Tonight we'll complete this teaching. I was away in the bush for a week and we had a few other lessons in-between, including "The Grant and Adoption" (bb971001.htm) on this important subject. Now let's settle down and open our Bibles to the tale of the Ethiopian eunuch in the Book of Acts.
Acts 8:26-35, "The angel of the Lord spoke unto Philip, saying, 'Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goes down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert'. And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under queen Candace of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, had come to Jerusalem to worship, and was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet.
Then the Spirit said unto Philip, 'Go near, and join yourself to this chariot'. And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, 'Do you understand what you read'?
And he said, 'How can I, except some man should guide me'? And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
The place of the Scripture which he read was this, 'He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened He not His mouth: In His humiliation His judgment was taken away: and who shall declare His generation (or seed)? for His life is taken from the earth'.
And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, 'I pray thee, of whom does the prophet speak? of himself, or of some other man'?
Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same Scripture, and preached unto him Jesus."
May the Lord add His blessings to this reading of His Word.
The grants to Abraham and to David are unconditional and hereditary although they presupposed loyalty and the fulfillment of certain obligations and duties.
Genesis 18:18-19, "Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he has spoken of him".
Psalm 132:11-12, "The LORD has sworn in truth unto David; He will not turn from it; `Of the fruit of your body will I set upon your throne. If your children will keep My covenant and My testimony that I shall teach them, their children shall also sit upon your throne for evermore'."
Some of the descendants may suffer hardship, and the disobedient lose their rights individually (Deuteronomy 4:1, 25-27, 40; 5:33). Yet no one will take away from the Seed of Abraham or the House of David, their inheritance. Because of Seed of Abraham and the House of David is Jesus Christ and all in Him. That's us, and we have eternal Life. We're sealed to the day of our redemption. For God's gifts and His call are irrevocable, and no man can impute sin to His elect (Ephesians 4:30; Romans 11:29; 8:33).
Within the natural line of Abraham and David there was an election but our concern is with the offspring of their Spiritual Seed Who is our Lord Jesus Christ. All who live Godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution from the world. But there is no such thing as an elect "losing His salvation".
In Romans 3 and 4, Paul demonstrates there is no difference in the sight of God between a Jew under the Law and a Gentile without Law (Romans 10:12) because righteousness is imputed by faith, not good works. God looks upon the heart. He's concerned with relationship to him and our motive and objective. Without faith we can have no relationship and it is impossible to please Him if His mind is not in us. He goes on in Galatians 3:28, to say "there is neither Jew nor Gentile in the Bride, as we have the same eternal Life in Christ" (Romans 4:1 - 5:11).
This concept of grace in the grant of promise, "eternal security" if you like, lies behind the promise to the House of David and his descendants in II Samuel 7:8-16, "I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever, I will be his father and he shall be My son, when he sins I will chastise him with the rod of men and with afflictions but My grace will not be removed ... your House and your kingdom will be steadfast before Me forever, your throne shall be established forever."
David was of the Tribe of Judah through which Abraham's promised Seed would be fulfilled and inherit the royal grant of the Land of Palestine.
We may trace the lineage of Abraham's Royal Seed from the Promise or "grant" to Abraham through Isaac, Jacob, to the Twelve Tribes and Levi, to Judah, the House of David within Judah, to Christ Who was that Seed, thence to His Offspring, the true New Testament Church which is His Seed or Children to God.
This rhetoric does NOT apply to the great covenant of Sinai between Jehovah and Israel which was a "treaty" conditional upon works.
Hebrews 7:4-10 was a "grant". The act of Levi's great grandfather, Abraham, determined his relationship to Melchisedec as it did the Twelve Tribes. The descendants of Abraham were included in him: not only as he was their biological forefather, but also because He was recipient of the divine Promises in which the race was included.
Just as he was included in Abraham, Levi includes his descendants in his own person. And only through Christ can the Jew or Gentile fall heir to the Promise of Abraham (Romans 4:5; Galatians 3:7, 16, 26-29.)
So the household of Christians are included if they choose to receive the Promise. That's why we hold the Token over our family and friends, to keep them sanctified. Thus Noah's whole family was saved by water, but not having faith, three subsequently perished. In the Spiritual, the whole household of Cornelius was "saved" (Acts 11:14). As was the household of the warden in charge of the prison where Paul and Silas were miraculously loosed by an earthquake (Acts 16:31). As we will be at the close of the Gentile dispensation.
In Hebrews 5:1-6 Jesus is presented as the heir to both covenants, the Davidic and the priestly.
