THE BIRTHRIGHT
The Rights of Primogeniture
By faith Isaac blessed Jacob
and Esau concerning things to come (Hebrews 11: 20).
Follow peace with all men, and
holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Looking diligently lest any
man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble
you, and thereby may be defiled; Lest there be any fornicator, or profane
person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would
have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of
repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears (Hebrews 12: 14-17).
Esau
and Jacob were twin brothers. Esau,
having been born first, was recognized as the elder and thus the one in line to
receive the blessing of the father reserved for the firstborn. But Esau forfeited the rights of
primogeniture, and his younger brother, Jacob, received the blessing in his
stead. Esau received a blessing from his
father, but it was inferior to Jacob’s blessing; and it was not connected in
any manner with the rights belonging to the firstborn, for those rights had
been forfeited.
Esau’s
forfeiture of the birthright was foretold before he was even born. At a time prior to the birth of Esau and
Jacob, the Lord had told Rebekah, “the elder shall
serve the younger” (Genesis 25: 23). In order for this to come to pass, the elder
would have to forfeit the rights of primogeniture, and the younger would have
to receive the blessing in his stead (cf. Genesis
27: 37).
When
the time arrived for Isaac to bestow his blessing upon Esau and Jacob, he set
about to bestow the blessing of the firstborn upon Esau, contrary to what the
Lord had revealed to Rebekah. But Isaac
could not bless Esau as the firstborn, for Esau had forfeited these
rights. And, although Jacob used
deceptive means to obtain his father’s blessing as the firstborn (Genesis 28: 27: 18ff), he was merely taking what
rightfully belonged to him.
The
faith of Isaac in Hebrews 11: 20 centers
around God’s promise in the Abrahamic covenant.
This covenant had been confirmed to Isaac (Genesis
26: 3-5), and the Lord had specifically told Isaac, “… unto thy seed,
I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto
Abraham thy father” (verse 3). In so far as the promises in the Abrahamic
covenant were concerned, Jacob was the only one recognized as Isaac’s
seed. Esau, because he was Isaac’s son,
received a blessing – as Ishmael, because he was Isaac’s son (Genesis 17: 20, 21; 21: 13) – but this blessing,
as Ishmael’s, was completely outside the scope of the Abrahamic covenant and
the rights of primogeniture.
The
forfeiture of the birthright by Esau and the blessings bestowed upon both Jacob
and Esau by their father are recorded in Genesis
25: 27. – 27: 40. These
experiences of Jacob and Esau form the last of five major warnings directed to
Christians in the Book of Hebrews (12: 14-17).
Even though it had
been revealed before the birth of Jacob and Esau that the elder would serve the
younger, Esau, through a wilful act of his own, forfeited the rights of
primogeniture. And within this
forfeiture lies the warning to every [regenerate] Christian concerning the possibility of a [regenerate] Christian,
in like manner, forfeiting his birthright.
Every
[regenerate] Christian
is a firstborn child of God and in line to receive the inheritance belonging to
the firstborn. But it is evident from
the clear teaching of Scripture that every [regenerate] Christian will not receive this inheritance. The Christian’s present [eternal] salvation
is NOT an inherited salvation and
has nothing to do with the rights of primogeniture, except that of placing the
Christian in a position where, at a future date, he can either receive or be
denied the inheritance belonging to the firstborn.
The
birthright in-so-far as Jacob and Esau were concerned involved an earthly
inheritance. … Esau forfeited his earthly inheritance, and the clear
teaching of Scripture attests to the fact that [regenerate] Christians, in
like manner, can forfeit their …
inheritance.*
[* This ‘earthly
inheritance’ can only point to Christ’s
Always
keep in mind: “No immoral, impure or greedy person – such a
man is an idolater – has any inheritance in the
* *
*
Warning: One’s Birthright can be Forfeited
There
are two classic examples in the Word of God concerning the forfeiture of the
rights belonging to the firstborn. One
is the account of Esau, and the other is the account of Ruben.
1. Reuben and the Birthright
Reuben,
the firstborn of Jacob, was in direct line to inherit the rights of
primogeniture; but because of one grave sin committed during his life, Reuben
forfeited these rights. Reuben’s sin,
resulting in the forfeiture of his birthright, was sexual impropriety of a
nature which dishonoured and shamed his father: “Reuben
went and lay with Bilhah his
father’s concubine” (Genesis 35: 22).
Because
of this one sin, years later when Jacob called his twelve sons into his
presence shortly before his death to relate what would befall them “in the last days,”
Reuben heard the words: “Thou art my firstborn, my
might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the
excellency of power: Unstable as water, thou
shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy
father’s bed; then defilest thou it: he went up to by
couch” (Genesis 49: 3, 4). The tribe of Reuben, as Jacob prophesied, did
not excel. From this tribe came no
judge, no king, and no prophet. That
which Reuben lost, he lost forever. But
he himself remained a son of Jacob and was blessed in measure, but not as the
firstborn.
Reuben’s
birthright was divided among three of his brothers. The tribal rulership was bestowed upon “
During
the Kingdom Age the status created by Reuben’s sin will still abide. The King will be of the house of Judah (Revelation 5: 5); the priests will be of the
family of Zadoc, the Levite (Ezekiel
44: 15, 16; 48: 11); and the double portion will be held by the
house of Joseph through Ephraim and Manasseh (Ezekiel
47: 13; 48: 4, 5).
2. Esau and the Birthright
Esau,
as Reuben, forfeited his birthright. In
Esau’s case the entire inheritance went to his younger brother, Jacob. Esau forfeited his birthright to satisfy a
fleshly gratification. He sold his
birthright to his younger brother, Jacob, for a single meal (Genesis 25: 27-34).
Since
the rights of the firstborn had ultimately been promised to Jacob (Genesis 25: 23), some doubt that Esau ever
actually possessed these rights.
However, Esau was no pretender to the rights if the firstborn. The Greek word translated “sold” in Hebrews 12: 16
is inflected in a tense implying that the article sold belonged to Esau alone,
and he was fully aware of his actions when he sold his birthright to Jacob.
In
Genesis 25: 34 we read that Esau “despised his
birthright.” The Greek word
in the Septuagint Version of the Old Testament translated “despised” implies that Esau regarded the birthright as
a paltry, a mere trifle. Esau regarded
the birthright as practically worthless, and sold his rights as firstborn with
the thought in mind that what he was selling was of no real value. It was only later, at a time when it was too
late, that Esau realized the value of what he had sold. As in Reuben’s case, the forfeiture of the
birthright did not affect his sonship, but it did affect forever his
relationship to Isaac as firstborn.
After
Jacob had been blessed as the firstborn in the family, Esau, apparently for the
first time, realized the value of what he had lost. Esau then tried to retrieve the birthright,
but the Scripture records that “he found no place of repentance.” After Esau realized the value of the
birthright and the finality of what had occurred, he pleaded with his father,
Isaac, to change his mind and bless him also.
Esau cried out to Isaac: “Hast thou but one blessing, my father: bless me, even me also
O my father.” And it is
recorded that “Esau
lifted up his voice, and wept” (Genesis
27: 38).
The
word “repentance” means to change one’s mind. Esau sought to effect a change of mind on the
part of his father, but “he found no place of repentance,” i.e., “he found
no place for a change of mind.” The American
Standard Version of the Bible (1901 ed.) has possibly the most accurate
rendering of Hebrews 12: 17 to be found in
any of the translations presently appearing on the market. This verse in the American Standard Version reads, “For ye know that even when he afterward desired
to inherit the blessing, he was rejected; for he found no place for a change of
mind in his father, though he sought it diligently with tears.” Isaac could not change his mind. The birthright had been forfeited and was
beyond Esau’s grasp forever.
Christians and the Birthright
Within
the minds of many Christians is the thought that after a person has received
the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour it makes little difference how he conducts his
life, for all Christians will inherit with the Son when He receives the [millennial]
kingdom. Nothing could be further from the truth. To
reign with Christ is contingent upon identifying oneself with Christ and
sharing in His rejection and reproach during the present day and time. If all Christians are to rule and reign with
Christ in His kingdom, what does the Scripture mean when it states, “If we suffer
[‘patiently endure’], we
shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he
also will deny us” (2 Timothy 2: 12)? If a
Christian lives an undisciplined life, following the carnal nature (typified by
Esau’s attitude toward the birthright) rather than the spiritual nature
(typified by Jacob’s attitude toward the birthright), fails to occupy until the
Lord comes (Luke 19: 12, 13), or fails to
use the talent or pound entrusted to him by the Lord (Matthew
25: 14-30; Luke 15: 15-24), that Christian will also fail to occupy a
place in our Lord’s [millennial] kingdom.
