Hebrews 7:5
Law and Grace
And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham: (Hebrews 7:5)
  The Levites were the custodians of the law and of the ordinances. This was their inheritance for they were not given a territory in the land as an inheritance as all the other tribes. Out of the Levites would come their priests, and they all had certain courses (or responsibilities) to complete. The high priest was given of God in Aaron, who like Moses, was also a son of Levi. God in His wisdom gave these men a spiritual inheritance to preserve the priesthood against favoritism, traditions of men, customs of men, and of course the evil doctrines of men. These priests were to follow the law in its fullness, and they were never to deviate from any of the ordinances that God gave to the nation of Israel. This faithfulness to the exact letter of the law broke down almost immediately with Nadab and Abihu. (Leviticus 10:1 – 2) These two men (sons of Aaron) offered up strange fire, and for this act, they were immediately consumed by God. There are two things to consider: first, they were out of their course (or out of their assigned responsibility). It was not their place to go into the holiest of all. Second, God had provided the fire and it was to burn continually within the brazen altar. They took fire that was unholy fire of their own choosing and of their own making and not the fire of God. This broke their position before the Almighty God, and God punished them with death. The law and ordinances that God gave had no variance, it was strict and every letter of the law had to be obeyed by all. If an Israelite was able to keep all the commandments and ordinances and broke one part of the law then he was guilty of breaking the whole the law.
  Grace is not based on the law. Grace is based on love, not man’s love, but God’s love. God’s love like the law has no variance, or shadow of turning. What the law could not do, was to remove the penalty of the law from man; therefore, God sent His Son to bring grace and free man from the penalty of the law. Grace came in the Lord Jesus Christ for He is grace, He possesses grace. And He gives and applies grace to those He loves, and to those who love Him. So therefore, in the dispensation of grace, if I take one part of the law and desire to live under that, then I must take the whole law. If the penalty for breaking one part of the law puts me under the whole law, then if I mingle grace with the law, I must obey the whole law and then there is no grace within me. If anyone in the nation of Israel (in the times of the apostle) wanted to keep the law, and somehow acquire grace, Paul explained that, this was impossible. For after the sacrifice of Christ once and for all, there remained no more sacrifice for sin for Christ was the complete sacrifice that was the sweet savor that ascended up to God. If anyone desires the law then there is no more sacrifice for sin. Christ came with grace to remove the law and its burden from the sons of men. There are some who treat the grace of God as a license to sin. This is error on their part, and similar to Nadab and Abihu. There are some who believe in a conditional grace. This also is error on their part. And there are religionists of all kinds who mix law and grace together in a giant cauldron of sin and idolatry.
The Fullness of Time — The Cross
  As born again Christians, where do we begin? We begin at the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. We have to begin at the fullness of time. Abel’s salvation began at the cross, that they without us should not be made perfect (Hebrews 11:40) Abraham’s salvation began at the cross, for Abraham saw the fullness of time, and rejoiced in it. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. (John 8:56) It is at the cross that we have the bearer of grace, and at the cross He, the bearer of grace became the bearer of sin.
And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. (John 1:16)
For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. (John 1:17)
The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. (John 1:29)
Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; (John 1:35)
And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! (John 1:36)
  In the fullness of time, we received the fullness of God in God’s dear Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. We receive of His fullness, the complete fullness of the Godhead bodily. The law was given by Moses, but the greater which was grace and truth came by Jesus Christ who is both Grace and Truth. These were the words from the Lord Jesus, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. And the ‘me’ is grace. Grace is His Person.
  We have grace in the Old Testament, and why do I say this? It is simple: when we are saved, we receive the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ. Abraham received righteousness from the Almighty. And he (Abram) believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness. (Genesis 15:6) Righteousness can only come through grace. If there was no grace, then all men would have to be destroyed under the penalty of their sin. And because of God’s divine righteousness He would have to judge all men at the point of their sin (which would bring forth instantaneous judgment and instantaneous death) for there would be no grace, but instead of instantaneous judgment and death, the bearer of grace came to bear the sin of the whole world.
  In the gospel of John grace and truth point towards the cross and to the Lamb of God. The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. (John 1:29) Notice the first mention of the Lamb of God is that he takes away (and that is the sin of the whole world). His work of justification was for ALL, yet all will not believe, therefore, God, took the burden of sin, the sin of Adam, upon Himself. Those who refuse Christ will not be able to stand at the great white throne and declare to God that the penalty for their sins was not paid. It is the transgressor who has not asked for grace.
Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; (John 1:35)
   And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! (John 1:36) In the second mention of the Lamb of God, we have a wonderful revelation from the Spirit of God in the words, ‘the next day.’ Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; (John 1:35) We now see the Lamb of God as the risen Savior, and the two disciples who were John’s disciples were now the disciples of Jesus Christ. Why is this important for us to understand? John the Baptist was the end of the prophets, and the end of the law. Christ had come to be the beginning of the righteousness of God in fulfilling the righteousness of God for all men. And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. (Matthew 3:15) In this, the law had to be removed, and grace had to be inserted in the fullness of time.
  As we look back to the cross through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, we receive the righteousness of God in Him. (Ephesians 4:24) And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. The two disciples then became disciples of the Lamb of God, and they asked the Lord Jesus, Where dwellest thou. (John 1:38) His answer to all men is ‘Come and see.’
The Fullness of Time — A New Race Created
 The grace bearer became the sin bearer on the cross of Calvary. The grace bearer became the resurrected Man with the title deeds of heaven and earth, and to bring forth grace He had to remove the race of Adam, He had to remove both sin and death, and the curse of the law. Christ became the founder and the creator of a whole new race of heavenly people. And the completion of this was in the fullness of time at the cross of Calvary. We, as Christians, understand what we have been delivered from, however, it is also up to us to appreciate what we have been delivered to. Grace has no attachment to the law, and the law has not attachment to grace, so be it.
  The law is still holy, for if a man could walk in all parts of the law he could boast to God that he was holy. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. (James 2:10) The law, however, has no grace, so therefore, if one breaks one article of the law then he is guilty of all. When the Holy Spirit declared that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, this is a heavenly statement against the transgressor: man. Man cannot boast of himself either of his own goodness, or of his obedience to the law. For all have sinned. The Spirit of God, Himself, looks on the outward and inward part of man. Have you noticed the outward parts of man lately? Mankind is deliberately desecrating and violating his own human flesh, in the past mankind wanted to improve the flesh, but now outwardly man is trying to destroy any outward appearance that might faintly resemble the image of God. Man is becoming a beast preparing himself for the kingdom of the beast.
  The Holy Spirit of God also looks on the inward part of man, He knows what is in the heart of man, for He knows all men. The Holy Spirit of God is not the grace of God, He is the harbinger of the grace of God in Jesus Christ. As the Lord declared that He is the truth, He is also the grace. Without Him there is no grace. Grace and truth came in the embodiment of Jesus Christ. It is the position of the Holy Spirit of God to convict us of our sin, and then when we lay in a heap of guilty ashes, He presents to us beauty for those ashes in Jesus Christ our Lord, and He presents to us the grace of God in Jesus Christ.
