Isaac Included
The Jews Have Not Fulfilled This
Back to 1The Bible’s Greatest Prophecies Unlocked!
In the next account, God included Abraham’s son, Isaac, in the promise. Notice that God repeated much of what He had said to Abraham: “And the Lord appeared unto him [Isaac], and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell you of: sojourn in this land, and I will be with you, and will bless you; for unto you, and unto your seed [now Isaac’s], I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I swore unto Abraham your father; and I will make your seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto your seed all these countries; and in your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed” (Gen. 26:2-4). Isaac’s son, Jacob, also similarly qualified to receive God’s promise, and we will come to this account.
The obedience of one man, Abraham, was sufficient to pass on astonishing blessings that would eventually encompass “all the nations of the earth.” This then must include Gentile nations as well.
Abraham Has Not Yet Inherited
An important inset is added here, explaining the eternal implications of the promise to Abraham. It involves all who obey God: When do Christians become inheritors, no longer merely heirs? Abraham is also a key to properly understanding this. Where is he now? Is he in heaven? Has he already inherited the promises made to him? When put together, three verses answer these questions, forming a complete picture.
Here is what Paul said about Abraham’s obedience: “By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing where he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: for he looked for a city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Heb. 11:8-10).
There are several important elements here. Abraham was to “after receive” his inheritance. In faith, he “looked for” what God was building, but understood that he was in a “strange country.” He and his son (Isaac) and grandson (Jacob) remained “heirs” all during their lifetimes—and they still are!
Next comes a remarkable statement. Every Christian must grasp and live by it: “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth” (Heb 11:13).
The land that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob sojourned in never became theirs during their lifetimes. They died “in faith,” but they did see God’s promises “afar off.”
Many do not want the truth of God’s words explained to them. They prefer the empty platitudes and traditions of men to the awesome truth of God—and this is awesome understanding!
Some have even paid with their lives for telling others what I have just told you.
The deacon Stephen was stoned to death—martyred—just moments after telling his listeners the following: “Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; the God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran, and said unto him, Get you out of your country, and from your kindred, and come into the land which I shall show you. Then came he out of the land of the Chaldeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from there, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein you now dwell. And He [God] gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: yet He promised that He would give it to him for a possession…” (Acts 7:2-5).
This confirms Hebrews 11:1-39. Abraham received “none inheritance” during his lifetime—“not so much as to set his foot on [the land].”
How much plainer can God be?
So then, where is Abraham? The Bible answers through Christ who said, “Abraham is dead” and “the prophets are dead” (John 8:52-53). This means that Christians are merely heirs in this lifetime. Like Abraham, they see God’s promises “afar off.” Also like Abraham, when they die, they are dead. They wait in the grave to become inheritors upon Christ’s Return. Verse after verse confirms this.
A “Nation” and a “Company of Nations”
Isaac’s son Jacob was also included in the promise, with the following verses adding that Gentile, heathen nations were also to be ruled by the nations of Israel who received the birthright: “Therefore God give you of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine: let people serve you, and nations bow down to you: be lord over your brethren, and let your mother’s sons bow down to you: cursed be every one that curses you, and blessed be he that blesses you” (Gen. 27:28-29).
This passage is plain! It is a direct statement that physical peoples on Earth will serve certain Israelite countries. This prophecy expands the promise to include the types of blessings that flow out of or from under the ground.
The next passage in the unfolding and amplifying of the promises made to Abraham demonstrates that Israelitish nations would eventually spread around the world. Their geographic distribution would literally circle the globe.
God is speaking to Jacob: “And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon you lie, to you will I give it, and to your seed; and your seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in you and in your seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed” (Gen. 28:13-14).
Notice the phrase “spread abroad.” The Hebrew means literally “to break forth,” implying there would come a point when this spreading would happen suddenly. Recall from Romans 4:13 that Abraham was to become “heir of the world.” But Genesis 28 does not state that physical Israelite nations would control the entire world prior to the time when Abraham, in the Resurrection to occur at Christ’s Return, would inherit the promises made to him. Also recall that all true Christians—Jew or Gentile—are Abraham’s children.
Yet, physical descendants of Abraham have spread to the four directions of the compass, to locations around the world. After their captivity of 721-718 BC, their captors allowed them to migrate with them, and eventually beyond, to their own lands. This sets up Gen 28:15: “And, behold, I am with you, and will keep you in all places where you go, and will bring you again into this land; for I will not leave you, until I have done that which I have spoken to you of.”
This is a truly astonishing prophecy. God promised to remain with Israel “in all places” where their migrations took them. But it will not be fulfilled in the greatest sense until the Return of Christ. Take time to read Jeremiah 23:7-8; 50:4-6, 19-20. These and other passages clarify when and how this will happen.
We now come to the all-important passage where God repeats His promise to Jacob. In this account, Jacob’s name was changed: “And God said unto him, Your name is Jacob: your name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel…And God said…I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of you, and kings shall come out of your loins; and the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to you I will give it, and to your seed after you will I give the land” (Gen. 35:10-12).
This is translated by Ferrar Fenton as “A Nation and an Assembly of Nations.” Moffatt’s translation states, “a nation, [and] a group of nations.” Thus, the earlier reference to “many nations” is now revealed to mean, when put with Genesis 27:28-29, one powerful, wealthy nation—and another wealthy group, assembly or company of nations—or commonwealth of nations.
How plain can God be? You do not need to believe some private interpretation by me or anyone else. Believe God’s Word!
The Jews Have Not Fulfilled This