The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible - Part Sixteen - J Jun 02, 2019 by: John Herbert | Series: The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible Audio Study Notes PDF https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/T004_20190602.mp3 Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Heb 11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18 of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,” Today we will begin to look at the second set of OT saints in Hebrews Chapter 11. The full text of this message can be found by clicking the PDF button. Sunday June 2nd 2019 The Word of God A Survey of the Bible – Lesson 16J ‘Let Us Go On’ 1). Heb 11:8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; 10 for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. 11 By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude—innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore. We had seen last time how the first section of OT saints in Hebrews Chapter 11 was brought to a close with Abraham and Sarah. And through the types presented in this first part of the catalogue of saints in this Chapter we have been given the sequencing of the events in God’s prophetic calendar that He would have us know – And this is what we have seen – Power Point – Slides 1-2 So then, Abel gives us a picture of the starting point for God’s timetable within a Christian context, picturing the Lord’s death on the cross. The sacrifice that provides the means for the free gift of eternal life and the salvation of the soul. Enoch provides the next picture – that of the resurrection/rapture of the Church to stand before the Lord in Judgment. Noah provides the picture of Israel going through the Tribulation. And finally, Abraham takes us into the Millennial Kingdom, where both his physical and spiritual descendants will be called out of one land to receive their inheritance in the promised land. a). Now although the idea of being taken from one land to another is very simple in and of itself, we should not lose sight of the enormity of what this simple picture means. b). With regards to Abraham’s physical descendants God has made certain irrevocable statements – Gen 12:1 Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father's house, To a land that I will show you. 2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” In v3 we can clearly see God’s attitude to the treatment of His people both positive and negative. And this has remained in force since the statement was made. c). And then we must add to this the further statement made in Exodus – Ex 4:22 Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Israel is My son, My firstborn. 23 So I say to you, let My son go that he may serve Me. But if you refuse to let him go, indeed I will kill your son, your firstborn.” ’ ” These are familiar verses for us, but nonetheless let’s remind ourselves that in this statement concerning the status of Israel as God’s firstborn son is God’s declaration as to which nation is to be preeminent in the earth and hold the scepter of rulership, with the promise that through Israel, when in her rightful position at the head of the nations, ‘all the families of the earth shall be blessed’ d). Now within the historical account in Exodus God’s statement concerning the status of the firstborn was made to Pharaoh, the most powerful Gentile leader of the most powerful nation on the earth at that time under Satan. The superpower of the day was to be replaced by a nation of slaves. e). But what is seen portrayed in these verses is prophetic. The day will soon come when ‘the man of sin’ will be revealed in his own time, the Antichrist, who will be the most powerful Gentile ruler the world has ever seen. He is the one who will be given his father’s throne – Rev 13:1 Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. 2 Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. The ’Beast’ is Satan’s firstborn son and is seen in the type of the Assyrian Pharaoh in Egypt. And that which was spoken by Moses to the Assyrian Pharaoh seen in Exodus Chapter 4, will be spoken to the Assyrian Antichrist by the One greater than Moses following His return to the earth at the end of the Tribulation. That which God has said cannot be changed. f). In the historical account in Exodus the Assyrian Pharaoh sets his hand against the Jewish people to utterly destroy them. And following Israel’s supernatural deliverance from Egypt on the night of Passover, God’s irrevocable prophetic statements are realized – ‘I will curse him who curses you’, ‘I will kill your son, your firstborn’ - Ex 14:27 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and when the morning appeared, the sea returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. So the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. 28 Then the waters returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and all the army of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them. Not so much as one of them remained. 29 But the children of Israel had walked on dry land in the midst of the sea, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 30 So the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. The prophetic type has been set and the antitype will follow exactly. The future Assyrian will set his hand against the Jewish people to utterly destroy them, but Israel will be supernaturally delivered and returned to the land from the Gentile nations among whom they will have been scattered – Eze 34:11 “For thus says the Lord God: “Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. 12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day. 13 And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land; I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, in the valleys and in all the inhabited places of the country. 