"Every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins: Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for he himself also is compassed with infirmity because of which he is obliged to offer sacrifice for his own sins as well as for the people.
And no man appropriates for himself the honour of being high priest, but he is called of God, as was Aaron. So Christ did not exalt Himself to be made a high priest; but was appointed by him that said unto Him, 'Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten You'.
As he said also in the Psalms, 'You are a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec'."
He is spoken of as King. Psalm 2:1-8, "Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, 'Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us'. (They'll certainly say this after the general resurrection, when Satan's subjects are raised).
He that sits in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall He speak unto them in His wrath, and vex them in His sore displeasure.
Yet have I set my King upon my holy hill of Zion. (He'll be there at that time).
I will declare the decree: the LORD has said unto Me, 'You are My Son; this day have I begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You the heathen for Your inheritance, (the Gentile Bride, and we're joint heirs) and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession'. (God told Abraham he was heir to the world, and with Jesus we are Abraham's seed)'."
He is also Priest. Psalm 110:4, "The LORD has sworn, and will not repent, 'You are a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek'."
As Jesus is heir to both covenants, His children are the "sons of the Prince."
Ezekiel 46:16-18, "Thus saith the Lord GOD; If the prince give a gift unto any of his sons, the inheritance thereof shall be his sons'; it shall be their possession by inheritance.
But if he give a gift of his inheritance to one of his servants, then it shall be his to the year of liberty; after it shall return to the prince: but his inheritance shall be his sons' for them.
Moreover the prince shall not take of the people's inheritance by oppression, to thrust them out of their possession; but he shall give his sons inheritance out of his own possession: that my people be not scattered every man from his possession."
Since Jacob wrestled with God and prevailed, "Israel" which means "a prince with God", has been the name of the overcomer. Exodus 4:22, "Thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, 'Thus saith the LORD, Israel is My son, even My firstborn'." As sons, we are heirs and joint- heirs and can never lose our inheritance.
John 1:11-12, "He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His Name".
God's servant nation, rejected Jesus as the promised Messiah, for Whose advent they had been prepared; but despite this national rejection, some believed as individuals, not as Jews, and gained equality with those who believed from among the heathen.
The Christian church is not a corporate transfiguration of Judaism (as much as the Roman Catholic church has attempted to impersonate the priesthood and temple service) but is built up of individuals. So there is no such thing as "Judao-Christian" heritage. The very words are a contradiction in terms. The one rests on the apostasy of the Jews; "Judaism" was not the religion of the Old Testament, being Pharisiaism which discarded the Torah, killed God's prophets and instituted religious dogmas and ritual which eventually became known as the Talmud.
To those with the faith of Abraham, whether Jews or Gentiles by ancestry, "as many as received Him", Christ gave legitimate right to become children of God, and the privilege and Name of Israel is extended to all the faithful. "He is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God" (Romans 2:29). "As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His Name".
When we overcome, we receive a name change. Through the Spiritual marriage or new birth, we are Christians, joint-heirs with Christ. Like Jacob we are overcomers and princes with God. Israelites, "Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh (that twinkle in Dad's eye), nor of the will of man, but of God". John 1:13 confirms the new birth is not related to fleshly ancestry (within Adam's race) but a Spiritual conception. For "in Christ there is neither Jew nor Gentile" (Galatians 3:28).
The Church Ages were an interruption between the Incarnation of Messiah and His parousia, when the Davidic and Aaronic Messiah of Christian belief returned as Son of Man and Judge to incarnate His Bride and inaugurate the end by indicting the world and the world church system.
Jeremiah 33:17-26, "Thus saith the LORD; 'David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel; Neither shall the priests the Levites want a man before me to offer burnt offerings, and to kindle meat offerings, and to do sacrifice continually'.
And the Word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah, saying, 'Thus saith the LORD; If you can break My covenant of the day, and My covenant of the night, and that there should not be day and night in their season; then may also My covenant be broken with David My servant, that he should not have a son to reign upon his throne; and with the Levites the priests, My ministers.
As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured: so will I multiply the seed of David My servant, and the Levites that minister unto Me'.
Moreover the Word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying, 'Have you considered this people have spoken, saying, "The two families which the LORD has chosen, He has even cast them off? thus they have despised My people, that they should be no more a nation before them'.
Thus saith the LORD; 'If My covenant be not with day and night, and if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth; Then will I cast away the seed of Jacob, and David My servant, so that I will not take any of his seed to be rulers over the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: for I will cause their captivity to return, and have mercy on them'."