Who [art] thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel [thou shalt become] a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone [thereof with] shoutings, [crying], Grace, grace unto it. (Zechariah 4:7)
If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. (1st Peter 2:3)
To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, (1st Peter 2:4)
Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. (1st Peter 2:5)
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. (1st Peter 2:6)
Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, (1st Peter 2:7)
And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. (1st Peter 2:8)
The Fullness of Time – Come and See
  Where dwellest thou. (John 1:38) His answer to all men is ‘Come and see.’ The Holy Spirit of God presents to us ‘Come and see.’ As the two disciples of John abode with Christ that day, they entered into the eternity of God in God’s grace, Jesus Christ.　What they must have learned that day in things relating to the Son of God. And that same statement is for us today, Come and see. Come and see the beauty of holiness in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Remember, I previously stated that it is not only what we have been delivered from, but what we have been delivered to. They went with Him, how marvelous, the description by the Holy Spirit as He opens our eyes to this wonderful Person, who is the fullness of God’s grace, even our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. With the meeting of Abraham with Melchisedec we have a man meeting grace Himself in Jesus Christ. For as grace came by Jesus Christ, grace can only come from the One who is Grace. No one in eternity has the right of grace, but He who is Grace, and Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ. When Abraham met Melchisedec, he met the complete Prince of Peace in the King of Salem. Abraham obtained the righteousness of God from Righteousness Himself, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus referred to this meeting between Abraham and Melchisedec, in the 14th Chapter in Genesis, in the gospel of John Chapter 8, verses 56-58.
Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. (John 8:56)
Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? (John 8:57)
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. (John 8:58)
  When Abraham met Melchisedec, he received the fullness of God in Jesus Christ. Abraham was a partaker of both grace and truth, so that he understood the completeness of the fullness of time. Melchisedec brought righteousness to Abraham. And Abraham received that righteousness from Jesus Christ. Grace and truth stood before Abraham as both Priest and King.
The Fullness of Time — Three Meetings and Three Titles
  First Meeting: There are three distinct meetings that Abraham had with the Lord Jesus, and there are three titles that the Lord Jesus used in these meetings. The first, it was the God of glory who appeared to Abraham when he was yet in the land of Ur of Chaldees. (Acts 7:2) And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran. This is the same God of glory who was transfigured before Peter, James, and John on the holy mount bringing His two witnesses from heavens glory: Moses and Elijah. This is the God of glory who appeared to Abraham, and who later descended from heaven’s glory to the Damascus road to call Saul out of darkness to His marvelous light, and to give Saul a new name which was Paul.
  Second Meeting: The second manifestation to Abraham took place in Genesis Chapter 14, here grace and truth revealed Himself as both Priest and King of the most high God possessor of heaven and earth. Here Abraham presented to Melchisedec a tenth of the spoil, this was the herds and flocks of the enemies of God, and these were offered as a sacrifice an offering to God by Abraham through the divine Intercessor between God and man, the Lord Jesus Christ.
And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. (Genesis 14:18)
And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: (Genesis 14:19)
And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all. (Genesis 14:20)
  Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee. (Hebrews 2:12) Once again we see the Lord Jesus not only blessing His brethren as He blessed Abraham as Melchisedec, but we see the Man Christ Jesus singing praise unto God.
  The Third Meeting: The third appearance of the Lord is in Genesis Chapter 17, the Lord Jesus presented Himself as the Almighty God and demands of Abraham to ‘walk before Him, and be thou perfect.’ This perfection can only come through the perfection that comes through Jesus Christ and His righteousness.
  We are all called to walk His path, we are all called to be obedient sons, we are all called to fulfill His righteousness, and to walk in that righteousness. Therefore, He is our Melchisedec. He is the divine Intercessor between God and man. And He does this through His complete authority as King of righteousness. One more point, in the third meeting God gave Abraham a new name. So, in the book of the Revelation, we find each one of us has been given a new name by the Almighty God. And He demands that we walk before Him, ‘and be thou perfect.’
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.(Genesis 17:1)
And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.(Genesis 17:2)
And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, (Genesis 17:3)
As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. (Genesis 17:4)
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.(Genesis 17:5)
And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. (Genesis 17:6)
 In these three meetings, we have Abraham’s call, Abraham’s offering for sin, and the perfection of righteousness in Abraham through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Abraham truly saw the fullness of time and rejoiced in it. Â
  We see the perfection of Abraham’s walk in Romans 4:3, For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. (Galatians 3:6)
Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. (Galatians 3:7)
And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. (Galatians 3:8)
  So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. (Galatians 3:9) In these Scriptures from the New Testament we see the determinate counsels of God fulfilled in the references to the Old Testament, and the Scriptures settled in heaven. For Abraham heard the gospel and he rejoiced in it and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Both Romans and Galatians (through the Spirit of God) are referring to the Old Testament record, and the Scripture references to the reconciliation of man through the death of the Lord Jesus on the cross of Calvary which references are overwhelming when anyone turns from the world and abides in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. Come and see.
 The same righteousness that Abraham received is the present righteousness of the saints in light today. And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. (Ephesians 4:24)
That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; (Colossians 1:10)
Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; (Colossians 1:11)
Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: (Colossians 1:12)
Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: (Colossians 1:13)
In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: (Colossians 1:14)
  This is the glorious power of grace that we have been delivered from all our transgressions. Sin has been taken out of the way, and we have been delivered to a path of righteousness in the One who is righteousness, the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Fullness of Time Seen Before the Fullness of Time
  All through Scripture, both Old and New, we have the testimony of men who walked in the power of God’s righteousness through Jesus Christ. If we go all the way back to Cain and Abel, we see the natural descent of man failed in Cain. Cain developed his own law, he presented to God the fruit of the ground, and the works of his own hands (which was idolatry). God could not accept this trespass and sin, therefore, Cain and his offering was refused. God then brought out the chosen of God, the called of God, and the accepted of God. How? Abel was brought into God’s righteousness through Jesus Christ by Abel’s obedience and faith in the offering of his sacrifice for sin. Which would lead to the fullness of time, and the true Lamb of God (without blemish, without spot) which taketh away the sin of the world, Jesus Christ.
  God accepted Abel’s sacrifice, and accepted Abel by faith, and consequently, Abel was removed out of the natural realm into the spiritual realm by the work of the Holy Spirit of God. The natural order was replaced by the supernatural order, and man’s blood was replaced by the divine blood of the Lamb of God. For without the shedding of the blood of Christ there is no remission of sin.
And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. (Hebrews 9:22)
For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. (Leviticus 17:11)
  If man refuses the redemptive power of Christ then there is no more sacrifice for sin. For Christ has offered His blood once and for all, and Abraham saw this and rejoiced in it. Now a new thought fresh from the mind of the Spirit, if Abraham received the righteousness of God by faith, and he was made righteous before God, then the righteousness of God became his protection. This righteousness protected him from the world, this righteousness protected him from sin, this righteousness protected him from death, and this righteousness protected him from the works of the devil. Now, this righteousness gave Abraham an eternal relationship with the Almighty God, Jesus Christ.
