Hebrews 4:3
The Manifestation of Belief
For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. (Hebrews 4:3)
  In verse 3 the apostle uses the word ‘we’ to embrace all who believe in the majesty of the Lord Jesus Christ. They have believed in their new estate, safe beyond the world, and anchored in the heavenly shores by the Sovereign of all creation, Jesus Christ. Once again, I ask you to read this chapter many times for buried beneath the surface are many jewels, and as we approach verses 14 through 16, the Spirit of God speaks louder and louder to open the door of our hearts that we might feel the reality of what we have in Jesus Christ. The rest: God’s rest becomes the throne, God’s throne, and the throne of grace.
Many Thrones and The Throne of Grace
  In Chapter 1 of Hebrews, God reveals the throne of righteousness, He also reveals the possessor of all righteousness, His beloved Son. The Lord Jesus is declared heir of all things. In His heirship He possesses many thrones; He possesses the throne of righteousness, the throne of grace, the throne of David, all regal power, the throne of the kingdom of God, and the everlasting throne of eternity. These are just a few of the thrones that this majestic Savior possesses; we will concern ourselves with the throne of grace. It is the throne of His grace, and we should let our hearts, our spirits, and our souls enter into this place of rest; for in Christ the works of God in us are finished. Although not completely revealed or fulfilled, all that God has for us is complete in Jesus Christ. The Spirit of God Himself witnesses with our spirit that we are the children of God by the blood of Christ as we are the sons of God by adoption through the finished work of Jesus Christ. We must open our hearts to the finished work of Christ in each and every one of us who believe. As we grow in grace isn’t it amazing that we have saving grace, we have grace for the day and for tomorrow, and in our own being we grow in grace. God told Paul that His grace was sufficient for all of Paul’s adversities. Even this wonderful servant experienced growing in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Every day of our life in Christ should be a day of growth in our spiritual walk. We should feel the power of God within us transforming us into the image of His dear Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
  As we sit or drink at the water of life freely, it should become in us a well of water springing up in everlasting life. As we rest in the throne of grace we recall that our Savior was tempted in all parts as we are, yet without sin. This great example of faithfulness to God is there for our learning. The flesh must become the lesser of the two. The new man who is at the right hand of God must be allowed to be revealed in us. The Spirit of God must be allowed to minister more and more of the beauty of holiness in the Person of Jesus Christ. The Spirit of God draws us to this One of beauty. He makes the heart pant after Christ, and to run and call for our beloved. All this time in our journey God the Father through the work of His beloved Son holds us in His bosom as we are engulfed by His wonderful love.
I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night.(Song of Songs 5:2)
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. (Revelation 3:20)
Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: (Luke 24:25)
Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?(Luke 24:26)
And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. (Luke 24:27)
And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further. (Luke 24:28)
But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them. (Luke 24:29)
And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. (Luke 24:30)
And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. (Luke 24:31)
And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures? (Luke 24:32)
Seeker — Savior — Teacher
I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night. (Song of Songs 5:2)
  In these three sections in Scripture we have the beloved of the Song of Solomon. He has come to reveal Himself to His bride. He has come in the dew of the morning as the bright and morning star. He brings the freshness of His presence as the beauty of His character. All her heart, as a bride in waiting, is given over to Him. She no longer sees herself, but only sees the loveliness of the bridegroom. John the Baptist would declare himself as a friend of the bridegroom, and said this when he was beholding all the beauties and holiness in the Man Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Should we not, as believers in Jesus Christ, and born of the Spirit of God, be thrilled at His presence, and at the sound of His voice, and His loveliness. In these three sections of Scripture, we have the Seeker, we have the Savior, and we have the majesty of the throne of heaven.
