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Abraham's covenant with God was a type of our baptism
Fred R. Coulter—August 12, 2017
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Greetings, everyone! Welcome to Sabbath services! This Sabbath is going to be a potpourri of news and prophecy.
Man Refuses Seat Beside Woman Reading Bible, Flight Attendant Responds With 7 Controversial Words
{http://www.qpolitical.com/man-refuses-seat-beside-woman-reading-bible-flight-attendant-responds-7-controversial-words/}
There was this one elderly Christian woman sitting in a triple-row seat and she was reading her Bible. Here comes a 50-something-year-old Muslim man. There are pictures because today there are video cameras on your smart phone. The outraged man approached the attendant and said:
"I cannot sit here next to this infidel," the man said.
So the flight attendant did what any good customer service representative would do and explained that she would try to find another seat.
After searching for a seat, the flight attendant returned and reportedly stated: "There are no more seats in economy, but I will check with the captain and see if there is something in first class."
The Muslim thought this is going to be great!
Almost 10 minutes later, the flight attendant returned and explained that she had found one available seat.
Before the outraged man could reply, the attendant gestured to the elderly Christian woman with the Bible and continued: "Madam, if you would so kindly retrieve your personal items, we would like to move you to the comfort of first class as the captain doesn't want you to sit next to such an unpleasant person."
It didn't take long for passengers in the surrounding seats to applaud, while some even gave a standing ovation.
What does it say in Proverbs? Pray for wisdom!
Every once in a while I get some news from the Holy Land.
Finds in Jerusalem shore up biblical account of Babylonian conquest {http://www.timesofisrael.com/new-jerusalem-finds-shore-up-biblical-account-of-babylonian-conquest/}
They find a lot of charred remains and things like this and they found a statue of the Queen of Heaven. So, when you read Jeremiah, remember what they said when God said not to go down into Egypt. They said, 'We're going to go down there.' You have to get rid of your idols. 'No, when we pray to the Queen of Heaven we had plenty of everything.'
Jeremiah told them that if they went down there, 'you're all going to be wiped out.' It took a few years, but it happened. Nebuchadnezzar came down and wiped them all out. Although, Jeremiah got away with the daughters and went to Ireland. I wonder how so much dirt got on there to cover all of that up.
In one of the digs they found a dedication to Vespasian and Titus. Titus didn't want the temple destroyed, so he commanded all the men, 'Don't destroy it. This is such a magnificent building, we need to keep it.' I'm sure you remember the words of Jesus Christ.
With the latest episode that they had with Jews trying to go up where the Mosque of Omar is, the plan to put the Jewish temple beside the Muslim mosque isn't going to work. That will never work!
So, the Jews are stuck with a problem: Where are they going to build the temple? Plus they have another problem behind that: They never want a Gentile to tell them what they need to do!
As you look down from an aerial view, here's the Mosque of Omar and you come south and there is this crescent moon-shaped tip, and it should be built there. I don't know what they're going to do when they finally find out where to build it.
I talked to the man who did the movie: Jerusalem and the Lost Temple of the Jews by Ken Klein and he said the purpose of it—because it was so long—was to show that everything that people know about Christianity and Jerusalem is wrong! Every single thing! And the Jews have every single thing wrong!
So, when God says He's going to do something, He does it!
Matthew 24:1: "And after going out, Jesus departed from the temple; and His disciples came to Him to point out the buildings of the temple. But Jesus said to them, 'Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, there shall not be left here even a stone upon a stone that shall not be thrown down'" (vs 1-2). That is exactly true!
- I wonder how the Jews are going to do it?
- I wonder what rabbi is going to have a vision where to put it?
I mentioned about the man who said that the two witnesses are going to be killed during the Feast of Tabernacles this year. I wrote him and said, 'There can't be the two witnesses until there's a temple built, and they're going to be in Jerusalem. They're not going to be church members!'
When you put together Zech. 3 & 4, the priest is a type of Joshua (Zech. 3), and the governor of Judea is a type of Zerubbabel (Zech. 4). Every time Delores sees Benjamin Netanyahu she says that he looks like one who would be one of the two witnesses.
Do you think the Jews would accept a couple of haggard old church members as two witnesses in Jerusalem? That they would obey Christians? They might arrest them!
Notice the sequence here; Revelation 11:1: "Then the angel gave me a measuring rod like a staff, saying, 'Arise and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and those who worship in it.'" What is there first? The temple!
Verse 2: "But leave out the court that is within the temple area, and do not measure it because it has been given up to the Gentiles; and they shall trample upon the Holy city for forty-two months. And I will give power to My two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth" (vs 2-3).
How did I arrive at some of the dates that are on the chart for the Daniel/Revelation sermons series? First of all you take Dan. 9:27 and the 70th week! That's the last seven years. You can't find out when they start by looking for when they start. What you do—and what I did—was ask myself: Why does God say 1,260 days for the two witnesses and 42 months for the Gentiles. All commentaries say that that is the same time period. Can't be!
- Why can't it be the same time period? it's calculated differently; one is days and the other is months
- Can you have months with differences of days, but still months? Yes, you can!
How did I figure it on that chart? Look where the beast and false prophet had their end, which is right at the Feast of Trumpets, at the end of the seventh year. So, you count backward 42 months.
I took the cycle of 19 years, and you have to start somewhere, so I asked: Is the end the end? Yes! What if that is the 19th year of a 19-year time cycle? When you go backward 19 is a leap year with 13 months; 18 is a regular year, 17 is a leap year.
All right, go backward 42 months and this is when the beast is wounded, the middle of the seven years. He receives a deadly wound, but is healed and continues 42 months after he is healed.
- Guess where that fell? Right around Passover!
- What are the Jews going to do on Passover? Offer of thousands of lambs!
