Promised Restoration Through Abraham’s Seed
- by Lewis Zenovay Hrytzak
After
healing a man in the place called Solomon’s Colonade, a crowd gathered, so
Peter addressed them and said:
“Men of
“Repent
therefore, and turn around so as to get your sins blotted out, that seasons of
refreshing may come from the person of Jehovah, and that he may send forth the
Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven, indeed, must hold within
itself until the time of restoration of all things of which God spoke through the mouth
of his holy prophets of old time.” - Acts 3:12,13,19-21.
What
restoration is Peter talking about?
For the
answer, we need to go back to the Garden of Eden, for it was there that God
first promised a seed that would carry out this restoration.
The “Chief
Agent of life” is the key figure in this promised plan of God, and the very
first prophecy found in Scripture is principally about him. After Adam and
Eve’s rebellion, God pronounced a death sentence upon them. He did likewise with the serpent that
deceived Eve. However, that sentence,
(recorded at Genesis 3:14,15) actually provides hope for the human
race. Let us see how that is. The account states:
‘And
Jehovah God proceeded to say to the serpent: “Because you have done this thing,
you are the cursed one out of all the domestic animals and out of all the wild
beasts of the field. Upon your belly you will go and dust is what you will eat
all the days of your life. And I shall put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your seed and her seed, He will bruise you in the head and you will
bruise him in the heel.”
The serpent
would produce a seed, and the woman would produce a seed. Moreover, the seed of each would be at enmity
with one another. While the serpent
would inflict a heel wound on the seed of the woman, her seed would actually
bruise (crush) the head of the serpent. For the purpose of this discussion, no
comment will be made about the woman at this time, (as that is a topic in
itself), but we will examine the identity of the “seed of the woman” at
length. We will also consider the
identity of the serpent’s seed.
The promised seed through
Abraham
Genesis
(Chap.17) reveals that God made a covenant with faithful
Abraham. In verse 6, God said to him: “And I will make you very, very fruitful and
will make you become nations, and kings will come out of you. Concerning his wife Sarah, God said, “And I
will bless her and she shall become nations; kings of peoples will come out
from her.” Although Abraham had an older
son, Ishmael, God told him that his covenant with him would be through Isaac,
as stated in verse 21. God told Abraham: “However, my covenant I shall
establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this appointed time next
year.”
The 22nd
chapter of Genesis begins with the words: “Now after these things it came about
that the (true) God put Abraham to the test.” He said to Abraham: “Take,
please, your son, your only son whom you so love, Isaac, and make a trip to the
land of Moriah, and there offer him up as a burnt offering on one of the
mountains that I shall designate to you.”
Without hesitation, Abraham obeyed, but as he was about to offer up
Isaac, Jehovah’s angel proceeded to call to Abraham the second time, from the
heavens, and to say: “By myself I do
swear,” is the utterance of Jehovah, ‘that by reason of the fact that you have
done this thing, and you have not withheld your son, your only one, I shall
surely bless you, and I shall surely multiply your seed like the stars of the heavens,
and like the grains of sand that are on
the seashore; and your seed will take possession of the gate of his enemies.
(vs 18) And by means of your seed all
nations of the earth will certainly bless themselves due to the fact that
you have listened to my voice.” This promise to Abraham is known as
the Abrahamic covenant.
Years
later, Isaac was in
Isaac had
two sons who were twins, Esau and Jacob.
Esau despised sacred things, so God chose the younger, Jacob, who had a
vision of a ladder reaching to the heavens. There were angels ascending and
descending and “Look! there was Jehovah stationed above it, and he proceeded to
say: “I am Jehovah the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The
land upon which you are lying, to you I am going to give it and to your seed.”
“And your seed will certainly become like the dust particles of the earth, and
you will certainly spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north
and to the south, and by means of you and by means of your seed all the
families of the ground will certainly bless themselves.” - Genesis 28:13,14.
