Love is in the Heir

God said, "I have also spoken by prophets, and I have multiplied visions, and used similitudes, by the ministry of the prophets" (Hosea 12:10). So, where in the Old Testament is Jesus prophesied about? Is it not told in a "similitudes"? "...And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights" (Jonah 1:17). "For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth" (Matthew 12:40). Where else did the Lord God speak through a similitude about Jesus? And God said to Abraham, "Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest..." (Genesis 22:2a). [God has rejected the works of the flesh, Ishmael (Galatians 4:22-23).] Abraham, most likely knowingly (see Romans 4) acted out the sacrifice of another Father who sent His son, His "only begotten son," to be sacrificed (John 3:16). "...and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell the of" (Genesis 22:2b) God has a specific place in mind -- "one of the mountains." "And Abraham rose up early in the morning... and went unto the place of which God had told him" (Genesis 22:3). Notice that it's "on the third day" (v.4) that Abraham is given the substitutionary ram after Abraham was told to sacrifice his son. "And Abraham said unto his young men... I and the lad [Isaac] will go yonder and worship, and come again to you" (Genesis 22:5). Abraham seems to expect that his son will be resurrected after being sacrificed. Why would he believe this? Perhaps because Abraham already knows the gospel of Christ and that he is acting out this gospel through the sacrifice of his own son, Isaac. "...Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off" (Genesis 22:4). What did Abraham see? "Then the Jews said unto [Jesus], Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am" (John 8:57-58). Is it possible that Abraham got a glimpse into the future and saw Jesus' death on the cross on that very same mountain? Jesus said, "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad" (John 8:56). Jesus says that Abraham did see it. "And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son... and they went..." (Genesis 22:6). "And [Jesus] bearing his cross went forth..." (John 19:17). Isaac, like Jesus, carries the wood on his journey to be sacrificed. "And Abraham took the wood... and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife..." (Genesis 22:6). "...a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life" (Genesis 3:24). There are lots of similitudes in the Bible. "And the Lord visited Sarah..." (Genesis 21:1). "And the angel came in unto [Mary]..." (Luke 1:28). "For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him" (Genesis 21:2). "And so it was, that while they [Joseph and Mary] were there, the days were accomplished that [Mary] should be delivered" (Luke 2:6). "But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman..." (Galatians 4:4). "...God had spoken to [Abraham]" about the birth of Isaac (Genesis 21:2). "...the angel of the Lord appeared unto [Joseph]" to tell him about the birth of Jesus (Matthew 1:20). "And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac..." (Genesis 17:19). "And [Mary] shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS..." (Matthew 1:21). "And the Lord said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?" (Genesis 18:13). "Then Mary said unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?" (Luke 1:34). "And Abraham called the name of his son... Isaac" (Genesis 21:3). "...and [David] called his name JESUS" (Matthew 1:25). "And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him" (Genesis 21:4). Notice that circumcision is to be performed on the eighth day -- symbolic of resurrection, "putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ" (Colossians 2:11). "And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS..." (Luke 2:21). Isn't it interesting that the Lord wasn't given the name Jesus until after his circumcision -- the cutting off of the flesh. "And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking. Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac" (Genesis 21:9-10). "But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise... For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all... Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free. Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free..." (Galatians 4:23-26, 28-31; 5:1). "...and Abraham... bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood" (Genesis 22:9). Jesus, like Isaac, was also "obedient until death" (Philippians 2:8) as he was sacrificed upon the wood of the cross, the tree of life, the Way foretold and kept true and faithful by the flaming sword of the Word of God in ages past. "And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because thou hast obeyed my voice" (Genesis 22:18). Both Isaac and Jesus were promised seeds, their births foretold long before conception, given names before birth, born to women who weren't supposed to be capable of having children, offered as sacrifices, and next appeared (or will appear) to be with their brides. "And Abraham called the name of that place Jehova-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen" (Genesis 22:14). Abraham knew the sacrifice of his son Isaac was to be prophetic. "It shall be seen." It is very possible that Isaac was sacrificed on Golgotha (at 33 years old), the very same place where Christ was crucified -- "in the land of Moriah" (Genesis 22:2). (Note: Isaac was 37 years old when Sarah died, which is mentioned right after Isaac's sacrifice, see Genesis 24:67; 25:20). "By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son. Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure" (Hebrews 11:17-19). "offered up his only begotten son" -- what about Ishmael? the works of the flesh are not counted (Galatians 4:30), and thereby we are also able to see the connection to John 3:16 -- God gave "his only begotten Son." "Accounting that God was able to raise him up..." -- Abraham was able to understand that God would resurrect Isaac even if only "in a figure" of the Savior to come, Jesus. "And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering..." (Genesis 22:8). Did God provide a lamb? Some would say, "No." Some people are confused by this because God provides the substitutionary ram that day (Genesis 22:13), not a lamb. But Abraham was looking beyond his son Isaac and to God's son, Jesus. Jesus said, "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad" (John 8:56). Abraham told Isaac the truth, "God will provide himself a lamb" (Genesis 22:8). Isn't it interesting how that sentence is worded? "God will provide himself..." It's almost as if the verse is saying that God himself will be the Lamb. Not only does God provide the lamb, but He is the Lamb!! PRAISE JESUS!!! Also, did you notice that Isaac is not seen after the sacrifice? "So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beer-sheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beer-sheba" (Genesis 22:19). Where's Isaac? Abraham returns to his young men without Isaac. (We don't see Isaac again until his bride is brought to him). And where do they go? They go to Beer-sheba. How far away is Beer-sheba? Beer-sheba is approximately a three days journey. How long was Jesus in the grave before he rose? Three days. And who is one of the "young men" with whom Abraham most likely returned. Probably Eliezer who happens to be a type of the Holy Spirit, which we shall see. "...the Lord has blessed Abraham in all things. And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had... thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac" (Genesis 24:1-2, 4). Who is this eldest servant who has been sent on a mission to retrieve a bride for Abraham's son? "And Abram said, Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?" (Genesis 15:2). Abraham's eldest servant is Eliezer, steward of Abraham's house, ruling over all that he had. What does the name Eliezer mean? It means "comfort" or "comforter." Who else in the Bible is known as Comforter? Jesus said, "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you" (John 14:26). The Comforter is the Holy Spirit, the One whom Jesus sent to us, His bride. Jesus said, "Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you" (John 16:7). In the same manner, Eliezer was sent to retrieve a bride for Abraham's "only begotten son" (Hebrews 11:17). "But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:" (John 15:26). Does the Holy Spirit talk about Himself? No? Who does the Holy Spirit talk about? He testifies of Jesus! Jesus said, "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself... He shall glorify me" (John 16:13-14). Isn't it also interesting that in Genesis chapter 24, when Eliezer is portrayed as a type of the Holy Spirit that you do not find Eliezer's name mentioned anywhere in this chapter? Like the Holy Spirit, Eliezer does not speak of himself. "But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac" (Genesis 24:4). Eliezer, as a type of the Holy Spirit, is sent to a far off land (the land of the kinsman redeemer), to retrieve the bride of the son. "...Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife" (Revelation 21:9). But why doesn't Eliezer take Abraham's son with him to get his bride? Eliezer said, "Peradveneture the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land: must I needs bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest?" (Genesis 22:5). Jesus already came once. He will not come again to make those of us today believers. The Holy Spirit has been sent to testify of Him and to bring us to Him! Do you see the connection between Eliezer and the Holy Spirit, and Isaac and Jesus? How does Abraham answer Eliezer's question about taking the son with him to get the bride? "And Abraham said unto him, Beware thou that thou bring not my son thither again" (Genesis 22:6). Why not bring the son back to his land to get his bride? Let's look at what the purpose of Jesus' first coming was in Luke chapter 4: "And [Jesus] came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears" (Luke 4:16-21). Jesus himself said that his first coming was to "to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord." But you know what? Jesus stopped in mid-sentence. He did not read the full verse of Isaiah chapter 61, verse 2. Why? Let's take a look: "To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn" (Isaiah 61:2). Why did Jesus leave out that he came to proclaim "the day of vengeance of our God"? Why did he close the book, sit down, and say, "This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears" without including the rest? Because "this day" Jesus did not come to proclaim the vengeance of God. He would do that on another day, the Day of the Lord, Jesus' second coming. But for