The Great Covenant

The Great Covenant

As we all know, the descendents of Adam were a fallen race of beings. We read of God's love over and over in the method He reconciles us. He hints at some significant things in Gen 3:15 and 16 but to stay focused, I am going to direct attention to God's speaking forth a "Covenant" relationship to Abraham, that was to eventually affect everyone on the planet

Abram.

(Gen 12:1) Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
(Gen 12:2) And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
(Gen 12:3) And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

When God speaks forth in such a profound way concerning a “nation” and “a great name” and that it is IN HIM by which others are “Blessed”… I get very curious.

(Gen 13:16) And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.

Abraham is promised “seed” as dust of the earth!
He is going to have lots of children it appears.

But interestingly, when God repeats His Covenant promise to Abram, he makes an significant alteration of wording to stars of Heaven!

(Gen 15:5) And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.

This becomes expounded upon to Abram eventually, but it is years and years and years way down the line, clear until Abram was ninety years old! (For the promise was to be a long long time into the future before being fulfilled in Christ of course)

(Gen 17:1) And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.
(Gen 17:2) And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.
(Gen 17:3) And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,
(Gen 17:4) As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.
(Gen 17:5) Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.

Wow! We now see the VERY FIRST MENTION OF FATHER in the Bible. It is as a “Promise”. It is so significant that Abram’s name is changed to mean “FATHER”.

Lol, I already see some of you ladies rushing to these verses in the N.T….

(Luk 24:49) And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.
(Act 1:4) And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.

You are correct in doing so, for that Promise hadn’t been fulfilled yet until they Holy Spirit of Christ Glorified was poured out upon each of them, “Fathering” them.

But we are getting ahead of ourselves here lol.

Earlier, Abraham was in a quandary having a barren wife for so long that he hearkened unto Sarai and sired a fleshly son of Hagar;

(Gen 16:4) And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived (Ishmael)

But Ishmael we find out wasn’t to be the heir of the “Great Covenant”

(Gen 17:17) Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?
(Gen 17:18) And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!
(Gen 17:19) And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.

An “EVERLASTING COVENANT”! How cool is this. Especially since we can track it right up to our present day and find out “WHO” the “SEED” is that he talks about within whom the Everlasting Covenant comes through in “Inheritance”.

The means by which the Covenant brings FATHERING to the “Stars of Heaven” is through this “SEED”… Let’s note where this “seed” occurs again…

(Gen 12:7) And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.

(Gen 13:15) For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.

(Gen 17:7) And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.

And skipping ahead…

(Gen 22:17) That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
(Gen 22:18) And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

By now, some, probably all of you lol, have nearly tore the pages getting to that famous all revealing scripture in…

(Gal 3:16) Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

All along, God was telling Abraham that “Fathering” would come by that “ONE SEED” which is Christ! Jesus Fathering?? Yes indeed! He would have to be the firstborn from the dead to bring "Fathering" (commonly spoken of as "the father"). It is only by Recieving Jesus by which we can cry "Abba Father". Verses like this will become clearer now as we read them...

(Joh 14:9) Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

Getting back to Abram, of course, Abram had that other son Hagar by which the dust of the earth seed would come from, but they weren’t to inherit anything, they were certainly not to be heirs of the “Great Covenant” that God made to "Father" Abraham…

(Gen 21:9) And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking. (sexual approaches aka “sporting, rising up to play, same word)
(Gen 21:10) Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.
(Gen 21:11) And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight because of his son.
(Gen 21:12) And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.

(Gen 21:13) And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed. (dust of the earth)

Paul confirms this to the Galations. He specifically references it as an allegory and specifically calls the non-believing Jews the “children of Hagar”…

(Gal 4:22) For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.
(Gal 4:23) But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.
(Gal 4:24) Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Hagar.
(Gal 4:25) For this Hagar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
(Gal 4:26) But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
(Gal 4:27) For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.
(Gal 4:28) Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.
(Gal 4:29) But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.
(Gal 4:30) Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.
(Gal 4:31) So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free(woman).


These are important scriptures to know of, for they explain are our Heritage of the Great Covenant in Abraham. They also put those people in their places who “say they are Jews and are not but are of the synagogue of satan. The spreading of their false prophet lies has stung many to death. It is called “dispensationalism” and is the teaching system of modern “Judeo/Christian” seminary institutes. It was developed in the mid 1800’s at a Bible class of Margaret Mcdonald’s in Glasgow Scotland and was later adopted by John Wesley and then further disseminated into Christian theology with the publication of Scofield’s infamous reference Bible. Perhaps someone here feels impelled to give up some good info on that?

I am going to stop here for now, but next I’m going to start showing the particulars of this Great Covenant and how they are fulfilled in Christ. We are going to see further revealing of particulars from God; for example, “kings” “land” “circumcision” “Nations” and what they actually “mean” as we separate the Spiritual meaning from the “natural”.

Is this fun yet??


Blessings forever in Christ!
Bruce

The Great Covenant part 2

Hi again! You may see references to others throughout this exposition. I put it together about three months ago on another private forum where I've been asked to teach. I consider it a great honor!

