to do and is about to do to him. This gives us also a beautiful picture of the way Jesus was led as a lamb to the slaughter at His time of being sacrificed on the altar of the cross as also prophesized by Isaiah:

Isa 53:7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

This is how we are shown how Christ’s true followers will respond when this level of faith is given to them. This type of submission is not given when we are not yet ready and prepared by God as to how to respond and behave when we are falsely accused and led to the slaughter by our enemies as appointed by God. In this instance with Isaac, God intervened:

Gen 22:11 And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.
Gen 22:12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.

God knows everything in advance, and He never intended for Abraham to sacrifice Isaac as a burnt human sacrifice. Burning humans as sacrifices on an altar is not part of God’s mind as a way to please Him because “if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing” (Jer 7:30-31; Jdg 11:30-40; 1Co 13:3). We only please God by the faith of Christ in us which will cause us to do His commandments (Heb 11:6; Heb 13:9-10). Nowhere in the scriptures did God want anyone to sacrifice humans, even Jephthah did not sacrifice his daughter as a burned sacrifice, but she fulfilled the vow her father foolishly made on her behalf to remain a virgin all her life (Jdg 11:30-40). Our flesh shall not have an offspring in spirit – true spiritual sacrifices are made from dying daily, even as we are also filling up in our body the afflictions of the Christ to fulfil his work in us and in His body (Col 1:24; 1Co 15:31):

Gen 22:13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.
Gen 22:14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.

Isaac died “in a figure”, and this ram which Abraham sacrificed was “in the stead of” Isaac. Abraham received Isaac back “from the dead” as the scriptures declare (Heb 11:19). If we cannot see that through our own dying we will be brought to life, we will follow the false doctrine of a substitutionary atonement of Christ. This false teaching comes from a lascivious spirit in those who want spiritual life without giving up on their life of sin and even despise the dwelling and abiding in the fire of God (Jud 1:3-4; Isa 33:14-15; Joh 8:31-32; Rom 8:17; 1Jn 4:17). Christ’s sacrifice was indeed an empowering and atoning death through which we will receive His inward strength to be a sweet smelling saviour of Christ to the Father while He enable us to die for our own sins (2Co 2:15; Php 4:18; 1Co 15:31).

2Co 1:5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.

Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

That the Lamb of God is actually also a ram is also counterintuitive to the natural mind (1Co 2:13-14). Like the tent of the tabernacle was covered with rams’ skins dyed red, so is Christ the covering Head of the church, even as a physical ram is the leader of the flock (Rom 1:20; Exo 25:5). The ram here shows the positive application of this symbol pointing to Christ as the highly exalted One who is the “firstborn of every creature” of God’s creation, and He is also the “firstborn from the dead” (Exo 29:15-16; Lev 5:15; Joh 1:1-4; Rom 1:20; Col 1:15-19; Rev 3:14). As a ram without blemish, Jesus never sinned while in a body of sin, and that is why His sacrifice is above all sacrifices (Rom 6:6; 2Co 5:21). His complete and perfect ransom ascends above all others and God accepted it as the only true “sweetsmelling savour” which was prepared “from the foundation of the world” (Joh 1:29; Eph 5:2; 1Jn 2:1-2; Rev 13:8):

Heb 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for [Greek: “huper” = above] every man.

We are to work out our own salvation as God works or supplies His spiritual abilities in us, meaning we die to self by taking up our own cross and doing His commandments (Php 2:12-13; Mat 10:38-39; Mat 7:24-25; Jas 2:21-23; Rev 1:3). The faith of Christ in us brings the life of Christ in us, even as typified in the life of Abraham. Receiving Isaac back from the dead (“in a figure”) opened the heavens for Abraham, and this is typifying our own multiplying and increase in the fruits of righteousness if we endure the trials of our faith (2Co 9:10; 1Pe 1:7-9):

Gen 22:15 And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time,
Gen 22:16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:
Gen 22:17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
Gen 22:18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
Gen 22:19 So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba.

