Hebrews 6:12-20 – I Promise –

Hebrews 6:12-20

I Promise

That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. (Hebrews 6:12)　

For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, (Hebrews 6:13)

Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. (Hebrews 6:14)

And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. (Hebrews 6:15)

For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. (Hebrews 6:16)

Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: (Hebrews 6:17)

That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: (Hebrews 6:18)

Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; (Hebrews 6:19)　

Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. (Hebrews 6:20)

   This will be a journey for the faithful for we are exhorted by the Spirit of God that we should inherit the promises of God. These promises are so vast that we have the wonderful help of the Spirit of God and the holy Scriptures. In these Scriptures we have the example of those who through faith and patience inherited the promises of God. Slightly ahead of us in Hebrews 11, God revealed the roll call of faith, and the faithful. He gave us names of men and women who characterized faith in every way. Collectively the faith that they possessed encompasses everyone who has walked by faith on this earth. We are surrounded by the promises of God. We have a bow in the sky to confirm His promise to Noah. We have a nation on earth today (called Israel) because God, in His promise, has preserved Israel even in their disobedience and crucifixion of His dear Son. They are not consumed because God’s mercy is new every morning. We also have the witness of all true believers in Jesus Christ that they have embraced the promises of God to the saving of their souls; they walk by faith and faith in One, the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Call of His Promise

   In the book of Hebrews Chapter 6, the Spirit of God desires to show to us His faithfulness by beginning with Abraham and unveiling His care and promises to Abraham. There are several reasons that God called Abraham and gave him the promise of a seed as the innumerable sands of the sea which encompasses the earth, and the promise of the heavenly as the innumerable stars of the heavens. That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which [is] upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; (Genesis 22:17) Although Abraham was a Hebrew this promise embraces both the Gentile and the Jew, and through the promise of God he is considered a father in Israel. In the promises given to Abraham we see God, the Creator of all things, bringing a seed out of the loins of Abraham; for in Isaac the promises would be fulfilled. Also notice that the seed promised in Genesis 22:17 was a seed (not seeds) and this seed shall possess the gate of his enemies. This seed of promise is one very special supernatural Being, the promised Messiah, the promised King.

The Promise of an Earthly Kingdom

   In the promises we are made aware of the battle of life: the battle between the Spirit and the opposition which is the flesh. The promise to Abraham also established the promise of an earthly kingdom, and in type, this was fulfilled in David. The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. (Matthew 1:1) Notice, that in the counsels of God this fulfillment is recorded in Matthew 1:1. The book of Matthew is considered to be the gospel of the kingdom wherein Jesus Christ is the everlasting King. He has brought forth a new generation of faith and grace in Himself. Also in Matthew 1:1 both David and Abraham are linked together: David is a type of the future King and kingdom of Jesus Christ. This will be when the Lord Jesus subdues all His enemies (and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies) and establishes His one-thousand-year reign commonly called the millennial kingdom. Abraham, in Matthew 1:1, is the representative of both the earthly promise and the heavenly promise. We see this in the rich man and Lazarus. God through the Spirit shows us that Lazarus is carried away to Abraham’s bosom, this is the Spirit’s view of the heavenly promise of the stars of the sky, and links Abraham with all the heavenly promises and the glory of them in Jesus Christ. (Luke 16:20-25) In Matthew 1:1 the Holy Spirit wanted to reveal to the Jew of that day the continuation of the promises that God gave to Abraham. As Abraham believed God and it was counted unto him for righteousness, so God the Holy Spirit wanted to draw the Jew of that present day to faith in Jesus Christ. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. (Romans 4:3)

The Names in the Promises

    Once again, in Romans 4:3, God makes sure that through our intellectual thought that the Scripture has the authority over man, and the Spirit of God is the interpreter of the Scriptures. In Matthew 1:1, we see both David and Abraham, and as we look at this genealogy, we are amazed at what the Spirit of God reveals through these names, and the interpretation of the names, and the history that goes along with the names. There are many spiritual essays in each and every name recorded in Matthew Chapter 1, and we, as mere readers, bypass it all because we see it as just a list of meaningless names. These names in Matthew 1, however, are just as important as the names that the Spirit of God gives us in Hebrews Chapter 11. The many confirmations that we have throughout the holy Scriptures is that God both keeps and fulfills all His promises.