It is pretty cool how the N.T. scriptures begin to bloom open when we go through the O.T. foundation isn’t it? It is the difference between enjoying a bouquet of flowers (which is nice for sure) to owning the entire flower garden (which is awesome!)
Red, you are quite adept at tying those O.T to N.T. scriptures together. This was what I was impressed with Kim about when I saw her “exegesis” in connecting scripture. Most people are enslaved to their church taught theology. It is nice to be amongst those who are led of the Spirit!

The Great Covenant continued…

The next significant occurrence is when God commanded Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac.
Remember, Isaac was Abrahams “second” born son.
He was Sarah’s First born son. (which has it’s significance in the “New Jerusalem”)

Concerning Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac, it becomes significant in that it is the “second son” who always receives the blessing of the birthright contrariwise to what is the norm. It is a lesson we see demonstrated from the beginning with Cain and Able, Esau and Jacob, Pharez and Zarah etc.
It is why Jesus had to come forth second in order to receive the right of the “firstborn”.
He WAS firstborn in the flesh, but there was no heritage there for Him and He knew it. It was only in His being born the “SECOND” time, that He received the Firstborn heritage as “Son of God”. That is why it wasn’t until His baptism that God proclaimed Jesus His Son. Which of course, was typifying His “Sonship” in Resurrection, (Rom 1:4)

This is all made clear in understanding Isaac’s sacrifice.

(Gen 22:1) And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.
(Gen 22:2) And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
(Gen 22:3) And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.
(Gen 22:4) Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.

Isaac carried his load 3 days. The significance of THAT sure jumps out at as eh?

But check out the significance of Abraham’s reply to His son…

(Gen 22:7) And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?

(Gen 22:8) And Abraham said, My son, [[[[God will provide himself]]]] a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.

God provides Himself as that lamb offering! What a prophecy!

As the story goes on, we know that the angel of the Lord stayed Abraham’s hand, but he surely was going to follow through with the sacrifice even though God promised Him that He would make Isaac’s Seed as the “Stars of Heaven”.

In Hebrews it’s explained like this,

(Heb 11:17) By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,
(Heb 11:18) Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:
(Heb 11:19) Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.

Isaac is “The Only begotten Son” of Abraham…
Ishmael (natural Israel Gal 4:25) isn’t even considered a son. As Red observed earlier, all are saved in the “Seed”, even those under the law.
Also, to answer your question earlier Red, if it hasn’t been already, is yes! The significance of God telling Hagar this;

(Gen 17:20) And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.

…is because he is describing ISRAEL AFTER THE FLESH. In time they actually married into the line of Judah, so in Jesus’ day the Pharisees and Jews were literally descended of “Edom” which were both of Ishmael and Esau. Hence Paul’s remark in Gal 4:25.

Getting back to Abraham and Isaac, the most important lesson we are to derive from that is this; TRUE SONSHIP can ONLY be AFTER RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD.
The Great Covenant that God made with Abraham could NOT be ratified until AFTER Isaac died and was resurrected.

After this, we see the greatest aspects of the Great Covenant begin to be spoken forth by God.

Isaac’s wife was to receive a significant blessing. As a “type” of the “New Jerusalem” in the future, she was blessed;

(Gen 24:60) And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them.

“Thousands of Millions” wowzers. To be at peace even amongst those that hate her “Seed”.

The great number of descendents of Abraham, was to be ratified in the resurrected firstborn Son’s marriage. We’ll see more of this…

In Gen 25 we read that Rebekah was barren, signifying the looooong wait between the time of the promise (Abraham’s day) and the reality of the birth (Jesus day). In the proper time, she conceived and was delivering twins!

(Gen 25:22) And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the LORD.
(Gen 25:23) And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.

Esau and Jacob.

They struggled! As Christ struggled with His “firstborn of the flesh elder brother Jesus”
Jesus was tempted. He struggled with His flesh. But in His life and finally in death, Jesus was overcome with that second born Spirit of Christ in Him, and was overcome of Eternal Life! So also is it in us. We of our carnal firstborn flesh and minds, war in enmity against “Christ in us”. This battle goes on until the victor is decided in the death. If Christ wins in us, we “serve the younger” into Life eternal!

As that firstborn son is inherently carnal minded, he is unable to own the birthright.

(Gen 25:33) And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.
(Gen 25:34) Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.

The Great Covenant passed along to Isaac after Abraham’s death and God confirms it;

(Gen 26:3) Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father;
(Gen 26:4) And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;

(Gen 26:24) And the LORD appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake.

We have a major theme running of Abraham’s Seed being “multiplied”. This is going to become a very important factor both physically in the natural “company of nations” of Israel as well as in the “One great Nation of Israel” in Christ.

This “great number” of people again is Blessed in turn on to Jacob.

(Gen 28:3) And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people;
(Gen 28:4) And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham.

As Red observed earlier, God also expands His promise to Jacob in a dream,
(Gen 28:12) And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. (John 1:51)
(Gen 28:13) And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; (The same promise, first Abraham, then Isaac, now Jacob)
(Gen 28:14) And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. (lots of descendents Blessed)
(Gen 28:15) And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.
(Gen 28:16) And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not.
(Gen 28:17) And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. (Yesiree Jacob you are right!)

The “SEED” is the means by which the BLESSED families of the earth enter the Gate of Heaven.