Detailed studies and emails relating to these foundational themes in Scripture are available on the iswasandwillbe.com website, including these topics and links:

Being Tempted versus Being Tested
Christ’s Glory
Was Christ’s Death Substitutionary?
He Made Him Sin for Us
Did Jephthah Commit Human Sacrifice?
Does God Foreknow Our Decisions?
The Law of the Offerings – Burnt Offering

(Key verses: Gen 21:1-13)

The faith of Christ is an assurance of things hoped for and a conviction of things not seen, as the scripture declares (Heb 11:1). This faith works as a contrast to all natural and worldly reasoning and inclinations. Even in type, the faith of Abraham helped him to hope against hope that God will fulfill His promise to give them an offspring through Sarah which will be in number like the stars in the heaven (Rom 4:17-22; Gen 15:5-6). In this sense Abraham represents the Old Testament example of the Christ as the Saviour through whom the “great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues” will be saved (1Cor 15:22-28; 1Tim 4:10; Rev 7:9):

Gal 3:8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.

In Genesis 21 this promise of a son to Abraham, through which all the nations of the earth will be blessed, is fulfilled (Gen 22:18):

Gen 21:1 And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken.
Gen 21:2 For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.

Abraham is also our Old Testament type of total obedience to God’s commandments which is only possible through the faith of Christ in our lives (1John 5:1-5):

Gen 21:4 And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him.
Gen 21:5 And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him.

Two numbers are given here in these two verses which also help us to apply this obedience through the faith of Christ within ourselves when we will not doubt that God will do everything He has promised. The number eight relates to the new man in Christ and the spiritual circumcision of the heart. This relates to us being transformed in the mind to be able to let go of our physical concepts and to serve God’s people according to our measure of faith (Rom 12:1-3):

Rev 17:11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.

The number one hundred contains two tens (10 X 10) which in this case of Abraham relates to the witness (the spiritual meaning of the number two) against the idea that spiritual perfection can be attained in the flesh (the number ten points to what the flesh represents spiritually). Abraham “considered not his own body now dead…neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb” is describing this truth so beautifully (Rom 4:19). God will only bring the new life when our own flesh and its carnal mind come to a progressive realization that it actually profits nothing (Joh 3:30). Only God can bring new life out of the deadness of flesh (Rom 7:24; Rom 8:6; 2Co 5:17). This spiritual insight of the total deadness of our flesh is given to us at “the end of the world” which is the end of our time of being subjected under the carnal thinking of our natural mind (Isa 62; Mat 24; Mat 13:37-43; 1Co 10:11; Rom 6:14). Here is how the apostle Paul describes this evil eon of the flesh and its purpose for all in the first Adam before the faith of Christ is given to us:

Gal 3:22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin [the first eon or age of the flesh], that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
Gal 3:23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
Gal 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Gal 3:25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

Our carnal eon (the time period of our “first man Adam”/“the lawless and disobedient”/“the man of sin”) is ruled by natural laws (“the elements of this world”) outwardly and inwardly. These various “elements” under which all in the generation of Adam also operates can be associated with “the law of a carnal commandment” under which physical Israel functions (1Ti 1:9; 2Th 2:3-4; Rom 2:14-15; Gal 4:3; Heb 7:16). While the old fleshly tabernacle is yet standing, the new tabernacle of the spirit cannot come, which is introduced by “the time of reformation”:

Heb 9:8 The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing:
Heb 9:9 Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;
Heb 9:10 Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.

The time period of one hundred years for Abraham also reveals to us the many agonizing years we will have to wait for the fulfillment of God’s ultimate spiritual promise of life in the spirit. The new life of Christ only comes through “much tribulation,” and there are no short cuts in this enduring process. Even in this example of Abraham the false teaching of a quick salvation process is exposed as a lie throughout the scriptures, for those who can see that (1Co 10:11):

Act 14:22 Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.

Luk 21:19 In your patience possess ye your souls.

This new tabernacle of spirit is typified by the birth of Isaac as the second born of Abraham:

Gen 21:3 And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac [Hebrew: “yitschâq”].

