Chapter Two - Explaining the Messiah A. The Seed promised to Satan, Adam and Eve Genesis 3:15 NASB And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel." Genesis 3:15 is God talking to Satan with Adam and Eve standing nearby. This verse really bugged me for several years. It bugged me because my God is the Lord God Almighty. My God is the Creator of heaven and earth. My Lord God is above all things and to think that some little creature that He made could turn around and hurt Him, or bruise Him, just did not make sense to me. This bugged me! Well, God gave me an answer in His own way. One day I was thinking over this verse while dealing with some difficult life issues. I lost my temper from frustration and took a shot at the wall with my fist. Yes, it hurt. Then I thought of Genesis 3:15 and finally understood the verse. This little creature did not hurt my God. My God crushed Satan so hard that He hurt Himself. Just like when I hit the wall so hard that I hurt myself. When Jesus defeated death and rose from the grave, He bruised Satan on the head and, in the process, bruised Himself on the heel. Now this fits within my understanding of who God is. The truth was always there, but I just could not see the reality of the situation. In the same way, the world cannot see God. He has always been there, but the world cannot see the reality of the situation just like I could not understand Genesis 3:15 until God opened my eyes. It takes the grace of God to understand Jesus. Some might say that the Romans killed Jesus at the request of the Jewish religious leaders, but the fact is that Jesus gave Himself over to death. Mortal men could not kill God the Son. Jesus submitted Himself to the judgement of God the Father for the purpose of defeating - 16 -
death and establishing His eternal kingdom. In the process of crushing the dominion of darkness over mankind, Jesus accepted and allowed Himself to be bruised as He submitted to death on the cross for the purpose of rising to a new life in three days as the Messiah. God is in control. The moment sin entered into humanity, God presents His plan to mankind: the seed of woman will bruise (crush) Satan s head. Who is the Seed? The Seed is Jesus as the Anointed One or the Messiah or the Christ. It starts with the seed of woman. Biologically women do not produce seed (semen), but they produce eggs in the ovaries. Men produce seed. So, does God not understand biology? Or maybe God is making a statement that goes beyond the limits of our physical world. God is referencing a spiritual Seed. With that in mind, you could say that Genesis 3:15 is the first mention of the virgin birth. God is describing an impossible physical situation (the seed of women) with an overwhelming spiritual overtone (virgin birth of the Christ). The virgin birth was a miracle as God the Son (Spirit) entered into our humanity (flesh). Genesis 1:26-28 NASB 26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." 27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth." Sin has consequences. God tells Man that because of his disobedience, our physical world will change. Death of the flesh came into existence. Dominion of the - 17 -
earth shifted from Man to a fallen angel. God allowed this shift and told Satan His plan in Genesis 3:15. Notice in the verse from Acts 26 below that Jesus says people are under the dominion of Satan and living in darkness. If you are physically born into this world, you are condemned to death and judgement because you are a sinner. If while you are alive you accept Jesus as your Christ, then you are re-born spiritually. You become accepted before God the Father not because of your righteousness, but because of Jesus righteousness. You become holy because Jesus is holy. Our task on earth is to walk in righteousness and holiness after we are saved. That commandment to love our neighbor as myself is tough in the flesh. It takes the Spirit of the Living God living inside me, guiding me as I submit my life to Jesus. Acts 26:15-18 NASB 15 And I said, 'Who are You, Lord?' And the Lord said, 'I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 16 But get up and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you; 17 rescuing you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, 18 to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.' Based upon this statement from Jesus, all mankind both past and present is condemned to eternal death. See also John 14:6 where Jesus says that no one comes to the Father except through Him. Jesus came to earth on a massive rescue mission. When Jesus died in the flesh and rose again as the Messiah, He became the eternal - 18 -
King. The coming of the Messiah was the greatest event in all history and establishes Jesus Christ as the focal point. My first thought when discussing the depravity of man are the little innocent children of the world. The word innocent may not be a good description because I have two boys. But how can children be guilty? I must rest in the fact that my God is a God of love and mercy. God will take care of the children of the world if they die before adult accountability. All mankind, including children, are infected with a disease called sin. One of the best illustrations of this disease would be the infected people of a zombie movie. God looked down on His wonderful creation and sees that the disobedience of man has caused all mankind to be sick like a bunch of zombies. You might think you are handsome or pretty, but God sees a sinner in need of grace. Here is another illustration: consider mankind like a bunch of fish swimming in a muddy lake. Do the fish realize that the lake water is dirty? No, this is normal because this is all they