In further illustrating His revelation of Promise to Jacob, this new thing happened;

(Gen 32:24) And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.
(Gen 32:25) And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.
(Gen 32:26) And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.
(Gen 32:27) And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.
(Gen 32:28) And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.

How awesome! We now know that our wrestling isn’t with our crippled and ‘halted’ flesh and blood! It is against the evil in our carnal minds!

(Rom 8:7) Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
(Eph 6:12) For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
(Rom 11:20) Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:
(1Ti 6:17) Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;
(2Ti 3:4) Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

It is our “highminded” wicked minds that are enmity with God that must be wrestled down by the “Name Changed” New person in us…

(Rev 3:12) Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.

(Rom 8:37) Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

So, we our conquerors of our highmindedness that we wrestle down, in His Name ISRAEL.

Coming up, we now have a new addition to the Great Covenant by which the Name “ISRAEL” is only able to produce, that is “KINGS”.

(Gen 35:10) And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel.
(Gen 35:11) And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins;

Kings!

(Rev 1:6) And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

(1Pe 2:9) But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

(Jas 2:8) If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:

(Rev 4:4) And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.

(Rev 19:12) His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. (A crown for each of us!

We are the “Kings of the East” from the Rising Son!!
(Rev 16:12) And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.

The Name Israel, by which we become “KINGS” literally means “Ruling with God”. It is a Royal Name. God makes sure that only those who are worthy of His Name can wear it.

I’m going to skip over Joseph and his dreams, only because it is a forum topic worthy of its own thread.

I’m going to skip up to where our topic of the Great Covenant continues in one spot where a very interesting term comes up considering the “great numbers” of people that were to come out of Abraham. This is a very important area of discretion to a Spirit led Bible student. I was raised to believe something verrrry different than what Scriputures lays out, so I am going to elaborate on it. It has to do with the word “Nations”.

(Gen 35:11) And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins;

So in addition to the new expansion of the Great Covenant in producing Kings, another new announcement is, “A Company of Nations”.
This is very interesting.
Now of course it relates to the original Promises God made to Abraham of a great multitude. But it is now using the term “company” and the term “nations”.

I am finding myself at this moment in pain and fuzziness, I’ve been sitting here for hours in an uncomfortable chair and need some coffee lol. But let me hope for someone to do a study for us all on the O.T. Word “nation” and see what they come up with? It could be fun, I guarantee you. Use your Strong’s. Better yet, use your Redpath and Hatch Hebrew Eglish Lexicon. What you will be doing is finding the underlying Hebrew word that is translated “Nations” (which is pronounced “Goyim” and discovering what other TWO English words the translators so freely decided to translate that underlying word into. Whoever gets this going on first wins a brand new car! Lol, ok, maybe not, but I guarantee, you will be astounded better than what a new car would. For it is hidden from the modern layman in theology schools because it doesn’t add up to modern teachings. I am excited to see what you find!

In summary then, what is the two other English words that the Hebrew word “Goyim” is translated into besides “nations”.

Once you have those two other words, substitute them instead of “nations” in this verse;

(Gen 35:11) And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins;

(Hint, one of them is a Latin word)

Kim Fire, this will begin to answer your question you asked me earlier, thank you for your patience!

Blessings to all you dears in Christ! I hope this is fun for you as it is for me!

Bruce

The Great Covenant part 3

As incredible a story as it is, I’m skipping over the portion of scripture where Joseph becomes betrayed by his brethren and sold into Egypt. Suffice it at this point to find ourselves present in Egypt into where Joseph SAVED his father and his brothers from sure famine related deaths out of the land of Canaan. . Joseph was the only righteous of his brethren. Joseph was a type of Christ in saving them all. Even though his brethren betrayed him and sold him unto death, Joseph loved them and saved them from sure death later on.
In Egypt, Joseph was a man of power now. Everything he commanded everyone in Egypt did. The only real significant point to make about any of the natural “children of Jacob/Israel”, is about his older brother Judah. Judah, you may recall, was the only one who protested on behalf of Joseph against the other brothers when they wanted to slay Joseph, (Gen 37:26). By this, even though he went along with betraying and selling him, he earned a certain blessing becoming the recipient of a certain portion of the blessing, the blessing of “Kings”, (Gen 17:6). But ALL the other aspects of the blessing from God through Jacob, in passing the particulars of the “Great Covenant”, was upon Joseph.

Let this register in as we read, for this is so important to know about.
No son of Jacob except Judah and Joseph, received any of the blessings of the Great Covenant. This will become evident, please be patient, because that is in chapter 49. First, chapter 48.

Grampa Jacob was blind. He was about to die so he called all of his 12 sons to him. Joseph brought his two sons also. And the very first thing Grampa Jacob did when he pulled himself up in bed, was to ask for Joseph (who was NOT the firstborn we should note).
Actually, Grampa Jacob asked for Joseph’s sons Ephraim and Manasseh. What is particularly of interest in doing so is how blind Grampa Jacob has to manipulate his right hand onto the head of the YOUNGER son before pronouncing the Blessing of the “Great Covenant”.

I am going to copy and paste much of Genesis 48 here. This is what we are going to look at. Then after we assimilate this we’ll go on to Genesis 49.