In Genesis
32:24-28 we have the account of Jacob grappling with Jehovah’s angel. Jacob prevailed and asked for a blessing, “So
he (the angel) said to him (Jacob): “What is your name?” to which he said,
“Jacob.” Then he said: “Your name will no longer be called Jacob, but
Jacob had
twelve sons, but upon whom would the blessing of the seed of promise be
conferred? His first three sons failed
to get the promised blessing due to bad behavior. It was Judah, his fourth son, who received
this marvelous honor. In Genesis 49:8-10
Jacob pronounces this blessing on
Jacob’s
death-bed prophecy clearly shows that the scepter would not depart from
In its
early history,
More than
600 years later, when announcing the birth of Jesus, the angel told Mary, “Have
no fear, Mary, for you have found favor with God, and look! you will conceive
in your womb and give birth to a son, and you are to call his name Jesus. This
one will be great and will be called Son of the Most High; and Jehovah God will
give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule as king over the
house of Jacob (
Unfortunately,
his own people, the nation of
However,
before commenting on that prophecy, let us turn our attention to the words of
the apostle Paul at Galatians 3:16, where he states: “Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and
to his seed. It says not: “And to Seeds,” as in the case of many such, but as
in the case of one: “And to your seed, who is Christ.”
In the
very next verse he writes: “Further, I say this: As to the covenant previously
validated by God, the law that has come into being four hundred and thirty
years later does not invalidate it, so as to abolish the promise. For if the
inheritance is due to law, it is no longer due to promise, whereas God has
kindly given it to Abraham through a promise.” And so, Paul asks: “Why, then,
the Law?” He answers: “It was added to make transgressions manifest, until the
seed should arrive to whom the promise has been made.”
In verse
24, Paul continues: “Consequently, the Law has become our tutor leading to
Christ, that we might be declared righteous due to faith.” And in verse 26, Paul
states: “You are all, in fact, sons of God through your faith in Christ
Jesus.” Then he adds: “Moreover, if you
belong to Christ, you are really Abraham’s seed, heirs with reference to a
promise.” And what promise was
that? It was the promise God made to
Abraham, namely, that all the families of the earth would bless themselves by
means of his seed! Therefore, the seed of Abraham is, specifically, Christ
Jesus and those who exercise faith in him. Moreover, their faith, (like the
faith of Abraham), qualifies them as his children. They are the seed of
promise.
Messsiah would be put to
death
Abraham’s
son Isaac was a picture, or type, of God’s own Son, Christ Jesus, for Jesus
became the sacrificial lamb. John said that Jesus was “the lamb of God that
takes away the sins of the world.” (John 1:29)
Now let’s
turn our attention to Isaiah 53. In
verse 5, Isaiah wrote: “But he was being pierced for our transgression; he was
being crushed for our error.” In that
same verse, Isaiah adds: “The chastisement meant for our peace was upon him.” That is the crux of the
matter! Christ died in order for us to
have peace with God. By his death he
opened the way for us to return to God.
Paul
writes: “and through him to reconcile again to himself all (other) things by making peace through the blood (he shed) on the torture stake, no
matter whether they are the things upon the earth or the things in the
heavens.” - Colossians 1:20
When Jesus
was put to death, he suffered the “heal wound” that was foretold at “Genesis
3:15. His enemies, who were responsible
for his death, were carrying out the will of their father, the Devil.
Nevertheless, Jesus’ death laid the very foundation upon which mankind can be
saved.
Jesus said
to his disciples: “However, you are the ones that have stuck with me in my
trials; and I make a covenant with you, just as my Father has made a covenant
with me, for a kingdom, that you may eat and drink at my table, in my kingdom,
and sit on thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel.” – Luke 22:28-30.
At his first appearance,
Jesus Promises to Return
Just
before this, Jesus spoke an illustration, because he was near
Likewise,
John’s account records something very similar. Chapter 14:27,28 states that
Jesus said the following to his disciples: “Do not let your hearts be troubled,
nor let them shrink for fear. You heard that I said to you, I am going away
and I am coming back to you.” Jesus now sits at his Father’s
right hand as prophesied in Psalm 110:1,2 which states: “The utterance of Jehovah to my Lord is: “Sit
at my right hand until I place your enemies as a stool for your feet.”
Since his
disciples imagined that Jesus would set up his kingdom at that time, it is not
at all surprising that the Jews (in general) believed that Messiah would come
and liberate them from
Therefore,
when the Pharisees approached Jesus to ask when the kingdom was coming, they
were obviously expecting earth-shattering events with Messiah’s coming. But
Jesus said to them: “The
So then,
what did Jesus mean by saying that the
“Most truly I say to you, Unless anyone is
born again, he cannot see the
Born of water and spirit
Being born
of water and spirit means complete change for those who want to see, and
enter, God’s kingdom, and Jesus’ words to Nicodemus clearly show how
such change is to take place, that is, one “must be born of water and spirit.”