The Fullness of Time —Wisdom, Righteousness, Sanctification, Redemption
  Based on God’s righteousness God cannot cast out one who He has brought into His own righteousness, this is the power of grace and the power of Jesus Christ. To clarify the possessor of God’s righteousness, we have 1st Corinthians 1:30, But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption. When the Lord Jesus declared in John Chapter 14 that He was the way, the truth, and the life, no one denied this, and those who trust the Lord Jesus today do not deny it. In Corinthians, the Spirit of God adds to Christ’s statement. In Corinthians the Spirit of God tells us that Christ is also our wisdom (Proverbs 8), and the Spirit of God tells us that He is righteousness, the Spirit of God also continues with sanctification, making Christ the Sanctifier of those who are sanctified. (Hebrews 2:11), and then to finish off this wonderful list, Christ is Redemption. The Lord Jesus said to His disciples, without me ye can do nothing. (John 15:5) Think of this also that without Christ we have nothing, for He is everything. He is the fullness of that which fills all in all.
Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. (Ephesians 1:23)
 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; (Colossians 1:19)
For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. (Colossians 2:9)
  Do you now see what we have been delivered to? All these things we have in Jesus Christ, and more, and they all come because He is Grace. In Zechariah it is not the cry, Grace, grace, it is the cry to Him who is Grace. This makes Christ both the Author and the Finisher of our faith in Him. He is the fullness of the beginning. The Alpha (Aleph) He is the fullness of the end. (Omega). This is the Savior Jesus Christ. The Man, the God, the Redeemer, the Sanctifier, the Righteousness, the Wisdom of God, and He is Grace, Come and see, and cry out to Him, Grace, grace.
The Fullness of Time — The Godhead Bodily Through Time
  In Genesis 1:2, And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. In this verse we have the first mention of the Spirit of God. In John Chapter 4 the Lord Jesus proclaimed that God is Spirit, and they who worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and truth. Here is the Godhead bodily (because of our intelligence, which is not on a divine level) everything that we learn about God must come from God, therefore, God in Genesis 1 introduced Himself as Spirit. This does not detract from the work of the Spirit of God in the New Testament for in both cases the Spirit of God is doing the work of creation. In Genesis 1, we have the creation of the world, and things of matter. In the gospel of John, Chapter 3 and 4, we have the work of the Spirit of God creating a new people, a people who are heavenly and not of the earth. Because of modern teaching and thought, we have seen the Godhead divided, and then divided again. When, in fact, the Spirit of the Father is the Spirit of the Son, the Spirit of the Son is the Spirit of the Holy Ghost, all are one Spirit, and they are ALL the fullness of the Godhead bodily in which Christ is the earthly and heavenly representative. He is the one who displays God’s glory in 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) He is not only the glory, but the brightness and full effulgence of God’s glory. Don’t allow the modernist to divide your Savior. They have done a good job of dividing the Church, and dividing His Word. This has not pleased God, and when they attempt to divide His Son from His Church His anger is kindled against those who would bring in these damnable heresies. If you think that the Almighty doesn’t see you in the darkness of your own heart, you are sadly mistaken. For the eyes of the Lord go to and fro throughout the whole earth. There is nothing done in darkness, and there is nothing done in light that He does not see.
  The new birth of the soul comes by the Person of grace, Jesus Christ. It is an active work of the Spirit of God to glorify the Son of God, and then to lead the new born creature into the knowledge of Christ which is a continual work of the Holy Spirit of God. Let us return to Abraham.
The Fullness of Time in Its Fullness
  And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. (James 2:23) Before I go on to consider this verse, we are going to deal with another fallacy when anyone says, ‘I am saved and that is good enough for me.’ This is an error and a lie from the pit. For God sees a lot more in your salvation than ‘good enough.’ You are redeemed with a price, and that price was the precious blood of Jesus. He sought out a pearl of great price, and shed His blood for the purchased possession. What He has purchased with His blood is forever sealed in the documents of the New Testament. James wrote (by the Spirit) that the Scriptures were fulfilled in that Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness. This was not a one time act that God walked away from. For now Abraham was made a Friend of God, and Abraham was justified by his faith because He believed God, and acted upon that belief. Abraham followed God even to the offering up of his son, Isaac. Abraham was performing the works of faith, and God honored his faith, even preserving Isaac. Faith without works is dead! Faith is an active walk with God Almighty. Faith is not merely verbal consent, but a spiritual reality in the heart, the soul, and the spirit of the new born babe in Christ. When Nicodemus brought up the question ‘Can a man be born again when he is old’? Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? (John 3:4) Christ instructed him that the work of the Spirit brings on a new creation, one that is born OF God, and one that is born IN God. This is where people (who make a surface profession) put themselves in greater hazards then when they denied God altogether. Self delusion is the work of our fallen nature (just ask Adam) for after his fall he lived in his own delusion, and passed this delusion onto his first son Cain. The spirit of Adam (the spirit of fallen man) lives in the state of delusion when it comes to the Person of God. It is only through the holy Scriptures and the work of the Spirit of God that man can be plucked out of this ungodly world. The evidence of our salvation in Jesus Christ are the very works that we perform in His name and for His name.
  Abram received a new name in Genesis 17. God set him on a new path, and gave him the promises of that path. He gave Abram a new identification. Abram was now known as Abraham. This new identification was between Abraham and God in that relationship as the Friend of God. Abraham was not going to let anything or anyone come between his relationship with the Almighty God. When God told Abraham to take his only son Isaac, and sacrifice him on one of the mountains of Moriah, Abraham obeyed by the same faith that he had first trusted God. This was a trial and a work of his own righteousness that he had received from God.
  On the top of that particular mountain Abraham built an altar where one day a cross would stand. It was also on this piece of ground where Solomon built the house of the Lord, the temple of God.
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. (Genesis 22:2)
Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where [the LORD] appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite. (2 Chronicles 3:1)
  Abraham lashed Isaac to the altar, and by faith raised his knife over his son, his ONLY son. Then the hand of eternity gently touched Abraham’s hand, and a voice spoke, and Abraham’s faith was rewarded by a ram divinely placed there and divinely caught in the thicket by his horns; symbolizing not only the crown of thorns, but Christ being bound by His eternal power and Godhead to fulfill the Scriptures, and to declare the power of salvation through faith in the divine ram caught in the thicket.
  This was another footstep of Abraham’s faith. It was the proof of his eternal salvation. How can I be so bold to say this? Abraham had received the call, Abraham had been brought into God’s presence, and Abraham had been changed, this was symbolized by his new name and the covenant that God made with Abraham. The book of Romans Chapter 4 testifies of Abraham’s faith. The book of Hebrews Chapter 11 testifies of Abraham’s faith, and the Lord Jesus in the gospel of John Chapter 8 testified of Abraham’s faith, and the works of Abraham (in his path of faith) testified of the grace of God that he had taken for himself from his God. God gave Abraham many gifts, but the greatest gift was grace through the Lord Jesus Christ for Abraham saw the Lord’s day and rejoiced in it. It was not only receiving a new name, but a new identification, therefore, Abraham was now identified (not TO God) but IN God. This was a big step for Abraham because now he would receive the promises of God in relationship to his faith. In Genesis Chapter 17 Abraham became new, and he received a new covenant from God, and this covenant would lead all the way to the new heaven and the new earth. We have a complete list and the total of the promises that were given to Abraham in Genesis Chapter 17.
