Rebekah and Isaac - a Rapture Love Story for Today!
(Northside Church, Canberra 7 July 2013)
Update I preached this message some years ago and there was a letter in Five Doves on 10 December 2012. However, given the urgency of the hour I would like to repost. Genesis 24 tells of the sudden and unexpected departure of Rebecca to be a bride for Isaac. Very much a warning of the imminent Rapture for the (now) time we are in!!!
For encouragement in our expectant wait for the Rapture, I want to share some musings about Genesis 24: Rebekah and Isaac - a Rapture Love Story for Today (Now!). As an expectant bride, we each as individuals look forward eagerly to the ecstatic joy and love of the Rapture! Look at what this vital Genesis story means for us today!!’
Looking back: Abraham - father of a multitude (ha added - Isaac means laughter!)
Isaac - willingly laid on altar of sacrifice (Sarah died at 127 Gen 23)
Characters: Abraham is a type of the Heavenly Father, Isaac is Christ the Son, Rebecca is the chosen Bride (type of the Church) and the unnamed Servant is the Holy Spirit!
ACCELERATION OF GOD’S PURPOSES!!! EVEN THE UNIVERSE!!!
(for the Church, Israel and the World!) [Brian Schmidt – Physics]
Genesis 24 in a NUTSHELL: He (the Holy Spirit) is sent by the Heavenly Father to quickly find and bring home a bride!
On the Day of Pentecost the Promise of the Father roared into the upper room and tongues of fire appeared to light the hearts of those waiting and ready! The Holy Spirit was sent! Joel prophesies of an end-time outpouring of the Spirit upon all flesh! This final outpouring is imminent, and will quickly identify and purify the remnant bride and make the final preparations of the heart for taking the bride, catching her away, to her Eternal Home (the Rapture!)
Suddenly: John the Baptist Suddenly: Jesus Suddenly: the Holy Spirit!!
Rebecca in the New Testament!! Focus on Church/each Believer!
Interestingly, there is only one direct reference to Rebekah (Rebecca) in the New Testament, in Romans 9:10. This is a vital and highly relevant chapter for God’s purposes for Israel, where the Apostle Paul opens his heart of love for his people (verses 2 and 3):
2 That I have bitter grief and incessant anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off and banished from Christ for the sake of my brethren and instead of them, my natural kinsmen and my fellow countrymen.
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE! Servant Sent to Find Bride Willing to Come Immediately!
24 Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years, and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. 2 And Abraham said to the eldest servant of his house [Eliezer of Damascus], who ruled over all that he had. 4 But you shall go to my country and to my relatives and take a wife for my son Isaac.
The servant is not named in most translations, but we know from Genesis15:2 that he is Eliezer. More importantly, the servant is a type of the Holy Spirit who today is urgently seeking a bride for Jesus Christ! The Holy Spirit is given authority over all that the Heavenly Father has! His mission is to find the CHOSEN WOMAN!
5 The servant said to him, But perhaps the woman will not be willing to come along after me to this country. Must I take your son to the country from which you came? 6 Abraham said to him. See to it that you do not take my son back there. The Lord, the God of heaven, Who spoke to me and swore to me, saying, To your offspring I will give this land - He will send His Angel before you. [Land of Israel – God’s Time Clock!!]
Abraham, as a type of the Heavenly Father, stated strongly that his son was not to go back there (to the world that had crucified Him!). The bride was to be brought to where Isaac was (Jesus is) - His home. His Angel speaks of God’s supernatural workings, through the unseen Christ (the Angel of the Lord was the visible Christ in the Old Testament!) and the (mainly unseen) ministry of angels.
THE GIFTS, THE JOURNEY AND THE WELL AT TWILIGHT!!
10 And the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed, taking some of all his master’s treasures with him. 11 And he made his camels to kneel down outside the city by a well of water at the time of the evening (twilight) when women go out to draw water.
Rebekah came to the well in the evening, or at twilight (two lights) - I believe that this is the time that we are in prophetically: the darkness is getting darker, but the (light of) the Day of the Lord is about to dawn!
IT IS ALWAYS DARKEST JUST BEFORE THE DAY DAWNS!!
QUICKER ANSWERS TO PRAYER!! SOVEREIGN TIMING!!!