know about life. God is trying to tell mankind that they are living in dirty water and that they are sick in need of His grace and His healing. You might not know any better, but you are born a sinner. God loves you and He has a master plan. Jesus was not born with the depravity of sin because He did not come from the seed of man. See how the virgin birth is so critical. Mary was overshadowed by the Holy Spirit so that the Son of God could take on the flesh of man without takin upon Himself our fallen nature of sin. Jesus was a man because He was born in the flesh. Jesus understands our flesh and our sin and took upon Himself all sin while on the cross. Jesus defeated death which is our curse from sin. The book of Hebrews goes to great lengths describing Jesus as the only person qualified to act as our High Priest based upon Jesus being born without sin and taking upon Himself all our sin as the Messiah. - 19 -
Chapter Two - Explaining the Messiah B. The Seed promised to Abraham Galatians 3:16 NASB Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, "And to seeds," as referring to many, but rather to one, "And to your seed," that is, Christ. I hold the bloodline of Israel in great esteem, but I personally do not share the bloodline of Abraham, Isaac or Jacob. I describe myself as a Gentile saved by the grace of the Living God. Although I might not be sure of where my ancestors came from, I do know where I m going after this life thanks to the grace of God. A life lesson that I learned about the Bible was that God makes a distinction between the Jew and the Gentile only as a navigation tool to describe Jesus journey into humanity for the purpose of redeeming mankind. The Jewish people are from the nation of Israel. The Gentile describes everyone else. That includes all the descendants of Ishmael and of Esau. Abraham had two sons: Ishmael from the young servant girl Hagar and Isaac from his wife Sarah in her old age. They are described as a son of the flesh (Ishmael) and a son of the promise (Isaac). Isaac had two sons: Esau and Jacob. Ishmael is uncle to both Jacob and Esau. They are all blood relatives, but they are not all Jewish. The description of a Gentile would also have to apply to Ishmael, Esau, Isaac and Abraham or else all of the descendants from Abraham would be considered Jewish. The Jewish people started when God changed the man named Jacob to Israel. You could even argue that Jacob was not Jewish. Israel is Jewish. Israel is the bloodline God created for His purpose of entering into humanity by changing the man of the flesh into the man of the Spirit. Israel was created by God for His purpose. Now if you know the story of this name change, you know that Jacob had something that he had to accomplish before God would ordain his new name. In Genesis 32:28-30, the Angel of the Lord wrestled with Jacob and told him his new name was Israel, but God does not use the name of Israel until Genesis 35. - 20 -
Genesis 35:1-4 NASB 1 Then God said to Jacob, "Arise, go up to Bethel and live there, and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau." 2 So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, "Put away the foreign gods which are among you, and purify yourselves and change your garments; 3 and let us arise and go up to Bethel, and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone." 4 So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods which they had and the rings which were in their ears, and Jacob hid them under the oak which was near Shechem. Here we see the great grandchildren of Abraham worshiping idols or false gods. These idols worshipers were the kids of Jacob who would eventually become the twelve tribes of Israel. The thought of them as idol worshipers is tough to accept, but that is how God describes them. We must remember that these are just men of the flesh just like me and just like you. Do you look up to certain people based upon their status as a sports star, an entertainer or a politician? Do you look down on certain people based upon their lifestyle such as a homeless person, a drug addict, an inmate, or a foreigner from a poor country? The Seed promised to Abraham is the Anointed One. When Abraham s great grandchildren are found worshiping idols, you can see the flesh of man in opposition to the Spirit of God. I am not a religious man and the idea of worshiping an idol is just foreign to me. When you really consider the root idea behind idol worship, you can see that it is all wrapped up in self-righteousness. We live in a world of self-righteous - 21 -
religious people. Modern day cults are centered on the concept of self-righteousness. Some people have actual idols in their worship and some people just hide their idols in their hearts. Some people today create religious systems with idols inside a Christian worship service. When I read the Bible and see the description God provides for His tabernacle system of worship and the dress of the High Priest, I can see where some religious people might try to mimic the sacrificial system and the office of an intercessor. The tabernacle system of worship points directly to Jesus. Not only is Jesus the Seed promised to Abraham, but Jesus became the High Priest for all mankind as the Christ. The book of Hebrews is dedicated to describing this relationship and the blessing upon Abraham from Melchizedek. Hebrews 4:14-16 NASB 14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. 16 Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. When people reject Jesus as the Seed promised to Abraham, they are rejecting God s path of salvation. They are saying that they can save themselves or that they are god. Self-righteousness in religious organizations is a very big problem today, but the fact is that it has been around since the dawn of time. Mankind rejects the grace of God because they reject God s control in their life. It is natural for man to be self-righteous. That is one of the items we must put aside as we submit to Jesus as our Christ and accept His grace as the Seed promised to Abraham. - 22 -