The Many Promises: A Great Nation, a Great Name, A Seed

   In Hebrews Chapter 6 we are told that the promises to Abraham were sealed with an oath. The plurality of promises can be seen in Genesis Chapter 12. The Almighty God (who appeared to Abraham in Ur of Chaldees) told Abraham that He would lead him and show him the land of promise. Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: (Genesis 12:1) In addition to the land of promise God also promised to Abraham that He would make him (or of him) a great nation. God also told Abraham that He would bless him, this was a promise. He promised Abraham that He would make his name great. And even in the day of the Lord Jesus (when He walked upon this earth) the Jewish people considered Abraham their father, as they do today. Was not this promise fulfilled, and is being fulfilled, and will yet continue to be fulfilled. Is not Abraham’s name great among both Jew and Gentile today in the redeemed of God. Now God also promised Abraham that he would be a blessing: this also encompassed both the Jew and the Gentile.

And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: (Genesis 12:2)

For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Galatians 3:26-29)

The Promised Blessings to Abraham

   This does not end the blessings of God that were given to Abraham concerning Abraham and his seed, his name, and the land of promise. In Abraham’s blessing there was a blessing to the world. In verse 3 of Genesis Chapter 12, we read, And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. God states that whoever blesses Abraham, God will bless; there is also a promise that whoever curses Abraham, or his family, or his descendants then God will put a curse on them. For in Abraham all the families of the earth are blessed. The Holy Spirit of God wants us to understand that the blessings and the promises given to Abraham embraces all of mankind if they will but believe in Jesus Christ. Many have cursed Israel, and many have borne the fruit of their actions. Israel is still the promise of God; and every day through their very existence we have those promises fulfilled.

God’s Promises Sealed with an Oath

   God’s promises were sealed with an oath in Christ Jesus. We learn this not in Genesis, but in Hebrews Chapter 6. What a wonder, line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little, there a little, the Master of all beauty and truth, in the beauty of holiness paints a picture of His great faithfulness to us. God sealed the promises to Abraham with an oath from God Himself, for there was no greater, than the omnipotent God, God Almighty.

As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. (Genesis 17:4)

And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: (Genesis 22:16)

Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father; (Genesis 26:3)

Which covenant he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac; (Psalm 105:9)

The oath which he sware to our father Abraham, (Luke 1:73)

    Now doesn’t ‘before Abraham was, I AM,’ have a greater meaning to you? These were the words of the Lord Jesus to the Jews as documented in John 8:58. Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. This statement by the Lord Jesus is profound. He claimed that HE, Jesus Christ, was in existence, had Spirit and life before Abraham was. In this one statement He proclaimed His omnipotence as the Almighty God; for He appeared to Abraham as the Almighty God. Do these words have a greater meaning to you now? These words came from the very lips of the Almighty God. And those promises that He made to Abraham He confirmed in Himself, and us; because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. God in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ swore by Himself, by an oath, by His immutability: the highest Himself put His own seal upon the promises to Abraham. And of Zion it shall be said, This and that man was born in her: and the highest himself shall establish her. (Psalm 87:5)

The Beginning of Promise

   Now for the faint of heart — you can go back to your novel, but for those of faith, we will press on in the work of God, and His promises to Abraham. Where did these promises begin? They began in the determinate counsels of God before there was a heaven, before there was an earth, before God called into existence the creation of all things: He had declared in His counsels the promises of God to mankind. God would call into existence a creation, and the existence of this creation was for God’s good pleasure. If you would like a definition of God’s good pleasure, God is pleased when all is according to His sovereignty, to His righteousness, and all things are accomplished BY His will. The Lord Jesus Christ, as Scripture unfolds, was the instrument and the personality within the Godhead that created all things seen, and all things that are not seen. He is also the Creator of the worlds to come, and all things have been created for His pleasure. Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. (Revelation 4:11) A little known fact about the prophecy of Revelation is that the book is more than just revelation for it also confirms many of the truths found in the other 65 books of our Bible; it is truly the revelation of Jesus Christ. You might remember that God sent His Angel (Judges 13) who came to earth with a particular name, and that name was Jesus Savior, and this name was given before the birth of Jesus Christ. His name existed before He was born. (Matthew 1:20-21) His name existed before He started the creatorial work of God. In Himself He has revealed Himself from Genesis Chapter 1, but that revelation did not end there.

