Название: Satan: The Defeated Foe
Автор: Kenneth B. Alexander BSL, JD, Deacon
Издательство: Ingram
Жанр: Дом и Семья: прочее
isbn: 9781456612139
isbn:
So it was after the flood. Noah’s sons populated the world but deceit was found within the heart of Ham and Cannon. Satan had slipped through the flood that was supposed to destroy all evil in the world. Through the line of Ham came the pagan nations of the world that were to inhabit Mesopotamia and other parts of the world. As we shall see more Satanic peoples were from Lot.
Lot fled from Sodom with his two daughters. His daughters tricked lot into having sexual intercourse with him and from that incestuous relationship more evil peoples were produced. The dispersal of evil offspring spread throughout the world. The Egyptians established a great civilization as did many other warlike peoples. All were polytheistic as they worshipped gods of the cursed earth-animals, people, nature gods, fertility gods and abandoned the worship of the one true God. As a result kingdoms rose and fell over the millenniums and there was no stability in the land. But God had begun to execute His great plan and it started with a man (Abram). “And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went out together from Ur of the Chaldeans [in Sumeria] in order to enter the land of Canaan; and they went as far as Haran, and settled there. And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years; and Terah died in Haran” (Ge 11:31–32). Thus Abram and his family fled from idolatry and paganism to start a new life in what would be Israel’s Promised Land one day.
Abraham – Covenants and Evil
God set about to define his relationship with mankind by swearing oaths and covenants with Abraham which were perpetually binding on both parties. These covenants also assured the ultimate defeat of Satan and the coming Lordship of Jesus Christ.
“Now the Lord said to Abram,
“Go forth from your country,
And from your relatives
And from your father’s house,
To the land which I will show you;
And I will make you a great nation,
And I will bless you,
And make your name great;
And so you shall be a blessing;
And I will bless those who bless you,
And the one who curses you I will curse.
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Ge 12:1–3). This was the first covenant (oath) made between God and Abraham. Thus began God’s move towards redemption of the human race and the ultimate defeat of the evil one. In order to accomplish this God made an oath (covenant) with Abram (exalted Father) which was later changed by God to Abraham (Father of a multitude). This oath (covenant, contract, promise) was to be perpetual and a stronger force in salvation than the Levitical laws and would find its fulfillment in Christ Himself.
The word translated “oath” in English is actually two Hebrew words, both translated oath. The two Hebrew words translated oath are sebūʿâ and ʿālâ. “sebūʿâ” represents the part of an oath that conveys a blessing and solemn promise. The second ʿālâ. means a curse (Is. 14:24). So an oath can be either a blessing or a curse depending upon how it is responded to (see Deuteronomy 28, the blessing and the curse). As Moses said: “See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you listen to the commandments of the Lord your God, which I am commanding you today; and the curse, if you do not listen to the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way which I am commanding you today” (Deuteronomy 11:26-28).
A covenant is: (Hebrew berith), a formal agreement or treaty between two parties with each assuming some obligation. For our purposes an “oath” and a “covenant” are synonymous when dealing with God’s swearing to man that He will do something and man’s ascension (agreement) to God’s oath. An oath made by man is usually based on something higher than himself. However God’s oaths are different. “For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, “I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply you” (Heb 6:13-14; Genesis 22:16-17).
The covenants to Abraham were: “NOW when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; Walk before Me, and be blameless. “And I will establish My covenant between Me and you, And I will multiply you exceedingly.” And Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying, “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, And you shall be THE FATHER OF A MULTITUDE OF NATIONS. “No longer shall your name be called Abram, But your name shall be Abraham; For I will make you the father of a multitude of nations. “And I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come forth from you. “And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you. “And I will give to you and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God” (Ge 17:1–9). He went to promise Abraham Son, Isaac, the child of promise. “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. “And I will bless her, and indeed I will give you a son by her. Then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall come from her” (Ge 17:15–17).
No sooner than Isaac was born and grown did God order Abraham to sacrifice his own son. However as Abraham was about to complete the sacrifice God stayed his hand and spoke to Abraham: “By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son, indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. “And in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice” (Ge 22:16–18). Because Abraham had been willing to sacrifice the promised son God was pleased. Abraham had proved his faith.
The result of the covenants with Abraham were that God reckoned Abraham’s faith as righteousness: “And He took Abraham outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” Then he believed in the Lord; and HE RECKONED IT TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS” (Ge 15:5-6). This reckoning carried through the covenants to СКАЧАТЬ