The Prophetic Telegraph - No.1C
The Apocalypse of Abraham
June 1986
Here is the text (and
notes) of an ancient work which was known in the early church, was much valued
literature, was originally written in Hebrew, then translated into Greek, and found
its way into many diverse cultures. Of more recent years it has been found in
Coptic and Slavonic translations, and it is to these that we now have to turn,
for they are the earliest -available manuscripts. The Slavonic manuscript, the
oldest known, has the title of "Codex Sylvester", which belongs to
the Library of the Printing Dept. of the Holy Synod in
There were two portions to
this Apocalypse. The first portion was clearly not part of the original, but
was added to it at an early date presumably because the material of both parts
concerned the Patriarch Abraham. In this presentation, we shall omit the first
portion, which gave an account of Abraham's early life with his father Terah,
and how he overcame the idolatry that surrounded him.
The Apocalypse proper is
the account of what happened to Abraham at the time recorded in Genesis 15,
when the Lord requested him to offer a sacrifice, and when he was subsequently
shown visions of the future of his people. However, no one suggests that it was
written in the days of Abraham. In fact it is one of a number of works that
have been given the title of Pseudepigrapha. This Greek word means pseud-
(false) + epi-(upon) + grapha- (writing,) in other words it was a writing that
purported to have come from the pen of someone else, and usually someone
important, so as to give the writing a form of importance and authority which
might have been denied to the actual author. Modern scholars have thus invented
this word to describe a process that was quite common in ancient days, both in
But the scholars have not
necessarily ascertained the real PURPOSE behind the writings. Although certain
glosses, additions, and omissions have to some extent spoiled the original
productions, there is no doubt about the fact that such writings were highly
valued, and the very fact that they are even today available to us is in itself
a most remarkable fact of preservation. But the fact that they are hardly ever
read, and amongst Christians almost completely unknown, must surely be due to
the manner in which the church views its own origins. There is a vast library
of ancient literature just waiting to be printed and made available to earnest
seeking enquirers, literature that deserves to be read, and which grants the
careful reader an insight into the understanding of both Testaments of the
Bible. An example of this is "The Testaments of the Twelve
Patriarchs" which is so uplifting in it’s reading that it led Bishop
Grosseteste of Lincoln (Bishop from 1235 to his death in 1253) to say that they
were of equal inspiration to the Scriptures.
However, to return to the
present writing, The Apocalypse of Abraham was one of a number of writings that
were similarly referred back to the ancient worthies, the patriarchal men of
faith, of the Old Testament. What was the real principle behind such writings?
It is our present belief that holy men of God, who may have spent nearly all
their lives hidden away from the idolatrous practices that surrounded them,
gave themselves to prayer and fasting, and as a result were visited by the Lord
and by angelic messengers with prophetic and visionary material which naturally
they greatly desired to make available to a wider body of people, rather than
just keep it to themselves. However, the great difficulty lay in its
acceptance. If they merely recorded it in the fashion of the O.T. prophets,
they would find themselves grossly abused by their own nationals. But we do not
think that they would have flinched from this as such. They were men of faith
and courage.
One other factor was
dominant in their minds, and it could be very similar to that which obtains
today, in other words, the spiritual authorities of the day would have made
mincemeat of all that they published, saying that the Scriptures were complete,
and no further inspired writings could be entertained as authentic. The result
was that they used admissible cunning, whilst being (as our Lord said) as
harmless as doves! They interwove their revelations into accounts that appeared
to derive from much earlier times, and published them anonymously. The Apostle
Jude in the N.T quoted one such writing, known as the First Book of Enoch.
Quotations from other 'pseudepigraphal' writings can be found throughout the
N.T., especially from the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs.
For this reason, the
present authors have invented a new name for this type of literature, a name
that accords with the revelation and intentions of the authors. We shall use
the term Retroprophetic Material, because we are quite certain that God
has given visions and understandings of the PAST, just as much as He has given
visions of the FUTURE. We ourselves have had occasion to be thus exercised by
the Lord over the last twenty years, and because of this it has made it all
that much easier for us to appreciate how it could have come about in centuries
gone by.
As to the text and content
of the Apocalypse before us; the 'heavenly informant' of the writing is an
angel of name Jaoel, who must have been of very high rank, though not found
mentioned by name very much elsewhere. He could have been the same being as say
Raphael or Gabriel, but we have no way of knowing. The name Jaoel consists of
two parts, Jah and El both names of God in the O.T. Abraham is taken up in the
spirit to the uppermost (seventh) heaven and shown mighty and wonderful things,
but all the time there is the clear testimony of the duality of the universe,
the 'right handed' principle and the 'left handed' principle. The Lord Himself
used this principle when speaking of the 'sheep and the goats' in Matt.25.