But how is this so?
In his first letter, the apostle Peter seems to be drawing
on Jesus’ analogy of rebirth when he writes: “Accordingly, put away all badness
and all deceitfulness and hypocrisy, and envies and all sorts of backbiting,
(and) as newborn infants, form a longing for the
unadulterated milk belonging to the word, that
through it you may grow to salvation, provided you have tasted that the Lord is
kind.” – 1 Peter 2:1-3.
The apostle Paul also seems to draw on Jesus’ analogy, for
he admonishes Christian husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the
congregation (“called out ones”)…that he might sanctify it, cleansing it with
the bath of water by means of the word…”
Ephesians 5:25, 26. If we think upon this, it is the word of
God that washes us, reforming our thinking, our speech, our actions, indeed,
our whole way of life. As any sincere Christian well knows, this change
is so great that it can be compared to rebirth,
(i.e., being “born again”), for if this happens to us, we become new creatures,
or as the Scriptures put it, “a new creation”. This is what Paul told the
Corinthians: “Consequently, if anyone is in union with Christ, he is a new
creation; the old things passed away, look! new things have come into
existence.” - 2 Corinthians 5:17.
Despite this change in us, however, and though we are “declared righteous” due
to faith, we are, nonetheless, prone to sin. That is why we have “a helper with
the Father, Christ Jesus.” (See 1 John
2:1,2)
Of course, “the
bath of water by means of the word” must be accompanied by God’s
holy spirit. Not only because it is the spirit that teaches us, but also
because we need God’s guiding force in our lives. It is just as Jesus said, “Unless anyone is
born of water and spirit, he
cannot enter the
Romans 8:3-6, shows we must walk by spirit. Paul wrote:
“For the minding of the flesh means death, but the minding of the spirit
means life and peace.”
An article
written by William M. Wachtel on the topic “Some
Thoughts on the Kingdom of God and the Good News Thereof” makes an interesting observation on Luke
17:20,21. He points out that the Greek
word for “kingdom” in that
passage is translated as “royal
majesty” in the Emphatic
Diaglott. “God’s royal majesty is among you,” (is) based on the fact
that the Greek word basileia, usually
translated “kingdom,” can be used in another sense. Benjamin Wilson, the translator, has an
interesting footnote to that effect. He
states that “basileia here refers to
the person to whom the title and
honor of king belonged, rather than to his territory
or kingdom.” In exercising His messianic ministry,
therefore, Christ was fulfilling certain aspects of His kingship, his royal
authority, his basileia.” He adds: “That royal authority will
become an eschatological event when Christ returns…” (unquote)
The
New
Englishman’s Greek Concordance and Lexicon, (on page 922) also
translates the word kingdom as “royal power” or “kingship.”
And
The
Complete Word Study Dictionary New Testament, (on p.325)
makes this observation: “The concept of the kingdom in the OT is partly
fulfilled in the NT. First, we have the Christian dispensation. The kingdom of
heaven or God, on earth, consisting of those who receive Jesus as their savior,
and who, through the holy spirit, form the Church with him as Head. This
spiritual kingdom has both an internal and external form. As internal it
already exists and rules in the hearts of (Jesus’ followers) and is, therefore,
present.
As
external, it is ….embodied in the coming of the Son of man to judge and reign
in …glory. This is…the kingdom of the future.”
Jesus appearance
as Messiah (during his earthly ministry) was clearly the first phase of
his kingdom. However, that there would
be a second phase is clear in the way Jesus taught his disciples to
pray, saying: “Let your kingdom come, let your will be done, as in heaven, so
upon the earth.” This is in harmony with God’s promise that his Kingdom will
replace the kingdoms of this world, even as prophesied in Daniel 2:44.
Christ’s Second Coming
will be plain for all to see
In
contrast with his first appearance, as Messiah, Christ’s second coming will be
plain for all to see. In Matthew 24:26,
27, Jesus said: “Therefore, if people say to you, ‘Look! He is in the
wilderness,’ do not go out; ‘Look! He is in the inner chambers,’ do not believe
it. For just as the lightening comes out of the eastern parts and shines over
to the western parts, so the presence of the Son of man will be.”
Lightening,
which lights up the sky, is not hidden. It is plain for all to see!
Incidentally, the Greek word parousia
translated here as “presence,” refers to both coming,
and presence.
