When were believers promised to Christ?
Every believer, whether in ancient Israel or at the end of the church age, was promised to Christ before the foundation of the world. This promise rests on the seed of the woman, not on fleshly descent, and includes all who are born of promise.
Les explains that the singular seed refers to the seed of the woman from Genesis 3:15, continuing through the lineage of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, not Ishmael. Ishmael pictures the energy of the flesh, while those born of promise enter God's covenant program. Paul uses this in Galatians 4, identifying the seed as Christ. Thus every believer, from ancient Israel to the end of the church age, was promised to Christ before the foundation of the world.