Abraham Rejoiced and Personally Knew Jesus Christ

Creation date: 7-Feb-2024

Abraham knew of Jesus Christ's Day

Last updated: 28-Feb-2024

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Sections
 

1 First Confrontation - Adulterous Woman
2 Second Confrontation  - Jesus Christ's Witness is God the Father
3 Third Confrontation - Jesus Christ Sent by God the Father
4 Fourth Confrontation - The Pharisees Claim Lineage of Abraham for Salvation
5 Abraham Rejoiced and Knew of Jesus Christ's Day
6 When did Abraham know Jesus Christ personally?

In John Chapter 8, the Pharisees have four different confrontational areas with Jesus Christ that occurred on the same day that failed in the attempt to discredit Jesus ChristJesus Christ spoke about Abraham knowing Him.

First Confrontation - Adulterous Woman

Jesus Christ was at the Temple Courts teaching the people, and has a confrontation with the Pharisees about a woman caught in Adultery, who Jesus Christ forgives. 

John 8:1-11 1 but Jesus went unto the mount of Olives. 2 And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them. 3 And the scribes and the Pharisees bring a woman taken in adultery; and having set her in the midst, 4 they say unto him, Teacher, this woman hath been taken in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such: what then sayest thou of her? 6 And this they said, trying him, that they might have whereof to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground. 7 But when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. 8 And again he stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground. 9 And they, when they heard it, went out one by one, beginning from the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the midst. 10 And Jesus lifted up himself, and said unto her, Woman, where are they? did no man condemn thee? 11 And she said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said, Neither do I condemn thee: go thy way; from henceforth sin no more.]

The Pharisees, who were obviously using the adulterous woman (where is the man?) to entrap Jesus Christ into:

  1. Wrongly trying to get Jesus Christ to make a mistake on the method of judging, which Jesus Christ did not do.  Jesus Christ, by writing in the sand, exposed the Pharisees sins and the Pharisees left the scene of the event, but will return later to confront Jesus Christ more.
  2. Wrongly trying to show Jesus Christ was claiming to be in the authority the same as a Pharisee when Jesus Christ was not part of the Sanhedrin.  Jesus Christ explains His authority later in John chapter 8 and He is Superior to the Sanhedrin by the witness of God the Father and Himself being Two Witnesses.  (Note that the scriptures are replete with requirements of Two Witnesses, Deuteronomy 19:15, with the most well-known future example of the Two Witnesses of Revelation.)
  3. Wrongly trying to get Jesus Christ to state the woman should be stoned, which the Pharisees were wanting to do, and if it happened would show Jesus Christ was subservient to the Pharisees.  Jesus Christ knew all of their thoughts and the woman's circumstance and by forgiving her showed that Jesus Christ was God and absolutely Superior to the Sanhedrin.
  4. It is this author's opinion, that I have not read in any Biblical Commentary, that the Pharisees stating "taken in the adultery, in the very act.", indicates the event never happened since the man was not taken as there was no man present when the woman was taken
    (a) The taking of the woman event was most likely made to look like it happened for other people, bystanders who would not challenge a Pharisee, passing by which then allowed this group of evil minded Pharisees to take this appointed and targeted woman to Jesus Christ. 
    (b) Since Jesus Christ forgave her, saying also to "sin no more", indicates she is an adulterer and possibly a prostitute, but not from the event that the Pharisees staged.
    (c) Also, the woman did not deny she has been an adulterer, but was quite out of fear that indicated she knew she was guilty and more importantly recognized Jesus Christ as Lord.  We can absolutely know she was changed and became a Believer in Jesus Christ unto Salvation because Jesus Christ said "go thy way".
This is an excerpt from the topic on Adultery concerning the woman caught in adultery in John 8:1-11.

Example 3: No Restitution required.  This is from the scriptures in John 8:1-11 which is commonly known as the adulterous woman passage.  Jesus forgave the woman which is AWESOME.  Note that we know the woman had already had numerous bad ramifications already happen to her, which appears to be the case since she was being persecuted by the Pharisees in fear of death by stoning, that could still happen after the encounter with Jesus Christ. 

Many Christian Pastors say that this is an example scripture to show all that is required to remove any problems and consequences is to confess the adultery to God in Jesus Christ's name.  This author does not believe that the adulterous woman passage is an all-encompassing solution for all cases.