14 I will feed them in good pasture, and their fold shall be on the high mountains of Israel. There they shall lie down in a good fold and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. With Israel back in their land and the Christ in Jerusalem, the Antichrist will gather all the armies of all the Gentile nations to come against Israel and her Messiah in one final attempt to destroy both. This is the event that we know as the Battle of Armageddon – Rev 19:11 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. 13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. 15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. 17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the great supper of God, 18 that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.” 19 And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. 20 Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. 21 And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh. In the days of His humiliation and shame in Jerusalem, the Christ was abused and mocked by the predominant world power of the time, under Satan, Rome, being beaten and arrayed in a purple robe, a crown of thorns and a reed for a scepter. It was alone as the Lamb of God that He suffered. But in the day, we have just read about Christ will come not as the Lamb but as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. And although He will be accompanied by the angelic ‘armies in heaven’, He will tread the winepress alone, exacting God’s vengeance, just as He had said, ‘I will curse him who curses you’, ‘I will kill your son, your firstborn’. g). Antichrist and the false prophet will be cast alive in to the lake of fire, the first to occupy this place, and Satan and his angels will be bound with ‘a great chain’ and incarcerated in ‘the bottomless pit’ until ‘the thousand years were finished’. h). Abraham’s spiritual descendants will have been waging the spiritual warfare against Satan and his angels for the entire course of this dispensation and their victory in this warfare will be marked by the salvation of their souls at the Judgment Seat, with a redeemed body, covered in glory in anticipation of rulership. i). With the complete overthrow of Gentile world power and the overthrow of Satan and his angels, the Kingdom of the Heavens will then be occupied by the Christ and the many sons brought to glory to rule the earth from the New Jerusalem in righteousness and justice – ‘the times of restoration of all things’. And Israel will rule with her Messiah, at the head of the nations, from the earthly Jerusalem. j). Such is the enormity of the new beginning pictured through Abraham leaving Ur of the Chaldees to go to the land of Canaan. 2). And the enormity of what is to come must be ever present in our minds as we look at the prophetic calendar that God has established for us through these OT saints in Hebrews Chapter 11. a). And so, with God’s prophetic calendar established, we are in no doubt as to what is to happen next and in no doubt as to the significance of it – 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…………. We know what is at stake for us when we appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ. We know the enormity of what we are now being offered and the part it is to play in the fulfillment of God’s purpose for Christ’s Kingdom – Rev 3:21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. 22 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” ’ ” And we are also very aware of the negative side to the events of the Judgment Seat for those Christians who have not had faith to the saving of their soul. We have seen it already in our study of Hebrews through the 5 warnings. We have seen it in the parables of the wise and foolish virgins, the wedding guest, the talents and the minas and the faithful and unfaithful servants. We have seen it pictured through Lot and his family, through Orpah and the example of the nation of Israel. b). Hopefully by now we are very clear about this and sufficiently convinced that it has impacted how we choose to live our lives. And with this in view the next section of OT saints takes us to the heart of the matter, preparing the way to lead us into the fifth and final warning in the Book of Hebrews. c). And again, as we saw last time, this next section of OT saints begins with Abraham and his faith with respect to the sacrifice of Isaac. And in this sacrifice, we return to the same place of beginning as seen through Abel – Christ’s death and resurrection. d). And let’s remember one more time what God has said about Abraham – Gen 14:18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. 19 And he blessed him and said: “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; Ro 4:13 For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. 3). Heb 11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18 of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,” 19 concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense. The sacrifice of Isaac then forms a foundational picture of Christ’s sacrifice on the same mountain some 2000 years later, establishing a Father sacrificing the Son whom He loves and a substitutionary death. With a lot more detail besides. a). But beyond this we know that ‘in Isaac your seed will be called’. It is then Abraham’s seed through Isaac that will be ‘the heir of the world’, ‘possessor of heaven and earth’. And it is this future fulfillment of the inheritance to be given to the firstborn that is the focus for Abraham’s faith in v17-19. b). With the inheritance established through Abraham’s seed ‘in Isaac’ let’s look at Scripture’s own commentary on this – Ga 3:13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), 14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. 15 Brethren, I speak in the manner of men: Though it is only a man's covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it. 16 Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ. 