This is so exciting I’ll be right back lol!

Ok…

(Gen 48:1) And it came to pass after these things, that one told Joseph, Behold, thy father is sick: and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.

(Gen 48:2) And one told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee: and Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed.

(Gen 48:3) And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me,

(Gen 48:4) And said unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a multitude of people; and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession.

(Gen 48:5) And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine.

Fascinating! Grampa Jacob is speaking as “ISRAEL” the Blessed Name that God gave him.
He is also saying the name of the younger son FIRST!
Then, he is pronouncing them HIS SONS! “They are MINE”. They are “Israel”!

Ruben and Simeon, the actual two first (and second) sons, Jacob is REPLACING THEM. They are NOT the ones who receive the Name “Israel”!

Is this cool or what?

The Name Israel ant the Great Covenant blessing of “MULTITUDES” (nations/gentiles) is upon the YOUNGER SON of Joseph.

Grampa Jacob altogether bypasses his own actual sons for the blessing of the Great Covenant, for they were wicked. Just as Ishmael was bypassed, just as Esau was bypassed, now we see that the natural sons of Jacob are bypassed and the NAME ISRAEL is pronounced upon Ephraim and Manasseh, and the youngest is first!

Here is what Grampa Jacob does when Joseph positions his two sons before Jacob…

(Gen 48:13) And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near unto him.

(Gen 48:14) And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn.

Jacob crossed his arms to do that LOL!

(Gen 48:15) And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day,

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

Does this rock yet? Lol! Hardly ANYONE today KNOWS this!

The NAME ISRAEL and the NAME of Abraham (FATHER OF MULTITUDES) and the BLESSING is all upon the heads of the sons of Joseph and NOT UPON JACOB’S NATURAL SONS. They are to be “multitudes”.

Now at this point, Joseph protested because he saw that his dad crossed his arms and laid his right hand on the younger son’s head…

(Gen 48:17) And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's head.

(Gen 48:18) And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head.

(Gen 48:19) And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.

Grampa Jacob was making a very significant distinction here. What was he saying? Who was the younger brother who would be the greatest? What does this actually MEAN?

It was to be JESUS! It was to be the ISRAEL that was to come out of JESUS!

As we read in the O.T., we see a great Nation called Israel that existed first, that would be the “firstborn son Manasseh”. But the YOUNGER son, that one further down the timeline, would be the GREATEST SON and would be the Great Multitudes that God promised would come out of Abraham’s SEED, which we know is Christ.

Is this cool or what lol. Is anybody here blown away by these scriptures as I am? When I first read these scriptures for years, I never saw any of this. I was to carnal in thinking they were even important. I was taught something altogether different by men’s teachings so none of these scriptures made sense. But now, the providence and planning of God and how he manifested every detail out in these men’s lives in parabolic prophecy is just awesome. We can see it as led by His Holy Spirit with open hearts and open eyes! It is occasion to worship Him whose thoughts are so far above ours!

And we aren’t even to chapter 49 yet lol.

But we can see so much of this as fulfilled in the N.T. scriptures. This is the key to understanding N.T. scriptures in fact. I’ve never seen so much confusion by people interpreting Rom 11:25 for instance. So many don’t know these scriptures here it is so sad!

(Rom 11:25) For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
(Rom 11:26) And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
(Rom 11:27) For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.

Paul is specifically basing his statement here on the Abrahamic Covenant. Israel comes out of the multitudes of “Gentiles” or “Nations” that the descendents of Joseph became!

Now remember, geneology is not the issue. It is the Spiritual meaning. Natural Israel was often called “Ephraim” in the O.T. We will be looking at those scriptures. In fact, the very first King of the 10 tribes of the northern Kingdom of Israel after the split;

1Ki 11:26 And Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite (Ephaimite)
(1Ki 11:28) And the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valour: and Solomon seeing the young man that he was industrious, he made him ruler over all the charge of the house of Joseph.
(1Ki 11:29) And it came to pass at that time when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him in the way; and he had clad himself with a new garment; and they two were alone in the field:
(1Ki 11:30) And Ahijah caught the new garment that was on him, and rent it in twelve pieces:
(1Ki 11:31) And he said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces: for thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee:
(1Ki 11:32) (But he shall have one tribe for my servant David's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel:)

The significance of God splitting the kingdom and making an Ephraimite the King, will become obvious now. It is the first step in God “scattering” the natural descendents of Jacob into the “Nations/Gentiles” as he promised in Ephraim, a “multitude of nations”

Over and over God said he would scatter natural Israel, along with the NAME ISRAEL, amongst the Nations/Gentiles…

(Lev 26:33) And I will scatter you among the heathen (NATIONS/GENTILES), and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste.

(Deu 28:64) And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone.

Fulfilling the Abrahamic promise of “multitudes of nations”

Even the Pharisees of Jesus day wondered how those Israelites who were scattered would be gathered…

(Joh 7:35) Then said the Jews among themselves, Whither will he go, that we shall not find him? will he go unto the dispersed among the Gentiles, and teach the Gentiles?

(Joh 11:51) And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation;
(Joh 11:52) And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.

