The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible - Part Sixteen - H May 19, 2019 by: John Herbert | Series: The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible Audio Study Notes PDF https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/T002_20190519.mp3 Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Heb 11:4 By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks. We will begin today to look at the catalogue of faithful Old Testament saints in Hebrews Chapter 11. The full text of this message can be found by clicking the PDF button. Sunday May 19th 2019 The Word of God A Survey of the Bible – Lesson 16H ‘Let Us Go On’ 1). Heb 2:5 For He has not put the world [age] to come, of which we speak, in subjection to angels. The Book of Hebrews as we can see, is a Book whose subject matter is the age to come. The coming age when the Christ will come forth as the great King/Priest according to the order of Melchizedek, having brought many sons to glory. a). And as we have previously seen the age to come is the long awaited 7th Day, the Millennial Kingdom of Christ. b). And it is within the overall context of Hebrews and it’s stated subject that the catalogue of OT saints recorded in Chapter 11 must be placed. c). We had seen last week that each of these OT saints were said to have had faith to the saving of the soul – the specific faith that is dealt with in Hebrews - Heb 10:39 But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul. 11:1 Now faith [to the saving of the soul] is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. ‘By faith [to the saving of the soul] Abel………’ ‘By faith [to the saving of the soul] Enoch…….’ ‘By faith [to the saving of the soul] Noah……..’ And really there can be no other object for the faith spoken of here as it is the salvation of the soul that is central to the many sons being brought to glory in order to occupy the positions of rulership with Christ in the age to come. The age which will no longer be subject to angels. And it is believing that which God has said about this salvation in relation to that coming age that is at the heart of Hebrews Chapter 11. d). Eph 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. We will remember that the salvation we presently possess, the salvation of our spirit is spoken of as past and completed, based on the finished work of Christ on the cross at Calvary. And because this aspect of salvation is the free gift of eternal life, it is not the age to come which is the object of this salvation, but the eternal ages which are to follow. e). But we will also remember that salvation is spoken of in Scripture, not just as past and completed, but also as present and continuous, which will be realized as an inheritance in the future – 1 Cor 1:18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. Heb 1:14 Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will [Lit. ‘are about to’] inherit salvation? And it is the present, continuous and future aspect of salvation, the salvation of the soul, that is the focus of Hebrews, not that which is past and completed 1 Pe 1:9 receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls. It is then the salvation of the soul through believing that which God has said with a view to realizing this salvation that sets apart the OT saints in the catalogue, in Hebrews Chapter 11 as our example. f). Specifically, then, God had spoken to each of them concerning His plans and purposes and how their lives were to be conducted with a view to the future fulfillment of His purpose and each one believed God and acted accordingly because of what God had revealed to them with respect to the 7th Day. And this can be clearly seen through that which the Scripture records about Abel – Heb 11:4 By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks. The key to understanding this is seen in the first 3 words, ‘By faith Abel’. God had given instruction either directly to Cain and Abel, or through their parents, as to exactly what offering was required of them. Abel brought his offering by faith, he believed that which God had said and acted accordingly. But the same is not said concerning Cain. In the Genesis account Cain also brought an offering, but his offering was not by faith, and was therefore apart from that which God had said about it – Gen 4:3 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. 4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, 5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. Both were to bring an offering of the first fruit of their increase. For Cain this would be of the fruit of the ground as he was a tiller of the ground, and Abel of the firstborn of his flock as he was a keeper of sheep. g). Clearly then, it is not the type of offering they brought that was the issue but the quantity. Abel brought exactly what God said but Cain didn’t – Gen 4:6 So the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.” There was opportunity for Cain to change his mind, to repent, and bring that which God had specified, but this was something Cain was not prepared to do. h). So, we can see then that the acceptance of Abel and his offering, by God, is because of Abel’s faith. He believed that which God had said about the offering God required whereas Cain did not. And these events must be viewed within the context of what both knew concerning God’s purpose for the 7th Day – Something their parents would have known only too well. i). And in this event, we can see a parallel with Abraham and Lot and the encounter with Melchizedek that we had looked at some weeks back. j). We will remember that it was in response to Melchizedek’s blessing of Abraham with regards to Abraham being the possessor of heaven and earth that Abraham gave Melchizedek ‘a tithe of all’. And in doing so Abraham acted by faith with respect to what God had promised for the future and demonstrated that his focus was not on this age but on God’s promise. And such would be the case for Abel also. Lot though, who was also present at this time, made no such commitment and we will remember how matters turned out for him. And this parallels the account of Cain. k). We had of course looked at Abraham and Lot in this encounter with Melchizedek as a picture of the faithful and unfaithful Christian, which is the correct thing to do, but what is at the heart of this significant encounter of course is the 7th Day – the Day when Abraham and his descendants, both physical and spiritual, will possess the heavens and the earth. l). The offering that God required of Cain and Abel did not exist in a vacuum but could only be with a view to His purpose for creating Man and the Day in which that purpose would be fulfilled. 