Note: Some of the References to the Angel of His Presence: And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude. (Genesis 16:10)

The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth. (Genesis 48:16)

Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. (Exodus 23:20) Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him. (Exodus 23:21) 

For mine Angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites: and I will cut them off. (Exodus 23:23)

In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old. (Isaiah 63:9)

    We can follow the footsteps of the Lord Jesus Christ through the entire Bible. All 66 books are a revelation of Him, the highest Himself, revealing Himself to mankind. The power of the Spirit of God is to reveal the Son of God, and to expand the revelation of Jesus Christ from life to life eternal in the promises of God that were made to Abraham and have become the promises of God to us in His Son Jesus Christ.

Our Inheritance in the Promises to Abraham

    This is our position in Hebrews Chapter 6, verse 12. That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. We have not only received the promises, but we have received a divine inheritance in our Savior Jesus Christ. For both Jew and Gentile have been called in one promise, and one inheritance. We are born by the blood of Christ through His Spirit; we are made a new creation by the same creatorial power that formed the worlds. We are possessors of a new divine life, and a new promise that fulfilled the continual fulfillment of the promise first made to Abraham. We have a new inheritance in Christ Jesus, we are made joint heirs with Him as we see in Romans 8. All these promises started with a man called out of Ur of Chaldees. (Although these promises to Abraham did not begin in Hebrews Chapter 6 remember that we are dealing specifically with the promises to Abraham).

The Promise of the Seed

   In our study in the book of Hebrews, Abraham is first mentioned in Chapter 2 which is the chapter of divine redemption. Abraham is again mentioned in verse 16, For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. This is a very important verse concerning our own redemption in Jesus Christ. The humanist will fall with this very verse: the ones who try to make Christ more a man than God Almighty. This verse overthrows their ignorance and gives divine light to the deity of the Son of God. Christ came out of the seed of Abraham. He did not take on Him the nature of angels, nor did He take upon Himself the nature of Abraham. He took the promise that was made to Abraham and He in His deity fulfilled the promise, for He came forth as the seed of Abraham, (and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;). This seed follows from Abel to us who have believed in Jesus Christ. It is the Spirit’s promise of a spiritual seed which becomes tangible in Isaac and becomes tangible in the divine sense with the promise seed: the Lord Jesus Christ. We are not brought to Christ because of the seed of our forefathers, we are brought by the seed of Christ through the working of the Spirit of God as a new creation, a spiritual being, and a new generation in Jesus Christ. (Matthew 1:1) We are not only saved by the Lord Jesus Christ, but we are IN the Lord Jesus Christ. And the Lord Jesus Christ is IN us as the seed of promise. He has given us His own divine nature. Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. (2 Peter 1:4) In this divine nature we are connected to all the divine promises of God. We are connected to the faith of Abraham. As Abraham was called out of Ur of Chaldees, in our individual birth by the Spirit of God in Jesus Christ, we are called out of the world. The Lord Jesus is our connection to the same faith, the same grace, and the same love of God that we find in Abraham.

The Supernatural Call of Abraham

   The call of Abraham was supernatural. We read that in Acts, Chapter 7, verse 2: And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran, Stephen did not begin his address to the Jews with Adam, or even Abel, or Enoch, or Noah, but he began at Abraham, and described to the Jews that the God of heaven, the God of glory supernaturally appeared to Abraham. I always say, Abraham was not looking for God that day, but God was looking for Abraham, and God found him in the midst of idolatry, and called him out of idolatry by His Spirit. The Spirit of God makes this plain to us in Acts Chapter 7. No movement of man began before the Lord appeared, there is no mention of Abraham seeking or looking for God. God divinely appeared to him to create a seed within Abraham that would one day bring forth a man born by the divine Spirit of God in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ: thus, connecting all the promises of God in one divine Person, the Man Christ Jesus.