Jesus was fulfilling the prophesies of gathering scattered Israel back;

(Mat 9:36) But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.
(Mat 9:37) Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;
(Mat 9:38) Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

The blessing of Grampa Jacob upon Ephraim would result in Jesus gathering those who were a great multitude scattered abroad into the “Gentiles”!

(Gen 48:20) And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh.

He also reaffirmed the “double portion” of the “Birthright” upon Joseph;

(Gen 48:22) Moreover I have given to thee one portion above thy brethren, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow.

This closes out chapter 48 and brings us into further revelation of chapter 49 which, believe it or not, is even more revealing in its contents. I’m going to post this now and hopefully post chapter 49 in a while. But anyone interested in jumping ahead, notice how none of Jacobs other sons receive anything except Judah, who receives the “Scepter” promise. That is in verses 8 thru 11.

If you want to get really industrious and look at the details of Joseph’s Blessing, that is in verses 22 thru 26.

From this point, the “Blessing” is split into two separate houses and becomes renown amongst the prophets.

(Psa 114:2) Judah was his sanctuary, and Israel his dominion. King and Multitudes.

From this point, we can now read forth in the O.T. and identify the separate two portions of the “scepter” and the “multitudes” within the two houses that develop eventually into the two separate nations of “Israel” and “Judah”.

I’ll probably stop here for today. Try to give my back a break. Maybe I can get chapter 49 in later today, tomorrow for sure if the dam don’t break lol.

I sure Love you peeps in Christ! You just can’t imagine
Thank you so much for hanging in here with me on this. The Lord Himself Promises you an incredible blessing and revelation in doing so for sure.

Hugs and Holy Kisses all around!
Bruce

The Great Covenant part 4

Blessings again in the Great Covenant
And Blessings they certainly are! Some incredible things were spoken into the flesh as an “Everlasting Covenant” to Abraham from God. Lets re-cap before going into Gen 49…

The “Promise of the Father”; (Luke 24:49)

Abram’s name was changed to “Abraham”, carrying the prophesy of a “Father of Multitudes” that was to come way off in the future some day. (Rom 4:16-18)

Within this “Fathering” was promised the “Blessing” of “Eternal Life” worded as an “Everlasting Covenant”.

We have read how that the “second son”, Jacob, the son of the “resurrected Isaac”, was to be the “Heir” of this Great Covenant, and that His name was changed to “Israel”.

We have also read how that the Name “Israel” was NOT passed on to the natural sons of Jacob, (though they were to “wear it” undeservedly for quite awhile we find later).
Instead, the “Name” Israel was to be passed down to the offspring of those of “Faith” as represented by a “great multitude” who would proceed forth from that “Promised Father” who was yet to come.
Some of those “Israel under the law” would retroactively be later recognized as being worthy of the Name “Israel” because of their faith, but the Name “Israel” is only upon ALL those of who are born of the “Seed” of the Faith of the Abrahamic Covenant Promise, which is Christ Jesus, (fulfilled to us in Rom 9:6-8, Gal 3:16)

Now… Chapter 49

As one reads through this chapter, they can see that the natural son’s of Jacob have no part in the heritage of the Covenant that God made to his fathers, Abraham and Isaac. The reasons are even listed why Jacob refused to pass the blessing along to them because of their wickedness.

Again, to reiterate the point concerning this Great Covenant of Eternal Life and who is to be the recipient of it, we read that the firstborn of the flesh doesn’t receive it.

This includes even Jesus in His flesh. There is no Blessing to be received in our lives except for upon the other side of death, and that Blessing can only be received in “Resurrection”.

That leaves us cogitating over Jacob’s Blessing upon Judah and Joseph, regarding Judah’s specific prophecy and Joseph’s specific prophecy that was to unfold in the future some day.

Again note, there was no blessing upon “natural Israel” because of wickedness.

Again note, the “Blessing of the Birthright” is that there would be a “Father” and that Father would birth forth a “multitude as the stars of Heaven” and that they would be “Kings”. (fulfilled in us Phil 2:15, 1 Pet 2:9 Rev 1:6)

But the Blessing of the “Birthright” wasn’t upon Judah. Only the Blessing of “Kings”.

In reading of Judah’s Blessing there is the Abrahamic “Blessing” upon his descendents of “Kings”. (as we read before Gen 17:6,16)

(Gen 49:8) Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee.

(These “children” would be those who were named in the Blessing of the Birthright upon Joseph, the “Israel” that would come out of the Blessing upon the head of Ephraim)

(Gen 49:9) Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?

“Rouse him up”? Anastasia! Resurrection!

(Joh 11:25) Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

Here is where the renown term from where “the Lion of the tribe of Judah” comes from, (Hos 5:14, Rev 5:5)

(Gen 49:10) The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.

Fulfilled!

(Heb 1:8) But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.

The scepter is of course, the symbol of a King, (Est 4:11)

Interestingly enough, it is the “plural” of Kings here that was promised to Judah, which was the fulfillment to Abraham of the plural of Kings promised in Gen 17:6, 16)

UNTIL… the last part of verse 10!
THEN we see “SHILO” coming!

