NOT ISHMAEL !

SEED THROUGH ISAAC, NOT ISHMAEL!

Jehovah God promised that a special “seed” (or offspring) would be born to rescue mankind from sin. (Genesis 3:15) This “seed” would be the King of God’s Kingdom.

Who would that be?

About 2,000 years after Adam sinned, there lived a very faithful man named Abraham. Jehovah told Abraham to leave his own city and live in tents in the land of Palestine.

Abraham did all that Jehovah told him to do, including one very difficult thing. Jehovah told him to sacrifice his son Isaac on an altar.

Jehovah did not really want a human sacrifice. But he wanted to know how much Abraham loved him. Abraham was at the point of killing Isaac when Jehovah stopped him.

Because of Abraham’s great faith, Jehovah promised to give the land of Palestine to his offspring and said that the promised Seed would be through his line, and that of his son Isaac.—Genesis 22:17, 18; 26:4, 5.

Isaac had twin sons, Esau and Jacob. Jehovah said that the promised Seed would come through Jacob.—Genesis 28:13-15.

Jacob, whom Jehovah also named Israel, had 12 sons, all of whom eventually had children. So the children of Abraham started to multiply.—Genesis 46:8-27.

When there was a bad famine in the area, Jacob and his family moved down to Egypt at the invitation of Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt.—Genesis 45:16-20.

In Egypt it was revealed that the promised Seed would be a descendant of Jacob’s son Judah.—Genesis 49:10.

More important, a great prophetic picture was there enacted, portraying how Christ Jesus, the Greater Isaac, would in due time willingly lay down his human life as the Lamb of God for mankind’s salvation.—John 1:29, 36; 3:16.

Isaac as the seed of Abraham was pictorial of Christ, through whom everlasting blessings come