Revelation - 2000 The first book of Moses: Genesis |
| Downloads |
|
Introduktion-------The way of Banishment ------ The way of Return
Abraham The history of Abram relations with the Lord the relations of man
and God, father of nations and Celestial Father, is full of deep sense
and has enormous value in understanding the will of God. At the same time
it's the reflection of relations that could have established between people
and God. Abram was born in the third seven in the sixth generation. The
Lord created "all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the
air and all the creatures that move on the ground" and the man on
the sixth day. Man stood to the Lord's expectations as the Lord saw that
"it was very good". Thus Abram faced a wide choice of spiritual
ways for development. The history of Abram showed according to the Lord's
will three epochs of mankind history: the past from Adam, the present,
blessing and promise to create selected people and future the way of
return, that the Lord gives only to human beings. On the other hand Abram
bears historical and spiritual traits of various personalities. It may
be stated that Abram didn't belong to himself he belonged to God and
on His wish he belonged to the future mankind. With Abram the Lord begins
to implement the Return of mankind to God, the Salvation of mankind. The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people
and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. "I
will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your
name great, and you will be a blessing. Abram with his wife and nephew Lot and with all his possessions and
people and left Haran and went to Canaan land and built altar to the Lord. So Abram said to Lot, "Let's not have any quarreling between
you and me, or between your herdsmen and mine, for we are brothers. Is
not the whole land before you? Let's part company. If you go to the left,
I'll go to the right; if you go to the right, I'll go to the left."
The ways to settle disputes created between people are the main showings
of spiritual development, a kind of testing for man. The settlement proposed
by Abram shows the attitude of Abram to people, he is guided by peaceful
settlement of quarrels. He proposed Lot any choice of land for his herdsmen
to sustain good relations, he is prepared to give up his interests though
the difference between Lot and Abram positions is huge. "Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for
I am giving it to you." The life of Abram (and Abraham) is showing the future of his people:
the exit of Abram from Ur is the showing of the exit of Israeli people
from Egypt, the wandering of Abram is the prototype of forty years wandering
in the desert. It should be noted that "length" is the distance
from the East to the West, while "breadth" is from the North
to the South. After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings
allied with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley
of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). Then Melchizedek king of Salem
brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed
Abram, saying, "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven
and earth. And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into
your hand." When Abram, the prophet, met Melchizedek, the priest of God Most High
and gave him "the tenth part of all", it showed that Abram saw
the sanctity of such a high level in Melchizedek that he accepted without
any hesitation his priesthood. The fact that Melchizedek brought bread
and wine, the attributes of the future Christianity, and didn't make an
offering with Abram, proves that he was already at that time in such a
spiritual position, which was corresponding to future Tabernacle of the
Congregation. Like Noah, who saw that the way with the Lord is the best
way for mankind, Melchizedek knew it long before the meeting with Abram.
But in this case Melchizedek saw that Abram was standing for the unity
with God's wish and he blessed this unity. But Abram said: O Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since I remain childless
and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?" And
Abram said, "You have given me no children; so a servant in my household
will be my heir."
The Lord makes covenant with Abram and in accordance with the covenant
the Lord promises to give the land to his descendants. But Abram represents
three individual agreements in this covenant: the covenant with Abram,
the covenant with Isaac and the covenant with Jacob, it's supported by
three offerings heifer, goat and ram. These three covenants are anticipating
the three stages of man's return to God. The fact that two various birds
are used for offering shows the various spiritual fate of these covenants.
The offering of a dove and a young pigeon shows that they represent only
one party, the part of the Lord. The offering of a dove and a young pigeon
reminds of three times the dove flew from Noah's ark. The three stages
of mankind Return to God are showed by covenants with forefathers: Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob, they characterize various level of mankind relation with
the Lord and accordingly the ability to retain the Spirit of God. "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers
in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four
hundred years. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and
afterward they will come out with great possessions. You, however, will
go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age. In the fourth
generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites
has not yet reached its full measure." It means that any sin "is measured", as the measure is overstepped
the people is to be punished as Amorites will be punished for their sins
and the mankind will be punished. At that day the Lord for the first time appeared in front of Abram as
a smoking fire port and blazing torch and gave the promise and made a
covenant with Abram saying what land the Lord would give his descendants.
This appearance of God would be retained in the mind of Abram's offspring
for the next years to come. "The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with
my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her." Abram followed the advice of his wife. Sarai sent him Egyptian maidservant Hagar. As Hagar conceived she got proud and began to despise her mistress, Sarai. As Sarai mistreated Hagar and she fled from her. The angel of the LORD found Hagar near a spring in the desert;
it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. And he said, "Hagar,
servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?"
