The Children of Promise

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="10920861egerdp.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="6" COLOR="#0000CC" FACE="Edwardian Script ITC" ><B>On Eagle's Wings</B></FONT><B>  </B><B> Inc.</B><B>     </B><FONT SIZE="6" COLOR="#0000CC" FACE="Webdings" ><B>j</B></FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B>  </B></FONT><B> |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="On Eagles Wings"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div>                                              back to  <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="On Eagles Wings"><U><B>On Eagle's Wings</B></U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="10de4c00egerdp.jpg"> <div> <A HREF="id131.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Original Website Home Page"><U>Original Website Home Page</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id129.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Letter of Introduction"><U>Letter of Introduction</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id23.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="About Us"><U>About Us</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id52.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Gods Word Concerning their Return"><U>God's Word Concerning their Return</U></A></div> <div> <B>The Children of Promise</B></div> <div> <A HREF="id92.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Taking Hold of the Promise"><U>Taking Hold of the Promise</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id24.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="How to Participate"><U>How to Participate</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id25.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Us"><U>Contact Us</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id93.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Related Links"><U>Related Links</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id68.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Birth of On Eagles Wings Inc."><U>The Birth of On Eagle's Wings Inc.</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id96.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Presidents Notes"><U>President's Notes</U></A></div> <div>  <form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post"> <input type="hidden" name="cmd" value="_s-xclick"> <input type="hidden" name="hosted_button_id" value="309653"> <input type="image" src="https://www.paypal.com/en_US/i/btn/btn_donateCC_LG.gif" border="0" name="submit" alt=""> <img alt="" border="0" src="https://www.paypal.com/en_US/i/scr/pixel.gif" width="1" height="1"> </form>  </div> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="21" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="388" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#996699" BORDERCOLORDARK="#FFCC66" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 4438 WIDTH="338"><bR> <div> <B>The Children of Promise</B></div> <bR> <div> We live in a very special time in which God is bringing His people home.  Both, the Jews back to Israel and the lost to Christ.  As children of God we have the special privilege of being able to walk in the promises of God.  We can see these promises being fulfilled today as we watch the news on Israel and see how it has become a nation once again.  It's people were dispersed from their nation, some 70 years after rejecting Jesus as their Messiah.  But just as the Hebrew Scriptures foretold in the Old Testament, the LORD has been bringing them back to their promised land.  Not because of what they have done, but because of the LORD's promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  The Gospel of Jesus can be found in the Story of Abraham and Isaac.  And even more of the LORD's plans for His people can be found in the accounts of Isaac and Jacob.  Let's start by sharing the Gospel account of Abraham and Isaac and how His people became the "<B>Children of Promise</B>"</div> <bR> <div> This account can be found in the book of Genesis starting in chapters 12 thru 22.  As you may remember from your reading of this Scripture you will see that Abraham was promised a son by God.  Abram believed the Lord's promise and this was credited to him as righteousness.  After many years and some serious mistakes made by Abram the Lord finally came through with His promise and gave them their promised son Isaac.  It's important to realize that <B>without God's intervention Isaac would have never been born</B> because his wife Sarai was barren.  This would also be true for Jesus years later <B>because his mother, Mary, had never laid with anyone</B> (a reflection).</div> <bR> <div>      Isaac then grew in years and Abraham was very pleased with his promised son.  <B>God had promised that nations and kings would come from him</B>.  But then one day something very strange happened.  God tells Abraham to take his son, his only son, Isaac whom he loves and <B>go to the region of Moriah</B>.  He then tells him to take Isaac to a mountain he will tell him about and sacrifice him there.  <B>Apparently not any mountain would do.  God wanted Isaac to be laid at the top of this particular mountain.  It just so "happens" that the location of this place puts it "just outside the gates of Jerusalem".  JUST OUTSIDE THE GATES OF JERUSALEM  "just happens" to be the place described as the location of Christ's crucifixion.</B></div> <bR> <div>      Abraham takes Isaac to this location and has his son carry the "wood" up the Hill (second reflection, Jesus also carries the wood up the hill).  <B>Isaac notices that there is no lamb for the offering (Christ is known as the lamb of God).</B>  He mentions this to his father; then Abraham makes this prophetic statement.  He says <B>"God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering".</B>  The story goes on to show how Isaac is very obedient to his father and allows himself to be laid on the Altar.  Jesus Christ does this very same thing 1600 years later after His Father lays Him at the cross of Calvary (which is very likely the very same spot Isaac was laid).</div> <bR> <div>      Unlike Jesus' story, God stops Abraham from sacrificing his son.  God then provides Abraham with a ram for the sacrifice.  Abraham then names that place <B>"The Lord will provide"</B> and from that day on it is said, <B>"On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided"</B>.  Notice that Abraham did <B><U>not</U></B> name the place "The Lord provided" and the saying from that day on was <B><U>not</U></B> "On the mountain of the Lord it WAS provided."  No!  He called the place "The Lord WILL provide," and it was said, "On the mountain of the Lord it WILL be provided".  This whole story was pointing to Jesus crucifixion.  Jesus is the Lamb of God and God <B>"HIMSELF"</B> did provide the lamb just outside the gates of Jerusalem.