What about modern day religious leaders allowing people to bow down before them and kiss their feet? It turns my stomach. What does the Bible say about a mortal man bowing down to worship another man? What about a man bowing down before an angel? The Bible is crystal clear that this is wrong. You worship God and God alone. As a Christian, I must judge this activity. Angels do not accept this kind of worship so who are these mortal men? Am I describing your religious organization? Then take a stand for Christ and demand that this type of idol worship stop. Matthew 4:8-11 NASB 8 Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; 9 and he said to Him, "All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me." 10 Then Jesus said to him, "Go, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.'" 11 Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him. Revelation 22:8-9 NASB 8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things. 9 But he said to me, "Do not do that. I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who heed the words of this book. Worship God." - 23 -
When I think of Jesus talking to the religious people of His day who shared His Jewish bloodline, I always ask myself how could they not accept His words when Jesus was doing all these miracles right in front of them? Here is the Seed. Here is the promise to Abraham fulfilled right in front of them. How could they not believe what Jesus said when they witnessed a lame man walk or a dead man rise from the grave? Over the years, I have asked this question over and over. My only answer is that it must be a combination of their bloodline and their religious beliefs. Either one of these two issues can create a sense of self-righteousness in an individual, but both combined and you can see how this kept the Jewish religious leaders from believing that Jesus is the Seed promised to Abraham. Romans 11:5-11 NASB 5 In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God's gracious choice. 6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace. 7 What then? What Israel is seeking, it has not obtained, but those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were hardened; 8 just as it is written, "God gave them a spirit of stupor, Eyes to see not and ears to hear not, Down to this very day." 9 And David says, "Let their table become a snare and a trap, And a stumbling block and a retribution to them. 10 "Let their eyes be darkened to see not, And bend their backs forever." 11 I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous. - 24 -
Chapter Two - Explaining the Messiah B. The Seed promised to Abraham 1. Ishmael the Hebrew Abraham has been described as the father of the faiths. Some Muslims trace their heritage to Abraham from Ishmael. Jewish people trace their heritage to Abraham from Isaac. A Christian will trace their heritage to Abraham from Isaac because of the Jewish bloodline. The issues related the right bloodline is only critical when considering the promise of the coming Messiah. When you combine the right bloodline of Abraham with radical religious beliefs, you create the perfect storm of self-righteousness which is exactly what Jesus faced from the Pharisees during His time on earth in the flesh. This is the same type of radical self-righteousness we see today with Muslim terrorists killing anyone who does not believe as they believe. The same was true when Christian crusades killed anyone in the holy land who did not agree with their beliefs. We must remember that God so loved the world that He gave His only Son. God will judge those who reject Him as the Messiah. That judgement belongs to God and to God alone. When the Bible deals with the issue of bloodlines, it always addresses the rejected line first. When God records the generations of Noah, He starts with Japheth, and then describes Ham and finishes with the selected line of Shem. Abram came from the line of Shem. When God described the descendants of Ishmael and Isaac, He addressed the bloodline of Ishmael first. Please do not be offended if you are of the bloodline of Ishmael. This is not an issue of better or worse heritage, but a matter of God s selection and organization. Ishmael is a natural child from the young woman Hagar with Abram. Isaac is a super-natural child from the barren womb of an old woman named Sarah with Abraham. God will use the super-natural as His pathway into humanity. Notice that Abram s name has been changed to Abraham. This occurred in Genesis 17 when God gave him His everlasting covenant of circumcision signifying the future Seed (Anointed One) who would redeem mankind. Remember that Isaac s wife Rebecca was also barren. So was Leah from which the tribes of Judah and Levi came. - 25 -
