The Watchtower Society and John and Morton Edgar - A2Z.org

Age, after the Sarah Covenant has done its work orbringing forth the heir of the promise, and the marriageof Jesus Christ and the Church his bride has taken place,the heavenly Father will, by a new convenant representedby Keturah, give life to many nations, and so justify thename Abraham (Father of many nations) by which Hehad called Himself.And just as Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac, soGod gives all things to Christ. Abraham's other sonshat1 no part or lot with Isaac. He gave them gifts andsent them away eastward. So fleshly Israel and th:;otherrestored nations will have no part or lot with the HolyNation," the Israel of God. The others will receive earthlygifts with eternal life. It is interesting to note thatthe great Jewish historian, Josephus, states (in Ant. I : 15-1)that the descendants of Keturah took possession ofTroglodytis-that is, the country of cave-dwellers. Theyappear, therefore, to have inhabited caves and holes of theearth, thus contrasting themselves with the descendantsof Isaac, who were tent-dwellers.Abraham's death exactly one hundred years after beingbound by the original Covenant, indicates that God's greatwork of salvation will be complete at the exact date appointed by Himself from the beginning.In the succeedingchaptersof Genesis we have an accountof the life-history of Isaac and Rebecca; and we find inthis history another allegory of many of the outstandingfeatures of the Divine Plan of the Ages. Isaac now takesthe place of his father Abraham, and represents God;while Rebecca takes the place of Sarah and representsthe original oath-bound Covenant of blessing. The firstborn.of Isaac and Rebecca, Esau, takes the place ofIshmael in representing the fleshly house of Israel, whileJacob in his turn takes the place that Isaac held, and represents,in tbis allegorical picture, the spiritual Israel. Esauhad the birthright and should have inherited the prom-