Every
Christian is presently a firstborn child of God awaiting the adoption and inheritance belonging to the firstborn (Romans 8: 16-23, 29; Hebrews 2: 10; 12: 23). The adoption and inheritance are both future,
and both can be forfeited, for one is intimately associated with the
other. A Christian’s relationship to the
Father as a firstborn child awaiting the adoption cannot be
forfeited. But a Christian’s
relationship to the Father as a firstborn son participating
in the rights belonging to the firstborn can be forfeited. As in the account of Esau and Rueben, once
this forfeiture has occurred, the rights belonging to the firstborn cannot be
retrieved.
Christians
retaining the rights of the firstborn will exercise these rights as “joint-heirs” with the Son in the [millennial]
kingdom. But Christians who forfeit the
rights of the firstborn will find themselves in the same position which Esau
and Reuben found themselves following the loss of the rights belonging to the
firstborn. Such Christians will seek a
place of repentance. That is to say,
they will attempt to have the [righteous] Judge change His mind and bless them alongside the
others who did not forfeit the rights belonging to the firstborn. But they will find no place for a change of
mind. It will be too late. The birthright will have been forfeited. The blessing pertaining to the [millennial]
inheritance awaiting the firstborn sons of God will have been forfeited, and
those who forfeit this blessing will occupy no position among the “kings and priests” who reign over [and upon] the earth
with the Son. Christians
in that ‘Day’, as Esau in the type, when they at
last realize what has been lost, will lift up their voices and weep.
“Behold, I come
quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown”
(Revelation 3: 11).
* *
*
Awaiting the Adoption
There
is one place in the Book of Romans (8: 14) and one section in the Book of Galatians (3: 24-4: 7)
where Christians are called “sons” of God in a
present tense. In all other instances the
expression is, or should be, rendered “children”
of God (ref. John
1: 12; Phil. 2: 15; 1 John 3: 1, 2).
However, neither the verse in Romans nor in the section in Galatians
teaches that Christians have been adopted into sonship, for both, if rightly understood
in the light of their respective contexts and related Scripture, are used in a
future tense.
Romans, Chapter Eight
The
verses immediately preceding Romans
8: 14 have to do with individuals (Christians) either walking after the flesh
or walking after the Spirit – following the old man or the new man (vv. 1-13).
The verses immediately following Romans 8:
14 state that we are presently “children”
awaiting the adoption (vv. 15-23). Consequently, in the light of the context and
related Scripture – which clearly teaches that we are presently children, not
sons – it appears evident that Romans 8: 14
must be understood in the sense that the ones, as the first part of this verse
states, who are “led [presently being led] by the Spirit of God” are the ones who will be
adopted, i.e., placed in the position of “sons.” These are the ones who will be manifested as
the “sons of God” in verse
nineteen, synonymous with both the “many sons” who will be brought into glory in Hebrews 2: 10 and the ones who will comprise the “church of the
firstborn” in Hebrews 12: 23.
The
great burden of Scripture has to do with God’s intentions to replace the “sons of God” presently ruling under Satan with a great
host of individuals He is about to place in the position of “sons” via adoption.
Angels ruling under Satan have disqualified themselves, and they are to
be disposed; Christians are presently in the process of qualifying to rule, and
they are to be established in these positions.
Christ has already shown Himself fully qualified to replace Satan, and
Christians who qualify will hold positions under Christ, presently held by
angels ruling under Satan.
Galatians, Chapters Three and Four
Galatians 3: 26 – 4: 7 is
a section which deals with our position in Christ (3:
26-28), the adoption (4: 5), and the
heirship (3: 29; 4: 7). The expression “in
Christ” sets forth a positional standing, not what we are personally and
actually here and now. “In Christ” all distinctions of the human race have
been blotted out. There is neither male
nor female, bond nor free, etc. But
personally and actually these conditions exist.
“In Christ” we have been seated together
in heavenly places, “far above all principality, and
power, and might, and dominion” (Ephesians
2: 6; 1: 20, 21). But personally
and actually we are here on earth, Jesus is at His Father’s right hand, and
these heavenly powers (synonymous with the powers in Ephesians
6: 12) still possess dominion. “In Christ” we have been blessed with all spiritual
blessings and have received the inheritance “reserved
in heaven.” But personally and
actually the reception of most blessings and the entirety of the inheritance are yet future (Ephesians 1: 3, 11-14; cf. 1 Peter 1: 3, 4).
The same is also true of the sonship in the section in Galatians 3: 36 – 4: 7. We have already come into this position “in Christ,” but personally and actually the adoption and the heirship are yet
future. This is the clear teaching
of related Scripture, and Scripture does not contradict itself.
Placement and Position of Sons
Sons
of God have held, continue to hold, and will always hold the main positions of
power and authority under God over this earth.
During prior ages, continuing into the present, angels have held these
positions. But God is about to bring
into existence a new order of sons; and
this order of sons will, during the coming [millennial] age, occupy positions of power and authority
presently held by angels, for “unto the angels hath
he [God] not put in subjection the
world [inhabited earth] to come”(Hebrews 2: 5).
In
time past
The
future adoption of Christians [See Galatians 3: 7], as in
[* That is, both
kingdoms: Christ’s
The
double portion of the Father’s estate, to be possessed by the Church, has to do
with both spheres of the kingdom – heavenly and earthly. The blessings in store for Christians are
heavenly, but these heavenly blessings will include an earthly “inheritance” and “possession,”
for Christians will be joint heirs with Christ; and the Father has promised His
Son, “Ask of me, and I will give thee the heathen [Gentiles] for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts
of the earth for thy possession” (Psalm
2: 8, cf. Revelation 2: 26, 27). This earthly inheritance and possession … is associated with “the kingdom of the world [present world kingdom under
Satan]” which will become “the kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ [future
world kingdom under Christ]” (Revelation 11: 15,
ASV).
“To him that overcometh
will I grant to sit with me in my throne
…” (Revelation 3: 21).
*
* *
Conclusion
Therefore let us also, seeing
we are compassed about with so great a could of witnesses, lay aside every weight,
and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the
race [a contest involving a struggle] that is set before
us, looking unto Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy
that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and hath set
down at the right hand of the throne of God.
For consider him that hath endured such gainsaying of sinners against
himself, that ye wax not weary, fainting in your souls. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving
against sin [lit. ‘the sin.’ ref. verse 1]: and ye have forgotten the exhortation which reasoneth with
you as with sons,
My son, regard not lightly the
chastening [child training] of
the Lord, nor faint when thou art reproved of him; for whom the Lord loveth he
chasteneth, and scourgeth [brought about by improper actions in the contest, but
with a view to correction] every son whom he
receiveth.
It is for chastening that ye
endure; God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his
father chasteneth not? But if ye are
without chastening, whereof all have been made partakers, then ye are bastards,
and not sons (Hebrews 12: 1-8, ASV).
To
properly understand the Book of Hebrews, one must keep the fact ever before him
that the message in this book is directed to the saved, not the unsaved. The exhortations and warnings are for the
child of God, not for one who remains outside this standing. The great burden of Hebrews is not that of
rescuing the unsaved from the lake of fire, but that of bringing many
sons
unto glory.
Hebrews
is a book on faith; and unlike Romans
with its emphasis on a past faith governing our present position and
determining our eternal destiny, Hebrews places the emphasis on a present
faith, which not only governs present and future [aspects of salvation and] spiritual
blessings, but also determines our [entrance
and] position in the coming [millennial] kingdom. Hebrews, chapter eleven is recognized as the
great chapter on faith; but it is, in reality, merely the capstone for the
first ten chapters, and the conclusion of the entire matter is then given in
chapter twelve.
The Race Through Faith
“Strive [strain every muscle] in the good contest [race] of the faith; lay
hold upon life for the age, for which purpose you were called…” (1 Timothy 6: 12a).
The
preceding is a literal translation from the Greek text, and some variances will
be noted between this and other translations.
The word “strive” is a translation of the
Greek word agonizomai,
from which the English word “agonize” is
derived. One who agonizes in a contest
or race strains every muscle of his being as he moves toward the goal. This is the same word used in
both Luke 13:
24 and 1 Corinthians 9: 25,
translated “strive” and “striveth.” And these verses
refer to the same race as 1
Timothy 6: 12, which is also
the same race referred to in Hebrews 12: 1.
The
race must
ever be run completely apart from any fleshly means. Man’s goals, aims, ambitions, plans, methods,
etc., can in no way enter into this race, for it is a “race of the faith.” The w[W]riter of Hebrews stresses over and over again in chapter
eleven, “By faith,” “By
faith,” “By faith
…,” with the summation of the matter
being, “Therefore let
us also …” (Hebrews 12: 1a).