Jesus is another super-natural birth whose parents are from the tribes of Levi and Judah except Jesus does not have a mortal man as His physical father. Genesis 14:12-14 NASB 12 They also took Lot, Abram's nephew, and his possessions and departed, for he was living in Sodom. 13 Then a fugitive came and told Abram the Hebrew. Now he was living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner, and these were allies with Abram. 14 When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he led out his trained men, born in his house, three hundred and eighteen, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. Abram is introduced to us as the Hebrew in Genesis chapter 14. This was right before Abram was introduced to Melchizedek the king of Salem and priest of God Most High. Genesis Chapter 15 begins by saying that the Word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision. Here God restates His promise to give Abram the land and to bless his descendants and God also foretells of the captivity of some of Abrams descendants for four hundred years. This is the line of God s choosing: the future nation of Israel. Chapter 16 is where we are introduced to Hagar and Ishmael. Chapter 17 is where God changes Abram s name to Abraham and gives him the covenant of circumcision. Notice how God makes a distinction between the covenant of circumcision and His everlasting covenant. The covenant of circumcision pointed to the everlasting covenant. The everlasting covenant is Jesus as the Christ coming to create the Kingdom of God. Genesis 17:18-26 NASB 18 And Abraham said to God, "Oh that Ishmael might live before You!" - 26 -
19 But God said, "No, but Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. 20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I will bless him, and will make him fruitful and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. 21 But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this season next year." 22 When He finished talking with him, God went up from Abraham. 23 Then Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all the servants who were born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's household, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the very same day, as God had said to him. 24 Now Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 25 And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 26 In the very same day Abraham was circumcised, and Ishmael his son. Ishmael the Hebrew might not be a description you are familiar with, but if Ishmael s dad is a Hebrew then he would be a Hebrew. Isaac and Ishmael were brothers with different mothers and both boys were Hebrews. God loved both of these boys. Notice that God named both boys. Also, notice that God blessed them both. One son (Isaac) was chosen to be the host bloodline for God the Son to enter into humanity about 2,000 years later. If Abraham is considered a Hebrew then that means Ishmael and Isaac are also Hebrew. When God was speaking to Moses about what to - 27 -
say to Pharaoh about the release of the Israelites from slavery, God refers to Himself as the God of the Hebrews. Exodus 3:18-19 NASB 18 They will pay heed to what you say; and you with the elders of Israel will come to the king of Egypt and you will say to him, 'The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. So now, please, let us go a three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.' 19 But I know that the king of Egypt will not permit you to go, except under compulsion. Since many Muslims link their beliefs to Ishmael, I looked over the Qur an as a Christian to get a basic understanding of what a Muslim believes. I found some parts of the Qur an were beautiful writings, but other parts were really confusing. Initially, I noticed multiple references to Jesus Christ and His virgin birth. Then I realized that the Qur an uses the title of Christ like an American last name such as Smith or Jones. It removes any meaning associated with the title of Christ. After Jesus was raised from the dead, He received the title of Christ. Christ is the Greek version of the Hebrew word for Messiah which refers to the Anointed One who would redeem mankind back to God. Christ is the Savior. Jesus is the Prophet promised to Moses and the King promised to David. Jesus is the Christ. In section 5:75, the Qur an states that Jesus is just a messenger. If so, why refer to Him as Christ. Christ means Messiah and refers to the Anointed One from God. See the faulty use of the term Christ? How can any book say that a man was virgin born and refer to Him as a prophet of God, but then discount the miracle of His birth and treat Him as just a normal guy off the block? This does not make any sense. If He is virgin born and He is a prophet from God, then He is something special. Either Jesus is who He says He is (Immanuel - God in the flesh) and that He came to earth to redeem - 28 -
mankind back to God by His sacrifice on the cross as the Lamb of God or He is crazy. If He is crazy, why is He in the Qur an? If He is God in the flesh, why does the Qur an discount Him? Matthew 3:13-17 NASB 13 Then Jesus arrived from Galilee at the Jordan coming to John, to be baptized by him. 14 But John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?" 15 But Jesus answering said to him, "Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he permitted Him. 16 After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, 17 and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased." Other confusing parts of the Qur an dealt with the Holy Spirit. The Qur an does not understand the concept that God is one and God is also plural in nature. As a Christian, we hold that God consists of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. They are one being, but they are distinct in form and function. God the Holy Spirit descended upon God the Son (Jesus) at His baptism and God the Father spoke. The combination of Jesus and God the Holy Spirit is when Jesus ministry really began. Jesus told the Pharisees that if they did not believe Him, that they should believe the miracles that He was doing because those miracles testified of God the Holy Spirit inside Him. Jesus came to earth to defeat the power of death. When Jesus was raised from the dead, Jesus became the Christ. - 29 -
