Good evening and welcome to EBible Fellowship’s Bible study in the book of Genesis. Tonight is study #7 of Genesis, chapter 22. We are reading the first two verses, in Genesis 22:1-2:
And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. 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.
We are continuing to look at the word “tempt” or “prove” that we find in Genesis 22:1. It led us in the direction of the “day of temptation” in the wilderness, because the use of the term “ day of temptation,” which we have seen relates to Judgment Day, and also because of the “manna” from heaven. The “manna” has to do with doctrines or teachings from the Word of God, the Bible. There are tremendous similarities between God providing the food from heaven, the manna, to nourish God’s people that came out of Egypt with God’s program to open the Scriptures at the time of the end to feed His people during two of the most severe testing programs ever designed by the Lord:
We saw how the Lord has been opening many truths and bringing to light major doctrines that had never before been understood. And because they were never before understood, there are critics that will not receive them: “If the churches never accepted these things, then I am not going to accept it if it is something new.” Of course, they are refusing the idea of progressive revelation and they are refusing what God said to Daniel when He said to seal up the book until the time of the end, and then knowledge would increase. They are refusing these things, despite this fact. They try to make themselves look holy and they use language, “Well, we just follow proven, established doctrine widely accepted by the churches,” as if that was any kind of safety measure that would guarantee doctrine. It does not, because the churches held onto many false doctrines. They are refusing these things despite the fact that God has brought this information to the surface and revealed them through the Bible, and the Bible only, through the proper methodology of comparing Scripture with Scripture, harmonizing with all the Bible has to say. None of this influences these critics; they are not impressed.
The true child of God can only shake his head in sadness and he cannot fathom why they cannot understand these things: “It is plain as day – Christ spoke in parables, and without a parable He did not speak. This is the way the Lord was able to hide truth in the Bible, and the way He reveals these truths and reveals the mystery is by comparing Scripture with Scripture.” Well, they just do not understand. They do not get it. They think you are jumping around the Bible: “You are out of context. Why do you not stay there?” But you cannot compare spiritual with spiritual by staying within the verse. You must take the verse, word by word, and see how else God uses the words. That is the whole idea, and that is how the Holy Ghost teaches. That is how God defines His own terms. But, again, it does not register with them because these things must be spiritually discerned.
I am sorry to say that the problem is that most of those that call themselves Christians and true believers were never born again. They have not been granted spiritual life and, therefore, they are dead to spiritual things. They have a natural mind, and they only perceive natural things, so these things make no sense to them. This is precisely why God said in Daniel 12 that the wise will understand, but none of the wicked will understand, because it was His full intention to bring the doctrine (the manna from heaven) to the understanding of the people of God, only. God knew that those that were not His people and were not truly born again would not grasp these truths. They are not able to grab hold of them and maintain them.
Maybe they can hold on for a little while, but when the “fire” is put to them and they are proven, tested and tried concerning these doctrines, they will back away; they will disown them; they will apologize for them: “Oh, I am sorry, I was all wrong about the Biblical calendar and the Day of Judgment.” But God’s elect do not apologize for the teachings of God. It was Judgment Day, but it had to be spiritually discerned to understand, as the Lord graciously and kindly opened up these things. For a while, many believed. If you remember in Luke 8 where the word “temptation” was used, many believed for a while. But in the time of temptation, they fell away, and they departed from the faith.
Of course, this whole time period is a time of temptation, and that is the reason we continually see people that depart from the faith. They fall away and go away from the Word when “fire” is put to the situation as they are reviled, ridiculed, mocked, hated and being separated from neighbors and family members, as well as strangers. For example, when the Lord opens up a doctrine or manna from heaven such as the doctrine of the church age, back during the Great Tribulation the Lord opened up His Word to reveal the end of the church age and the command to come out of the churches because Satan was ruling there.