Christ was prophet, priest, and king. As Son of Man He was prophet and surrendered His life on Calvary. As Son of God, He was priest and Mediator from Pentecost to the close of the Laodicean Church Age. The revelation of the Seven Seals brought Him back to earth as Son of Man and judge. And as they are fully revealed to the individual saints, we crown Him King of kings in our heart.
Revelation 10:1, 9, 11, "I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire".
This symbol speaks of Christ's "parousia" or return in WORD Form, through the mouth of the prophet William Branham as the Message of Revelation 10:7, after He has opened the Seven Sealed Bible. (Acts 3:21; I Corinthians 13:10).
"And I went unto the angel (Christ), and said unto Him, 'Give me the little Book'. And He said unto me, 'Take It, and eat It up".
Throughout the Book of Revelation, John represents Christ's end- time Bride who will not see death. So if you're in that number, you can replace this "I" with your name. There's no need to say "Please" for this Book; It's your right as an overcomer and joint-heir with Christ. It's the Title deed to your inheritance.
Brother Branham called this the Bride's "uniting time", or Christ incarnating His many-membered end-time Body, by bringing them into harmony with their Husband the Word. Making them "at one", or in agreement by faith with, and under preeminence to the fullness of the Word, for the manifestation of the Sons of God (John 17:21; Ephesians 4:13).
"And It shall make thy belly bitter, but It shall be in your mouth sweet as honey'."
The revelation is sweet to the ear of the believer and mighty to declare, but coming into the unity of the faith and mortifying the senses as not hearers only but "doers" such that the Token or Life of Christ is on display That's a bitter pill to swallow.
"He said to me, 'You must prophesy again, concerning many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings'."
In sharing the revelation with others, we are introducing Christ, the fullness of the Word, and God's grace. Those who "see" It and reject It have rejected Christ and, like Esau, come to a place of no more repentance and their name is off the Book of Life (Matthew 12:32; Titus 3:10-11).
So in this end-time, since Christ is no longer a Mediator, most of our witnessing is to souls imprisoned now, or "the total lost". We offer them God's grace but when they reject It, they are indicted and condemned of themselves (John 3:18).
Revelation 19:7-9, "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to Him: for the Marriage of the Lamb (or Gentile dispensation) is come to pass, and His wife has made Herself ready. And to Her was granted that She should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousnesses of saints. And He said unto me (John, the end-time Bride), 'Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the Marriage Supper of the Lamb'. And He said unto me, 'These are the true sayings of God'."
The "true sayings of God", are THUS SAITH THE LORD of the Message of the prophet of Revelation 10:7, the fullness of the Word which is Christ. We have made ourselves ready for the Wedding Supper in the Sky by dressing ourselves in the "true sayings of God" without a Mediator. That's the righteousness of His Word and the testimony of Enoch by which he was translated.
Revelation 18:1-4, "After a preview of Rome's destruction, I (the Bride, John) saw another Angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with His glory. And He cried mightily with a strong voice saying, 'Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of demons, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have participated in the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies'.
And I heard another voice from heaven saying, 'Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that you receive not of her plagues'."
The Message of the end-time Elijah is inspired from heaven by that anointing of the Spirit and agrees with the other "mighty Angel we see come down from heaven in Word Form and "lighten the earth with His glory", as Jesus foretold in Matthew 24:27 (Zechariah 14:7).
It is this glorious illumination or unveiling of the Word we share with others. The "grant" of grace which they reject for a "treaty" of good works to which God is not party.
In His Person and in the place of His ministry, Christ fulfilled in reality what the Jewish priests represented in type.
The Church Ages were foreshadowed by the separation of the high priest, who, seven days before the great Day of Atonement, removed from his own house to a chamber in the Sanctuary. For seven Church Ages Jesus, the true High Priest, has been separated from His Own house. Soon Israel will come to their day of Atonement when their elect will separate from their friends and families to mourn their heretofore rejection of Messiah and true atonement at Calvary. By revelation they will recognize His returning, and the acceptance by God of His Offering of Himself, and remission of their sins, through the ministry of two Hebrew prophets anointed by the Spirit that was upon Moses and Elijah. They will see the high priest come as the judge. Not in flesh, but by faith, in WORD Form in Israel's "parousia" in the midst of Daniel's Seventieth Week.