Isaac’s name means “laughter,” and this theme of laughter is interestingly interwoven within the first thirteen verses of Genesis 21. Here is how Dr Strong connects the Hebrew meanings in this word “yitschâq”:

H3327
yitschâq
yits-khawk’

From H6711; laughter (that is, mockery); Jitschak (or Isaac), son of Abraham: – Isaac. Compare H3446.

H6711
tsâchaq
tsaw-khak’

A primitive root; to laugh outright (in merriment or scorn); by implication to sport: – laugh, mock, play, make sport.

H3446
yiśchâq
yis-khawk’

From H7831; he will laugh; Jischak, the heir of Abraham: – Isaac. Compare H3327.

H7831
shachătsôm
shakh-ats-ome’

From the same as H7830; proudly; Shachatsom, a place in Palestine: – Shahazimah [from the margin].

These meanings behind the name ‘Isaac’ in Hebrew also link with these words of Sarah which she uttered when Isaac was born:

Gen 21:6 And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh [Strong’s number H6712], so that all that hear will laugh [Strong’s number H6711] with me.
Gen 21:7 And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should have given children suck? for I have born him a son in his old age.

H6712
ts^echôq
tsekh-oke’

From H6711; laughter (in pleasure or derision): – laugh(-ed to scorn).

In these meanings behind these Hebrew words we find the positive and negative application of laughter. Through this we can also see that laughter is an outward expression of either genuine joy or to provoke derision and mockery (Job 22:19; Psa 22:7; Psa 80:6; Psa 126:2-3; Psa 137:3; 2Ki 19:21; Neh 2:19). In this discussion on the foundational theme of faith we will also focus on how this faith of Christ in us brings forth the joy of the Lord to keep us strong amidst the mocking of the natural man. The positive application of laughter can be seen in the joy which Sarah and Abraham experienced at the birth of Isaac. Although we are to rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep, we are also admonished to always rejoice within our time of trials when we can see the reason behind these painful judgments:

1Pe 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
1Pe 1:8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.

Jas 1:2  Count it all joy, my brothers, when you fall into various trials,
Jas 1:3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
Jas 1:4 But let endurance have its perfect work, that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing. (EMTV)

Abraham and Sarah had to endure years of waiting and experience severe trials, but they never staggered at the promises of God because they judged God to be faithful even through all His wonderful and strange works to the children of men (Heb 11:8-12; Rom 4:17; Psa 107). Throughout the New Testament we see how the joy of the Lord is also intimately connected with the trials of our faith (Heb 12:2; Heb 10:34; Jas 1:2; 2Co 6:10; 2Co 8:2-3; 1Th 1:6; 1Th 5:16; 1Pe 1:6-9). Joy is an inherent aspect of the faith of Christ in us and part of the fruit of the spirit of God (Heb 12:2; Gal 5:22-23; Act 13:49-52):

Joh 15:11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

Sarah was barren, in terms of childbearing, until she was ninety years old, but for her and Abraham the times of mourning were turned into gladness and praise to God when Isaac was born into their household (Psa 30:11-12). It is at the time of judgment (spiritually relating to the number nine combining with the number ten in the age of Sarah) that we can see the righteous ways of God (Isa 26:9; 1Co 11:32). Then we are caused by God to “understand the reading” of the words of the Lord and how we live by those very words (Mat 4:4). This “joy unspeakable and full of glory” is typified also in Nehemiah and those few who came from Babylon when they could read and understand the Word of God after they completed the task of rebuilding the walls and gates of Jerusalem:

Neh 8:8 So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.
Neh 8:9 And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the LORD your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law.
Neh 8:10 Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.

They were commanded to rejoice in the Lord as they could understand for the first time the purpose for all the hardships they had to endure. Joyfulness and gladness are such a powerful testimony to ourselves of our measure and growth of faith in the acceptance of God’s wonderful works in us (Deu 28:45-47; Psa 4:6-8; Psa 21:5-7; Psa 92:4-5; Psa 107):

1Ch 16:27 Glory and honour are in his presence; strength and gladness are in his place.

Psa 45:15 With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought: they shall enter into the king’s palace.

Psa 97:11 Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.
Psa 97:12 Rejoice in the LORD, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.