There is God and Satan, who in this writing assumes the name of Azazel, a name
that appears a great deal in the Books of Enoch, and is used in the O.T. in the
account of the Day of Atonement, where one goat is slain in the Tabernacle,
whilst the other is set free, and the Hebrew original here says it is 'for
Azazel.'
Although it is neither the
time nor the place for further exposition of this intriguing entry in the O.T.,
no doubt those who read these notes will start a process of investigation of
their own, which we believe will lead to some very enlightening conclusions.
Not only God and Satan, but the polarisation appears with the People of God and
the People of Azazel, of righteousness and idolatry, and so on. These are not
Gnostic principles, as some churchmen have inferred, not ‘Dualism’,
but strict spiritual principles to be found throughout the Scriptures. In fact
we believe it would be right to say that the Bible is the greatest Book in the
world as a POLARISING INFLUENCE, and we are living in a day and age when forces
of darkness have striven to MIX everything together, so that no man can any
longer see black from white, evil from good, till the Lord says about this
wretched luke-warmness, "I will spew you out of my mouth." We trust
that this presentation of a valuable little gem from the past will serve its
purpose to add to the great Biblical tradition of separating wheat from chaff,
sheep from goats, good from evil, and God from Satan, for God has made it clear
that HIS EYES ARE TOO HOLY TO LOOK UPON INIQUITY.
1. Then a voice
came to me speaking twice, "Abraham! Abraham!" and I said, "Here
I am!" And He said, "Behold it is I, fear not for I am with you, for
I AM before the ages, even the Mighty God who created the first light of the
world. I am your shield and your helper."
2. "Go, take
me a young heifer of three years, and a she-goat of three years, and a ram of
three years, a turtledove and a pigeon, and bring me a pure sacrifice. And in
this sacrifice I will lay before you the ages to come, and make known to you
what is reserved, and you shall see great things that you have not hitherto
seen:
3. because you have
loved to search me out, and I have named you 'my friend.' (The text here in
fact says ‘my lover.') But abstain from every form of food that comes
forth out of the fire, and from the drinking of wine, and from anointing
yourself with oil, for forty days, and then set forth for me the sacrifice
which I have commanded you, in a place which I will show you on a high
mountain, and there I will show you the ages which have been created and
established by my word, and I will make known to you what shall come to pass in
them on those who have done evil and righteousness in the generations of
men."
4. And it came to
pass when I heard the voice of Him who spoke such words to me, and I looked
here and there, I found no breath in me, and my spirit was frightened, and my
soul seemed as departed from me, for I fell down as a stone, as a dead man upon
the earth, and had no more strength to stand. And while I was thus lying with
my face towards the earth, I heard the voice of the Holy One speaking,
"Go, Jaoel, and by means of my ineffable Name raise up yonder man and
strengthen him , so that he recovers from his trembling.
5. And the angel
whom He had sent came to me in the likeness of a man and grasped me by my right
hand and set me up upon my feet and said to me, "Stand up Abraham, 0
friend of God who loves you; let not the trembling of man seize you! For lo! I
have been sent to you to strengthen you and bless you in the name of God, who
loves you, the Creator of the celestial and the terrestrial. Be fearless and
hasten to Him. I am called Jaoel by Him who moves those who exist with me on
the seventh expanse over the heavens, a power in virtue of the ineffable Name
that is dwelling in me. I am the one who has been given to restrain, according
to His commandment, the threatening attacks of the Living Ones of the Cherubim
against one another, and to teach those who carry Him, the song of the seventh
hour of the night of man. (These 'attacks' may be seen as the rivalry of praise
in heaven, a thing that God occasionally has to restrain, but which should not
be thought to be in any way a 'fallen' action.
6. I am ordered to
restrain the Leviathan, for every single attack and menace of every single
reptile are subject unto me. I am he who has been commissioned to loosen Hades,
and destroy him who stares at the dead. (This 'staring' is an attitude of
Satan, whereby he paralyses and victimises the dead.) I have been sent to bless
you now, and the land which the Eternal One, whom you have invoked, has
prepared for you, and for your sake I have wended my way upon earth.
7. Stand up,
Abraham! Go without fear; be right glad and rejoice, and I am with you! For
age-lasting honour has been prepared for you by the Eternal One. Go, fulfil the
sacrifices commanded. For lo! I have been appointed to be with you, and with
the generations that will spring from you, and with me Michael blesses you
forever. Be of good cheer and go!" (This reference to Michael seems to
destroy the scholars' contention that Jaoel might be Michael under another
name.)
