2005 North American Bible Study MeetingDecember 26, 2005, AfternoonPaul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of Godwhich He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.Romans 1:1-4Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.   1 Peter 1:10-11Abraham Offered Isaac as a SacrificedPreviously, we saw that after Abram had received God’s covenant, God burnt some sacrificial animals as a sign of that promise. After that, Abram listened to his wife, Sarai, and he had a son, but the Bible refers to that son as a bondservant. Following this incident, God changed Abram’s name to Abraham. A new person appeared, but it is not that he had become a different man; God called him by a new name. He also called Sarai by the new name of Sarah.As we read the Bible, we find that the position of the Jews, the position of the law, and the relationship between God and the Jews in the Old Testament all change a little as we come to New Testament times and the age of the apostles. Jesus referred to this as the “new covenant” (see Luke 22:20). Through the word of God, this is related to the new group of people who would appear in this world, following the will of Jesus Christ, who completely transcends the law, having fulfilled all its requirements. Similarly, as the content of Genesis chapters 15, 16 and 17 naturally unfold, we are shown very precisely events that were to occur in the future. The son born to Abraham and Sarah after their names were changed, was Isaac. Addressing people who had discovered the blood of Jesus Christ and whose sins had been forgiven through the words of the Bible, the apostle Paul wrote, “Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise” (Galatians 4:28). This is a reference to the Church, promised throughout the entire Bible, the Church that God had predetermined in His heart before the creation of the world. God made promises to Abraham in advance regarding Isaac. He said, “One who will come from your own body shall be your heir” (Genesis 15:4), and “But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year” (Genesis 17:21). Through His word, God made a promise to Abraham several times regarding Isaac. As we read the Bible, we often think about the shadows and parables contained within it. Even if we only consider this one man, Isaac, we can see various images. A certain individual in the Bible may be seen as an analogy of something or someone, but that may not be all that person represents. Various images may be revealed through one person, depending on the viewpoint. In the book of Jonah, for example, many associations can be made with this one man, Jonah. We can see images of the Jews, of Jesus, of the Church, and of the law. Also, reflected within Jonaj’s temperamental nature, we can see many groups of people and images of various individuals who appear historically in the Bible. The content of the Bible is very deep and complex.It is the same when it comes to Isaac. When we read in Galatians, “Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise,” we may feel that Isaac resembles us as born-again people. Also, in the relationship Isaac had with his father, Abraham, as he was growing up, we can see an image of the relationship between God the Father and God the Son. In the image of Isaac much later as an adult, we can see an image of Jesus when He rose from the dead, having accomplished all things, and Jesus as He rules this world as King of kings in the future. The image of the young Isaac in Genesis chapter 22 presents an image of Jesus. Let’s read from verse 1.Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.” So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together. But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” Then he said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together. Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” So he said, “Here I am.” And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son.  verses 1-13God called Abraham in order to test him. Yet in verse 2, we find some strange words; it says, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah.” Did Abraham only have one son? He definitely had two—Ishmael and Isaac. Yet, God said to Abraham, “your only son.” He referred to him as his one and only son. Through this passage, we can see who God the Son was before He was born as the person named Jesus. Many prophets appeared in the Old Testament, and amongst these prophets, were great men such as Abraham, David and Hezekiah. Yet as God designates one particular Person, He refers to Him as “the only begotten Son.” If you listen to the claims of Christians today who say they believe in God and in Jesus, you will find there are many people who consider themselves equal to Jesus, and worship Mary—the mother of Jesus—Peter and others. Yet, as God said to Abraham, “Your only son, whom you love,” in His heart, He had already determined that later He would send into this world His only begotten Son, who as the Lord of Creation had together with Him created all things, and with whom He had been well pleased. This passage reveals all of this. It was not without significance that God said, “your only son.” The gospel of God which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord.  