</div> <bR> <div>      So basically we have a beautiful poetic and real story that points to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  We have Father Abraham who represents God the Father who was also faced with the decision on whether or not to sacrifice his son.  We have the son of promise, Isaac who represents Jesus the promised Messiah, both of which were born by supernatural means.  We have Mount Moriah which either represents Calvary or is the very same place.  Abraham was previously told by God that <B>it would be through his son Isaac that his people would be reckoned.  Jesus descended from Isaac and thus came from his seed.</B>  Jesus is the one who has reckoned the children of promise, all those who believe in Him and what He has done.  When Isaac was carrying the wood up the hill remember the statement he said?  <B>"Behold, the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?"</B>  Then his father said: "My son, God will provide<B> himself </B>a lamb for the burnt offering..."(KJV).  Why didn't Abraham just say "God will provide a lamb for the burnt offering?  Answer:  Because it was to be God HIMSELF that was to be the sacrifice that this story is pointing to.  The original text of the Bible manuscripts may not contain punctuation marks.  Let me add them where I think they would appear if they were included:  <B>"My son, God will provide himself ,a lamb, for the burnt offering..."  </B>In other words God provided himself and he was a lamb for the burnt offering on that day in Calvary.</div> <div>      Now lets look at what God told Abraham after he offered his son as a sacrifice.  While you read it keep in mind what God the Father has done for us through the sacrifice of  His Son Jesus.  Scripture reads:  <I>The Angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, "I swear by </I><I><B>myself</B></I><I>, declares the Lord, that because you have done </I><I><U>this</U></I><I> and </I><I><B>not withheld your son, your only son</B></I><I>, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore.  Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.</I></div> <div> When I read this statement, knowing that it is coming from God, Himself, I can almost feel and see the emotion and tears coming from His eyes.  I don't know if God really cries but I do know that He was very delighted in what Abraham was willing to do for Him due to his love.  And it was after this and due to this, according to this Scripture, that God said He would make Abraham's descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and that He would bless all the nations on earth.  This reflection applies to us and this is how it would read:  "Our Loving Father, because you have done <U>this</U> and not withheld your Son, your only Son Jesus, you will surely bless us and make our descendants as numerous as the hosts in heaven and the sand of the seashore.  Your spiritual descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies and through your Son Jesus all nations on earth will be blessed because You have kept your promise."  John 3:16 says it this way:</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <I><B>For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.</B></I></div> <bR> <div> Now some of you may say, "but wait, Abraham had two sons.  One named Ishmael, who was born into slavery and the other named Isaac who was born free".  That is correct and this is what the Bible has to say about that:</div> <bR> <div> (Galatians 4:22-28 NIV)  For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. {23} His son by the slave woman was born in the ordinary way; but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a promise. {24} These things may be taken figuratively, for the women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: This is Hagar. {25} Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. {26} But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother. {27} For it is written: "Be glad, O barren woman, who bears no children; break forth and cry aloud, you who have no labor pains; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband." {28} <B>Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise.</B></div> <bR> <div> You see, all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God.  There is no one righteous, no not one.  God Himself had to come to live on this earth to redeem His children.  That was the only way for mankind to be saved.  Jesus, or Yeshua which is the Hebrew word for Jesus, means Savior.  God Himself is our Savior.</div> <bR> <div> God did all of this <B>and it came from a promise</B> to Abraham many years ago.  It is found in Romans 4:13-24 and reads:</div> <bR> <div> It was not through law that <B>Abraham and his offspring received the promise</B> that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. {14} For if those who live by law are heirs, faith has no value and the promise is worthless, {15} because law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression. {16} Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring--not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. {17} As it is written: "I have made you a father of many nations." He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed--the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were. {18} Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be." {19} Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead--since he was about a hundred years old--and that Sarah's womb was also dead. {20} <B>Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, {21} being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. {22} This is why "it was credited to him as righteousness."</B> {23} The words "it was credited to him" were written not for him alone, {24} but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness--for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.</div> <bR> <div> Then in Romans 9:3-8 the Apostle Paul writes: </div> <div> For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, {4} the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the <B>promises</B>. {5} <U>Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced </U><B><U>the human ancestry of Christ</U></B>, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen. {6} It is not as though God's word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. {7} Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham's children. On the contrary, "<B>It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." {8} In other words, it is not the natural children who are God's children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring.</B></div> <bR> <div> It should also be remembered that Jesus was a direct descendant of Isaac.  That is how it was through Isaac that Abraham's offspring were reckoned. The Children of Promise!</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>