One individual referred to here as “Shilo” was going to be the conclusion of Judah’s Blessing! This person was to contain the “Birthright” we’ve been reading about.
The “Birthright that was promised to Joseph’s son Ephraim!
How can that be?
We will see later that even though there is a division of the Blessings of “Kings” here to Judah and the “Birthright” to Joseph, there is a “bringing together” one day of these separated Blessings, into One Worthy Recipient. I’ll save that for later. For now we will look at how they became separated and the details of that separation.

We read later that after many generations of kings of the line of Judah that God just got plain indignant with their wickedness and dethroned them. He subjected them to other rulers like Babylon and the Medes/Persians, Greeks and Romans. He said it this way;

(Eze 21:27) I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him.

This person He would give the throne to would be “Shilo”.
Shiloh was someone who would “come” someday.
Shiloh is a name meaning “Peace and tranquility”. “King of Peace”.
Peace is what we receive from He who intercedes for us to deliver us from the wrath of God, aka death. It is a Priestly function.

Wait… “King of Peace”?? We know that term don’t we!!

The most interesting thing about this is that the last King of the line of Judah would be THAT King/Priest of Eternity, who came BEFORE the Great Covenant was even promised to Abraham. Therefore the “Shiloh” aspect of the “scepter promise” must contain MORE than simply what the physical line of Judah could contain!!

In fact, the “King of Peace” is quite specifically of the Royal Priest “Order of Melchisedek”, to whom Abraham is “less than”. Therefore we know that this “King” must contain more than just the blood line of Judah as we see through Mary, He must also come from God somehow! Consider;

(Gen 14:18) And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.

(Heb 7:1) For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him;

(end of the reign of “kings”!)

(Heb 7:2) To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace;

(Heb 7:3) Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.

(Heb 7:14) For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood.

(Heb 7:15) And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest,

(Heb 7:16) Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life.

(Heb 7:17) For he testifieth, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

(Heb 7:6) But he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises.

(Heb 7:7) And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better.

Melchisedek, a Theophany of the Eternal God of Heaven, Blessed Abraham! He Blessed him PRIOR to the Great Covenant. He Blessed Him with that Blessing that was not nor never could be of a natural or physical lineage or originate soley from within the flesh! The Mystery of Godliness in the flesh is being spoken of here then…

(1Ti 3:16) And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

(Isa 59:16) And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.

In this we see the cessation of the line of kings promised to Judah, when that “Son of God King” would come and inherit the Throne of God as a King/Priest in Eternal Life ruling with the “Heirs of the Abrahamic Covenant.

To those of the promise, (which was passed upon Ephraim), when He would come, He would then reign as King/Priest over them, who would then then enjoy righteousness joy and peace in His Kingdom.

Fulfilled in us!

(Rom 14:17) For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

Luke 17:20… The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Luk 17:21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.


In the Chronicles, this particular portion of the “Blessing of Kings” of the line of Judah is further magnified and more details pop out, (including why the natural sons of Jacob receive no inheritance);

(1Ch 5:1) Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel, (for he was the firstborn; but, forasmuch as he defiled his father's bed, his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph the son of Israel: and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright.

(1Ch 5:2) For Judah prevailed above his brethren, and of him came the chief ruler; but the birthright was Joseph's:)

“The Birthright has nothing to do with genealogy”! Is this eye opening or what lol!

Paul was having to deal with Jews in his day who thought that “genealogy” was somehow pertinent!

(1Ti 1:4) Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.

(Tit 3:9) But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.

Even today there is widespread preaching from “Christians” no less, who think that there is some form of regard by God toward those who claim a physical bloodline to Judah or to Abraham. I am amazed! But there it is right there in scripture, to avoid those who blab senselessly about such attempts to connect themselves with Abraham, who have no Sonship from Christ Jesus. They are clouds without water. They are false prophets amongst us to be rebuked in love, in the Spirit of Holiness.


(Tit 1:10) For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision:

(Tit 1:11) Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake.

(Tit 1:12) One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies.

(Tit 1:13) This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith;

(Tit 1:14) Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.

More to come!!

I hope everyone is having as much fun as I am

In all the Love of Christ Jesus our Lord,

Bruce

The Great Covenant part5

The next portion of the “Great Covenant” will be based out of the “Birthright” portion of the Great Abrahamic Covenant of Gen 49:22-26 and Duet 33: 13-17

In Jacob’s Blessing upon Joseph, all the aspects of the Abrahamic Blessing of the “Birthright” are expressed into the “multitudes” of that younger son as spoken of earlier.

Remember, God is most focused toward us to comprehend that this Blessing is NOT upon the natural sons of Jacob. Neither is the Name “Israel” pronounced upon the natural sons of Jacob. The Name is upon the older brother Manassah for a little while we will see. But when Grampa Jacob crossed his hands and blessed the younger son Ephraim with His “Name”, God wants us to be clear that this refers to the True Eternal Israel born out of Christ in the distant future.

The fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant is only in Jesus Christ, the ONE Seed of Abraham;

(Gal 3:16) Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

After this final part of the Abrahamic Great Covenant, I next intend to present the story of God’s “Marriage” to Israel. That will be in Exodus.

So here we go!

(Gen 49:22) Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall:

(Gen 49:23) The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him:

(Gen 49:24) But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)

(Gen 49:25) Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:

(Gen 49:26) The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.