For our own benefit, we were to get out and take our families, but here is a person that sees it and understands it. So, he goes to his wife and says, “Honey, we have to get out. Look at these verses. Judgment begins at the house of God and Satan, the man of sin, has taken his seat in the temple.” No matter how he piled up the verses, his wife remained a loyal church member – she loved the church; she loved her pastor; and she loved the fellowship. There was no way she would even consider these things, and she just shuts it down: “Do not talk to me about that. I do not want to hear anything about it. I do not want to hear anything crazy like that. I want to keep going to church.” And maybe her husband prayed and cried over several months or a couple of years, as he tried to be patient, but the time was running out and God’s commandment was urgent upon him. He loved his wife and his children, and he did not want any problems in his marriage, but it came down to the point that he realized that if He obeyed God and came out of the churches, it would, at the least, cause major problems in the house and, perhaps, even lead to separation or divorce, as his wife insisted on taking the children to the churches. It was a dilemma. It was major tribulation and difficulty that faced this man, like he had never had to face before. It was only after he began to listen to Mr. Camping and checked out what it said in the Bible, but everyone else in the churches – the pastors, elders, deacons and friends – was saying, “Why do you listen to Mr. Camping? He is crazy. He is a heretic. These things are heretical. Get away from them.” So, you see, there was the test. God was tempting that man. God was proving him through the doctrine He had opened up: “What are you going to do? Who do you love more?” Jesus said, “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” And, of course, this applies to husbands and wives; whoever loves husband or wife more than Christ is not worthy of Him.
What is love, as defined by the Bible? Christ said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” There is the test. Christ commanded to flee out of the churches, but the man’s wife said, “If you do, we are through.” He loves his wife, but he loves the Lord. What does he do? He went back to the Bible. “Let me check this out again because this is a serious thing, and I am not going to act rashly or hastily.” His ears are open to the pastor, the elders and his friends and they dispute among themselves, arguing with one another.
He should have just gone to the Bible because that is where we should go to ask our questions and to find our answers. We listen to the “counselors” of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Genesis, Revelation and all 66 books. In the multitude of counselors found in the Scriptures, there is safety, but he was listening to this man, and that man and the pastor and a well-regarded theologian or two, and there is no safety there.
Given the condition in his household and the situation with his wife and children, the pressure was applied, and it came down to the reality of whether, or not, he was saved. If he was not saved, it is guaranteed that he will “knuckle under” or give in; he will go the way of men. He will follow his church. He will opt for his wife’s love over the love of Christ. Of course, he cannot face that too directly, so he will suddenly “see” something in the Bible or he will “hear” something the pastor was saying, and he will come around to the pastor’s view: “Yes – Christ did say that the gates of hell would not prevail against the church.” He will totally omit the whole idea that there is an “eternal church” that the gates of hell cannot prevail against. Of course, the Bible never said that about the corporate church, the external churches found on street corners. But whatever it is, whether it is that verse or some other verse, he will begin to make a decision wherein, in the time of temptation, he will fall away. He has denied the Lord, and he has not obeyed God. He stayed in the churches.
Just as God tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden with the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, it was all a question of who they would obey. Would they obey God’s command? “For in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Or, would they obey the voice of the evil one? “Ye shall not surely die.” Man failed the test then and, ever since, God has been setting up testing programs, and at the end He set up the most severe testing program of all, and it would unfold over the course of 40 long years – 40 years of the Day of Judgment or the “day of temptation” in the wilderness of this world. And there the Lord would provide “manna from heaven,” but the manna itself was the testing ground.
Let us go back to Exodus 16:4:
Then said JEHOVAH unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.
What does it mean to walk in the Law or to walk in the commandments? It is evidence of loving Christ: “If you love me, keep my commandments.” So God is going to prove them to see whether they love Him, or not. Remember Christ’s question to Peter after the great catch of fish – the great multitude – had come in, which identifies with the end of the Great Tribulation period and the beginning of this final stage of Judgment Day. Christ said, “Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?” Simon replied, “Lord; thou knowest that I love thee.” Christ responded, “Feed my sheep.” Christ asked a second time: “Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?” Peter said, “Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee.” Christ said again: “Feed my sheep.” Then a third time, “Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?” Peter said, “Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee.” Jesus saith unto him, “Feed my sheep.” Three questions. Three responses. Three return answers. The number “three” indicates the purpose of God after the great catch of fish. We are to be about the business of feeding God’s elect, all those He has saved.
