Abraham
A long time has been passed since God promised in Genesis 3:15 that the offspring of the woman would bruise the head of the Serpent. From Adam and Eve gave birth to child and spread throughout the world, to the sons of God (angel) along with mortals gave birth to giants and corrupted the world. As a result, God destroyed the world that time by a flood, and saved Noah’s family. After that, they multiplied and multiplied. God confused their language in Babel, and they scattered all over the world. It has been passed a long time, when will the “offspring” appear? it seems no any news.
At that time, there was a man named Abram who worshiped God. Because he faith in Jehovah God, he was chosen by God. God appeared to him through an angel and made the covenant with him when he was 75 years old. The prophecy of Genesis 3:15 would be fulfilled through his offspring, and blessed him, promised him that he would become the father of many nations. Genesis 12:3 “I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed”. Here, God revealed more details fulfilling his will, that is people from all nations will be blessed through Abram.
Genesis 13:16 says “I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted.”
God here promised Abram his offspring will be as numerous as the dust of the earth. But after waiting for almost 10 years, Abram still had no seed, he said to the Jehovah God in Genesis 15:2
“O YHWH God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”
Maybe he feel disappointed after he over the childbearing age and still has no offspring. Genesis 15:4 says
4 And behold, the word of the YHWH came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.”
In the previous article about the tree of life, there is a question : May you have a test of math problem, please calculate, if all people no need to die, how long shall this earth over it’s limit of human’s capacity? Let’s make it simple if (2+2) for first generation, (4+4) for second generation, (8+8) for third generation…. How long? One thousand years? Ten thousand years? If all people no need to die, how can this earth hold those many people? Have you ever asked this question? Do you think God knows this answer when He created the Tree of Life and expecting human live forever? If He knows the answer, does He has solution and ready prepared to solve this problem? Do you trust our God in Faith?
God’s answer is revealed to us in Genesis 15:5
Genesis 15:5, “And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.””
Do you understand God’s meaning? Jehovah God just say a simple words, you look up to the sky, count the stars, so shall your offspring be. Abraham couldn’t fully understand God’s word, he only knew that his offspring would be much much more is like stars. God’s meaning shall be : look at the stars, your offspring will be(there, living on there).
YHWH God Almighty will fulfill his will, mankind will be blessed through Abraham’s “offspring”, multiply and will be filled the entire universe in the future. So will the humanity be exceed of the earth sustain? Yes, but this is not a problem, for God already has solution to solve it. God’s will is all nations blessed through Abraham will live in the stars(sky), God’s word will be done and fulfilled. When Abraham look at the sky in the long long future, he will see many stars, and those stars are his offspring(full of his offspring living on there). You can imagine how touch will be of him by recalling God’s word in his mind.
Maybe someone might say: “We can’t live on the other planets, those planets are difficult harsh environment, not suitable for human life.” Yes, all planets other than our earth are harsh and not suitable for human. But at the beginning, our earth was also as same as those planets’ environment. Who changed it to a beautiful world? Yes, that are our Heavenly Father and Jesus, so do you faith in they can do it again in other planets the same? Yes, Amen.
Maybe someone would say “It’s impossible and unbelievable”, I want to say “Before the first man stand on the moon, people also thought it was impossible and unbelievable”. I think Abraham must be moved in the long long future, amazed and deeply felt the mighty power of Jehovah God, how almighty God who is. So can human count Abraham’s offspring? Can’t. Why? Because his offspring and the stars in this universe are uncountable of man. At that time all families shall be blessed through Jesus Christ(Abraham’s offspring).
Isaiah 49:20
The children of your bereavement
will yet say in your ears:
‘The place is too narrow for me;
make room for me to dwell in.’
Isaiah 54:2,3
2 “Enlarge the place of your tent,
and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out;
do not hold back; lengthen your cords
and strengthen your stakes.
3 For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left,
and your offspring will possess the nations
and will people the desolate cities.
Isaiah 9:7
Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
Isaiah 46:10 says
“declaring the end from the beginning
and from ancient times things not yet done,
saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
and I will accomplish all my purpose,’.