In
the race set before us we are to keep our eyes fixed upon Jesus. The literal translation in verse two is, “Looking away unto
Jesus …” We are to look away from the trials and
testings of this life unto “the author and perfecter of our faith,” He, in exchange for the joy set before Him,
patiently endured the Cross, the opposition of sinners, and disregarded the
shame. He resisted to the point of blood
(cf, verse 4).
During His prayer to the Father in the
Christians
are to “lay aside every
weight [impediment] and the sin [the
sin waiting to ensnare every Christian]” as
they, through patient endurance, strive in the race. There
is no room for a relaxed stance, or a look back (cf. Matthew
26: 40, 41; Luke 9: 62; 17: 32, 33).
Disqualification for the prize
not only can but will occur if one runs contrary to the rules (1 Corinthians 9: 24-27; 2 Timothy 2: 5).
The
word “sin” in the first and fourth verses is
both singular and articular in the Greek text. The reference is not to sin in general, but
to a specific sin. The subject at hand
is “faith”; and “the sin,”
within the context, can only be the antithesis of faith, i.e., lack of faith, unfaithfulness. The besetting sin which Christians [regenerate believers] are
to strive against in the race is unfaithfulness, for this, and this
alone, will result in failure.
Participants in the Race
The
race in which Christians are engaged is that of a life characterized by faith
resulting in obedience to the Lord’s commandments. Christians alone are engaged in the
race. Unsaved [unregenerate] individuals are aliens, outside the arena of faith,
and, thus, cannot participate. In the
basic type established during the days of Moses, an unsaved person is
positioned in Egypt out from under the blood of the Passover Lamb; and the
participants in the race are not only under the blood of the Passover Lamb, but
are also positioned outside of Egypt, beyond
the Red Sea passage.
The
nation of
Christians,
likewise, have been delivered from
An
un-baptized Christian is on the right side of the blood but on the wrong side
of the baptismal waters. He is still in
There
is no gainsaying [denying] that “born out of water”
in John 3: 5 refers to water baptism. All
attempts to discredit this interpretation result from a misunderstanding of the
passage and fall short of sound exegesis.
First, this passage is not dealing with eternal life, but with
entrance into the kingdom. There is a
vast difference between the two. Second,
the type in Exodus requires both the appropriation of the blood and the passage
through water prior to running the race; and this, in the antitype, is the
subject of John 3: 3-5.
John 3: 5 is one of the
most abused verses in Scripture. Cults
have seized upon this verse, and, through their failure to understand that entrance
into the kingdom is not synonymous with eternal life, they have sought
to teach their baptismal regeneration heresy.
The mainstream of Protestantism, on the other hand, realizing that
baptism can have nothing to do with eternal life, has gone almost equally as
far afield in the other direction through various unwarranted interpretations
of “water” in this verse. Desiring to stay as far away from those who
teach baptismal regeneration as possible, but still, by large, also failing to
understand that the main issue of the verse is entrance into the kingdom rather
than eternal life, they have sought to interpret “out
of water” to mean something other than baptism. There are at least three popular views held
by those who believe that “out of water” in this
verse does not refer to baptism.
1. The passage should be translated, “born out of
water, even Spirit…”
This would make “water” symbolic of the
Spirit. (The translators of the Amplified
New Testament follow this interpretation.)
2. The word “water” should be understood
as a reference to the Word of God. (This is probably the most widely held
interpretation of the three, and verses such as Ephesians
5: 26 and Titus 3: 5 are offered in
support.)
3. The words “out of water” refer to the first
birth, the natural birth. (An
infant, surrounded by water in its mother’s womb, is literally “born out of water,”)
None of these views, however, can be
considered tenable. The first two violate a basic rule in Greek
grammar, and all three ignore the contextual interpretation of John 3: 5.
The
words translated “out of water and Spirit” in
the Greek text of John 3: 5 consist of two
nouns governed by one preposition and connected by a copulative. There is a rule in Greek grammar which states
that whenever such a construction occurs, both nouns must be understood either
in a literal sense or in a figurative sense.
One cannot be interpreted literally and the other figuratively. This is a common construction in the Greek
text, and there are no exceptions to the rule.
Thus, the first two views present a grammatical problem, for both
interpret “Spirit” literally and interpret “water” figuratively.
All
three views present contextual problems.
Aside from ignoring the fact that the
subject matter at hand is the kingdom of God rather than eternal life, proponents
of these views also ignore distinctions between expressions “see the kingdom of God”
(verse 3) and “enter
into the kingdom of God” (verse 5).
Note the third view for example.
If “born out of water” in verse five refers to the first birth, then this
birth has already been experienced by the individual born from above in verse three, i.e.,
he has already undergone both the birth from below (“out
of water”) and birth from above (“out of Spirit”)
within the framework of his experience in verse three. This would then make verse
five a repetition (or explanation) of what is already contained in verse three, leaving the words see
and enter
in these two verses to be looked upon as no more than synonymous terms, which they are not. Proponents of the other two views on the
interpretation of “born out of water” in John 3: 5 are also confronted with the same basic
problem.
Baptism
alone is the only interpretation which is in keeping with the subject matter at
hand, with the type, and presents no problems in interpretation. If “born out of
Spirit” is effected through immersion in the Spirit (which it
is), then “born out of water” can only be
effected through immersion in water.
Time
has been spent in this concluding chapter on a basic requirement for being in a
position to run the race set before us because of such misunderstanding in
Christian circles on the subject of baptism. Baptism is far more important than is
commonly held. It has nothing to do with
eternal salvation, but it has everything
to do with running the race. An
un-baptized Christian is a disobedient Christian who is in no position to
participate in the race, for he is outside the arena where the race is run.
Purpose of the Race
“Know
ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one
receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may
obtain. And every man that striveth for
the mastery is temperate in all things.
Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an
incorruptible. I therefore so run, not
as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth
the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection; lest that by
any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway [lit. ‘be rejected’]”
(1 Corinthians 9: 24-27).
The
great “cloud of witnesses” in Hebrews 12: 1 is comprised of saints who have not
only completed the race, but have also completed the race in a satisfactory manner.
The specific reference is to the Old Testament saints in chapter eleven who moved through their earthly
pilgrimage “by faith.” The words, “Therefore
let us also,” indicate that we are to run the race in the same manner that they ran the race. Successful completion of the race on their
part was “by faith,” and successful completion of
the race on our part must be through the same means.
The
response, “by faith,” on the part of individuals
throughout chapter eleven was occasioned by the promises of God. God had, through His revelation “unto the fathers by the prophets,” revealed certain
things concerning His plans and purposes lay the promises of future blessings
which would one day be realized by His [obedient] people.
Numerous Old Testament saints became interested in these things, took
their eyes off the present, and looked out into the future, believing that God
would ultimately bring to pass what He had promised.
The
response, “by faith,” on the part of individuals
today is also associated by the promises of God. God has, through His revelation “in these last days … unto us,” revealed certain things
concerning His plans and purposes. And
within the scope of this revelation lies the promises of future spiritual
blessings which will one day be realized by [obedient
and divinely enlightened] Christians. As Christians become interested in these
things, they take their eyes off the present [evil
age] and look out into the future, believing
that God will ultimately bring to pass what He has promised [in the age to come.]
1 Corinthians 9: 25 reveals that an “incorruptible crown”
will be given to those who successfully complete the race. Other crowns held out before the participants
are a “crown of rejoicing” (1 Thessalonians 2: 19; Philippians 4: 1), a “crown of righteousness” (2
Timothy 4: 7, 8), a “crown of life” (James 1: 2; Revelation
2: 10), and a “crown of glory” (1 Peter 5: 2-4).
Crowns are to be [won and] worn by those who [will] occupy positions of rulership with Christ in His
coming [millennial]
kingdom. These positions are presently
being offered to [regenerate] Christians.
God is presently extending to Christians the opportunity to qualify for
a crown and, thus, be among those who rule from the heavens as joint-heirs with
Christ. Only those Christians who
qualify for one or more of the five crowns will [‘inherit the kingdom,’ and] be
placed in positions of power and authority, for no uncrowned individual will
rule in the
1 Timothy 6: 12 reveals that the Christians’ calling has to do with “life for the age,” which is derived through striving
in the “race of the faith.” (refer to previously corrected translation of this
verse.) The words “life for the age,” in the corrected translation
(translated “eternal life” in most versions) refer to the
salvation of the soul in relation to the coming age, the Messianic Era. That eternal life cannot be in view is
evident. Eternal life is not obtained through striving in a race. Eternal life is a free gift, obtained
completely apart from the race, and is the present possession of all [regenerate]
believers. One is not qualified to
enter the race unless he is in a
possession of eternal life. Life for
the age, however, is something quite different.