I was with a group of Christians who visited a local Mosque to build relations between our two groups. During the meeting, the Muslim religious leader made a statement that Abraham offered Ishmael on the mountain. Thinking that this was just a simple mistake, I raised my hand and said that it was Isaac not Ishmael. This Muslim leader said that the Christian translation of the bible had been altered and that we have it all wrong. He said it was Ishmael. My jaw dropped. The Qur an does not say anything about Abraham offering Ishmael. Is this what the Muslim religious leaders are telling their followers trying to draw some credibility by the bloodline of Abraham? The Qur an was written around 622 AD. This story from Genesis was recorded by Moses around 1,500 BC. So these Muslim religious leaders are trying to rewrite 2,000 years of history so that it fits their beliefs. Moses wrote about Abraham who lived around 2,000 BC or 500 years earlier. Moses was not around as an eye witness to the events, but he recorded what he was shown (or told) by God. For a Muslim believer today to say that the Hebrew manuscripts and the Christian Bible have been altered, tells me that this person does not consider the significance of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The manuscripts found in those caves in 1946 have documents written around 300 AD which is three hundred years before the Qur an was recorded. The United States of America is not three hundred years old. Some documents in that cave dated as far back as 400 BC. These Jewish documents are a thousand years older than the Qur an and most were copies of older documents. The Dead Sea Scrolls have proven the accuracy of the Jewish manuscripts and Christian Bible. Show the love of Jesus to a Muslim by explaining that the Christ is the Anointed One sent by God to redeem fallen mankind back to Himself. Ask the Muslim man if he is circumcised. Ishmael was circumcised. Most likely he is circumcised and that God ordained procedure points directly to the future Seed (the Anointed One) promised to Abraham who would be a blessing to the world. Genesis 22:1-2 NASB 1 Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." - 30 -
2 He said, "Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you." These areas must be addressed in love during any of your conversations with a Muslim. Muslims are made in the image of the Living God just like every other mortal man. Our Lord is the Father of the spirits of all flesh. Jesus is the Christ because He is the Anointed One (Messiah). Explain the meaning of Christ and pray that God opens their mind to see His salvation in Jesus. - 31 -
Chapter Two - Explaining the Messiah B. The Seed promised to Abraham 2. Abraham was not a Jew Genesis 18:17-19 NASB 17 The Lord said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, 18 since Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation, and in him all the nations of the earth will be blessed? 19 For I have chosen him, so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken about him." Abraham is the father of the Jew, but he himself was not an Israelite. The nation of Israel started years after Abraham s death when God changed his grandson s name from Jacob to Israel. The issue of Abraham not being a Jew is really a matter of logic more than anything else. Ishmael was also Abraham s son, but he is not considered a Jew. If his father were Jewish, then he would be Jewish. As a matter of fact, Jacob was not a Jew until he submitted himself to the authority of the Living God. Remember from Genesis 25:26 that Jacob means one who schemes to take the place of another. That situation is the same for a Christian. You might be a member of a church and act very religious, but until you actually submit your life to the authority of Jesus you are just acting like a deceiver. It is God who creates a Christian and it is God who created the people of Israel for His purpose. The name Israel means ruling with God from Genesis 32:28. A Christian is an adopted child to the King. Give glory to God. People tend to lift-up mortal man too high. That includes a man named Abraham. God chose Abram and changed him into Abraham. It was the Lord who brought upon Abraham what He had spoken about him. Give God the glory because Abraham is praising the sweet name of Jesus as his Messiah just like Moses - 32 -
and Elijah at the transfiguration. We must remember that the Angel of the Lord is meeting with Moses and telling him what to write in Genesis about this man named Abraham. If you know the story from Genesis 18 you know that the Lord visited Abraham. It describes three men, but Abraham bowed down to one of these men and worshipped Him. The text and Abraham called Him Lord. Who is this? May I propose to you that this man is Jesus before He was born to the virgin Mary and took on the flesh of a man. As you read your Old Testament you will notice an assumed truth that if a mortal man sees the face of the Living God, he will die. May I propose to you based upon Exodus 33 that if a mortal man sees God the Father that he will die, but God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are designed for interaction with humanity. Here God the Son walks with two angels and meets with Abraham. Genesis 19 tells us that the two angels proceeded into Sodom and Gomorrah to rescue Lot. This third man stays with Abraham and tells him that he will have a son this time next year and Sarah laughs. In Genesis 17, God told Abraham that he would have a son and Abraham laughed. God is often described as being longsuffering and you can see how very patient God is with Abraham and Sarah. Give God the glory. Genesis 18:18 NASB 18 since Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation, and in him all the nations of the earth will be blessed? A Jew is a person born from the bloodline of Israel. How many children did Jacob have? Jacob had twelve boys and one girl. How many children did Israel have? The answer is none. After God changed Jacob s name to Israel, the man now called Israel did not have any children. You could say that God adopted the physical sons of Jacob as the spiritual sons of Israel. And based upon that statement, you could determine that the bloodline of a Jew started with a spiritual adoption. The same is true for a Christian. A Christian is a spiritual adoption regardless if you have the bloodline of Abraham or not. Notice that God did not include Jacob s daughter Diana with the - 33 -
