9 "And it will be said in that day: ‘Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the LORD; we have waited for Him; we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation,'" Isa 25:9.
      3 "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he is trusting in You," Isa 26:3.
      8 Yes, in the way of Your judgments, O LORD, we have waited for You; the desire of our soul is for Your name and for the remembrance of You.
      9 "With my soul I have desired You in the night, yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early; for when Your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness," Isa 26:8-9.
      The Bible is a progressive revelation of the Testator's last will and testament, generally termed Old Testament and New Testament. The Old Testament includes three major preliminary last will and testaments where the Son of God (the Messiah, Christ) as the Testator, was symbolized by the death of animals in animal sacrifices and other burnt offerings.
      This method of shedding the blood, the ensuing death, and the burning of the bodies served as a seal and testimony of the Testator's last will and testament. The required perpetual repetition of these burnt offerings testified to the covenant people's covenant training and meticulous daily by grace through faith-obedience.

      God's covenant with Adam and his descendants continued until the Law Covenant was given, and would include the lifetime of Jethro and Balaam. The covenant was with Adam and all of his descendants who would believe and obey God's prescribed manner of life and order of worship by grace through faith as Abel, Enoch, Noah, and others did, Gen 4:4; Heb 11:1-40.
      That order of worship included burnt offerings of the firstborn of the flock and other "clean" animals, Gen 4:4; 9:20. The covenant or last will and testament was ratified by the Testator as He obviously built or had Adam to build and burn the bodies of the animals that were slain to demonstrate the pattern of covenant worship. And this form of worship was followed by Adam's descendants, Gen 4:4; 8:20; 12:7,8; 13:4,18.
      Again, the shedding of blood, the ensuing death, and the burning of the body of the animal sacrifices were a perpetual (often repeated) seal and testimony of the covenant or last will and testament of the Seed of the woman who would crush the head of the serpent (Gen 3:15), and redeem the faithful covenant people into a divine oneness with the God-man Testator: "they two shall be one flesh," Gen 2:24; 1Co 6:15-17; Eph 1:22-23; 3:19; 5:31; Jn 10:30-36; 14:8-11; 17:21-2.

      18 "On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: ‘To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates," Gen 15:18.
      1 "Then the high priest said, ‘Are these things so?'
      2 "And he said, "Brethren and fathers, listen: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran,
      3 "And said to him, 'Get out of your country and from your relatives, and come to a land that I will show you,'" Act 7:1-3.
      12 "And the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised,"
      13 "For the promise that he would be the heir of the WORLD was not to Abraham or to his seed through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith," Rom 4:12-13; Deu 30:10-20; Rom 10:4-13.
      God's covenant with Abraham and his descendants began to restrict the covenant promises to the seed of Abraham and those who would join themselves to Abraham's household by circumcision, and by grace through faith worship and manner of life within the household of Abraham, Gen 17:1-14. In this way also, God began to form a special, great nation of firstborn sons who would reign over all other nations of servant sons eternally, Gen 12:1-3; Ex 19:4-6.
      The "promise" included not only the land from the river of Egypt to the river Euphrates (Gen 15:18), but the whole world – all creation, Rom 4:13; 8:17,32; 1Co 2:21-23; Heb 2:5-13). Inheriting all things as joint-heirs together with Christ is a promise made only to the firstborn sons (Gen 27:27-37): the other sons are cast out of the inheritance, Gen 25:5-6; Gal 4:21-31; 5:1-5. Only those who qualify as "gods" (Ps 82:6; Jn 10:34), will inherit all things and reign in eternal judgeships under Christ.