It is a future hope
held out before those who presently
possess eternal life and are engaged in the race for the victor’s crown.
The
Greek language actually contains no word for “eternal.” The word used in 1
Timothy 6: 12 (aionios)
can, and many times must, be understood in the sense of “eternal”; but this
meaning is derived from the textual usage of the word, not from the word itself. John 3: 16
is an example of a text where aionios
must be understood as meaning “eternal,” for the
only type [of]
life which can be derived through faith [alone] in Christ is “eternal life”
(cf. John
1: 4; 8: 35). Certain other times
in the New Testament the word aionios
must be understood [and interpreted] as referring to one or more periods of time (an
age, ages), and ages always have definite beginnings and endings. Understanding aionios in this sense is also derived from
the textual usage of the word rather than the word itself. Mark 10: 17, 30;
Romans 16: 25; Galatians 6: 8; Titus 1: 2; 3: 7 are examples of verses
where aionios cannot be understood [or interpreted*] in
the sense of “eternal.”
[* One must always examine
the context to find the correct interpretation.
If the word aionios is found in a context
of works, then it must be understood to mean “age-lasting” life.
See additional note at the end.]
Scripture
bearing upon the race in which Christians are presently engaged always connect
the object of the race with participating in [an entrance, and participating]
in the activities of the coming age.
Shame and suffering constitute the normal lot for the faithful
today. Christians are to be associated
with Christ in His sufferings, reproach, and rejection. The day of His exaltation and glory is yet
future. And the faithful [and obedient]
who are identified with Him during the present day are the ones who will be identified
with Him during the coming [millennial] day. Old
Testament saints, through God’s revelation to them, understood these things;
and New Testament saints are to understand these things through the same means.
* *
*
Bringing Many Sons to Glory
“For it
became him, for whom all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect
through suffering” (Hebrews 2: 10).
“Child training,” with a view to sonship, is set forth as the
primary object of faith in the Book of Hebrews.
Christians are presently “children” awaiting the adoption into sonship,
and, through proper training they are being prepared for the time when God will
bring “many sons unto glory.” Since this is the case, it is only natural
that the subject would appear in all its fullness in chapter twelve – the
chapter containing summation verses for the first eleven chapters of Hebrews.
The
w[W]riter of Hebrews, in 12: 5b, 6, quotes the words of Solomon to his son
recorded in Proverbs 3: 11, 12. Solomon rightly contemplated that his son
would one day inherit the throne in his kingdom. Thus, Solomon counselled his son accordingly,
for it was necessary that his son be properly trained for this high
position. And this is exactly what God
is doing for the ones who are about to become joint-heirs with His Son, be
seated with Him on the throne, and rule with Him in the [His] kingdom. These individuals are today being called out - [i.e., from amongst the members of His ‘body,’
(the Church); as Eve was taken out of the ‘body’
of the ‘First Adam.’ (Genesis
2: 22, 23.)] – and trained for the exalted
positions into which they are about to enter.
In
Hebrews 12: 5ff there is a great deal of
misunderstanding, not only concerning chastening itself, but also concerning
the reason for chastening and the identity of the ones being chastened. Chastening is a teaching or training process
designed to bring a particular group of individuals into a particular position
for a particular purpose.
The
words “chastening,” “chasteneth,”
“chastisement,” and “chastened”
in Hebrews 12: 5-11 are translations of
either the Greek verb paideuo
or the noun paideia. Paideuo and paidia have to do
with “the rearing of a child,” and the words
mean “to instruct,” or “to educate.” This
instruction or education of a child is performed with a view to proper growth
into manhood. The root idea of paideia is
brought out in passages such as, “Moses was learned in
all the wisdom of the Egyptians…” (Acts 7: 22a),
“… for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3: 16b), and “Teaching
us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly,
righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope…”
(Titus 2: 12, 13a).
The
training which a child of God receives is rooted in instruction from the Word
of God, but in a broader sense, this training also encompasses all the trials
and testings of life and is intimately associated with “scourging” (verse 6). In reality though, the latter must be based
on the former, for without proper instruction from the Word of God, the trials,
testings, and scourgings which the Lord brings to pass would be
meaningless. “Faith”
rooted in a mature knowledge of the Word of God is the prerequisite, and it is
“in this faith” that we are to move victoriously
through the trials and testings of life (cf.
James 1: 2-6; 1 Peter 1: 7-11; 2 Peter 1: 2-8).
1. Purpose of Chastening
What
is God’s great purpose for the Church [i.e.,
regenerate believers] during the age in which we live?
“The answer is
simple. The establishing of a great
empire upon what has been hostile territory lately conquered, and its
consequent permanent administration, demand a large body of trained and
qualified officials, having full knowledge of the purposes of their Sovereign,
and of the means by which they are to be served, and with enthusiastic devotion
to His ends. Every great leader will
train such men in advance of the actual conquest, so that they shall be at hand
immediately when the hour strikes. This
is what God is doing: this is His purpose for this selected company, the Church [of the firstborn.]
“With this high end
in view they are put through a severe school of discipline of character, TO
TRAIN THEM TO FEEL AND ACT LIKE THEIR KING, and thus be qualified to
co-operate with Him in His coming day” (G. H. Lang).
Moses
was trained “in all the wisdom of the Egyptians.” He was trained in this manner in view of that
day when he would be adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter and occupy
a responsible place, as a son, among the members of the royal family of
Christians,
in like manner, are being trained, not in the wisdom of the Egyptians (the
world), but in the wisdom which comes from on high. They are being trained for that day when they
will be adopted and take responsible places, as sons, among the members of the
royal family of heaven. All child training in God’s court is directed toward this end.
2. Identity of the Chastened
The
chastened and non-chastened in Hebrews 12: 5ff
should not be thought of in the sense of saved and unsaved individuals,
else one will completely miss what is really in view. The passage is dealing with [i.e., regenerate]
Christians alone, not with Christians and non- [nominal] Christians.
These verses involve “child training”
with a view to sonship and rulership.
Only children (Christians) are presently being dealt with as sons (cf. Romans
8: 14-17).
Note
verse seven: Literally translated the first
part of this verse reads, “If you [Christians] are patiently enduring child training, God is dealing with
you as
sons.” The antithesis, a
definite possibility brought out in verse eight,
is that if you are not patiently enduring child training, God is not dealing
with you as sons. The teaching in this
passage is that the child of God patiently enduring child training is being
dealt with by God as a son in view of the day when he will be adopted. The child of God not patiently enduring child
training is not being dealt with as a son, for he will not be among the
adopted. Bear in mind that adoption has
to do with sonship, which itself implies rulership. Only those patiently enduring child training
will be among the many sons whom the Lord will bring unto glory.
Now
note verse eight: “But if ye [Christians – same
as verse 7] are
without chastening, whereof all have become partakers
[all who are ‘patiently enduring child training’
and, thus, being dealt with ‘as sons,’ (verse 7)], then are ye “bastards”
(nothoi)
only appears this one time in the entire New Testament. The word within its context is used relative
to the ones not being trained, the nothoi, are simply those Christians (children) who have
rejected training and, thus, cannot be dealt with as sons.
The
entire creation presently “groaneth and travaileth in
pain together” awaiting “the manifestation of
the SONS of God.” The condition will persist throughout the
entire child training era – the entire present age. Then, after the training is over, “he that shall come will come, and will not tarry,” the
adoption will occur, and the adopted sons of God will be elevated to high
positions of power and authority with God’s Son, Jesus [Christ] – positions which are presently being “reserved in heaven” for the faithful (Romans 8: 18-23; Hebrews 10: 37; 1 Peter 1: 4).
“Now the just shall live by faith …” (Hebrews 10: 38a).
*
* *
Inheriting the
Promises
“That ye be not slothful, but followers
of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no
greater, he sware by himself.
Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and
multiplying I will multiply thee. And so,
after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. For men verily swear by the greater: and an
oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. 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. Which hope we
have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whether the forerunner
is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest forever after the order of
Melchizedek:” (Heb. 6: 12-20).
Jesus
Christ is God’s appointed “heir of all things” (Heb. 1: 2a).
This is the manner in which the Book of Hebrews begins, which sets the
tone for the entire epistle. And a
connected thought deals with the ages being planned around the Son’s activity -
as God’s appointed Heir - within these ages (Heb.
1: 2b). The Son is the central figure of Scripture, beginning with Gen. 1: 1 (cf.