"I'm running away from my mistress Sarai," she answered. Then
the angel of the LORD told her, "Go back to your mistress and submit
to her." Hagar flew away from Sarai and violated the Predestination of God for
her son: her son would have to create the large people. Ishmael would
have to learn a lot from his father Abram. The angel of the Lord returns
Hagar to Sarai. Ishmael will be the forefather of tribes, which in future
will be called Arabs, and will have Islam. It's showed later as Paul was
prohibited to preach among Arab tribes. Islam is one of the four spiritual
trends like one of the rivers, which watered Eden garden. We already noted that Abram belonged to the sixth generation of the third
seven. What meaning has the change of the highest appearance of God
God Almighty, changing his name into Abraham? It means that Abram led
righteous life and on wish of God he begat a new man in himself Abraham,
the blessed man in seventh generation and from now on Abraham belonged
to the seventh generation. The change of the name shows that Abram, the
historical person, will have on wish of the Lord to become Abraham and
to fulfill the spiritual destination. The change of Abram into Abraham
shows that the plan of the Lord for the return of man to Got entered into
force. The Lord Almighty may come into man's life only once at the turning
point when the change of man's fate is interconnected with the future
of mankind. Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh,
will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant. The Lord creates unified spiritual level of conscience for Jewish people and circumcision, the purification as an offering, is the necessary term to be accepted to this spiritual level. The man who has not made circumcision will not belong to the spiritual unity, he is separated, he is not related to other people by covenant, which the Lord gave to Hebrew people. He is alien. The phrase "to cut off from his people" is replaced by "to stick to his people" by Moses in Deuteronomy to note the junction, the creation of unified spiritual position of people with the Lord. God also said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you
are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. I will bless
her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she
will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her." Abraham laughed to himself as he was old and Sarah was old and said to the Lord: "If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!"
Then God said, "Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and
you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting
covenant for his descendants after him. God promised Abraham to give him a son from Sarah and God will make covenant with him, and through him with his descendants. It's stressed that the Return will be connected with Isaac. And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him;
I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will
be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. The blessing of God was on Ishmael and Ishmael begat twelve sons, who
produced numerous descendants turning into large people. "Where is your wife Sarah?" they asked him. "There,
in the tent," he said. Then the LORD said, "I will surely return
to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son."
Sarrah heard it and said to herself: "After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have
this pleasure?" Then the LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah
laugh and say, 'Will I really have a child, now that I am old?' Is anything
too hard for the LORD? I will return to you at the appointed time next
year and Sarah will have a son." As Abraham went out to see them on their way
The words of the Lord "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about
to do?" shows the goal of God for creation of man and the supreme
ethic concepts God is guided by. Man should be a participant, assistant
in creative activities and the Lord is teaching man showing him his mistakes.
The Lord names Abraham His servant, but it sounds as the utmost showing
of righteousness and Abraham understands in full the commandments and
plans of the Lord. The levels of this perfection are represented by words
"sun", "servant". Then the LORD said, "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah
is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what
they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I
will know." As we noted above there is a limit for people's sin, here this limit
was overstepped: "the sin is so grievous". "Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Abraham being diffident in nature is guided by love to human beings. He overcomes his fear and pleads the Lord to have mercy on people reducing the number of righteous men. Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes (Gen. 18, 27) He fought for the lives of people until he reduced the number of righteous
men to ten and the Lord satisfied his pleading. The cities were punished:
the fire destroyed the cities. Only Lot and his daughters could be saved. Now the LORD was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the LORD
did for Sarah what he had promised. Sarah became pregnant and bore a son
to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him. Abraham
gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore him. When his son Isaac was
eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God commanded him. Isaac was supposed to be born by Adam in the blessed seventh generation,
but the change of Abram name on God's wish made him to be born in the
first generation. Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!"
Abraham followed the commandments of God all his life and he got his award the only sun born to him by his beloved wife. The son will be his inheritor. The words "your only son, whom you love sacrifice him as a burnt offering" sounded frightening to him. What has he done? Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey.
He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut
enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told
him about. Abraham didn't say a word, he stood up and started on his way. He came
back on the third day. He did remember the promises of God about his people
and he believed that the Lord will somehow save the life of Isaac. But
three days to death and he was supposed to be the cause of his son's death
should have been like an eternity for Abraham. This three days long way
could be compared to the way Jesus Christ went on to Golgotha while he
was surrounded by alien people awaiting the bloodcurdling sight. Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, "Father?"
"Yes, my son?" Abraham replied. "The fire and wood are
here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?"
Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt
offering, my son." And the two of them went on together. Isaac says: "My father!" But we hear: "My God, my God! Why have You forsaken me?" The prophetic words of Abraham: "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son" combined two historical and spiritual moments the present and, may be unconsciously, the future, the other offering, when God would send the Lamb to redeem sins of the previous generations and to purify the present generation. When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham
built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac
and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his
hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the LORD called
out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!" "Here I am,"
he replied. "Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do
not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have
not withheld from me your son, your only son." With Abraham the Lord begins the first four stages of mankind Return
to God. All the past time brought disappointment to the Lord as people
tended to get further and further away from God, though there were righteous
people among them. The Lord foreseeing the future makes a decision if
man is worthy to be given assistance to go along the road of Return. The
Lord knows that to save the selected others will have to be sacrificed. Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught
by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt
offering instead of his son. This experience left a deep impression in soul of Isaac for all his life and he began to apply the word "fear" for God. The blessing given by God to Abraham passed to his relatives: Nahor, brother of Abraham, who was childless, started to give birth to sons. Abraham was now old and well advanced in years, and the LORD
had blessed him in every way. Abraham started his life from search of true God and he passed a long
spiritual path. On wish of the Lord he crossed all lands, which the Lord
promised to give his descendants. Anywhere where he stopped he made altars
to make offerings. The first altar was made not far away from Shechem
next to Moreh, the second alter was erected on the way between Bethel
and Ai, the third was made near Hebron, close to Mamre. Then Abraham dug
a well in Beersheba and planted a tree, where he "praised the Lord,
eternal God". The deeds of Abraham prove that he knew the complete
way of Return from God as the number of erected altars was equal to number
of altars of tabernacle and the dug well (purification by water the
precursor of baptizing by Christ). The altar for offer Isaac in Moriah
land was the prototype of Golgotha where Jesus Christ was crucified. The
soul of Abraham comprised the service to God and people, he tried to protect
people whenever he could and everywhere and anytime he preached the belief
in true God. "The LORD, the God of heaven, who brought me out of my father's
household and my native land and who spoke to me and promised me on oath,
saying, 'To your offspring I will give this land'-he will send his angel
before you so that you can get a wife for my son from there. And the Lord assisted the servant to find wife for Isaac when he brought him to grand daughter of Nahor. Altogether, Abraham lived a hundred and seventy-five years.
Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man
and full of years; and he was gathered to his people.
After Abraham's death, God blessed his son Isaac. Isaac got married in being 40 years old, he married the girl that was destined for him by the Lord. Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she
was barren. The LORD answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became
pregnant. How could it happen that the woman selected by the Lord for Isaac was barren? It's obvious that this selection was made according to wish of the Lord as the Lord created Isaac, the Lord listened to prayers of Isaac and gave him Esau and Jacob. They were born on wish of the Lord, their birth was of great importance for the history of mankind. The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, "Why
is this happening to me?" So she went to inquire of the LORD. The
LORD said to her, The birth of Esau and Jacob showed that they would be forefathers of great nations and that Isaac during the offering was the prototype of Jesus Christ, who brought Redemption and Purification of people from sins. The birth and life of Jacob comprise the secret of the Israeli people fate and the fate of mankind. The lives of Esau and Jacob show the spiritual and historical split between the Abraham descendants into heathen people and nation selected by God. As the split took place after the death of Isaac, this split of nations on the way of Return will be overcome only by Jesus Christ, while Isaac was his prototype. Jesus Christ on wish of God would open the heathen nations and descendants of Esau the way to God. The life of Jacob like the life of Abraham comprised the future lives of historical and spiritual outstanding people, who would live thousands years after him. Today the forefathers come to our life to show spiritual way to mankind and to define historical fates of people. The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of
the open country, while Jacob was a quiet man, staying among the tents.
Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob. Like Ishmael, the brother of Isaac, was good at shooting bow, was a
hunter and lived in the desert, Esau was a good hunter and spent much
time in the open country. People of that nature usually face risks, they
are brave, they like freedom and prefer to rely on their sharp eyes and
skilled hands instead of prayer. Esau was the man in whom the animal nature
showed up in full. Jacob, like his grandfather and father was quiet and
peaceful man. when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open
country, famished. He said to Jacob, "Quick, let me have some of
that red stew! I'm famished!" (That is why he was also called Edom.)
Jacob replied, "First sell me your birthright." "Look,
I am about to die," Esau said. "What good is the birthright
to me?" But Jacob said, "Swear to me first." So he swore
an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau
some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and
left. So Esau despised his birthright.
Now there was a famine in the land-besides the earlier famine
of Abraham's time-and Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines
in Gerar. The LORD appeared to Isaac and said, "Do not go down to
Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. Stay in this land for
a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your
descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore
to your father Abraham. I will make your descendants as numerous as the
stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your
offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because Abraham obeyed
me and kept my requirements, my commands, my decrees and my laws."
So Isaac stayed in Gerar. The enormous endeavor Isaac lived through in his childhood changed him.
The fear of God had a permanent stance in his soul and he called God
Fear. But fear can only make people fulfill the wish of God, but this
attitude will never bring people closer to God, it will not create necessity
of God like the feeling of Abraham. The Lord says that He will fulfill
his promise he gave to Isaac's father Abraham. The saying of the Lord
addressed to Isaac is for the first time divided into three parts: commandments,
decrees and laws. Note what the Lord says about Abraham: "Abraham
obeyed me and kept my requirements, my commands, my decrees and my laws".
The return to God begins with the fulfillment of simple decrees and requirements
and only then as the soul of man is strong the man faces more strict requirements.
Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the time of his
father Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died,
and he gave them the same names his father had given them. Isaac is the prototype of Jesus Christ, but numerous scholars find the correlation only in the fact of the offering supposed by Abraham. Still Isaac dug and purified wells made by Abraham and he brought life to the desert. The waters of the flood purified earth of sins and later Isaac brought water from the wells. On the way to return to God mankind should go the same way it was banished by the Lord. Jesus Christ reinstalled old Laws by preaching like Isaac purified wells of Abraham, he brought fresh water and spiritual meaning. We may recollect words of Jesus Christ as he spoke to the woman of Samaria: Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinks of this water
shall thirst again: but whosoever drinks of the water that I shall give
him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in
him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. Like the shepherds of Gerar land and local residents argued with the
servants of Isaac about water, the priests and scribes fought against
Jesus Christ and his disciples, though the teaching of Jesus Christ is
a single whole with the Holy Scripture. But Isaac was not only purifying
old wells made by Abraham, he dug new wells and Jesus Christ brought new
truth to the world, new spiritual values and mankind could make a new
move in spiritual development. Baptizing of Jesus Christ was introduced
to overcome the aftermath of the flood: water purified earth of sins and
gave a chance for a new spiritual life for an individual person. The sacrifice
of Jesus Christ redeemed the sins of mankind living prior to flood, but
it didn't redeem the sins of Adam, Eve and Cain. Jesus Christ made the
sacrifice giving people a chance to return into the pre-flood spiritual
state, which was closer to the Lord and provided closer relations to God.
This relation was very close to God as the Spirit of God overwhelmed numerous
people as it had been in the time the people was wandering in the desert.
The flood was made on wish of God as "the man's wickedness on the
earth" was beyond the limits and "every flash corrupted their
ways on earth". God is merciful, He sends his son to take the sins
of mankind, the death of his son will wipe the sins of people. Only purification
of sins may give people to get a new spiritual state. A sin of a man and
a sin of a people (of mankind) those are different categories. "My son." "Here I am," he answered. "I
am now an old man and don't know the day of my death. Now then, get your
weapons-your quiver and bow-and go out to the open country to hunt some
wild game for me. 4 Prepare me the kind of tasty food I like and bring
it to me to eat, so that I may give you my blessing before I die."
Now Rebekah was listening as Isaac spoke to his son Esau. When Esau left
for the open country to hunt game and bring it back
The prophetic vision of Isaac was low that he prepared to die though he would live long enough. Rebekah heard the words of Isaac and told Jacob. She told Jacob to bring two young goats and she would prepare some tasty food his father liked. Jacob brought the food to his father and Isaac blessed him. But Jacob said: "But my brother Esau is a hairy man, and I'm a man with
smooth skin. What if my father touches me? I would appear to be tricking
him and would bring down a curse on myself rather than a blessing." And Rebekah told him: His mother said to him, "My son, let the curse fall on me.
Just do what I say; go and get them for me." She made him do what she was intended to do, she took the clothes of Esau and put the clothes on Jacob. She covered hands and neck of Jacob with goat skins. He went to his father and said, "My father." "Yes,
my son," he answered. "Who is it?" Jacob said to his father,
"I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit
up and eat some of my game so that you may give me your blessing."
His father Isaac answered him, "Your dwelling will be away
from the earth's richness, away from the dew of heaven above. You will
live by the sword and you will serve your brother. But when you grow restless,
you will throw his yoke from off your neck." Cain was the man of the second generation after Adam and Esau was the
second in the fourth seven. Twenty one generations passed but the curse
is living in every man give way to grief and anger and it will overwhelm
the man. Cain "woke up" in Esau and found the victim Jacob
like Abel was keeping flocks. "I'm disgusted with living because of these Hittite women.
If Jacob takes a wife from among the women of this land, from Hittite
women like these, my life will not be worth living." Isaac called Jacob and blessed him: May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and increase
your numbers until you become a community of peoples. May he give you
and your descendants the blessing given to Abraham, so that you may take
possession of the land where you now live as an alien, the land God gave
to Abraham." and he sent him to Laban giving him an order to marry one of his daughters.
Jacob On his way from Beersheba into Haran Jacob went a whole day long, the sun set, he found a place for the night, took one of the stones, put it under his head and lay down to sleep. He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth,
with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending
and descending on it. There above it stood the LORD, and he said: "I
am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will
give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants
will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west
and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will
be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch
over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will
not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." Stairway of Jacob this is the name this vision was used in all books. He was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This
is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven."
Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head
and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. The oath of Jacob is nice characteristic of him. We may regard it as
extraordinary at the beginning, when Jacob sets a proviso to God, it may
seem too bald to address God. But at the time of Jacob heathens worshipped
hundreds of various "gods" and this practical attitude was but
natural. As for the rest Jacob is really moderate. Then Jacob continued on his journey and came to the land of
the eastern peoples. There he saw a well in the field, with three flocks
of sheep lying near it because the flocks were watered from that well.