14 And let it so be that the girl to whom I say, I pray you, let down your jar that I may drink, and she replies, Drink, and I will give your camels drink also - let her be the one whom You have selected for Your servant Isaac. 15 Before he had finished speaking, behold, out came Rebekah. 16 And the girl was very beautiful and attractive, chaste and modest, and unmarried. And she went down to the well, filled her water jar, and came up.
How quickly the servant’s prayer was answered! We may have been on a long journey with Jesus, but the time is approaching when He will accelerate the answers to our prayers, and the fulfilment of visions and words of prophecy given to us. Not just a woman, but a very beautiful, pure (and available) young woman! She came to the well with joy (each day!).
Water for the Camels - Heart of the Servant – NOT JUST ANOTHER DAY!!
17 And the servant ran to meet her, and said, I pray you, let me drink a little water from your water jar. 18 And she said, Drink, my lord; and she quickly let down her jar onto her hand and gave him a drink. 19 When she had given him a drink, she said, I will draw water for your camels also, until they finish drinking.
Rebekah was beautiful within- she had the heart of a servant. Providing water for ten camels, with her water jar and as the day was ending and night was closing in was a huge task - and she ran in eagerness to serve! The servant just admired the young woman in silence, for he knew (AT THAT POINT!!) then that his mission would be successful!
22 And when the camels had finished drinking, the man took a gold earring or nose ring of half a shekel in weight, and for her hands two bracelets of ten shekels in weight in gold.
The servant took gifts and adorned the bride to be with gifts of gold. Rebekah had not asked for any gifts (FROM THE CAMELS!), they were freely given to a woman with the heart of a servant. These gifts were given without an explanation - that came later.
Gifts of wealth and beautiful garments - importance of a SERVANT HEART!!
When Rebekah gave water to the servant, and then the camels she did not do it for any reward.. She did not expect any reward! But the Holy Spirit adorned her with gold, and later gave her gifts of silver and gold jewels and special garments to clothe her (the fine linen of the saints!) Gifts were also given to her family.
While our hearts should not be set on the things of the Earth, the Heavenly Father will provide for the natural needs of His watching servants/bride - and the true wealth that we find in Christ the Living Word,
25 She said also to him, We have both straw and provender (fodder) enough, and also room in which to lodge. 26 The man bowed down his head and worshiped the Lord.
Rebekah willingly provided a (temporary) home/lodging for the servant, and the camels! The servant could but worship the God Who had gone before him.
33 A meal was set before him, but he said, I will not eat until I have told of my errand. And [Laban] said, Speak on. 34 And he said, I am Abraham’s servant. 48 And I bowed down my head and worshiped the Lord and blessed the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, Who had led me in the right way to take my master’s brother’s daughter to his son.
Of all the women who could have been at the well at that evening time, Rebekah the daughter of Abraham’s brother was the one sovereignly led to be there. God’s perfection! God’s provision!
50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered, The thing comes forth from the Lord; we cannot speak bad or good to you. 51 Rebekah is before you; take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master’s son, as the Lord has said.
Rebekah’s life changes in a matter of just hours - that special day she had been waiting for. Her family accepted that the Lord was in this, and gave her their blessing to leave with the servant.
53 And the servant brought out jewels of silver, jewels of gold, and garments and gave them to Rebekah; he also gave precious things to her brother and her mother. 54 Then they ate and drank, he and the men who were with him, and stayed there all night. And in the morning they arose, and he said. Send me away to my master.
The first gifts given to Rebekah were for her adornment, now she is given wealth (silver and gold jewels), as well as garments! The servant stayed the night - the minimum time to achieve his purpose!
URGENCY OF THE SERVANT’S MISSION!!
56 But [the servant] said to them, Do not hinder and delay me, seeing that the Lord has caused me to go prosperously on my way. Send me away, that I may go to my master. 57 And they said, We will call the girl and ask her [what is] her desire. 58 So they called Rebekah and said to her, Will you go with this man? And she said, I will go!
The brother and mother wanted Rebekah to stay ten days, but there was to be no delay! Rebekah was ready to go to an unknown man at once! Just one night to prepare for a life changing event!
Promised blessing for Rebekah - POWER OF PROPHETIC PRAYERS/WORDS!
They blessed Rebekah and said to her, You are our sister; may you become the mother of thousands of ten thousands, and let your posterity possess the gate of their enemies.
This is a remarkable blessing - that Rebekah would be the mother of tens of millions, a promise to be fulfilled through the Church and also through Israel
moving into her PROPHETIC DESTINY!!