- What is the beast going to do? He's going to cutoff the sacrifices!
Daniel says 1,290 days and 1,335 days. I haven't quite figured out the 1,335 days. However, with those two leap years in there, 1,335 would put it at the same place. You count back by months. Of course, that's in the middle of the seven-year period.
How do you figure where the two witnesses begin? I figured that since Pentecost is the resurrection, they are killed how many days before the resurrection? Three days and three nights! So, on the fourth day they're resurrected and that's when the seventh trump blows. So, you count back 1,264 days and you find that the two witnesses begin their witness sometime right after the Feast of Tabernacles and just before winter.
- Can you think of someplace in Matt. 24 that says winter? Pray that your flight not be in winter!
- What has to happen before they flee? Abomination of the Desolation that's in the Holy Place!
That's when the beast comes in and stops the sacrifices and the 42 months begins right after that. When you put it together that way it'll come out and make sense to you.
There's one man, David Pack of Restored Church of God, who says, 'I'm God's apostle for the 21st century.' He must have anointed himself, because no one was there to do it. 'And I will have control over the two witnesses.' Nonsense! It's never happen! That's why you have to stick to the Scriptures!
I have an article here on THC—the harmful ingredient in marijuana. Then there is the CBD that is a marijuana plant that doesn't have the THC. How they do that I don't know.
The THC stimulates cells in the brain, creating euphoria," according to the NIDA. "It also interferes with how information is processed in the hippocampus…
Which is on in the temporal lobe of the brain.
…which is the part of the brain responsible for forming new memories.
No wonder they forget!
Risks: the effect of marijuana makes it a popular drug; in fact, it is considered one of the most commonly used illicit drugs in the world.
We're going to cover next the mark of the beast and it will involve this; I'll explain how.
But these effects also concern mental health advocates. "THC can trigger a release in schizophrenic symptoms," according the NIDA.
In other words, you can be going along and all of a sudden now you've got this other personality to deal with.
The use of marijuana may cause problems for younger people, and long-term problems. Some of the side effects include THC are: decrease in IQ, memory, cognitive, especially in younger people.
It also affects women who are pregnant. It affects the child's brain, and it also goes into the mother's milk.
So, the baby gets it!
In order for them to institute the mark of the beast, and get rid of cash, what must they do? They must legalize ALL drugs! They need cash to run it illegally. If it's all run on a card or chip, they will know every purchase you make. This got quite a bit of play in the news.
Microchip Implants for Employees? One Company Says Yes by Maggie Astor, July 25, 2017 {https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/25/technology/microchips-wisconsin-company-employees.html}
Where they put it was between the thumb and the forefinger, on the right hand. It could do things like buying stuff in the cafeteria, you could open doors and close doors, and all that sort of thing.
So, they had a big splash of it, even on the news. I don't know how many people work for this company, but guess how many people showed up to have it done? Only 50! {transcriber's note: there are 80 employees} Other companies called and wanted to know what this was.
How can anything be subverted unless there is a conspiracy to subvert it? It doesn't matter what it is: the Word of God, government, whatever!
At first blush, it sounds like the talk of a conspiracy theorist: a company implanting microchips under employees' skin. But it's not a conspiracy, and employees are lining up for the opportunity.
The company is Three Square Market, a technology company in Wisconsin. Remember years ago when they came out with Digital Angel? Now they're working on it from another point of view.
New Graphene Electronic Tattoo for Tracking Internet of Things and Biometric IDs. {http://www.activistpost.com/2017/08/graphene-electronic-tattoo-medical-biometric-id.html}
So, here they are experimenting with it. They even have a version of it that's invisible. Imagine with all of these ill-educated millennials, with all of their little texting things and smart phones, how quickly they're going to line up when they get a benefit for doing so. When they do it, it makes me wonder if they will give a starting account for every newborn (speculation)? Think of what that would do. If your baby is born in a hospital they will do it automatically. The law will require it, and if you have your children at home, you are against the law.
Big Push for Cashless Society with Visa $500,000 Cashless Challenge to Merchants by Michael Snyder; July 19, 2017 {prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=1402}
They're giving reward to stores that go cashless. That's why they have to legalize drugs. They're at the point that they need to have only digital money. They won't have to print any money. They won't have to worry about cash. It's going to go over fantastically.
Revelation 13:16: "And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free and the bond…" In Biblical terms, that's all inclusive statement meaning everybody!
"…to receive a mark in their right hands, or in their foreheads so that no one may have the ability to buy and sell unless he has the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name" (vs 16-17).
I don't know how many credit cards you have, but I have a number of them, but I like to use cash most of the time. Delores got a big surprise when she went to Knob Hill years ago, because she likes to operate with checks. So, she goes in there and writes out a check for the amount and the clerk takes it, processes it and hands it back. They had the system setup so that the money comes out immediately. She was shocked. She came home and told me, 'You won't believe what they did.' They did do it!
A chip card has a little chip embedded in it that has all your information on it. What is the difference between that and a chip in your right hand? The difference is that it's not embedded! But when you use it—whether you use money or a card—you're going to use your hand.
When they embed it there are a lot of things that are going to be in there that they're not going to tell you is operational. It will eventually come to the point that —because they want to have it—'we can control everyone and get the whole world to go with this.
- Could we stop violence?
- Could we stop crime?
- Could we stop wars?
If we could control it and electronically send pulses of peace and love everyone would say, 'Hallelujah!'
- Are you tired of wars?
- Are you tired of fighting?
- Are you tired of rioting?
The Greek means may not have the ability—'ook'—the impossibility of buying and selling!
Years ago there was a movie Enemy of the State. This man was an enemy of the U.S. government. They canceled everything about him: his identity, every one of his cards, every one of his cell phones, everything that he had at home. He did not exist any longer. That's what it will be when the mark of the beast comes! That's quite a thing!
