Order in the Court of the King! (The ‘Seed’)

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Order in the Court of the King! (The ‘Seed’)

I hope you have read some or all of the previous parts to this series because this study will conclude Volume I of Order in the Court of the King! I’ll link to an eBook of Volume I at the end of this article in case you missed some of the earlier studies.

The Incarnation and the Plan

We’ve been looking for the last several months at God’s Eternal Plan. God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – designed a Plan before Creation that we see revealed in the Bible and through history. A primary part of that Plan was the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, King of kings, Lord of Lords. God’s Son was able to die a physical death because of the Incarnation, when He “became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). How did the Son of God become ‘flesh’?

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible.” Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. Luke 1:26-38

We see here the ‘who, how, what, where, when, and why’ of the Incarnation. King Jesus would ‘become flesh’ and live among humans as the God-Man. Fully God and fully Man. The only Being who could ‘redeem’ humanity and renew the estranged relationship with God. The Holy Spirit of God would come upon the Virgin Mary and the power of God would ‘overshadow’ (ἐπισκιάζω – envelop) her. She was to name the Child who would be born to her, Jesus ( Ἰησοῦς, Iésous – Greek transliteration of the Hebrew Yehoshua, ‘the LORD is salvation’). God would give Jesus the throne of His father ‘David’ and Jesus would ‘reign’ over the house of Jacob ‘forever.’ The angel promised that there would be no end to His Kingdom. Jesus Christ – King of kings, Lord of lords.”

The Apostle Paul explained what was behind the Incarnation in his letter to the Philippians –

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:5-11

The Son of God, ‘being in the form of God,’ ‘equal with God,’ made Himself of ‘no reputation,’ took the form of a bondservant, and came in the ‘likeness of men.’ That occurred in the Incarnation as the angel told Mary in Luke 1 and Joseph, who was betrothed to Mary, in Matthew 1 –

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife,and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus. Matthew 1:18-25

The Apostle John explained the purpose of the Incarnation in his first letter –

He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. 1 John 3:8

Notice the important words “For this purpose.” That’s a key that unlocks the Eternal Plan of God for us. It helps us understand what was, what is, and what will be.

We see in John’s letter that the Incarnation of the Son of God takes us back to the Garden of Eden. That’s where God cursed the devil and predicted the sacrificial death of the Son of God and the destruction of the devil.

So the Lord God said to the serpent: Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life. And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel. Genesis 3:14-15

The Seed and the Plan

What we see in Genesis 3:15 is the continuation of a great battle that began in Heaven. The words used are ‘fighting’ words –

ebah (אֵיבָה – enmity, enemy, foe, be hostile to)
shuph (שׁוּף – bruise, overwhelm)

Notice the targets for each ‘bruise.’ The seed of the devil would ‘bruise’ the heel of the woman’s Seed. A snake bite to someone’s heel, while painful, does not usually lead to death because of how far it is from the heart and head. The Seed of the woman would ‘bruise’ the ‘head’ of the seed of the serpent because of how close it is to the brain and heart. Even though the same Hebrew word is used for each ‘bruise,’ the location of the target is key to understanding what God planned to do. Jesus, the Seed of the woman, would rise from the dead to reign over all. The devil, the seed of the serpent, would be destroyed. That is the end game we see in Genesis 3:15.

There is a deep hostility between the Son of God and the devil. You can read previous studies in this series to better understand why. The devil had disobeyed God and deceived many other angels to join him in rebelling against God’s authority. The devil also deceived Eve and through her husband’s agreement plunged the human race into sinful disobedience and death. The Son of God became flesh to destroy the devil’s ‘works,’ all of them.

But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. For “He has put all things under His feet.” But when He says “all things are put under Him,” it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted. Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all. 1 Corinthians 15:20-28

The mechanism God designed in Eternity was the ‘Seed.’ It was central to His Eternal Plan. Could God have used another way to destroy the devil and his angels without the Son of God becoming flesh and dying on the Cross for our sins? Yes, but that was not the best way. God’s ways are always ‘perfect’ –

He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He. Deuteronomy 32:4

As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him. 2 Samuel 22:31

God’s plan for the ‘Seed of the woman’ to destroy the ‘seed of the serpent’ was not just a good plan – it was the ‘perfect’ Plan.

Follow The Seed

It’s important that we ‘follow’ the Seed through Scripture because the devil was invested in ensuring that the Seed would not be born of woman. Notice these verses –

Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called. Genesis 21:12

In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice. Genesis 22:18

When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 2 Samuel 7:12-13

I have made a covenant with My chosen, I have sworn to My servant David: ‘Your seed I will establish forever, And build up your throne to all generations.’ Psalm 89:3-4

And they made His grave with the wicked— But with the rich at His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities. Isaiah 53:9-11

He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.’ From this man’s seed, according to the promise, God raised up for Israel a Savior—Jesus— after John had first preached, before His coming, the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. Acts 13:22-24

Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ … What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator. Galatians 3:16, 19

Jesus Christ, the Eternal Son of God, is the Seed God promised in the Garden of Eve. It is Jesus who ‘bruised’ the head of the seed of the serpent – the devil.

It is for that reason Jesus told His disciples –

Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me. And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things. Luke 24:44-48

Summation of Volume I

I believe it’s time to bring Volume I of this series to a close. I hope it has been helpful in sharing how God carries out His Eternal Plan. It affects all of us, every day. We also fight in this supernatural battle. As the Apostle Paul wrote –

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints. Ephesians 6:10-18

This spiritual warfare we find ourselves in as God’s people impacts every area of our lives – from family, to friends, to neighbors, to school, to work, and to church. God uses the ‘Church’ on earth to accomplish two primary things – bring Him glory and finish the work He has given us to do (John 17). The ‘principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this age, and spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places’ do not want us to do either. They will do everything in their power to defeat us in our efforts to love God and serve Him. They cannot touch our Lord and Savior. He is far above their reach. But they can attack us. That’s why the Apostle Peter wanted Christians – “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8).”

We have all the weapons necessary to be successful in our battles, but we must wear the armor at all times and depend on Jesus Christ who has won the victory for us –

The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:56-57

eBook

We invite you to download, read, and share a free eBook of Volume I of Order in the Court of the King!

Next Time

We will begin Volume II of our series as we search for solutions to those things that divide Christians from one another. Our goal is simple – to see the Church unified for the glory of God and to finish the work He has given us to do.

Apostle PaulBible StudyChristianitydevilGod the CreatorGod the FatherHoly SpiritJesus Christ Order in the Court of the King! (The ‘Seed’)

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Spirituality Magazine

Order in the Court of the King! (The ‘Seed’)