  In Song of Solomon, He is the Seeker, it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh. In Revelation 3:20 He is the Seeker Savior, Behold, I stand at the door, and knock. In the Gospel of Luke, we have the seeker, the Savior, and the Teacher. He is expounding all the Scriptures to those who He loves. He joined with them as the Seeker as they traveled. He entered in with them and sat down as the Savior. Then He expounded, and taught them all things from the Scriptures concerning Himself, as the Teacher, and the Minister of the covenant. He leaves a witness in our hearts, it is I be not afraid. Their hearts in Luke’s gospel burned within them when He expounded the truth. And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the Scriptures? (Luke 24:32) The bride in the Song of Solomon engaged her heart with his heart. In Revelation 3:2, it is the overcomer who opens the door to His majesty and grace, and to that overcomer it is recorded he will sit down in the glorious throne of grace in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. (Revelation 3:21) In verse 21 we are carried on the wings of the Spirit of God to our future dwelling in the throne of His grace; yet, by the same Spirit we enjoy that throne of grace and God’s rest even while we are here in this present evil world. This throne in verse 21 is declared by the Lord Jesus, my throne, but notice the oneness with the Father. For the Lord declared that He overcame the world and He is sat down with His Father in His Father’s throne. Do you hear the Spirit’s voice as the Lord declares I and the Father am one.
My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. (John 10:29)
I and [my] Father are one. (John 10:30)
And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: (John 17:22)
The Oneness of God in the Image of Christ
  If we consider the oneness of God the Son with God the Father, we also see in John 17 the oneness we have with both God the Son, and God the heavenly Father. We must always be aware that this would not be revealed to us except by the Person of God the Holy Spirit. We have in this life a divine Person in God the Holy Spirit who is the Seeker to reveal the Savior, Jesus Christ, and to teach us all things concerning the Son of God. Our hearts need to run after Him, we have to be running to where He is. The Son of God has purged our sins and He is sat down in His Father’s throne. We must know Him where He is — in heaven’s glory. The Spirit of God has declared that we have been translated, or moved, from this world into the kingdom of His dear Son, or Son of His love. Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: (Colossians 1:13) As we have been born and carry the image of the earthly, so we have been born anew and will be transformed into the image of God’s dear Son. In our hearts we bear the image of Christ. This is the image of the heavenly. In our flesh we bear the image of the earthly. The man called Adam, called flesh, will return to the dust of the earth from whence he came. The heavenly man, which we are in Jesus Christ, will sit down in the throne of God with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Scriptures declares that we will be like Him. The religious world around us only see an earthly Jesus, however, the Spirit of God wants us to see ourselves not in the earthly man, Jesus Christ, but in the heavenly Man who has risen from the dead, and is sat down in His Father’s throne above. This is where we find the throne of grace, the Spirit of God states in Colossians 3:1-4 that . . .
If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. (Colossians 3:1)
Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. (Colossians 3:2)
For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:3)
When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:4)
  The Spirit of God in Colossians is speaking to the risen man in Christ. We have entered into God’s eternal rest through the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is not just resurrection; it is being risen with Christ. We have cast off the world to ascend into the presence of God in heaven with Jesus Christ. If it were not so I would have told you. (John 14:2) In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. This is an echo of the voice of the Lord Jesus as He tells His disciples the glories that await them in His Father’s house. In the phrase many mansions it leaves an innumerable, and an endless filling of God’s purposes for us. We are no longer of the world, for our life is hid in Christ in God. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. We are joined to Christ in an inseparable union by the blood of the covenant which is the blood of God’s dear Son. It is with His shed blood that He leads us out of Egypt, or out of the world, to heavens glory and to the Lamb of God.
The Oneness of The Root — The Lion — and The Lamb
And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. (Revelation 5:5)
And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.(Revelation 5:6)
The number 5 is the number of God’s grace, the number 6 is the number of man, let us now consider verse 5 of Revelation, Chapter 5. It is the Lion out of the tribe of Juda (Judah) who is worthy to open the book. It is the Lion who will open the book to all the determinate counsels of God. He will reveal the past, the present, and the future. In fact, He will reveal the face of eternity in Himself for He is higher than the heavens. When I think of Revelation, Chapter 5, and the wonder of His grace I not only think of His majesty, but as His sufferings as the Lamb of God. My heart rejoices for I see in this Scripture that the sufferings are past, and the fullness of God’s redemption is brought in by the Lamb. If you ever listened to the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah, and felt the mighty power of God’s hand, and muse on the beauty it is only a glimpse into the reality of both Chapter 4 and Chapter 5 of the Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ. In Chapter 4, God is displaying His throne for heaven is His throne, and earth is His footstool. In the Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, John is taken from earth to heaven, the door of God’s glory is swung wide open, and the first thing that John beholds is the majesty of the throne in Chapter 4, and this throne is linked directly to the Creator of all things in verse 11.