May we all praise and thank Almighty God, all Praise and Authority to Heavenly Father. Amen. Do you believe it? Genesis 15:6 “And he believed YHWH, and he counted it to him as righteousness.”
When Abram was 99 years old, God made a covenant with him, Genesis 17:1-6
When Abram was ninety-nine years old the YHWH appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, 2 that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.” 3 Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him, 4 “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. 5 No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you.
Genesis 17:9-13
9 And God said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. 10 This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised. Every male throughout your generations, whether born in your house or bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring, 13 both he who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money, shall surely be circumcised. So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant.
Circumcision is the evidence of the covenant, and the male descendants of Abraham will be circumcised on the eighth day after birth as a flesh evidence of the covenant.
After God appeared to 99-year-old Abram, he gave him a new name called Abraham. God promised him that he would get a son, and God named him Isaac, God’s covenant with Abraham that all nations would be blessed is through Isaac, Genesis 17:19
19 God said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him.
Although Abraham had sons before and after Isaac, but the one who was born from Sarah was regarded as Abraham’s son, and Sarah gave birth to only one, so Issac was called the only begotten son of Abraham. Genesis 21:12
12 But God said to Abraham, “ …for it is through Isaac that descendants will bear your name”.
Then one day, Genesis 22:2 God said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”
God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, Genesis 22:9,10 says
9 When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.
At once, Genesis 22:11-12,15-18
11 But the angel of YHWH called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 12 He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.”
15 And the angel of YHWH called to Abraham a second time from heaven 16 and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares YHWH, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, 18 and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”
God immediately stopped Abraham from offering Isaac as a sacrifice, and then God blessed Abraham that his offspring as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore, and all nations would be blessed by his offspring.
After that, Abraham married a wife named Rebekah for Isaac, and Rebekah gave birth to a twins for Isaac. The first born was named Esau, and then was Jacob. God assured Isaac that the covenant with Abraham would be fulfilled through him and his descendants. Genesis 26:4
4 I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.
The younger son, Jacob, was chosen by God, and God’s promises would be fulfilled through him and his descendants. Genesis 25:23 God said to Rebekah
23 And YHWH said to her,
“Two nations are in your womb,
and two peoples from within you shall be divided;
the one shall be stronger than the other,
the older shall serve the younger.”
Later, when Jacob grew up, on his way to find a wife, God appeared to him and reaffirmed the covenant with Abraham would be fulfilled through him and his descendants. Genesis 28:14
14 Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. ”
Jacob had 12 sons, and God gave Jacob a new name “Israel”, and he changed his name to Israel from then on. Genesis 35:10,11 “10 And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; no longer shall your name be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.” So he called his name Israel. 11 And God said to him, “I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come from your own body.”
Jacob’s 12 sons became 12 tribes and formed a nation. This nation was established and named of Jacob’s name “Israel”, consisting of 12 tribes of 12 sons. The establishment of the nation of Israel was marked, in part, the fulfillment of God’s promise.
One question, since God was establishing the state of Israel through Abraham’s offspring, why didn’t God directly let Sarah bear 12 sons to Abraham to establish it? Or maybe let Isaac got 12 sons to establish the state? Why need to wait until Jacob and let him got 12 sons to form the nation of Israel?
In fact, this was deliberately arrangement by God to reflect the things in heaven, for Abraham, Isaac, Jacob (Israel), and the 12 son(tribes) all with symbolic meanings reflecting the existing heavenly things and will be existed heavenly things. Hebrews 11:3 says “3 By faith we understand that the universe was ordered by the word of God, so that what is visible came into being through the invisible.” Even the Mosaic Law was imitated from heavenly things Arrangement similarly, Hebrews 10:1 “Since the law has only a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of them…”
Abraham sacrificed his only begotten and beloved son Isaac, it is a symbol of God’s offering of his only begotten beloved son Jesus as a sacrifice, so that the sins of all mankind can be forgiven through him, and all nations will be blessed through him. Hebrews 11:17-19 says
17 By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was ready to offer his only son, 18 of whom it was said, “Through Isaac descendants shall bear your name.” 19 He reasoned that God was able to raise even from the dead, and he received Isaac back as a symbol.