OK…
Jacob, by God’s Spirit, was pronouncing the fullness of the “Birthright” upon righteous Joseph. A Blessing that none of the natural son’s were worthy of due to their wickedness;

(1Ch 5:1) Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel, (for he was the firstborn; but, forasmuch as he defiled his father's bed, his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph the son of Israel: and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright.

(1Ch 5:2) For Judah prevailed above his brethren, and of him came the chief ruler; but the birthright was Joseph's:)

In this verse;

(Gen 49:22) Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall:

We see the obvious fulfillment in such scriptures as;

(Joh 15:5) I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

The “fruit” is the “fruit of righteousness” in us;

(Gal 5:22) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
(Gal 5:23) Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

(Eph 5:9) (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)

The “bringing forth” of fruit are children of God in Marriage to Him;

(Rom 7:4) Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.

(Heb 2:13) And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.

(Gal 4:26) But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.

It is a Family affair!

In the margin of your Bible in verse 22 in Gen 49, you might notice that the word “branches” in Hebrew is actually the word “daughters”. It is a word known as a “Hebrewism” carrying duel meaning. It is no accident, for we as the Jerusalem Church Bride of Christ, are “female” in the scriptures.
It is also notable that the N.T. scripture here reflects that same idea;

(1Pe 3:6) Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement.

“Over the wall” it says at the end of Gen 49 verse 22…

The “wall” of God’s protection around Jerusalem was broken down;

(2Ki 14:13) And Jehoash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, at Bethshemesh, and came to Jerusalem, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim unto the corner gate, four hundred cubits.

Now “Ephraim” would run over that wall out into the “Nations” (Gentiles)!

They were destined to become great multitudes that ca\ould not be contained! In fact, the natural descendents of Abraham were “scattered” as promised;

(Gen 49:7) Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.

(Lev 26:33) And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste.

(Eze 36:19) And I scattered them among the heathen, and they were dispersed through the countries: according to their way and according to their doings I judged them.

(Jer 7:15) And I will cast you out of my sight, as I have cast out all your brethren, even the whole seed of Ephraim.

This was done to begin fulfilling Jacobs Blessing of the “great multitudes” upon Ephraim;

(Deu 33:17) His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.

In the New Testament, the Pharisees and Sadducees pondered how “Israel scattered” as they were, would be “re-gatherd”;

(Joh 7:35) Then said the Jews among themselves, Whither will he go, that we shall not find him? will he go unto the dispersed among the Gentiles, and teach the Gentiles?

Even Caiphas, the last Levitical High Priest in his last prophecy spoke true;

(Joh 11:51) And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation;
(Joh 11:52) And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.

Which we know is the N.T. Good News toward us fulfilled in Christ!;

(Eph 1:10) That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:

We are gathered together in Christ in one Body!

(Rom 12:5) So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
Verse 23…
(Gen 49:23) The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him:

Remember who Paul said that the non-beliving Jews were? He said they were the “children of Hagar”. Hagar’s son was “Ishmael”.

(Gal 4:22) For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.
(Gal 4:23) But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.
(Gal 4:24) Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Hagar.
(Gal 4:25) For this Hagar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.

Then he goes on to repeat how that Hagar’s children persecuted the Children of God;

(Gal 4:29) But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.

The Jews, in their rejection and crucifixion of Jesus, the “Son of the Covenant”, are of “Hagar” in bondage, who persecute the Christ and His Children!
Now note how that Grampa Jacob prophecied of this very thing in Gen 49:23 and specifically said “Archers” shooting at “Him”. Who was the “archer”? ;

Ishmael!

(Gen 21:20) And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer.

In Gen 49:24;

(Gen 49:24) But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)

Jesus “Bow” is stronger! It is the “Covenant” Bow we have all discussed earlier so we don’t have to go into it much here now, but I’ll mention these two verses referring to that;

(Zec 9:13) When I have bent Judah for me, filled the bow with Ephraim, and raised up thy sons, O Zion, against thy sons, O Greece, and made thee as the sword of a mighty man.

(Rev 6:2) And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.

The time would come when He who sits on that white horse wielding the Covenant “Bow” with Ephraim would be “filled up” in Zion by them being “raised up as Sons”! Resurrection

The last half of verse 24 is profound. As much info as God provides us about the “Shepherd”, not to mention the “Stone”, could fill pages.

(Psa 80:1) Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.
(Psa 80:2) Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh stir up thy strength, and come and save us.

(1Pe 2:25) For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

(Joh 10:11) I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

(Joh 10:14) I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.



Great Covenant part 5 (continued)

Everything about Joseph’s Blessing is about Jesus. He is Joseph’s Shepherd, He is Ephraim and Manasseh’s Shepherd. WE are of the great multitude of Ephraim in being Shepherded by Jesus

The Stone (Rock)… (The word “Stone” or “Rock” = the word “Christ”)

(1Co 10:4) And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

(Isa 28:16) Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.

(Act 4:11) This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.

(Eph 2:20) And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

(1Pe 2:6) Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.

Verse 25…
(Gen 49:25) Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:

The passing on again of a portion of the Abrahamic covenant from earlier;

(Gen 27:27) And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the LORD hath blessed:
(Gen 27:28) Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine:
(Gen 27:29) Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.