17 And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect. 18 For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise. The Seed of Abraham then, through Isaac, is shown to be the Christ. He is the One in whom the promise given to Abraham concerning rulership and inheritance are to be realized. c). And this is exactly the place, rulership and inheritance, with respect to God’s Son, where the writer of Hebrews began his letter – Heb 1:1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds [ages]; 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 at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. Col 1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. It is then Jesus the Christ, the only begotten Son of God who by inheritance will exercise the rights of the Firstborn in the age to come. But not the Christ alone. Israel, God’s adopted firstborn son will exercise those rights with Christ on the earth and the many sons brought to glory will be adopted as firstborn sons to exercise those rights with the Christ from the heavens. All of which have been made possible because of the Lord’s death and resurrection – 1 Pe 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. d). It is the overwhelming importance and significance of the rights of primogeniture with respect to the age to come that is presented through the OT saints who follow Abraham in the second section of saints in Hebrews 11. 4). Heb 11:20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come. We had seen last time that before his birth, God had already determined that Jacob and not Esau would hold the rights of the firstborn – Gen 25:23 And the Lord said to her: “Two nations are in your womb, Two peoples shall be separated from your body; One people shall be stronger than the other, And the older shall serve the younger.” And again, as we had seen last time it would be incorrect to see Jacob’s actions as ‘deceitful’ with regards to obtaining his father’s blessing. We should rather see it in terms of faith, in having believed that which God had said. Gen 27:15 Then Rebekah took the choice clothes of her elder son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son. 16 And she put the skins of the kids of the goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. Jacob was to have the appearance of Esau the firstborn, but of course was not Esau. And this detail is perfectly consistent with the Christ of whom Jacob forms a type – Ro 8:3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, Christ came ‘in the likeness of sinful flesh’, in the likeness of fallen Adam, the one who had forfeited the right to rulership, but He was not Adam. a). Coming in appearance as a man Christ proved Himself worthy to hold the rights of the firstborn in the place of Adam. b). And in this picture, there is another unchangeable scriptural truth – God rejects the first and establishes the second. The first ruler of the earth is rejected, but the second is accepted. The first Man, Adam is rejected, the second Man, the last Adam is accepted. Our old man, the man of the flesh is rejected and our new man, the man of the spirit is accepted. c). And the importance of the rights of the firstborn is repeated for us again with the sons of Joseph – Heb 11:21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff. Gen 48:8 Then Israel saw Joseph's sons, and said, “Who are these?”9 Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given me in this place.” And he said, “Please bring them to me, and I will bless them.” 10 Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see. Then Joseph brought them near him, and he kissed them and embraced them. 11 And Israel said to Joseph, “I had not thought to see your face; but in fact, God has also shown me your offspring!”12 So Joseph brought them from beside his knees, and he bowed down with his face to the earth. 13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim with his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh with his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near him. 14 Then Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh's head, guiding his hands knowingly, for Manasseh was the firstborn. As we see in Hebrews Jacob blessed the sons of Joseph ‘by faith’ and we see in the Genesis account Jacob guided ‘his hands knowingly’. He knew exactly what he was doing. God had revealed to him certain things concerning this blessing and therefore who was to receive it. Jacob had believed that which God had said which caused him to bless the younger over the older. d). And in this we have a picture of God’s 2 adopted firstborn sons – Manasseh, picturing God’s elder son the nation of Israel and Ephraim, whose name means ‘double fruit’, the yet to be adopted firstborn son and therefore the younger, the Church. e). The blessing that is given to the younger is superior to that given to the elder and so it is for those Christians adopted as a firstborn son who receive the heavenly blessing which is greater than the earthly blessing given to Israel. f). This should doubly underline the importance of the rights of the firstborn that will be ours if we will have faith to the saving of the soul. g). And it is immediately after introducing matters concerning the blessing of 2 sons, that Hebrews once again moves towards to end of the matter – Heb 11:22 By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel, and gave instructions concerning his bones. Gen 50:24 And Joseph said to his brethren, “I am dying; but God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land to the land of which He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” 25 Then Joseph took an oath from the children of Israel, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.” 26 So Joseph died, being one hundred and ten years old; and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt. But this will have to wait until next time – If the Lord is willing. The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible - Part Sixteen - J Jun 02, 2019 Speaker: John Herbert Series: The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible Category: Sunday Morning https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/T004_20190602.mp3 Download Audio x
Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Heb 11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18 of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,” Today we will begin to look at the second set of OT saints in Hebrews Chapter 11. The full text of this message can be found by clicking the PDF button. Sunday June 2nd 2019 The Word of God A Survey of the Bible – Lesson 16J ‘Let Us Go On’ 1). Heb 11:8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; 10 for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. 11 By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude—innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore. We had seen last time how the first section of OT saints in Hebrews Chapter 11 was brought to a close with Abraham and Sarah. And through the types presented in this first part of the catalogue of saints in this Chapter we have been given the sequencing of the events in God’s prophetic calendar that He would have us know – And this is what we have seen – Power Point – Slides 1-2 So then, Abel gives us a picture of the starting point for God’s timetable within a Christian context, picturing the Lord’s death on the cross. The sacrifice that provides the means for the free gift of eternal life and the salvation of the soul. Enoch provides the next picture – that of the resurrection/rapture of the Church to stand before the Lord in Judgment. Noah provides the picture of Israel going through the Tribulation. And finally, Abraham takes us into the Millennial Kingdom, where both his physical and spiritual descendants will be called out of one land to receive their inheritance in the promised land. a). Now although the idea of being taken from one land to another is very simple in and of itself, we should not lose sight of the enormity of what this simple picture means. b). With regards to Abraham’s physical descendants God has made certain irrevocable statements – Gen 12:1 Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father's house, To a land that I will show you. 2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” In v3 we can clearly see God’s attitude to the treatment of His people both positive and negative. And this has remained in force since the statement was made. c). And then we must add to this the further statement made in Exodus – Ex 4:22 Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Israel is My son, My firstborn. 23 So I say to you, let My son go that he may serve Me. But if you refuse to let him go, indeed I will kill your son, your firstborn.” ’ ” These are familiar verses for us, but nonetheless let’s remind ourselves that in this statement concerning the status of Israel as God’s firstborn son is God’s declaration as to which nation is to be preeminent in the earth and hold the scepter of rulership, with the promise that through Israel, when in her rightful position at the head of the nations, ‘all the families of the earth shall be blessed’ d). Now within the historical account in Exodus God’s statement concerning the status of the firstborn was made to Pharaoh, the most powerful Gentile leader of the most powerful nation on the earth at that time under Satan. The superpower of the day was to be replaced by a nation of slaves. e). But what is seen portrayed in these verses is prophetic. The day will soon come when ‘the man of sin’ will be revealed in his own time, the Antichrist, who will be the most powerful Gentile ruler the world has ever seen. He is the one who will be given his father’s throne – Rev 13:1 Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. 2 Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. The ’Beast’ is Satan’s firstborn son and is seen in the type of the Assyrian Pharaoh in Egypt. And that which was spoken by Moses to the Assyrian Pharaoh seen in Exodus Chapter 4, will be spoken to the Assyrian Antichrist by the One greater than Moses following His return to the earth at the end of the Tribulation. That which God has said cannot be changed. f). In the historical account in Exodus the Assyrian Pharaoh sets his hand against the Jewish people to utterly destroy them. And following Israel’s supernatural deliverance from Egypt on the night of Passover, God’s irrevocable prophetic statements are realized – ‘I will curse him who curses you’, ‘I will kill your son, your firstborn’ - Ex 14:27 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and when the morning appeared, the sea returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. So the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. 28 Then the waters returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and all the army of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them. Not so much as one of them remained. 29 But the children of Israel had walked on dry land in the midst of the sea, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 30 So the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. The prophetic type has been set and the antitype will follow exactly. The future Assyrian will set his hand against the Jewish people to utterly destroy them, but Israel will be supernaturally delivered and returned to the land from the Gentile nations among whom they will have been scattered – Eze 34:11 “For thus says the Lord God: “Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. 12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day. 13 And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land; I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, in the valleys and in all the inhabited places of the country. 