2). Now, with respect to the encounter with Melchizedek, we had seen how this historical event provided a prophetic picture, a type, of that which is yet to be fulfilled. Again, as we have seen, it pictures the Day when the Christ will come forth as the great King/Priest after the order of Melchizedek, following the destruction of Gentile world power, with blessings for the heavenly and earthly descendants of Abraham. a). And in like manner the inclusion of Abel as the first in the catalogue of OT saints in Hebrews Chapter 11 not only demonstrates Abel’s faith to the saving of the soul, but places him as the beginning point for a prophetic, panoramic type that takes us from his experience into the 7th Day, the Millennial Kingdom. b). Heb:4 By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it [Abel’s sacrifice] he being dead still speaks. The last part of this verse takes us to the account in Genesis that describes what happened as a result of Abel’s offering being accepted and Cain’s being rejected – Gen 4:8 Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. God has used this account of Cain and Abel as a picture of the events that would take place when 2 other brothers found themselves ‘in the field’ together; with Cain picturing the nation of Israel and Abel Israel’s Brother, the Christ. c). And if we take this picture to the time of the Lord’s first advent, there we find a marked contrast between the Lord’s ‘offering’ and that being given by national Israel– Heb 10:7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come— In the volume of the book it is written of Me— To do Your will, O God.’ ”8 Previously saying, “Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them” (which are offered according to the law), 9 then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.” He takes away the first that He may establish the second. Israel’s ‘offering’ was through keeping the letter of the Law only – Mt 23:23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. 24 Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also. And just as with Cain, Israel had the opportunity to repent and change their offering in line with the Word of God in their midst – Mt 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The Christ brought an ‘offering’ of obedience to the Father’s will and Israel brought an ‘offering’ of self-indulgence. The Christ’s offering was acceptable to God and Israel’s wasn’t. And as a result, Israel rose up and killed their Brother, with Christ Himself becoming the acceptable sacrifice in the antitype of Abel’s death at the hands of Cain. d). And the focus for this remains the 7th Day – Heb 12:2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of the faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3). Heb 11:5 By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. 6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Following the account of Abel’s offering the Holy Spirit then moved the writer of Hebrews to Enoch, the 7th generation from Adam, who from the clear evidence of these verses had faith to the saving of the soul as ‘he pleased God’. And without this type of faith ‘it is impossible to please Him’. a). The account of Enoch in Genesis, like Melchizedek, is pretty sparse – Gen 5:21 Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Methuselah. 22 After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters. 23 So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. 24 And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him. And yet despite the brevity of the detail in these verses, God has seen fit to bring Enoch to our attention here in Hebrews Chapter 11 and again in the Book of Jude, a Book that deals with apostate Christians – Jude 1:14 Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, 15 to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” This is the only recorded account of Enoch’s prophecy in scripture, and it is astounding that the 7th from Adam prophesied concerning those Christians who would turn back from and reject that which God has set in place with respect to the 7th Day and the fulfillment of His purpose for Man through the salvation of his soul. b). So, what is the significance in all this? Well, again we must turn to the typology and the prophetic panorama the Lord is showing us through it. c). Abel was given to us as a type of Christ, where Christ became the acceptable offering through His crucifixion. Marking for us a particular point in time. d). This is then followed by Enoch who was taken alive into heaven which provides the foundational picture for the resurrection/rapture of the Church. So, as we look at God’s prophetic calendar given to us here in Hebrews through the types, the next major event that will happen now that Christ’s death and resurrection have taken place, is all Christians being taken into the heavens to Christ’s Judgment Seat – the resurrection/rapture of the Church. And it is of course because of the decisions and determinations that will be made at the Lord’s Judgment Seat that the 5 warnings are given to us in Hebrews – 2 Cor 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 11 Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men…….. If we go to the genealogy of Adam given in Genesis Chapter 5 it begins with Seth, Adam’s third son – Gen 5:1 This is the book of the genealogy of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. 