John 1: 1-3,14);
and His heirship is the central subject of Scripture, beginning at
the same point in Genesis (cf. Psa. 8: 1-9; 1 Cor. 15: 45-50;
Heb. 1: 4-13).
Man
was created for a purpose, which was
revealed at the time of his creation (Gen. 1: 26-28). He was created to “have
dominion.” And the Son being
appointed “heir of all things” has its basis in the purpose for man’s creation in
the beginning. ‑
Man
lost his right and ability to exercise dominion through the action of the first
Man, the first Adam. Man, through Adam’s
action, found himself in a fallen state, necessitating redemption. Then the second Man, the last Adam,
subsequently paid redemption’s price through His finished work at
The
second Man, the last Adam, will realize His appointed position as “heir of all things” through exercising dominion over
all of God’s creation (as it pertains to the earth). He,
along with numerous redeemed co-heirs, will exercise this dominion for 1,000
years, for the duration of the coming Messianic Era.
Thus,
in the preceding sense, the central subject of Scripture is not really
redemption per se but that which redemption makes possible (with the central person
of Scripture being Christ, the One Who paid redemption’s price).
Redemption
entered the picture in Genesis only after man found himself in a position
wherein he could no longer realize the purpose for his creation (Gen. 3: 15, 21-24; cf. vv. 1-13). And redemption enters the picture today - or
at any point in history - for the same purpose that it did 6,000 years ago. Unredeemed man is alienated from God and in
no position to take the sceptre, and occupying a position of this nature he
cannot realize the purpose for his creation.
He must first be redeemed. Then,
the purpose for redemption, going back to the purpose for creation, naturally
follows.
Thus,
whether dealing with man’s creation, his fall, or provided redemption following
the fall, the same central purpose is always present; and that purpose has to
do with man exercising dominion.
Man was created to exercise dominion, Satan brought about his fall to
prevent him from exercising dominion, and redemption has been provided so man
can be brought back into a position wherein he can one day exercise dominion.
The
thought of man exercising dominion both precedes and follows redemption at any
point in Scripture. It must, for that is
the way matters are introduced in Genesis, establishing an unchangeable
pattern.
It
is as outlined in the opening part of the Book of Hebrews. This book, as previously stated, opens
through calling attention to the fact that the Son has been appointed “heir of all things” (1:
2). Then reference is made to His
redemptive work and His present position at God’s right hand (v. 3). And
following this, the Spirit of God
provides seven Messianic quotations from the Old Testament, pointing to that
day when the appointed Heir will come into possession of His inheritance (vv. 5-13).
The
book begins by centering on the Son after this fashion. But, again, redemption provided by the Son is
for a purpose; and that
purpose begins to be unfolded in the book immediately following the seven
Messianic quotations through calling attention to the purpose for the entire
present dispensation - to acquire the co-heirs who will occupy the throne
with the “heir of all things” during the coming
day of His power (1:14ff; cf. Rom. 8:
17).
The
second Man, the last Adam, has provided redemption so that fallen man
(descending from the first Man, the first Adam) can be brought back into the
position for which he was created. Thus,
redemption is not an end in itself.
Rather redemption is a means to an end.
The end is “heirship,” and redemption
places the person in a position wherein he can one day come into a realization
of this heirship.
It
is as in the type beginning in Exodus, chapter
twelve. The death of the
firstborn in
And
that is exactly what the Book of Hebrews is about in a type-antitype
structure. It is about man who has been
redeemed with an end in view. It is
about redeemed man one day inheriting with the Son in a land removed from this [groaning]
earth. It is about redeemed man coming
into possession of “so great salvation” in that
coming “seventh day” ‑ the seventh millennium ‑ first
spoken of in Gen. 2: 2, 3 (Heb. 1: 14 - 2: 5; 4: 4-9).
God
has set aside an entire dispensation lasting two millenniums, during which He
is calling out the co-heirs who will inherit with His Son during that coming day
when the Son exercises dominion. And these co-heirs are being called out from
among the redeemed. Thus, in this
respect, the central subject of Hebrews revolves around matters beyond
redemption. It revolves around God’s dealings with the saved relative to
an inheritance in a land set before them.
It revolves around redeemed man being
brought into the position for which man was originally created.
An
original type involving saved man in Hebrews can be seen in the account
involving Eve in Genesis, chapter two. Viewing the antitype, this chapter in Genesis
presents Christ’s co-heirs from Hebrews occupying
the position of consort queen, typified by Eve. Christ is the second Man, the last Adam,
typified by the first Man, the first Adam (Rom. 5:
14). The redeemed of the present dispensation
form His body (Col. 1: 18); and as Eve was
removed from Adam’s body to reign as consort queen with him (“let them have dominion” [both the male and the female;
Gen. 1: 26, 27]) so will the bride of Christ
be removed from Christ’s body to reign as consort queen with Him.
Then
in a subsequent type the central mission of the Holy Spirit to the earth during
the present dispensation is seen to centre ‑ not around redemption per se
‑ but around the purpose for redemption. According to Genesis,
chapter twenty-four, the central mission of
the Holy Spirit in the world today is to acquire a bride for God’s Son.
In
Genesis, chapter twenty-three the wife of
Jehovah is seen set aside following
Events
in chapter twenty-four have to do with one
central subject – Abraham’s servant sent into the far country to acquire a bride for
Abraham’s son Isaac. And the
bride was to be acquired only from within Abraham’s family (vv. 3, 4).
Matters surrounding redemption, allowing unsaved man
to become a member of the family, occur, in the type, back in chapter twenty-two (the offering of Isaac); and
the whole of that dealt with in chapter twenty-four
pertains to matters occurring within the family, to matters subsequent to and
separate from redemption.
(More
specifically, viewing the type and antitype together, the basis for redemption
occurs through the Father offering the Son in ch. 22
[typifying events surrounding
The
Holy Spirit, in the antitype of Abraham’s servant, is in the world today; and
His primary mission revolves around calling out a bride for God’s Son. Redemption must occur first. That is fundamental and primary. But there is a purpose for redemption, and
the realization of that purpose follows and is contingent upon the events
typified in chapter twenty-four occurring
first.
The
order is threefold: 1) redemption,
then 2) the acquisition of the
bride, and then 3) the Son’s reign over the earth with His
bride. And, in this respect, the bride
of Christ - in perfect accord with Eve being removed from Adam’s body (Gen. 2) or Rebekah being removed from the family
of Abraham (Gen. 24) - is to be acquired
from the family of God. That is, the bride is to be called out from
among the saved.
And
events depicted in Genesis, chapters two and
twenty-four rather than events depicted in Genesis, chapter twenty-two is where one finds
himself in the Book of Hebrews. This
book deals with the Holy Spirit calling out a bride for God’s Son, offering to
redeemed man the privilege and opportunity to one day participate in activities
surrounding the bride. This book centers around
a salvation out ahead, a rest, an inheritance. The Book of Hebrews is about
Christians one day entering into positions with the Son as co-heirs, comprising
the Son’s bride, the one who will reign as consort queen in the antitype of Eve
or Rebekah. …
THE HOPE SET BEFORE US
Insofar
as Abraham having both a heavenly seed and an earthly seed which would one day
rule over the Gentile nations and through whom the Gentile nations would be
blessed, the matter is as certain as the veracity of God’s oath. He has sworn by Himself concerning the matter.
Israel,
Abraham’s earthly seed through natural, lineal descent from Isaac and Jacob,
will one day dwell in the land of Canaan at the head of the nations, with
Christ seated on David’s throne in their midst.
And not only will
Both
1.
The hope of
And
For
individual Jews, “the hope of
2. THE CHRISTIANS’ HOPE
The
text relative to “hope” in Hebrews, chapter six (v. 18)
though does not concern
The
Christians’ hope, with its basis found the same place as
In
Ephesians
this “hope” has to do with an inheritance (1: 11-18); in Colossians
it has to do with the coming glory of
Christ (1: 5, 23, 27); in 1 Thessalonians
it has to do with a future salvation
(5: 8); in Titus it has to do with an inheritance
and life in the coming age (1: 2; 2:12,
13; 3: 7); in 1 Peter it has to do with an inheritance, the salvation of one’s soul, and participation in Christ’s coming glory
(1: 3‑9; 3:14, 15; 4:12, 13); and in 1 John
it has to do with being unashamed
and like Christ when Christians see Him
“as he is” at the judgment seat (2: 28 - 3: 3).
Hebrews, accordingly, should be no different; and that is
exactly the case. “Hope,” in this epistle, is something set before Christians, which is associated with
God’s promise to Abraham, an inheritance, and the saving of the
soul (6:13-19; 10: 36-39). The “confidence and
the rejoicing of the hope” is to be held by Christians in an unwavering,
steadfast manner (3: 6; 10: 23); and Christians are exhorted to assemble
together for the specified purpose of discussing this hope and being a help to
one another in things related to this hope (10:
23-25 [in v. 23, “profession of our faith” should literally be
translated “confession of the hope”]).