Isaac walks across the field (the world) and REBEKAH VEILS HER FACE!
In one of the greatest love moments ever recorded, Rebekah saw Isaac in the distance, walking across the field (that speaks of the world) in meditation and prayer. She veils her face so that the moment of face to face love, intimate (and infinite) love, is kept for within the tent. She had met the servant in the evening, now she meets Isaac in the evening! No words can describe that moment when we all experience the intimate loving gaze of Jesus Christ in His glory!
As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 3:18: But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
62 Now Isaac had returned from going to the well Beer-lahai-roi (the Living One Who Sees Me!). 63 And Isaac went out to meditate and bow down [in prayer] in the open country in the evening; and he looked up and saw that, behold, the camels were coming.
What a great name for a well - the Living One Who sees us! God heard Hagar (Genesis 16). From a natural perspective, Isaac had no idea what (or who) was in store for him. He spent the evening time in prayer, in the open and this special day he saw the camels on the horizon! His hope was that the servant’s mission was successful, and his bride would soon be revealed to him.
64 And Rebekah looked up, and when she saw Isaac, she dismounted from the camel. 65 For she [had] said to the servant, Who is that man walking across the field to meet us? And the servant [had] said, He is my master. So she took a veil and concealed herself with it.
Rebekah looked up and saw the man who was walking across the field, just as Jesus had walked across the Earth! The servant acknowledged Isaac as his master (not just the servant of Abraham - type of Heavenly Father), but of the Son (Isaac as a type of Jesus Christ). The servant (type of Holy Spirit) was utterly selfless! Rebekah hid her face behind a veil, so as to wait for the moment of ecstasy and intimacy - see Isaac face to face! Rebekah went to Isaac wearing gifts of the Father/ Isaac.
66 And the servant told Isaac everything that he had done. 67 And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and he took Rebekah and she became his wife, and he loved her; thus Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.
Love at first sight, love blossoms! Isaac brought Rebekah into his mother’s tent. This happened soon after Sarah’s death, and Rebekah’s love provided comfort and strength to Isaac. A woman who had left all for this new life! Two streams join together, and move into God’s Eternal Purposes!
Concluding thoughts: He comes unannounced, unexpectedly and uninvited!
Luke 12:40 You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour and a moment when you do not anticipate it.
As Jesus warned - at such a time as you think not the Son of Man will come! One of the most vital aspects of the servant is that he is sent, and then simply turns up, arrives unexpectedly, unannounced and uninvited one special day. Not welcome by the world!! For those who are ready and watching for Jesus we will not be surprised, and our hearts will respond with expectancy when we feel His presence coming nearer!
She’s gone - and we’ve been left behind - the other women!
The women used to come out to draw water in the evening, and would have got to know each other. I believe that Rebekah would have stood out, in both inward and outward beauty and in her purity. Then one day Rebekah was gone - did she even say goodbye? The word would have got around that Rebekah had left quickly and gone to another country to meet and marry her (unseen) husband. How poignant? How sad for the women as they kept coming to the well (their Church)! I wonder how sad it will be when people miss the Rapture, notice who has gone missing and feel the sadness of being left behind. How we wish that many more were ready!
A new appreciation of the gifts of the Spirit - exercised in love!
In these closing days of the Church, the Holy Spirit will seek those who will readily accept his gifts, and be adorned with them. Like two nine holes of a beautiful golf course, the nine gifts and nine fruit of the Spirit show us the course to follow! How beautiful this should be as we edify, exhort and encourage each other! The gifts of the Holy Spirit will be released bountifully through those who have a servant heart (like Rebekah), and with love for one another, and the Lord’s imminent return, as the motivation.
There will be no more delay in the catching away of the Bride (remnant church)
The family wanted to delay Rebekah’s going to Isaac for (at least) ten days - a reasonable expectation. The servant’s response - do not delay me, and send me on my way. Rebekah’s response - willing to go immediately to a man she had not seen (we should be no longer tied to this world). As we have moved along the prophetic time path, many events appear to have been delayed. The warnings from the Holy Spirit and prophets, and the urgency and birth pangs we feel inside, tell us clearly that there will be no more delay! Jesus warned us strongly that He comes quickly!!!
One final question - I wonder when Isaac told Rebekah of his Near Death Experience!
The message of the cross is the central theme of the Word of God, and the shape in the centre of our hearts. Yet Isaac almost wasn’t there for Rebekah - he willingly placed himself on the altar of sacrifice, trusting his father Abraham completely. God provided a ram as a substitute! In surrendering our lives to Him, we find our true identity and life in Christ, and His eternal purposes for each of us.