2 He created them male and female, and blessed them and called them Mankind in the day they were created. 3 And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. Gen 4:25 And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, “For God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed.” And Seth ‘another seed’, the seed of the woman, was given in the place of Abel. And in Seth we can see the Christ in resurrection, which within the genealogy in Chapter 5, takes us to the same place of beginning as Abel in Hebrews 11. In Abel there is death and in Seth there is resurrection. And the genealogy concludes in Chapter 5 with Abraham. The same OT character who concludes the first section of OT saints in Hebrews 11. e). Now, what we will notice in Genesis 5 is that there are a great many more individuals listed than those found in the catalogue of saints in Hebrews 11 and many of these would have conducted their lives with respect to the salvation of their soul – but, as we have said, God has selected specific individuals in order to provide us with the great spiritual truth He requires us to know. f). It is no coincidence that Enoch is the 7th from Adam, 7 being a number of Divine completion. And within the recorded history surrounding Enoch as a type 7 points to a complete period of time. Following Christ’s sacrifice then, there is a complete period of time, which we would know to be 2000 years, at the end of which the eternally saved from this dispensation, pictured through Enoch, are taken into the heavens. g). And it is no coincidence that the person picturing the resurrection/rapture of all Christians prophesied concerning the outcome for those Christians who will have lived apart from and consciously rejected the faith to the saving of the soul. Enoch, we know pleased God and therefore had faith to the saving of the soul, but this will not be true of all Christians who are taken into heaven, and so it is through the recording of his prophecy in Jude that this other side to the picture for apostate Christians is made clear. And really Enoch could be the only one to do this, to provide clarity to the event of which he is the type. h). Such is the extraordinary harmony presented in the Scriptures, which, considering their Author couldn’t be any other way either. 4). Heb 11:7 By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. Noah is the 10th generation from Adam, presenting us with another picture of a complete period of time. Noah and his family are kept safe through an unprecedented time in human history when the earth and all in it, except Noah and his family and the animals in the ark were destroyed because of the corrupted bloodlines that resulted from the sons of God, the fallen angels, cohabiting with the daughters of men. a). And so, continuing with the prophetic panorama, it is following the resurrection/rapture of the Church seen through Enoch, that the next major event, after a complete period of time, will occur - the Tribulation. An unprecedented time in human history when the whole of Gentile world power will have given its self over to the man of sin, the son of Satan, pictured previously through the actions of the fallen angels and the acceptance of those actions by those on the earth, before the flood of Noah. b). With the Church removed from the earth, pictured through Enoch, Noah and his family are taken safely through the flood, picturing the nation of Israel surviving the Great Tribulation. The Scriptures teach us that 2/3rds of all Jews will be killed during this time, but Israel, the nation will survive. Such is the hope given to that nation through Noah as they are about to enter their darkest hour. c). So, through the types given through this sequence of characters in Hebrews Chapter 11, God makes prophetically clear to us the order of events leading into the 7th Day. The death and resurrection of the Lord is now to be followed by the resurrection/rapture of the Church, which must occur prior to the Tribulation, as this is what is seen through the types. d). And then this same order of events is confirmed for us in the Book of the Revelation where the 7 churches, all Christians, are seen in the Lord’s presence for judgment in Chapters 2 and 3, following the resurrection/rapture – Rev 1:10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, 11 saying, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,” and, “What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.” Rev 4:1 After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, “Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.” 1 Th 4:16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And that seen in these chapters in the Revelation is prior to the opening of the first seal on the 7 sealed scroll which marks the beginning of the Tribulation, seen in Chapter 6 - Rev 6:1 Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.” 2 And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer. Da 9:27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; God does not allow any confusion when it comes to the timing of the events He has set in place and understanding these timings through having faith to the saving of the soul and therefore anticipating what is about to happen, is the reason for the diligence we must have in our preparation as we look to the soon coming day when we will stand in His presence. Heb 4:11 Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. 12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. 2 Pe 3:14 Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; 15 and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation We will continue with this next time – if the Lord is willing. The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible - Part Sixteen - H May 19, 2019 Speaker: John Herbert Series: The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible Category: Sunday Morning https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/T002_20190519.mp3 Download Audio x
Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Heb 11:4 By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks. We will begin today to look at the catalogue of faithful Old Testament saints in Hebrews Chapter 11. The full text of this message can be found by clicking the PDF button. Sunday May 19th 2019 The Word of God A Survey of the Bible – Lesson 16H ‘Let Us Go On’ 1). Heb 2:5 For He has not put the world [age] to come, of which we speak, in subjection to angels. The Book of Hebrews as we can see, is a Book whose subject matter is the age to come. The coming age when the Christ will come forth as the great King/Priest according to the order of Melchizedek, having brought many sons to glory. a). And as we have previously seen the age to come is the long awaited 7th Day, the Millennial Kingdom of Christ. b). And it is within the overall context of Hebrews and it’s stated subject that the catalogue of OT saints recorded in Chapter 11 must be placed. c). We had seen last week that each of these OT saints were said to have had faith to the saving of the soul – the specific faith that is dealt with in Hebrews - Heb 10:39 But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul. 11:1 Now faith [to the saving of the soul] is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. ‘By faith [to the saving of the soul] Abel………’ ‘By faith [to the saving of the soul] Enoch…….’ ‘By faith [to the saving of the soul] Noah……..’ And really there can be no other object for the faith spoken of here as it is the salvation of the soul that is central to the many sons being brought to glory in order to occupy the positions of rulership with Christ in the age to come. The age which will no longer be subject to angels. And it is believing that which God has said about this salvation in relation to that coming age that is at the heart of Hebrews Chapter 11. d). Eph 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. We will remember that the salvation we presently possess, the salvation of our spirit is spoken of as past and completed, based on the finished work of Christ on the cross at Calvary. And because this aspect of salvation is the free gift of eternal life, it is not the age to come which is the object of this salvation, but the eternal ages which are to follow. e). But we will also remember that salvation is spoken of in Scripture, not just as past and completed, but also as present and continuous, which will be realized as an inheritance in the future – 1 Cor 1:18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. Heb 1:14 Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will [Lit. ‘are about to’] inherit salvation? And it is the present, continuous and future aspect of salvation, the salvation of the soul, that is the focus of Hebrews, not that which is past and completed 1 Pe 1:9 receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls. It is then the salvation of the soul through believing that which God has said with a view to realizing this salvation that sets apart the OT saints in the catalogue, in Hebrews Chapter 11 as our example. f). Specifically, then, God had spoken to each of them concerning His plans and purposes and how their lives were to be conducted with a view to the future fulfillment of His purpose and each one believed God and acted accordingly because of what God had revealed to them with respect to the 7th Day. And this can be clearly seen through that which the Scripture records about Abel – Heb 11:4 By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks. The key to understanding this is seen in the first 3 words, ‘By faith Abel’. God had given instruction either directly to Cain and Abel, or through their parents, as to exactly what offering was required of them. Abel brought his offering by faith, he believed that which God had said and acted accordingly. But the same is not said concerning Cain. In the Genesis account Cain also brought an offering, but his offering was not by faith, and was therefore apart from that which God had said about it – Gen 4:3 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. 4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, 5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. Both were to bring an offering of the first fruit of their increase. For Cain this would be of the fruit of the ground as he was a tiller of the ground, and Abel of the firstborn of his flock as he was a keeper of sheep. g). Clearly then, it is not the type of offering they brought that was the issue but the quantity. Abel brought exactly what God said but Cain didn’t – Gen 4:6 So the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.” There was opportunity for Cain to change his mind, to repent, and bring that which God had specified, but this was something Cain was not prepared to do. h). So, we can see then that the acceptance of Abel and his offering, by God, is because of Abel’s faith. He believed that which God had said about the offering God required whereas Cain did not. And these events must be viewed within the context of what both knew concerning God’s purpose for the 7th Day – Something their parents would have known only too well. i). And in this event, we can see a parallel with Abraham and Lot and the encounter with Melchizedek that we had looked at some weeks back. j). We will remember that it was in response to Melchizedek’s blessing of Abraham with regards to Abraham being the possessor of heaven and earth that Abraham gave Melchizedek ‘a tithe of all’. And in doing so Abraham acted by faith with respect to what God had promised for the future and demonstrated that his focus was not on this age but on God’s promise. And such would be the case for Abel also. Lot though, who was also present at this time, made no such commitment and we will remember how matters turned out for him. And this parallels the account of Cain. k). We had of course looked at Abraham and Lot in this encounter with Melchizedek as a picture of the faithful and unfaithful Christian, which is the correct thing to do, but what is at the heart of this significant encounter of course is the 7th Day – the Day when Abraham and his descendants, both physical and spiritual, will possess the heavens and the earth. l). The offering that God required of Cain and Abel did not exist in a vacuum but could only be with a view to His purpose for creating Man and the Day in which that purpose would be fulfilled. 