14 I will feed them in good pasture, and their fold shall be on the high mountains of Israel. There they shall lie down in a good fold and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. With Israel back in their land and the Christ in Jerusalem, the Antichrist will gather all the armies of all the Gentile nations to come against Israel and her Messiah in one final attempt to destroy both. This is the event that we know as the Battle of Armageddon – Rev 19:11 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. 13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. 15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. 17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the great supper of God, 18 that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.” 19 And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. 20 Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. 21 And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh. In the days of His humiliation and shame in Jerusalem, the Christ was abused and mocked by the predominant world power of the time, under Satan, Rome, being beaten and arrayed in a purple robe, a crown of thorns and a reed for a scepter. It was alone as the Lamb of God that He suffered. But in the day, we have just read about Christ will come not as the Lamb but as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. And although He will be accompanied by the angelic ‘armies in heaven’, He will tread the winepress alone, exacting God’s vengeance, just as He had said, ‘I will curse him who curses you’, ‘I will kill your son, your firstborn’. g). Antichrist and the false prophet will be cast alive in to the lake of fire, the first to occupy this place, and Satan and his angels will be bound with ‘a great chain’ and incarcerated in ‘the bottomless pit’ until ‘the thousand years were finished’. h). Abraham’s spiritual descendants will have been waging the spiritual warfare against Satan and his angels for the entire course of this dispensation and their victory in this warfare will be marked by the salvation of their souls at the Judgment Seat, with a redeemed body, covered in glory in anticipation of rulership. i). With the complete overthrow of Gentile world power and the overthrow of Satan and his angels, the Kingdom of the Heavens will then be occupied by the Christ and the many sons brought to glory to rule the earth from the New Jerusalem in righteousness and justice – ‘the times of restoration of all things’. And Israel will rule with her Messiah, at the head of the nations, from the earthly Jerusalem. j). Such is the enormity of the new beginning pictured through Abraham leaving Ur of the Chaldees to go to the land of Canaan. 2). And the enormity of what is to come must be ever present in our minds as we look at the prophetic calendar that God has established for us through these OT saints in Hebrews Chapter 11. a). And so, with God’s prophetic calendar established, we are in no doubt as to what is to happen next and in no doubt as to the significance of it – 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…………. We know what is at stake for us when we appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ. We know the enormity of what we are now being offered and the part it is to play in the fulfillment of God’s purpose for Christ’s Kingdom – Rev 3:21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. 22 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” ’ ” And we are also very aware of the negative side to the events of the Judgment Seat for those Christians who have not had faith to the saving of their soul. We have seen it already in our study of Hebrews through the 5 warnings. We have seen it in the parables of the wise and foolish virgins, the wedding guest, the talents and the minas and the faithful and unfaithful servants. We have seen it pictured through Lot and his family, through Orpah and the example of the nation of Israel. b). Hopefully by now we are very clear about this and sufficiently convinced that it has impacted how we choose to live our lives. And with this in view the next section of OT saints takes us to the heart of the matter, preparing the way to lead us into the fifth and final warning in the Book of Hebrews. c). And again, as we saw last time, this next section of OT saints begins with Abraham and his faith with respect to the sacrifice of Isaac. And in this sacrifice, we return to the same place of beginning as seen through Abel – Christ’s death and resurrection. d). And let’s remember one more time what God has said about Abraham – Gen 14:18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. 19 And he blessed him and said: “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; Ro 4:13 For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. 3). Heb 11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18 of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,” 19 concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense. The sacrifice of Isaac then forms a foundational picture of Christ’s sacrifice on the same mountain some 2000 years later, establishing a Father sacrificing the Son whom He loves and a substitutionary death. With a lot more detail besides. a). But beyond this we know that ‘in Isaac your seed will be called’. It is then Abraham’s seed through Isaac that will be ‘the heir of the world’, ‘possessor of heaven and earth’. And it is this future fulfillment of the inheritance to be given to the firstborn that is the focus for Abraham’s faith in v17-19. b). With the inheritance established through Abraham’s seed ‘in Isaac’ let’s look at Scripture’s own commentary on this – Ga 3:13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), 14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. 15 Brethren, I speak in the manner of men: Though it is only a man's covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it. 16 Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ. 