8. And I rose up
and saw him who had grasped me by the right hand and set me upon my feet, and
the appearance of his body was like sapphire, and the look of his countenance
like chrysolite, and the hair of his head like snow, and the turban on his head
like the appearance of the rainbow, and the clothing of his garments like
purple, and a golden sceptre was in his right hand,
9. And he said to
me, "Abraham!" And I said, "Here I am, your servant." And
he said, "Let not my appearance frighten you, nor my speech, that your
soul be not troubled. Come with me, and I will be with you, visible, until the
sacrifice, but after the sacrifice always invisible. Be of good cheer, and
come!"
10. And we went,
the two of us together for forty days and nights, and I ate no bread and drank
no water, because my food and my drink was to see the angel who was with me,
and to hear his speech. And we came to the Mount of God,
11. And the angel
said to me, "Abraham!" And I said, "Here am I." And he
said, "Slaughter all these animals, and divide them into halves, the one
against the other, but do not sever the birds. And give these to the men (i.e.
angels) whom I will show you, standing by you, for these are the altar upon the
Mountain, to offer a sacrifice to the Eternal but the turtle dove and the
pigeon give to me, for I will ascend upon the wings of the bird, so that you
may be able to see in heaven, and upon earth, and in the sea, and in the abyss,
and in the under-world, and in the Garden of Eden, and in its rivers, and in
the fullness of the whole world and its circle - you shall gaze into them
all."
12. And I did
everything according to the command of the angel, and gave the angels who had
come to us, the divided animals, but the angel Jaoel took the birds. And I
waited until the evening sacrifice. And there flew an unclean bird down upon
the carcases, and I drove it away. And the unclean bird spoke to me and said,
"Abraham, what are you doing upon these holy heights, where no man eats or
drinks, nor is there upon them the food of man, but these heavenly beings
consume everything with fire, and will burn you up. Forsake the man who is with
you and flee, for if you ascend into the heights they will make an end of
"
13. And it came to
pass, when I saw the bird speak, I said to the angel, "What is this, my
lord?" And he said, "This is ungodliness; this is Azazel." And
he said to it, "Disgrace upon you, Azazel! For Abraham's lot is in heaven,
but yours is upon the earth. Because you have chosen and loved this for the
dwelling place of your uncleanness therefore the Eternal Mighty Lord made you
to be a dweller upon the earth, and through you every evil spirit of lies, and
through you wrath and trials for the generations of ungodly men; for God, the
Eternal Mighty One, has not permitted that the bodies of the righteous should
be in your hand, in order that thereby the life of the righteous and the
destruction of the unclean may be assured. Hear this my friend, and be gone
with shame from me. For it has not been given to you to play the tempter in
regard to all the righteous. Depart from this man! You cannot lead him astray.
He is an enemy to you, and to those who follow you and love what you desire.
For, behold, the vesture which in heaven was formerly yours has been set aside
for him, and the mortality which was his has been transferred to you."
14. And the angel
said to me, "Know that from henceforth the Eternal One has chosen you. Be
of good courage and use this authority so far as I bid you, against him who
slanders the truth. Should I not be able to put him to shame that has scattered
over the earth the secrets of heaven, and has rebelled against the Mighty One?
Say to him, 'Become the burning coal of the furnace of the earth! Go, Azazel,
into the inaccessible parts of the earth, for your heritage is to be over those
who are with you, the ones brought forth with the stars and clouds, and with
the men whose portion you are, even those who exist on account of your being.
Justification shall be your enemy. Now depart from me by your perdition!
15. And I uttered
the words that the angel taught me. And then the angel said to me, "Answer
him not! For God has given him power over those who answer him." And the
angel spoke to me again saying, "However much he speak to you, answer him
not, in order that he may have no free access to you, because the Eternal One
has given him 'weight and will' in this respect." And I did that which was
commanded me by the angel, and no matter how much he spoke to me, I answered
him nothing whatsoever.
16. And it came to
pass when the sun went down, behold there was the smoke as of a furnace. And
the angels who had the portions of the sacrifice ascended from the top of the
smoking furnace. And the angel took me with his right hand and set me upon the
right wing of the pigeon, and set himself on the left wing of the turtle dove,
neither of which birds had been slaughtered, and he bore me to the borders of
the flaming fire, and we ascended upon many winds to the heavens which were
above the firmament. And I saw in the air on the heights to which we ascended,
a strong light impossible to describe, and within the light a fiercely burning
fire of people, many people, of male appearance, all constantly changing in
aspect and form, running and being transformed, and worshipping and crying with
a sound of words that I could not recognise.
17. And I said to
the angel, "Why have you now brought me up here, because my eyes cannot
now see distinctly, and I am growing weak, and my spirit is departing from
me?" And he said to me, "Remain close by me and do not fear, for the
One whom you cannot see is now coming towards us with a great voice of
holiness, even the Eternal One who loves you. But you yourself cannot see Him.
