THE MANIFESTATION OF THE MESSIAH WAS GIVEN TO ISAAC

Because of the contentious manner the question who is GOD is likely to engender, it is pertinent at this juncture to complete our reference to Judaism especially as it concerns its offshoot; Christianity and Islam. Now considering Judaism as the founder of these two universal religions, it is instructive to note that Judaism has achieved the purpose for which it was established: a basis for the two heirs of Abraham to claim their inheritance the physical kingdom and spiritual kingdom; a foundation upon which Islam and Christianity are anchored respectively.Unfortunately Judaism is still waiting for a restoration to its former glory; this will not happen until they are prepared to admit that the Man who came in the Name of the LORD is the Messiah (Matthew 23:36-39). But sadly, Judaism is still waiting for the coming of the Messiah; not in the manner Christians are, but as was foretold by the ancient prophets. I suppose this is where Judaism has lost touch with its divine purpose. In I Corinthians 10:11, Paul showed the purpose of Judaism in GODs plan for universal redemption, which it carried out until the manifestation of the Messiah. Again in Hebrews 7:11 and 19, Apostle Paul also affirmed that Judaism had excellently completed its task, all that remains is for the unveiling to be complete and then fervent Judaisers will start believing that the One whom they spend thousands of years expecting is the same that came and got crucified. Thats that for Judaism because it is quite easy for them to admit their error for they were the original custodian of the revelation long before the time of grace to the Gentiles. Now that the time of the Provocation to Jealousy is all but ended, we should expect a flurry of activities to usher in the children of the inheritance into that which was theirs by divine fiat. On the other hand, Islam a variant of the Mosaic Law was invented to fill the vacuum created by the demise of the substance of Judaism. I dare say that it was needless because Judaism had performed its function excellently: preparing humanity for the manifestation of the Messiah and the fulfillment of all that was spoken about Him.As a custodian of ethical conduct, Islam has done well. GOD said of Abraham, I know Him, that He will teach his children about me; to reverence me and defend my name.Abraham definitely taught Isaac and Ishmael to defend GODs name, and in this respect the children of Ishmael, the major proponents of Islam, can be said to have done GOD proud more than the children of Isaac you dont want to insult GOD in the presence of a true Moslem if you really love your head.Similarly, as humanists, Moslems are more consistent in their generosity and kindness towards their kind more than professing Christians. Importantly, they are more steadfast to the tenets of their faith than nominal Christians who are more likely to abandon their faith on the flimsiest of excuses there are more Christians who have become atheists than Moslems who have changed their faith. All in all, Islam as a way of life for human relationship is almost perfect but as a means to eternal salvation it breaks down completely, not necessarily because there is an inherent flaw in its core teachings but because its establishment was not according to the plan of GOD: Ishmael was not the son of the promise. This means that not only was he not the son that GOD promised to Abraham through Sarah, he was also not the son through whom the Messiah was to manifest. The LORD GOD Himself said He recognises only family in His plans (Isaiah 51:1-2); hence any religion that emanates from Ishmael as a means of getting back to GOD is inconclusive and faulty. In fact Jesus categorically stated that, though worshipping the Father will no longer be done only in the Temple of Jerusalem, but the source of salvation remains the Jews (John 4:22). And so it has been. The other reason why the faith of Islam is not the source of salvation is because it has neither accepted nor projected Jesus Christ as the Messiah, which is a sine-qua-non for accepting Him as The LORD GOD that He is. The highest honour it has done Him is to label Him a prophet, more or less what Arius could have thought of. But the Jesus said, He was more than a prophet! Jesus once said to a sincere Scribe, who had kept the Mosaic Law religiously, ...Thou art not far from the kingdom of GOD Mark 12:34. Note that this scribe knew the law and lived by them Jesus Himself confirmed this. This didnt stop Christ from telling him the truth. But why was the man just out of the Kingdom in spite of his religiosity? The only logical reason is that he had not yet believed in the Messiahship of Jesus, and that is the necessary and sufficient condition for entrance into the Kingdom of GOD (John 3:16-19).Thus the good report of being a Muslim comes to naught if it is not preceded by pledging absolute loyalty to Jesus.As an aside, in the same vein that Moslems are near the Kingdom but not yet in, Christians who only profess Him without living according to His commandments are in danger of losing the Kingdom; because our High Priest expects us to show the fruits of repentance and submission to Him. We all must depart from the darkness of wickedness, take upon ourselves His yoke as a token of believe in, and loyalty to Him.There is an unavoidable fact that must be stated here. The relationship between the two significant sons of Abraham has universal implications. Though some people would rather this is treated in a hushed voice, but it has to be told in the plainest way because the truth has a way of compelling us until we set it free from the shackles of falsehood that humanity lives in. Whether with pains or glory it must be told because at the end freedom is guaranteed: I dare say that the conflicts in the Middle East are first and foremost down to the fact that ISHMAEL CAME BACK. There and then, the seed for the Provocation