Isaac looks into His Cross eyed Bride!!! We look into the Ocean of Eternal Love that can only be found at the Cross!!
Perhaps one special day he shared with Rebekah this experience, the way of the cross that leads to our ETERNAL HOME. Interesting that even in English the cross is clearly seen. People need to shift from seeing Jesus in the distance, to a life of intimate LOVE!
Through the cross, we enter the tent
Gifts of Spirit: wisdom, knowledge, faith - healing, miracles, discernment - prophecy, tongues and interpretation.
Maranatha!! Denis in Canberra!
Genesis 24: Amplified Footnote - Overview
This chapter is highly illustrative of God the Father, Who sends forth His Holy Spirit to win the consent of the individual soul to become the bride of His Son. Keep these resemblances constantly in mind as you read and see how the story unfolds.
First meet the Father and note His concern about His Son’s bride. Then get acquainted with the Holy Spirit’s great, selfless heart, Whose one purpose is to win the girl for His Master’s Son. Then meet the Son and note His tenderness as He claims His bride. The longest chapter in Genesis is devoted to this important story.
Genesis 24:33 The characteristics of a model servant of God are pictured here: 1. He is dependable and trustworthy (Gen. 24:2); 2. He is a praying person (Gen. 24:12); 3. He is so in earnest that he refuses to eat before attending to his Master’s business (Gen. 24:33); 4. He never speaks his own name but is always speaking about his Master (Gen. 24:35ff.); 5. He gives God all the glory (Gen. 24:48).
Genesis 24:40 Angel of the Lord
“The Angel of the Lord” or “of God” or “of His presence” is readily identified with the Lord God (Gen. 16:11, 13; 22:11, 12; 31:11, 13; Exod. 3:1-6 and other passages). But it is obvious that the “Angel of the Lord” is a distinct person in Himself from God the Father (Gen. 24:7; Exod. 23:20; Zech. 1:12, 13 and other passages).
Nor does the “Angel of the Lord” appear again after Christ came in human form. He must of necessity be One of the “three-in-one” Godhead. The “Angel of the Lord” is the visible Lord God of the Old Testament, as Jesus Christ is of the New Testament.
Thus His deity is clearly portrayed in the Old Testament. The Cambridge Bible observes, “There is a fascinating forecast of the coming Messiah, breaking through the dimness with amazing consistency, at intervals from Genesis to Malachi. Abraham, Moses, the slave girl Hagar, the impoverished farmer Gideon, even the humble parents of Samson, had seen and talked with Him centuries before the herald angels proclaimed His birth in Bethlehem.”
Acceleration of the Universe!!!!
I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one may rob you of your crown (Revelation 3:11). And behold I am coming speedily (Revelation 22:7). He Who gives this warning says, [Surely] I am coming quickly (swiftly, speedily) (Revelation 22:20)
An Australian National Universe scientist (in Canberra where I live), Brian Schmidt, has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics (with others) - the first Australian to do so in almost 100 years. Now the technical aspects are way beyond my understanding, but, in simple terms, he was awarded the honour for his groundbreaking work using exploding stars to discover that the expansion of the universe is accelerating, rather than slowing down as expected.
In the Book of Revelation one of the great truths is that when the coming of Jesus draws near, there is an acceleration of God’s purposes for Israel, the church, the world - and the universe. We are living in such times - how great are His purposes, what mysteries are unfolding.
Lyrics of Soon and Very Soon!!!!
Soon and very soon
My King is coming
Robed in righteousness and crowned with love
When I see Him
I shall be made like Him
Soon and very soon
Soon and very soon
I’ll be going
To the place He has prepared for me
There my sin erased
My shame forgotten
Soon and very soon
I will be with the One I love
With unveiled face I’ll see Him
There my soul will be satisfied
Soon and very soon
Soon and very soon
See the procession
The angels and the elders 'round the throne
At His feet I’ll lay my crowns My worship
Soon and very soon
I will be with the One I love
With unveiled face I’ll see Him
There my soul will be satisfied
Soon and very soon
Though I have not seen Him
My heart knows Him well
Jesus Christ the Lamb
The Lord of heaven
I will be with the One I love
With unveiled face I’ll see Him
There my soul will be satisfied
Soon and very soon
Soon and very soon