      This testament began with the Passover in Egypt, Israel's deliverance from Egypt in the Red Sea experience, and the giving of the Law Covenant at Mount Sinai. The Law Covenant lasted until the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.
      These three preliminary last will and testaments were activated by the death of prescribed animals, which symbolized the Testator as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, Jn 1:29,36; 1Pe 1:18-20; Rev 5:1-5; 13:8. All the last will and testaments promised the same divine life represented in the tree of life in the Garden of Eden, Gen 2:9; 3:22-24; Rev 2:7; 22:14. Receiving this divine life constitutes a new birth from an earthy body into a divine, heavenly, glorified, spirit body, 1Co 15:44-50; Jn 3:1-16; Col 1:18; Rev 1:5; Act 13:29-33; 1Pe 1:3-5; et al. We were symbolically born again in John's baptism, in the process of qualifying for the actual new birth in the resurrection when Christ returns. No one is really born again in water baptism, though the symbolism is required in order to qualify for the divine resurrection birth.
      This last will and testament should have been clearly understood by Nicodemus and others like him (Jn 3:10), and was understood by Simeon, Anna, and others, Lk 2:25-39. Simeon's testimony well reveals that he understood that the Testator must die and be raised again to crush Satan's power in order to reign on David's throne as prophesied, Isa 2:1-4; 9:6-7; 11:1-9; et al.
      Waiting on the Lord means serving the Lord "by grace through faith." All the covenants are "by grace through faith" covenants or last will and testaments. The Testator purposely put a "by the works of the flesh" requirement into the Law Covenant to magnify the fact that our "flesh works" inevitably result in the "condemnation" of all mankind, which condemnation invalidates the last will and testament. And this, in turn, disqualifies one from the inheritance promised through the cove nants or last will and testaments.
      Christ was born of a virgin and became a human, but was not a sinner. As the covenant Testator, He perfectly fulfilled the "flesh works" requirement of the Law Covenant, which qualified Him to bear the condemnation of our sins in His own sinless body.
      All others under the Law Covenant stood "condemned" throughout their lives (representing the condemnation of all the world, Rom 3:19; 5:12-19), yet the Testator provided the "by grace through faith" manner of life, which all the other covenants or last will and testaments also included.
      Though the "flesh works" stipulation held them under "condemnation," they could still freely serve God "by grace through faith," and the Testator would bear that "condemnation" in His death on the cross, 2Co 5:21; 1Pe 2:22-24; 3:18.
      This condemnation does not send the saved person to hell, but cuts the unfaithful saved person off from the covenants (the last will and testaments), and consigns him to the status of a Gentile of the nations, Mt 18:15-18. These Gentile nations will populate the earth during the Millennium and also the new earth, Rev 20:7-9; 21:23-26; 22:1-2.
      Waiting on the Lord is a constant day by day walking or living by grace through faith – not a first faith, once for all matter. We must qualify for the promises by enduring the disciplinary training stipulated in the last will and testament covenants.
      11 "So I swore in My wrath, 'they shall not enter My rest.'"
      12 "Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God;
      13 "But exhort one another daily, while it is called "Today," lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
      14 "For we have become partakers of Christ IF we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end," Heb 3:11-14.
      We will qualify for the resurrection birth into the divine state of being (partaking of Christ) IF we overcome by grace through faith in our "today" (Heb 3) or lifetime of temptation in the wilderness of this earthly life, Heb 3:1-18; 11:1-40; 12:1-29.

Firstborn Sonship of Christ

      We are still giving a brief summary of the book of Isaiah which concern the firstborn sonship of Christ. The summary is being divided into two or three articles. This is currently the second in that series.

      1 "Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.
      2 "He will not cry out, nor raise His voice, nor cause His voice to be heard in the street.
      3 "A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth.
      4 "He will not fail nor be discouraged, till He has established justice in the earth; and the coast-lands shall wait for His law." Isa 42:1-4.
      In Mt 12:18-21, Jesus quoted this passage in Isa 42:1-4 and applied it to Himself, it is clear to us that "My Servant" is Christ, the Messiah. Let us correlate some of the features of "the Servant" in the above passage which reveal that the Servant is the Seed of the woman, the Redeemer, the Testator of all the last will and testaments, and is Jehovah in human flesh.

      This is the "anointing" of "the Servant" as "the Messiah" – "the Christ." The Hebrew word translated "Messiah" or "Prince" and the Greek word translated "Christ" mean "the Anointed One." John the Baptist said: "I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water," Jn 1:31. This verse says there is something very unique about baptism that reveals the prophesied Messiah. That unique thing is that baptism symbolized a death, burial, and resurrection.
      Jesus said to John about His being baptized by John:
      15 "But Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Permit it to be so now, for THUS it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.' Then he allowed Him," Mt 3:15.
      The scriptural mode of John's baptism is by dipping – submerging the believing person in water and raising the believing person out of the water. This pictures a burial and a resurrection, which, of course, first represents the death, burial, and resurrection of the Messiah. Jesus would die for the sins (condemnation) of the world, be buried, and be raised in a new born, divine life body, creating a new kind of man. We have seen that prophecy required this, and this is how John revealed the Messiah to Israel.
      John further said,
      33 "I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.
      34 "And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God," Jn 1:33-34.

      7 "I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.
      8 "‘Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession.
      9 "‘You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel,'" Ps 2:7-9.
      These words, "I will declare the decree" were spoken in prophecy, and were recognized by Jesus by the time he was 12 years old as referring to Himself in His resurrection birth – "I must be about My Father's business," Lk 2:49. Jesus, as a human and as our example, learned from the Scriptures who He was and what His mission on earth was, Lk 2:40; Isa 50:4-10; Ps 40:6-8.
      6 "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
      7 "Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this," Isa 9:6-7.
      The Messiah is the Son of God born of a virgin into a human body, who must live a sinless life (without blemish) as the Lamb of God, Ex 12:5; Isa 53:9. As the Lamb of God in a human body He must die for the sins of the world, Ps 16:7-11; 45:6-8; Isa 53:10-12; 1Pe 1:18-20; 1Jn 2:1-2. As the Seed of the women and the Seed of David He must arise from the dead in a born again deified body, Ps 2:7; 45:6-7; 110:1-4; Act 13:29-33. As the Son of God in a divine human body He will sit on David's throne and rule the nations, Ps 2:7-9; Isa 9:6-7.

