Abraham is often used to represent God the Father in the Bible. Through the history of Abraham’s family, God has revealed to us how we can inherit the kingdom of heaven.
Isaac was the one who received Abraham’s inheritance. Even though Abraham had another son, named Ishmael born through Hagar, God did not allow Ishmael to receive the inheritance of Abraham. Rather, God bestowed the inheritance upon Isaac, who was born through Sarah. The reason why Isaac was chosen as Abraham’s heir was that Isaac was the son of Sarah, who was free. This history shows us that the heavenly inheritance will be given to those who are born of Heavenly Mother, who is free.
Christ Ahnsahnghong taught us that our Heavenly Mother does in fact exist and that She is the true mystery hidden within the Bible.
Let us study “The History of Abraham’s Family and Mother,” taught to us by Christ Ahnsahnghong.
- Abraham Represents God
First of all, we need to recognize who Abraham represents in the Bible.
Luke 16:19-31 『“…The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham…’”』
This parable tells of Lazarus, who died and was carried to heaven, and a rich man, who was sent to be tormented in hell. After the death of our body, our spirits are carried to God, but instead of this saying this, the parable describes Lazarus’ spirit as being carried to Abraham’s side. Suffering agony in hell, one who expect the rich man to call upon God to relieve his pain; however, the Bible states that the rich man saw Abraham and called up to him, saying, “Father Abraham.” Who is the only one who is worthy to be called “Father” in the spiritual world? God is the only one who can be referred to in this way. Then, whom does Abraham represent? Abraham was chosen to represent God. Therefore, the inheritance of Abraham can be likened to the inheritance of God, the kingdom of heaven.
- Isaac, the Heir of Abraham
Then, let us find out who was appointed as Abraham’s heir and why.
There were three candidates who could have been chosen as the heir of Abraham: Eliezer, Ishmael, and Isaac. Among them, who became Abraham’s heir? It was Isaac who was appointed. We need to understand the reason why Isaac was chosen to be Abraham’s heir.
Genesis 15:1-4 『…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.” Then the word of the LORD came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir.”』
When Abraham was an old man and had not yet borne a son, he asked God to allow his servant Eliezer to receive his inheritence. However, God did not allow Eliezer to become Abraham’s heir, revealing that a son would be born from Abraham’s own body and that he would become his heir. Some time later, Hagar, Sarah’s maidservant, bore Abraham a son: Ishmael.
Genesis 16:1-15 『Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar, so she said to Abram, “The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her.” Abram agreed to what Sarai said…So Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne.』
Ishmael was born to Abraham through a maidservant named Hagar, and Abraham asked God to allow Ishmael to become his heir.
Genesis 17:18-19 『And Abraham said to God, “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.“』
When Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael might live under your blessing,” God did not allow Ishmael to become his heir. Instead, God promised Abraham that he would have a son through his wife, Sarah. Isaac was born as God had promised, and of the three—Eliezer, Ishmael, and Isaac—it was Isaac who was chosen to be Abraham’s heir.
- The Key Factor in Deciding an Heir is Mother
Let’s study the reason why God chose Isaac to be Abraham’s heir.
Both Eliezer’s father and mother were slaves, neither of them were free. This is the reason why God did not allow him to be Abraham’s heir. Ishmael’s father, Abraham, was free, but his mother, Hagar, was a slave and not a free woman. This is why God could not allow Ishmael to become Abraham’s heir. Isaac’s father, Abraham, was a free man, and his mother, Sarah, was a free woman. The fact that Isaac had been born of a free woman was the distinctive difference between Ishmael and Isaac. This discrepancy became the key factor in choosing Abraham’s heir.
In those days, the eldest son inherited all of his family’s property. Since Ishmael was older than Isaac, he should have become the heir, that is, if God had made His decision according to the paternal line. Ishmael was not a free woman, but a slave. Thus, it is clear that the decisive factor in choosing Abraham’s heir was his mother.
What we need to focus on while studying the history of Abraham’s family is not merely the story of a man and his family. As you know, the Bible is not a storybook to tell us of men and their families. Nevertheless, God repeatedly mentioned the story of this particular family. Actually, the history of Abraham was a shadow of what was to happen in the future. In order for us to know who can become God’s heir, the story of Abraham’s family was written as a prophecy.
Therefore, through the history of Abraham’s family, we can clearly understand that the deciding factor in choosing an heir is the mother. As Isaac became Abraham’s heir through Sarah, his free mother, we can become God’s heirs through our Heavenly Mother, who is the free woman. Only those who believe in the heavenly Mother—the children who are born through the New Covenant—can inherit the Heavenly Father’s kingdom. Let us read one more verse testifying about the Heavenly Mother.
Galatians 4:22-31『…But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother…Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. At that time the son born in the ordinary way persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now. But what does the Scripture say? “Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son.” Therefore, brothers, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman.』
The Bible declares that we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman. Ishmael could not inherit his father’s estate because his mother, Hagar, was only a slave and not a free woman. On the other hand, Isaac was chosen to become Abraham’s heir because his mother, Sarah, was a free woman. The Bible also testifies that we, like Isaac, are the children of promise, the children of the heavenly Mother, who is free.
In today’s world, there are three types of people: those who are like Eliezer, those who are like Ishmael, and those who are like Isaac. According to the history of Abraham’s family, which one of these three types can become the heir of the kingdom of heaven? Only the third type of people, the ones who are like Isaac, can be recognized as God’s heirs. Those like Isaac believe in God the Mother as well as God the Father.
God said, “My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge” (Hos 4:6). What kind of knowledge is God referring to in this verse? We must recognize that we have God the Mother, as well as God the Father. We must accept Elohim God and must firmly believe that God is our Mother who gives us salvation alongside our Father. Only after we come to realize this can we say that we have full knowledge of God.
The Bible testifies that the Holy Spirit is God Ahnsahnghong and that the Bride is Jerusalem Mother. Let us accept God Ahnsahnghong, the Holy Spirit, and Jerusalem Mother, the Bride, who give us the water of life in these last days, so that we can enter the kingdom of heaven.