Hebrews 1:5-6, "To which of the angels (prophets and saints) said He at any time, 'You are My Son, this day have I begotten You'? (Not one, for they were separated from Him pending the atonement as the blood of bulls and goats could not remit sin). And again, 'I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to Me a Son'? (They were separated, pending the true Atonement, and could not be born-again or adopted, placed and recognized as sons. Therefore they are designated servants and "friends of the Groom). And when He brought the first begotten into the world a second time, He said, 'Let all the angels of God worship Him'." In other words, He is My firstborn and all of the Old Testament saints, and New Testament saints in the ages to come, must give Him preeminence as firstborn and as their Redeemer.
The phrase, "I will be His Father, and He shall be My Son" is an adoption formula and actually serves as the judicial basis for the gift (or "grant") of the eternal dynasty.
Psalm 2:7-8, "I will declare the decree: the LORD has said unto Me, 'You are My Son; this day have I begotten You. Ask of Me, and I shall give You the heathen (Gentile Bride) for Your inheritance, (and we are joint-heirs) and the uttermost parts of the earth for Your possession'." As Son of Abraham Jesus is "heir to the world".
"This day" indicates the formal initiation of a legal contract. In this case, the full adoption or placement of our Lord Jesus Christ at His resurrection as glorified Priest-King with all authority.
Matthew 28:18, "Jesus said, 'All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth'."
The "adoption formula" of Jesus is a type for His end-time Bride (bb971001.htm). On Jordan, He was placed or recognized as a worthy Son of His Father. Matthew 3:17, "A Voice from heaven, said, 'This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased'."
On Mount Transfiguration He was acknowledged as authoritative, or mature. Matthew 17:5, "A bright cloud overshadowed them: and a Voice out of the cloud said, 'This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him'."
Jesus' full adoption, as ours will be, was when He was glorified. Acts 13:32-34, "We declare unto you glad tidings, how the promise which was made unto the fathers, God has fulfilled unto us their children, in that He has raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, 'You are My Son, this day have I begotten thee. And as concerning that He raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, He said, 'I will give You the sure mercies of David (from the Millennium)'."
II Corinthians 6:16-18, "What agreement has the temple of God with idols? for you are the temple of the living God; as God has said, 'I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people'. (An adoption formula). 'Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate', says the Lord, 'and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and you shall be my sons and daughters', saith the Lord Almighty." (An adoption formula).
The House (dynasty), land and peoples are given to David as a fief under tribute (Psalm 89) and as was the rule in those days, this could be legitimized only by adoption. The promise is accompanied by the declaration God will not alter His Word (Psalm 89:35; 132:12.)
The son given into adoption has the duties of a son - giving the father preeminence by respecting his will. John 5:30, "I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which has sent me". Jesus was such a Son under preeminence to His Father.
Jesus said when we're adopted, "The Spirit of truth, will guide us into ALL truth: for He shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall he speak: and He will shew you things to come. He shall glorify Me: for he shall receive of Mine, and shall shew it to you. All things the Father has are Mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you". (John 16:13-15). When we're placed, the Holy Spirit will behave in us as It did in Christ and we'll say only what we hear from the Father. So we'll be under preeminence.
Jesus foretold, all under preeminence should expect persecution. Revelation 2:10, "Fear nothing you shall suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that you may be tried; and you shall have tribulation ten days: be faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life".
Although he has been adopted or placed, as a son of his father, he may be disciplined. And as the son of his father, is to be treated like the son of a free citizen, not as a slave. And can not be alienated.
II Samuel 7:14-15, "I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: but my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before you".
John 8:32-38, "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free'.
They answered Him, 'We are Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: what do You mean, "You shall be made free"?'
Jesus answered them, 'Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever commits sin is the servant of sin. And the servant doesn't abide in the house for ever: but the Son abides ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed. I know that you are Abraham's seed; but you seek to kill me, because My Word has no place in you. I speak that which I have seen with My Father: and you do that which you have seen with your father'."
They were Abraham's natural seed, but not his Spiritual seed, for the Spoken Word Seed of God had no place in them. Otherwise, they could not have failed to receive Jesus Who was the Word manifested in flesh (John 10:1-5). Therefore Jesus could tell them they were not adopted or recognized as sons, and like servants, could be put away at any time.
Hebrews 12:3-11, "Consider Jesus Who endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest you be wearied and faint in your minds. You have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.
And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks unto you as unto children, 'My son, don't despise the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when you are rebuked of Him: For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives. If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for every son is chastens by his father? But if you're without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are you bastards, and not sons.
Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but He for our profit, that we might be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening at the present seems joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby'."