The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, (Revelation 4:10)
Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. (Revelation 4:11)
  In Chapter 5, the number of grace, we are introduced to the Lamb of God (verses 5 and 6). We are given His full qualifications, we see Him first in all His strength as Sovereign out of the tribe of Juda (Judah). God makes sure through the ministry of God the Holy Spirit that we understand that Christ is not merely the descendant of David as in Matthew, Chapter 1, but He is the Root of David, and all heaven viewing the Lamb, and acknowledging him as the Lion, and the Root of David declare with all heaven, with all authority, with all majesty, worthy is the Lamb that was slain, Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. (Revelation 5:12) In this wonderful revelation, God has transported us in heart and spirit to view the wonderful majesty and glory of His beloved Son. On earth He was rejected as man, He was a man of sorrows — not now! There is no rejection, all heaven reverberates with His praise, all heaven rejoices, there is no sorrow, and there are no tears to behold. The cross has given way and now He receives power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. (Revelation 5:13) And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
Two Views — Two Seeds — Two Sides of the Tree — The Second Man
  In our own hearts, our praises are to His honor and glory to the Lamb that was slain before the foundation of the earth, and to Him who sits upon the throne of eternity to the Lamb forever and ever, for He is higher than the heavens. Why did I take you to heavens glory? because in the world of man we are taught to look up to God, however, in our part as believers the Spirit of God wants us to realize our position in heaven and look down upon the earth. We have two views in Scripture, we have the view from man – looking up to God; we have God’s view – looking down to man. I ask you, If you are in Christ and you are in Him for eternity, should not your heart see the world as God sees the world? Should not your vision be from above, and not of this world? This is the manifestation of belief that the Spirit of God enacts in your heart: a direct link with the throne of grace and heaven above. We cannot take the side of man, or man’s belief, man can believe in government or religion, and to a certain extent man can acknowledge God as long as God does not interfere with his life; however, the manifestation of God’s belief, or belief in God, is far different than the mere assent to a divine being. The manifestation of belief comes from above, and not the earthly halls of religion. It is the heavenly Creator who controls all that is of man. Although man in his enmity has cast off God, God never loses control over man. In the days of Noah, God was in complete control. There was only one man, Noah, who found grace in His sight. Why does man not want to believe in the flood? Because man does not want to acknowledge a divine Being with such power and judgment. Man declares himself the judge, therefore, he will not acknowledge the Judge of heaven and earth, an the Divine Person of God Almighty. It is said of Noah that he was a righteous man, his wife, his sons, and his daughters-in-law were never called righteous, and there is no reference of any having faith except for Noah. Even in the prophecy of all three sons there is no reference to faith. God only acknowledges Noah as having faith, and this is not declared until the eleventh Chapter of the Book of Hebrews, where our study finds us in Chapter 4. So where did Noah’s belief come from? It was manifested in him; it is said of Noah that he was pure in his generations. He could declare his lineage all the way back to Seth, who was the ‘appointed seed’ of God. When God cut off Adam from His presence and drove Adam out of the garden, God placed a flaming, turning sword and Cherubims to deny Adam and his descendants’ access not only to the garden, but also to the tree of life. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. (Genesis 3:24) He drove him out of the garden, and Adam could not return. Adam had lost everything that was given of God. The only thing that he retained was his help-mate Eve. Both were cut off from God, they could cry out, but God would not answer. Everything concerning man and God had come to an end, and everything that man had prior in the garden that was given of God had come to an end. Now everything that man would possess would be under a curse. I remind you of the Scripture, Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed [is] every one that hangeth on a tree: (Galatians 3:13) God would not hear the voice of Adam, and what is almost impossible to conceive is that Adam would not hear the voice of God. Let’s consider that the curse upon man began at the tree. It was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and there man, in Adam, died to God by his sin against God and thus, brought sin into the world. As for the curse, if I could describe it as a curse, it came at the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, so man would be redeemed at a tree of evil in the cross of Christ. For Christ was made a curse for us — being made a curse for us;. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? (Mark 15:34) As Adam was rejected of God in bringing forth death upon himself and upon his descendants so Christ removed the curse on the cross of Calvary by being made a curse for us. On the cross (the tree) in His agonizing cry to God, He was cut off from the very presence of God the Father. The word forsaken should rattle the very foundation of our being. It was the man, Jesus Christ, the Son of God paying the price for all the sin of man in Adam by putting Adam to death on the cross. This was the end of all flesh in the divine counsels. God would now receive the complete payment or finished judgment and remove all the transgressions in the blood of His dear Son. He who knew no sin became sin for us that we by His death upon the accursed tree could be made the righteousness of God in Him. Christ, the second man, removed the first man from God’s view. No longer would Adam have dominion, but Christ would have dominion over all flesh. Now, we are not done, if Christ died as the death of all flesh how much more the power of His resurrection. For in His resurrection, He brought a new man, a glorified Man in joining the Son of man, and the Son of God together in one new Man — so making peace for us.
