Matthew 1:2 (NKJV)
“Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers.”
In that moment it jumped inside me Abraham, Isaac, Jacob - the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit! So I’m going to give many scriptures and look to help bring this revelation to you.
Over my years I’ve shared with others about the Abraham and Isaac revelation, and many clearly recognize that Abraham is a type of the Father, and Isaac is a type of the Son. However, that’s usually where it ends. They see the portion on Abraham because he’s called “father Abraham’ and it’s his son that he was asked to sacrifice. Nothing is really ever said about Jacob, but I believe there is something wonderful to see when this is shown fully and his connection to the Holy Spirit!
Since Jacob was not a very good man for most of his life, how can he be symbolic of the Holy Spirit? What we tend to do is look at Jacob’s life and try to connect it to the Holy Spirit instead of looking at Jacob’s role and connecting that to the Holy Spirit.
We must understand there are no coincidences in the Kingdom, these three patriarchs in fact display the traits of the triune nature of God. Let’s dig in!
Abraham and The Father:
Abraham who began as Abram comes from two Hebrew words that mean “exalted father.” Think of the irony of the name Abram as he went 86 years without a child. Then, he has Ishmael. At last a son. But, not the son. When did God change Abram’s name to Abraham? The change occurs when God is reiterating his original promise to Abram one year before he is going to have the son he’s been promised. The name change is linked to the coming of Isaac.
Genesis 17:4-5 (NKJV)
"As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations.”
The name Abraham has the idea of six Hebrew words that mean:
- father
- multitude, crowd
- to make a noise, be tumultuous, turbulent; to roar, moan
- womb
- to be high above, exalted
- to love, to greet with love, to pity
While this may not be the actual meaning of Abraham, if we put all this together it could be said that Abraham is “the exalted father of a multitude that by the roaring one from the womb will greet with love”. I am simply showing how important names are in Hebrew and the weight they can carry. Digging into the meanings of names can unlock further revelation.
God at one point was the father of a single nation, Israel. He chose them, not because of anything they were or had done, but because he loved them. God chose them to bring forth Jesus, his Son. And, when Jesus came, God was no longer the father of just one nation but the father of many nations, every nation in fact.
Revelation 7:9-10 (NKJV)
“After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!"
God is the father of all nations. And, the fact that Abram’s name was permanently changed to Abraham means that God is forever the father of all nations and no longer to be thought of as the father of a single nation any more. Jesus, the Son, is the key to that change, and we see the same in the story of Abraham and Isaac.
Romans 4:16 (NKJV)
“Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all”
Galatians 3:7 (NKJV)
“Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.”
Abraham picked the bride for his son, just as we see our Father in Heaven who picks the bride for His son Jesus!
Genesis 24:1-4 (NKJV)
“Now Abraham was old, well advanced in age; and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things. So Abraham said to the oldest servant of his house, who ruled over all that he had, "Please, put your hand under my thigh, and I will make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell; but you shall go to my country and to my family, and take a wife for my son Isaac."
And notice this woman is not forced, but must willingly choose to come be the bride of his son.
Genesis 24:5 (NKJV)
“And the servant said to him, "Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I take your son back to the land from which you came?"
Isaac and the Son:
Abram had a son Ishmael. Abraham had the son Isaac. Have you ever noticed that difference?
- Ishmael is of the flesh. Isaac is of the Spirit.
- Ishmael is of the earth. Isaac is of Heaven.
- Ishmael is Adam. Isaac is Jesus!
1 Corinthians 15:45-49 (NKJV)
“And so it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.”
Isaac means “one who laughs or one who rejoices”
Psalm 2:4 (NKJV)
“He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision.”
The question whether Sarah laughed out of joy or out of mockery is usually answered in her disfavor.
Genesis 18:12 (NKJV)
“Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, "After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?"
I tend to believe that Sarah laughed within herself and she denied she did, perhaps because she was trying to be polite, or perhaps because she was afraid that she might get yelled at. But Abraham laughed as well and for the same reason, namely out of gladness for being promised a son.
Genesis 17:17 (NKJV)
“Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, "Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?"
Isaac is a type of the Son, Jesus. Colossians 1 tells us:
Colossians 1:15 (NKJV)
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.”
Jesus is the Man of Heaven, and He changed our perception of the Father, which is also seen in the name change from Abram to Abraham, that comes from the birth of Isaac, who is the son of the promise.