This man went to Oklahoma to buy some part to fix a lawnmower. He went to Ace Hardware and he had a little chip in his card. They said that they have already figured a way around it so you could just swipe it, so it's a swipe and a chip both. What does that do? It also tells you that you have to have the right mark of the beast; you can' counterfeit it! It does away with counterfeiting! You can't steal it like a pack of credit cards. Idon't think it would work if they cut off someone's right hand.
A Huge Muslim Problem: Inbreeding—Results of 1400 Years of Inbreeding
by Nesara Isra
{theroperreportsite.wordpress.com/2017/04/30/a-huge-muslim-problem-inbreeding/}
Marrying first cousins! It's hard for them to learn, and of course, it increases the amount of schizophrenic activity. Remember the San Bernadino terror attack: he was friendly, nice, good, and got married to a gal from Saudi Arabia. Then he was radicalized! He just all of a sudden turned! Well, with so much inbreeding, they're susceptible to that, plus the way that they're taught.
Then there's another article about all of the things that the Muslims have done. It's interesting that William Tyndale wrote in 1534-5 that 'we are to forgive even a Turk.' Why mention a Turk? Because they had a Muslim problem back then with the Turks!
Transgender: There's even a report now that children who are 7, 8 and 9 who want to be a different gender, they can get hormone shots so they can progress and develop into whatever they want.
Now, all of these things I'm going through so that we can understand. It's difficult living in these days! We're not going to read about wars and rumors of wars, although there's a lot of that going on. I've got an article with the Chinese taking over part of India on its southern border.
Matthew 24:21: "For then shall there be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until this time, nor ever shall be again."
Everything is going to be upside down and backward. If you're against transgender you're a hater! They're still going to try and stop it.
House passes a bill curb human trafficking by Christina Marcos, 7/12/17
That's because Trump wanted it.
Church of Sweden To Force All Pastors To Perform Same-Sex Weddings
{prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=1390}
Another article regarding transgender; trying to make people gods through machines:
Humans "will become God-like cyborgs within 200 years" {telegraph.co.uk/culture/hay-festival/11627386/Humans-will-become-God-like-cyborgs-within-200-years.html}
Years ago for the Feast of Tabernacles I did two sermons on Singularity is Near and it's happening right now.
When a Professor Justifies Infanticide [after birth]
{https://townhall.com/columnists/michaelbrown/2017/07/21/when-a-professor-justifies-infanticide-n2358150}
A new symbol for transgender bathrooms: Whichever!
UN Is Normalizing Pedophilia: The Deep State is Free to Prey Upon Your Children by Dave Hodges, Jun 14, 2017
{thecommonsenseshow.com/2017/06/14/the-un-is-normalizing-pedophilia-the-deep-state-is-free-to-prey-upon-your-children/}
American Children Killing themselves [suicide] at a Record Rate by Selwyn Duke, July 2017
Some of the movies around have cannibalism in them. There's a lot of satanism in the movies and things like that. What is reason for the suicide rate for young people? I think the reason is that:
- they don't know who they are
- they don't know what sex they are
- they have no assurance of God
- they're not being taught anything to give them substance as an individual to make choices of their own
And it all lays at the doorstep of the schools! But there is hope: they now have home-schooling from K-12 at home. So, keep your children out of school.
Pope Francis: Evolution and the Big Bang Theory are Real. "God is not a magician with a magic wand." {nbcnews.com/news/world/pope-francis-evolution-big-bang-theory-are-real-n235696}
See where all of this is going? Plus all of the alien stuff! The Catholic Church believes the aliens are going to come. That is true at the resurrection when Christ returns! Because they are aliens!
Pope Proxies Compare U.S. Christians to Terrorists
{wnd.com/2017/07/pope-proxies-compare-u-s-christians-to-terrorists/}
I've talked about the JamesWebb Telescope.
Here's one that will really get you. I'll just read a little bit:
Hundreds Pack DC hall to discuss podcast Exploring Harry Potter as a sacred text by Julie Zauzmer and Michelle Boorstein, July 19, 2017
{washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2017/07/19/harry-potter-and-the-sacred-text-podcast-draws-non-believers-who-find-meaning-in-magical-fiction/?utm_term=.ac7cdda929b5}
See why people need the Word of God? See why they need, as young people, the Proverbs? That's why every young person needs to have the Proverbs. When we're born into the world we know absolutely nothing, our mind is totally blank. The only think that a baby knows how to do is nurse and cry. Mothers, if they're sharp, can tell if the diaper is wet or dirty. Or if they're hungry, selfish or cranky.
Here is what the Proverbs is to do; Proverbs 1:1:"The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel: to know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding" (vs 1-2).
- What are you going to know when you grow up if you know nothing?
- What are you going to do?
- How are you going to act?
Verse 3: "To receive the instruction of wisdom, righteousness, and judgment, and equity; to give prudence to the simple…" (vs 3-4)—blank minds when you're born!
"…knowledge and discretion to the young man. A wise man will hear and will increase learning, and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsel to understand a proverb and its interpretation, the words of the wise, and their dark sayings. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction" (vs 4-7)—this tells you what is wrong with the school system today.
- Wouldn't it be nice if they went to school and they all knew that they were created by God?
- that God loves them?
- that here is knowledge from God written for all children?
so you can:
- learn how to think
- learn how to do what is right
- learn to use your mind so that you can make the right choices
I think it's interesting that one of the first things in the latter part here is the verses against gangs. What's one of the biggest problems with young boys? Gangs! So, it would be nice if they taught it in school. That's why for teenagers we have Proverb program for them. I bet that they would have them study Harry Potter books as sacred texts. But here's what they say from the article on Harry Potter:
In the episode they taped at Sixth & I, they used one chapter of the third Harry Potter book as a vehicle for discussing the topics of trust, betrayal, love and prejudice (against werewolves).