But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. (Ephesians 2:13)
For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; (Ephesians 2:14)
Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; (Ephesians 2:15)
And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: (Ephesians 2:16)
And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. (Ephesians 2:17)
For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. (Ephesians 2:18)
— For he is our peace, — so making peace; — And came and preached peace to you —
  Now let us return to the wilderness of Adam. In the determinate counsels of God, how is God going to cleanse a people for Himself? It must come from God and God alone. It must come from the wisdom of God and not the wisdom of man. It must come from the determinate counsel of His own will. Man is no longer a part of God’s relationship; man has lost the privilege of any divine counsel, or divine presence; however, at the tree (in the garden) we not only have the death of man, but life promised. This tree held both good and evil. We will see that this is the beginning of not only death, but life! When God gave the prophecy to both Eve and Adam, and to Satan, or the serpent: there were two seeds mentioned. The first seed mentioned was the seed of evil, and this was directly spoken to the serpent.
And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: (Genesis 3:14)
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. (Genesis 3:15)
  This would be the two seeds that would transcend the history of man. One seed which was of the serpent would be the evil seed. Now back to the tree . . . the tree held both good and evil so that the seed of the woman would be the good seed, and this seed would bruise or crush the head of the serpent. Now, as in the tree there was both good and evil, so also, Eve would bring forth two seeds: one evil in Cain, and one good in Abel. Cain was not a listener, it was always his will and not the will of God; therefore, God gave a good seed to Eve: this seed was Abel. Abel was a listener, he listened to God and he was a witness of the manifestation of belief in God. And by faith, the faith of God, God honored Abel. We see him once again in the New Testament in the Book of Hebrews, Chapter 11. He is the first testament of faith in God. He is the first witness of both the seen and the unseen world. And we have a long line of the divine seed of God, and the seed of man in the Scriptures. Both look the same on the earthly order, however, the good seed always has a heavenly origin. You say, But Cain killed Abel, what is God going to do now? With God nothing, and I say, nothing is impossible. God now acts in His sovereign power and gives Eve another godly seed in Seth. This was the divine working of the Holy Spirit of God upon the woman, and upon her seed. This good seed would be Seth, and his name means ‘appointed.’ Seth was the appointed seed, the fulfillment of this took place in Israel many thousands of years later when the Holy Spirit came upon Mary and planted the divine seed of Jesus Christ, that holy thing within her womb. Seth was a foreshadow of the Redeemer to come. Let’s consider that all was lost in the death of Abel. The evil seed had won, that is what man would consider, but not God. He with His divine power, and energy of the Holy Spirit of God, brought forth a new seed, a good seed in Seth.
And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew. (Genesis 4:25)
And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD. (Genesis 4:26)
  In examining these verses, we find that Seth is an appointed seed, and according to Eve this godly seed is to replace Abel who was God’s seed and who was slain by Cain. The origin of the split of the two seeds went all the way back to God’s promise in Genesis 3:15. And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. (Genesis 3:15) The Holy Spirit gives us two distinct seeds. One seed is of the old serpent, the Devil; and the other seed, the godly or divine seed, given to the woman. We can follow the godly seed later in Scripture through Abraham and Isaac. In Galatians 4:30 – 31 and Galatians 3:29 we have the conclusion of the divine seed that we, who believe, are tied to Isaac (Abraham’s son) by the divine work of the Holy Spirit of God to confirm in us according to Galatians 3 that we are the seed of promise.
Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. (Galatians 4:28)
But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. (Galatians 4:29)
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.(Galatians 4:30)
So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.(Galatians 4:31)
And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Galatians 3:29)
  God has worked divinely through His Spirit to bring us to Christ. We are brought in as the good seed by our relationship to our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. We are born of the Spirit; therefore, we are not born of blood, nor of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God the Holy Spirit. There is a complete crimson thread from Genesis to Galatians in the divine seed. Everyone who has received saving faith in God the Son is part of His seed which is borne out by the divine sonship of the children of God. When all came to an abrupt end in Abel, whom Cain murdered, it was by the lance or spear that the murder was committed. This was only a type or shadow of the Roman centurion’s spear that was thrust into the side of the Lord Jesus Christ.
But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. (John 19:34)
And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe. (John 19:35)
For these things were done, that the Scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken. (John 19:36)
And again another Scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced. (John 19:37)
And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. (Hebrews 12:24)
  In these two sections in Scripture, we see the centurion’s spear connected back to the death of Abel. In Hebrews 12:24 the Holy Spirit is not speaking concerning the blood of Abel’s sacrifice, but of the very blood of Abel as he was murdered by his brother Cain. The connection of both the blood of Christ and the blood of Abel leads us to the centurion’s spear and then back to Genesis, and the cause and means of the death of Abel. All Scripture is given by the inspiration of God. The word of God is both part of the seen world, and the unseen realm. How many times has the word of God given you an unseen picture of the beauties of Christ, or the Spirit of God ties or links two Scriptures together to show you the wonders of God Almighty. The word of God has breath, it is breathed by the Spirit of God, the word is here to reveal the heart of man by the same divine Spirit that gives birth to the believer in Jesus Christ. We who have believed are established by the very word of God. We see God’s hand in our divine birth, as we see God’s hand through the Spirit of God keeping and preserving the very word of God that He breathed thousands of years past. We have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, and through His sufferings, and divine judgment against Him on the cross we find our eternal rest in God’s dear Son. Through the word of God the Holy Spirit teaches us all things concerning the Son of God.
Detour Ahead
  Only in John’s gospel do we see the centurion’s spear of Rome. Only in John’s gospel do we have the wonderful theme of the Son of God from John 1 to the end of The Gospel of John. In each of the four gospels we have four different wordings or records of the Savior’s death. In each gospel they have a particular application to that gospel. In each gospel the character of the Lord Jesus Christ is shown in relationship to His particular work in each individual gospel. In the Gospel of Matthew, the gospel of the King, we have the death of the King. In Mark’s gospel, the gospel of the servant, we have the death of the servant of God. In Luke’s gospel, the gospel of the son of man, we have the death of the son of man. In John’s gospel, we have the death of the Son of God. Consider the following Scriptures:
He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.(Matthew 27:42) In Matthew the key words are King and believe.
And the Scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors. (Mark 15:28)
He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.(Isaiah 53:11)
Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. man. (Isaiah 53:12) In Mark’s gospel, and in the Book of Isaiah, we have ‘my righteous servant,’ or the servant of burden.
Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man. (Luke 23:47) In Luke’s gospel it is ‘certainly this was a righteous man.’
  The mystery of the Spirit is that in Matthew and Mark we have the death of the Son of God declared by the world. In Luke’s gospel we have the death of the son of man. The Gospel of John depicts the Lord Jesus in it’s entirety as the Son of God; however, at His death in Chapter 19 of the Book of John, verse 30, it is simply the name Jesus. Both the name Jesus and the name Joshua have the same meaning — Savior. When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. (John 19:30) Sorry for the side road or detour, now back to Genesis 4:25 and 26.