In ancient times, a king and his entourage would come to a village or city, and remain for a few days, or
be present. It is this same word, parousia, that Jesus uses to describe
his return.
As to the manner
of Christ’s return, the account in Acts 1:6-11 states: “”When now they had
assembled, (i.e., his disciples), they went on asking him: “Lord, are you
restoring the kingdom to
In
Revelation 1:7 it states: “Look! He is coming with the clouds, and every eye
will see him, and those who pierced him; and all the tribes of the earth
will beat themselves in grief because of him...”
In
Revelation 2:7, Jesus said: “...To him that conquers I will grant to eat of the
tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.” And where is that? (As you will recall, Jesus told the
remorseful evil-doer “you will be with me in paradise,” an
indication of where he would see Jesus. See Luke 23:43). Of course, it is those who conquer, the “over-comers,”
that Jesus invites to eat of “the tree of life,” namely, his bride, or
the Church. They are the
Indeed,
Revelation 2:6 states: “Happy and holy is anyone having part in the first
resurrection; over these the second death has no authority, but they will be
priests of God and of the Christ, and will rule with him for the thousand
years.” And Revelation 5:10, states:
“and you made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God, and they are to rule
as kings over the earth.”
Construction of the
The
spiritual temple for which Christ Jesus laid the foundation is still under
construction, but when it is complete, the Lord will return with “kingly
power.” Jesus said, as recorded at Matthew 25: 31, “When the Son of man arrives
in his glory, and all his angels with him, then he will sit down on his
glorious throne.”
What is
more, the construction of this temple will continue until all the “living
stones” are in place, for this house must be complete before it is given
authority to rule over the nations. In Revelation 2:26, 27, Jesus said: “And to
him that conquers and observes my deeds down to the end, I will
give authority over the nations.”
Today, the
members of this house, or temple, enjoy a very close relationship with God
through Christ Jesus, for they willingly submit to him as God’s chosen
King. For that reason, God has elevated them
to a very high spiritual condition. In writing to the Colossians (1:13,14) Paul
stated: “He (God) delivered us from the authority of the darkness and
transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of his love, by means of whom we
have release by ransom, the forgiveness of our sins.” To the Ephesians, (2:4
-6) Paul wrote: “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love with which
he loved us, made us alive together with the Christ, even when we were dead in
trespasses – by undeserved kindness you have been saved – and he raised us up
together and seated us together in the heavenly places in union with Christ
Jesus…” This has already taken place for true followers of Christ, but they
must “keep following the Lamb (Christ Jesus) no matter where he goes.” – Revelation
14:4
In
Ephesians 2:2, Paul wrote: “…You at one time walked according to the system of
things of this world, according to the ruler of the authority of the air, the
spirit that now operates in the sons of disobedience.”
Please
note how Paul uses that word “air” in this context. He equates the “the air” with “the spirit that operates in the sons of
disobedience.” And who is the ruler of that air, or spirit
that operates in the sons of disobedience?
Why, none other than the god of this world, Satan the devil.
Christ
Jesus, with his bride, will replace the rule of the god of this world. The Scriptures make that very clear!
Revelation 11:15 states: “The kingdom of the world did become the kingdom of
our Lord and of his Christ, and he will rule as king forever and ever.” The
“air”, or “spirit of disobedience”, will not be tolerated in God’s Kingdom, for
the authority of that “air” will be replaced!
Subjecting all things to
God
The
purpose of God’s kingdom, by Christ, is to subject all things to God and to
abolish death, for that is part of “the
restoration of all things.”
At 1 Corinthians 15:22-28, the apostle Paul provides some detail on this. He
writes: “For just as in Adam all are dying, so also in Christ all will be made
alive, but each one in his own rank. Christ the first-fruits, afterward those
who belong to the Christ during his parousia,”
that is, his coming and presence.
In that
same chapter, verses 24-28, Paul writes: “Next the end, when he hands over the
kingdom to his God and Father, when he has brought to nothing all government
and all authority and power, for he must rule as king until (God) has put all
enemies under his feet, As the last enemy, death, is to be brought to nothing.
For (God) “subjected all things under his feet.” But when he says that “all
things have been subjected”, it is evident it is with the exception of the one
who subjected all things to him. But
when all things will have been subjected to him, then the Son himself will also
subject himself to the One who subjected all things to him, that God, (Jehovah,
or Yahweh) may be all things to everyone.”