The stone over the mouth of the well was large. When all the flocks were
gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone away from the well's
mouth and water the sheep. Then they would return the stone to its place
over the mouth of the well. Jacob was searching for God and he found God. But did he stop the searching
after that appearance of God? The searching got a new meaning. Erroneous
apprehension is replaced by new understanding bringing the man closer
to truth. Each revelation brings answers to some questions and creates
new questions. As Jacob met the Lord he proceeded his journey. Where was
he going? Jacob-man was going to get to Laban. Jacob the leader of nations
was aimed to reach "the land of sons of the east", where God
made a garden in the East. He was aimed to reach the place from which
man was banished, he was going on the way of Return, the way the Lord
showed to Abraham and Abraham covered his part of the way and then Isaac
covered his portion as well. The Lord banished man four times and he pushed
him further and further away. Still the Lord left the way of Return, the
way to the beginning of the Creation, which comprised four stages. Obviously
there should be other stages to show the destination of man, the stages
to show the wish of God the destination of Adam. "Look," he said, "the sun is still high; it is
not time for the flocks to be gathered. Water the sheep and take them
back to pasture." "We can't," they replied, "until
all the flocks are gathered and the stone has been rolled away from the
mouth of the well. Then we will water the sheep." Life goes on and it's too early to scare people by the doomsday. The sun is still shining roll away the stone from the well of the truth from the Holy Scripture there's still time to teach and save people. But the voice of Jacob is the voice crying in the desert. The prophet said about these shepherds: Hear you indeed, but understand not; and see you indeed, but
perceive not. While the day and light of the truth surround people they have to drink from the well so the Lord will not say: My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because you have
rejected knowledge, I will also reject you, that you shall not be the
priest to me: seeing you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also
forget your children. The words of the prophet show that the teaching given by the Lord is the living teaching. The Lord is teaching mankind as a child in accordance with the age and development level. The main task of the priest is to know the way and lead people along this way. If the priest doesn't know this way the people will not stand still for thousand years at one place, but it will people will go in reverse direction. The food for a child is different from the food for infant. What "forgotten law" did the prophet apply to? Moses appealed to Israeli people and proclaimed the wish of the Lord: "To listen to the Lord, to obey and to keep commands, decrees and laws". These words show numerous levels of relations between man and God. Man can obey, obey and keep, obey and keep and listen to the Lord. Listen/hear means perceiving the presence of the Lord in the world, comprehend this presence and be guided by the Lord's presence. This level is applied to priests as an obligation. Going toward the Lord means searching for truth as the way of Return is the way of cognition. The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the LORD, and knowledge
of the Holy One is understanding The way of cognition is understood as the way to understand truth through dialogue, conversation with the Lord. The dialogue with the Lord is the way to bring man to creative process controlled by the Lord as there is no other way to understand the Lord. While he was still talking with them, Rachel (daughter of Laban) came with her father's sheep, for she was a shepherdess (she kept flocks of her father). (Gen. 29, 9) The fourth flock came to the well. We may recollect that the river watering the garden of Eden was separated into four rivers, into four spiritual streams. Four flocks with the shepherds came to the well. The fourth flock of the unified Church of Return as the congregation of Judaism, Christianity and Islam had always existed. The goal of all the four stages is the Return of man to initial stance close to God the Single Church, the Church of Return does exist, this Church consists of four religions: Judaism, Christianity, Islam and the church of Return. Christianity and Islam correspond to one stage of Return as the Lord made covenant with Isaac, brother of Ishmael. When Jacob saw Rachel daughter of Laban, his mother's brother,
and Laban's sheep, he went over and rolled the stone away from the mouth
of the well and watered his uncle's sheep. The big stone over the well of truth (Holy Scripture was closed with
this stone) could be moved away by the unified efforts of all shepherds,
but they never tried to move it away. This stone closed the source of
truth and left people and the shepherds in the dark. But the Lord proclaimed
thousands years before that the Lord would send a man, who on His wish
would open the well and would water the flocks and would keep the flocks. In this way the man grew exceedingly prosperous and came to
own large flocks, and maidservants and menservants, and camels and donkeys.
Then the LORD said to Jacob, "Go back to the land of your
fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you." Jacob was peaceful in nature, he hated violence from his childhood. This peaceful nature of Jacob was so strong that people could regard it as cowardice, but he was not a coward. Jacob decided to run away from Laban with all his family, children and his flocks. He told his wives about his decision, they approved his decision and leave Laban with Jacob. Laban learned that Jacob flew away, Laban started the chase with his people after Jacob and soon he caught up Jacob, but the Lord appeared to Laban in his dream and warned him: "Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or
bad." Laban was forced to refuse from his plans to take back his daughters,
grandchildren and flocks from Jacob. But he didn't want to leave them
his gods, which Rachel stole and kept away from Jacob. But all their search
was in vain and the gods of Laban were left with Rachel. Laban proposed
to make a covenant and they supported their peaceful intentions by a pillar
of stones, which separated their lands. May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their
father, judge between us." So Jacob took an oath in the name of the
Fear of his father Isaac. Jacob also went on his way. He sent messengers ahead of him to Esau with the request to accept him. The news about Esau coming to meet him with four hundred men frightened Jacob and he applied to God: Then Jacob prayed, "O God of my father Abraham, God of
my father Isaac, O LORD, who said to me, 'Go back to your country and
your relatives, and I will make you prosper,' I am unworthy of all the
kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant. I had only my staff
when I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two groups. Save me,
I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid he will come
and attack me, and also the mothers with their children. But you have
said, 'I will surely make you prosper and will make your descendants like
the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted.' " Jacob recollects as the Lord appeared to him in Bethel. He applies to
God with a plead to help him. He makes a distinct division between spiritual
and physical relations. So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak.