Genesis 17:19 (NKJV)
“Then God said: "No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him.”
Galatians 4:28 (NKJV)
“Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise.”
It is through Isaac that the descendants of Abraham would be named and counted.
Genesis 21:12 (NKJV)
“But God said to Abraham, "Do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of the lad or because of your bondwoman. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called.”
Isaac is actually referred to as his “only son”, even though he had Ishmael, which we saw earlier was the son of the flesh, not the son of the promise.
Genesis 22:2 (NKJV)
“Then He said, "Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you."
Abraham takes his “only son” on a three day journey.
Genesis 22:4 (NKJV)
“Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off.”
This should remind us of Jesus, the Son of God, who was in death’s grip for three days in the tomb. But just as death on the third day could not hold the Lord Jesus, as seen in 1 Corinthians 15.
1 Corinthians 15:4 (NKJV)
“and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,”
We also see with Isaac where the Angel of the LORD [who was the pre-incarnate Son of God, Jesus Himself] did not permit Isaac the son to experience lasting death at Moriah but rather gave him back to his father. Abraham’s great faith proves that he trusted that if God would let Isaac die, then God would also raise him from the dead in order to keep the heir of promise in place.
Hebrews 11:17-19 (NKJV)
“By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, "In Isaac your seed shall be called," concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.”
Now let’s look closer at where Abraham was sent to offer his son. It was on one of the mountains in the land of Moriah. What else in scripture was built here? The first Temple!
2 Chronicles 3:1 (NKJV)
“Now Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the LORD had appeared to his father David, at the place that David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.”
We even see Jesus stir up the religious leaders when He reveals a wonderful truth in John 8.
John 8:56 (NKJV)
“Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad."
Jesus was teaching in the temple area, and He made this statement which fell like a bombshell. Verse 56 records Jesus saying that there was a day, over 2000 years the past, when Abraham rejoiced to see Jesus. What was this day He is referring to? It’s what we have been breaking down here from Genesis 22!
Notice the reaction of the religious leaders, in verse 59 scripture says, “they took up stones to stone Him.” Notice they were very upset. They knew what Jesus had just said, what He claimed and they hated Him for it! Now think about this. It’s only a few months later that Jesus will go out to be crucified. Where was Jesus taken to be crucified?
John 19:17 (NKJV)
“And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha,”
Golgotha is located just outside the walls of Jerusalem, not more than 700 meters from the spot where King Solomon built the first Jewish Temple. According to Jewish tradition Solomon built the temple on Mount Moriah, commemorating the exact spot where Abraham stretched out Isaac upon the altar of sacrifice. Mount Moriah, the Temple of Solomon, the place of Isaac sacrifice, and Golgotha are all the same place. All mark the place where God bound Himself to fulfill the promises of His covenant with Abraham!
Just as Jesus carried His cross we see that Isaac also carried his wood. Isaac was willingly submitted to his father.
Genesis 22:6 (NKJV)
“So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together.”
Of the three Patriarchs we will see, only Isaacs name never changed. Why could that be? As Isaac is a type of the Son, and we know that Jesus does not change. We always see Him as the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world, even on the throne in heaven. Jesus is the name above all names!
Philippians 2:9-11 (NKJV)
“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.”
So we also see that Isaac’s name never changes!
Jacob and the Holy Spirit:
Isaac had two sons, Esau and Jacob. They were twins, but Esau was born first, then Jacob.
Genesis 25:22-23 (NKJV)
“But the children struggled together within her; and she said, "If all is well, why am I like this?" So she went to inquire of the LORD. And the LORD said to her: "Two nations are in your womb, Two peoples shall be separated from your body; One people shall be stronger than the other, And the older shall serve the younger."
Then we see something important in verse 25, which says:
Genesis 25:25 (NKJV)
“And the first came out red. He was like a hairy garment all over; so they called his name Esau.”
The Hebrew word for red is the root word for earth and the name Adam. To say his body was like a hairy garment is to say he was covered in hair like a goat and that was his glory. Esau means hairy, rough. Edom, the nation that came from Esau, means red. The point of Esau’s name is that he was of the earth, of the dust, natural, just like Ishmael, just like Adam.
Now in verse 26 we see:
Genesis 25:26 (NKJV)
“Afterward his brother came out, and his hand took hold of Esau's heel; so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.”