twelve sons. We must rest where God has called us to serve. This is a very important life lesson. Some are called as teachers and some are called as preachers (Ephesians 4:11). Accept your role in life and serve God, not man. Genesis 32:27-30 NASB 27 So he said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob." 28 He said, "Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed." 29 Then Jacob asked him and said, "Please tell me your name." But he said, "Why is it that you ask my name?" And he blessed him there. 30 So Jacob named the place Peniel, for he said, "I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved." Who did Jacob wrestle? Jacob wrestled God. When God did change Jacob into Israel, I want you to notice the sequence of time and specific events that were required to take place. Before God would recognize the physical man Jacob as the spiritual man Israel, Jacob had to put away his self-righteousness and his religion. In Genesis 32 Jacob is in the process of physically moving his family from Paddan-aram back to Canaan where he was born. How long does move take? Several events are recorded between the promise of a name change in chapter 32 and when it finally occurred in chapter 35 which required time. Jacob settled in the city of Shechem. It takes time to settle into a new home. Jacob s daughter, Dinah, developed a relationship with the local girls of Schechem. Relationships require time. Dinah then finds herself in a bad situation with the local prince. Dinah s brothers, Simon and Levi, deceived the men of Schechem because of the offense to their sister, destroyed them and looted the city. Again we are not told, but the events between Genesis 32 and Genesis 35 took time. My God invented time and He can make it go backwards (2 Kings 20:10-11). God was using time to prepare Jacob like we would boil an egg in hot water so many minutes to prepare it for a meal. - 34 -
Genesis 35:1-4 NASB 1 Then God said to Jacob, "Arise, go up to Bethel and live there, and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau." 2 So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, "Put away the foreign gods which are among you, and purify yourselves and change your garments; 3 and let us arise and go up to Bethel, and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone." 4 So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods which they had and the rings which were in their ears, and Jacob hid them under the oak which was near Shechem. Genesis 35:9-10 NASB 9 Then God appeared to Jacob again when he came from Paddan-aram, and He blessed him. 10 God said to him, "Your name is Jacob; You shall no longer be called Jacob, But Israel shall be your name." Thus He called him Israel. Jacob needed time to grow into the man God wanted him to be. So, why did God create the nation of Israel? May I propose to you that God created the nation of Israel as a doorway into humanity for the purpose of God the Son (Jesus) to be born inside the flesh of man. Jesus came to redeem fallen mankind and defeat death. Understanding God s purpose puts the focus properly back upon God s grace and not on the physical bloodline of Israel. God delayed changing Jacob s name until - 35 -
Jacob and his family had put away their religion. They had to set aside their own selfrighteousness and call upon God for His redemption. Again, this places the focus of salvation on God s grace and not the Israelite bloodline. Jacob did not know the name of the Man he wrestled with, but he did know that He was God. Today we know the name which is above all other names: Jesus. I propose to you that the Man Jacob wrestled was Jesus before He was born in the flesh. Jesus is the name that saved Abraham. Abraham was looking forward to God s salvation, but he did not know the name of that salvation at that time. I am looking back at God s salvation and I know that His name is Jesus. Moses recorded the story about Abraham in Genesis and got to speak with Jesus prior to His death and resurrection. Below is one of my favorite stories from scripture. Notice where Luke adds the statement that Moses and Elijah were talking to Jesus about what He was about to accomplish in Jerusalem. So, what was Jesus about to accomplish? Jesus came to establish His kingdom. That was established by His death on the cross and His defeat of death when He rose from the grave. Death came upon mankind as a result of the disobedience of Adam and Eve. Defeating death was what Jesus was about to accomplish in Jerusalem. This was the purpose of His birth. God created the nation of Israel for the purpose of dealing with the consequences of sin brought upon mankind by the disobedience of Adam and Eve. Luke 9:30-31 NASB 30 And behold, two men were talking with Him; and they were Moses and Elijah, 31 who, appearing in glory, were speaking of His departure which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 1 Corinthians 15:42-49 NASB 42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; - 36 -