As well as making all his heirs alike, the father had the right to "select a firstborn" and wasn't bound by the law of primogeniture. We have the example of Reuben, Israel's firstborn, and son of the "hated" or less loved Leah, who committed adultery with one of his father's concubines, and was repudiated because of poor character. Joseph, the son of the "loved" woman, Rachael, is given the double share. A further example is the Spirit's Inspiration to Israel (or Jacob) when he blessed Joseph's sons:
Genesis 48:13-20, "Joseph took Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near unto him.
And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head, guiding his hands knowingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn. And he blessed Joseph, and said, 'God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day, the Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth'.
And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's head. And Joseph said unto his father, 'Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head'.
And his father refused, and said, 'I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations'.
And he blessed them that day, saying, 'In thee shall Israel bless, saying, 'God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh': and he set Ephraim before Manasseh'."
The Deuteronomic rule prohibits discrimination by mere caprice, making the biological first-born absolute, providing he proves himself a responsible son worthy of placing (Deuteronomy 21:15- 17).
To this day the Jews observe an adoption ceremony or "Bar Mitzvah" for the male, or "Bat Mitzvah" in the case of a female which means "son or daughter of the Commandment," or "responsible," and under preeminence. The term denotes both religious and legal maturity. Jewish law fixed 13 as the age of responsibility or accountability for boys, and 12 for girls.
Needless to say, the selection of the first born elevated the chosen one to a privileged position in the family and entitled him to a double share in the inheritance. As stated, firstborn is a given right or "grant" as with the new birth, and not one acquired by nature. As when God crossed Jacob's hands on Joseph's two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh.
A firstborn could renounce his right as did Esau, but since the birthright in the family of Abraham brought the highest spiritual blessings along with it, Esau's sale of his for a mess of potage was an act of reckless sensuality which stamped him as a profane person (Genesis 25:31-34; Hebrews 12:16).
Not only David is named the first born to God, but also Israel is called by God, "My son the first-born Israel" (Exodus 4:22).
As the adoption of David as the firstborn was to legitimatize the inheritance of nations (or Davidic Empire which is the Kingdom of God on earth), likewise the adoption of Israel by God as firstborn (Exodus 4:22) aimed to validate the gift or "grant" of Land where He says, "I will put thee among the children...thou shalt call Me, My Father..." (Jeremiah 3:19).
Deuteronomy 32:8-9, "When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when He separated the sons of Adam, He set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel. For the LORD'S portion is His people; Jacob is the lot of His inheritance". (That's Israel).
By foreknowledge, God allotted land to Adam's Gentile descendants. There were seventy nations, the same number of Abraham's seed by Isaac and Jacob who went to Egypt and eventually, slavery. Those seventy males had multiplied to about two and a half million when God delivered them by Moses. You'll notice there was no land allotted to Cain's descendants, because Cain has no inheritance in the earth (Genesis 4:14). By foreknowledge, God allotted the land, knowing Abraham and his seed would become heir to the world ruling it from Zion in the Royal Grant.
Jeremiah 3:19, "How shall I put you among the children, (Christ's Bride) and give you the best land among the hosts nations (Royal Grant)? and I said, 'You shall call Me, "My father"; and shall not turn away from Me'." The adoption formula applied to the 144,000.
In the New Testament, Paul alone employs the idea of "adoption", metaphorically, with respect to the standing of God's people to Him as His children by Grace. Under Roman Law, "adoption" was the process whereby a man might legally bring into his family, and endow with the status and privilege of a son, one who was not by nature his son or his kindred. In "adoption", an individual's old relationships were severed, old debts and obligations canceled, and the person placed under authority of the father in the new family, who had right of discipline, ownership of his possessions, rights to control his behavior and liability for the new son's actions. And each was committed to support and help maintain the other.
The process of "liberation" from the first father is firstly one of redemption, or buying out, as one frees a slave, or restoration of a son of Adam to his birthright or "sonship". By justification by faith in the grace of Calvary, accompanied by the "new birth".
We can see how this may be applied spiritually wherein we were born in sin under our first parent, the nature of the world, which is Satan. And we were "liberated" when we accepted God's grace in meeting sin's price on Calvary, and adopted or placed as sons in a new birth. Somewhat like the story of the prodigal son.
Paul speaks of the Law or Old Covenant as being our first master because Christ purchased us from the dominion of the Law which condemned us to death and eternal separation. Galatians 4:5-7, "To redeem them that were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption of sons".
And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore you are no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
Christ and His Bride are adopted and are joint-heirs to the Royal Grant. Pass It on, my Brother, my Sister. Pass it on. God bless you. bb971008.htm