2). Now, with respect to the encounter with Melchizedek, we had seen how this historical event provided a prophetic picture, a type, of that which is yet to be fulfilled. Again, as we have seen, it pictures the Day when the Christ will come forth as the great King/Priest after the order of Melchizedek, following the destruction of Gentile world power, with blessings for the heavenly and earthly descendants of Abraham. a). And in like manner the inclusion of Abel as the first in the catalogue of OT saints in Hebrews Chapter 11 not only demonstrates Abel’s faith to the saving of the soul, but places him as the beginning point for a prophetic, panoramic type that takes us from his experience into the 7th Day, the Millennial Kingdom. b). Heb:4 By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it [Abel’s sacrifice] he being dead still speaks. The last part of this verse takes us to the account in Genesis that describes what happened as a result of Abel’s offering being accepted and Cain’s being rejected – Gen 4:8 Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. God has used this account of Cain and Abel as a picture of the events that would take place when 2 other brothers found themselves ‘in the field’ together; with Cain picturing the nation of Israel and Abel Israel’s Brother, the Christ. c). And if we take this picture to the time of the Lord’s first advent, there we find a marked contrast between the Lord’s ‘offering’ and that being given by national Israel– Heb 10:7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come— In the volume of the book it is written of Me— To do Your will, O God.’ ”8 Previously saying, “Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them” (which are offered according to the law), 9 then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.” He takes away the first that He may establish the second. Israel’s ‘offering’ was through keeping the letter of the Law only – Mt 23:23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. 24 Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also. And just as with Cain, Israel had the opportunity to repent and change their offering in line with the Word of God in their midst – Mt 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The Christ brought an ‘offering’ of obedience to the Father’s will and Israel brought an ‘offering’ of self-indulgence. The Christ’s offering was acceptable to God and Israel’s wasn’t. And as a result, Israel rose up and killed their Brother, with Christ Himself becoming the acceptable sacrifice in the antitype of Abel’s death at the hands of Cain. d). And the focus for this remains the 7th Day – Heb 12:2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of the faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3). Heb 11:5 By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. 6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Following the account of Abel’s offering the Holy Spirit then moved the writer of Hebrews to Enoch, the 7th generation from Adam, who from the clear evidence of these verses had faith to the saving of the soul as ‘he pleased God’. And without this type of faith ‘it is impossible to please Him’. a). The account of Enoch in Genesis, like Melchizedek, is pretty sparse – Gen 5:21 Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Methuselah. 22 After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters. 23 So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. 24 And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him. And yet despite the brevity of the detail in these verses, God has seen fit to bring Enoch to our attention here in Hebrews Chapter 11 and again in the Book of Jude, a Book that deals with apostate Christians – Jude 1:14 Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, 15 to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” This is the only recorded account of Enoch’s prophecy in scripture, and it is astounding that the 7th from Adam prophesied concerning those Christians who would turn back from and reject that which God has set in place with respect to the 7th Day and the fulfillment of His purpose for Man through the salvation of his soul. b). So, what is the significance in all this? Well, again we must turn to the typology and the prophetic panorama the Lord is showing us through it. c). Abel was given to us as a type of Christ, where Christ became the acceptable offering through His crucifixion. Marking for us a particular point in time. d). This is then followed by Enoch who was taken alive into heaven which provides the foundational picture for the resurrection/rapture of the Church. So, as we look at God’s prophetic calendar given to us here in Hebrews through the types, the next major event that will happen now that Christ’s death and resurrection have taken place, is all Christians being taken into the heavens to Christ’s Judgment Seat – the resurrection/rapture of the Church. And it is of course because of the decisions and determinations that will be made at the Lord’s Judgment Seat that the 5 warnings are given to us in Hebrews – 2 Cor 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 11 Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men…….. If we go to the genealogy of Adam given in Genesis Chapter 5 it begins with Seth, Adam’s third son – Gen 5:1 This is the book of the genealogy of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. 