The Fullness of Time Brought to Life in the Covenant of Promise
  This brings us into the supernatural, the supernatural work of God, I will make my covenant between me and thee. Notice that God dealt with Abraham first, his person must be up to the promises of God, therefore, Abraham had to be changed. And only after that could God give the covenant that He would multiply Abraham’s seed out of the very loins of Abraham. Here we must be diligent, for out of Abraham’s seed would come many nations, not only Israel, but many nations would be contained in this covenant. This was not a covenant of law, this was a covenant of promise, if you turn to Hebrews, Chapter 2, verses 16 and 17 you will see the extent and the fulfillment of this covenant in the true seed the Lord Jesus Christ.
For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. (Hebrews 2:16)
Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. (Hebrews 2:17)
  These two verses give us a link back to the promises that God gave to Abraham for the Lord Jesus came out of the seed of Abraham. This link back to Abraham is very important not only concerning the promises that God would give Abraham a seed through which all nations will be blessed, but verse 16 of Hebrews Chapter 2 is linked with verse 17 in this: we have the first mention of the Lord’s priesthood connecting Him with Melchisedec and Genesis Chapter 14. In verse 16 we have the seed of Abraham (which was fulfilled by the Lord Jesus). In verse 17 we have the priesthood after the order of Melchisedec (which the Lord Jesus fulfilled) tying both Abraham and Melchisedec together in Hebrews Chapter 2. Through Genesis 17 we have the projected covenant and promises given to Abraham. In Hebrews Chapter 2 we find a conclusion to the promises in the seed of grace fulfilled in the fullness of time. But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law. (Galatians 4:4) Notice the word ‘seed’ (For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.) (Hebrews 2:16) This word ‘seed’ is very important. Remember that Eve was promised a seed who would destroy Satan. With the covenant to Abraham (which Galatians confirms) it is not many ‘seeds,’ but only one divine ‘seed’ and that is Christ.
Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man’s covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto. (Galatians 3:15)
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. (Galatians 3:16)
And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. (Galatians 3:17)
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. (Genesis 17:7)
And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. (Genesis 17:8) At this point consider the generation of Jesus Christ in Matthew 1:1.
  This seed was placed by the Holy Spirit of God as a ‘holy thing’ within the womb of Mary (the womb of mankind). This was a supernatural divine act of God to give a pure supernatural Man that was capable of removing sin and death from Adam’s race. Who? Only the Son of God with His divine Person, His divine authority, His divine power could accomplish and finish the work of Calvary’s cross.
  Being born of the seed of Abraham is a continuation of the covenant that was given to Abraham. In Genesis Chapter 17 we have the multitude as the stars in the heavens. This is the supernatural seed of those who are born of the Spirit of God and who are heavenly people. The sands of the sea fulfill the promise to Abraham that on earth there will be many nations that come out of Abraham’s loins, therefore, in Hebrews 2 God the Holy Spirit joins Christ through Abraham. And Galatians Chapter 3 joins the holy seed, which is Christ to Abraham, to fulfill the promises that were made by Christ as the Almighty God in Genesis Chapter 17. The importance of Christ’s coming of the seed of Abraham is to fulfill those promises that the Lord gave to Abraham in Genesis Chapter 17. 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 I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.
The Fullness of Time — God’s Order
  These promises became the covenant in which God would work through the history of mankind which was completely brought to life in the fullness of time. This covenant was of such a magnitude that God presented Himself as the Almighty God. This took in the mighty work of the cross that was finished by the Lord Jesus Christ. The fullness of time was not man’s time, logically man would put such an event at the end of his known time, but we’re dealing with the supernatural. We’re dealing with a God who created time, and fulfilled time, and who knows the end of time from the very beginning of time. The fullness of time is God’s order. He controls time, and He placed His Son at the fullness of time.
  The work of the cross was for the past, the present, and the future, therefore, in the fullness of time (dividing time) God sent forth His Son born of a woman, made under the law. During the course of the Lord’s life, and His crucifixion and death and resurrection, He was fulfilling the covenant that was given to Abraham. Christ also fulfilled the law and the covenant that were given to Moses. Christ fulfilled this in the new covenant of grace which He purchased by His own death on the cross. And then proved His power by His resurrection from the dead.
  If we only look at the sin issue concerning ourselves, we will miss all those things that were fulfilled by Christ on the cross. First, we have the fulfillment of prophecy with the sacrifice of Himself. (Isaiah 53) Second, we have the fulfillment of the covenant given to Abraham. Remember that Abraham’s covenant was not dependent on the law for it was given 430 years before the law. And before the covenant made with Abraham God had declared the law of sin and death. I want you to also notice that when God gave the law to Moses, the law of sin and death did not disappear. In fact, the law of Moses magnified the law of sin and death, and that law was given in the garden before the fall of man.
  In the new birth the law of sin and death is removed from the new creature in Christ. Christ destroyed the law of sin and death upon the cross. This was the pivot pin of all time. This is why God the Holy Spirit calls this the fullness of time. Everything that God had promised, everything that God had written in His determinate counsels, everything that the Godhead bodily had planned was brought to life with the death of Christ on the cross of Calvary. God established it (in the life of the Lord Jesus and the death of the Lord Jesus and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus) as the fullness of time.
The Fullness of Time — God Passed By
  In the 430 years (from Abraham to Egypt) God was not silent. He took those years to prepare a seed who would become the people of God on earth in the nation of Israel. We follow the record of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the patriarchs and Joseph down into Egypt. The seed of Abraham was then in bondage to the Egyptians, therefore, the Almighty had to work His power once again to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. He led them out with a strong hand. This depicted His position as the Almighty God, however, we also have the Lord Jesus adding a new name to His divine character. He put forth, I am that I am, which He would proclaim to the Jewish leaders in His day upon the earth as Jesus Christ. When Christ used the ‘I am’ to describe Himself to the Jews in His day (in the fullness of time) the Jews took up stones to stone Him. And He passed through the midst of them. This was a supernatural act of the One who stepped out of heaven’s glory to be the Son of God upon the earth, and thus stepped into the unseen as He passed the Jewish nation by. He walked from the seen to the unseen which the Lord had done before when they were going to cast Him off from the hill, He passed through the midst of them. In His transfiguration He passed from the seen to the unseen and revealed Himself to the seen in all His glory. This was the heavenly Man that they saw transfigured before them. This was the heavenly glory that He displayed in the fullness of His Person and the express image of God. He revealed Himself through His complete effulgence to His disciples: Peter, James, and John. And in the presence of the supernatural Man both Elijah and Moses stepped from the unseen to the seen on the holy mount. In John Chapter 8, verses 52 through 59, the Lord Jesus exercised His divine right to be seen or unseen.
Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death. (John 8:52)
Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself? (John 8:53)
Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: (John 8:54)
Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying. (John 8:55)
Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. (John 8:56)
Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? (John 8:57)
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. (John 8:58)
Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by. (John 8:59)
And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. (Exodus 3:14)
  We have a wonderful revelation that took place in John Chapter 8. For the Lord Jesus went from the religious system (He passed by or through the system of man) for the Jews had taken possession of the law and had perverted it. Later in their condemnation against the Son of God, speaking to Pilate, they stated that THEY had a law, but this was not the law of God. In John Chapter 8, the Lord Jesus is done with the religious system, for Chapter 9 begins with Him ‘passing by’ an individual (not a system) and this man was born blind. The connection of the change (the seen to the unseen) are the words ‘going through the midst of them,’ speaks of the collective, and ‘so passed by.’ Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by. (John 8:59) In John Chapter 9, verse 1, we have this phrase repeated ‘passed by,’ however, this time it was to reveal Himself as the light of man to a man who was born blind. And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. (John 9:1) In both these phrases (John 8:59 and John 9:1) we see the Lord Jesus moving from His ministry with the religious Jews and THEIR law to grace to the man born blind. The man who was born blind revealed the helplessness of Adam’s race. God is displaying the whole of Adam in one man who was born blind, however, light had come to drive away the darkness in the life of man through the Lord Jesus Christ. As the Lord gave sight to the man who was born blind everyone was in shock for there had never been such a miracle: that a man who was born blind had received sight. And yet, Adam’s race glosses over the One who is the Light of the world, the Lord Jesus Christ. They would rather live in their blindness then have the light of life in Jesus Christ.
  In the law of Moses there was a provision for the leper which was called The Law of the Leper, however, there was no provision for a man born blind, again, this shows the helpless condition of all of Adam’s race. This is a one time miracle that the Lord performed, so also, in the new birth it is one time miracle, and NO man or religious system or teaching can take that birth away. Grace declared, ‘once I was blind but now I see’. He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see. (John 9:25) We also should notice that giving sight to the man who was born blind was an expression of the power of the Lord Jesus over all humanity. For He was in control of Adam’s race. And on the cross He would remove Adam and make a way whereby the Holy Spirit would create a new race of people in Himself (supernaturally born of God) because of the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. The Jews had perverted the law and had ignored the purity of God’s law. Christ exposed them many times, even calling them the children of the devil at one point. In John Chapter 8 the handwriting in the sand was the same as the handwriting on the wall in Belshazzar’s feast in the book of Daniel Chapter 5. They had been weighed in the balance and had been found wanting. They had usurped the authority over God’s law for their own law.
 Today in the age of grace, and since the death of Christ and His resurrection and His ascension to glory, man has been trying to pervert the grace of the Almighty God. Mixing the laws of men and the traditions of men changes the grace of God into a pseudo grace. God does not recognize this, nor will He accept this pseudo grace. This is why the Old Testament is closed to them. This is why the New Testament remains a mystery to them. They are mere men in Adam, and not in Christ, or Christ in them. They are of the earth (earthy), so they have an earthy definition of grace. Their definition of grace does not allow the sinner (like the publican) to look up into the heavens that they might behold God. We, of the heavens, we are a heavenly people, we are a supernatural people (no matter what world religion says) each born again soul is a supernatural being that has been born out of the side of the Supernatural Man Jesus Christ. This is life from above, this is life in the Lord Jesus, our blindness is gone and we can now tell the world about the Man, the Supernatural Man, who gave us our sight. Even today the Lord Jesus walks through the midst of them, He passes them by, as He passed the Jews by. Consider Luke Chapter 19, verses 41 and 42.  And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.
The Fullness of Time Rejected Then
  The blindness of all man-made religions is the deepest blindness of all. You can hold out grace to religious blindness, and it will scoff and mock you with their religious slogans and perverted doctrines. The Lord looked over Jerusalem, He had come to give them so much, and they refused Him and what He had brought for them. Verse 42 ends with blindness, the things which belong unto thy peace – they are hid from thine eyes. The Lord wept over the city that He had placed His name in. He had come to be their King, and to sit upon His throne on mount Zion, and they received Him not. When He gave sight to the blind, they received Him not, when He cast out the demons into the herd of swine (both the Samaritans and the Jews) wanted Him to depart from them. And lastly, when He considered Jerusalem He proclaimed in Matthew Chapter 23:37, 38.
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! (Matthew 23:37)
Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. (Matthew 23:38)
For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. (Matthew 23:39)
  Again He looked over Jerusalem, the city that was placed for His kingdom, all the kings who went before Him even David and Solomon were just faint shadows of His glorious kingdom to come. Through the history of Israel, through the history of Israel’s kings, the Lord could say, ‘How often have I passed by.’ How often would He have gathered them, how often would He have spread His wings of glory over them, and gathered them to Himself, but they would not, therefore, He passed by.
  John Chapter 8 begins with the law of the Pharisees in the presence of grace for the woman was taken in the very act of adultery, and yet grace over rode her guilt, and grace was used to convict the hypocrites as He stooped down and wrote (on the ground) with the finger of God. This was the same finger that wrote the fiery law on the tablets of stone. And one by one they were convicted of their own sins and went out from His presence, but the one guilty of adultery stayed for His mercy, and His grace which He imparted unto her and told her, to go thy way and sin no more. It must have been something for the Son of God to look around and see none of the accusers, they had all fled because of their own sin. Not one of them stayed for God’s mercy and grace. The religions of men and the traditions of men are truly blind.
The Fullness of Time Fulfills the Law and Fulfills Grace
  John Chapter 8 and 9 are a contrast between the law and grace. In John Chapter 8, the Jews were required to keep their whole law, and by them leaving the scene of their conviction they revealed in their own hearts that they had no room for grace. They must do the works of the law. In Chapter 9, the man who was born blind had nothing to give, and could do nothing to acquire sight, he was helpless, and he could only sit and wait out the darkness of his life. Then grace passed by, not only passed by, but stopped and gave of His grace in giving sight to the man who was born blind. And at the end of Chapter 9, we have his heart being opened, and receiving life from the Spirit of Christ. The question, Who is He Lord, that I might believe? The answer: Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. The man immediately worshiped the Lord Jesus Christ, and this is the absolute proof of a new heart. In the natural realm, he received sight possibly new eyes. In the spiritual realm, he received eternal sight that opened the door of heaven for the man who was born blind. Truly, this man could say in his heart, I am so thankful that the Lord of glory did not pass by, but stopped and gave me sight both in this world, and in heaven’s glory. This was the very presence of grace being poured out from heaven’s throne. And yet, today they say they are rich and in need of nothing. The same pharisaical thought is alive and well in the Christian Church today. They see not their debt of sin, nor their bankruptcy in their condition before a holy and righteous God.
