The Gospel In The Old Testament
The word "Gospel", we are told, means "Good News" and, no doubt the Gospel is definitely Good News. But, the fact is, the English word is a combination of two words, "God + Spell", or God's Word. Either definition is fine, since God's Word is definitely Good News!
The world is often led to believe that the Gospel is only found in the New Testament
The Saving Gospel is spelled out in the Bible, and here very clearly by Paul:
(1 Corinthians 15:1-8 [KJV])
Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: 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. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.
Hebrews 1:1
God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,1 Peter 1:9-11
Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.They heard that the Messiah, though it may have been a “proto-Gospel”
· Was the Begotten Son of God (Psalm 2:2, Psalm 2:7, Matthew 26:63)
· Was called their Messiah (Matthew 26:63)
· Was the ruler of the Kingdom of God (Psalm 2)· Was called their Messiah (Matthew 26:63)
· This ruler was God (Micah 5:2, Daniel 2:44)
· Was to die on a Cross (Zechariah 12, Isaiah 53, Psalm 22, Genesis 3)
· Was to die for Israel (Daniel 9)
· Was to resurrect (Genesis 3, Genesis 6, Genesis 22, Jonah, Daniel 3:25)
Genesis 22-24 cannot be understood at all without the New Testament Gospel. That said, Abraham had to have had an understanding of the entire Gospel, since He practically carried it out literally, up to the point of the death of “his only son”, Isaac. Only a believing Jew, looking to the future Messiah, could have understood this account.
Abraham could not have understood the entire situation here either without an intimate knowledge of the death and resurrection of his only son and without an intimate understanding the Gospel of the future Jewish Messiah. To the human mind, this whole incident is stupidity.
· Murder is wrong
· Killing your son is wrong
· Isaac was not a small boy, he was about thirty three by this time (Born 1896 B.C, this is 1863 B.C…..carried the wood also!)
· This whole thing would serve no purpose if not for the Gospel, to Abraham
· He had faith God would resurrect him
Genesis 22:2-8
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. And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. · Isaac is silent the entire way there, like a lamb led to the slaughter, before his shearers is silent, and could have easily overpowered his “old man”, literally very old, but did not
· Isaac was not Abraham’s only son, technically. Abraham never refuted it.
· On the third day Abraham…
· God Himself is the Lamb, not Isaac
· Abraham expects to return with Isaac
· Death (Hebrews 11), Resurrection of Isaac
Genesis 22:9-18
And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen. And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.· Again Isaac is “thine only son”, two more times
· The sacrifice is then a ram and not a lamb· Seed (not seeds) to posses gate of “his enemies”, not “their enemies”
· His “seed” is the blessing for all, not “seeds” (Galatians 3:16)
· His seed is Jesus (Galatians 3)
Galatians 3:8
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.The Gospel is not the nation of Israel becoming a nation blessing all nations with its presence, its laws, its rituals, its religion, but it is through birthing the Jewish Messiah, the Christ. The blessing is not the seeds, not the nation, but the seed, Jesus Christ the Messiah.
Galatians 3:16-20
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. 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. For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise. Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.
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. 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. For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise. Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.
· To Abraham and his seed were the promises made
· Seed is singular, not plural (modern versions are incorrect here once again)· Thy Seed, which is Christ
· Covenant confirmed before the law
The Gospel to Abraham
To AbrahamààààààààPromise of Thy SeedààààààààWhich is Christ
Hebrews 11:17-19
By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.
· Son called “begotten”
· Received Jesus in a figure
· Isaac was in a figure resurrected (even from the dead, whence also he received him)
Hebrews 4:2
For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it· They got the Gospel in the Old Testament
· They did not receive it by faith, like today
· “them” is Israel, which includes all Israel (Abraham)
Hebrews 11:24
By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.