The woman of John 8:1-11's situation and the full details, with extent of her sinful deeds of adultery and punishments already endured are not known.  She may have:

  • Been forced into adultery for one night as the adulterous man is not present,
  • Raped,
  • Given no choice in fear of safety of children,
  • Acquiesced into sex to settle a debt, and
  • Many more situations. 

We all need to understand that God will show mercy and grace in different degrees to whom He desires (Romans 9:18), but God changes not (Malachi 3:6), so we all cannot simply think that grievous sins such as adultery will always be free of consequences.  Remember that God forgave King David, but David still had consequences where is it safe to presume that when we commit adultery then there will be no consequences?

Second Confrontation - Jesus Christ's Witness is God the Father

After the Pharisees tried to entrap Jesus Christ with the Adulterous Woman, then the Pharisees tried again to entrap Jesus Christ again regarding Jesus Christ's Witness:

  1. Jesus Christ was stating He was sent by God the Father.  The Pharisees using subterfuge types of statements such as "Thou bearest witness of thyself, thy witness is not true", which mean the Pharisees were calling Jesus Christ a liar with no truth.
  2. Jesus Christ states He Judges no man where if Jesus Christ were to Judge then it would be truthful because God the Father sent him. 
    (a) In the Adulterous Woman earlier event, Jesus Christ did not judge but forgave in John 8:11, which the Pharisees witnessed.
    (b) In the future, Jesus Christ will judge at the Judgment Seat of Christ and also the Great White Thrown of Judgment.
    (c) In all of the New Testament scriptures before the two Final Judgments just mentioned, Jesus Christ when defending Himself against the Pharisees with His Truth, that is meant to have us be righteous where refusing condemns.
  3. Jesus Christ informs the Pharisees that if the they knew God the Father then they would know that Jesus Christ is, "The I AM" from the scriptures such as the event of Moses asking God what is His Name.
John 8:12-19 12 Again therefore Jesus spake unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life. 13 The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest witness of thyself; thy witness is not true. 14 Jesus answered and said unto them, Even if I bear witness of myself, my witness is true; for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye know not whence I come, or whither I go. 15 Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man. 16 Yea and if I judge, my judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me. 17 Yea and in your law it is written, that the witness of two men is true. 18 I am he that beareth witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me. 19 They said therefore unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye know neither me, nor my Father: if ye knew me, ye would know my Father also.

Third Confrontation - Jesus Christ Sent By God the Father.

After Jesus Christ tells the Pharisees "Ye know neither me, nor my Father: if ye knew me, ye would know my Father also", the Pharisees continue in the subterfuge types of questions to try to trick and insult Jesus Christ.  In the arrogance demonstrated by the Pharisees, in their words used, they believe they are superior to Jesus Christ.

John 8:21-30 21 He said therefore again unto them, I go away, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sin: whither I go, ye cannot come. 22 The Jews therefore said, Will he kill himself, that he saith, Whither I go, ye cannot come? 23 And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for except ye believe that I am he, ye shall die in your sins. 25 They said therefore unto him, Who art thou? Jesus said unto them, Even that which I have also spoken unto you from the beginning. 26 I have many things to speak and to judge concerning you: howbeit he that sent me is true; and the things which I heard from him, these speak I unto the world. 27 They perceived not that he spake to them of the Father. 28 Jesus therefore said, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself, but as the Father taught me, I speak these things. 29 And he that sent me is with me; he hath not left me alone; for I do always the things that are pleasing to him. 30 As he spake these things, many believed on him.
  1. Jesus Christ tells the Pharisees "I go away, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sin: whither I go, ye cannot come.", where the Pharisees interpreted the statement to mean that Jesus Christ would be going to Hell and they would not be going.
    (a) In verse 22, the Jews (the Pharisees) incorrectly, in their arrogance, thought that Jesus Christ would commit suicide because of "whither I go, ye cannot come".  The Pharisees were filled with so much self-righteousness that they believed they would be with God in Eternity and Jesus Christ with "whither I go, ye cannot come" would not be with God in Eternity.
    (b) Suicide was considered in the traditions as an unpardonable sin that would separate humans from Salvation.  Note that suicide is NOT an unpardonable sin, as suicide is murder of oneself and murder is paid for by the Cross of Jesus Christ.  For the Christian, murder and suicide will be have consequences and loss of rewards in Heaven, but not loss of Salvation.
    (c) The arrogance of the Pharisees was made understood by all those at the Temple because of the Pharisees comment "Will he kill himself, that he saith, Whither I go, ye cannot come?"
  2. Jesus Christ tells them they are the ones going to Hell with the statement "Ye are from beneath; I am from above", unless "for except ye believe that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.".
  3. The Pharisees ask "Who art thou?", and Jesus Christ states "I have also spoken unto you from the beginning", which is more than the beginning of the day and it meant since the beginning of the World.  This was clearly understood by the Pharisees that Jesus Christ is stating His speaking as God, Who is Eternal.
  4. Jesus Christ clarify more about the sending of God the Father and the Pharisees are confused for the moment until Jesus Christ gives more clarification.  Jesus Christ is stating He can judge based on what He has heard from God the Father; and Jesus Christ further states He has spoken to the World, which shows the statements have been said since the beginning of the World as God the Father sent Him.
  5. The "ye have lifted up the Son of man" phrased resonated in the minds of many who were present including some of the Pharisees but not all of the Pharisees.  Most people were familiar with Isaiah 53 and were also beginning to understand the Serpent on the Brass Pole Significance from Moses' life.