The Fullness of Time Rejected Again
Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: (Revelation 3:17)
I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. (Revelation 3:18)
  Once again, in the end of our age, we witness the pharisaical heart of religion. They consider themselves above the truth, above the Word of God. Their intellectual powers have drowned their spirits with sin. The Lord Jesus casts this last church off. The destination of their religion is the tribulation from which they will have no escape. They will be found in the kingdom of the beast worshiping him and his image. They will laud the false prophet and give homage unto him for after all he is one of their own. He is the epitome of the religionist with no hope and without God in this world. Chapter 3 of the book of Revelation does not end on the down side. As Christ stood before the blind man to give him sight, He stands today at the door and knocks to give sight to those who will open the door. He is there to commune with those who open the door, and it is the individual task to get up from the seat of sin and cry out to the throne of grace. Open the door and He will come in, He will not pass by. And you will sup with Him, and He will sup with you, and at His table He will begin at Moses, and the prophets, and the Psalms and reveal the jewels within Scripture to you. He will usher you through the mysteries of the gospels and then reveal the truth of His grace. He will lead you to the Damascus road in Acts, and your spirit will ascend into the third heaven where He is sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high. He will take you from one epistle after another showing you the truth, for the truth is in Jesus. Then, with all His glory, He will take you through His own revelation that God has given to Him, and He will explain all the things that are written therein. He will not pass by.
  The Laodicean Church is the blindness of today. They are ever learning and never coming to the knowledge of the truth. They run down every by pass, and never take the road of grace. Their eyes are upon the earth, and cannot see into heaven above. SO much sorrow runs in their midst for they know not the truth, and only have death to meet. And truly, death will not pass by. The presence of grace does not mix with the world. Those who have need of nothing and are rich within themselves will be some of the most bankrupt and impoverished souls when they stand before the great white throne of judgment. They will not be able to cry out, ‘We have a law.’ For the very law that they abuse will condemn them. There is an impenetrable wall between the religionist and the grace of God. Only when the great I AM passes by can anyone be delivered from blindness and slavery of sin, and this has to be a supernatural work of the Lord Jesus Christ within the heart. The world cannot understand such a concept. They cannot see through the darkness. They cannot see Him as He passes through their midst for a great darkness has settled into their souls. When they can say to God Almighty, ‘I have need of nothing,’ when in fact, they are in need of everything. In their stupidity they are trampling under foot the blood of Christ.
The Fullness of Time — The Glory of God
  For those who love the Lord Jesus, we have heavenly riches more than the tongue can tell. We have a Man in heaven who shed His blood to purchase us, a pearl of great price. And He shares His unsearchable riches with us for there has never been a people who have had so much, and who had nothing to give. It is all through His grace, not through the law, not through the religions of man, not through the traditions of the elders, and not through the ungodly systems that lead throngs into hell every Sunday morning. Greater judgment will they bear for their deception. This is exactly why the life of Abraham is so important to the New Testament saint. You see that Abraham was free from the law of God because the law of Moses had not yet been given. The law was yet still to come. Abraham walked by FAITH. And by walking IN faith, He received His reward. But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. (Hebrews 11:6) Not only to Abraham but also to all those who diligently seek God, He rewards their faith with His eternal promise of eternal life.
And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. (Genesis 15:3)
And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. (Genesis 15:4)
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. (Genesis 15:5)
 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness. (Genesis 15:6)
And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it. (Genesis 15:7)
  As Abraham walked by faith, God rewarded him with the righteousness of God. This is where we need to examine faith, grace and God’s righteousness. The righteousness of God comes BY faith THROUGH grace. It is part of the eternal inheritance of the child of God. God cannot give His righteousness and then take it back because God has transformed, and created a new being in His own righteousness by faith through grace.
  Paul stated that he lived by faith, by the faith of the Son of God who loved him, and gave Himself for him. Paul had nothing to give to God, yet, God gave everything for Paul. Paul had a great debt for he persecuted the Church of God, and the Lord Jesus took it personally, So when Christ poured out His grace upon Paul, the Lord Jesus completely covered all of Paul’s debt. On that dark Damascus road it was the Light who blinded Paul who gave him sight within. Truly, it was the supernatural work of the Lord Jesus Christ on a great transgressor, for the law could not save Paul, neither could the religion of the Jews. Only grace could lift him out of the muck and mire of his sin into the pristine and glorious light of Jesus Christ. Paul, who professed to be the greatest debtor, told us of the unsearchable riches of Christ that he had received from revelation from the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ no doubt when he was in the third heaven.
And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: (Ephesians 2:6)
That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:7)
That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; (Ephesians 3:16)
And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. (Ephesians 3:19)
The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, (Ephesians 1:18)
Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;(Ephesians 3:8)
And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: (Ephesians 3:9)
To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, (Ephesians 3:10)
According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: (Ephesians 3:11)
 Paul, through the Spirit of God, communicates the wealth of heaven in Jesus Christ. The richest men who have passed through this world have very little of the world, and much in heaven. The saint seeks the riches of Christ in his own spiritual growth to truly understand more of the Word of God and to know the highest Himself. This is the gold tried in the fire of Revelation 3:18. This is the trial of your faith, That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:7)
  Where is the fire that tries our faith in our modern age? There are two spheres: one is the rich and increased with goods, they are those who declare that they have need of nothing; and then there is the fiery trial of those who have nothing of this world, some in prison, some walking in poverty (yet their faith is rich through Jesus Christ). So was the life of Abraham, it wasn’t easy for Abraham to leave his kinsmen in Ur of Chaldees. It wasn’t easy for him to see Terah die in Haran, and then once again, walk the path of God. I’m sure Abraham was happy in his heart and soul that Christ did not pass by, but stopped to call him when Christ called Abraham, He appeared to him as the God of glory.
And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran, (Acts 7:2)
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)
  Hebrews 1:3 confirmed that it was Christ who is the brightness of God’s glory as He appeared to Abraham as the God of glory. We have further evidence on the holy mount when Christ was transfigured. He was transfigured into His heavenly glory, and revealed that glory to Peter, James and John. This was the same glory which was upon His throne when He was high and lifted up before Isaiah in Isaiah 6:1 and 3.
In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. (Isaiah 6:1)
And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. (Isaiah 6:3)
  In Matthew, Mark and Luke, we have three written witnesses of the Lord’s transfiguration, however, His brightness is not expressed as His glory. There is no mention of His glory in these three descriptions, however, it is a description of the brightness of His glory in that He shined like the sun. We, however, have two more witnesses to the truth of His transfiguration: one is in the gospel of John Chapter 1, And the Word was made 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 1:14) In the gospel of John Chapter 1:14, is the first reference of His glory being revealed on the holy mountain. And then Peter confirmed this in 2nd Peter 1:16-1 when Peter explained that they were together with the Lord Jesus on the holy mount and Christ was transfigured with His glory.
For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. (2 Peter 1:16)
For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (2 Peter 1:17)
And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. (2 Peter 1:18)
  Peter not only revealed the glory of Christ, but their very presence on the holy mount, Mount Sinai. For your own personal study, look up the verses that speak of Sinai being the holy mount, or holy ground. It will surprise you. Also, in the transfiguration of the Lord there is a witness of the two men whom God took up into Sinai: Moses and Elijah. And God revealed Himself to each one of these men on the holy mount. And they were shown at the transfiguration of the Lord Jesus Christ in His glory. These two men stepped out of the unseen to be seen. They were there to represent the law and the prophets. They were also there to represent the resurrection in Moses and the translation of the Church in Elijah. They had come from heaven’s glory to be a witness in the presence of grace and truth in Jesus Christ.