17 And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect. 18 For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise. The Seed of Abraham then, through Isaac, is shown to be the Christ. He is the One in whom the promise given to Abraham concerning rulership and inheritance are to be realized. c). And this is exactly the place, rulership and inheritance, with respect to God’s Son, where the writer of Hebrews began his letter – Heb 1:1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds [ages]; 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 at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. Col 1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. It is then Jesus the Christ, the only begotten Son of God who by inheritance will exercise the rights of the Firstborn in the age to come. But not the Christ alone. Israel, God’s adopted firstborn son will exercise those rights with Christ on the earth and the many sons brought to glory will be adopted as firstborn sons to exercise those rights with the Christ from the heavens. All of which have been made possible because of the Lord’s death and resurrection – 1 Pe 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. d). It is the overwhelming importance and significance of the rights of primogeniture with respect to the age to come that is presented through the OT saints who follow Abraham in the second section of saints in Hebrews 11. 4). Heb 11:20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come. We had seen last time that before his birth, God had already determined that Jacob and not Esau would hold the rights of the firstborn – Gen 25:23 And the Lord said to her: “Two nations are in your womb, Two peoples shall be separated from your body; One people shall be stronger than the other, And the older shall serve the younger.” And again, as we had seen last time it would be incorrect to see Jacob’s actions as ‘deceitful’ with regards to obtaining his father’s blessing. We should rather see it in terms of faith, in having believed that which God had said. Gen 27:15 Then Rebekah took the choice clothes of her elder son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son. 16 And she put the skins of the kids of the goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. Jacob was to have the appearance of Esau the firstborn, but of course was not Esau. And this detail is perfectly consistent with the Christ of whom Jacob forms a type – Ro 8:3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, Christ came ‘in the likeness of sinful flesh’, in the likeness of fallen Adam, the one who had forfeited the right to rulership, but He was not Adam. a). Coming in appearance as a man Christ proved Himself worthy to hold the rights of the firstborn in the place of Adam. b). And in this picture, there is another unchangeable scriptural truth – God rejects the first and establishes the second. The first ruler of the earth is rejected, but the second is accepted. The first Man, Adam is rejected, the second Man, the last Adam is accepted. Our old man, the man of the flesh is rejected and our new man, the man of the spirit is accepted. c). And the importance of the rights of the firstborn is repeated for us again with the sons of Joseph – Heb 11:21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff. Gen 48:8 Then Israel saw Joseph's sons, and said, “Who are these?”9 Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given me in this place.” And he said, “Please bring them to me, and I will bless them.” 10 Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see. Then Joseph brought them near him, and he kissed them and embraced them. 11 And Israel said to Joseph, “I had not thought to see your face; but in fact, God has also shown me your offspring!”12 So Joseph brought them from beside his knees, and he bowed down with his face to the earth. 13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim with his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh with his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near him. 14 Then Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh's head, guiding his hands knowingly, for Manasseh was the firstborn. As we see in Hebrews Jacob blessed the sons of Joseph ‘by faith’ and we see in the Genesis account Jacob guided ‘his hands knowingly’. He knew exactly what he was doing. God had revealed to him certain things concerning this blessing and therefore who was to receive it. Jacob had believed that which God had said which caused him to bless the younger over the older. d). And in this we have a picture of God’s 2 adopted firstborn sons – Manasseh, picturing God’s elder son the nation of Israel and Ephraim, whose name means ‘double fruit’, the yet to be adopted firstborn son and therefore the younger, the Church. e). The blessing that is given to the younger is superior to that given to the elder and so it is for those Christians adopted as a firstborn son who receive the heavenly blessing which is greater than the earthly blessing given to Israel. f). This should doubly underline the importance of the rights of the firstborn that will be ours if we will have faith to the saving of the soul. g). And it is immediately after introducing matters concerning the blessing of 2 sons, that Hebrews once again moves towards to end of the matter – Heb 11:22 By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel, and gave instructions concerning his bones. Gen 50:24 And Joseph said to his brethren, “I am dying; but God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land to the land of which He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” 25 Then Joseph took an oath from the children of Israel, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.” 26 So Joseph died, being one hundred and ten years old; and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt. But this will have to wait until next time – If the Lord is willing.