"...Who Was..."

In the beginning, God created the heavens, the Earth, plants, animals and man in His image. God gave man dominion over His creation. We Don't know if it took a month or a million years for Adam and Eve to break the only rule they had. Deceived by the serpent, they thought that eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil would make them like God, but instead they realized they were naked, covered themselves, and hid from God. They lost their innocence and were kicked out of the Garden. Disease and death were the result of this original sin. 

The Nephilim were on the Earth in those days, and the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were fair, and they gave birth to the mighty men of old. God saw that mankind was continually doing evil, so He decided to destroy life on Earth. 

Noah, a blameless man, found grace in the eyes of the Lord and God gave him a plan to save enough people and animals to repopulate the Earth. When the ark was complete the flood waters rose, eventually covering the mountains, and all flesh upon the Earth died. After 150 days, the waters receded and the ark rested on the mountains of Ararat. Noah built an alter and made a pleasing sacrifice to the Lord, who promised never to curse the ground for mans sake, because the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth. God made a covenant with Noah never to again destroy the earth by flood, and He sealed His promise with the rainbow. 

After the flood, mankind all spoke the same language and wanted to make a name for themselves, so they began building a tower to heaven. To prevent an early increase in knowledge the remnant was scattered by God thru the confusion of their language. 

Our spiritual Father Abram was 75 when he heard from God to leave his father's house and go to the land He would show him. Abram took Sarai, his wife, and Lot, his nephew. God promised that his descendants would be a multitude of nations. Abram believed and it was counted to him as righteousness.

Sari told Abram they should use her handmaid Hagar as a concubine, and when Abram was 86 Hagar gave birth to Ishmael, the father of the Arabic people. When Abram was 99 God changed the names of Abram and Sari to Abraham and Sarah and gave him the covenant of circumcision. At age 90 Sarah gave birth to Isaac.

God tested Abraham to see if he was willing to sacrifice his son Issac. Abraham went with his son to make a burnt offering. Isaac asked, where is the lamb? Abraham was ready to sacrifice his son of promise; raising a dagger over the boys bound body, but an angel of the Lord said, stop; since you have not withheld your only son, now I know you fear me. God provided a ram for the sacrifice, and said all nations of the Earth would be blessed thru Abraham.

Rebecca become Isaac's wife and they had twin boys, Esau and Jacob. The older, Esau would serve Jacob, his younger brother. Having purchased Essau's birthright for a bowl of soup, Jacob managed to get his father's blessing as well. Jacob wrestled with an angel, who changed his name to Israel. His 12 sons were the fathers of the 12 tribes of Israel. 

Joseph, Israel's favorite son was sold into slavery by his jealous brothers who told their father he had been killed by a wild animal. God showed Joseph favor, and thru the interpretation of dreams he rose to great power in Egypt, advising Pharaoh to prepare for a famine which ultimately effected his family back home. Pharaoh allowed Joseph to move his father and brother's families into Egypt. 

The Hebrew people multiplied greatly, and a new Pharaoh forgot what Joseph had done. It didn't help that the children of Israel were shepherds, a profession not well liked in Egypt, so the Hebrew people were made into slaves. The more harshly the Egyptians treated them the more the Hebrews multiplied; so Pharaoh ordered their male newborn infants be put to death. Moses, just such a baby, was saved by Pharaoh's daughter and he grew up as a prince of Egypt. Having discovered his heritage, Moses killed an Egyptian who was mistreating a Hebrew. Moses fled, made a new life in Midian, and found God. 

After 40 years, Moses, on a mission from God, returned to Egypt, met with Pharaoh, and asked for the freedom of the Hebrew slaves. But God had hardened Pharaoh's heart. Ten times Pharaoh refused to let the Hebrew slaves go, and Egypt was visited with ten plagues. The final plague was the death of the firstborn of Egypt. But before it struck, Moses instructed the Hebrew people to slaughter a spotless lamb at twilight and put some of it's blood on their door posts and lintel, and they would be protected, death would passover them. The death of the firstborn of Egypt convinced Pharaoh to let the Hebrew slaves leave with Moses, who delivered them out of bondage with yet more signs and wonders. 

Moses was given Gods law, but it was unable to make man right with God, it only pointed out our failure. The next generation went into the land promised to Abraham by God, Canaan; which Moses only saw from a distance. God's chosen people, Israel struggled with obedience to the Lord, killing His prophets, worshiping false gods, being taken captive, persecuted, and scattered.

What the law could not do, God did by sending His only begotten Son, our passover lamb. Hundreds of prophecies in scripture about the Christ were fulfilled in the life of Jesus, whose perfect sacrifice fulfilled God's holy law..

The Future, the eternal, Who Is to Come