Chapter 5

 

We come now to Paul's discussion of Isaac, the anointed seed of Abraham, who is held in contrast to Ishmael and the sons of Keturah, who are the other sons of Abraham that were brought to birth in the normal, fleshly manner. Romans 9:6-8 says,

⁶ . . . For they are not all Israel which are of Israel;

⁷ Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham are they all children; but In Isaac shall thy seed be called.

⁸ That is, they which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.

Paul says here that just because one can claim to be a physical descendant from Jacob-Israel does not mean he is an Israelite. The same holds true with the seed of Abraham. He cites Genesis 21:12 as proof of this. So let us go back to Genesis and see the context of that statement. It is the story of Ishmael and his relationship with Abraham. Beginning with verse 9, we read,

⁹ And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian which she had born unto Abraham mocking.

¹⁰ 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.

¹¹ And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight because of his son.

¹² And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.

¹³ And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.

In other words, just because Ishmael was the seed or son of Abraham did not make him the seed. Yet God calls Ishmael “thy seed” in verse 13. Ishmael was indeed the son of Abraham, and God fully intended to bless him, but not in the same manner as God would bless Isaac. In the matter of the birthright and the messianic lineage leading to Jesus Christ, the seed was Isaac. That is, Isaac was exclusively to be the anointed seed with this calling.

Paul uses this story to show that just because one is physically born of Abraham does not make a person of the anointed seed, else Ishmael could make the same claim to the birthright as Isaac. Ishmael was cast out, or excluded, from the birthright calling. Nonetheless, Ishmael would receive a blessing as well, and this is confirmed by the angelic appearance to Hagar (Genesis 21:17-19).

We see from this that exclusion from the birthright blessing does not mean separation from God. The fact that Israel was exclusively called does not mean that God has forsaken all others, or that all others are excluded from the blessings of salvation.

Not to “Seeds”

Ishmael was a child of the flesh, while Isaac was the child of promise. Ishmael was born after the natural manner of birth. Isaac was born to Sarah after she was well past childbearing age. She was 90 years old when Isaac was born. Hence, it was a miracle birth that was beyond the fleshly capability. God brought him to birth because Isaac was the child of promise—that is, he was the seed promised to Abraham many years earlier. Paul again deals with this issue in greater detail in his letter to the Galatians. In the third chapter of Galatians we read in verse 16,

¹⁶ Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, and to seeds as of many, but as of one, and to thy seed which is anointed [Greek: christos, “anointed”].

Most translators say, “and to thy Seed which is Christ.” However, the word Christ is the Greek word christos, which simply means “anointed. It refers to Isaac, who was the anointed seed. Only by extension does it refer to Jesus, who was the ultimate fulfillment as the Seed of Isaac, or the chosen Seed. Jesus occupies the highest position of authority, but on a corporate level, the seed of Abraham refers to Israel as a nation. Paul was showing again that the promise was not given to “seeds” (Ishmael, Isaac, and Abraham's six other sons through his later wife, Keturah. See Genesis 25:1-4.) It was given only to Abraham's one “seed.” Isaac was the child of promise. All the other children were born naturally after the flesh.

The word “seed” in English as well as in Greek was a collective noun like sheep and deer. It could be either singular or plural. But Paul is careful to point out that in the context of the story of Genesis, it is singular, since it refers specifically to Isaac. In Genesis 21:12 the word seed in Hebrew is followed by a singular verb. Hence, grammatically the seed mentioned there must also be singular. Paul knew this and writes accordingly.

The Children of the Flesh

In Galatians 4, Paul defines the children of the flesh more specifically by saying,

²² For it is written that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondwoman, the other by a free woman.

²³ But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.

This makes it clear, as we have pointed out, that Ishmael was born after the flesh, while Isaac was born by promise and was the child of promise.

²⁴ Which things are an allegory; for those are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar [or, Hagar].

²⁵ For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.

²⁶ But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.

Paul applies this story to the two covenants, old and new. The Old Covenant was given at mount Sinai in Arabia, the home of Ishmael and Hagar. In that the physical city of Jerusalem desired to remain under the old covenant and had rejected the New Covenant, that city with its people were to be “cast out” even as Ishmael was cast out in the days of Abraham and Sarah. The prime evidence against the people of Jerusalem was their persecution of the Christians, for even as Ishmael had persecuted Isaac, so also were the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem persecuting the Christians.

²⁸ Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise,

²⁹ But as then, he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.

Essentially, Paul is saying that those who reject Jesus and His New Covenant were children of the flesh and were disqualified as “the seed” every bit as much as Ishmael had been disqualified. There were many true physical Judahites in Jesus' day and in Paul's day, but their physical descent from Abraham could not ultimately qualify them as the anointed seed.