So actually Abraham symbolizes Heavenly Father Jehovah God, and the only begotten son Isaac symbolizes Lord Jesus, so what do Jacob (Israel) and the 12 tribes of Israel symbolize?
The 12 Tribes of Israel Symbolize the 144,000 of Revelation 7:4-8
4 I heard the number of those who had been marked with the seal, one hundred and forty-four thousand marked from every tribe of the Israelites: 5 twelve thousand were marked from the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand from the tribe of Reuben, twelve thousand from the tribe of Gad, 6 twelve thousand from the tribe of Asher, twelve thousand from the tribe of Naphtali, twelve thousand from the tribe of Manasseh, 7 twelve thousand from the tribe of Simeon, twelve thousand from the tribe of Levi, twelve thousand from the tribe of Issachar, 8 twelve thousand from the tribe of Zebulun, twelve thousand from the tribe of Joseph, and twelve thousand were marked from the tribe of Benjamin.
Then what does Israel(Jacob) symbolize? Matthew 13:11,24,38
11 He said to them in reply, “Because knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted.
24 He proposed another parable to them. “The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field.
38 the field is the world, the good seed the children of the kingdom.
So Jacob(State of Israel) is a symbol, symbolic to the “kingdom of heaven”. And his 12 sons the 12 tribes are also a symbol, symbolic to Revelation 7:4-8 of 12 tribes of the 144,000 who were sealed by God. The kingdom of heaven is formed by these 12 sons(12 tribes), so Jesus said they are sons of the heavenly kingdom. So Abraham represents Heavenly Father, Isaac represents Jesus, Israel represents the Kingdom of Heaven, Israel’s 12 sons represents 12 tribes of heavenly kingdom(144000).
Jesus asked a interesting question in Matthew 22:41-45,
Jesus asked them a question, 42 saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” 43 He said to them, “How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying,
44 “‘YHWH said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies under your feet”’?
45 If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?”
If Issac symbolic Jesus, and Issac bear Isreal, then how come Jesus would be the father of Isreal and also the son of Israel or son of David? We know that the heavenly kingdom is formed by Jesus and Bride(144000 of Isreal’s 12 tribes)(Revelation 7:4-8,14:1). Then how come Jesus be the symbol of Issac and also the symbol of the son of David?
King David symbolic the throne of heavenly kingdom, and it is YHWH God’s arrangement, for Jesus has 2 roles : the symbolized Issac(root, father of David-heavenly kingdom) and also is the symbolized Isreal’s son(descendant of David-heavenly kingdom) .
Revelation 22:16
“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root(ancestor) and the descendant of David, the bright morning star”.
Jesus was talking about the arrangement of heavenly kingdom, it’s an organization arrangement not individual person.
This prove that Jesus is God’s arrangment who is the most important and the main part of heavenly kingdom. He plays an important role in realizing and establishing the Kingdom of Heaven. Now we know that he came to earth and died for saving us, make convenant with 144000 to establish kingdom, that’s why he is the most important of heaven kingdom.
Jehovah God is through this Kingdom to fulfill his will in Genesis 3:15,
“I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.”
Revelation 22:1-3
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him.
In the future, there will be no more cursed, and the tree of life will be given by God let all nations people regain eternal life, all nations will be blessed through “Woman’s Offspring” Jesus. No tear, no death, no mourning, no crying, nor pain anymore. Rev. 22:5 “5 And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the YHWH God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.” Amen.
Let’s prayer
Jehovah God, our loved Heavenly Father, we have been through a long long time of disaster with pain, tear, crying and death. We feel helpless and hopeless. Thank you Heavenly Father and Lord Jesus that we can regain tree of life the eternal life. Since the great love of you and Jesus, you sacrificed your beloved son Jesus to save us sinners. I can imagine how heartbroken you were to see Jesus die. We are sinners and shall be died in our sins, but because of your love, we are saved. Thank you Father and thank you lord Jesus, we love you, You are worthy of our Glory, Praise, Honor and Thankful. Amen.
Prayer is also in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
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