The negative application of laughter is also found here in Genesis 21. Abraham is now brought to the point where his firstborn son, Ishmael, could not stay in his household any longer. Ishmael was almost fourteen years old when Isaac was born and what an agonizing time this must have been for Abraham knowing all the while that the time of separation from Ishmael was inevitable. However, God in His mercy will provide the strength and power, through His new life in us, even as our firstborn flesh will be mocking us:

Gen 21:9 And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking [Strong’s number H6711 – “laughter”].

Just like Hagar despised Sarah when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael, we also see this same attitude in Ishmael in this persecution of Isaac (Gen 16:4):

Gal 4:28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.
Gal 4:29 But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.

The mocking of Isaac by Ishmael is described in the scriptures as ‘persecution’. As we have already seen, the word mocking comes from the same Hebrew word translated as laughter in other verses (Gen 18:13; Gen 18:15; Gen 21:6; Gen 17:17; Gen 18:12; Gen 18:15). The flesh and its worldly spirit will always despise and oppose the spirit of God as it cannot understand spiritual things, even as “the new agrees not with the old” (Luk 5:36). The flesh was given the spirit of the world by God to help us to see that the spirit of God is totally the opposite of that carnal spirit in us (Gal 5:17; 1Jn 2:16). We learn through opposites, and that is also the reason why we are given a temporary fleshly existence as we will never understand and appreciate the spirit of God and how the spirit of God teaches us (Rom 1:20; 1Co 2:12-15). Opposition and resistance also stimulate growth and maturity. Our heavenly Father always has our spiritual growth and maturing in faith and in spirit in His focus:

Gen 21:8 And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned.

To fully understand this maturing in spirit, we must be weaned and drawn from the breast of the physical (Isa 28:9; Rom 14:1; 1Co 3:1-3; Heb 6:1-3). This weaning process will eventually bring us to the point where we can see that our firstborn flesh cannot inherit the kingdom of God in any shape or form:

Gen 21:9 And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking.
Gen 21:10 Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.
Gen 21:11 And the thing was very grievous in Abraham’s sight because of his son.

As with Abraham, our natural man does not accept or agree with this very grievous salvation plan of God and the way He ordained things to be done. Abraham also wanted Ishmael to be part of God’s inheritance, and in this we also see our own kicking and screaming “against the pricks” of God (Act 9:5):

Gen 17:18 And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!

Although we understand the spiritual things via “the things that are made”, the physical concepts in our natural mind cannot understand spiritual thing (Rom 1:20; 1Co 2:13-14). Like the Sadducee mockers, who could not understand or accept the resurrection, our carnal reasoning does not know the scriptures or the power of God:

Mar 12:24 And Jesus answering said unto them [the Sadducees], Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God?

God ordained a time for the flesh to have its dominion in our lives, and only God controls that time (Mat 24:36; Act 1:6-8). This is also what we learn through God’s answer to Abraham concerning his firstborn Ismael and his nation as God already also promised to Hagar (Gen 16:7-13):

Gen 21:12 And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.
Gen 21:13 And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.

The voice of Sarah symbolized the words of God through Christ and His church. It is these words of Christ that will remain and not pass away and through which all the earth (all in the generation of the first Adam) will be blessed, even in the destruction of their earthiness through the spiritual fire of God (Mat 24:35):

Jer 5:14 Wherefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.

Christ is the spiritual foundation which the Father has laid and we are all first given wood, hay and stubble to build on this foundation which all relates to our own works of the flesh. In time we are also given His gold, silver and precious stones relating to His spiritual works in our lives. The flesh will be destroyed while “the spirit will be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus” (1Co 5:5):

1Co 3:11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
1Co 3:12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
1Co 3:13 Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.
1Co 3:14 If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
1Co 3:15 If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
1Co 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
1Co 3:17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

Isaac is given to us as the type of Christ through whom all will inherit the spiritual promises of God:

Gal 3:16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

Gal 3:29 And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

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Detailed studies and emails relating to these foundational themes in Scripture are available on the iswasandwillbe.com website, including these topics and links:

Numbers in Scripture
Who Is Under the Law?
What Are the Elements of the World?
Comparing Spiritual with Spiritual