Of course, that requires knowing that the door of heaven is shut and the salvation program of God (as far as the saving of souls) has been completed, and now there is another task we are to perform. It is a command of Christ, just like the command to come out of the corporate church. It is another severe testing program. People did not like it, especially at first – it was greatly despised. It was looked down upon and demeaned, as though it were demeaning to them. It was like they thought, “If I go forth into the world using my time and resources and effort, I want to make sure people are becoming saved as a result. What is this commandment where you say I am to go forth to people that are already saved to bring them truth from the Bible to simply feed them and provide spiritual nourishment? That is beneath me. That is certainly something I am not willing to do – it is not worthy and deserving of my time and my attention and my effort.” Even though these things may not have been expressed out loud, the way most people responded to the doctrine of feeding sheep was something that they dismissed with the wave of their hand. It was looked upon with disdain by the critics of God and His doctrine, the manna that fell from heaven. It was something that was “beneath them.” How could they serve God in this way if it could not result in the miracle of salvation? It was as though the servants that had been redeemed by the grace of God were dictating to God what His program for things should be. We are not the ones to dictate when we will be willing to do as He commands. “When it is something deserving of our time and attention, then we will go forth, but not for this purpose. Oh, no!”
You see the pride of man was brought to the surface through the infinite wisdom of God. He brought these doctrines forth at the perfect time to bring to the surface of unsaved man what had always been below the surface, a proud and stubborn heart and an arrogant and rebellious streak of unbelief, because he had never been born again. He had only been fooling himself and others, but God knows the heart, and He knew all along. So the Lord has designed these testing programs to prove these people – all the professed believers that identify themselves with being truly saved.
Very well then, the heart of a true child of God is a broken and contrite heart. It is a heart that is humbled and only wants to do the will of God, whatever the Lord says. “Not my will, but thine be done,” is the true desire that comes forth from the new spirit God has instilled in everyone that He saved, even though we may not really like the will of God. It may be something grievous, like leaving the churches knowing it would endanger your family situation. These are grievous, grievous situations, and who would like that? We may not like it, but God’s people obey. We do His commands, by the grace of God. God gives the desire and the ability, as He moves within us to perform the doing of it. And it is done. God makes sure of it.
So, here again, there is more manna or more revealing of truth. And what will be the response? It is all to for the purpose of “proving” us. This word “prove” is also used in Deuteronomy 8. Remember, it is the Hebrew word translated as “tempt” in Genesis 22:1. It says in Deuteronomy 8:1-2:
All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which JEHOVAH sware unto your fathers. And thou shalt remember all the way which JEHOVAH thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness…
I will just interject for a moment here. God led them forty years in the wilderness and what was the purpose of God in doing so? He brought them forth with a great deliverance from Egypt and, yet, they did not go immediately into the Promised Land. And, of course, we can relate that to God bringing about a great deliverance on May 21, 2011 as He saved everyone that was to be saved and, yet, He did not bring the elect immediately into heaven. He allowed His people to continue on the earth. Again, it says in Deuteronomy 8:2:
… JEHOVAH thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.
That is, would we love Him, or not? God has set the stage and established this whole testing program to find out the answer to the question: “Do you love Him? Do I love Him? Do all that say they are true believers love Him? Do all that identify with the elect of God and the true Gospel of the Bible love Him?” Well, God is going to “prove” it. He is going to demonstrate it or show it forth. Do you see how this fits with 1Corinthians, chapter 3, regarding something we learned quite a while ago? It says in 1Corinthians 3:11-13:
For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
There are “gold, silver, precious stones” and “wood, hay, stubble,” which are two very different kinds of materials. And God puts the “fire” to both. The one will burn up. The other will endure, although it certainly is not pleasant. This is the reason we are told that those that are saved will “endure to the end.” God puts us all in the “day of temptation” or the Day of Judgment, and He lets time unfold as Judgment Day runs its course. And the “manna” falls from heaven to test or prove, “Will they keep my commandments, or no?” With each doctrine, there is “fire.” There is fire, and the situation grows more perilous and riskier, and there is more at stake. One’s own family may be at stake, as in the case of leaving the churches. Now when God has shut the door of heaven and ended His salvation program, people are still marrying and having children. It has everything to do with family. How can a mother and father have a child and still hold to the things that God has done? Some have criticized this, and they are basically saying, “Who can come up with such an evil doctrine?” And, yet, the real question is this: “Who would come up with such a severe testing program around a doctrine?” The answer is that it is God. Why would He do so? It is to see what is in your heart. Do you love Him, or no? Will you keep His commandments, or not? Do you love father or mother or son or daughter more than Him? Who will you obey? Who will you love? I cannot think of anything more severe than this testing program that God has made for the last. It is extremely grievous.