Seth — Enos — the sons of God
And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew. (Genesis 4:25)
And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD. (Genesis 4:26)
  The Spirit of God has inserted these two verses before the extended genealogy of Seth. Seth, according to Eve, was the godly seed given in place of Abel. Refer ahead to the Book of Hebrews, Chapter 11. Seth had a son named Enos, verse 26 tells us that in his day then began men to call upon the name of the LORD. These men were of the same seed as Seth and Enos. The seed of opposition and rebellion, the line of Cain, had nothing to do with God; therefore, in Enos we see the continuation of the godly seed brought before us by the Spirit of God before we enter into the genealogy that takes us all the way to Noah and the flood. The Spirit of God does not use the word ‘God,’ but ‘LORD,’ so what does this tell us? LORD or Jehovah is the name that God uses in His governmental dealings with man. If I may use the word ‘demonstrative’ it would apply to this situation with Enos, and these men. They had come under the subjection of the LORD and were willing to follow Him according to the godly knowledge that was related to them at that particular time. There is a set relationship between the Lord and the descendants of Seth. We should remember they were still men and subject to the frailties of man because of their origin in Adam. We also have a relationship in the word ‘LORD’ that He is the Savior of men, and in that relationship they in turn call themselves by His name. If we connect the New Testament back to the Old Testament these men would be the first that called themselves the sons of God. Our connection goes back to Adam when he was created, and we see this in Luke’s genealogy of the Lord Jesus Christ. Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God. (Luke 3:38) Adam is designated as the son of God. The Holy Spirit is referring to him prior to his transgression against God and bringing sin into the world. To restore the sons of God, God divinely gave Eve a godly seed according to His prophecy in Genesis, Chapter 3. This godly seed was Abel, and this was the restoration of the sons of God. After Abel’s death the Holy Spirit makes sure that we understand that Seth was the replacement godly seed for Abel. This is the divine work of God. We do not like to use the word ‘miracle,’ yet, what other word could we use? divine intervention, divine will, or creatorial purpose? How can we possibly describe with understanding the Being who possesses all eternity and has only shown us a small shadow of His Being. It is important to understand this divine line of the sons of God. In the Gospel of John, Chapter 1, verse 12, But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: In John, Chapter 1, we are brought to our present age. In our present day we, who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and call upon His name as in Genesis, are divinely transformed into the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. We must continue with our thought to John 1:13, Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. This verse is continually overlooked by the spirit of man. The reason is that it is a supernatural verse. We are not born of blood, nor the will of the flesh, nor the will of man, but divinely by God the Holy Spirit. Remember that when the Lord Jesus was speaking to Nicodemus in John, Chapter 3, He told Nicodemus that a man must be born again. It’s amazing that this reference was to Old Testament history, and yet, today we only attribute this to New Testament teachings. The Lord Jesus questioned Nicodemus’ knowledge and comprehension of Scripture being a teacher in Israel. Nicodemus should have known that Abel was given divinely, as was Seth, and the future seed that God would preserve. The Lord Jesus was speaking of a supernatural birth by the Spirit of God in the Old Testament from the line of Seth to the end of the genealogy with Noah; for Noah was pure in his generations. One reason that the supernatural scares professors of religion is that they have not experienced the new birth and life in Jesus Christ. I can say of myself, I am a supernatural man for I have been born of the Spirit of God, and through this birth I am made a son of God by divine inheritance in Jesus Christ. I am not the son of God, I am brought into a relationship with God the Father supernaturally as a joint heir with Jesus Christ and joined the generation of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:1) as one of the many sons of God who call upon His name. Now wouldn’t it be just like the Devil to attempt to replace the word ‘sons’ in John 1:12 with the word ‘children.’ Why is this so important? After all, we are the children of God, for we have the privilege of calling upon God the Father and directly addressing Him as ‘Abba, Father.’ This brings us into a relationship so close that only Jesus Christ, the glorified Son of God, has a closer relationship with God the Father, for Christ is the fullness of the Godhead bodily. By removing the word ‘sons’ we destroy all continuity of the Spirit of God in the theme of the holy Scriptures; thus, the continuity would be lost from Genesis 4:26 onward. Turn to 1 Chronicles 1:1, then turn to Luke 3:38 to our verse here in John 1:12, to 1 John 3:1, to Galatians 4:5-7, then to Romans 8:14. I will list these verses in this order for your convenience.
And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD. (Genesis 4:26)
Adam, Sheth, Enosh, (1 Chronicles 1:1)
Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God. (Luke 3:38)
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: (John 1:12)
Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. (1 John 3:1)
To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. (Galatians 4:5)
And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. (Galatians 4:6)
Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. (Galatians 4:7)
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. (Romans 8:14)
  I have set the table before you, now it is up to you to take what is on the table. Notice in Romans 8, in the progression of the Chapter, that the Spirit of God presents us as sons before He calls us children.
