chapter 28 starts off with Isaac blessing Jacob again and sending him away, ordering him not to take a wife from these women but instead to take one from his own bloodline... which we've talked about before. The blessing also includes in verse 4 the lord giving him the land to possess where he lives as a foreigner. This is a metaphor of gods promise to everyone today... the world where gods children currently live as foreigners is one in which we do not belong... but He promises to give us, and the rest of Abrahams offspring, the blessing so that we may possess the land where we now live as foreigners, when the lord gives us the land to fulfill his promise at the end of time. In revelations the kingdom of Heaven is described as coming down to earth for his children to possess. Isaac told Jacob not to marry a woman of the nation and Jacob faithfully listened to his parents as an obedient example for us, meanwhile Esau overheard this command from his father and did just the opposite by disobediently marrying an ancestor of Ishmael, the son of the slave who was sent away from the promise. Verses 13-15 are the Lords promise to us. Abrahams offspring have spread all over the face of the earth, and yet He is with us wherever we go. And He will bring us back to His land, "for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." Jacob says that place where he slept that night is the gate of Heaven, which is present-day Palestine. We know that the Lord chose the Middle East as His garden at the beginning of time and there is foreshadowing throughout the word that signifies that he will choose it as His promised land at the end of time also. Therefore, our promise to Him is in verses 20-21 where Jacob promises that the Lord will be his God if God will be with him and watch over him on his journey, providing him with food and clothing and returning him safely to his father's house (our Heavenly Father's house). That stone in Bethel, present-day Palestine, is a marker of God's house... and we give Him a tenth of all that He gives us (tithe).
“Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.”
Revelation 21:1-12 NIV
“But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.”
1 Timothy 6:8 NIV
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