But you must not allow your spirit to grow faint on account of the choirs of
those who cry out, for I am with you to strengthen you."
18. And while he
was thus speaking fire came all about us, and there was a voice within the fire
like the sound of many waters, like the sound of the sea in violent motion. And
I desired to fall down there and worship, and I saw that the angel who was with
me bowed his head and worshipped, but the surface of the high place where I
seemed to be standing changed its inclination constantly, rolling as the great
waves on the surface of the sea.
19. And the angel
said, "Worship, Abraham, and utter the song which I shall now teach you.
Utter it without ceasing, that is, without pause, in one continuous strain from
beginning to end. And the song which he taught me to sing had words appropriate
to that sphere in which we then stood, for each sphere in heaven has its own song
of praise, and only those who dwell there know how to utter it, and those upon
earth cannot know or utter it except they be taught by the messengers of
heaven. And the words of that song were of this import and signification -
'Eternal, Mighty, Holy El, God only-supreme'
You who are the Self-originated, the
Beginningless One, Incorruptible,
Spotless, Uncreated, Immaculate, Immortal,
Self-complete, Self-illuminating,
Without father, without mother, unbegotten,
Exalted, Fiery One! Lover of men, Benevolent One,
Bountiful One,
Jealous over me, and very compassionate, Eli,
My God,
Eternal, Jehovah Zebaioth, Very Glorious El,
El, El, El, Jah El!
You are the One whom my soul has loved!
Eternal Protector, Shining like Fire, Whose voice
is like the thunder, Whose look is like the lightning,
You are the All-seeing One, Who receives the
prayers of all such as honour You,
And turn away the requests of those who
embarrass You with their provocations
Who dissolves the confusions of the world,
which arise from the ungodly and the righteous
mixed up in the confusion of the corruptible age,
And renewing the age of the righteous,
Shine 0 Lord, shine as a light, even as that
light with which you clothed Yourself on the first day of Creation,
Shine as the Light of the Morning on Your
creatures
And let it be Day upon Earth,
For in these heavenly dwelling places there is
no need of any other light
Than the unspeakable splendour from the light
of Your Countenance,
O answer my prayer, 0 be well-pleased with it,
O accept my sacrifice which You have prepared
for me to offer,
Accept me favourably, and show me, teach me,
all that You have promised!'
20. And while I was
still reciting the song, the mouth of the fire that was on the surface rose up
on high. And I heard a voice like the roaring of the sea, nor did it cease on
account of the rich abundance of the fire. And as the fire raised itself up,
ascending into the heights, I saw under the fire a throne of fire, and round
about it the watchfulness of many eyes, even the all-seeing ones reciting their
song, and under the throne four fiery Living Ones singing, and their appearance
was one, and each one had four faces. And such was the appearance of their
countenance, that each one had the face of a lion, a man, an ox and an eagle,
and because of their four heads upon their bodies, they had sixteen faces, and
each one had three pairs of wings, from their shoulders, from their sides, and
from their loins. And with the wings from the shoulders they covered their
faces, and with the wings from their loins they covered their feet, while the
two middle wings were spread out for flying straight forward.
21. And it came to
pass that when they had ended their singing they looked at one another and
threatened one another. (Another mention of this 'praise-rivalry', which may
seem strange to us, as indeed the Cherubim are altogether very strange and
wonderful beings, and which we must accept as part of the vision as it was
seen.)
22. And it came to
pass that when the angel who was with me saw that they were threatening each
other, he left me and went running to them and turned the countenance of each
one away from the countenance immediately facing him, in order that they might
not look upon each other. And he began to teach them the song of peace that has
its origin in the Eternal One.
23. And as I stood
alone and looked, I saw behind the Living Ones a chariot with fiery wheels,
each wheel full of eyes round about, (In Hebrew, the Living Ones are Chayyim, whose
other names are Cherubim, and Seraphim, depending upon which function they are
fulfilling at any time, and the wheels are called Ophanim.) and over the wheels
was the throne which I had seen, and which was covered with fire, and the fire
encircled it round about, and behold, an indescribable fire contained a mighty
fiery host, and I heard its holy voice like the voice of a man.
24. And a voice
came to me out of the midst of the fire, saying, "Abraham! Abraham!"
and I answered saying "Here am I!" And he said, "Consider the
expanses which are under the firmament on which you are now placed (i.e. the
7th heavenly sphere) and see how on no single expanse is there any other than
the One whom you have sought, even the One who loves you!"