This made me stop and think. We need to take another view of Satan. Remember that after we saw the video with Ken Copeland and the ecumenical thing and the pope and all of that, and how nicely that the pope talked to Protestants there and labeled it The Sweet Side of Satan. We picture him, and the world pictures him, as an ugly evil being seeking to destroy. True! But he doesn't come that way! He comes nicely, enticingly:
- Don't you want to be fair?
- Don't you want to have love?
- I'll show you a way!
On to some things more contemporary: China!
We'll find out what China does with what's going on in North Korea. But they're building a rail system from China direct into Europe. It's called The New Silk Road. Think what that is going to do. Won't that facilitate the armies of 200-million coming from the East.
China also had a cruiser warship go around and come in the Gulf. All it has to do is go a little farther and go into the Gulf of Aqaba and it can let troops out right at the southern end of the Holy Land.
Some religionists say that all the troops and armies are going to be there to kill the Jews. You don't need all the armies of the world to kill the Jews. They're going to be there to fight Christ and the saints at their return, because they will all be considered invaders from outer space. So, the way is being prepared.
China's first test of its anti-satellite missile capable of destroying enemy communications ends in destruction after the projectile 'malfunctions'
{dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4753602/China-tests-new-missile-capable-destroying-satellites.html}
Yes, let them steal our technology and embed it with errors and let them take it!
Chemotherapy found to spread cancer throughout the body. What is a good antidote? A lot of people don't know it: cooked asparagus canned, because it's fresh and put it in the can, sealed and cooked.
So much for the news. I wanted to cover it all in one part; there's a lot going on in the world!
(go to the next track)
Study on Covenants (especially the Abraham Covenant)
In doing so, you have to realize that much in the King James Version does not cover it accurately enough to give you a clear picture.
First of all it is not understood that covenants are not fully enforced until both parties have produced a sacrifice.
We will start in 1-Chron. 16 and then go back and see what was done with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and then we will come forward to the book of Galatians, which in this instance the King James is really not a good translation at all.
1-Chronicles 16:7: "Then on that day David first delivered this psalm into the hand of Asaph and his brethren in order to thank the LORD: 'O give thanks to the LORD, call upon His name, make known His deeds among the people'" (vs 7-8). This is when David brought the Ark of the Covenant to his house in a separate little tabernacle for it.
Verse 9: "Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him, tell of all His wondrous works. Glory in His Holy name, let the heart of those who seek the LORD rejoice. Seek the LORD and His strength; seek His face continually" (vs 9-11).
Sidebar: In the Greek this phrase "…seek the LORD…" is often in a participle. A participle has the meaning seek and keep on seeking! Especially if it's a present tense participle, but it says here "…continually."
Verse 12: "Remember His marvelous works which He has done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth, O seed of Israel His servant, children of Jacob, His chosen ones. He is the LORD our God. His judgments are in all the earth" (vs 12-14). Who is David talking to? The children of Israel!
Verse 15: "Be always mindful of His covenant, the word He commanded to a thousand generations, even the covenant, which He made with Abraham, and of His oath unto Isaac. And He has established it unto Jacob for a law, to Israel for an everlasting covenant, saying… [the covenant is]: …'To you will I give the land…'" (vs 15-18).
Let's look at a very interesting thing in Deut. 5. This is the giving of the Ten Commandments.
Deuteronomy 5:22: "The LORD spoke these words to all your assembly in the mountain out of the midst of the fire of the cloud and of the thick darkness with a great voice. And He added no more…." That means the LORD spoke personally no longer. He added a whole lot more in talking to Moses personally: all the statutes and the judgments.
"…And He wrote them on two tablets of stone and delivered them to me. And it came to pass when you heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, for the mountain burned with fire, you came near me, all the heads of your tribes and your elders, and you said, "Behold, the LORD our God has revealed His glory and His greatness, and we have heard His voice out of the midst of the fire. We have seen today that God talks with man yet he still lives. Now, therefore, why should we die?….'" (vs 22-25).
Verse 1: "And Moses called all Israel and said to them, 'Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day so that you may learn them and keep and do them. The LORD our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. The LORD did not make this covenant with our fathers…" (vs 1-3).
It was placed along side Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but prophesied as part of the covenant with Abraham, the sand of the sea and the stars of heaven. The covenant was based upon the Ten Commandments. Some people say that that's all there is to the covenant. NO! As Moses brought out, all the statutes and judgments.
When you come to Exo. 24, you find that this is where the covenant with Israel was confirmed, the children of Israel, which is separate from the one He gave to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Exodus 24:3: "And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the judgments. And all the people answered with one voice and said, 'All the words, which the LORD has said, we will do.'" That's not yet the covenant! Everything given here—Exo. 20-23—form the whole of the covenant based on the Ten Commandments.
They have to say that 'we will do it.' What backs up what they said? What backs that up is that there is a sacrifice! There must be a sacrifice with every covenant.
So, they had them offer peace offerings (v 5). Here's the blood of the covenant for the children of Israel, v 6: "And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basins, and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. And he took the Book of the Covenant, and read in the ears of the people. And they said, 'All that the LORD has said we will do, and be obedient.' And Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, and said, 'Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD has made with you concerning all these words'" (vs 6-8). That sealed it!
After all of that, then 70 of the elders went up and saw God standing on that Sea of Glass. Moses went up and talked to God. They got all the laws first! All the judgments first!
Then beginning in Exo. 25 you have the tabernacle. Everything to do with the tabernacle, the priesthood, the sacrifices, the offerings and everything else. That's important to understand.
