Good evening and welcome to EBible Fellowship’s Bible study in the Book of Revelation.  Tonight is study #19 of Revelation chapter 21 and we are continuing to look at Revelation 21:7:

He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

From here, we went to Ephesians, chapter 1 in our last study and I am going to turn there again and read Ephesians 1:11-14:

In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

In our last study we saw that the Holy Spirit is that which seals the one who God has saved and the Holy Spirit is the “Spirit of promise” and God likens it to the “earnest of our inheritance” until the redemption of the purchased possession comes to pass when that individual receives his new resurrected body and the new heaven and new earth.  But, until then, the Holy Spirit acts as the “earnest of our inheritance.”  It is the down payment for the eternal inheritance that each of God’s elect will receive.  The Holy Spirit is the proof of it and it is very real evidence that God places in the lives of His people to show them that God is very serious about completing His promises concerning the everlasting possession.

We were looking at the word “earnest” and we saw it was used a few times in the Old Testament.  God uses it in relationship to the Holy Spirit dwelling in the heart of the one He has saved, the “earnest of the Spirit.”

We also saw that the Greek word, Strong’s #728 (arrhabon), is transliterated from the Hebrew.  It is a Hebrew word that the Greek is using and it comes from the Hebrew word, Strong’s #6162, that is translated as “pledge” a few times in Genesis, chapter 38.  In that chapter, we have an interesting historical record of Judah and it almost acts as an “interlude” in the account of Joseph at the time of the famine and God’s plan to bring Joseph and his family into Egypt.  We read of Joseph, age 17, in chapter 37 and then we have this “interlude” about Judah’s sons and a woman they married name Tamar.  Then in chapter 39 it returns to the historical account of Joseph in Egypt and that account continues uninterrupted at that point, so Genesis, chapter 38 stands out because of its positioning and also because it is such an unusual account.  Judah had three sons.  He had a son named Er and a second son named Onan and a third son named Shelah.  Er married Tamar, but God slew him, as it says in Genesis 38:7-8:

And Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of JEHOVAH; and JEHOVAH slew him. And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother's wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother.

This is happening before God gave a Law to Moses that we read about in Deuteronomy, chapter 25, and Judah was doing this either of his own accord or because it was the Law of God, but it was the Law of God regarding cases in which a brother might die without having any sons.  It says in Deuteronomy 25:7-10:

And if the man like not to take his brother's wife, then let his brother's wife go up to the gate unto the elders, and say, My husband's brother refuseth to raise up unto his brother a name in Israel, he will not perform the duty of my husband's brother. Then the elders of his city shall call him, and speak unto him: and if he stand to it, and say, I like not to take her; Then shall his brother's wife come unto him in the presence of the elders, and loose his shoe from off his foot, and spit in his face, and shall answer and say, So shall it be done unto that man that will not build up his brother's house. And his name shall be called in Israel, The house of him that hath his shoe loosed.

This was the Law that was written and which God gave to Moses and which would be recorded in the Book of Deuteronomy much later in time.  Remember, at this point they had not gone into Egypt and it was not until Israel was delivered out of Egypt over 400 years later that God would give this Law to Moses in the wilderness sojourn.  Yet, it is part of the historical record and it was the Law of God.  When a brother dies, the next brother is to go in unto his brother’s wife and marry her and raise up a son to the name of the brother. 

Remember how the Sadducees approached Jesus?  They thought they could come up with a situation that would prove there was no resurrection.  They set forth that there was a man that was married, but he died.  He had seven brothers and they all had her to wife, which would have meant that they all died, one after another.  Then the question was put to Christ, “The seven had her to wife, so whose wife would she be in the resurrection?”  Of course, Christ replied that they did greatly error because in the resurrection they are not given in marriage, but they came up with that question, in large part, because of what we read in Genesis 38.  Er had a wife, but the Lord slew him.  The second son did fulfill his obligation (to a point) and went in unto Tamar, but, again, it says in Genesis 38:8-10:

And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother's wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother. And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother's wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother. And the thing which he did displeased JEHOVAH: wherefore he slew him also.