Fourth Confrontation - The Pharisees Claim Lineage of Abraham gives Salvation

Jesus Christ, after speaking to those of the Jews at the Temple who believed in Him, returned to speaking to the Pharisees with statements to help them to understand who He (Jesus Christ) is as Son of God, and also to defend God's Nature.  In the John 8:37-53 passage:

  1. Jesus Christ tells them that they are descendents of Abraham, yet "you are trying to kill me", because you are not letting "my word" in yourself to to open your minds.  The "My Word" statement would have immediately been understood by the Pharisees as Jesus Christ claiming He is God when saying the scriptures are His Word.
  2. Jesus Christ then states to the unbelieving Jews, that you are claiming your father is Abraham but you do NOT do the works of Abraham along with wanting to "kill me".  This would have shocked the Pharisees as they would not understood how Jesus Christ knew of their intentions as it was not made public.  This leads later to some of the Pharisees incorrectly thinking, in their arrogance, that Jesus Christ is a mere mortal man that is possessed by a Demon where the Demon is giving knowledge.
  3. The Jews that were against Jesus Christ, knew Jesus Christ's father was not Joseph.  These Jews should have recognized the virgin birth requirement because of the curse of Jeconiah.  These Jews are calling Jesus Christ a Bastard with the "we were not born of fornication" statement.  A Bastard is a son that does not know who his father is, or was born outside of a marriage covenant.
  4. Jesus Christ, in His statement "I honor my Father, and ye dishonor me" should have been received in great fear but it didn't as the dishonoring is not only directed to Jesus Christ but it is also God the Father as God the Father sent Jesus Christ.  On another occasion in Matthew 21:33-41, Jesus Christ explain this in a parable.
  5. Next Jesus Christ continues to remind the unbelieving Pharisees about Abraham and never tasting death, which they did understand is the death of separation from God for eternity.  The Pharisees next asked who does Jesus Christ think He is to claim power over death.
John 8:37-53 37 I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; yet ye seek to kill me, because my word hath not free course in you. 38 I speak the things which I have seen with my Father: and ye also do the things which ye heard from your father. 39 They answered and said unto him, Our father is Abraham. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham. 40 But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I heard from God: this did not Abraham. 41 Ye do the works of your father. They said unto him, We were not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God. 42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I came forth and am come from God; for neither have I come of myself, but he sent me. 43 Why do ye not understand my speech? Even because ye cannot hear my word. 44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father it is your will to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and standeth not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father thereof. 45 But because I say the truth, ye believe me not. 46 Which of you convicteth me of sin? If I say truth, why do ye not believe me? 47 He that is of God heareth the words of God: for this cause ye hear them not, because ye are not of God. 48 The Jews answered and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a demon? 49 Jesus answered, I have not a demon; but I honor my Father, and ye dishonor me. 50 But I seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth. 51 Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my word, he shall never see death. 52 The Jews said unto him, Now we know that thou hast a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my word, he shall never taste of death. 53 Art thou greater than our father Abraham, who died? and the prophets died: whom makest thou thyself?
Matthew 21:33-41 33 “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. 34 When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit. 35 “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. 36 Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. 37 Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said. 38 “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ 39 So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41 “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”