Let's look at the beginning of the covenant with Abraham. God is proposing this Himself, and actually prophesying of His death, this covenant is based upon what He told Adam and Eve in Gen. 3:15 about the coming Messiah. Actually, that part of Gen. 3:15 is the overarching of the whole Bible, when you understand it. All the details come in later.
They agreed to the covenant, they said that we will obey all that is done, and then God gave all the laws for the priesthood and the tabernacle that He would dwell among them.
This all comes back to the covenant that we have in Gen. 15. Abram didn't have any children so he said, 'What about Eliezer? He can be my heir,' which then is an adoption! Unfortunately, the King James calls the word for 'sonship' as an adoption; that is incorrect.
- the New Covenant is not an adoption!
- the covenant with the children of Israel was not an adoption.
It's sonship! Are we going to be like God? Yes! Sonship!
God let Abraham know, when he was 85-years-old, ten years following God up to this point:
Genesis 15:4: "And behold, the Word of the LORD came to him saying, 'This man shall not be your heir; but he that shall come forth out of your own loins shall be your heir'"—the physical seed Isaac; there it is right there!
Verse 5: "And He brought him outside and said, 'Look now toward the heavens and number the stars—if you are able to count them.' And He said to him, 'So shall your seed be.'" This is a prophecy of the spiritual seed!
What did Jesus say that the children of the kingdom will be like? Like the sun shining (Matt. 13)! What did Daniel say about those in the resurrection? Shall shine like the stars forever! So, here is the beginning of it here.
Verse 6: "And he believed in the LORD. And He accounted it to him for righteousness. And He said to him, 'I am the LORD that brought you out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give you this land to inherit it.' And he said, 'Lord GOD, by what shall I know that I shall inherit it?' And He said to him, 'Take Me a heifer of three years old, and a she-goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.' And he took all these to himself, and divided them in the middle…" (vs 6-10).
Have you ever watched Forged in Steel? They get this sword and hack through a half side of beef or pound on bones.
This sacrifice is called a covenant maledictory sacrifice. With this sacrifice the one making the covenant is saying, 'If I do not perform what I'm proposing and promising, I will become like this sacrifice.'
So, they were cut down the middle, spread apart at the spine—blood, guts, gore, heart, lungs intestines; everything there—a bloody, bloody mess! I don't know how sharp Abraham's sword was, I don't know if he had a battle axe or something like that, but I'm sure he had an axe. He's have to, to cut down the spine. We don't know how long it took to do this, but we get a little hint of time as we go along.
"…and divided them in the middle, and laid each piece opposite the other; but he did not divide the birds" (v 10)—he put them down by themselves.
Verse 11: "And when the birds of prey came down upon the carcasses…" This shows that this must have taken a good part of the day to do it.
Of course, whenever you have open carcasses here come the buzzards, the eagles, and if you're out on the African plane, here come the jackals.
"…Abram drove them away. And it came to pass, as the sun was going down…" (vs 11-12). Pay careful attention to that. What happens when the sun really goes down? What does that do officially time wise? It ends the day! Where did he first get his first proposal (vs 4-5)? At nighttime! You can't see the stars unless it's nighttime.
So, we come here and "…the sun was going down, that a deep sleep fell upon Abram…. [here is this symbolic death to Abram] …And, behold, a horror of great darkness fell upon him! And He said to Abram, 'You must surely know that your seed shall be sojourners in a land that is not theirs (and shall serve them and they shall afflict them) four hundred years'" (vs 12-13). We won't get into the details of v 13; we'll cover that at a different time.
Verse 14: "And also I will judge that nation whom they shall serve. And afterward they shall come out with great substance. And you shall go to your fathers in peace. You shall be buried in a good old age" (vs 14-15)—he was 175-years-old. So, he lived another 90 years from this.
Verse 16: "But in the fourth generation they shall come here again, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full."
Sidebar: What does it take for the iniquity of a certain group of people, whatever group they are, to come to the full. We can see with the example of Sodom and Gomorrah; that is an example. How long was it before they came in and took the land? 430 years! God sometimes waits a long, long time!
Verse 17: "And it came to pass—when the sun went down and it was dark—…"—you're into the next day. This is the Sabbath and the sun goes down tonight and you can sports on.
One man had a hard time. He was a football coach in college for a long time and he had a hard time breaking the habit of watching college football on the Sabbath.
Verse 17: "And it came to pass—when the sun went down and it was dark—… [after 'ben ha arbayim'] …behold, a smoking furnace and a burning lamp passed between those pieces. In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram…" (vs 17-18).
This is God's part! God confirmed it with Abraham Himself, but we will see that He waited for two other confirmations on Abraham's part. So, when it says that it was confirmed by God, this is where it was confirmed, walking between those parts.
"…saying, 'I have given this land to your seed, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates'" (v 18). Then He lists all of the Canaanites there.
We have to do a little conjecture here so that Abraham would know that this covenant was for sure. The lamp showed that it was God walking through and the smoking furnace was burning up those animals. So, when Abram awoke he saw ashes; he knew that God's Word was going to take place.
This was done when Abraham was 85-years-old; Genesis 16:16: "And Abram was eighty-six-years-old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram."
What does Gen. 16 tell us? A good lesson! Don't try and force the promises of God to be fulfilled yourself!
Sarah proposed Hagar; Abraham could have said no, let's wait until you conceive. So, today this problem lingers with us in the Middle East.
Thirteen years later here's Abraham's part of that covenant. What was proposed first? Physical seed through his own error!
Here is confirmation of the covenant for physical seed; Genesis 17:1: "And when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, 'I am the Almighty God!….'"
God never appeared to the children of Israel as the Almighty God. He appeared as the One Who is YHVH—Yahweh or Jehovah.