AN ANCHOR OF THE SOUL
This
hope is presented as “an anchor of the soul” (Heb. 6: 19).
It is an anchor “both sure and stedfast ... which entereth into that within the veil [i.e., beyond the veil, inside the Holy
of Holies].” And Christ, beyond the
veil, is presented as “the forerunner ... for us”
(the One Who has gone ahead on our behalf). He is presently acting as High Priest on our
behalf, anticipating the coming day of His power; and He, as High Priest beyond
the veil, is providing a present cleansing for the “kings
and priests” (Rev. 5: 10) who will
ascend the throne with Him during that coming day.
Note
how the preceding is reflected at the end of Hebrews,
chapter six: “Whither
the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest forever
[‘for the age,’ the coming Messianic Era] after the order of Melchizedek” (v. 20).
Our
hope is not only firmly anchored on the person of Christ beyond the veil, but
it is anchored upon Christ as He will appear in that coming day ‑ as the great King-Priest, “after the
order of Melchizedek.” It is a
present hope which looks to a
future day for its
realization, and it has to do with the saving of the soul.
This
is why, within the capstone of the book, Christians are exhorted to keep their
eyes fixed upon Jesus (Heb. 12: 1, 2). Christians are exhorted to keep their eyes
fixed on the One beyond the veil, where the anchor of their soul lies; and, in
this manner, they are to faithfully run with patient endurance “the race”
set before them.
The
summation of the matter surrounding “faith and patience
[‘patient endurance’]” is possibly best stated
in the words concluding the fourth major warning in Hebrews, introducing
chapter eleven in the book, the great chapter on “faith”:
“For ye have need of patience [‘patient endurance’],
that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall
come will come, and will not tarry. Now
the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto
perdition [‘destruction’]; but of them that
believe [are ‘faithful’ ] to the saving of the soul” (Heb. 10: 36-39).
* *
*
Overcoming, Being
Overcome
Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see
that good land, which I sware to give unto your fathers, Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him will I give the land
that he hath trodden upon, and to his children, because he hath wholly followed the Lord.
Also the Lord was angry with me for your sakes, saying, Thou also
shalt not go in thither. But Joshua the
son of Nun, which standeth before thee, he shall go in thither: encourage him:
for he shall cause
Moreover your little ones, which ye said shall be a prey, and your
children, which in that day had no knowledge between good and evil, they shall
go in thither, and unto them will I give it, and they shall possess it.
But as for you, turn you, and take your journey
into the wilderness by the way of the
And command thou the people, saying, Ye are
to pass through the coast of your brethren the children of Esau, which dwell in
Seir...
And when we passed by from our brethren the children of Esau, which
dwelt in Seir, through the way of the plain from Elath, and from Ezion-gaber, we
turned and passed by the way of the wilderness of Moab ... the children of Lot... (Deut. 1:35-40;
14, 8, 9).
Because of the
action of the people of
On
the one hand, there was
the overthrow of an entire unbelieving generation, overthrown in a manner
completely in keeping with their unbelief. Then, on the other hand, Caleb and Joshua - the ones believing
that they could go in and, under God, take the land ‑ ultimately realized
their inheritance in a manner completely in keeping with their belief.
UNBELIEF
The
nation at large, at Kadesh-Barnea, believed the false
report of the ten spies. They envisioned
falling at the hands of the inhabitants of
Once
this had occurred, once the Israelites had expressed unbelief after this fashion, at this particular
place, the nation found itself in a position from which there could be no
return. The
accountable generation had forfeited their part in the rights of the firstborn
(rights to be realized by the nation as God’s firstborn son [cf. Ex. 4:
22, 23; 19: 5, 6]), matters could not be reversed (cf. Matt. 12:31, 32), and the only thing awaiting these
Israelites was God carrying out His judgmental decree.
Note
that the very next day, after hearing God’s judgment upon them because of their
unbelief (along with seeing the ten spies die “by the
plague before the Lord”), the unbelieving
Israelites changed their minds. They even went so far as to attempt to
enter the land after being warned by Moses that the Lord was no longer with
them; and they were, accordingly, driven back by the Amalekites
and the Canaanites. They could no longer
occupy the place from which they, through unbelief, had fallen (Num. 14: 28-45).
This
is what the third of the five major warnings in the Book of Hebrews is about (6:
4-6). Once a Christian falls away in the
antitype of that which occurred at Kadesh-Bamea (Heb. 3, 4),
exactly the same thing will occur to the unbelieving Christian as occurred to
the unbelieving Israelites. The
Christian will have fallen away after such a fashion that he cannot be renewed “again unto
repentance [‘unto a change of mind’]” (v. 6).
The
“change of mind” is not on the part of the Christian, as it was not on the part
of the Israelites in the type. It
was/ is
on the part of God. A Christian falling away after this
fashion may later change his mind, as the Israelites did after falling
away. But, as in the type, God
will not change His mind.
The
Christian will have forfeited his part
in the rights of the firstborn (rights to be realized by the Church following the
adoption into sonship [cf. Rom. 8: 18-23; Heb. 12: 23]) with only judgment
awaiting; and God will not change His mind
and bless that Christian also. The
type has been set, and the antitype must follow the previously established
type.
Exactly
the same thing is seen relative to these rights and a change of mind in the
last of the five major warnings in Hebrews (12: 14-17).
Esau, after forfeiting the rights of the firstborn - selling these
rights to his younger brother, Jacob – “found no place
of repentance [‘a change of mind’], though he sought it carefully with tears” (v. 17).
Esau
changed
his mind following the
forfeiture. After realizing the value of
that which he had forfeited, Esau sought to get his father to change his mind and bless him also. But it was too late. The
birthright had been forfeited, it was beyond Esau’s grasp forever, and all Esau
could do at this point was express grief over that which he had allowed to occur. Scripture reads, “And
Esau lifted up his voice and wept” (Gen. 27:
34-38).
(Note
two things: 1) The warnings in
Hebrews become self-explanatory, self-interpretive, if they are understood in
the light of the types [an interpretive method which is true, in reality,
throughout the whole of Scripture, i.e.,
types and antitypes understood in the light of one another]; and 2) very few Christians today could fall
away in the antitype of Heb. 6: 4-6, for to
fall away after this fashion requires an understanding of the Word of the
Kingdom - [i.e.‘The message about the kingdom’ (Matt.
13: 18, N.I.V.] - something which very
few Christians presently possess. …
1. TURNED ABOUT
Moses, near the end of his life and near the end of
the wilderness journey, recounted to the Israelites that which had occurred at Kadesh-Barnea and throughout the thirty-eight succeeding
years. He spoke of the nation’s
unbelief, along with Caleb and Joshua’s belief.
Then he recounted God’s promise to Caleb and Joshua, along with the
account of God’s judgment falling upon the unbelieving nation (Deut. 1:26ff).
Caleb and Joshua, because they believed the Lord, had
been promised that they would one day realize an inheritance in the land. They would be allowed to go in with the
second generation and, individually, have a part in the rights belonging to God’s
firstborn son. The remainder of the accountable generation though, because they did not believe
the Lord, would die in the wilderness prior to the second generation being
allowed to go into the land under Joshua.
They would have no part in
realizing the rights of the firstborn (Deut. 1:35ff).
After Moses had recounted the Lord’s promise to Caleb
and Joshua, he then turned to the account of the Lord’s judgmental decree upon
the unbelieving generation. God’s decree
from thirty-eight years back, given through Moses, began with the words, “But as for you...” (v. 40).
Then,
the first thing which the unbelieving generation at Kadesh-Barnea
heard after that was, “turn you” (v. 40).
That is, they were to turn from the land set before them. Through their prior act of unbelief, they
had gone too far. They had expressed unbelief concerning the Lord being able to
complete His work and bring them into the land to which He had called
them. They had expressed unbelief
in matters surrounding the very
goal of their calling - a realm which the Lord considered of supreme importance, important
above everything else. And, through so doing, they went beyond
the point which the Lord could allow them to go and still allow them to enter
the land.
Thus,
there was only one thing left. They were to be turned from the land toward which they had moved
for the preceding eighteen months, with a view to their being overthrown outside this land. And the place where they were to be overthrown was clearly revealed at the
beginning; and now, thirty-eight years later, God’s dealings with a rebellious
people after this fashion was in the very last stages of being completed.
