Conclusion
Much more could be said about the Abrahamic, Palestinian,
Davidic, and New covenants. The Spiritual ramifications of the New
covenant alone has filled countless books. Likewise, enough sermons could
be drawn from Abraham's life alone to keep a preacher busy for a year.
Here are just a few observations from the passages presented:
1. Literal vs. Allegorical.
The promises God made Abraham which have already been
fulfilled have all been fulfilled literally. God promised to
make Abraham's name great, and that literally happened. God promised to bless
Abraham and those that bless him, but curse those who curse him--history has
demonstrated that that has literally happened. God promised countless
physical seed--also literally fulfilled. He said Abraham's descendants
would go into captivity for 400 years and that also literally happened. Of
all the prophecies and promises God made to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and
David--the ones that have been fulfilled have all been fulfilled literally.
It is really unthinkable to imagine that the yet unfulfilled promises will not
also be fulfilled literally?
2. Faith
vs. Works. There has been considerable debate over the relationship
between faith and works. There are those who claim (usually on the basis
of
James 2:10-24) that Justification before God = Faith + Works. They
would have us believe some sort of human endeavor is integral to the formula for
eternal salvation—baptism, keeping the Sabbath, "making Jesus Lord of your
life', being good, “pressing in,” “watching and waiting,”
jumping high enough, running fast enough, whatever... Others
(following
Paul in Romans 4 and elsewhere) proclaim Justification = Faith + nothing
else at all! Ironically, both James and Paul support their seemingly
contradictory conclusions by referring back to the same person—Abraham.
James references Abraham’s sacrifice on Mount Moriah to
establish justification by works; Paul goes all the way back to Genesis
15:6 (long before Isaac was even born!) to prove justification by
faith. You can see from this study that Abraham had already been justified
before God—on the basis of faith alone—many years before Moriah. His
works resulted from his prior justification—they weren’t the source of
his justification before God. Stated another way, his justification by
faith produced works. The problem we often overlook is that only God
could see Abraham’s heart intention, but we can’t see Abraham’s heart. We
can only see his works. We could not
determine if Abraham was justified until he demonstrated it TO US by attempting to
sacrifice Isaac. Therefore, man is justified before God alone on the
basis of his faith alone; he is justified before men when he acts upon
that faith so we can observe the results.
Matthew 5:14-16 Ye are the light
of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men
light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth
light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men,
that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in
heaven.
3. Grace vs. Law. Abraham was saved by grace
(free, unmerited gift of God) 600 years BEFORE the Law was ever given.
That fact, alone, should put to death any notion that the "Ten Commandments" are
in any way involved in justification before God. Abraham wasn’t saved by
keeping the Law, the Israelites weren’t made holy by following the Law, we can’t
become righteous by obeying the Law. The Law is a mirror that only
reflects how dirty we really are; Grace is the soap and water that makes us
clean before God. We can only become clean when we stop trying to wipe off the dirt
with the mirror and accept the soap and water instead. Abraham chose to
trust God, but was saved because God chose him first! Salvation depends
upon God's own faithfulness to keep his unconditional promises--not on our human
ability to live up to God's expectations.
God maneuvered Abraham over the course of his life to the
place where he finally was willing to trust God. That's what God's done
with us. God chose us, God wooed us as a lover, then empowered us to
choose righteousness when it was our human nature to always choose the opposite.
The fact that some of Abraham’s descendants entered into a
conditional (and temporary) contract on the side in no way affects the
fulfillment of God's unconditional promises. The church is not
bound by
Law God gave Israel, but by love.
Luke 10:27-28 And he answering
said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all
thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and [love] thy
neighbour as thyself. And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right:
this do, and thou shalt live.
4. Millennial Kingdom. God promised the
physical descendants a physical land with clearly defined boundaries.
He renewed his land promises to Isaac, and again to Jacob. He reaffirmed
his land promises to the Israelites in spite of repeated
disobedience. God has returned those physical descendants
into that Promised Land--however, they have yet to fully
realized that inheritance. Therefore, although God is obviously restoring
them in that
Promised Land now, His promise still remains unfulfilled.