When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket
of Jacob's hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man.
Then the man said, "Let me go, for it is daybreak." But Jacob
replied, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." The man
asked him, "What is your name?" "Jacob," he answered.
This place in the Holy Scripture is of utmost importance along with the
words of Jacob addressed to God. Jacob addressed God as "father of
my Abraham!" and "father of my Isaac!" and asks for help
to protect him and his family against Esau. Instead of the required help
someone came some unknown God and started wrestling with him with
unknown end. It's the spiritual wrestling as physical wrestling of man
and God is out of question. But even the spiritual wrestling allowed Jacob
to win and it ended in physical defeat: Jacob hurt his heap. On the other
hand spiritual wrestling of man and God is also unbelievable we may
turn back to Babel story. At the time of Jacob the present was already
settled and all blessings were given to Jacob and Moses would have to
meet the Lord of Abraham, the Lord of Isaac and the Lord of Jacob not
with the Lord Abraham, the Lord of Isaac and the Lord of Esau. Herewith
we may suppose that that very night the future should be settled: who
would open the spiritual well descendant of Jacob or spiritual descendant
of Esau? Jacob anticipated the future of his descendants he overcame the
banishment and at that time he was on his return way to the land of his
forefathers and on this way he "wrestled with God". I am the God of your father," he continued, "the God
of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob." As the Lord sends Moses to Egypt, the Lord said: "Thus shall you say to the Israelites: The LORD, the God
of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob,
has sent me to you. "This is my name forever; this is my title for
all generations.
"
It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life
was spared." The sun was illuminating not only Jacob, but his future descendants
as well, those who left Egypt and gathered to listen to the preaching
of Jesus Christ and other people in the future. Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, "You have brought trouble
on me by making me a stench to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people
living in this land. We are few in number, and if they join forces against
me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed." All his life Jacob stood against any violence and he stuck to his belief this time: he blamed the deeds of his sons and cursed them: Cursed be their anger, so fierce, and their fury, so cruel!
I will scatter them in Jacob and disperse them in Israel. The curse was fulfilled. The descendants of Levi became priests, they didn't own land and they were scattered all around Israel, the name of which was worded by Jacob. But descendants of Levi were faithful to the Lord and in fact they fulfilled the prophecy being scattered they brought blessing for the people of Israel, they became the teachers of the Law for people. The future of Simeon descendants is unknown. Soon the Lord said to Jacob: "Go up to Bethel and settle there, and build an altar there
to God, who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your brother Esau."
So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, "Get
rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves and change
your clothes. Then come, let us go up to Bethel, where I will build an
altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and who has been
with me wherever I have gone." So they gave Jacob all the foreign
gods they had and the rings in their ears, and Jacob buried them under
the oak at Shechem. As Jacob left for Bethel with his family the Lord created terror upon the people living neighboring towns and they never pursued Jacob. Jacob came to Bethel and set up altar at the place the Lord for the first time appeared to him and he named the place El Bethel. After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram, God appeared to him again
and blessed him. God said to him, "Your name is Jacob, but you will
no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel." So he named
him Israel. Once in man's life when man fulfilled the destination foreseen by God
the Lord Almighty appears to him and gives him blessing, changing his
name and promises land and great future to his descendants. Stronger prophetic
qualities followed the change of Jacob's name. The Lord Almighty appeared
to Abraham when Abraham was ninety years old, the Lord made covenant with
Abraham, changed his name and promised him numerous offspring and land,
and promised to be God of Abraham and his descendants. Abraham in his
turn worshipped the only God and circumcised all males making the proof
of the covenant. When Jacob asked all of his family, all his servants
to get rid of foreign gods, he increased the faith not only in his heart,
though he made faithful all his household and the Lord Almighty blessed
him, changed his name and promised land and great future to his descendants. So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is,
Bethlehem). Over her tomb Jacob set up a pillar, and to this day that
pillar marks Rachel's tomb. Joseph Life of Joseph was a prototype of the past and future events, the history of mankind. The evaluation below will try to disclose those events in the scope the Lord may give us the wisdom to do. So, Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land
of Canaan. Jacob and all his children were shepherds. They kept flocks moving from
one place to another looking for good pasture. Sometimes they moved far
away from their homes. Abraham kept flocks and God created animals on
the sixth day; Isaac worked on earth, vegetation was created on the third
day; Jacob was a shepherd, shepherd has always been regarded as a servant
of God, the priest. We already noted that order of events, the order of
items distribution is very important to comprehend the Holy Scripture.