Jacob means “heel-catcher, supplanter”. A supplanter is one that comes after and overtakes the first, just like the Lord told Rebekah in verse 23. However, we don’t see the full picture of what this means until Jacob’s name is changed to Israel (which we will see shortly).
Again we must not look at Jacob’s life, but the role Jacob plays. Remember that Jacob himself was a deceiver for much of his life. Now what is the role of the Holy Spirit? He takes rotten, filthy, no good sinners and brings them to believe in Christ Jesus the Son and transforms them into His image through the process of sanctification!
Romans 3:10-18 (NKJV)
“As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one." "Their throat is an open tomb; With their tongues they have practiced deceit"; "The poison of asps is under their lips"; "Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness." "Their feet are swift to shed blood; Destruction and misery are in their ways; And the way of peace they have not known." "There is no fear of God before their eyes."
John 16:8-9 (NKJV)
“And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me;”
1 Corinthians 6:11 (NKJV)
“And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.”
2 Corinthians 3:18 (NKJV)
“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
Jacob, the third member of the Abraham/Isaac line, is a divine picture of the work of the Holy Spirit through sanctification! Jacob was converted by the Holy Spirit, and this shows a parallel connection to the Third Person of the Trinity, who continuously carries on His great work of sanctification. Jacob, because of the Spirit, became a “new man” as his heart was changed by faith. The Holy Spirit worked faith in Jacob’s heart and continually increased it, so Jacob was a work in progress throughout his latter life. In this way he was a type of the workings of the Third Person of the Trinity!
What made a Jew part of the covenant God made with Abraham? That each male must be circumcised, not only those who are members of his family (who would descend through Jacob), but the servants born in his household, and foreign-born servants.
Genesis 17:9-10 (NKJV)
“And God said to Abraham: "As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised; and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised, every male child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant. He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.”
Now today in the New Covenant what makes one part of the covenant? They must be born again by the Holy Spirit and receive the spiritual circumcision by Jesus Christ!
Colossians 2:11-12 (NKJV)
“In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.”
In Genesis 32, Jacob wrestles with a man all night. Jacob says he won’t let the man go unless the man blesses him. So, the man asks him his name, and he says Jacob.
Genesis 32:28 (NKJV)
“And He said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed."
So, Jacob, the supplanter, becomes Israel. While Jacob’s name was changed here, he wasn’t called that right away. God and others continued to call him Jacob. Until Genesis 35, and what happens in this chapter? Jacob is about to have his last son, Benjamin, which means “the son of the right hand”. This is a picture of Jesus! Right before Benjamin is born, God appears to Jacob again and says:
Genesis 35:10 (NKJV)
“And God said to him, "Your name is Jacob; your name shall not be called Jacob anymore, but Israel shall be your name." So He called his name Israel.”
It’s Jesus that is the key to the name change. Jacob is called Israel several times in the remainder of the chapter. However, have you ever noticed that throughout the rest of the scripture Jacob is sometimes called Jacob and sometimes Israel? He may be the only one in the Word of God whose name change wasn’t permanent. Why is that? Typically, when we see him called Jacob he is acting in the flesh, as one who is carnal, in that situation. And, when we see him called Israel he is acting in the Spirit, as one who is spiritual, in that situation.
We can even see Paul hit on this to the church of Corinth.
1 Corinthians 2:14 (NKJV)
“But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
This is Esau, the natural man. We can see this when he couldn’t understand the spiritual aspect of the birthright. So, he sold it. Paul gives us another example in 1 Corinthians 3, where he says:
1 Corinthians 3:1-3 (NKJV)
“And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?”
Paul is saying that he couldn’t address the Corinthians as spiritual people, Israel. He had to address them as people of the flesh, carnal people, Jacob. So, in Esau and Jacob/Israel, we can see a clear picture of the natural, carnal, and spiritual man. It is through this that we get a picture of the Holy Spirit and see His work.
The entire nation of Israel comes from Abraham, Isaac, and then Jacob. It is Jacob’s seed of whom the nation of Israel was founded through the 12 Tribes and symbolizes the Old Testament church.
The entire Israel of God (physical and spiritual) comes from the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the seed from whom the Israel of God has been born and matured.