"'…Walk before Me and be perfect. And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly'" (vs 1-2)—the physical seed.
Here comes the fulfilling of that covenant that He made in Gen. 15:
Verse 3: "And Abram fell on his face. And God talked with him, saying, 'As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations.'…. [and of the sea!] …Neither shall your name any more be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. And I will make you exceedingly fruitful…" (vs 3-6). Not him, his seed through him, coming from him.
"…and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your seed after you in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your seed after you" (vs 6-7).
That's why we have the blessings of Abraham today in the last days, because it was promised that it would be.
Verse 8: "'And I will give the land to you in which you are a sojourner, and to your seed after you, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession. And I will be their God.' And God said to Abraham, 'And you shall keep My covenant, you and your seed after you in their generations. This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your seed after you. Every male child among you shall be circumcised. And you shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin. And it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you" (vs 8-11).
There's Abraham's confirmation of the covenant. We have God's confirmation of the covenant with His sacrifice that He alone walked through. Now the blood of the covenant being certified to Abraham, his sacrifice is the blood of the circumcision. That's for the physical seed. That's also applies to Ishmael.
Then he says that Sari's name will be changed to Sarah[transcriber's correction] and at the appointed time next year she will have a child.
Remember, there are two proposals of the covenant. Each one of these proposals has to be a covenant placed along side the one given to Abraham. Once a covenant is made you can't change it. If you change it, you die!
Jer. 34—During he days of Zechariah they said, 'All right, we'll return to the Lord, we'll let all of the Hebrew male and female slaves go, have liberty and release them. So, they had a calf sacrificed down the middle—two parts—and they walked between it. All the princes, all the slaveholders and everything; let them all go.
Do you know what God did because of they did that? Because they were returning to God at least in that? He caused the armies of Nebuchadnezzar to withdraw! How about that? Then they decided, 'What have we done? I've got to wash my own robes. I've got to carry my own wood, cook my own food.' So, they went back on their word of the covenant.
When you walk between that sacrificed animal you have to fulfill your word. You can't go back on it! There's no changing your mind! We need to apply that to baptism to ourselves and the sacrifice of Christ as well.
Then God caused the armies of Nebuchadnezzar to come back and destroy the city, destroy the temple and take those men out and slaughter them. That's how binding a covenant is.
Here's where God told Abraham to take Isaac, his only son, whom he loved… He had another son by Hagar, but that was not counted in the genealogy. He was not the child of promise.
So, Abraham took Isaac out to a place on Mt. Moriah to offer him for a burnt offering. In Heb. 11 Paul wrote that Abraham counted God worthy to bring Isaac back to life. So, he was going to go ahead and do what God said. Why? Because he understood that this was the covenant sacrifice! The covenant son through whom would come all the physical descendants.
When you come to Gal. 4 comparable in symbolism through which all the spiritual children come through Isaac.
So, they go up to offer Isaac Genesis 22:6: "And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it upon Isaac his son…." A type of Christ; the only Begotten of the Father is Christ. The only begotten of Abraham, through Sarah, was Isaac. A lot of symbolism here!
"…And he took the fire pot in his hand…" (v 6). It says in the King James that he 'took the fire in his hand.' You don't take fire in your hand and still have your hand, so it had to be a firepot.
"…and a knife. And they both went together. And Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, 'My father.' And he said, 'Here I am, my son.' And he said, 'Behold the fire and the wood. But where is the lamb for a burnt offering?' And Abraham said, 'My son, God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering.' So, they both went on together. And they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and laid the wood in order. And he bound his son Isaac and laid him on the wood, upon the altar" (vs 6-9)—everything ready to go!
Verse 10: "And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. And the angel of the LORD called to him from the heavens and said, 'Abraham! Abraham!' And he said, 'Here I am.' And He said, 'Do not lay your hand upon the lad, nor do anything to him, for now I know'" (vs 10-12).
Why do we have to overcome in our physical life for as long as we live? So God will know that we will be faithful unto the end! 'The one who endures unto the end…'
Abraham had 40 years of trial up to this point. This was probably done on the Passover Day, as well.
Verse 12: "And He said, 'Do not lay your hand upon the lad, nor do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God… [completely with all your heart, mind, soul and being] …seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.' And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram was entangled in a thicket by its horns…." (vs 12-13).
Either God created that instantly, which very well may have been, or while they were having this conversation and he was preparing it, God sent the ram to get up there to get entangled. If that's the case, then another angel entangled it in the bush or the thicket, whatever.
"…And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son" (v 13).
This shows us also the covenant for eternal life requires a substitutionary sacrifice by God, which He provided through Christ. Abraham didn't have to go up to provide himself. His son was the substitutionary sacrifice. Now, because the seed needed to live, God provided the ram.
Notice how this comes out here, v 14: "And Abraham called the name of that place The LORD Will Provide; so that it is said until this day, 'In the mount of the LORD it will be provided.' And the angel of the LORD called to Abraham out of heaven the second time, and said…" (vs 14-16).
When God swears by Himself, now at this point, the covenant that God began with Abraham in Gen. 15 is now absolutely for sure going to happen with no change whatsoever.
"…'By Myself have I sworn,' says the LORD, 'because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son'" (v 16).
What are we asked to do when we come to baptism? We're to love God more than mother, father, brother, sister, lands, and your own life also, and take up your cross and follow Him! Just like Isaac, he was carrying the wood, typical of the cross.
Notice how this blessing is; it reverses, the first part of it was that 'your seed shall be as the sand of the sea.' Here it's reversed.
Verse 17: "That in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your seed like the stars of the heavens… [the spiritual seed] …and as the sand, which is upon the seashore…."—the physical seed. Now both are secure with the sacrifice on Abraham's part.