The move from animal world to vegetation and keeping flocks (being shepherd)
means getting closer to God, to truth. If we examine spiritual movement
of mankind (the Return), we may note that Judaism was the first religion
given by the Lord through Moses to people. Moses was interconnected with
Jacob. Later the Lord gave Christianity, which was interconnected with
life of Isaac and which was given through Jesus Christ. The Lord will
give a new teaching interconnected with Abraham, which will be given in
this millennium. If we correlate these religions with the spiritual way
of Return to God, Judaism brings us till the time, which followed the
flood prior to Babel: God deprived people of spiritual unity and scattered
them around the earth. Only the Lord can reanimate the lost spiritual
value lost by people. Christianity brings us to the era before the flood:
water purified earth from sinful mankind and water was used by Christ
to baptize man and clean him from sins. Death and resurrection of Jesus
Christ is the resurrection of mankind living before the flood, purification
of sins putting mankind to a higher spiritual level. The new Truth is
connected with Abraham while the new offering will clean mankind of Cain
sin, it will give mankind a chance to step up and return into time when
Abel was killed the Lord said: "I will demand an accounting for
your lifeblood". This offering will purify the present mankind and
only this purification will give people a chance to accept the new Truth.
In distant future if mankind doesn't create new disaster by deadly sins
it will face the fourth stage the advent of Messiah and the Prophet
Moses and Aaron were their prototypes. They will bring to the time level
Adam made his sin. This move will give people a chance to return to the
initial spiritual relation with God! Whose blood will be shed to purify
mankind it's a great secret of the Lord! Judaism and Christianity are
giving way to mankind to truth allowing people to reach a new spiritual
level, this way is given to any nation, any man. Will mankind stay on
new spiritual level? It all depends upon mankind. The righteous man will
be saved whatever religion he belonged to. The goal of the Return is to
save mankind as there could be few righteous persons. Categories of men
and nations are different and it was shown by the purification offerings
in Judaism. But let's return back to Joseph. He said to them, "Listen to this dream I had: We were binding
sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood
upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it."
Life of every forefather was defined by historical and spiritual events,
but their lives were influenced by the future people whose prototypes
they were selected to fulfill. Those people in the future who will be
selected on wish of the Lord will come to the historical arena to lead
their nations or mankind to a new spiritual level. The tasks that they
will face were already defined by the lives of forefathers. The historical
line of the church of the Return can be seen in the life of Jacob-Israel
while the spiritual life can be seen on life of Abraham. Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. "Listen,"
he said, "I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and
eleven stars were bowing down to me." Light it the truth, the light created by God in the first day is the truth of God. God created the sources of light the sun, the moon and stars on the fourth day. They have to rule the day and the night and they have to separate light of darkness. The church which will be created it will be the church of the Return, the church of the Spirit and Truth. The church will be guiding mankind to get close spiritual position to God the position of mankind prior to the time Abel was killed. The church will be improving the spiritual nature of man bringing him closer to the Truth. We may recollect the crying of Cain and see that people were very close to God: "
you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden
from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth;" As the family of Adam was banished from Eden, the unity of all animal
nature was destroyed but the relation to God didn't stop. God was close
to people and God was the main source of life and spirit. Cain understood
it what he was loosing only at the moment of banishment! His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter
in mind. One day when Jacob sent Joseph with his brothers to Shechem. Joseph lost his way and some man (sent by God!) told him that his brothers with their flocks were in Dothan. As his brothers saw him they wanted to kill him but then they were persuaded by Reuben and a dry cistern in the desert. Reuben tried later to save Joseph and to send him back to their father. But while Reuben was away a caravan of Ishmaelites from Gilead was passing by going to Egypt. "
Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and myrrh". His brothers sold him to merchants for twenty shekels of silver and they
told their father that some ferocious animal had devoured Joseph. The
merchants went to Egypt and they were bringing aromatic compounds applied
in religious ceremonies and they brought Joseph with them. This even shows
the high destination, which awaited Joseph in Egypt. The merchants were
bringing Joseph as a slave from Gilead to Egypt and the blessing of God
was coming with them to Egypt. But only four centuries later Moses would
leave Midian for Egypt to bring back the ashes of Joseph and other living
descendants of Jacob to land given by the Lord and would bring curse to
Egypt. Some time later, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of
Egypt offended their master, the king of Egypt. Pharaoh was angry with
his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, and put them
in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the same prison
where Joseph was confined. They were worried by the dreams but they couldn't interrupt the dreams. "We both had dreams," they answered, "but there
is no one to interpret them." The first phase of the story tells us that Joseph was a righteous man
and he always kept spiritual relation with God. He always sensed the presence
of God and he was assured in his help. Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall
lie down with the kid; The calf and the young lion shall browse together,
with a little child to guide them. When the chief baker saw that Joseph had given a favorable interpretation,
he said to Joseph, "I too had a dream: On my head were three baskets
of bread. In the top basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh,
but the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head." Three baskets represent three churches, which are already separated
though they have single spiritual nature and single goals. The lower basket
is Judaism, the middle basket represents Christianity and the upper basket
is the church of the Return. The baked goods eaten by birds from the third
basket shows that disciples of the church of the Return will be persecuted
and the church will suffer the loss of numerous people. When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream: He was
standing by the Nile, when out of the river there came up seven cows,
sleek and fat, and they grazed among the reeds. After them, seven other
cows, ugly and gaunt, came up out of the Nile and stood beside those on
the riverbank. And the cows that were ugly and gaunt ate up the seven
sleek, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up. Then Pharaoh sent for all the magicians and wise men in Egypt but no one could interpret the dreams of Pharaoh. The cupbearer remembered Joseph and told Pharaoh about him. Joseph was taken from the dungeon, he shaved and changed his clothes and came before Pharaoh. Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I had a dream, and no one can
interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream
you can interpret it." The high spiritual level of Joseph and his righteous position in all
endeavors sent for him by God put him closer to God and God gave him help.