So here is the second brother that was slain by the Lord and that leaves only the third son of Judah whose name was Shelah, but Judah was fearful for his son’s life and Shelah was young, so he told Tamar to wait until Shelah grew up and then he would go in unto her, because that was the Law of God.  It must be done until there were no more brothers or until a son was born and seed could be raised up unto the one that was dead. 

That was the situation, but when Shelah was old enough, Tamar realized that Judah had no intention of giving him to her to raise up seed, so she developed a plan.  It says in Genesis 38:13-16:

And it was told Tamar, saying, Behold thy father in law goeth up to Timnath to shear his sheep. And she put her widow's garments off from her, and covered her with a vail, and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place, which is by the way to Timnath; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given unto him to wife. When Judah saw her, he thought her to be an harlot; because she had covered her face. And he turned unto her by the way, and said, Go to, I pray thee, let me come in unto thee; (for he knew not that she was his daughter in law.) And she said, What wilt thou give me, that thou mayest come in unto me?

Tamar’s plan is to put on the attire of a harlot and to be in a location where her father-in-law Judah would be traveling.  He had lost his wife recently, so her plan was to draw him in to herself and it worked.  He wanted to go in unto her.  Again, she said to him, “What wilt thou give me, that thou mayest come in unto me?”  Then she said, in Genesis 38:17:

And he said, I will send thee a kid from the flock. And she said, Wilt thou give me a pledge, till thou send it?

The word “pledge” is the Hebrew word “arrhabon,” Strong’s #6162, from which the Greek word “earnest” comes and which is used to identify with the Holy Spirit, as the “earnest of the Spirit.”  It points to God’s down payment on His promise of a new resurrected body and the new heaven and new earth, and so on. 

Notice how this word “pledge” is used here.  Tamar said, “Wilt thou give me a pledge, till thou send it?”  They are making an agreement for a kid, but Judah does not have a kid with him, so the agreement is that she wants a pledge from him.  It is like a down payment to assure her that he will fulfill what he told her and bring her a kid.  We can see the similarity to God’s salvation program.  God saves the sinner and He leaves the Holy Spirit with that individual and the promise is, “I will return and make full payment of the promised reward, the things I have spoken of in regard to salvation.  I will fulfill everything I have said and this Holy Spirit is a pledge between you and I, so you hold onto the Spirit.”  Of course, it is not as if the child of God could “lose” the Spirit or give it away.  We know that is not possible.  Once God saves someone, they are always saved.  No matter what might happen, the individual cannot lose the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit will never leave or forsake that person.  Once the “pledge” has been given, it will remain.

So Tamar asked a pledge of Judah and then it says in Genesis 38:18:

And he said, What pledge shall I give thee? And she said, Thy signet, and thy bracelets, and thy staff that is in thine hand. And he gave it her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by him.

Her plan was successful.  She wanted a name raised up to her dead husband and now it finally came to pass. 

You know, when we are looking at the command to raise up seed, we wonder what would be the spiritual point of this Law of God.  Of course, it must have a spiritual element to it and a deeper spiritual meaning.  It is interesting that in the Book of Ruth, the main story is about Naomi and her two daughters-in-law.  Naomi had a husband and their sons were married to the two daughters-in-law, but then all three men died.  Her husband died and both of her sons died.  Then Ruth, one of the daughters-in-law, clings to her mother-in-law Naomi and would not let her go and she returned to Israel with her, while the other daughter-in-law stayed in the land of Moab.  In Israel, Ruth meets Boaz, who is introduced to her as a kinsman.  The point of the Book of Ruth is that Boaz is the kinsman redeemer and he will raise up seed to the dead son of Naomi.  There were no more sons, but the Law apparently extended to other close relatives and Boaz was a kinsman.  There was one kinsman who was nearer, but he either could not or would not fulfill the role of the kinsman redeemer and that typifies mankind that is not able to perform this role.  But Boaz was a type and figure of Christ and he stepped in and successfully raised up seed and a child was born to Ruth.  We read in Ruth 4:13-22:

So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, JEHOVAH gave her conception, and she bare a son. And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be JEHOVAH, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel. And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him. And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it. And the women her neighbours gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David. And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him. And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it. And the women her neighbours gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David. Now these are the generations of Pharez: Pharez begat Hezron, And Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab, And Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat Salmon, And Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed, And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David.