25. And while he was
yet speaking, the expanses opened, and there below me were the heavens, and I
saw upon the seventh firmament upon which I stood a fire widely extended, and
the light which is the treasury of life, and the dew with which God will awaken
the dead, and the spirits of the departed righteous, and the spirits of those
souls who have yet to be born, and judgment and righteousness, peace and
blessing, and an innumerable company of angels, and the Living Ones, and the
Power of the Invisible Glory that sat above the Living Ones.
26. And I looked downwards from the mountain on which I stood to the sixth firmament, and there I saw a multitude of angels of pure spirit, without bodies, whose duty was to carry out the commands of the fiery angels who were upon the seventh firmament, as I was standing suspended over them. And behold, upon this sixth firmament there were no other powers of any form, save only the angels of pure spirit.
27. And He
commanded that the sixth firmament should be removed from my sight, and I saw
there on the fifth firmament the powers of the stars that carry out the
commands laid upon them, and the elements of the earth obeyed them.
28. And the Eternal
Mighty One said to me, "Abraham! Abraham!" And I said, "Here am
I!" And He said to me, "Consider from above the stars which are
beneath you, and number them for me, and make known to me their number."
And I said, "How can I? For I am but a man of the dust of the earth."
And He said to me, "As the number of the stars and their power, so will I
make your seed a nation and a people set apart for me as my own inheritance, as
distinct from that of Azazel. And yet I include Azazel in my house."
29. And I said,
"0 Eternal Mighty One! Let your servant speak before You, and let not your
anger be kindled against your chosen one! For lo! before I came up hither,
Azazel inveighed against me. How then, while he is not now before you, can you
constitute yourself with him?"
30. And He said to
me, "Look now beneath your feet at the firmaments and understand the creation
represented and foreshadowed in this expanse, the creatures who exist upon it,
and the ages prepared for it."
31. And I saw
beneath the surface of my feet, even beneath the sixth heaven and what was
therein, and then the earth and its fruits, and what moved upon it and its
animate beings, and the power of its men, and the ungodliness of some of its
souls and the righteous deeds of other souls, and I saw the lower regions and
the perdition therein, the abyss and its torments. And I saw the sea and its
islands, its monsters and its fishes, and Leviathan and his dominion, his
camping-ground and his caves, and the world that lay above him, his movements
and the destructions of the world on his account. And I saw there the streams
and the rivers, and the rising of their waters, and their windings in their
courses. And I saw there the Garden of Eden and its fruits, the source of the
river that issues from it, the trees and their blossoms, and the ones who
behaved righteously. And I saw therein their foods and their blessedness. And I
saw there a great multitude, men and women and children, half of them on the
right side of the vision, and half of them on the left side of the vision.
32. And I said,
"0 Eternal, Mighty One! What is this vision and picture of the
creatures?" And He said to me, "This is my will for those who exist
in the divine world-counsel, for thus it seemed well-pleasing in my sight, and
so afterwards I gave commandment to them through my word. And so it came to
pass that whatever I had determined to be, was already planned beforehand in
this picture-vision before you, and it has stood before me before it was
created, as you have seen." (Notice the clear explanation of the
predestination of the righteous, and God's action towards them based upon what
He knows of their actions. Here is the teaching of Paul in Romans 8,
'predestination and foreknowledge'.)
33. And I said,
"0 Lord, Mighty and Eternal! Who are the people in this picture on this
side and that?" And He said to me, "Those who are on the left side
are all those, born before your day and afterwards, some destined for judgment
and restoration, and others for vengeance and cutting off at the end of the
age. But those on the right side of the picture, they are the people who have
been set apart for me, and whom I have ordained to be born of your line and
called my people, even some of those who derive from Azazel.
34. Now look again
in the picture, and see who it is who seduced Eve, and what is the fruit of the
Tree, and you will know what is to be, and how it shall be with your seed among
the people at the end of the days of the age, and all that you cannot
understand I will make known to you for you are well-pleasing in my sight, and
I will tell you of those things which are kept in my heart.
35. And I looked
into the picture, and my eyes ran to the side of the Garden of Eden, and I saw
there a man of imposing height and mighty in stature, incomparable in aspect,
and he was embracing a woman, who likewise approximated to the aspect of his
size and stature. And they were standing under a tree of the Garden of Eden,
and the fruit of this tree was like a bunch of grapes of the vine. And standing
behind the tree was one who had the aspect of a Serpent (Hebrew Nachash =
shining, bright eyes) having hands and feet like those of a man, and wings on
its shoulders, six pairs of wings, so that there were six wings on the right
and six on the left. And as I continued looking, I saw the man and the woman
eating the fruit from the tree.