   This is why we see that small phrase, before he dwelt in Charran, before he (meaning Abraham) dwelt in Charron (which is Haran in Genesis Chapter 11). The Spirit of God in Acts Chapter 7, connects us back to Genesis Chapter 11. In Genesis 11, Terah has the lead (Genesis 11:31), of course, the name Terah is a description of the earth, and the description of the world possessed by mankind; therefore, Terah becomes a symbol of the earth dweller. This is the earth possessed by mankind without God. In Genesis 11:31, Terah takes the lead, he was not the subject of the call, and this is very important, for Genesis 11 is still under the lead of man, and the influence of evil from the days of Nimrod. Genesis 11 is God’s transition chapter from the natural in Terah (he died) to the supernatural in Abraham. It was Abraham who was supernaturally called of God and not Terah. So the world had to pass away, the link with the old world had to be broken, it had to go before God could lead Abraham unrestrictedly by His Spirit. Then we are introduced to Chapter 12 of Genesis. This is a monumental chapter. It begins by reminding Abraham of his call when he was in Ur of Chaldees; the Lord (when He appeared to Abraham) had declared to him, Get thee out of thy country. First, one must be separated from the world and its system, then one must be separated from the close influences of ones own kindred; then comes the closeness of the heart, one must be separated from thy father’s house. This would become a total change in the life of Abraham, and it becomes a total change in the life of every believer who walks by faith in Jesus Christ. Abraham had both a change of life and a drastic environmental change.

   This call was supernatural in every way; God would keep the call supernatural in leading Abraham through the maze of this world, and through the maze of flesh that inhabits this world. God led Abraham by His divine Spirit, and at times by God’s own presence in the Person of His Son Jesus Christ. The Almighty God appeared to Abraham, God who is the Creator of all things both seen, and unseen created by Jesus Christ. For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: (Colossians 1:16) This is the God who called Abraham when he was yet in the land of idolatry in Ur of Chaldees. This was the first installation of the promises that would be given to Abraham in their entirety by the Almighty God.

The Power of God and the Power of Man

God appeared to Abraham as the all powerful God. We see in the case of the Lord Jesus that same power was/is indwelt in Him. (Matthew 28:18) And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. What is the difference between all power in heaven and earth belonging to the Son of God at the call of Abraham, and all power in heaven and earth being given to the Man Christ Jesus in Matthew Chapter 28? In Matthew Chapter 28 Christ is the resurrected Man, this is the first time that we would have a divine Man in heaven for us. This is hard to grasp in its entirety, for God became man so that He might take a divine Man to heaven with all power in both heaven and earth. God completed His part and His desire; on our part, the Lord Jesus (in the mystery of godliness) was manifested to take away the sin of the world, and destroy (for the redeemed) the penalty of death upon them by creating in Himself as the divine Man in heaven, a new generation of spiritual beings by His Spirit so that they may dwell with Him throughout all eternity. The uniting of this great power to both God and man is seen in John Chapter 8. Again let me state that the Lord Jesus proclaimed to the Jews that, before Abraham was, I AM. This shows a combining of both the power of the Son of God and the power of the son of man. He never relinquished His power as the fullness of the Godhead bodily, however, as the son of man (because of His work and sacrifice on the cross of Calvary) He acquired a position that prior to His death and resurrection He did not hold. It is truly a mystery that we have a Man in heaven for us: Jesus Christ, the righteous Man and the righteous Son of God. In this position He has acquired ALL power in heaven and earth. Therefore, as the great I AM, He gave the promises to Abraham, and as the Man Christ Jesus, He fulfilled those promises on the cross of Calvary. The triumph or completion of those promises were seen in His resurrection from the dead, and those promises have been and will be completed in us, yes, us, who have been born supernaturally by the Spirit of God. God the Holy Spirit called us when we were in the world, now like Abraham we seek a city whose builder and maker is God.

But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, (Hebrews 12:22)

For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. (Hebrews 11:10)

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. (John 14:1-3)

But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. (Hebrews 3:6)

The Nature Versus The Seed

   In the fulfillment of the promises of God we have received a city, a mansion, and a house all because of the fulfillment of the promises that God made to Abraham. Let us return to Hebrews 6:12. That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. We have received the fulfillment of these promises, we also have received an inheritance in Jesus Christ. Our inheritance is based on the promised seed promised to Abraham. Let me review Hebrews 2:16, For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. The Lord did not take on Himself the supernatural nature of angels, nor did He take upon Himself the nature of man in Abraham. Christ had no connection with Adam’s nature, commonly called the sin nature, or as I have often referred to it as the DNA string of sin which is in every man. So Christ took upon Himself the SEED of Abraham, but not the nature of Abraham. According to the promise of God the divine seed would be called in Isaac, and through the line of Isaac One would come who would be the Redeemer of the world, which was the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.

Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free. (Galatians 4:28-31)

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.(Galatians 5:1)

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. (Genesis 21:12)

And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Galatians 3:29)

Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. (Galatians 4:28)

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. (Romans 9:8)

   According to the word of God and the Holy Spirit of God we have come to the promises of God through the divine seed which was passed on from Isaac to Christ through the genealogy of the Lord Jesus Christ. In this divine seed Christ came forth born of a woman, made under the law, to redeem us unto God. But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. (Galatians 4:4,5)

The Chain of Command

   Notice in the book of Galatians the strategic work of the Spirit of God: first, He establishes the apostle not of man, but of God. (Galatians 1:1) Then, the Spirit of God establishes the Lord Jesus as the only Redeemer, the only avenue of grace through the gospel of grace, the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ; and only then does the Spirit of God begin to establish us in the faith, and in the promises of God. So that without contradiction, we have a chain of command beginning in Chapter 1 of Galatians, and then through the remainder of this book. God constantly reminding us that we are OF Christ, and IN Christ, and we are of His seed, as the promise was given to Abraham. As Abraham left the world behind him, so we are to leave the world behind us. Only when Abraham left the world did he see the promised land. Only when we are separated by the Spirit of God unto grace can we see the promise land in Jesus Christ.

   In Genesis Chapter 12, verse 1, Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: we have the spiritual beginning of the promise given to Abraham. The promise can only come from God, and God must show it in a supernatural way by His Spirit and truth. Could Abraham see the beauty of Canaan, or the heavenly Jerusalem? (Hebrews 12) Could he see a great nation come out of his loins? Abraham being childless, could he see his name being counted among the faithful in Hebrews 11? And could Abraham see being mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus Christ? (Matthew 1:1) Could Abraham see us in the genealogy of Jesus Christ? As a new people, as a generation of Jesus Christ, could he see us as the stars of heaven: innumerable? Now, the Spirit’s voice is saying this in Hebrews Chapter 11, they without us should not be made perfect. (Hebrews 11:40) God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. We have been born of the Spirit of God; we were chosen in Christ in His seed to fulfill the promises of God made to Abraham. We are a continuation of that promise, and our salvation in Jesus Christ encompasses the promise to faithful Abraham for Christ came of the seed of Abraham. So they without us (that would be the continuation of the seed in Jesus Christ); if this continuation was disrupted in any way then they without us could not be made perfect. We haven’t even begun to scratch the surface of the blessings that we have in the promises of God. The seed of Abraham in Jesus Christ was proof and the fulfillment He made in the promises to Abraham, and these promises came from a God who cannot lie. God’s work by Jesus Christ as both the written and the Living Word of God is immutable. Can you see yourself in Abraham as a spiritual seed in Christ Jesus? Let’s continue on the path of the Spirit.

Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: (Hebrews 11:34 -39)　

   Abraham saw these promises afar off for Abraham saw the invisible God; he sought a better country, a better hope, and a better city: the heavenly Jerusalem, whose builder and maker is God. Abraham endured, he endured that which was from without (that would be Egypt), and the strife with the herdsmen of Lot; he had conflict in the land with the kings of the earth, and in his own house with Sarah and Hagar. This conflict brought forth Ishmael because Abraham decided, within himself, that he would bring a seed into the world. This could not be the seed of promise, for the seed of promise MUST come supernaturally. But here we see the battle of the flesh against the spirit. He thought that he could bring (by himself) the seed of promise into the world. How did that end up? He brought a child of affliction into the world, and this child of trouble and grief (Ishmael) would afflict the whole world. And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren. (Genesis 16:12) But God is long suffering to usward, not willing that any should perish. God fulfilled the promise divinely, and gave a son to Abraham in Isaac, and Sarah bore the child of promise; consequently, Ishmael and Isaac have been at conflict ever since.

Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. (1^st Peter 1:5-9)

The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished: (2 Peter 2:9) 　

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. (1^st Peter 2:9-10)

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9) 　

   Have you ever walked in the footprints of another man? In Peter’s epistle we have the spiritual footprint alongside Abraham’s footprints. Although thousands of years apart we travel in the same spiritual footprints. We have entered into the promises of God, and Peter shows us our path much like Abraham: in the world but separated from it. Let’s take another step with the Spirit of God,

Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: (Romans 9:6)

Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. (Romans 9:7)

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. (Romans 9:8) 　

For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sara shall have a son. (Romans 9:9)

And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; (Romans 9:10)

(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;) (Romans 9:11)

It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. (Romans 9:12)

As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. (Romans 9:13) 　

What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.(Romans 9:14)

For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. (Romans 9:15) 　

So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. (Romans 9:16) 　

God Divides

   I want you to understand one specific truth, the conception of the seed is not natural conception, but supernatural because God divides between good and evil. He divinely divides light from darkness. He divinely divides one brother from the other: Cain and Abel; Jacob and Esau. He divides the path of man throughout the entire written word of God, but His divine seed is always uniform, fixed, constant, and always acquired by God’s truth. It is a supernatural seed which negates any human action, all is of God. This is hard for man to conceive; yet the Spirit of God illuminates the very Scriptures that proves God’s path, and God’s seed through the whole written word of God. The Scripture is all about division beginning in Genesis 1:1 with the heaven and the earth, and all the way through to Revelation 22:21. God divides the sheep from the goats, the wheat from the tares, I ask you as God has said, Can the thing formed say to the potter, Why has thou formed me thus? Are we not aware that God gave us life? Did we ourselves bring our life to pass? Did man breath the first breathe into our lungs? Could we demand life from nothing? Can man form himself? Do we all have the same features, the same smile, the same tears, the same feelings, this in itself shows or reveals to all men that God is the Creator of all things. The variation and the complete uniqueness of our individual being is beyond proof that there is a God, and that He has created all things. If you take God away from mankind, man is left with nothing; nothing in himself, and nothing in the world. Only the seed of promise in the Lord Jesus Christ can give life. It is Christ who calls out of Ur of Chaldees, out of this world. It is the Man in heaven who has called us to walk before Him. And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. (Genesis 17:1)　God appeared to Abraham, He declared His name as the Almighty God, and He directed Abraham to walk before Him and be thou perfect. We are at the end of the age, and the time has come for the people of God to separate themselves from the world. To be sober, to be vigilant, and to walk before God in the perfection of Christ. As the footprints of Abraham are completed at the cross, our footprints (the footprints of the redeemed) begin at that same cross, they begin with the Christ of God. We step in His steps to fulfill the glory of God. We have received the promise in us, and in addition to the promise we have received the assurance of hope, and we have been called out of this world by the immutable God who cannot lie.

The Supernatural Seed of Promise

   It is in Hebrews Chapter 6 that we find the promises to Abraham were sealed with an oath. They were sealed with an oath by his Creator, the Creator of all things, the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us look into the promises of God to Abraham: he was promised an earthly seed in the wording of Genesis 17; we would say that this promise was of a supernatural seed; for the earthly seed would be as the sand of the sea, and the heavenly seed as the stars of the skies both innumerable. No one can count the stars for as they count another star cluster is revealed. Man cannot look to nor see the end of God’s creation; man may think that he can, or even that one day he will be able to view God’s entire cosmic creation, but remember, man believed at one time that the world was flat (even though Scripture clearly revealed that the earth was circular, Isaiah 40:22, Proverbs 8:27); therefore, today man might have many believes in himself, but this does not credit him in any divine understanding. Only the Spirit of God can reveal the truth to the heart of man. And who would take the time and the wherewith all to count the sands of the seas when every wave refreshes the innumerable seed of Abraham. Each galaxy reveals new stars, how vast is the grace of God. And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; (Revelation 5:11) Do you want to begin counting in heaven, or on the earth? Every seed of grace is brought into the fold by the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world. And it is His glory that not only in heaven they praise Him, but on earth below as well.

And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. If any man have an ear, let him hear. (Revelation 13:8-9)

And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. (Revelation 5:5)

And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. (Revelation 5:8-12)

   The saints that are before the throne of the Lamb (the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world) are part of the promises given to Abraham. We have joined them in our hope and faith in Christ that we too have received an inheritance incorruptible that fadeth not away.