      10 "And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn," Zec 12:10.
      Review the context of Zec 12 and see that it is the LORD, Jehovah, who is speaking. It was Jehovah in a human body who was pierced in the crucifixion of His human body. Compare Zec 12:10 with Rev 1:7. This is Jehovah that we see in the prophetic utterances of Ps 22, whose hands and feet were pierced, Ps 22:16. The multiplied millions of sacrifices, where a part of each sacrifice or all of it was burned on the altar, were a constant testimony that the Messiah must live a sinless life and then die for the sins of the people. Initially, in the Garden of Eden, the animals died, were evidently burned on an altar, and their skins used to clothe Adam and Eve to cover their nakedness, Gen 3:15,21.
      We return to Isa 42 and the anointing of the Servant as the Messiah. The Old Testament saints should have recognized that this giving of the Spirit to the "the Servant" was the anointing of Him as "the Messiah" and "High Priest" to perform His earthly ministry and qualify Him to sit on David's throne as King.
      The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are "One," and though the Son became human, the last will and testaments were all designed for the Spirit to be given to the human Redeemer Testator and to all who are redeemed into the firstborn sonship of Christ, therefore into the same divine "oneness" of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Eph 1:22-23; 3:19; Col 1:23; 2:9-10; Jn 10:30-36; 14:8-11; 17:21-23.
      But could the Old Testament saints have understand this from the Old Testament Scriptures? This has been clearly answered, but let us make some additional observations:
      1. The Holy Spirit is everywhere working on the hearts of everyone in the world, Gen 6:3; Ps 19:1-6; 139:7-18; Jn 1:9; Act 14:16-17; 17:26-28; Rom 1:18-20; et al. There is no rational person who does not experienced the convicting power of the Holy Spirit.
      2. The emphasis on the firstborn son and his birthright throughout the Scriptures, Gen 4:4; 25:5-6; 27:27-37; 49:3; Ex 4:22-23; Num 3; Mt 1:25; Rom 8:29; Col 1:18; Heb 12:23; Rev 1:5; et al. The birthright of the firstborn provides for the firstborn to rule the other sons, Gen 4:1-7; 27:27-37. The nations on the new earth will be the other sons, and the firstborn sons will rule over them, Gal 4:19-31; 5:1-4; Rev 21:23-26;22:1-2.
      3.The Holy Spirit, in His indwelling capacity, is given to the covenant (last will and testament) people ONLY, Lev 26:12; 2Co 6:16. God appointed His faithful covenant people to be a special firstborn people – a kingdom of divine kings and priests above all other nations, which nations will remain earthy beings eternally, Ex 4:22-23; 19:3-6; Deu 7:6-11; 14:1-2; 26:16-19; 1Pe 2:4-9; Eph 2:10-22; 1Co 15:1-2,29-58; Lk 7:29-30; Col 2:9-21; et al. This is one of the most striking features in both Old and New Testaments.
      Those who have rejected the baptism of John have rejected the counsel of God against themselves, Lk 7:29-30. They have rejected the circumcision of Christ, Col 2:9-13. They have rejected the doctrine of Christ, 2Jn 9-11. They cannot receive daily forgiveness of sins (Mt 3:5-6; Mk 1:4-5; Lk 3:2-3; Act 2:38; Col 2:11-13; et al. Therefore they do not have the indwelling Holy Spirit and cannot keep the commandments of God, 1Jn 1:5-7.
      A huge pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night led Israel out of Egypt, across the Red Sea, and hovered over Israel for their forty years in the wilderness, Ex 13:21-22. The Cloud, visible to all onlookers, represented God's presence with Israel to lead and protect them.
      Jehovah was singularly Israel's God who promised to establish them as kings and priests above all other nations to be His firstborn sons, Ex 4:22-23; 19:3-6; Deu 26:13-19. Israel was uniquely His purchased possession above all nations which He would specially redeem to Himself through His covenant discipline, Isa 48:9-12; 41:14; 43;14; 46:6,24; 47:4; 48:17; 49:7,26; 54:5,8; 59:20; 60:16; 63:16.
      7 "For what great nation is there that has God so near to it, as the LORD our God is to us, for whatever reason we may call upon Him?
      8 "And what great nation is there that has such statutes and righteous judgments as are in all this law which I set before you this day?" Deu 4:7-8.