Cast Out the Bondwoman and Her Son

Those people of Judea in Jesus' day who rejected Jesus and the New Covenant, choosing rather to remain in the Old Co venant, were identifying with Hagar and Ishmael in Arabia. They were children of the flesh, even as Ishmael was. They were to be cast out, because they could not inherit the promise with the children of the free woman.

³⁰ 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.

³¹ So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.

During the Old Testament times, the children of the flesh had remained in Abraham's house, even as Ishmael in times past. However, with Jesus' advent, the day came when the bondwoman and her son were to be cast out. It had never been sufficient in the sight of God for a person to be a physical descendant of Abraham. God was never satisfied with having fleshly children. His love for them is pictured in Abraham's love for Ishmael (Genesis 21:11), but this love did not stop Him from casting them out, even as Abraham had to cast out his beloved son, Ishmael.

God had allowed His fleshly children (Judah) to remain in the house until the birth of the second Isaac (Jesus). Like Isaac, Jesus was the anointed Seed, the Son of promise, born not after the flesh, but by the miracle of a virgin birth. For a few years He and the children of the flesh coexisted in the same house (nation). But finally when the children of the flesh began to persecute Him who was born after the Spirit, God sent the decree to cast out the bondwoman and her son. The nation of Judah had not only persecuted, rejected, and crucified Jesus, but they had also persecuted and killed the Christians.

The Benefits of Being an Israelite

Romans 9:4 & 5 makes it clear that there is great benefit in being a physical Israelite. They had an advantage over other nations in that God called Abraham and promised that he would be a blessing to all families of the earth. He taught Abraham His ways. He revealed His law to Israel through Moses. He even made a marriage covenant with Israel at mount Sinai.

This marriage was an exclusive relationship with God, even as all marriages ought to be. Yet it did not mean that God hated all other nations, any more than I would hate all other women as soon I married my wife. God loved all, but He married Israel. God said in Amos 3:2,

² You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.

God could not divorce other nations, because He had never married the other nations. Other nations suffer much oppression because of idolatry, but God does not hold them accountable like He does with Israel. Israel's idolatry was a matter of adultery. Idolatry in other nations was a matter of ignorance. Paul asks the question in Romans 3:1 and 2,

¹ What advantage then hath the Jew [Ioudeou or “Judean”]? Or what profit is there of circumcision?

² Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.

In other words, the chief advantage of being a physical Judean, or Judahite (or by extension, an Israelite) is that these people received the Scriptures. Even in the past 2,000 years since Jesus lived on this earth, the chief advantage in being an Israelite is that God saw to it that the Scriptures were given to the Israelites of the dispersion in Europe very early in the early history of the Church.

Yet these advantages in themselves justify no man. A physical Israelite may be of Abraham's seed, but to be counted as the seed one must be birthed from above. One who is a mere physical Israelite has no advantage over Ishmael, who was likewise Abraham's seed.

God's purpose in giving the Scriptures to Israel was so that they would be equipped to take the gospel of the Kingdom to all parts of the earth. Unfortunately, the Church largely failed in their responsibility. But we are now approaching a new era in which the overcomers will shortly be sent out with an entirely new authority and spiritual power to complete this work. But to understand this, we need to point out its historic progression.

Israel, Church, and Overcomers

The physical nation of Israel under Moses was the first “Church.” The word means the called-out ones, and Israel as a nation was called out of Egypt. Acts 7:38 refers to “the church in the wilderness,” and this was also the same Church Jesus mentioned in Matthew 18:17. It was an entire nation that included unbelievers, believers, and overcomers—otherwise known as grapes, wheat, and barley in biblical symbolism.

Israel was God's “vineyard” (Isaiah 5:7). In this vine-yard were a mixture of seeds, some wheat, some barley. The law of God says in Deuteronomy 22:9,

⁹ Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with divers seeds; lest the fruit of thy seed which thou hast sown, and the fruit of thy vineyard be defiled.

The mixture of seeds in the original Church defiled everything, and so there was no way they could ever bring real righteousness into the earth. So God took the first steps to correct the situation by removing the grain from the vineyard and separating wheat and barley from grapes.

In Acts 2 God separated unto Himself a smaller body of people, calling them out of the old Church. Hence, a new body of called-out ones were born, and the term “Church” now came to refer to the body of believers and overcomers. The grape company of unbelievers were no longer included in this new Church. The old Israel Church had failed to bring righteousness to the earth, because it had too many unbelievers in it. God sowed a new field that included just wheat and barley.

In the past 2,000 years the wheat and barley mixture has had the divine authority to bring righteousness to the earth. But they have not done much better than the Israel as a nation. There were too many Christian unbelievers, people who followed the example of Israel in the wilderness, who complained and disagreed with God every step of the way. This Church was ruled by “Saul” rather than David. It had 40 Jubilees in which to fulfill its calling, but it too failed. Thus, in 1985-86 God began to separate the barley from the wheat into separate fields to prepare the barley company for receiving the authority of the kingdom and bring righteousness to the earth. God remembered His law found in Leviticus 19:19, “Thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed.”