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. (Romans 8:14-17)

And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. (Galatians 4:6-7)

Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; (Hebrews 1:2)

What the Promise of Inheritance Means for the Believer

   We as Christians, believers in Jesus Christ, are brought in by God as heirs to the promises of God, and joint heirs with Christ. They are neither male nor female, Jew or Gentile, but all who believe are one in Christ, and are partakers of the promises of God. In this heirship we have an inheritance, we have received from God a kingdom of both kings and priests. (Revelation 5:10) With our salvation we receive our position in Christ. We also receive our inheritance IN Him, and by the receiving of the divine nature we receive the responsibility of living for Christ. We have become a heavenly people on earth. We have come to a heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God, and to an innumerable company of angels. But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, (Hebrews 12:22) The Spirit of God presents this verse in Hebrews 12 as a current reality to the children of God on earth. And all these things began with the call of Abraham and the promises of God. Remember, that the promises of God are immutable, for God cannot lie.

Side Note: Watching and Being Watched: The world is watching us, the heavens are watching us, and the watchers (the angels of God) are watching us.

Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. (Hebrews 13:2)

Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? (Hebrews 1:14)

Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation. And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding. (Daniel 9:21-22)

I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and, behold, a watcher and an holy one came down from heaven; (Daniel 4:13)

This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men. (Daniel 4:17)

And whereas the king saw a watcher and an holy one coming down from heaven, and saying, Hew the tree down, and destroy it; yet leave the stump of the roots thereof in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven times pass over him; (Daniel 4: 23)　

Arise, cry out in the night: in the beginning of the watches pour out thine heart like water before the face of the Lord: lift up thy hands toward him for the life of thy young children, that faint for hunger in the top of every street. (Lamentations 2:19)

Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word. Bless ye the LORD, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure. (Psalm 103:20 -21) 　

   In these verses God the Holy Spirit reveals a small portion of the ministry of God’s angels. God uses them to instruct mankind, to bring about his judgment, and to minister to the redeemed. They are called Watchers because they watch us, the redeemed, in their heavenly realm. Our souls should cry out to the watchers, we also should be watching, in our realm, as Jeremiah said, we should cry out in the night to the Almighty God. In the beginning of our courses, or watches, we should pour out our hearts as watchers. We should come before His face and beseech Him and thank Him for all the glorious mercies that He has poured out upon us. We should truly be for His good pleasure.

   In one of God’s visitations to Abraham, the Lord brought two watchers with Him, two angels, because the Lord had come to visit judgment upon Sodom and Gomorrah, and the five cities of the plains. This judgment that was poured out by God upon these cities was given as an object lesson for the whole world throughout time: even for today. The eyes of the Sodomites were blind, and their ears were deaf, they had been so turned by their sin that they could neither hear nor see. They were deceived by their own wickedness, but God has declared, Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. (Galatians 6:7) Our God is not only our Savior, but He is the Judge of the whole earth, and the Watchers, His holy angels, are still watching. That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? (Genesis 18:25) We look around and we see the sad state of mankind, so engrossed in his sin that he can neither see nor hear the wonderful truths of God. God is counting, His righteous clock is ticking, for both Adam and the world are in their last throes of life. We, who are partakers of the promises of God, rest and take comfort from God (who cannot lie, the immutable God) that He is able to deliver us from the wrath to come as the Watchers are witnesses of His judgment and of His grace. ♦ End of Side Note

   Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: (Hebrews 6:17,18) These two verses are very important as they relate to us, we who are born of the Spirit of God. This is the wonder: in the promises of God, in our inheritance, God is willing to show us His promises and He has added more abundantly for within the promises, He has shown us a new heaven and a new earth; Abraham did not see this, but God has set it before US more abundantly in His grace. The treasures that we have received in Jesus Christ are as the stars: innumerable. To understand the new heaven and the new earth one must walk in the Spirit of God, and one must be an heir of the promises of God.