2. IN TO THE WIL DERNESS, BY THE WAY OF THE SEA
But
viewing matters from the beginning once again, the Israelites were not to be
overthrown just any place in the wilderness; nor could they be taken back to
The
Israelites were turned away from the
The
“Sea” refers particularly to two things in
Scripture. It refers to
the place of the Gentile nations and
to
the place of death. In this respect, typically, the place
which God had reserved for the unbelieving Israelites was in the sphere of
death among the Gentile nations. And it
was here that they were to be overthrown. …
The
picture is really the same as seen in the later experiences of
During
Moses’ day, it was only at the end of a full forty years (referring to a complete period*) that God allowed a second generation of Israelites
to leave their place in “the wilderness by the way of
the
[* Is there not a teaching
here relative to a select resurrection of the dead? Of an entrance, after two thousand years in Sheol/Hades of “those who are considered
worthy of taking part in that age (the millennial age) and in the resurrection from the dead:” (Luke 20: 35, N.I.V.)]
(Or,
if the Hebrew rendering for Jesus is preferred in the antitype, it is “Joshua” [this is the reason for the incorrect
rendering, “Jesus,” rather than “Joshua,” in Heb. 4: 8,
KJV]. Joshua led the Israelites into the
land in the past, and Joshua [Jesus] will lead the Israelites into the land in
the future. Also note that a more
detailed and complete look at the overall type is seen beginning with the
departure from
3. INTO THE LANDS OF ESAU,
Note,
according to the text, that the unbelieving Israelites were not to be
overthrown just any place in “the wilderness by the way
of the
A) THE
Esau,
the elder son of Isaac, “despised his birthright”
and sold his rights as firstborn to his younger brother, Jacob, for a meal
consisting of “bread and pottage of lentils” (Gen. 25: 27-34).
The Septuagint (Creek version
of the O.T.) uses a word for the rendering “despised”
(v. 34) which means that Esau regarded his
birthright as practically worthless. He saw no real value to the birthright
and sold it on a particular occasion to satisfy his [natural] hunger.
Esau
was “a cunning
hunter, a man of the field,”
contrasted with Jacob who was “a plain man, dwelling in tents”
(Gen. 25: 27). The “field”
in Scripture, as “
Thus,
Esau, in Scripture, is pictured as a man of the world - a person interested in the
things of the world rather than the things of God. And Esau sold his rights as firstborn at a
time immediately after he had been out in “the field”
and at a time when he was “faint [weary and
hungry]” (Gen. 25: 29, 30).
There
was nothing in the field to reveal the value of the birthright to Esau. The birthright had to do with spiritual values, separate from the world;
but Esau was interested in the world and that which could bring satisfaction to
the fleshly man. Spiritually,
he could only have been completely destitute, with his rights as firstborn
being something which he knew practically nothing about and, accordingly,
something of little interest to him.
Thus, looking upon the birthright from the vantage point of the world
and seeing little value therein, he considered one meal to be of more value and
sold his rights as firstborn for the meal.
And
it was into Esau’s land - the land of a person of the world who considered his birthright
to be of little value - that God’s firstborn son, because of the nation’s
unbelief and forfeiture of the rights of the firstborn, was taken to be
overthrown. The unbelieving [and disobedient]
generation was to be overthrown in the land of the descendants of a person who
had looked upon the rights of the firstborn after a similar fashion to the way
they had looked upon them.
B) THE
And
not only were the unbelieving Israelites to be overthrown in the
Abraham,
after strife had arisen between the herdsmen of
Lot
moved down into the cities
of the plain, pitched his tent toward
Those
who sat in the gate of a city in those days transacted business on behalf of
the city. Thus,
(Homosexual
activity in
And
it was into
4. CHRISTIANS [i.e., REGENERATE BELIEVERS]
IN THE ANTITYPE
The
whole matter of Christians in the antitype hardly needs to be stated for those
who have eyes to see. There is nothing ‑
absolutely NOTHING - more important
in the Christian life than presently moving out toward and ultimately realizing
the goal of one’s calling.
But,
what are most Christians doing relative to the matter today? Take a
look around and see for yourself.
Is this the topic of concern when Christians meet together today? Is this what is heard from the pulpit or the classroom on
Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and /or other times when Christians come
together. Again, the reader can answer from his /her own experience.
Christians
cannot serve two masters (Matt. 6: 19-24). They
cannot have the best of what this world has to offer and also expect to have
the best of what God has already offered.
Christians must, individually, choose; and that decision is left
entirely up to them (cf. Gen. 24: 58).
Christians
can go the way of Esau and Lot ‑ having any spiritual senses and
perspective progressively dulled by the things of the world ‑ resulting
in their progressively being overthrown in the
[* That is, a full
inheritance – Millennial as well as Eternal - and this requires an
undisclosed high standard of ones personal righteousness to ‘attain’ entrance, (Matt. 5: 20; 7: 21, 26; Luke 22: 28-30; Gal. 5: 19-21; Eph. 5: 1-7. cf. Phil. 3: 11-14,
etc.)]
The
former is the easy life, and the latter is not so easy. In fact, the latter often becomes quite
difficult. But what will the end
be? That’s what matters!
BELIEF
Note
that Caleb and Joshua, at Kadesh-Barnea, didn’t have
it easy at all when giving a true report relative to the land set before
them. In fact, the unbelieving [redeemed] generation of Israelites sought to stone them (Num. 14: 6-10). And they had to live with this
unbelieving generation for the next thirty-eight and one-half years, until
every single one of them had been overthrown.
And
that’s where the believing Christian is today.
He is out living among unbelieving Christians who are in the process of being
overthrown; and he, invariably, experiences similar treatment to that which
Caleb and Joshua were accorded among the unbelieving Israelites.*
[* Many years ago, the editor
of this website was told to “shut up,” when talking about responsibility truths to
members of the congregation in a local Baptist
Church: and this is not surprising, when he is now fully aware that the Principle in the Baptist College at Moira, is himself Anti-Millennialist.]
Persecution, in actuality,
doesn’t come from the world. That’s not
what is found in the type, and it can’t be found after any other fashion in the
antitype. True persecution comes from unfaithful
fellow-believers. They are the ones who find themselves in the position of Esau,
1. NECESSARY
PREPARATIONS
It
was only near the end of the forty years that God began to once again deal with
the Israelites relative to entrance into the
“This day will I begin to put the dread of thee and the fear
of thee upon the nations that are under the whole heaven, who shall hear report
of thee, and shall tremble, and be in anguish because of thee” (Deut. 2: 25).
This
was the beginning of the Lord’s preparatory work relative to bringing the second
generation of Israelites, along with Caleb and Joshua, into the land. And the remainder of Deuteronomy - prior to
the account of the entrance of the nation into the land in the first three
chapters of the Book of Joshua - concerns itself mainly with what was stated by
Moses in Deut. 4: 1:-
“Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto
the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in
and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers giveth you.”
Then
Moses’ closing words to this new generation of Israelites, given immediately
before his death, near the end of the book, were almost identical to the way he
began:-
“Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you
this day, which ye shall command your
children to observe to do, all the words of this law. For it is not a vain thing for you; because it is your life: and through this thing
ye shall prolong your days in the land, whither ye go over
At
the time Moses proclaimed these final words to “all
And,
with the leadership falling to Joshua, this is where the five books of Moses
close, with the Israelites ready to cross the
2. GROSSING THE
Moses,
at Kadesh-Barnea, had sent twelve spies into the
land. Now, thirty-eight and one-half
years later, Joshua, from the eastern side of Jordan, sends two individuals to
spy out Jericho and the surrounding land (Joshua 2:
1ff). And upon the return of the
two spies “from the mountain” (v. 23), their report was very simple and
straightforward:-
“And they said unto Joshua, Truly the Lord hath delivered into
our hands all the land; for even all the inhabitants of the country do faint
because of us” (Joshua 2: 24).
And
this time there was no evil report by the spies or unbelief on the part of the
people. According to the record,
following the report of the two spies, the immediate matter at hand was the
passage of the people across the Jordan River and the conquest of the land,
beginning with Jericho (Joshua 3: l ff).
Once
the Israelites were across and twelve stones had been taken from the midst of
Jordan as a testimony for future generations, the priests brought the ark up
from the midst of Jordan, and the Lord released the waters to their natural
flow once again (Joshua 4: 1-24). Then note the reaction of the Gentile nations
which
“And
it came to pass, when all the kings of the Amorites, which were on the side of
Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, which were by the sea,
heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of Jordan from before the children
of Israel, until we were passed over, that their heart melted, neither was there
spirit in them any more, because of the children of Israel” (Joshua 5:
1; cf. Deut. 2: 25).