The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: (Romans 8:16)
And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. (Romans 8:17)
  We have traveled a long way, but we cannot stop now; for verse 15 of Romans 8 is the key to both the sons of God, and the children of God. I will quote it: For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. (Romans 8:15) This is what the Spirit of God gives us in verse 15, we have not received the spirit of bondage again. This spirit of bondage is the spirit of Adam as the fallen man. In this spirit there is the fear of death because of sin, and transgression against God. This spirit of Adam has been divinely removed from us by our new birth in Jesus Christ. We have received the Spirit of adoption, now, a little bit of the world’s wisdom; If I adopt a boy and bring him into my family, he not only becomes my son, but legally he is my heir. He also is known by my name, and he can call me father. Now, in the spiritual sense, all things are divine; I will tell you once again you are not an earthly people, but a heavenly people. In our supernatural birth we have been adopted as sons by God the Father, and God the Father has made us joint heirs with Jesus Christ. If that does not make your heart burn within you when you consider all that we have in Jesus Christ, you need to really examine your own salvation. I am thrilled by the way verse 15 ends, for we cry, Abba, Father. Abba, Father shows us two elements of our adoption: 1) we are brought in to a relationship with God the Father collectively as children of God; 2) we are created in Jesus Christ as heirs as sons. In the love of God, we are children in His bosom; however, each one of us sits at the same table, and His banner over us is love. (Song of Solomon)
A New Race of Men — The Godly Seed — The Spiritual Seed
  In Genesis 4, we have a divine connection to John Chapter 1, once again: it is His name; and believing in Jesus Christ who was the promised Redeemer who would bruise the serpent’s head or crush it. This is the revelation that God wanted us to behold that after the fall of man God began His work by redeeming a race called the sons of God. When we get to Chapter 5 of Genesis, we have the words given by the Holy Spirit of God This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him. (Genesis 5:1) We have the Spirit of God declaring that man was made in the likeness of God. This by no means defines man, nor defines God. I remind you that in Hebrews, Chapter 1 that Christ is both the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person. Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; (Hebrews 1:3) In the brightness of His glory we have all the majesty of God the Son, in the express image of His person, we have the son of man, the Lord Jesus Christ: in this connection He is the divine Man who has purged our sins and sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high. We must be reminded over and over that we as the sons of God will see Him as He is and be like him. The Scriptures also tells us that we will be conformed to the image of Christ. This is because we are a heavenly people, we have been plucked out of this world by the Spirit of God to be joined with Christ and to be part of the glory of the Son of God. So as Christ took on the form of a man, so Adam was created in the likeness of the divine man that would come. All this was determined and purposed before the foundation of the earth in the divine counsels of God according to His own will.
The First man — the Second Man
  The first man, Adam, failed in sin. The second man, the Lord Jesus Christ, overcame the sin of the world, and vanquished it in His death as the pure victim on the cross of Calvary that He would be the glorified Man in heaven, and that He would bring many brethren to that glorious realm as joint heirs and as sons of God. We are changed in a moment of time, we have been changed to show forth God’s glory in Jesus Christ, the heavenly Man. As everyday passes by, like the worm waiting in the cocoon, there will be a day of glory when we will come forth from the place of death complete in the image of God’s dear Son, Jesus Christ.
And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. (1Corinthians 15:49)
But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. (2 Corinthians 3:18)
And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: (Colossians 3:10)
Christ: The Express Image of God
  Now as this glory breaks forth in the New Testament that we, who have believed, will be conformed to the image of God’s dear Son, Jesus Christ, that we as the sons of God, both now and then, will be conformed to His image by the work of the Holy Spirit within us to perfect us in His wonderful glory. In Revelation, Chapter 5, we lay hold of all the wonder of God, His throne, the One who sits upon the throne, and all those who gather around the throne, and all are partakers or part of the manifestation of God’s glory. After Chapter 5, Chapter 6 begins with the judgment of God upon mankind. One note to those who think that the Church will go through the tribulation, after Chapter 6, there is no mention of the sons of God, and the only image that is mentioned throughout the remainder of the book is the image of the beast. So we, as believers, who believe give thanks that we will be conformed to the glorious image of the Son of God, in the image of God created he him. (Genesis 1:27)
For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. (Hebrews 4:3)
For we which have believed
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.(1 Corinthians 15:52)
Amen
© Copyright 2017, Michael Haigh
Article may be used, but not for gain. Freely ye have received, freely give.
All Scripture references are from the King James Bible. (KJB)