Abraham Rejoiced at the Thought of Jesus Christ's Day

In John 8:54-59, Jesus Christ is continuing in speaking to the Pharisees in a verbal combative argument that is exposing the Pharisees to their evil and lack of knowledge of the Scriptures.  The Pharisees very openly antagonistically trying to discredit Jesus Christ while Jesus Christ statements are strong in defense and truth that only agitates the Pharisees more.  Eventually Jesus Christ clearly is stating that He is the "I AM" of the burning bush of Exodus Chapter 3. 

Here are the incredible points of the John 8:54-59 scriptural passage:

  1. Jesus Christ did not phrase the information of Abraham in the past tense but in the continued existence terms.  This is subtle and very important to notice as the Pharisees did not miss as that meant Abraham was still alive even though not on the Earth which they should have known meant Abraham was in Upper Sheol.  This is reinforced in the Parable of the Rich Man in Luke 16:19-31 told by Jesus Christ.
  2. The Pharisees objected to "Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.” which meant Abraham knew Him (Jesus Christ).
  3. The "not yet fifty years old", is the age of retirement for a Rabi, where it is interesting that in a small way the Pharisees were recognizing Jesus Christ in the role of a Rabbi even if the Pharisees did not endorse Jesus Christ in any role or title.  The age remark additionally meant that Jesus Christ, while still operating in a role as Rabbi, could not be over fifty years old.
  4. The next statement by Jesus Christ in the "before Abraham was born, I am!", was an absolute acknowledgement of His Deity that left no misunderstanding to all that were there at the temple, even though specific Pharisees and some other Jews rejected Jesus Christ.  It is interesting to realize that the Pharisees could not find Jesus Christ to stone Him which might have been a small proof of Deity to some present who could not understand how Jesus Christ could not be found.
John 8:54-59
Jesus Christ speaking to the Pharisees
54 Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. 55 Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.” 57 “You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, “and you have seen Abraham! 58 “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am! 59 At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.
Luke 16:19-31

Jesus Christ speaking about the Parable of the rich man and Lazarus
19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’ 25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’ 27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ 29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’ 30 “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ 31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”

When did Abraham know Jesus Christ personally?

In the scriptural references there several Theophanies, which are appearances of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament.  In the times that Abraham lived on the Earth, there are references that show that Jesus Christ's statement about Abraham knowing Him were true.
 
This is an excerpt from the Theophany topic:

We know from several scriptures that we cannot see the Face of God the Father and live.  In the exodus of Israel from captivity in Egypt, Moses asked God to show His Face.  God's response explained the consequences of seeing God face to face.

Exodus 33:19-23 And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” And the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.” 
John 3:13 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

In the times the Jesus Christ appeared and talked with people, was as a Theophany.  Jesus Christ appeared as human being where He represents Himself, God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.   Jesus Christ is not God the Father or God the Holy Spirit.  Jesus Christ is the "Son of Man" as one of many Titles.

The First: Occurrence - Leave to another Land:

In Genesis 12:1-4, The Lord visited Abram, later the Lord changes Abram's name to Abraham, and gave Abram instructions to leave the country he was dwelling.

Genesis 12:3 1 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. 2 “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. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” 4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran.

The Second: Occurrence - Two Names are changed and Promises made:

In Genesis Chapter 17, God spoke to Abram and renames Abram to Abraham where there are several verses that were important for all the times of history.

  1. In Genesis 17:1-8 the key promises that are everlasting were made by God to Abraham after God changed his name.
  2. In the remaining scriptural verses of Genesis 17, God makes additional promises including changing Abraham's wife name from Sarai to Sarah
Genesis 17:1-8 1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, Jehovah appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be thou perfect. 2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. 3 And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, 4 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be the father of a multitude of nations. 5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for the father of a multitude of nations have I made thee. 6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. 7 And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee. 8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land of thy sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.
Genesis 17:15-16 15 And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. 16 And I will bless her, and moreover I will give thee a son of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be of her.

