It’s good to have everyone back once more. If you want, please send a comment to let me know your thoughts, or questions. I would love to hear from you.
I am happy to say that I have had several new people find me and now are following this in-depth Bible Study.
For sake of time, let’s go back to Genesis, chapter 21, where we left off week before last, and we had the story of Ishmael and Isaac, if you remember. Then we went to Galatians to pick up the allegory.
But now let’s look at Genesis, Chapter 21, verse 14.
“14 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beer-sheba. “
As God instructed.
Verse 15
“15 And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs.”
Now the language there makes you think the child was only 2 or 3 years old, but remember he’s 13 or better. He’s a pretty good size lad. She probably said, sit in the shade under one of these shrubs and I’ll go over here. She’s is probably thinking they are both going to die.
Verse 16-17
“16 And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept. 17 And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. “
Remember I pointed out several weeks ago that the Angel of the Lord or the Angel of God is always Jehovah (as we know him in the Old Testament), or God the Son in another theophany; appearance in human form. Always remember that.
Verse 18
“18 Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation.”
This is out of Ishamel that the biggest majority of our Arab people have come from.
Verse 19
“19 And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink. “
I like to point something here that is rather interesting. God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. Now the provision from the human element was how much? Abraham provided only a bottle of water. What does God provide and give her? A well. See the difference. Isn’t that always the way? We depend on the arm of the flesh and that is all it is; it’s just a little drop in the bucket. But, O God has got wells of living water in every respect.
Verse 20-21
“20 And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer. 21 And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt. “
Now remember his mother, Hagar is an Egyptian. So she goes back home to Egypt to get Ishmael a wife. So there is a double connection to the offspring of Ishmael who will become the Arab Nations to the Nation of Egypt. Now I’ve pointed this out as we have come up through the genealogies that Egyptians are not true Arabs, but they are so closely related that in all political areas and everything they’re heart and minds are together. Again,even though Egyptians they are not Arabs they are closely related.
Now I’m going to skip the intervening verses where Abraham now deals with Abimelech. But I’d like you to come all the way down to verse, 33.
Verse 33-34
“33 And Abraham planted a grove in Beer-sheba, and called there on the name of the Lord, the everlasting God. 34 And Abraham sojourned in the Philistines’ land many days.”
Beer-sheba is in the Southern part of Israel, Palestine in the desert area. If you visit Israel and tour Beer-sheba, they have a shrine of the ancient well spoken here that was dug by Abraham. Also remember the names of deity which keep coming up. LORD, Jehovah and in the Hebrew the term everlasting God is, Elolam; Jehovah Elolam, or Elohim Olam.
Here is where things I think get interesting if you dig a little bit deeper than just the surface. Abraham calls on Jehovah (remember Jehovah is God the Son in the Old Testament and Christ in the New Testament) who is, the clairify, THE EVERLASTING GOD.
Now I think this fits so beautifully with what we just had in the last two weeks that we are no longer under law but under grace. Because, we pick up the reason that God can do this from this very name of deity. He is the everlasting God.
Elohim (pural word for God) Now this word, Olam is translated out of the Hebrew with three different meanings, and yet they are all pretty well closely together.
In Leviticus 23:41, Olam is used to speak of a specific time or duration, forever (olam).
Now in another place it is spoken as hid or hidden. Turn to Psalm 10:1, “Why standest thou afar off, O Lord? why hidest (olam) thou thyself in times of trouble?” Instead of time, it is used and translated hidest.
Now turn over to Psalm 90:2 the word Olam is translated as everlasting. “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting (olam to olam) to everlasting, thou art God.”
The everlasting God as it’s used in Genesis is speaking of more from the God of eternity past, even before Genesis 1 became, but all the way to eternity future. Now that’s everlasting to everlasting, isn’t it? That’s the God of creation. He is the everlasting God. But as the word Olam is used in these varies scriptures it also points out that God is not only everlasting to everlasting but also associated with Time, and he also has seen fit that within time in his everlasting to everlasting role as the sovereign God, he can hid things at his pleasure.
Now this may sound like gobble-dee-goop, as I’m trying to build my case. The everlasting God to everlasting is also the God of intrinsic time, and he is also – since he’s sovereign- totally capable of either revealing everything within time or he can keep it secret.
I know this is getting a little deeper than I probably would like to go, but it’s so imperative to start with this premise so that I can go up through the time-line and show how there were times when God did not reveal and when he did reveal.
Now let’s go back into Genesis when we started our time-line way back in December.
We don’t know how long Adam and Even was in the garden. But while they were in the garden God gave them absolutely no hint of what was coming down the pike. There were no prophetic statements that bye-n-bye something like this would happen. So He chose to put them in time and that was all.