to Jealousy was sown.Yes, he encroached upon Isaacs portion of the Abrahamic blessings. Though Abraham was his father and he had a right to claim anything, coming back was not according to GODs will because GOD specifically instructed Abraham to send him away so that peace may reign (Genesis 21:12); but he choose to come back.As a son to Abraham, he was entitled to all, but one, of the blessings and covenants of GOD with Abraham (Genesis 16:9-12; 17:2,4,18,20,23,26; 21:13,17-18,20). The passages above confirm this and no matter how it is looked at, Ishmael was not part of the everlasting covenant it was Isaac's exclusive preserve! It was Isaacs portion to be that branch of Abraham that must yield the Saviour of mankind (Genesis 17:19, 21; 21:12). This of course, did not disqualify the House of Ishmael from enjoying the fruit of The Everlasting Covenant; Jesus Christ, for such is the way of God. But Being the source of the Everlasting Covenant salvation was and is still the issue.Moreover, whoever of the household of Abraham that was not of the everlasting covenant was blessed by Abraham and by GOD (Genesis 21:13; 25:6). But unto Isaac Abraham gave everything he had (Genesis 25:6), including of course teachings about GOD which no doubt included revelations about the Mystery of GODs Majesty which was preserved by Judaism and declared by The Manifestation Himself; Jesus of Nazareth. While other sons of Abraham born outside the everlasting covenant went away for good, only Ishmael came back because it is recorded that Ishmael assisted Isaac to bury Abraham. No doubt, it was his moral obligation to care for and bury his father at the appointed time, the bottom-line remains that he came back and that was symbolic he refused to be detached from Abraham. That he knew about his fathers death early enough to participate in his burial shows he was in constant touch with events going on around Abraham there was something about staying with or being attached to Abraham that interested Ishmael more than the gifts he got. My considered guess is that this was Abraham's knowledge of and relationship with GOD which he evidently taught his children, (in fact GOD confirms this about Abraham), prior to Ishmael being sent away. This has twain consequences on present day Jews and Arabs, and those proselyte by them: Ishmaels strategic come back into Isaac's territory set the stage for spiritual and territorial conflict. Between Isaac and Ishmael, conflicts of interest and trust were generated. Obviously Sarah told Isaac the history of Ishmael and Hagar, and I supposed Hagar also told Ishmael he was rightly the first seed of Abraham. Your guess is as good as mine on the possible state of mind of these two gentlemen each claimed to be the rightful heir, but with GOD it was a decided matter: Isaac was the heir that had spiritual significance and thus to God, the true heir.Therefore in the present day Middle East, not a day passes without these brothers engaging themselves in one direct or indirect strive or the other.Secondly, Isaac was reputed to have been a meek and peaceful man, hence with the kind of interest that Ishmael had concerning the hidden things of God, I supposed that Ishmael didnt pressed much before Isaac revealed the manifestation of the end time Mystery. Dont forget that after the burial, Ishmael played big brother by influencing Isaac to live in Lahai-roi (Genesis 25:11), a city obviously founded by Ishmael, with proceeds from the settlement from his father. It is symbolic that Ishmael built his first city around the well where had a divine visitation (Genesis 16:14). As a benefactor of GODs covenants with Abraham and the fact that he was able to stack equal claim to the everlasting covenant by burying his father, he earned the right to divine revelations he had unwittingly invoked a legal deed that Elisha will later use to get Elijahs anointing, and Joshua will use to get the office of Moses (Exodus 33:11).Thus, when Judaism waned in importance, the sons of Ishmael reacted; tendered their claim to divine revelation and Islam was created.Here is wisdom for all: as the first son, Ishmael had the legal right to be the custodian of his fathers physical and spiritual estate while as the son of promise, Isaac had the divine right. However, in matters of the spirit, the divine is superior to the legal. That is why Jesus can reverse every ordinance against you even if before your repentance you directly or indirectly entered into a covenant with the devil. However, Isaacs inheritance was superior in two respects: He was the legal son as well as GODs appointed vessel. A careful look at Galatians 4:22-31 reveals a truth that needs no further interpretation. This was expected and thus believers were forewarned to remember of whose House salvation was to originate. To drive home the importance of this warning may I state that Galatians was written around AD 53, while the revelation of the Quran which led to the establishment of Islam, began around AD 610. We can observe here that GODs warning was 557 years ahead of the institution of Islam. The wise will take heed while the sons of perdition will take knives. Thus sadly for Ishmael and in spite of his desire and devotion to learning the paths and the mystery of GOD; it was not given to him and his sons to produce the Messiah, but unto Isaac to be the portal through which the Messiah was to be revealed (Galatians 3:16) one only hopes Satan hasnt taken advantage of the interests of the two sons to create a leeway for himself.The choice of which branch of Abraham was to yield the Saviour of mankind was simply down to GODs will and a true Moslem ought to submit himself to GOD and what He thinks best for us frail humanity. I pray that GOD helps every Christian-born and Moslem to accept GODs plans and live by them.Of the branch of Isaac, the house of Israel was chosen to be the custodian of the Revelation and the world has not been happy with Jacob