photo #6307589

WHEN ABRAHAM SAW JESUS' "DAY" Occasionally, when I post the article dealing with how the Old Testament saints looked forward to the cross, I receive questions regarding my comment on Abraham seeing Christ's "day." The verse in question is John 8:56, where Jesus said, "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad." The obvious question is, "WHEN and HOW did Abraham see Christ's day?" There is no record in the Old Testament or the New Testament of Abraham being permitted to literally SEE any particular day in the life of Christ. This doesn't mean that it could not have happened, especially in light of Abraham's actions in Luke 16, but there is no record of it happening literally, so we are left to consider other ways in which it could have happened. First, it would help to reach some understanding of Jesus' term "my day." The word "day" is used in reference to (1) The day Christ was born (Luke 2:11; Heb. 1:5-6) (2) The day Christ arose from the dead (Acts 13:33) (3) Various parts of the Second Coming of Christ (I Cor. 1:8; 5:5; II Cor. 1:14; Philip. 1:6) (4) The Millennial Kingdom (II Pet. 3:8; Heb. 4:8) In addition to this, one can find the word "day" and the phrase "in that day" having reference to many parts of Christ ministry, past, present and future, especially in Isaiah. So, we can't be very dogmatic about EXACTLY what Jesus meant when he used the term. For that matter, he might not have even been referring to any exact day, but rather a general reference to THIS PRESENT day, or age, of grace that he ushered in through his redemptive work on Calvary. Then we're faced with the question of HOW did Abraham SEE Christ's day? This preacher believes he saw in THROUGH FAITH, as described in Hebrews 11. Hebrews 11:10 says, "For he LOOKED for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God." Then Hebrews 11:13 says, "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having SEEN them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth." Then Jesus specifically states that, ". . . Abraham rejoiced to SEE my day: and he SAW it . . ." (John 8:56) I believe he saw it in the same way that others in Hebrews 11 saw it: THROUGH THE EYES OF TYPICAL FAITH. By "typical faith" I mean in fulfilling their obedience in the things that typified the things of Christ. Abraham, for instance, was obedient in obeying God when he went to sacrifice Isaac on Mount Moriah (Gen. 22). Seeing God's deliverance on that day with Isaac points to the Father's deliverance of Christ some 2,000 years later. Or, we could also say that Abraham's rejoicing in the BIRTH of Isaac (Gen. 21) typified the future and miraculous birth of Christ, the fulfillment of the promised seed, since Abraham saw that in type as well. My usage of the statement in the post was not to stress exactly WHICH day Christ was referring to, but rather the fact that Abraham DID "see" the day, and Hebrews 11 explains how this was possible. If he literally saw the day through some supernatural revelation, that's fine with me, but I know of no scripture that says such. Some might suggest that Jesus' comment in John 8:58 ("Before Abraham was, I am") takes the whole narrative back to a time in Abraham's life when Jesus revealed himself to Abraham, but it seems to me that that view takes excessive liberty with the text. Then you get into WHO exactly was the angel of the LORD, WHO was Melchisedec, and was Jesus referring to any of the events involving these individuals? Personally, I don't think so, but I guess it's possible. Seeing Christ's day through typical faith makes more sense to me, and Hebrews 11 supports this possibility, so that's where I park.