  In the transfiguration of the Lord Jesus Christ, how many men were on the mount? Counting the Lord, there were six: Moses, Elijah, Peter, James, and John, and of course, the Son of man Jesus Christ. Six is the number of man, and what did they talk about with the Lord Jesus Christ? Both Moses and Elijah spoke of the things concerning the Lord’s death, when Christ would go to the cross and would redeem man unto Himself. This was before the cross. Now, there is one more man added to this list, and this one could only come after grace and truth was finished in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. The man would be the man that was born out of due time, and as he traveled on the darkest road of his life, he was blinded on the Damascus road. Saul received both light and life on that road, and after he received his sight again by Simon, Paul who was Saul, went into Arabia where the holy mount is located.
But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace, (Galatians 1:15)
To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood: (Galatians 1:16)
Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus. (Galatians 1:17)
For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; (1st Corinthians 15:3)
And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: (1st Corinthians 15:4)
And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: (1st Corinthians 15:5)
After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.(1st Corinthians 15:6)
After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. (1st Corinthians 15:7)
And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time (1st Corinthians 15:8).
For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. (1st Corinthians 15:9)
But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. (1st Corinthians 15:10)
Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed. (1st Corinthians 15:11)
For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. (Galatians 4:25)
  Paul, as one born out of due time, takes us beyond the cross after the finished work of Christ. Paul would ascend into the third heaven from the holy mount of Sinai. As Moses received the articles of the law, and the provision and the plan of the tabernacle on mount Sinai, so Paul received, from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Charter of the Church. Paul revealed those revelations through the Spirit of God to us in his epistles. This is verified in 2nd Corinthians 12:1-21. And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. (2 Corinthians 12:7) This whole Chapter in 2nd Corinthians is worth studying. It is a lesson in true humility that every servant of Jesus Christ should learn and project in their lives. This Chapter brings us to the seventh (7th) man on the holy mount: the apostle Paul. He received the complete revelation concerning the Church, and the Body of Christ.
The Fullness of Time Reveals and Revealed
  God the Holy Spirit reveals the apostle Paul as the seventh (7th) man on the holy mount for a particular reason. The Lord Jesus Christ had given to Paul specific revelation concerning the Church and the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. When Christ was transfigured, the Lord Jesus stepped into the unseen and then stepped back into the seen in the fullness of God’s glory. John said, We beheld His glory, referring to the moment in time that Christ stepped back into the scene and revealed His glory to them. This was to show Peter, James, and John the revelation of the glory of God in Jesus Christ which later (by the Spirit) Paul explained this glory to us in the face of Jesus Christ. Also, Paul received (and most probably witnessed in the third heaven) the work of the priesthood of the Lord Jesus Christ after the order of Melchisedec. For all the earthly sanctuary and the articles of worship that God gave to man in the tabernacle and in Solomon’s temple was to give man an idea of the glories of heaven, and the glories of God.
 God desires to reveal His glory to mankind, in fact, the first man was clothed with God’s glory which he lost when the devil brought forth temptation and man brought sin into the world. The devil had lost his glory prior to revealing himself in the garden. And there he beheld a created creature (Adam) who now displayed the glory that Satan once had. Through the enmity of the heart of Satan, through jealousy and envy Satan set out to destroy man and take the glory of God away from man. Throughout the history of Adam’s race and Israel God has continually wanted to share His glory with man, and each time that God presents His glory (because of the sin of man) that glory has to depart. God now, on the mount of transfiguration, once again, revealed His glory to man. So much so that in the book of Hebrews Chapter 1, verse 3, He calls His glory, the fullness of God’s glory in Jesus Christ. And yes, after the Lord’s resurrection the glory departed. He ascended to the right hand of God, and sent His Spirit into the world to reveal His glory to the children of God who He had chosen before the foundation of the earth. And they, in their hearts, as Paul stated, see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
  Paul also received, while he was in the third heaven, the assurance of the continued covenant that God had made with Abraham through the nation of Israel. All the beautiful plans of the tabernacle were revealed again to Paul, so that he could put in the book of Hebrews the difference between the things of earth and the things of heaven, between the things that were temporal and the things that are eternal. Paul stated concerning these heavenly things (including the heavenly Jerusalem) that his Savior had given him the reality and the vision of things above. As Moses, on the holy mount, was given the plan of the tabernacle, as Elijah was given the future of the ten tribes and their captivity, and that he would be caught up before this great judgment, so Paul was given the translation of the Church before the end time judgment called the tribulation.
  Elijah was the man who called fire down from heaven on the sacrifice of God at the specific hour of the evening sacrifice in Jerusalem which was the divine picture of the exact time when the fire of God would come down upon His Son in the judgment for sin and for Adam’s race. Elijah would be caught up to God as the Lord Jesus is described in the book of the Revelation as being caught up to God. The fiery chariot is a description of the judgment of God that will come when God removes all His children and His servants in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. At the departure of the church a new work of God will begin with the children of men. This judgment will begin as recorded in Revelation Chapter 6, and will conclude in the end of time when Christ will judge man at His great white throne. When the last judgment of this throne is complete, He will then create the new heaven and the new earth wherein righteousness will dwell. Both Paul and John were caught up into heaven, and both received revelation from the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
  On the mount of transfiguration Hebrews 11:1 becomes a reality for faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Both Moses and Elijah were the instruments of God’s faith, and on the holy mount they stepped from the unseen to the evidence of the seen. Our hope is through our faith, and because of our faith that we have received from Jesus Christ. Faith is its own evidence of things hoped for, and things not seen, for without faith it is impossible to please God. (Hebrews 11:6) When Paul stepped back into the things seen he could only relate the specific revelation that Christ wanted to reveal to His bride, the church. Paul saw everything, and he heard everything, yet, he could not reveal all to us. I believe that he saw some of the revelation of Jesus Christ that was reserved for the apostle John when he also was caught up into glory. As John the Baptist was the herald of the coming of Christ, Paul was the herald of the bride of Christ. This we see this in all his epistles. Paul constantly gave doctrines and teachings concerning the body of Christ that the body of Christ is a supernatural creation prepared by God Himself as a bride for His dear Son. The Spirit of God has been calling out that bride from the earth since He descended as the Lord Jesus promised. Paul went from being a persecutor of the church to the being and expounder of grace. He went from opposing the Lord to loving the Lord. And I believe that when he ascended into the third heaven, like Peter, James, and John, he beheld the glory of Christ and in Paul’s heart he could say with John, We beheld His glory the glory of the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth. In a moment of time, this prosecutor and denier became a believer and a proponent of the grace of God in Jesus Christ. The name Saul was changed to Paul, (as Abram’s name was changed to Abraham) this gave Paul an understanding of his new position in grace that his own being had been changed in a twinkling of an eye. As he was a persecutor of the law to bring justice to the law, he now was the expounder of grace so that he could write his epistles through the power of the Holy Spirit with all conviction. Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; (Hebrews 8:1)
A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. (Hebrews 8:2)
In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.(Hebrews 8:3)
  What was revealed to Paul through grace was the new garment without spot, without imperfection. It was the new bottle in which the new wine was poured into from the throne of heaven, and from the high priest after the order of Melchisedec. This left no room for the old garment with the tear, it left no room for the old bottle that had been defiled. They had waxed old and were ready to wax and fade away. This thought to a Pharisee of the Pharisees could not come in any other way, but through divine revelation from Jesus Christ. The word ‘vanish’ is most interesting. The law and all the ordinances were ready to pass away into the unseen as the tabernacle was removed, as the temple of Solomon was removed, as the Herod’s temple was removed, all these were removed so that grace may come and those who are partakers of Jesus Christ will never be removed from the presence of their Savior.