now, His bride is not ready. "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). Now can you see why Abraham said to Eliezer, "Beware thou that thou bring not my son thither again" (Genesis 22:6, also verse 8). And isn't it interesting that Abraham says that Eliezer shouldn't bring Isaac "thither again." Isaac has never left the land of Canaan. Why should Abraham suggest that Isaac had already been to the land of his kinsmen? Because this verse points to another son, God's Son, the kinsman redeemer -- the One who has already come and shall come again, and the bride is to be gathered before the Son comes again! "And the servant... arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor" (Genesis 24:10). Note that Eliezer (as the Holy Spirit) went to a place called Mesopotamia, which means "between the rivers" to retrieve the bride. Where's the bride? In a place between the waters above and the waters below (see Genesis 1:6-7). And unto what city did he go? The city of Nahor, which means "sleeping or snoring man." "...God hath given them the spirit of slumber..." (Romans 11:8). The Holy Spirit will come to retrieve the Son's bride at a time when the world is asleep. "And the damsel [Rebekah] was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up" (Genesis 24:16). Notice that this verse specifically calls her "a virgin" -- why would we think otherwise if she is the one "appointed for... Isaac" (Genesis 24:14)? Also notice that the verse says she is "fair to look upon" and that after "she went down to the well" then she "came up." Interesting use of words. Let's compare this to Ephesians 5:25-27: "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish" (Ephesians 5:25-27). Rebekah is seen here as a type of the church, the bride of Christ. The connection is also made in the following two verses: "And [Rebekah] said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him a drink" (Genesis 24:18). Compare that verse with this one: "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely" (Revelation 22:17). The Holy Spirit and the bride together offer the water of life! It is then that Eliezer (as the Holy Spirit) offers the bride gifts. "...the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold" (Genesis 24:22). The first gift is an earring. Faith is "the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8) and "...faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17). "And [Eliezer] said, Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth..." (Genesis 24:27). Who is this "master" that the Holy Spirit (Eliezer) speaks of? Isaiah tells us it is Jesus, "And in mercy shall the throne be established: and he shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David..." (Isaiah 16:5). Also read: "All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies" (Psalm 25:10, and many other places in the Bible). "And [Eliezer] said... I being in the way, the Lord led me to the house of my master's brethren" (Genesis 24:27). The Holy Spirit is in Who and with Who? Jesus! "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way..." (John 14:6). And who are "my master's brethren"? We are. The church. The bride. We are the brethren of our kinsman redeemer, Jesus Christ who came as God in the flesh to die as a sacrifice to pay the price for our sins! "And Sarah my master's wife bare a son to my master when she was old: and unto him hath he given all that he hath" (Genesis 24:36). Compare that verse with this: "...in these last days [the Father hath] spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds" (Hebrews 1:2). Eliezer (the Holy Spirit) is testifying of Isaac (Jesus). Then Rebekah (the bride, the church) must decide for herself whether she will go with Eliezer (the Holy Spirit) to meet with Isaac (Jesus) and be his bride. "And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go" (Genesis 24:58). Rebekah (the church) does not tarry with her family as they had wished (Genesis 24:55). She leaves right away, according to what Eliezer (the Holy Spirit) had asked (Genesis 24:56). "And Isaac came..." (Genesis 24:62). This is the first time we see Isaac since his sacrifice. He is coming for his bride. "And Isaac came from the way of the well Lahai-roi..." (Genesis 24:62). Isaac comes from "the way" of "the well Lahai-roi" meaning "the well of living water". Once again, Isaac is shown as a type of Christ, the one who offers living water. Like Eliezer, Jesus once met a Gentile woman at a well and asked her for a drink, then offering her the greater reward of living water, the gift of God, and the chance to be His "bride." "Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water" (John 4:10). Notice what Isaac does in the very last verse of Genesis chapter 24. "And Isaac brought her [Rebekah] into his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death" (Genesis 24:67). Isaac (Jesus) brought Rebekah (the church) into his mother's (Israel's) tent (see Revelation chapter 12, "the woman with child"). And then Isaac (Jesus) was comforted (thanks to the Holy Spirit) after his mother's (Israel's) death. "What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded... that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so shall all Israel be saved..." (Romans 11:7, 25). And so shall we become the bride of Christ. "...as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God [Jesus] rejoice over thee" (Isaiah 62:5).