We see at the end of Galatians 6 the apostle Paul makes mention of this “new Israel”. He is coming against those still teaching physical circumcision as required. Paul is standing in the truth of the new creation that comes from the spiritual circumcision we just saw in Colossians 2. I like the way the Passion translation renders it.
Galatians 6:15-16 (TPT)
“Circumcision doesn't mean a thing to me. The only thing that really matters is living by the transforming power of this wonderful new creation life. And all those who live in agreement with this standard will have true peace and God's delight, for they are the Israel of God.”
We also see a powerful truth in John 4:4-26: Jesus is sitting at Jacob’s well. The Samaritan woman comes to the well to get water. She wants water from Jacob’s well. Jesus tells her that whoever drinks of this well will be thirsty again. The Samaritan woman believed it was the Jews that had life, because of their ancestry to Jacob. Christ was telling her that it wasn’t about being a son of Jacob and drinking from his well, but drinking from the well of the water of life (the Holy Spirit). It was not the shadow (of being born through Jacob) that saved you, but the true substance of being born again by the Holy Spirit that saves!
Something very interesting is also found in Genesis 45, we see.
Genesis 45:27 (NKJV)
“But when they told him all the words which Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived.”
I believe this is showing us the same as seen in Ephesians 4 and Titus 3.
Ephesians 4:23 (NKJV)
“and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,”
Titus 3:5 (NKJV)
“not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,”
Remember, Jacob’s name changed to Israel when the Son of the Right Hand, Jesus, had come. Yet, he was only called Israel when he was walking in the Spirit. What an incredible picture of us, who have been born again! What a beautiful picture of Jesus, the Son of God, who sends His Spirit, who brings the change of Jacob to Israel. One day all Israel, all those who believe and are born of the Spirit, will be saved!
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are not a perfect picture of the Perfect Trinity, but they do stand as a type that parallels our heavenly Father as they reveal the Person’s and the works of the One True Living God!
The Three Parts of Mankind:
We are also made up of three parts, spirit, soul and body.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 (NKJV)
“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Can we see a correlation to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit?
Spirit- the Father
John 4:24 (NKJV)
“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."
Body- the Son
John 1:14 (NKJV)
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
Soul- the Holy Spirit
2 Thessalonians 2:13 (NKJV)
“But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth,”
It is when God’s breath enters the body that the soul (mind, will, emotions) is born and man becomes a living being.
Genesis 2:7 (NKJV)
“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”
And it’s the soul that will one day either go to be with the Father or separated into outer darkness. Friends the soul is what has the senses and can feel. It is what will either experience eternal life or eternal torment. Notice Jesus only addresses the body and the soul.
Matthew 10:28 (NKJV)
“And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”
Many say the Bible isn’t clear what happens when one’s body physically dies. This has caused some to believe and teach soul sleep, and others to believe that there’s nothing past this life on earth. Many only look to what Paul says here 2 Corinthians.
2 Corinthians 5:8 (NKJV)
“We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.”
Do we see souls asleep in this scripture?
Revelation 6:9-10 (NKJV)
“When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?””
As well as once we see the symbol of Abraham as the Father, we can see the story Jesus tells in Luke 16 clearly as what happens before the resurrection of the dead when Jesus returns.
Luke 16:19-31 (NKJV)
"There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. “Then he cried and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.' But Abraham said, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.' "Then he said, 'I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.' Abraham said to him, 'They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.' And he said, 'No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' But he said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.'"
The end of this story brings another great revelation of Jesus. Notice what the rich man’s request is.
Luke 16:27-28 (NKJV)
"Then he said, 'I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.”
Let’s see what father Abraham says.
Luke 16:29 (NKJV)
“Abraham said to him, 'They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.”
The rich man comes back with the following
Luke 16:30 (NKJV)
“And he said, 'No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.”
And here comes the revelation in Abraham’s final reply
Luke 16:31 (NKJV)
“But he said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.'"
Who is the only one who has risen from the dead, that many still today have not been persuaded to repentance? Jesus Christ!!!
Now, I pray this has given you a wonderful revelation of why He is “the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” May our understanding of God be forever changed, symbolized by the permanent change of the name of Abram to Abraham. Isaac, is always the Son, the Lamb crucified, the Lord Jesus, and thus there is no name change. God always is, the God of Jacob, the carnal person, they are simply infants in Christ. Hopefully we see every Jacob become Israel. That they become the mature man, the full stature and measure of Christ!