43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So also it is written, "The first man, Adam, became a living soul." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. 47 The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven. 48 As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. 49 Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly. Paul describes what Jesus accomplished in Jerusalem compared to the original sin of Adam and Eve. God choose Abram and promised him land, descendants and the seed (Anointed One) to bless the nations. God changed his name to Abraham and gave him great honor not because he earned it, but because God has a plan of salvation for all humanity that He was executing at that time. God was creating a people for His purpose of entering into the flesh of man for His purpose of providing grace to sinners. As we discussed earlier, God the Holy Spirit joined God the Son in this rescue mission when Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. Jesus told the Pharisees that if they did not believe His words that they should believe the miracles. Those miracles represent the power of God the Holy Spirit. Moses was chosen by God as the voice to tell mankind His plan of salvation. Mighty miracles were shown to the world when Moses led Israel out of Egypt. Elijah was chosen by God as a prophet to show the - 37 -
power of God the Holy Spirit among man. Matthew goes on to explain that the spirit of Elijah was represented by John the Baptist thus fulfilling prophecy. Matthew 17:4-13 NASB 4 Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, I will make three tabernacles here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah." 5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, "This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!" 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground and were terrified. 7 And Jesus came to them and touched them and said, "Get up, and do not be afraid." 8 And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus Himself alone. 9 As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, "Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man has risen from the dead." 10 And His disciples asked Him, "Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?" 11 And He answered and said, "Elijah is coming and will restore all things; 12 but I say to you that Elijah already came, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wished. So also the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands." 13 Then the disciples understood that He had spoken to them about John the Baptist. - 38 -
God has a brilliant plan that most of us as mortal men are just too small minded to grasp. Mankind just needs to back away from our stumbling blocks of selfrighteousness with our religion so that we can see God s plan of salvation in the form of Jesus as the Christ. The tabernacle system of worship showed mankind the Lamb of God. John the Baptist declared that Jesus was the Lamb of God sent to take away the sin of the world. Jesus spoke in parables to shield the truth away from those who were self-righteous. Are you resting in self-righteousness? The truth of salvation is only provided to those who come to God with humility and recognition that they are in need of a Savior. Give God the glory for choosing Abraham and creating the nation of Israel. Matthew 18:7-9 NASB 7 "Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes! 8 "If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be cast into the eternal fire. 9 If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than to have two eyes and be cast into the fiery hell. - 39 -
Chapter Two - Explaining the Messiah B. The Seed promised to Abraham 3. The Kingdom of God God used the twelve tribes of Israel to bring about the Gospel (good news) about the kingdom of God. The New Testament has two Gospels represented. The basic Gospel of God the Son born from a virgin, living a perfect life, His voluntary death on the cross as our Lamb of God for the sins of the world and how God raised Jesus from the dead to become the Messiah (the Christ or the Anointed One). The other Gospel in the Bible is the good news of the kingdom. When Jesus preached, He often spoke of the Gospel of the kingdom. This is different from the basic Gospel of Jesus birth, life, death and resurrection. The Gospel of the kingdom is special. Just as God used the twelve tribes to bring the Messiah to the earth, Jesus used the twelve apostles to preach the Gospel of the kingdom. When Jesus was on trial, He told Pilate that He came to earth to establish His kingdom. John 18:33-38 NASB 33 Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?" 34 Jesus answered, "Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?" 35 Pilate answered, "I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?" 36 Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm." - 40 -
37 Therefore Pilate said to Him, "So You are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice." 38 Pilate said to Him, "What is truth?" And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, "I find no guilt in Him. Now that their purpose has been fulfilled, is the Nation of Israel still special to God? Yes, because God created them and God loves them. You are also special because you are made in the image of the Living God and God loves you. But a Jew is saved the exact same way as anyone else in this world. A Jew must call upon Jesus as the Messiah just like a Gentile. If a Jew rejects Jesus, then he condemns himself to eternal death just like a Gentile. Consider below what John the Baptist preached regarding the bloodline of the children of Abraham to the religious leaders. John was preparing the way for the Messiah. Matthew 3:7-9 NASB 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance; 9 and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our father'; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. The most famous address in the Bible is John 3:16. It is based upon John 3:14 where Jesus references a story from Numbers 21 when God judged the nation of Israel for their impatience and complaining. God instructed Moses to create a bronze - 41 -