36. And I said,
"Who are these who are embracing, and who is the one between them who is
behind the tree, and what is the fruit that they are eating?" And He said,
"This is the council of the world, this one is Adam, and this one, who is
their desire upon the earth, is Eve. But he who is between them represents
ungodliness and their beginnings on the way to perdition, even Azazel."
37. And I said,
"0 Eternal Mighty One! Why have you given such as him the power to destroy
the generations of men in their works upon the earth?" And He said to me,
"Those who will to do evil (and how much I hate it in those who do it)
over them I gave him power, even to be beloved of them."
38. And I answered
and said, "0 Eternal Mighty One! Wherefore is it your will that evil
should be desired in the hearts of men, since you are indeed enangered over
that which you see? It is your will, and you are angry with him who is doing
what is unprofitable in your counsel?"
39. And He said to
me, "I am angered by mankind on your account, and on account of those who
shall be of your family hereafter, for as you can see in the picture, the
burden of destiny is placed upon them, and I shall tell you what shall be, and
how much shall be in the last days. Look now at everything in the
picture." (The purport of these remarks is to show the interaction between
those who are of the 'seed' and those who persecute the seed. And Paul
understood the seed to mean those who, by faith, are of their father Abraham.
God is therefore angry with those who maltreat His own faithful children.)
40. And I looked
and saw what was before me in creation; I saw Adam and Eve with him, and I saw
the cunning adversary, and Cain who acted lawlessly through the promptings of
the adversary, and I saw the slaughtered Abel, and the destruction brought
about and caused upon him through the lawless one. And I saw Impurity and those
who lust after it, (Items here given capital letters indicate the names of
unclean spirits, as was the custom in such writings) and its pollution and
their jealousies, and the fire of their corruption in the lowest parts of the
earth.
41. And I saw
Theft, and those who hasten after it, and the arrangement of their retribution,
at the judgment of the Great Assize. And I saw there naked men with their
foreheads against each other, and their disgrace, and the passions which they
had for each other, and their retribution. And I saw Desire, and in her hand
the head of every kind of lawlessness, and her scorn and contempt and waste
assigned to perdition.
42. And I saw there
the likeness of the idol of jealousy, carved in woodwork such as my father was
wont to make, and its body was of glittering bronze that covered the wood. And
before it I saw a man who was worshipping the idol, and in front of him there
was an altar, and upon the altar a boy slain in the presence of the idol.
43. And I said to
Him, "What is this idol and this altar, and who is he who is sacrificed?
And what is this great building which I see, beautiful in art and design, even
with a beauty like that which lies beneath Your throne?"
44. And He said,
"Hear Abraham, for that which you see is the Temple, a copy of that which
is in the heavens, glorious in its aspect and beauty, even as I shall give it
to the sons of men to ordain a priesthood for my glorious name, and in which
the prayers of man shall be uttered, and sacrifices offered as I ordain to your
people, even those who shall arise out of your generation. But the idol that
you saw is the image of jealousy, (i.e. the idol which causes the jealousy of
God, and His anger to arise because of it) set up by some of those who shall
come forth from your own loins in later days. And the man who sacrifices in
murder is he who pollutes my
45. And I said, 0
Eternal Mighty One! Why have you established that it should be so, and then
proclaimed the knowledge thereof?" And He said to me, "Hear Abraham,
and understand what I say to you, and answer my question. Why did your father
Terah not listen to your voice, and why did he not cease from his idolatrous
practices, together with his whole house?"
46. And I said,
"0 Eternal One! It was entirely because he did not choose to listen to my
voice, and likewise I did not choose to listen to his counsel." And He
said to me, "The will of your father is within him, and your own will is
within you, and so also the counsel of my own will is within me, and is ready
for the coming days, even before you have any knowledge of them or can see with
your eyes what is the future of them. Now look again into the picture, and see
how it will be with your seed."
47. And I looked
and saw, and behold the picture swayed and from it emerged, on the left side an
ungodly people and they pillaged those who were on the right side, men, women,
and children, and some they murdered, and others they kept as slaves. And I saw
them run towards them through four 'entrances' (a word which does not mean
actual gates, but contains the idea of four 'descents' or 'generations' as
given to Abraham concerning the trials of his seed for the four generations
till they came out of Egypt, but which in this context is seen to prefigure a
much greater vision, that of which Daniel saw in later days, with four great
world powers who would oppress the people of God.) and they burned the Temple
with fire, and the holy things that were therein were all plundered.
48. And I said,
"0 Eternal One! Behold, the people who shall spring from me, and whom you
have accepted, are plundered by these ungodly men, and some are killed, whilst
others they hold captives as slaves, and the Temple they have burned with fire,
and the beautiful things therein they have robbed and destroyed. If this to be,
why have you so torn my heart?"