- circumcision
- his only son Isaac
This covenant cannot be broken, it cannot be added to. But from the stating of the covenant, all the details necessary can be given. That's what we find with the covenant given to Israel, and then the covenant given to the Church.
I had a man call me recently from Canada and said that he has been searching every Bible version that he can possibly search and get his hands on, and he said that 'the Faithful Version is only version that he has found that understands about the definite article or the lack thereof.'
Galatians 2:16: "Knowing that a man is not justified by works of law…" There are two definite articles in the King James, one before works and one before law: 'the works of the law.' People read that and think it means the Ten Commandments. It has nothing to do with the Ten Commandments! It has to do with the works of Judaism and has to do with the animal sacrifices that were given to Israel!
Galatians 3:11: "Therefore, it is evident that no one is being justified before God by means of works of law…"
What is the only means of justification spiritually? The sacrifice and shed blood of Jesus Christ! That goes back to Gen. 3:15 and Gen. 15.
"…because it is written, 'The just shall live by faith.' Now then, the Law is not based on faith; but, 'The man who practices these things shall live in them'" (vs 11-12). Not to add to or take away from.
Verse 13: "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the Law…"—the penalty of sin! He hasn't redeemed us from the Law that is a curse. That's how the Protestants apply it. The Law is not a curse! Sin, the transgression of the Law, is a curse!
"…having become a curse for us…" (v 13). That's why Christ was crucified. That's why the three animals and the two birds of Gen. 15. A brutal death!
Verse14: "In order that the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles by Christ Jesus, and that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith." Not through works of law. You have to believe, and know and understand that you believe!
Verse 15: "Brethren (I am speaking from a human perspective), even when a man's covenant has been ratified, no one nullifies it, or adds a codicil to it."
A new covenant, if there's another condition, must be added and placed along side. You can't change the covenant! You must make a new one. That's why there are the two covenants wrapped up in the covenant with Abraham:
- the physical covenant for the physical seed
- the spiritual covenant for the spiritual seed
Verse 16: "Now, to Abraham and to his Seed were the promises spoken. He does not say, 'and to your seeds,' as of many; but as of one, 'and to your Seed,' which is Christ. Now this I say, that the covenant ratified beforehand by God to Christ cannot be annulled by the Law…" (vs 16-17).
That's what the Jews say. If the Law was given by God, we don't accept this man over here.
Verse 17: "Now this I say, that the covenant ratified beforehand by God to Christ cannot be annulled by the Law, which was given four hundred and thirty years later, so as to make the promise of no effect."
In other words, if all the promises of God were fulfilled at Mt. Sinai, which they weren't because the promises went further beyond that, you have the two. They don't contradict each other, but they are side-by-side.
Verse 18: "For if the inheritance is by law… [inheritance of eternal life] …it is no longer by promise…."
Example: If in your lifetime you offer a thousand bullock in dedication to God you will receive eternal life. Anything less, you will not receive it. Anything more, you will not receive it. What if you did 700 and died? No eternal life!
That's why it's by promise!
- you believe in Christ
- you believe in God
- you believe in what He said
- you believe in the Holy Spirit
- you believe all the things concerning it
"…But God granted it to Abraham by promise. Why then the Law?…. [given at Mt. Sinai] …It was placed alongside the promises… [because the spiritual promises had yet to be fulfilled] …for the purpose of defining transgressions, until the Seed should come to whom the promise was made, having been ordained through angels in the hand of a mediator" (vs 18-19).
What happened when Christ died on the cross? That ended the covenant with Israel! It didn't end the commandments, because commandments are always a part of the covenant.
Why do we have the promises today? Gen. 17, given to Abraham! When you read the other things, he was told to 'look to the north, south, east and west and all these lands I will give your seed.' That's a promise given to Abraham.
So, the punishment that comes upon Israel for sin generally is, sooner or later, coming to an end like it did with the 70-years captivity in Babylon. Just like the promise of receiving those things did not come to Israel, being the ten tribes, until—and I think for England and America—God prepared the way with William Tyndale translating the Bible for them so they would have the Word of God. That's because of Abraham.
We don't keep all the same laws that were given under the covenant with Israel, but what do we have? In the physical nations they have based their civil laws on the Bible! The reason being is that there has to be in any physical nation the administration of death for those who commit crimes worthy of death.
The Church cannot have that! Every sovereign nation has that responsibility given to it beginning in Gen. 9 right after the Flood.
Physical Israel was a physical nation. They had to have the laws with the administration of death. They occupied a certain geographical area. All nations occupy certain geographical areas, and God has determined the bounds of their inheritance before hand. All of them must have the authority of the administration of death for crimes that are worthy of death. Whether they do that or not is another question. The Church does not have that. Giving that to the nations and ending that physical covenant with Israel does not change the promises of eternal life to the Church. That's what it's saying. Through Israel you cannot receive eternal life. Through the covenant with Israel you cannot receive eternal life.
So, all Gentiles out there who feel that God chose them as a special people. That's His choice; don't feel bad! But when God opened the door for eternal life, all nations were included in that. The apostles were to go into 'all the world to all the nations teaching them whatsoever I have commanded you!'
You can't have the death penalty within the Church; that would make it a separate sovereign within another sovereign. Hope you understand that. You must be a sovereign nation in order to have the death penalty given by God. Otherwise it's murder!
- What is the greatest thing that the Church can do?
- What is the greatest penalty that the Church can enforce?
- Disfellowshipment! That's it!
The Protestants don't understand that.
- they don't understand the difference of the covenant given to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
- they don't understand what happened when Christ died
except that the covenant was ended with the sacrifices and things like this
- they don't understand about the blessings given to Abraham concerning the physical seed of many nations, many people
That includes us today!