since then. But let it be known that if GOD had chosen Iraq to be the portal of salvation, so it would have been. Israel did nothing wrong in being that portal neither did he do something special to merit such grace; but the will of the Almighty was the only factor of weight:In the same way that GOD chose Abraham and not any other prince of Mesopotamia; by His design He also chose Isaac and not Ishmael; His will was also instrumental in choosing Jacob (Israel) and not Esau. In the house of Israel, He chose Judah and not Reuben; Bethlehem and not Hebron; Jerusalem and not Bethel; Jesse and not Kish; David and not Eliab; Solomon and not Adonijah. The genealogy of the Manifestation was designed by the Almighty; Adonijah understood and chosed not to fight the Almighty directly (I Kings 2:15). Fighting the Almighty directly or indirectly has never brought palatable results. The surest bet has always been depending on the Designer of the redemption process ...Looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith The foregoing shows that salvation is accepting the Will of the Almighty daily in your life the Will of the Almighty is Jesus Christ of Nazareth.In fact, if Muslims equate Allah to the Almighty YHWH, then they ought to be better disciples of Jesus Christ, because they have been properly schooled in the traditions of submission which is also a sine qua non for Jesus Christ to begin the transformation process of any soul. But if Allah is not the same as YHWH of the Jews, then is the faith totally defective. Having understood the mystery and genealogy of His manifestation and the truth about the Divinity of the Christ, one then begins to wonder why our brothers in the faith, the Jehovah Witnesses, the proponent-in-chief of investigative Christianity, have found but chosen not to recognise the person of Jesus Christ as YHWH, GOD INCARNATE. For instance, just harmonizing John 4:24, I Timothy 3:16 and Revelation 22:16 yield an inescapable truth: if Jesus is both the Father and Son of David; then He is both God and Man. If God, then The Holy Spirit!Yahuvah Himself said, he who has rejected the Son has rejected the Father because the Son is the manifestation of the Father. No one can claim to love the Son when he refuses to believe the things that the Father has revealed about the Son. If still in doubt, one ought to ask himself, Believe that the Son is who or what? This is the key question every one who disputes the Divinity of Jesus has to ask himself. If you deny that His who is God, you can not deny that His what refers to Him as the Christ. What I mean here is that men ought to ask themselves, Who is Jesus Christ? or what is Jesus Christ? These questions will help provide answers to His personality and office because if you were to say that the Christ is not GOD then the House of Israel will be there to remind you that the Messiah is the King of Israel, and that the King of Israel is the God of Israel. And we have proven that the GOD of Israel is the universal LORD. This is why believing in Him is the key to salvation.In fact, belief in Jesus Christ was and still is the litmus test of true Christianity, salvation and submission to Almighty YHWH. There is nothing any body can do about it, the Man is just everywhere! A great ruler once asked, What shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?You see, this Man Jesus has simply refused to go away because He cant go away He is all in all! What should you do with Him? Crucify Him? Wrong again, humanity under the influence of Satan had tried that once; it backfired so hard that Satan is still cursing the day he thought of that the Son of man need must be crucified but woe unto that man by whom He is crucified.Blaspheme Him? That too has been tried but His humanity only reacted by saying Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.I could go on to list many things humanity has tried doing to try phasing out Jesus Christ, but He will not and can not just go away because He is in everything and everything is in Him no one can chase GOD out of His properties. The highest sensible thing you can do is to prostrate before the Ancient of Days to beg for mercy, else!Simeon the Aged was led by the Holy Spirit to reveal the critical nature of Jesus person, and he address Him as the falling and rising of many; a sign to be spoken against ( the same had been earlier revealed by the prophet Isaiah)For those who have rejected Him, He shall be the source of their eternal fall from grace and a subject of insults and blasphemy. But for those have received Him for who He is, even from the eternal abyss of oblivion, they shall rise to worship in the Eternal Temple of Truth.To conclude this essay, may I say that turning your anger and frustration against Israel for being the source of such illumination and salvation is an exercise in futility. In fact such action will only hasten you to mortal destruction; many have tried you may want to ask Haman of Persia or the one called Adolf or the disgruntled elements among the children of Esau and Ishmael, Israels brother and uncle.In the past, all of Israels relatives formed themselves into a confederacy of evil to destroy the House of Israel because they confederate, hated GOD (Psalms 83:1-8, Malachi 1:1-4). If the Axis of Evil of yesteryears could not exterminate Israel, those who hate GOD today can not. This is also food for thought; whose name is more hated than the name of Jesus today? Remember the Axis of Evil hated GOD, think and be wise. As it was then, so it is now. The house of Lucifer of yesteryears hated GOD, their modern counterparts hate Jesus! The conclusion is self evident: Jesus is The LORD GOD of yesteryears, of today and tomorrow! Nothing will change until the LORD of hosts comes back to set up His Kingdom. As a last word, be reminded that the LORD of Heaven and Earth chose the house of Isaac to manifest His humanity, accept and be saved or oppose it at your peril. Selah.