They WITH Us. From Eden to Eden Pt 6

 Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sara, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gedeon, Barak, Samson, Jephthae, David, Samuel, prophets…

Heb 11:39,40 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

They without us.

They did not receive the promise then.  They will receive the promise, along with us. We will all have a good report through faith, all who receive the promise to come, when our Savior returns for His people. All at once, all at the same time- they WITH us WILL be made perfect, whole in Christ Jesus, this is a promise!

CHAPTER III. THE ABRAHAMIC COVENANT

1. The Token. (Circumcision- flesh/heart)

2. The Seed. 

Continuing from yesterday-

3. The Land. 

While the truth concerning the other two points, the seal (token) and the seed, are quite readily, or even generally admitted, it is quite as generally supposed that the gift of the land was a promise of temporary benefit, and that it was fulfilled to the literal descendants of Abraham, the twelve tribes of Israel. On this point it will be necessary to present several considerations, which clearly show that the promise remains to be fulfilled.

1. According to the argument in Hebrews, chapters 3 and 4, the land of Canaan bore the same relation to the true rest that remains to the people of God, that Moses and Joshua bore to Christ. As Christ was the prophet like unto Moses, Deut. 18:15; as he is the true leader of the Israel of God, to cause them to inherit the promise, as Joshua did in type; so the land of Canaan, temporarily possessed by the tribes of Israel, was but a type of the everlasting inheritance

promised to Abraham and to his seed.

2. The promise of the land was not merely to the twelve tribes of Israel; it was to Abraham and his seed. We have seen that the seed to whom the promise was made is Christ; and it is a fact clearly set down in the Bible, that neither Abraham nor his seed, Christ, ever inherited the land that was promised to them. And therefore, if they do not inherit this land in the future, the words of Jehovah will be broken--a thing that cannot be contemplated for a moment. Of this Stephen spoke in his sermon: of Abraham he said that the Lord "gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on; yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child." Acts 7:5. So also it is written in Heb. 11:9: "By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise." 

So entirely was it true that he inherited no part of the land that was promised to him, that the only part of the land to which Abraham ever laid any manner of claim, was a cave and field in Hebron, which he bought from the Canaanites for a place to bury his dead. But this promise stands on record, as the unfailing word of Jehovah.

As with Abraham, so with his seed; Christ spent all his earthly life in the land of promise, yet himself declared that while the foxes had holes, and the birds of the air had nests, the Son of man had not where to lay his head. It is a fact, that after the time of his youthful subjection to his parents, he had no home. The coming of night found him at the homes of his friends in various parts of the country, or in the desert, or in the mountain, or over on the trackless sea. But on earth there was no place to which he could go and say he was at home. Yet he was the seed to whom the promise of the land was made, and the promise still stands in the Scriptures of truth.

Again, as we, believers in Christ, are the seed of Abraham, to be blessed with faithful Abraham, so says Paul, we are heirs according to the promise. Gal. 3:29. It is not a vain thing to be heirs of Abraham; he had a valuable inheritance by promise to bequeath to his children. Have the saints inherited the promise? No; they have not been superior in privileges to Abraham and to Christ. Jesus said to his disciples: "In the world ye shall have tribulation." John 16:22. And Peter said

to his brethren, that they were strangers and pilgrims. 1 Pet. 2:11. And such they must be if they are partakers in this world with Abraham, the father of the faithful, and with the Lord Jesus Christ their example.

3. Another fact, proving that the possession of the land of Canaan was only typical of the true inheritance, is that Abraham is declared to be the heir of the world. Rom.4:13. He and his sons, heirs with him of the same promise, "confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth." Heb. 11:17. Go where they would, they found themselves homeless; they had no inheritance here, but "died in faith, not having received the promises."

4. And as with Abraham, so with all his seed; they are all heirs of the world. Said Jesus, "Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth." Matt. 5:5. To inherit is to possess by heirship. The meek can inherit the earth only as being Abraham's seed, and heirs with him of the promise of the land--the earth. Jesus quoted this promise from Ps. 37:11, which contains a double promise, namely: "The meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace." Go to Hebrews 11, and learn whether this has been the lot of the meek in the present world. Ask the martyrs if in this world they delighted themselves in the abundance of peace. Ask them that have lived godly in Christ Jesus whether they have inherited the earth with abundance of peace, or whether they had to suffer persecution. 2 Tim. 3:12. Tell us if Jesus did not speak the truth when he said that his followers should have tribulation in the world. But yet the promise stands, that the meek shall inherit the earth. Admit that the time is coming when Abraham, and Christ, and those who are his by faith, shall have a peaceful inheritance of the earth, and the Scriptures are clear, harmonious, and beautiful. And thus, and only thus, can the promises of God be verified.