Romans 1:1-3Here it says, “through His prophets.” In the book of Genesis, we find Abraham referred to as a prophet (see 20:7). Here it says, “which He promised before . . . in the Hoy Scriptures, concerning His Son.” Who is this Son? You may easily think that is obviously Jesus, but the name of God and the name of Jesus tend to be treated as though worthless in this world. Many people will exclaim, “Oh, my God!” or, “Jesus Christ!” when something goes wrong. People who do not believe in God say things like this. The Bible says, “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain” (Exodus 20:7), so we should be careful not to use such expressions in our lives. The people of the world really do not know much about God the Son. Even amongst those who have learned about Jesus through the Bible, come to know about His blood, and have assurance of the forgiveness of their sins through His blood, there are many who do not really know about God the Son. Our main purpose and task in reading the Bible is to find out who He really is. Nevertheless, we forget about this purpose, and our only desire is for something new, something of which we are not aware, something to please our ears.Let’s turn to Proverbs chapter 8. The Lord possessed me at the beginning of His way, before His works of old. I have been established from everlasting, from the beginning, before there was ever an earth. When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no fountains abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills, I was brought forth; while as yet He had not made the earth or the fields, or the primeval dust of the world. When He prepared the heavens, I was there, when He drew a circle on the face of the deep, when He established the clouds above, when He strengthened the fountains of the deep, when He assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters would not transgress His command, when He marked out the foundations of the earth, then I was beside Him as a master craftsman; and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him, rejoicing in His inhabited world, and my delight was with the sons of men.  verses 22-31There are probably many people who approach this passage on a very simple level, thinking it must be related in some way to Genesis chapter 1. If you look at this matter in relation to many of the events in the Old Testament—in the books of Job, Psalms, and Ecclesiastes in particular—you will find the process of the creation was not as simple as you may think. When it says here in Proverbs that He made “the primeval dust of the world,” it is referring to something on a much more sophisticated level than simply saying that the earth was made. And when it says, “When He prepared the heavens, I was there, when He drew a circle on the face of the deep,” it is referring to the environment in which we live, but it is also referring to a far greater world than this, where God is truly seated on the throne, surrounded by the most magnificent of worlds. The apostle Paul referred to that world as the third heaven. He said he was caught up into the third heaven and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter (see 2 Corinthians 12:2, 4).This place is not visible to man’s eyes. In Colossians it says, “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible. . . . All things were created” (Colossians 1:16). That world above was created first, before the creation of this world in which we live. Also, in Proverbs chapter 8 it says, “the Lord [God the father] possessed me” before the foundation of all things was formed. The Triune God When it says, “I” in this passage from Proverbs, who is it referring to? It sounds like “wisdom” is speaking, but who is this wisdom? It is God the Son who spoke to us from the beginning and spoke to the Jews from the beginning. The Bible tells us that it was God the Son who was the Lord of creation. We say we believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Theologians express this as the “holy trinity.” This word “trinity” does not appear in the Bible, but the Bible does tell us that the three are one. In Hebrew, the word “Elohim” means “God” and it is in the plural form. In the Bible, we also come across passages in which God is referred to in the plural form. In the book of Daniel it says, “In whom is the spirit of the holy gods” (4:8 KJV); the expression “gods” is used. Through the Bible, we can see clearly the relationship between God the Father and God the Son. Then, to explain the relationship between God the Father and God the Son, there is another aspect of God; we call Him, God the Holy Spirit. The Bible tells us these words were recorded through the Holy Spirit. The Bible explains clearly this threefold nature of God and the relationship between the three. So then, the question is, who is this God the Son to whom the Bible refers? Some people simplify it by saying Old Testament times are the time of God the Father, the time of Jesus is the time of God the Son, and New Testament times are the time of the Holy Spirit. If we go into the matter a little more deeply, however, we can sense how tremendously great this man by the name of Jesus is; he is different from other people, who simply come into this world and then depart. Let’s take a look at Proverbs chapter 8 verse 30 again.Then I was beside Him as a master craftsman; and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him.Here it says master craftsman. There is no problem in simply believing that the “I” and the “He” are the same here, and God the Father is God the Son and the Creator, or master craftsman. However, we now need to learn a little more about Jesus. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.  John 1:1-3This is a passage that many people memorize easily, but it is actually very difficult to understand fully. It is such that we are barely able to grasp its meaning even if we recite it every day of our lives. As we read the Bible, it is not always necessary to make clear distinctions between God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, but we do need to be able to recognize them. This will also be helpful as we are living our lives. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.  John 1:14It says here, “the Word became flesh.” Who is this? Is it Peter? Is it Mary? Anyone can see it is talking about Jesus. If we consider this fourteenth verse alongside the passage in John chapter 1 verses 1 to 3, we can see that “the Word” and “the only begotten of the Father” are one and the same.Next, let’s turn to John chapter 17. Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You.”  verse 1This is Jesus’s prayer to God the Father. Some of you will most lik

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