  In Colossians, Paul told us that, we are translated into the kingdom of God’s dear Son through grace and the new birth as we step into the unseen. Through grace and the power of an endless life that comes from our Savior, we step back into the seen to declare His glory. As grace came from the unseen, so the law must vanish into the unseen. Truly, faith is a substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. The Lord Jesus has left us with such a great cloud of witnesses concerning His grace, and I do not forget the One who He has sent, the Holy Spirit of God to call us out of the world and into the bosom of God.
The Tithe of Abraham Compared With the Levitical Tithe
  Now we must deal with the tithe of Abraham, only once do we have Abraham giving of the spoil. These were the spoils of war. And this offering out of the heart of Abraham was given to a divine priest who was Melchisedec. Later during the history of the kings of Judah and Israel in 2nd Kings and 2nd Chronicles when the kings took great spoil from the enemies of God, they offered these spoils as a free will offering to God for the specific victory that God had given to them.
  In the law we have the responsibility of man to offer to God both in the priesthood and in the individual. The society of the priesthood was to be maintained by the children of Israel. And they were to give proportionately for the welfare of the Levites and the priesthood because they were set up by the divine hand of God and they had no inheritance in the land, therefore, it became the responsibility of the children of Israel to maintain the earthly priesthood of Aaron and his descendants.
  Abraham offered his offering as a free will offering for the great victory that God had given him over a huge host. This host was also the enemy of God. They had come from the seat of idolatry, and only after this great victory could One meet Abraham. It had to be the God of glory who called Abraham out of Ur of Chaldees in the revelation and the Person of Melchisedec.
  When we look at the sacrifices of the kings of Israel and Judah over the victories of the enemies of God, they offered of the bullock and of the sheep and of the goats, but they did not offer the material objects. The material things in Abraham’s day were returned to the king of Sodom, for Abraham would not mix the works of the hands of man with the offering of the bullock, the sheep, and the goats to the Almighty God in the Person of Melchisedec.
  To build a system of law, a system of tithing based on Levitical order is putting the children of grace under a system of man’s law and man’s order. The law has vanished, the system of tithing under the Levitical order has vanished, in fact, what God has given to the children of God is far greater than any of their own personal wealth. He has given Himself to them as the God of glory. God does not want you to be limited to a system by men. He wants you from your heart, like Abraham, to offer freely of the spoils, not by law, but by grace. Abraham gave a great offering when Melchisedec stepped out of the unseen. Melchisedec had come to bless His servant Abraham. He came to receive an offering at the hand of Abraham, and it must have been a great offering made by fire.
And he shall cleave it with the wings thereof, but shall not divide it asunder: and the priest shall burn it upon the altar, upon the wood that is upon the fire: it is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD. (Leviticus 1:17)
For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law. (Hebrews 7:12)
For he of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the altar. (Hebrews 7:13)
For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood. (Hebrews 7:14)
And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest, (Hebrews 7:15)
  God reveals the importance of both the offering and the altar in Leviticus 1:17, that both are united in a sweet savor for God.
Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; (Ephesians 5:1)
And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. (Ephesians 5:2)
  As Melchisedec, Christ is the priest, Christ is the altar and Christ is the sacrifice. Even those things that are in heaven are only there to relate His glory, His Person, and His dominion, for He is the center of all that is God. He is the fullness of God’s glory, and He is the fullness that fills all things. When Melchisedec met Abraham it was the first mention of a divine priesthood for He was the priest of the most high God, and because He was the Creator of all things, Abraham could say, ‘the possessor of heaven and earth.’ The law of first mention that is found in Scripture (especially in Genesis) gives us a view of things to come. Melchisedec is the revelation of God in the Person of Jesus Christ as the high priest in heaven’s glory for us. Don’t allow man to take this wonderful revelation away from your heart and soul. God has made a covenant with the children of God in the blood of His dear Son. Melchisedec is the pre-incarnate evidence of the heavenly priesthood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Abraham saw this as Melchisedec ministered to Abraham. Abraham received revelation from Melchisedec concerning the Lord’s day and the fullness of time. Abraham gave a tenth part of the spoil not to an earthly priest, but to a heavenly priest. Abraham was full in his heart of the great supernatural victory that God gave him over the enemies of God. Are you seeing the picture? We should remember that Abraham was separated from the land of idolatry that he had overthrown. God had called him out of idolatry for Himself, and He had separated him from his kinsmen. Later in the book of Genesis, we have the proof of this when Jacob desired Rachel above all others, Jacob labored for her father Laban, an idolater. The proof of this when Jacob was allowed to leave with Rachel she took her father’s idols. (Genesis 31:19, 34) We should see the true web of idolatry in the world, both then and today. Idolaters are the enemies of God, a man or an organization, or a nation that worships idols is an enemy of God. There is no grey area here. It is clearly black or light. Blindness or sight, therefore, when God’s Man appears to Abraham, it was the preincarnation revelation of God’s dear Son to Abraham who would see the Lord’s day and rejoice in it. He gave one tenth of the spoil for an offering made by fire. The material things and the people were returned to the king of Sodom, except for what Mamre, Aner, and Eshcol took for themselves. The material side or the offering made by hands (Cain’s offering) would not be accepted, and that is why when Abraham spoke to the king of Sodom, Abraham said of himself, that he had lifted up his hand to the most high God the highest Himself and that was quite enough for Abraham. Therefore, we must not drag Abraham into the law of Moses, even though the law was given by God, Abraham was exempt from the law under faith and grace. Today the law of the tithe that man has brought into the religious systems of men is to sustain their idolatry, and their greed. They worship the things of their own hands, and will not submit to the God of grace and truth. For the law has vanished away, let a man lay up in store a portion of his goods out of a pure heart as Abraham. (Lay up in store by you so when God directs your heart and shows you a need you will be able to quickly access your reserve and provide relief to the object of God’s kindness and mercy). And make sure that the goods are used for God and not for the systems of mankind that are so widely known. When your heart reaches the purity of the widow with only two mites and it is all that you have, then truly, the heart is pure and full, and the Lord remembered this and it has been declared for more two thousand years. Did she give unto the law? No, she gave much more under grace, for she gave all that she had, she gave all that she was, and she gave all that she would ever be in the presence of her Lord and her God Jesus Christ. And yes, God remembers. Amen.
© Copyright 2018, Michael Haigh
Article may be used, but not for gain. Freely ye have received, freely give.
All Scripture references are from the Authorized King James Bible. (KJV)