The destiny of Joseph shows all the blessings given by God to his forefathers:
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But Joseph had to be as righteous as his ancestors
before God. Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, "The dreams of Pharaoh are
one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do.
The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads of grain
are seven years; it is one and the same dream. The seven lean, ugly cows
that came up afterward are seven years, and so are the seven worthless
heads of grain scorched by the east wind: They are seven years of famine.
The east wind shows separation, split. We may recollect as "the
Lord blew east wind all night long to make sea into dry land and the waters
separated" to give way to Israeli people. The Lord is dividing the
rules of Egypt to provide Jacob and his offspring with a way through Joseph
to Egypt to rescue Jacob and to make his descendants numerous. Yes, days are coming, says the Lord GOD, when I will send famine
upon the land: Not a famine of bread, or thirst for water, but for hearing
the word of the LORD. Then shall they wander from sea to sea and rove
from the north to the east In search of the word of the LORD, but they
shall not find it. Mankind will destroy all spiritual trends and as a result a unified
spiritual teaching will be created for all mankind. The deeds of spiritual
person whose prototype was Joseph would allow mankind to retain and distribute
spiritual inheritance of mankind including the truth of the Return. Joseph
is the prototype of the creator of the unified spiritual teaching for
mankind, the teaching which was shown by the river watering Eden. Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has made all this
known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. You shall
be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders.
Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you."
And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves
for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead
of you.
"What is your occupation?" "Your servants are
shepherds," they replied to Pharaoh, "just as our fathers were."
(Gen. 47, 3) So Joseph settled his father and his brothers in Egypt and gave
them property in the best part of the land, the district of Rameses, as
Pharaoh directed. (Gen. 47, 11)
Then Israel said to Joseph, "I am about to die, but God
will be with you and take you back to the land of your fathers. And to
you, as one who is over your brothers, I give the ridge of land I took
from the Amorites with my sword and my bow." When the Lord Almighty changed the name of Jacob and Jacob became Israel,
he got new prophetic qualities with the change of the name and the power
to look into the future. But if the name of Jacob is connected with personal
historical and spiritual characteristics of the future spiritual teachers
being descendants having connection with Jacob and to all mankind, the
name of Israel is connected with the future of all mankind. The words
"listen to your father Israel" shows that the prophecy about
the future of Jacob descendants inside other people as Jacob was living
in Egypt. Israel is telling each of the son starting with the eldest.
It's clear that the future of each Israel's son is defined by their past
and present deeds. The disgrace created by Reuben, the killing of Sheshem
citizens organized by Simeon and Levi all these deeds will have impact
upon their future and future of their descendants. "Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be
on the neck of your enemies; your father's sons will bow down to you.
You are a lion's cub, O Judah; you return from the prey, my son. Like
a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness-who dares to rouse him?
The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between
his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations
is his. He will tether his donkey to a vine, Then he gave them these instructions: "I am about to be
gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field
of Ephron the Hittite, the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre
in Canaan, which Abraham bought as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite,
along with the field. There Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried, there
Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried, and there I buried Leah. The field
and the cave in it were bought from the Hittites." When Jacob had
finished giving instructions to his sons, he drew his feet up into the
bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people.
"
So then, don't be afraid. I will provide for you and
your children."
The Lord God created man from earth dust on the sixth day and God animated
man and he became a living being. Earth was the physical fundament of
man. The earth on wish of God created vegetation and animals prior to
creation of man. Every creation made in six days was reflected in man.
Earth gave man close relations to animal and vegetable worlds and the
Spirit of the Lord allows man to be His own image. The flesh fundament
of man had advantages and disadvantages, while the spirit of man was weak
yet. Man was put to Eden and he had "to work it and take care of
it", i.e. man had to develop himself before the Lord God. First of
all these activities should have to suppress the animal nature of man
and to strengthen the leading role of the spirit. FAMILY OF ADAM FAMILY OF SHEM
|
|
| Main | |||
| The First Gospel | |||
| |
|||
|
|||
| |
|||
| |
|||
| |
|||
| |
|||
| |
|||
| Christianity | |||
| Resume | |||
| Afterword | |||