49. And He said to
me, "What you have seen shall happen on account of your seed, even those
who anger me by reason of the idol statue which you saw, and on account of the
human sacrifice in the picture, through their evil zeal and schemes in the Temple,
and as you saw it, so shall it be."
50. And I said,
"0 Eternal, Mighty One! May these works of evil wrought in ungodliness now
pass by, and rather show me those who fulfilled the commandments, even the
works of righteousness. For of a truth you can do this."
51. And He said to
me, "The days of the righteous are seen in type by the lives of those
righteous rulers who shall arise, and whom I have created to rule at the times appointed,
but know this, that out of them shall arise others who care only for their own
interests, even of the type that I have already shown you.
52. And I answered
and said, "0 Mighty One! Hallowed be your power! Be favourable to my petition
and show me, because for this reason you have brought me up here, whether what
I saw shall happen to them for a long time?"
53. And He showed
me a multitude of His people and said to me, "On their account, through
four 'entrances' (i.e. descents, as in 47 above) as you saw, I shall be
provoked by them, and in these (four descents) shall my retribution for their
deeds be accomplished. But in the fourth descent of one hundred years, even one
hour of the age, the same is a hundred years, there shall be misfortune among
the nations, but also for one hour there shall be mercy and honour among those
nations.
54. And I said,
"0 Eternal One! How long are the hours of the age?" And He said,
"Twelve hours have I ordained for this present age of ungodliness to rule
among the nations and within your seed, and until the end of the times it shall
be even as you saw. And now reckon and understand and look again into the
picture.
55. And I looked
and saw a Man going out from the left side of the nations (clearly the Messiah
is here intended) and there went out men and women and children, from the side
of nations, many hosts, and worshipped Him. And while I still looked, there
came many from the right side, and some of these insulted Him, and some of them
even struck Him, but others however worshipped Him. And as I watched, I saw
Azazel approach Him and he kissed Him on the face and then stood behind Him.
56. And I said,
"0 Eternal One! Who is the Man insulted and beaten, who is worshipped by
the nations and kissed by Azazel?" And He answered and said, "Hear
Abraham! The Man you saw insulted and beaten and yet worshipped by many, He is
the 'Relief' granted by the nations to the people who proceed from you, in the
last days, in the twelfth hour of the age of ungodliness. But in the twelfth
hour of my final age will I set up this Man from your generation, whom you saw
issue from among my people, and all who follow will become like this Man, and
such as are called by me will join the others, even those who will to change
within themselves. (A neat definition of repentance!) And as for those who
emerge from the left side of the picture, the meaning is this - there shall be
many from the nations who shall set their hopes upon Him, but as for those whom
you saw from your seed on the right of the picture who insulted Him and struck
Him, many shall be offended in Him, but some shall worship Him. And He shall
test those of your seed who have worshipped Him in the twelfth hour at the end,
with a view to shortening the age of ungodliness.
57. Before the age
of the righteous begins to grow, my judgment shall come upon the lawless
peoples through the-people of your seed who have been separated unto me. And in
those days I will bring upon all creatures of the earth ten plagues, through
misfortune and disease and the sighing of their grief. And this shall be
brought upon the generations of men on account of the provocation and the
corruption of mankind, whereby they provoke me. And then shall righteous men of
your seed survive in the number which is kept secret by me, and will hasten the
coming of the glory of My Name to that place prepared beforehand for them,
which you saw devastated in the picture. (This presumably means
58. See, Abraham,
what you have seen and hear what you have heard, and take knowledge of all that
you have come to know. Go to your heritage, and behold, I am with you unto the
age."
59. But while He
was still speaking to me, I found myself once again upon the earth, and I said,
"0 Eternal One! I am no longer in the glory that is on high, and there is
one matter that my soul longed to know and understand which has not been
revealed to me.
60. And He said to
me, "What your heart desired I will tell you, because you have sought to
see the ten plagues which I have prepared for the godless nations, and which
have been pre-determined at the passing over of the twelfth hour of the age of
the earth. Hear therefore what I divulge, and so shall it come to pass. The
first is the distressing pain of sickness; the second, conflagration of many
cities; the third, the destruction and pestilence of animals; the fourth,
hunger of the whole world and its people; the fifth, by destruction among its
rulers, by earthquake and the sword; the sixth, the multiplication of hail and
snow; the seventh, wild bests will be their grave; the eighth, hunger and
pestilence will alternate with destruction; the ninth, punishment by the sword
and flight in distress; the tenth, thunder and voices and destructive
earthquake.