5. Another and most decisive fact is, that the inheritance is to be redeemed. Circumcision was given to Abraham as a token, or assurance of the faithfulness of God to fulfill his promise. And thus Paul says of the true circumcision, the seal of the covenant: "After that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest [assurance] of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession." Eph. 1:13, 14. 

Here are recognized, (1) our inheritance; (2) that it has been purchased; (3) that it remains to be redeemed; and (4) that we have the earnest of the Spirit to assure us that we shall certainly

possess that inheritance. 

But from what is it to be redeemed? If our inheritance is just what the Scriptures say it is, namely, the earth, then the question is easily answered. It is to be redeemed from the curse which Satan was instrumental in bringing upon it. But if it is claimed that it is something else, or somewhere else, then we cannot conceive how the question can be answered. And this leads us to notice,--

6. That the misapprehension on this subject arises largely from the error of losing sight of the identity of the work of the seed of the woman, and that of the seed of Abraham; from overlooking the harmony and the unity of the divine plan for the recovery of that which was lost in the fall. "The seed," of Gen. 3:15, is identical with "the seed," of Gen. 12:7. Christ is the one individual referred to in both promises. It is Abraham's seed that shall bruise the head of the serpent; and the seed of the woman shall possess the land. What is said in either case applies also to the other. Now it is written that the Son of God was manifested to destroy the works of the devil. 1 John 3:8. In order effectually to thwart the designs of the enemy of all righteousness, Christ must reverse every condition, and restore every loss, which resulted from the introduction of sin into Eden. By Satan's deception Adam was robbed of his innocency, by reason of which he transmitted tendencies to his posterity, and brought them under the influence of sinful surroundings. He brought a curse upon his dominion, so that the lovely earth which God pronounced very good, over the creation of which the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy (Job. 38:4-7), was caused to bring forth thorns and thistles and poisonous weeds; and the animals which were made subject to man, have become wild and ferocious, and even man is the enemy of his fellow-man. The earth itself groans beneath the weight of its corruption and its curse, and the angels of Heaven weep over the triumphs of the enemy, temporary though they are. Shall Satan's triumph be forever? If so, then Christ died in vain; then were the promises made in vain.

Let us behold at a glance what was lost, and what must be done for its recovery.

Adam Lost He Left Us The Seed Must

1. His innocence. 1. Sinful. 1. Take away our Sin.

2. His Dominion. 2. Homeless. 2. Restore the Dominion.

3. His Life. 3. Dying. 3. Give us Life.

If there should be a failure in any of these points, then the failure would be complete, for just so far would Satan remain triumphant. But who could entertain the idea that God would suffer his purpose in creating the world to be forever frustrated by Satan? The angel said that Jesus should save his people from their sins (Matt. 1:21); and this, to the glory of his grace he is now accomplishing. And he has promised also to give unto his people eternal life (John 10:28); and this promise we all believe will be fulfilled. And he also said that the meek shall inherit the earth. Matt. 5:5. When all this is accomplished, then all the works of the devil will be destroyed. All that Adam lost will be restored by the seed of the woman; the children of Abraham shall inherit the promise; the inheritance shall be redeemed--that is, the earth shall be made new; the counsel of God shall stand; his purpose will be fulfilled; not a word of the Most High shall fail.

7. This is strongly confirmed by the following impressive fact. All admit that Christ bore the curse for man on the cross; "for it is written, cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree." Gal. 3:13. But it is not so well considered that there was a peculiar significance in his being crowned with thorns by the soldiers. They put a purple robe upon him; and a reed in his hand, thus signifying that he was a king. They also crowned him, but with thorns--the emblem of the curse put upon the earth. The curse was brought by the wile of Satan. And as they smote him with the reed, and drove the thorns into his brow, and the blood ran down his face, that blood drawn by the thorns, the curse of the earth, was the surety of the earth's redemption. God made the world to be inhabited; he gave it to the children of men; and his purpose will not fail, for the children of men shall inherit and possess it forever, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace, when God shall make all things new. Rev. 21:1-5.

From Eden to Eden-A Historic and Prophetic Study. 

By J. H. Waggoner. 1890