Well we can sort of get the idea, because as soon as God let it be known that out of this man is going to come a nation that will be a vehicle for His purposes, who kicks in high gear with opposition? Satan! See? So that is why we have to understand that all the troubles and tribulations have beset the Jewish people is because Satan knows that without Israel, God cannot accomplish His eternal purposes. So, he is out to destroy them. Now his attach is two fold as he is still hot on Israel's heals but he also infiltrated to Church and has been dismantling it from the inside out for over 1965 years.
Right now today, in the year 2012, why is little Israel under such constant attack? Not just from the Palestinians and their neighbors but from the whole world community. Hey, the world never get on the Palestinians' backs for their terrorism. It’s always Israel’s fault. Well, why? Because if the world, through the Satanic powers, can get little Israel off the scene and as they would like to do, push them into the sea, then the Devil has won it all, and then all the marbles are in his bank. (Or so he thinks as God has changed things as those who are counted as trusting ones as Abraham and Moses were are the true Israel of God, they're known as believers or receivers of the inspiration of Christ, in them, remember Peter when he said, “You are the Christ” and he was then told, “upon this rock I will build My Church.”)
But, you see, Israel HAS to be there in order for God to complete His master program. And it all began right here. "I will make of you a great nation." Romans 4:12-13, 16 tells us that it is through the faith of Abraham. Which is little known or understood because the worldly miss understand its meaning as they do most all scripture. Why? Because they're so earthly minded they're NO heavenly good.
Genesis 12:2b-3a "...and I will bless you, and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing: 3. And I will bless them that bless you, and curse him that curses you:..." Here is where the whole plan of redemption comes into the Abrahamic Covenant. The last statement:
Genesis 12:3b "...and in you (in this man Abram out of Ur of the Chaldees. Out of the idolatry that was all around him) shall all families of the earth be blessed." What did that refer to? The coming of the Messiah! That the Messiah would come from this earthly bloodline of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and then there was another promise made to David.
Now, jump all the way up to the New Testament to Matthew chapter 1, verse 1. This is just background for the verse in Hebrews, that He did not come through angelic power. He didn’t come as some supernaturally empowered angel, but instead He came through the bloodline in the flesh of the family of Abraham. As we said before if we study “the angel of the Lord” we'll find the Lord appeared many times in that form in Israel's history.
Matthew 1:1 "The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham." That’s as far as it goes! Why didn’t the writer of Matthew keep on going back to Adam like the writer of Luke did? We know Luke went all the way back to Adam. But, Matthew only goes to Abraham. There is a distinct scriptural reason.
Matthew depicts Christ as the King! And, the promise of a King did not show itself until the covenant made with Abraham. So, Matthew is only going to concern himself with the genealogy with the beginning of the coming of the King. That was the Abrahamic Covenant!
Now for sake of comparison, turn to Luke chapter 3 and we can see the other genealogy in verse 23. Here we begin with the time of Jesus’ birth with Joseph and Mary and we go all the way back to Adam. Whereas, Matthew went back to Abraham and came up to Joseph and Mary. Just a reverse in the layout.
Luke 3:23-24a "And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli, 24. Which was the son of Matthat (and so forth.) Now come all the way through all those names of generations and then we come to verse 31 to see that we are on the other side of the family tree from Matthew’s. Because Matthew uses the son Solomon whereas verse 31 of Luke chapter 3 uses Nathan who was:
Nathan and Solomon were brothers from David and Bathsheba’s union. So this is a totally different side of the family tree. But, this one doesn’t stop with Abraham, it goes all the way up to verse 38 which is Adam! Now, why the difference? Well, we see, here the Luke genealogy takes Christ back to his fleshly origin (Genesis 3:15, the seed, spiritual rule) which was his birth to Mary. Matthew is only concerning himself with the Kingship of Christ (His earthy or external rule) so he only goes back to the beginning of the promise of the King, which was Abraham. See how beautifully all of Scripture dovetails together?
Now from that promise of the King in Matthew’s genealogy, let’s go all the way up to Acts chapter 3 verses 24 and 25. This is Peter preaching to the Nation of Israel. Nothing has changed. It’s just an extension of Christ’s earthly ministry, only Christ is now in Glory instead of being in their midst. Peter, James and John are still performing the same kind of miracles. They are still preaching to the Nation of Israel that they should repent of having crucified their Messiah and Christ would yet come and give them their glorious earthly kingdom. The crowning glory of Israel and of David and Solomon his son. The very thing that their still hung up on.
Look what Peter says then in chapter 3. This is so we will know what we're talking about when we say that he appeals only to the Nation of Israel. Look at verse 12 of Acts chapter 3. They have just healed the lame man. No different than what Christ would have done. In fact Jesus may have passed by this very man any number of times as He entered the temple.
Acts 3:12 "And when Peter saw it, he answered to the people, you men of Israel..." See that? There are no Gentiles in that group. But he says, "You men of Israel why marvel at this?" Now, look at verse 13.
Acts 3:13a "The God of Abraham, (not the God of Adam and Eve, but rather the God of Abraham) and of Isaac and of Jacob, the God of our fathers,..." How many Gentiles could talk like that? Nobody! No Gentile could call Abraham "our father." So, it is all Jewish. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers:
Acts 3:13b "has glorified His Son Jesus; whom you delivered up..." Now come over to the verses we mentioned earlier. Acts chapter 3 verses 24 and 25. Peter is still pleading with the Nation, shortly after the resurrection and the ascension. In verse 24 Peter says:
Acts 3:24 "Yes, and all the prophets (the Old Testament) from Samuel and those that follow after, (you can name them: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel. Then the minor prophets, i.e. Zechariah) as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days."
Paul later reveals that those gentiles who pick things up begin to realize that we're to have the same kind of faith as faithful Abraham and when we do its at this point that things start to change within us and our first estate where God placed us at our conversion and redemption. When we received the gift of the Holy Spirit who is our comforter and guide into all Truth.
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