The coming Millennial Kingdom will be that time in which Israel will fully and
completely occupy the entire land promised so long ago to Abraham by God.
“The book of Genesis makes it clear that the Lord
did not choose Abraham and his family because they were more righteous, more
faithful, more pious, or more deserving than any other family. His
electing them was an act of grace. Furthermore, while the covenant could
not be ratified until Abraham left his family, no clear conditions were placed
on the covenant itself. To be sure, the benefits of the covenant could
be lost for periods of time, but no mention is made of the possibility of
abrogation. The family of Abraham, for good or ill, constituted God’s
chosen people” [Hill, Andrew E. & John H. Walton, A survey of The Old
Testament. Copyright © 1991 Zondervan].
Along with the land, God also promised that nation a ruler—a
physical descendant of King David who would rule over the nation in
righteousness, and dispense justice from Jerusalem. That also has yet to
happen. Jesus appeared and
presented himself as such to Israel but they rejected him. Jesus will
appear again to Israel He will assume King David's throne, just as God
promised, and will usher in the much promised Millennial Kingdom.
Zephaniah 3:13-20 The remnant of
Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue
be found in their mouth: for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make
them afraid. ¶ Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice
with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. The LORD hath taken away thy
judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the
LORD, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more. In that
day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: and to Zion, Let not thine
hands be slack. The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save,
he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over
thee with singing. I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn
assembly, who are of thee, to whom the reproach of it was a burden. Behold, at
that time I will undo all that afflict thee: and I will save her that
halteth, and gather her that was driven out; and I will get them praise and
fame in every land where they have been put to shame. At that time will
I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you: for I will make you
a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your
captivity before your eyes, saith the LORD.
Zachariah 2:10-12 ¶ Sing and
rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst
of thee, saith the LORD. And many nations shall be joined to the LORD in
that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and
thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto thee. And
the LORD shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land, and shall
choose Jerusalem again.
5. Great
Tribulation. Maybe
the most remarkable aspect of God’s unconditional promises to Abraham and his
physical descendants is their national conversion,
Zachariah 12:8-14:16
In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he
that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of
David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them. ¶ And it shall
come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that
come against Jerusalem. And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon
the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and
they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him,
as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as
one that is in bitterness for his firstborn....
In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of
Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon.... ¶ In that day there shall be
a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of
Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.... And it shall come to
pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off
and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part
through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them
as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them:
I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God....
I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall
be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city
shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut
off from the city. Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those
nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand
in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east,
and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and
toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the
mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.... ¶
And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem;
half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in
summer and in winter shall it be. And the LORD shall be king over all the
earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one. All the land
shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem: and it
shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin’s gate unto the
place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel
unto the king’s winepresses. And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no
more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited. And
this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that
have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand
upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their
tongue shall consume away in their mouth. And it shall come to pass in that
day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay
hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up
against the hand of his neighbour.... ¶ And it shall come to pass, that
every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall
even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and
to keep the feast of tabernacles.
Ezekiel 37:23
Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their
detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save
them out of all their dwelling places, wherein they have sinned, and will
cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God
He will be their God, and they will be his people. Daniel described the history of Israel in seventy weeks of
years:
Daniel
9:24 Seventy weeks are
determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the
transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make
reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness,
and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
The six stated purposes of Daniel's prophecy have not been
literally fulfilled in the sixty-nine weeks which have already transpired. The
last seven-year tribulation week will conclude those seventy weeks of years for
the nation of Israel, and fulfill Daniel's prophecy with it's six specific
purposes. Just as God brought each of us (believers) to a crisis point
where we decided to trust him for salvation (we "willingly" chose the gift he
offered), Zachariah above describes that God intends forcing
Israel into a situation where she will (also "willingly") cry out to her Messiah
for deliverance—the Great Tribulation will do just that.
Originally written November 29, 2001 by George
Lazzell III
Revised January 16, 2002
Revised November 9, 2003