What is interesting here is that Pharez was one of the twin sons that were born to Tamar through Judah, later on in Genesis 38.  She would bear twin sons, so Pharez was in the same line that leads to Boaz who begat Obed, who begat Jesse, and who begat David.  So we can see that raising up a name identifies with the “seed” that God promised to Abraham, which is Christ, but also in that seed is the great multitude of the elect.  So that is the importance of raising up a name and failure to raise up a name would mean the “end of the line” or the end of salvation.  So this is some of the significance attached to this particular Law.

Getting back to Genesis 38, it says in Genesis 38:17-23:

And he said, I will send thee a kid from the flock. And she said, Wilt thou give me a pledge, till thou send it? And he said, What pledge shall I give thee? And she said, Thy signet, and thy bracelets, and thy staff that is in thine hand. And he gave it her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by him. And she arose, and went away, and laid by her vail from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood. And Judah sent the kid by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive his pledge from the woman's hand: but he found her not. Then he asked the men of that place, saying, Where is the harlot, that was openly by the way side? And they said, There was no harlot in this place. And he returned to Judah, and said, I cannot find her; and also the men of the place said, that there was no harlot in this place. And Judah said, Let her take it to her, lest we be shamed: behold, I sent this kid, and thou hast not found her.

Of course, Tamar was not actually a harlot, but she pretended to be a harlot in order to accomplish raising up seed to her husband.  Then we read in Genesis 38:24:

And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told Judah, saying, Tamar thy daughter in law hath played the harlot; and also, behold, she is with child by whoredom…

Three months later she would have begun to show in her pregnancy and people would be able to see she was pregnant, but she had no husband and she had to remain a widow waiting for Shelah, the third son of Judah.  But since Judah did not give Shelah to her, it meant she had been involved in harlotry, so Judah is acting as the judge when he is told this information and at the end of the verse it says in Genesis 38:24:

…And Judah said, Bring her forth, and let her be burnt.

That was the pronouncement of judgment and it was in keeping with the Law of God, was it not?  The Law said an adulterer should be stoned to death.  It was the Law of God that the sin of adultery brings death.  Actually, in our chapter in Revelation 21, it says in Revelation 21:8:

But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

Adultery is a violation of the Law of God and the wages of sin is death, so it is a pronouncement of judgment and, in this case, we would have to understand that Judah is portraying God as Judge and Tamar is a type and figure of the true believers.  And all believers have sinned and come short of the glory of God and the believers are brought forth before the Judge, as we find ourselves living on the earth in the Day of Judgment.

So Judah’s pronouncement was “Let her be burnt” or destroyed, just like anyone that has sinned against God.  However, notice what happened next in Genesis 38:25:

When she was brought forth, she sent to her father in law, saying, By the man, whose these are, am I with child: and she said, Discern, I pray thee, whose are these, the signet, and bracelets, and staff.

So Tamar was sentenced to die and, apparently, it was a just judgment, but then she pulled out the signet, bracelets and staff which were the “pledge” that Judah had given to her.  Then she said, “By the man, whose these are,” and, of course, Judah knew these things were his and he would have been convicted.  He would have known that her plan was to raise up seed to her dead husband.  She manipulated events in order to have the child.  Then Judah said, in Genesis 38:26:

And Judah acknowledged them, and said, She hath been more righteous than I; because that I gave her not to Shelah my son. And he knew her again no more.

So the “pledge” produced at the moment of judgment (and the judgment was to be burnt by fire) rescued Tamar and instead of condemnation she is pronounced to be righteous.  And that is exactly what is happening today in the Day of Judgment.  God has come and He is looking at the sins of all mankind and all are guilty.  However, there are certain ones that have the “earnest of the spirit” or the pledge of God and they hold forth that pledge in the Day of Judgment.  Instead of condemnation and destruction, they are pronounced “righteous” and they endure and do not die.