Then,
following Joshua circumcising the new generation (in accord with the Lord’s
instructions) and the manna ceasing (the people were to now eat “the fruit of the
3. TAKING THE LAND,
REALIZING AN INHERITANCE
Jericho
was among the cities in the land described thirty-eight and one-half years
earlier by the ten spies as being “walled up to heaven
[‘to the heavens’]" (Deut. 1: 28).
But note what the Lord did with the wall surrounding
After
the Israelites had followed the Lord’s instructions concerning taking Jericho,
the wall simply “fell down flat”; and the
Israelites marched across the fallen wall, “utterly
destroyed all that was in the city” (save Rahab and her family), and then
burned the city (Joshua 6: 2-27).
And
that is the way it was to be as the Israelites
marched through the land, conquer the inhabitants,
and possessed the land. And that’s the
way it could have been thirty-eight and
one-half years earlier had the Israelites believed
the true report given by Caleb and Joshua rather than the false report given by
the ten.
But
the wav it was to be and the way it actually happened ‑ even during the
conquest under Joshua ‑ were not the same. At the very next city which the Israelites
sought to conquer ‑ Ai ‑ they suffered defeat. Achan, contrary
to the Lord’s command, had kept some of the spoils of
The
matter of Achan’s
sin had to be dealt with first, and the people could then (and did) move
victoriously against Ai (Joshua 7:23-26; 8: 1ff). And beyond that the Israelites, under Joshua,
began to progressively move victoriously throughout the land, taking it “by little and little,” as the preceding generation had
been instructed to do under Moses (Joshua 9: 1ff;
cf. Deut. 7: 22).
Then,
after the Israelites, over time, had destroyed part of the nations in the land,
the Lord instructed Joshua to divide the land for an inheritance among the
different tribes (Joshua 13: 1ff; cf Joshua 21: 43-45; 23: 4-13). And it was within
this division that Caleb and Joshua realized the inheritance which had been
promised to them at Kadesh-Barnea forty-five years
earlier (Joshua 14: 7-14; 19: 49, 50; cf.
Num. 14: 24, 30; Deut. 1: 35-38).
4. CHRISTIANS TODAY
Everything is identical in the antitype. There is a
warfare against those dwelling in the land of the Christian’s inheritance
(Satan and his angels), and the warfare can be won or it can be lost.
One primary, simple fact though
remains should Christians expect to one dav
realize an inhentance in the land to which they have
been called: They must engage themselves in the battle; The war must be fought (Eph. 3:
9-11; 6: 11-18).
The
battle and its outcome can be seen in the experiences of the Israelites at Jerico;or the battle and its
outcome can be seen in the experiences of the Israelites at Ai. And victory (as at
God’s
people must do what He has
told them to do. This is the reason
Moses, near the end of his life, immediately before the Israelites were to enter
the land under Joshua, spent his time reiterating the Lord’s commandments to
the people (Deut. 4: 1 ff); and this is also
the reason that Joshua did exactly the same thing immediately following the
Israelites’ defeat and subsequent victory at Ai (Joshua
8: 34, 35).
Moses,
by reiterating the Lord’s commandments to the people prior to the conquest,
sought to prevent events
such as those which had occurred at Ai; and Joshua, going back over the Lord’s
commandments after matters surrounding Ai had been taken care of ‑
something which formed a conclusion to previous instructions left by Moses ‑
sought to prevent a repeat of
such events (cf. Deut. 27: 1-8; Joshua 8: 30-35).
Jesus
is “the author of eternal salvation [‘salvation for the age’*] unto all them that obey
him” (Heb. 5: 9; cf. Gen. 42: 55, 56; Matt. 7: 24-29; John 15: 1-15). A Christian must follow that which the Lord has commanded (which will result in his
keeping himself unspotted by the world [rather than following Achan’s path]) as he goes forth to battle the inhabitants
of the land.
[*
See footnote at end on the various translations of the Greek word aionios.]
Sin
is disobedience to that which the Lord has commanded. And though Christians ‑ presently in a
body of flesh, housing the old sin nature ‑ may fall, cleansing
is available. That’s why Christ is presently exercising
the office of High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary (cf. John 13: 8‑10; Heb. 10: 19‑22;
1 John 1: 6 – 2: 2).
Sin
must be dealt with prior to the battle (as at Ai). Then, believing that the Lord will do exactly what He has promised, victory after victory can ensue as the person moves forward,
keeping his eyes fixed on the goal.
There can be no such thing as defeat if one moves in
accord with the Lord’s instructions.
* *
*
NOTE ON THE GREEK WORD ‘AIONIOS’
The
word “eternal” in the English text is misleading.
Those for whom Christ is the source of salvation (Christians) already possess eternal salvation; and,
beyond that, this salvation was not
acquired through obedience to Christ, as in the text. Rather, it
was acquired through believing on the Lord Jesus Christ (John 3: 16).
Obedience
to Christ, resulting from suffering, can come into view only following belief, never before. Only the [eternally] saved have “passed from death unto life” and are in a position to
suffer and subsequently obey. The unsaved are still “dead
in trespasses and sins” (John 5:24; Eph. 2: 1).
1. ETERNAL
The
Greek language, from which our English versions have been translated, does not
contain a word for “eternal.” A person using the Greek language thinks in
the sense of “ages”; and the way this language
is normally used in the New Testament to express “eternal,” apart from textual
considerations, is through the use of the Greek words eis tons aionas ton aionon,
meaning, “unto [or, ‘with respect to’] the ages of the
ages” (ref. Heb. 13: 21; 1 Peter 4: 11; Rev. 1: 6; 4: 9, 10 for several examples of places where these
words are used, translated “forever and ever” in
most versions).
Another
less frequently used way to express “eternal” in
the Greek New Testament, apart from textual considerations,
is through the use of a shortened form of the preceding ‑ eis tons aionas,
meaning “unto [or, ‘with respect to’] the ages” (ref.
The
word from the Greek text translated “eternal” in Heb.
5: 9 is aionios. This
is the adjective equivalent of the noun aion, referred to
in the preceding paragraph in its plural form to express “eternal.” Aion means “an aeon [the word ‘aeon’
is derived from aion]” or “an era,” usually understood throughout the Greek New
Testament as “an age.”
Aionios, the adjective equivalent of aion, is used
seventy-one times in the Greek New Testament and has been indiscriminately
translated “eternal” or “everlasting” in almost every instance in the various English versions.
This word though should be understood about thirty of these seventy-one times
in the sense of “age-lasting” rather than “eternal”; and the occurrence in Heb. 5: 9 forms
a case in point.
Several
good examples of other places where aionios should be translated
and understood as “age-lasting” are Gal. 6: 8; 1 Tim. 6: 2; Titus 1: 2; 3: 7. These Passages have to do with running the
present race of the faith in
view of one day realizing‑ in inheritance in the [millennial] kingdom
which is the hope set before
Christians.
On
the other hand, aionios can be understood in the sense of “eternal”
if the text so indicates. Several good
examples of places where aionios should
be so translated and understood are John 3:15, 16, 36. These passages have to do with life derived through faith in Christ
because of His finished work at
Textual
considerations must always be taken into account when properly translating and
understanding aionios, for this is a word which can be used
to imply either “age-lasting” or “eternal”; and it
is used both ways numerous times in the New Testament. Textual considerations in Heb. 5: 9 leave no room to question exactly how aionios should
be understood and translated in this verse. Life during the coming age, occupying a position
as co-heir with Christ in that coming day, is what the Book of Hebrews is about.
2. SUFFERING,
REIGNING
Suffering
with or on behalf of Christ must precede reigning with Christ. The latter cannot be realized apart from the
former. Such suffering is inseparably
linked with obedience; and the text clearly states that Christ is the source of that future salvation “unto all them that [presently] obey him,”
in the same respect that Christ is the source of presently possessed
eternal salvation for all those who have (in the past) “believed”
on Him.
1 Peter 1: 11, relative to
the saving of the soul (vv. 9, 10), states, “Searching what, or what
manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify when it [He] testified
beforehand the sufferings of Christ [lit.,
‘the sufferings with respect to Christ’], and the glory that should follow.”
The thought, contextually, is not at all that of
Christ suffering. Rather, the thought
has to do with Christians suffering with respect to Christ’s sufferings, subsequently realizing the salvation of their
souls through having a part in the glory which is to follow the sufferings.
This
is the underlying thought behind the whole book of 1
Peter, expressed in so many words by the writer in 4: 12, 13: “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial
which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you: But rejoice,
inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with
exceeding joy.”
This
is the “eternal [‘age-lasting’]
glory” to which Christians have been called and
in which Christians will be established after they “have
suffered a while,” with obedience to Christ emanating from the sufferings (1 Peter 5: 10).
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