61. And then I will
sound the trumpet out of the air, and will send my Elect One, having in Him all
my power in one measure, and He shall summon my despised people from all
nations, and I will send fire upon those who have insulted them and who have
ruled over them in this age. And I will give those who have covered me with
mockery to the scorn of the coming age, and I have prepared them to be food for
the fires of Hades, and perpetual flight through the air in the underworld, for
they shall see the righteousness of the Creator, and those whom He now honours,
and they shall he ashamed, for I had hoped that they would come to me in
repentance, rather than loving strange gods, but they forsook the Mighty Lord,
and went the way that they willed to go.
62. Hear therefore,
Abraham, and see, for behold, in the seventh generation from you shall they
leave the land of their slavery, after they have been ill-treated as it were
for an hour of the age of ungodliness, and the nation whom they shall serve I
will judge." (These seven generations may thus be enumerated: Abraham,
Isaac, Jacob, Levi, Kohath, Amram, and Moses.)
- - - - - - - -oOo- - - - - -
- -
RESURRECTION AND JUDGMENT IN
ISAIAH 25 & 26.
The following translation of Isaiah 25:6-12
& 26 is designed to bring out hidden highlights.
6. And in this
'Mountain (i.e. Zion) shall the Lord of Hosts make a feast of rich food for all
people, a feast of wines on the lees, and fat things full of marrow, of wines
well refined
7. And on this
Mountain He will destroy the Vail that enshrouds all peoples, the pall that is
thrown over all nations.
8. He will
swallow up death in Victory, and the Lord God will wipe away the tears from
every face, and remove the reproach of His people from the whole earth. The
Lord has spoken it.
9. And it shall
be said in that day, -'Behold! This is-our God! We have waited for Him and He
has delivered us! He is our-Lord! We have waited for Him, and now we shall be
glad and rejoice in His deliverance!'
10. For it is on
this Mountain that the hands of the Lord shall rest. But
11. He (i.e.
12. And He (the
Lord) will throw down your high fortified walls and lay them low. (This is
1. In that day
(the day of resurrection, when death is swallowed up) shall this song be sung
in the
2 Open up those
gates! Give entrance to the righteous nation, the nation that keeps trust and
fidelity!' (These are all the righteous by faith, entering
3. Perfect peace
is ordained for those who keep their thoughts steadfast upon the Lord, even as
they trust Him.
4. Trust in the
Lord continually, for the Lord Jehovah is the rock of ages.
5.He brings
down, yea, he humbles those who dwell on high;
6.He lays low
the lofty city. He brings it down, even to the earth, and settles it in the dust,
where feet may trample it down, even the feet of the oppressed and lowly ones.
7. The path of
the just man is (now at last,) level, indeed the Upright One has Himself made
smooth the way of the righteous.
8. Yes, 0 Lord, we
have waited long for you, as we have walked in the path of your judgments. Our
hearts' desire has been for the sanctification of your name, and in your
remembrance.
9. With all my
heart have I longed for you through the night seasons, yea, with my spirit I
will eagerly search for you as the dawn begins to break, for when your
judgments are in the earth the inhabitants of the world will learn
righteousness.
10. (It is a
solemn fact that) if God's gracious favour be shown to lawless men, they do not
learn righteousness; even in an honest and upright land they will go on doing
evil and disregard the majesty of the Lord.
11. 0 Lord, when
your hand is lifted up on high they do not even see it! Let them see; let them
be ashamed and (instead) envy the people (of the Lord.) Yes Lord, the fires
will devour your enemies.
12. 0 Lord, you
will bestow prosperity on us, and in very truth our ways and our works will be
ordained and empowered by your hand.
13. 0 Lord our
God, other lords beside you have domineered us, but it is your name and yours
alone that we honour.
14. But now they
are dead, they live no more, these Rephaim. (i.e. offspring of fallen angels)
You have punished them and brought them to ruin, and made all memory of them to
perish.
15. You have
enlarged the nation 0 Lord, you have enlarged the nation! You have gained great
glory for yourself, and extended all the borders of the land.
16. Lord, they
came to you in their distress, and when you disciplined them, they could
scarcely whisper a prayer.
17.As a woman
with child and about to give birth, writhes and cries out in her birth-pangs,
so were we in your presence 0 Lord.
18.We were with
child, we writhed in pain, but we merely brought forth wind. We have not
brought forth deliverance to the earth; none of your people have been born to
inhabit the world.
19. (The Lord
answers) But your dead shall live! Together with My dead body they shall arise!
Awake and sing, all you who dwell in the dust of the earth!
20.For your dew
is like the dew on the herbs. But the earth shall cast away the Rephaim. Come
my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you, and hide yourselves
for a little while until the indignation has passed by.
21.Behold the
Lord is coming out of His dwelling place to punish the people of the earth for
their sins. The earth will then disclose the blood that has been shed upon it,
and will conceal its slain no more.