2 He created them male and female, and blessed them and called them Mankind in the day they were created. 3 And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. Gen 4:25 And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, “For God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed.” And Seth ‘another seed’, the seed of the woman, was given in the place of Abel. And in Seth we can see the Christ in resurrection, which within the genealogy in Chapter 5, takes us to the same place of beginning as Abel in Hebrews 11. In Abel there is death and in Seth there is resurrection. And the genealogy concludes in Chapter 5 with Abraham. The same OT character who concludes the first section of OT saints in Hebrews 11. e). Now, what we will notice in Genesis 5 is that there are a great many more individuals listed than those found in the catalogue of saints in Hebrews 11 and many of these would have conducted their lives with respect to the salvation of their soul – but, as we have said, God has selected specific individuals in order to provide us with the great spiritual truth He requires us to know. f). It is no coincidence that Enoch is the 7th from Adam, 7 being a number of Divine completion. And within the recorded history surrounding Enoch as a type 7 points to a complete period of time. Following Christ’s sacrifice then, there is a complete period of time, which we would know to be 2000 years, at the end of which the eternally saved from this dispensation, pictured through Enoch, are taken into the heavens. g). And it is no coincidence that the person picturing the resurrection/rapture of all Christians prophesied concerning the outcome for those Christians who will have lived apart from and consciously rejected the faith to the saving of the soul. Enoch, we know pleased God and therefore had faith to the saving of the soul, but this will not be true of all Christians who are taken into heaven, and so it is through the recording of his prophecy in Jude that this other side to the picture for apostate Christians is made clear. And really Enoch could be the only one to do this, to provide clarity to the event of which he is the type. h). Such is the extraordinary harmony presented in the Scriptures, which, considering their Author couldn’t be any other way either. 4). Heb 11:7 By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. Noah is the 10th generation from Adam, presenting us with another picture of a complete period of time. Noah and his family are kept safe through an unprecedented time in human history when the earth and all in it, except Noah and his family and the animals in the ark were destroyed because of the corrupted bloodlines that resulted from the sons of God, the fallen angels, cohabiting with the daughters of men. a). And so, continuing with the prophetic panorama, it is following the resurrection/rapture of the Church seen through Enoch, that the next major event, after a complete period of time, will occur - the Tribulation. An unprecedented time in human history when the whole of Gentile world power will have given its self over to the man of sin, the son of Satan, pictured previously through the actions of the fallen angels and the acceptance of those actions by those on the earth, before the flood of Noah. b). With the Church removed from the earth, pictured through Enoch, Noah and his family are taken safely through the flood, picturing the nation of Israel surviving the Great Tribulation. The Scriptures teach us that 2/3rds of all Jews will be killed during this time, but Israel, the nation will survive. Such is the hope given to that nation through Noah as they are about to enter their darkest hour. c). So, through the types given through this sequence of characters in Hebrews Chapter 11, God makes prophetically clear to us the order of events leading into the 7th Day. The death and resurrection of the Lord is now to be followed by the resurrection/rapture of the Church, which must occur prior to the Tribulation, as this is what is seen through the types. d). And then this same order of events is confirmed for us in the Book of the Revelation where the 7 churches, all Christians, are seen in the Lord’s presence for judgment in Chapters 2 and 3, following the resurrection/rapture – Rev 1:10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, 11 saying, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,” and, “What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.” Rev 4:1 After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, “Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.” 1 Th 4:16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And that seen in these chapters in the Revelation is prior to the opening of the first seal on the 7 sealed scroll which marks the beginning of the Tribulation, seen in Chapter 6 - Rev 6:1 Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.” 2 And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer. Da 9:27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; God does not allow any confusion when it comes to the timing of the events He has set in place and understanding these timings through having faith to the saving of the soul and therefore anticipating what is about to happen, is the reason for the diligence we must have in our preparation as we look to the soon coming day when we will stand in His presence. Heb 4:11 Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. 12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. 2 Pe 3:14 Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; 15 and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation We will continue with this next time – if the Lord is willing.