Galatians 4:28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.
29 But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.
30 Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.
31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.
It should not surprise anyone to hear that Mr. Trump agreed to a two week ceasefire with Iran. Muslims are permitted to lie for the good of their cause. We already know that Iran will not be defeated until the Lord Jesus Christ destroys them. That will happen during the Tribulation time. Iran will use this lull to regroup and rebuild. They have the help of Russia and China and North Korea in their efforts. Mr. Trump has actually just made the world a little more unstable by his actions. If we can believe him, Iran has no clear leaders right now. Thus, who agreed to the terms he set out? We are told that Pakistan played a big role in this agreement. Pakistan is not a friend of freedom either. They are a Muslim nation and they have nuclear capabilities.
President Trump talked a tough game, but he caved at the last moment. He was likely under a lot of pressure from other world sources. He was bragging of changing the complete civilization of Iran in four hours. He has no capacity to do that without using nuclear weapons. It is highly unlikely that he would do that. He also does not want to be labelled for war crimes. I am not a prophet, nor the son of a prophet. I just happen to believe the Bible. I am listening for the Trumpet sound. That could come at any moment.
Back to our text, God uses many word-pictures in the Bible. We know that leaven is real but it is also a picture of sin. We know that Egypt is a real place but it is also a picture of the world. We know that Hagar and Sarah were real women, but God tells us they were an allegory. We know that the rock Moses smote was a real rock, but it was also a type of the Lord Jesus Christ. There are other word-pictures as well.
It is important to let God tell us when something is a picture. There are people who reject the seven year Tribulation time and the literal Millennium, because they do not want to believe it. They make an allegory of them, but they are literal. There is a seven year Tribulation time coming and it could begin very soon. There is no sign that needs to be fulfilled for God to usher that time of judgment upon the world. Just prior to that event taking place, the New Testament saints will be removed from this earth. There will be no true church on the earth during the seven year Tribulation time. That will be a time such as the world has never experienced before. The bulk of the action will take place in the Middle East. Actually, right now, the Middle East is a very important part of God’s work on earth. Any legitimate news outlet is reporting on what is going on in the Middle East. Canada is a laughing stock. The U.S. has been drawn into the Middle East situation for at least two reasons. God wants them there and secondly, Mr. Trump thinks he is the world peacemaker. If he had the opportunity he would likely make himself the antichrist. He does not have that opportunity. God knows who the antichrist is and according to His time, he will be brought on the scene.
The Millennium will be a literal one thousand years where Jesus Christ will rule with a rod of iron upon this earth. He will build a Temple in Jerusalem and only saved people will enter into the Millennium. The wicked of the Tribulation time will be killed and cast into hell and await the judgment of God along with all others who have rejected the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour.
Today, right now, we are living in what is sometimes called the age of grace. That is really not a good name for this dispensation. Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. A better title for this time would be the Church Age. As mentioned, during the Tribulation time, there will be some people who will get saved during that time, but it will not be anyone who had the opportunity to be saved during this present age.
In our text, Paul referred to the brethren as related to Isaac. The brethren are the children of promise. That includes saved Jews and Gentiles.
In verse 29 we noted already that Ishmael persecuted Isaac as a young boy. Ishmael made fun of him. Sarah wanted Abraham to cast out Hagar along with her son. She did not want Ishmael around her son. She had every right to be protective of her son. It had nothing to do with skin colour and everything to do with spirituality. Ishmael was a rebel and Sarah did not want a rebel around her son.
Isaac was born after the Spirit. That is a picture of those who are born again and thus have the indwelling Holy Spirit in them.
In verse 30, God directed Paul to refer back to Genesis 21:10. That is where Sarah demanded that Abraham cast out Ishmael and Hagar. Sarah did not have the authority to do this herself. Abraham needed to do this. He was the man of the house. He was the father of both sons, but he sinned in bringing Ishmael into the world. Sarah was not innocent either, but Abraham was the man and he did not need to follow her lead on that matter.
We see that Abraham was hesitant in casting out Hagar and Ishmael. The Bible warns that when a man becomes intimate with a strange woman, they become one flesh. There are many men living today who are conflicted because they have slept around and it is completely against God’s law. It creates conflicts between the promiscuous couples and it also creates conflicts with any children that come out of that mess. God can forgive, but there are still problems associated with that.
In verse 31 Paul reminded the Galatian saints that they were not children of the bondwoman. They needed to stop behaving like they were. They needed to live as free individuals. They had been redeemed. They had been set free from the bondage of sin. Why would they want to entangle themselves in that which could not deliver them from sin?
In chapter 5 Paul will continued to speak of the liberty that there is in Christ. That liberty is not the liberty to sin. It is not the liberty to determine what holiness is on our own. God has declared what holiness is and He does require holiness of His children. He enables His children to be able to live holy lives. It is important to be in a good church that teaches the truth. In the end, each person will stand before the Lord Jesus Christ. It is important to make sure He is the Saviour and Lord of your life now.
Pastor Bartel