      And what great nation had such an awesome pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night to lead and nourish them? The Holy Spirit, the Executor of the last will and testament, was in the cloud, Ex 14:24-25. The Testator, through the Holy Spirit, dwelt in the holy of holies – no other nation had this singular dwelling presence of God among them.
      We return to God's Servant of Isa 42:1-4, and continue to show, by a correlation of Old Testament scriptures, that the Old Testament saints should have recognized "the servant" to be:
      1) the divine Testator who made all the last will and testaments, and who also must die as the testament Testator, Gen 3:15,21; 4:4; Ps 26:7-11; 40:6-10; 89:27; Isa 53; Heb 9:16-17;
      2) the Seed of the woman in a virgin birth to crush the serpent's head, Gen 3:15,21; 4:4; Ps 89:27; Isa 7:14; 9:6-7; Isa 53; Gal 4:4-7;
      3) the Kinsman Redeemer who would qualify as Redeemer through covenant disciplinary training, Gen 3:15,21; 4:4; Isa 28:16-17; 50:5-10; 53; Heb 3:6-19l 5:8-9; 12:2-3;
      4) the Son of man, our Kinsman Redeemer – God in a human body, Isa 7:14; 9:6-7; Ps 2:7-12; 45:6-7; 89:27-28; 102:23-27; Dan 7:13-14;
      5) the Son of God in a human body – in a virgin birth, Isa 7:14; 9:6-7; Ps 2:7-12; 45:6-7; 89:27-28; 102:23-27;
      6) the divine Son of David to reign on the throne of David after His resurrection birth, Ps 2:7-12; 45:67; 89:27-28; 102:23-28; 110:1-4; Isa 9:6-7; 11:1-11; Dan 7:13-14;
      7) the Firstborn Son of God from the dead, the highest of the kings of the earth, Gen 3:15,21; 4:4; Ps 89:27; Rom 8:29; Col 2:15,18;
      8) who would be born without the sin nature – He must have no blemish, Ex 12:5; Isa 53:9;
      9) would live a sinless human life – He must be without spot or blemish in order to die for the sins of all others, Lev 1:3; 3:3; 4:3; Ps 45:6-7;
      10) would fully experience and overcome the required severe covenant discipline, Isa 8:13-18; 28:16; 50:5-9;
      11) would be crucified and die for the sins of the world, Deu 21:22-23; Ps 22:16; Zec 12:10; Isa 53:5-12; Gal 3:13;
      12) would be buried and His Spirit descent into Hades (Ps 16:9-11; Deu 30:11-14) – The Old Testament saints knew their spirits were taken down to Sheol as in Ps 16:10 when they died, Gen 25:8; 37:37.
      13) would ascend out of Hades the third day at which time His human body would be born into a divine state of being, Ps 16:7-11; 2:7-11; Dan 7:13-14.
      14) would ascend into heaven, leading captivity captive – moving paradise from Hades to the third heaven, Ps 68:17-18; Deu 30:12-14; Eph 4:8-10.
      15) would be seated at the right hand of the Father in a divine human body and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit with spiritual gifts to give to the church, Ps 110:1; 66:17-18; Eph 4:8-10; Act 2; 1Co 12:28;
      16) would serve as High Priest after the order of Melchizedek on behalf of the covenant people, Ps 110:1-4; Lev 16; Num 3 and 8; Heb 5:5-10;
      17) millennium with the spirits of the saints to raise and deify their bodies into a bridal "oneness" of the divine nature, Isa 54 (Gal 4:21-31); 61:10-62:3; Rev 19:7-9;
      18) will judge the saints and present them before the Father without blame in holiness as the bride people to share His firstborn sonship, Gen 2:24; Ps 17:15; Isa 54; 61:10 thru 63:3; Eph 5:22-33; Heb 11:8-16; Rev 19:7-8;
      19) will execute God's prophesied and fierce judgment upon the world as in the flood of Noah's day, Isa 13:3-13; Joel 2:1-11; Rev 16;
      20) will lift the curse placed on all the material creation in Gen 3:17-19, Isa 11:1-9; 65:25; Eze 34:25; Rom 8:19-22;
      21) will rule the earth in righteousness for the seventh millennium of rest, Gen 2:1-3; Isa 2:1-4; 11:1-9; Mic 4:1-4; Isa 65:17-25; Rev 20.

      9 We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one," 1Jn 5:19.
      Satan tempted Eve in order to get Adam to obey him, and when Adam ate of the forbidden fruit, he obeyed Satan and became Satan's servant, Rom 6:16. Not only did Adam become Satan's servant, but all his descendants and all the physical universe became Satan's possessions, 1Jn 5:19; 2Co 4:4; Eph 6:12.
      To redeem man and his lost possessions, the Seed of the woman must crush the head of the serpent, Gen 3:15. To do this He must fulfill each and all the 21 items indicated above.