   Too little has been taught of the spiritual heart, the spiritual soul, and the Spirit Himself; for how the eyes of man can be opened unless God opens them. Once one has beheld Christ, and worshiped Him, one realizes that the immutable God is within him, and he is a new creation in Jesus Christ. Then, and only then, can the eyes of your understanding be opened. For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me. (Job 19:25-27) Like Job, with these eyes I shall see God, and nothing can keep me from that appointment, for it is all recorded in my history in God’s book, for I serve the God who cannot lie. I share the inheritance in the saints of light through the irremovable birth of the Spirit of God: the inheritance in Christ. To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. (Galatians 4:5-7) 　

Christ: The Seed of Promise

   The heirship of every believer comes through Christ as He is the seed of promise. All the way back to Abraham, and all the way forward to the new heavens and the new earth — ALL is centered in the counsels of God in Jesus Christ. This is the immutability of His counsel, that before the creation, all things would be headed up in Christ. And this was with an oath. In Hebrews 6 :18 we have two immutable things that cannot be denied: first, it is impossible for God to lie (this is the God of all truth); and secondly, we have a hope. That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us.

The Seed of Opposition, Resistance and Evil

   By Christ came grace and truth. (John 1) By man (Adam) came sin, and death, and lies. This is quite evident in the day in which we live. It is the beginning of 2018, and we are surrounded by liars. Man has become engulfed in the wickedness of his own sin, thus, driving mankind deeper into the insanity of sin. He has consumed himself with lies and the making of lies. It’s almost as if he is in competition with himself on who can tell the biggest lie. Do you realize that lies have destroyed whole nations? Mankind, through their lies, have caused the death of millions; and remember, it was the lies of the Jews that sent the Lord of glory to the cross of Calvary. Lie upon lie is their only vocabulary. Many news agencies (throughout the world) have taken on the persona of Satan himself with their hatred and their lies. For the devil (Satan) the old serpent, was and has been a liar from the beginning. And truly, many news outlets and agents are of their father, the devil. They have the same mind set of those who were moved by Satan to cry out, Crucify him, crucify him; and the result was: the Prince of life was crucified. But that’s not all, like Judas, they are at the beck and call of the destroyer himself: and this destroyer is the fire breathing dragon, Satan himself goes throughout the whole earth seeking who he may devour by his lies, by his treachery, and by his deception. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same  afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 5:8-11)

   Throughout time there have been false prophets and false ministers of Satan, should we expect anything different in our age? What stops mankind from following Satan? nothing. What stops mankind from following God? SIN. Is not the cup of sin full in our present age? it is about to spill over. The purpose of the false prophets, and the purpose of the ministers of Satan is to deceive, to deny the truth, to remove the words of truth, and to take away from the glories of the Lord Jesus Christ! Instead of truth they bring irrational thought and claim it to be true biblical doctrine. They have no faith in themselves, their demeanor, their actions, and their support is all of man, and not of God. Faith does not answer to the temporal. Faith answers to the supernatural. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. (Philippians 4:13) Faith in Christ cannot be overthrown by the lies of the devil. (Hebrews 6:18) For it is impossible for God to lie. We have God’s truth over and over assuring the saint, showing the path of salvation, and the immutability of that very salvation in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the divine instrument of all God’s truth. Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. (Hebrews 6:19, 20)

The Promised Seed — The Center of All — The Seed of Promise

  All we are and have is centered in Christ. This has been the theme of the immutable God from the beginning of time, yea, before time. This has been the Spirit’s theme through the entire book of Hebrews, yea, the whole Bible. God will magnify His Son, can you hear the words on the holy mount, This is my beloved Son: hear him. (Mark 9:7)

   Chapter 6 of Hebrews contains the Rock that follows and leads us, He sees where we live, He sees where we have been, and in all this, He leads us to future glory. The question of unbelief is a dangerous tool of the false prophets and the false ministers of Satan. Study the Lord’s temptation in the wilderness, every word of that temptation in the wilderness is for our learning. (Matthew 4) We should realize that as He was in the world, we also are in the world. The world is not our resting place we are always on the front lines of battle. We are always being tempted and swayed by the world, the flesh, and the devil. Listen to the echo from Job Chapter 1, and you will hear the diabolical scheme of the devil, and it again sounds out in 1^st Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. But be ye steadfast, as was Abraham, in the promise; for all who have embraced that promise of God have forsaken the world and Egypt for a greater city, and a greater kingdom.

By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible. (Hebrews 11:27) For they through faith and grace, and hope saw Him who is invisible.

Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. (1John 3:1-3)

Amen.

And by His grace we shall see Him face to face.

© Copyright 2018, Michael Haigh

Article may be used, but not for gain. Freely ye have received, freely give.

All Scripture references are from the King James Bible. (KJV)