Now they sinned and come out of the garden, again it’s a period of time. But when Adam and Eve came out of the garden was it a totally different situation than from within the garden? Absolutely, it was totally different. In the garden they didn’t know sin, they didn’t know death, and they had no responsibilities for it was paradise.
But when they came out to the garden and now had to labor for their livelihood, under the curse, it was a whole different ballgame. Everything was different; they had to work by the sweat of their brow, with death happening around them, they had to deal with God in order to experience redemption with the blood sacrifice. Everything was different.
Then we had the flood. Mankind went down, down, down and God brought the flood to start all over what it boils down too. Noah and his three sons came out of the Ark, and it was totally difference once again. A whole new set of even atmospheric conditions, they are now able to kill animals and eat the flesh thereof, which they couldn’t do before. They are instructed to set up a human government to make maintain law and order.
So what I want you to see as we come to these various breaks in the time it is a whole different set of circumstances, every time.
Then in a short amount of time the people began to congregate at the Tower of Babel. Here it was total rebellion in what God had instructed. So God scattered them with the confusion of their languages.
Now we leave Babel and the people are populating the various areas of the then known world as God intended them to do.
Then He calls out Abraham. For those who know your Bible and those who have been with me throughout Genesis is it different still? Absolutely! Once again because God is going to deal totally different with that one little chosen Nation, the Nation of Israel as the rest of the Nations go on their pagan way.
Now things are taking place totally different with regards to things hidden and things revealed. Beginning in Genesis 12, with the call of Abraham, things were detailed before it happens. We call that prophecy. Everything connected with Israel God tells them before it happens. He even names kings hundreds of years before they were born; King Cyrus, Hezekiah, He foretells the cross, he foretells the resurrection, He foretells the ascension, He foretells the 7 year Tribulation (Daniel’s 70th week). Are you getting the point? Now God has seen fit where back at the beginning of time He kept things unrevealed or hidden from view. But now with his dealing with Israel everything becomes prophetic.
Jesus even before he was crucified foretold the city of Jerusalem would be destroyed in Luke 21 and the dispersion of the Jew. Then He comes back and everything is foretelling the End Times; 7 years of Tribulation, which is called in Jeremiah the times of Jacobs’s trouble. He foretells everything that is laid out in detail in the book of Revelation.
But note, all throughout this prophetic time that God is dealing with Israel, what is never mentioned? The Church Age. Not a word about the age of grace. Not a word about Him going to Gentiles to call out that multitude of people for His name. Silent.
Now during that age of grace is an undetermined period. Back here in Israel’s history God would lay it out on a time table. For example, He told Abraham that it would be 430 years from his call; Israel would come out of Egypt. And they did. Then the 40 years in the wilderness. That it would be 490 years from Daniel’s prophecy to Christ on Palm Sunday. All the way through Israel’s history was a distinct time-table. Right down to the letter.
Now we come to this period of time that was unmentioned throughout prophecy that is to be the Church Age or Age of Grace, there is not a single time element ever mentioned. But in this undetermined period of time God tells us that it was all hidden from view by His sovereign decree.
Turn with me if you will to Romans 16:25-27. Here is a verse I’m afraid too many people don’t know is in their Bible. Paul is writing to the Gentiles.
“25 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation (revealing) of the mystery (secret), which was kept secret since the world (age) began, 26 but now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith: 27 to God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.”
So the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revealing of the secret was kept secret since the age began. This period of time, Church age or age of grace, had been kept secret. This is within the scope of the everlasting to everlasting (Olam to Olam). He can do whatever he wants. He’s the God of Time, the God to hide things in time, and the forever God.
I’m trying to take these things slowing for it takes time to comprehend. Remember why I am doing this…we are not under LAW, but under GRACE. Who had the right to make that distinction but God. He’s sovereign but kept it hid all the way up through human history; that there would come a time that men and women could be saved by grace through faith, plus nothing.
Now go to Ephesians 3:1
“For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,” It’s not for Jew only but you Gentiles.
Verse 2
“ 2 if ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:”
Remember when God gave the Law to Israel how did he do it? He gave it to Moses up on the Mountain where he came down and gave it to the people.
I used the same analogy a few weeks ago that Paul went to Arabia (where Mt Sinai is) as Moses received the Law; Paul received the dispensation of Grace which was kept secret since the age began.
Verse 3-7
“ 3 how that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery (secret); (as I wrote afore in few words, 4 whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) 5 which in other ages (Greek word for Ages – Aion which is synonymous with dispensation) was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; 6 that the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: 7 whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.”
Verse 9 The thought is repeated.
“9 and to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: “
Now let’s turn to Colossians 1:24-26 I don’t like to just stop on one verse.
“24 who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church: 25 whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; 26 even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints”
The world can’t comprehend it, the unbeliever can’t comprehend it, but if you are a child of God, you can.
Until next week, keep looking up.
#Maranatha
Permission given by Les Feldick Ministries.
Being Blount! 