The Third Occurrence:

  1. In Genesis 18:1-5, notice there are three men standing near the place that Abraham was dwelling.  Notice that Abraham addresses one of the three men as Lord.
  2. In Genesis 18:22, notice the two men, who we find out later are Angels appearing as men, just as Jesus Christ, the Lord is appearing as a man where Abraham recognizes the man to be the Lord, God who visited him in Genesis 12:1.
  3. Earlier in Genesis 18, the Lord and the two Angels sat down with Abraham, where the full dialogue of what was spoken about is not discussed except for Sarah future son.
  4. In Genesis 18:20 through 18:32, Abraham is alone with Jesus Christ dealing with a discussion on righteous people in Sodom and Gomorra, and how many would be required to stop God from destroying Sodom and Gomorra.
Genesis 18:1-5 1 The Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. 2 Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground. 3 He said, “If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your servant by. 4 Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. 5 Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way—now that you have come to your servant.”
Genesis 18:20-26

and

Genesis 18:32

20 Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous 21 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.”

22 The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord. 23 Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare[e] the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

26 The Lord said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”
...
32 Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?” He answered, “For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.” 33 When the Lord had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home.

The Fourth Occurrence:

In the Genesis 22, Abraham is tested by God, where God knew beforehand that Abraham would not fail.  The test would be a model of Jesus Christ being sacrificed on the Exact Same Place in the future for the sins of every human being that has lived and will lived as a restitution sin payment only requiring people to accept the payment.  Know that God does not condone human sacrifice and Jesus Christ was not a sacrifice but a restitution payment!

The important points of the fourth occurrence:

  1. Abraham goes with Isaac to the place that God instructs him to go without any questions.
  2. Abraham knew that God had promised that Abraham's son Isaac would be the next in all of the generations that was part of Abraham's title of "Father of many Nations".  God identifies the son Isaac as the heir in Genesis 22:2.  Note that the son, Ishmael with the bond woman Hagar, also would become a father of many nations, but Isaac was the son of promise as further identified in Galatians 4:22-26.
  3. Abraham knew that he was acting out prophecy because Abraham named the place "Jehovah-hireh" (Genesis 22:14), which meant that "God shall provide".  It was in this exact place that God did provide His Son Jesus Christ and is the meaning of "Jehovah it shall be provided" where the "it" is the permanent sacrifice for sin. 
  4. It is implied, in the meaning of the verses passage of Genesis 22:10-11, that Abraham knew he was acting out a model for a future prophecy. Some Biblical Commentaries, that this author agrees with, state God was witnessing to Abraham.  Abraham had the previous visits with Jesus Christ as a Theophany, listed in this topic, where Abraham knew through the Holy Spirit that the Theophany Jesus Christ would be sacrificed in this spot in the future.
  5. Notice in verses 9 through 12 that an Angel of God is specking to Abraham for God.
Genesis 22:1-2 1. Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. 2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”
Galatians 4:22-26 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman, the other by a freewoman. 23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and he of the freewoman through promise, 24 which things are symbolic. For these are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar— 25 for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children— 26 but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all.
Genesis 22:9-12 9 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. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. 12 “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.
Genesis 22:13-18 13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt-offering in the stead of his son. 14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of Jehovah it shall be provided. 15 And the angel of Jehovah called unto Abraham a second time out of heaven, 16 and said, By myself have I sworn, saith Jehovah, because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, 17 that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is upon the sea-shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; 18 and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

There is one additional reason that Jesus Christ mentions Abraham to the Pharisees, that this author has not seen in Biblical Commentaries, which is the point of the model that Abraham makes, "Jehovah-hireh", that the Pharisees should have recognized and questioned as the Pharisees were supposed to be the teachers to Israel.

Notice also the blessing to all of us that honor the Nation of Israel, as read in Genesis 22:16-18, where all of us can be blessed in return by Israel.  This is such a simple act of being polite, protecting, and showing a little more deference to anyone Jewish, regardless if the Jewish person is not a Godly person.  A Jewish person will recognize the gestures, and it may be the method and part of the Jewish person recognizing Jesus Christ as their Savior

What to read next?

What is Salvation?  Is it is possible to lose Salvation?  We have eternal life Evolution is not real.  When a Christian suffers is there benefits from it.  Rewards in heaven.  Do we Tithe?  What does the 3rd Commandment tell us?  What is Grace and Mercy?  Is there a place of unending punishment and exile form God?