I’ve mentioned previously that Isaac was a picture of Jesus. He was the one and only well loved son of his father like Jesus. He was the result of divine intervention. God brought about his conception miraculously. Jesus was the result of a miraculous conception. Isaac was a son to be sacrificed as a burnt offering for sin on Mount Moriah where Jesus was crucified. Abraham figuratively received his son back from the dead, and Jesus literally was raised from the dead. All this is way too much to be coincidence. We might see another similarity as well recorded by the author of Hebrews in 11:20. It says, “By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau.”

Cockerill says, “The preacher, in his original Greek text, emphasizes the main point of this verse by placing it first: It was in regard to their future that Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau. The New American Standard Bible or New King James Version translations of this phrase clarify another point: ‘regarding things to come’ or ‘concerning things to come.’ Isaac did not merely bless them for the future, but his blessing pertained to what God was going to do in the future. Genesis 28:4 records how Isaac gave Jacob ‘the blessing of Abraham.’ Thus, Isaac looked forward to the same promised blessing that Abraham had anticipated. This blessing finds its fulfillment in Christ’s High Priestly work which makes the heavenly homeland accessible. Isaac’s faith is, indeed, a chip off the old block. ‘Things to come’ fits very well with the preacher’s other descriptions of the coming salvation (see Hebrews 2:5; 6:5; 9:11; 10:1; 13:14).”[1]

Paul explains this in Galatians 3:7-9. He writes, “Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘In you shall all the nations be blessed.’ So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.” The blessing to both Abraham and his descendants is the blessing of a High Priest who could satisfy the demands of a just God on behalf of all those who believe. It was a distant future for Abraham, Isaac and Jacob but the coming of the Messiah began the fulfillment of that promise and those of faith find peace with God through Jesus. But the full completion of that promise is yet future for us all. Jesus will return and wipe away every tear, put away all sin, and bring peace to all mankind. Isaiah 11:6 speaks of the time when the lion will lay down next to the lamb and there will be no harm. War, suffering and pain will be no more. That means Iran & Iraq will lie down with Israel.

[1] Gareth L. Cockerill, Hebrews: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition (Indianapolis, IN: Wesleyan Publishing House, 1998), 245–246.