This is our state of Blessing in Christ! Check out that last part of verse 29. It is an allusion to;

(Joh 20:23) Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.

The last part of Gen 49:25 … blessings of the breasts, and of the womb!!

Children! Lots of them lol!

(Gal 4:26) But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.

(Rev 7:9) After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;

Gen 49:26;
(Gen 49:26) The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.

No others received this mighty Blessing. Only those of Joseph’s Blessing in “Ephraim and Mannaseh” have the Blessings of Eternal Life in Christ Jesus. It is only in the Marriage Covenant of Jesus to His New Jerusalem wife. This is the fulfillment of the Great Covenant of Abraham, by which they/we be bringing forth that great multitude of Children of God!

In the Greek, this is how these passages in Romans reads;

(Rom 8:21) Because the creature (Wife of Christ) itself (Herself) also shall be delivered (In Child-birth) from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

(Rom 8:22) For we know that the whole creation (Wife of Christ) groaneth and travaileth in pain (Birth pangs) together until now.

(Rom 8:23) And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption (Sonship), to wit, the redemption of our body.

In Dueteronomy, we read Moses’ recapping and filling in more information of this renowned Blessing upon Joseph…

(Deu 33:13) And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the LORD be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath,

(Deu 33:14) And for the precious fruits (Children!) brought forth by the sun (Jesus!), and for the precious things put forth by the moon (His Wife!),

(Deu 33:15) And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills,

(Deu 33:16) And for the precious things of the earth and fulness thereof, and for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush: let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren.

(Deu 33:17) His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.


(Isa 41:8) But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend.

(Isa 41:9) Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away.

(Mat 24:31) And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

(Isa 43:6) I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth;

(Mar 16:15) And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

(Jos 17:17) And Joshua spake unto the house of Joseph, even to Ephraim and to Manasseh, saying, Thou art a great people, and hast great power: thou shalt not have one lot only:

(Isa 31:4) For thus hath the LORD spoken unto me, Like as the lion and the young lion roaring on his prey, when a multitude of shepherds is called forth against him, he will not be afraid of their voice, nor abase himself for the noise of them: so shall the LORD of hosts come down to fight for mount Zion, and for the hill thereof.

(Dan 7:10) A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.

(Jud 1:14) And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, (CHRISTIANS!) saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
(Jud 1:15) To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.

(Rev 5:11) And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;

Now, as we read, we know who we are! Praise the Lord!!

Blessings you dear Ladies and all your multitudes of Ephraim you surround the Throne of God with!

Your Brother who Loves you!
Bruce

MOST EXCELLENT.
AND SO MUCH WORK!
that's LOVE.
thanks Son!

Thank you Zone you are very appreciative, but it was more FUN than work hehe!

Son of Israel wrote:The Great Covenant part5

Now note how that Grampa Jacob prophecied of this very thing in Gen 49:23 and specifically said “Archers” shooting at “Him”. Who was the “archer”? ;

Ishmael!

(Gen 21:20) And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer.

WOW!!!!!!!COOL!

Son of Israel wrote:The time would come when He who sits on that white horse wielding the Covenant “Bow” with Ephraim would be “filled up” in Zion by them being “raised up as Sons”! Resurrection

Son....could you lay out simply some things for me....

do you say all was fulfilled in 70AD?

and you say no literal parousia: how does that work?

zone

Son....could you lay out simply some things for me....

do you say all was fulfilled in 70AD?

and you say no literal parousia: how does that work?

zone

Hi Zone. Cool stuff huh Thanks for asking about parousia...
I've never said there is no literal parousia though...

The Days of Vengeance as prophesied against Jerusalem was fulfilled in AD 70. Christ came against Jerusalem as He foretold. That is the heart of the Revelation of Jesus Christ and Matt 24 and scads of O.T. scripture. The whore was burned.

But Christ "Came" at Pentecost as the Glorified Holy Spirit. That's why He told His Bride to sit as a widow awaiting Her new Husband in that upper room.

I don't fit preterism, but full preterists are very very close to understanding these things, except they put the "coming of the Lord" in all respects into AD 70 which is a great error for lots of reasons.

Christ came, is coming, and still comes. He comes by His Holy Spirit into us, dwelling in us, the Temple of the Living God. The "now" presence... is the aorist greek tense of the definit article of many words including "parousia".

Parousia = Presence.

Here is the Young's Literal Translation of a verse I love...

(1Th 2:19) for what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? are not even ye before our Lord Jesus Christ in his presence?

Yes we are And you can't get any more "literal" than that.

In the KJV and many other versions, the word is improperly translated "coming" causing great error to readers.
Three greek words are translated "coming", but each one means something different. Only one means "coming, which is "Ercominai" which literally means "approaching". "Bema" means "judgement", also translated "coming". But "Parousia" always quite specifically means "presence".
It behooves us to get a Young's literal so that the words are properly and consistently translated.

Here is a couple refs how Jesus is "present" with us.

(Heb 13:5) Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

(Mat 28:20) Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

You said to make it simple, so I'll stop now But I really love this topic.
It is one of the last apostacies I finally had to reject, a "futuristic coming of Jesus". For He is Here. He came. He will never leave us.

(1Th 4:18) Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Blessings Zone, you dear Lady of the Most High God!