serpent as a symbol for the people. Over time this bronze serpent was taken by the religious leaders of Israel and turned into an idol. Years later King Hezekiah broke the bronze serpent into pieces as recorded in Number 21 and this pleased God. Are you doing what is right in the sight of the Lord like King Hezekiah? Do you really trust in the Lord? Do you have any idols in your life or in your family that need to be removed to open your life up to a relationship with the Living God? Remember Jacob had to remove the idols from his family before God would call him Israel. Do you love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength or is Jesus just your heaven insurance policy? The kingdom is among us here on earth. You must choose to walk with Jesus in this life to be part of His kingdom. John 3:14-16 NASB 14 As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; 15 so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. 16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 2 Kings 18:3-6 NASB 3 He did right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David had done. 4 He removed the high places and broke down the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherah. He also broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the sons of Israel burned incense to it; and it was called Nehushtan. 5 He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel; so that after him there was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor among those who were before him. - 42 -
6 For he clung to the Lord; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the Lord had commanded Moses. This is a very good story for modern day Christians to remember when we become weary and start whining about our life. Keep focused on the kingdom of God and the worries of this world melt away. This story of the bronze serpent is also a good reference point for anyone dealing with a death in the family. Inevitably the question is asked if that person will go to heaven. My answer is simple: did that person ever look to Jesus on the cross? This is the same concept from Numbers 21. The Israelites who were bitten had to look up to the serpent lifted on the standard for redemption. If they did not believe and choose not look up, then they would die. If they did believe what Moses told them and looked to the bronze serpent on the staff, then they would be saved. It is the same exact concept. The key question is have you ever looked to Jesus on the cross? Are you part of His kingdom? If so, walk that way by loving God and loving your neighbor. Revelation 9:20-21 NASB 20 The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk; 21 and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their immorality nor of their thefts. Anyone who does not hold to Jesus as both the Son of God and as the Christ is worshiping an idol. Anyone who tries to redefine what the bible says about any subject from homosexuality to the deity of Jesus to make their message fit within their religion is creating false idols. An idol is anything representing a deity with worship or adoration. Most people associate idols with religious worship, but some loosen the definition to - 43 -
include anything that dominates the life of a person. Using the loose definition, people include things like a drug addiction as a form of idol worship because it dominates their life. I prefer to keep the definition of an idol specifically related to a false deity. As an example, I had a serious problem with a nerve in my foot. A friend referred me to a woman who ran her own healing practice, but she did not have any medical degrees or special licenses. I was hesitant. I prefer to know the religious beliefs of any medical professionals working on me, but normally this type of situation does not allow much personal discussion about God. During my first visit, I noticed a statue of a short fat Buddha on her shelf in the waiting room, so it provided an opportunity to simply ask her about God. Was this just a statue or was this an idol she used in worship? This same figure can be seen at your local mall with candles burning and pieces of food placed in front of it. That is when you know it is being worshipped as an idol. She informed me that it was simply a gift from a patient she had cured a few years back. Deuteronomy 18:9-11 NASB 9 "When you enter the land which the Lord your God gives you, you shall not learn to imitate the detestable things of those nations. 10 There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices witchcraft, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, 11 or one who casts a spell, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. The kingdom of God is for those people who call upon the name of Jesus as their Christ. People are made in the image of the Living God. Man must get a grip on who we are and walk that way in this life. As a matter of reverence to God, we must treat other people with respect because they reflect God Himself. God loves animals from the birds of the sky to the fish in the water, but they are creatures of instinct. Animals have brains and emotions, but they are not made in God s image. Man shares - 44 -