Look at it today. I was given a National Geographic recently and it talks about the space program, the coming James Webb telescope, and four or five religious leaders who say that they're Christ manifest in the flesh. Then there's an article about human excrement and how there are many nations in the world that they still do it on the ground, and India is the worst offender. Everything south of the Sahara are also the worst offenders.
Look at the sickness and disease. Then in India, when they have the monsoons what kind of sewer system can you have? Everything rises and floats around. The sickness and disease…! I was reading that and thinking: How can India and Brazil, South Africa, Russia and China become great powerhouses in the world when they don't have the sanitation necessary to have a healthy population?
Also in India, cow are sacred, monkeys are sacred, rats are sacred. They even have a temple to rats. It's just infiltrated with rats all over and people think they're doing… Here's a work of law: feed the rat and you'll be blessed. Terrible! India will never be a great nation.
Genesis 26:5: "Because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws." These are the same ones given to Israel!
Why did Abraham do that? Because with his entourage moving around, he had to have law and order! He had many servants. When he went to fight against the king that came to Sodom and Gomorrah and took away Lot, Abraham had 300 men go with him. How big was his caravan?
You think of Abraham running around with gunnysacks and a long beard, never cut, and hair dangling down to his waist and riding on a camel or donkey. No! He had gold and silver; he was also an astronomer.
The covenant that God gave to Abraham in Gen. 17, plus the blessings of Gen. 49 and Deut. 33 concerning the children of Israel come from the blessing that God gave in Gen. 17.
The Church is separate, but the Church began in Israel, the Holy Land, and the things that we have today began in Israel. They didn't begin in Antarctica, didn't begin in Brazil. Where did it begin? Where the Word of God was, and the Word of God was with Israel!
Scriptural References:
- Matthew 24:1-2
- Revelation 11:1-3
- Revelation 13:16-17
- Matthew 24:21
- Proverbs 1:1-7
- 1 Chronicles 16:7-18
- Deuteronomy 5:22-25, 1-3
- Exodus 24:3, 6-8
- Genesis 15:4-18
- Genesis 16:16
- Genesis 17:1-11
- Genesis 22:6-17
- Galatians 2:16
- Galatians 3:11-19
- Genesis 26:5
Scriptures referenced, not quoted:
- Zechariah 3; 4
- Daniel 9:27
- Exodus 20-23; 24:5; 25
- Genesis 3:15
- Matthew 13
- Jeremiah 34
- Hebrews 11
- Galatians 4
- Genesis 17; 9; 49
- Deuteronomy 33
Also referenced:
Articles:
- Man Refuses Seat Beside Woman Reading Bible, Flight Attendant Responds With 7 Controversial Words
{http://www.qpolitical.com/man-refuses-seat-beside-woman-reading-bible-flight-attendant-responds-7-controversial-words/}
- Finds in Jerusalem shore up biblical account of Babylonian conquest {http://www.timesofisrael.com/new-jerusalem-finds-shore-up-biblical-account-of-babylonian-conquest/}
- Microchip Implants for Employees? One Company Says Yes by Maggie Astor, July 25, 2017 {https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/25/technology/microchips-wisconsin-company-employees.html}
- Big Push for Cashless Society with Visa $500,000 Cashless Challenge to Merchants
by Michael Snyder; July 19, 2017 {prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=1402}
- A Huge Muslim Problem: Inbreeding—Results of 1400 Years of Inbreeding by Nesara Isra {theroperreportsite.wordpress.com/2017/04/30/a-huge-muslim-problem-inbreeding/}
- House passes a bill curb human trafficking by Christina Marcos, 7/12/17
- Church of Sweden To Force All Pastors To Perform Same-Sex Weddings
{prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=1390}
- Humans "will become God-like cyborgs within 200 years" {telegraph.co.uk/culture/hay-festival/11627386/Humans-will-become-God-like-cyborgs-within-200-years.html}
- When a Professor Justifies Infanticide [after birth]
{https://townhall.com/columnists/michaelbrown/2017/07/21/when-a-professor-justifies-infanticide-n2358150}
- UN Is Normalizing Pedophilia: The Deep State is Free to Prey Upon Your Children by Dave Hodges, Jun 14, 2017
{thecommonsenseshow.com/2017/06/14/the-un-is-normalizing-pedophilia-the-deep-state-is-free-to-prey-upon-your-children/}
- American Children Killing themselves [suicide] at a Record Rate by Selwyn Duke, July 2017
- Pope Francis: Evolution and the Big Bang Theory are Real. "God is not a magician with a magic wand." {nbcnews.com/news/world/pope-francis-evolution-big-bang-theory-are-real-n235696}
- Pope Proxies Compare U.S. Christians to Terrorists
{wnd.com/2017/07/pope-proxies-compare-u-s-christians-to-terrorists/}
- Hundreds Pack DC hall to discuss podcast Exploring Harry Potter as a sacred text by Julie Zauzmer and Michelle Boorstein, July 19, 2017
{washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2017/07/19/harry-potter-and-the-sacred-text-podcast-draws-non-believers-who-find-meaning-in-magical-fiction/?utm_term=.ac7cdda929b5}
- China's first test of its anti-satellite missile capable of destroying enemy communications ends in destruction after the projectile 'malfunctions'
{dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4753602/China-tests-new-missile-capable-destroying-satellites.html}
Video: Jerusalem and the Lost Temple of the Jews by Ken Klein (amazon.com (free with Amazon Prime)
Sermon Series:
- Daniel/Revelation (includes chart)
- Singularity is Near (days 3 & 4 FOT 2008)
FRC: bo
Transcribed: 8/22/17
Copyright 2017—All rights reserved. Except for brief excerpts for review purposes, no part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means without the written permission of the copyright owner. This includes electronic and mechanical photocopying or recording, as well as the use of information storage and retrieval systems.