Only now at this end of the age is God's field (the world) properly sown according to the divine law. Only now can it grow without defilement. The overcomers, the barley company, are the third body of called-out ones. They are, in essence, the third Church, called out of the realm of Pentecost into Tabernacles in the same way that God called the Pentecostal Church out of the Passover realm in Acts 2.

So we see from this historic progression that first the Israel Church of Passover was given opportunity to do the job, and they failed. Next, the pentecostal Church was given that authority, and they failed as well. They failed to declare the 120^th Jubilee in the fall of 1986. Instead, the International Christian Embassy, created in 1980, sponsored the first Christian Zionist Congress in Augu st of 1985. This was designed to declare support for the old Jerusalem and those who were under the old covenant. They declared their support for the building of a physical temple in which the Jews could set up a new Levitical priesthood with a renewal of Old Testament animal sacrifices. In doing this, the Church defiled itself, preferring to identify with the bondwoman and her son—old Jerusalem.

There is much advantage to being a physical Israelite, because they were given the oracles of God and the promises. However, this was not enough to bring righteousness to the earth. There is also much advantage to being a part of the Church under Pentecost, for they also received the promise and the Scriptures with the further revelation of the New Testament. But this anointing also proved to be insufficient.

Today, if one wants to be a part of the final work of God at the climax of history, one must come into the experience of Tabernacles and be a part of that third body of called-out people. These are called overcomers. God has been doing a tremendous work in them corporately since 1985-86. Once the “Saul” Church came to an end after 40 Jubilees on May 30, 1993, we entered into a time of transition from Saul to David. The Biblical pattern shows that this could last 7-1/2 years (2 Samuel 5:5).

Our observation of the past few years indicates that this divine authority is being transferred to the overcomers in stages. Thus far, God's actions have been hidden from public view, but the day is soon coming when God will send forth His overcomer Church with the spiritual authority to fulfill God's purpose from the beginning.

Most physical Israelites and Judahites have been disqualified from this work. Most of the Church has like-wise been disqualified. This does not mean they have lost their salvation. What they have lost is the “high calling of God” (Philippians 3:14). Those who join Saul's army cannot be a part of David's men in the cave of Adullam (1 Samuel 22:1).

Exclusive Callings, Not Exclusive Salvation

Getting back to Romans 9, Paul wrote about the difference between Isaac and Ishmael to illustrate for us that God chose Isaac, not because Ishmael was a bad man, but because God is sovereign and has the right to choose whomsoever He wants. The same is true with God's choice of Jacob, rather than Esau, as Paul writes next.

¹¹ For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand not of works but of Him that calleth.

Jacob and Esau were twins, having the same father and mother. As Paul said later in verse 21, they were made from the same lump of clay, but one was made into a vessel of honor, while the other into a vessel of dishonor. God did this, Paul says, even before they were yet born, in order that we might know that this “election” (calling) had nothing to do with their works. It was done purely by the sovereign choice of God.

Paul further proves God's sovereignty by citing the case of Pharaoh. Most Christians have a problem with this because they think it means God decided to send Pharaoh to hell forever—and the same with Ishmael and Esau. That is totally untrue. The passage is talking about the election to bring righteousness to the earth. It is talking about exclusive callings, not exclusive salvation. The day comes when Yahweh will be known as the God of the whole earth. As Isaiah 19:24, 25 says,

²¹ And the Lord shall be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know the Lord in that day, and shall do sacrifice and oblation; yea, they shall vow a vow unto the Lord, and perform it.

²² And the Lord shall smite Egypt; He shall smite and heal it; and they shall return even to the Lord, and He shall be intreated of them, and shall heal them.

²³ In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians shall serve [the Lord] with the Assyrians.

²⁴ In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land.

²⁵ Whom the Lord of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt, My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel mine inheritance.

The fact that Hagar, the Egyptian, was cast out did not mean God had altogether rejected Egypt. Neither did the prophecies of judgment against Assyria and Nineveh mean that God had rejected Assyria. When these nations see the glory of God manifested in His people, they and all other nations will gladly accept His rule over them. Meanwhile, these other nations see the Church avidly supporting Jewish supremacy, which, in any other people, would be totally unacceptable behavior. The nations see the Church supporting terrible injustices that the Israelis are afflicting upon the local Palestinian population—which they say God supports just because the Jews are supposedly God's chosen people. The nations see the Church supporting a religion that is more antichristian than any other, with the possible exception of outright satanism. And they wonder how this can be.

In its present condition, the world will remain resistant to Christ, because His Name is blasphemed among the nations by those who claim to represent Him. I look forward to the day when Christian Zionism is an oddity of past, a mere reminder of a former blindness that will never again afflict mankind.