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CHAPTER 80
TRAVELING slowly and stopping often to camp upon our way, we eventually reached Bethel, where yet stood and altar that I had built there at the first.
2 I restored it to its perfect form and offered sacrifices thereon to the Most High God.
3 And I called there upon the name of the Lord of all worlds and offered praise to the name of God and blessed god and gave thanks before Him for all the possessions bestowed upon us and for the many souls we had won in Egypt and for having brought us back safely from that land.
CHAPTER 81
NOW after our departure from Egypt, a faction arose among our people upon seeing the great wealth which Pharaoh had entrusted to us, for they desired property which they could call their own.
2 Lot also was among them, which thing grieved me greatly, but seeing they would not be reconciled, we gave unto them a portion of the common property and they departed from us under Lot's direction and settled in the Valley of the Jordan River.
3 There they went from place to place as their flocks needed pasture until they reached the city of Sodom where they mingled with the inhabitants and became one with them.
4 Lot also built a house in Sodom and settled there, but of all that company that went out from us, only Lot maintained his integrity and did not violate the covenants of his priesthood nor bow to heathen idol gods.
5 Nevertheless, Lot did not walk perfectly in the way of the Fathers for he dwelt not among the people of God but built his own house and he coveted his own property that he should govern it rather than holding all things common with the saints.
6 Nevertheless, Lot did continue to serve the Lord and the Lord loved him and his family and his property grew very large.
7 But I was grieved in my heart that Lot had parted from me for the had stood at my right hand and had been instructed in a better way.
CHAPTER 82
MEANWHILE, I with my people dwelt in Bethel where we did worship the Lord our God after the Order of the Ancients and did strive diligently to establish the Holy Order of God among us in ever increasing perfection.
2 Wherefore, we did banish from among us all contention, all covetousness, all selfishness, and we were of one heart and of one mind and dedicated in all our service unto the Lord and held all things common, for no man called anything his own.
CHAPTER 83
ONE night God appeared to me in a vision and said, Go up to the top of Hazor and lift up thine eyes and gaze eastward and westward and southward and northward and behold all this land for, behold, unto thee and to thy seed after thee shall I give it for an everlasting inheritance.
2 The next day I ascended Hazor as the Lord had commanded me and I gazed upon all the land from the river of Egypt unto Lebanon and Shenir, from the Great Sea unto Hauran, the whole area of Seir as far as Kadish, the whole of the great wilderness which lieth east of the Hauran and the region of Shenir as far as the Euphrates.
3 And as I beheld the land, the Lord my God spake in mine heart, saying, Blessed Abraham, I have chosen thee to stand at the head of a multitude.
4 Wherefore, unto thee and to thy seed after thee I will give this land, even all that thine eye beholdeth, that ye may possess it forever.
5 And I shall multiply thy seed like the dust of the earth, for even as no man can count the dust of the earth, so shall they seed be without number.
6 Rise up, now, and compass this land.
7 Behold the length of it and the breadth of it, for I will give it unto thee and to thy seed after thee forever.
CHAPTER 84
EVEN so, I, Abraham, descended from the high place and set out to behold all the land.
2 I commenced at the river of Egypt and came to the shore of the lake beside which I traveled until I reached the mountain of the ox.
3 Thence, I turned from the great lake which is by Sodom and walked across the breadth of the land until I reached Euphrates.
4 Thence, I journeyed even unto the Red Sea which I followed unto its head.
5 Thence, I went onward to the river of Egypt again, having compassed the whole land according to the command of the Lord.
6 When I had completed my journey, I bowed down and praised the Lord and returned safely unto my family where I found everyone well.
CHAPTER 85
NOT many days thence, under the direction of the Lord, I departed from Bethel and settled in the plains of Mamre on the northeast of Hebron and there I built an altar and offered an offering unto the Most High God and dedicated that land unto the Lord.
2 And I held a great feast unto the Lord for the time of the Passover had come and together with all the men of mine household, Invited Mamre, Aneram, and Eshcol, my friends who were wanderers in the land as we were and who had joined the believers in the Most High God, into the Solemn Assembly.
3 And after this all my people ate and drank together with me before the Lord.
CHAPTER 86
AT this feast, the Spirit of the Lord fell upon me and laying aside my garments, I danced before the Lord and sang unto the Lord a new song, saying, Blessed are Thou, O Lord, who hast given unto man knowledge of Thy ways that he might understand Thy truths and see Thine abundant mercies.
2 Blessed art Thou, O God, who art full of compassion and grace, for the greatness of Thy power, the abundance of Thy truth, the profusion of Thy mercies over all Thy works.
3 Rejoice the soul of Thy servant in Thy truth and through Thy righteousness make me clean before Thee.
4 Blessed art Thou, O Lord, for Thou has placed in the mouth of Thy servant the sacred words of power that I might stand as Thy minister continually that I may confer Thy grace upon Thy children and that I myself may return to Thy presence.
CHAPTER 87
SARAH also rose up, full of the Holy Ghost, and danced and sang before the Lord.
2 And this is the song of Sarah: In Thee, O Lord, will my soul be raised up for Thou hast bestowed upon me Thy grace whereby I am restored to Thy presence for I have entered into thine holy house and received the sacred rites of Thy presence.
3 Surely in my tent at night I will sing songs of joy unto the Lord as I am overshadowed by the priesthood and lifted up in the foreshadowing of eternity.
4 Surely in receiving Thy Spirit through the overshadowing of the priesthood, I have received salvation.
5 Wherefore, in the midst of Thy people, those who reverence Thine holy name, I will praise Thee and glorify Thy name forever.
CHAPTER 88
MY wife Kadar also arose and proceeded to dance and sing before the Lord.
2 And her son was: Bless the Lord, O my soul; exalt His name among the people.
3 I will praise Thee, O Lord, upon my bed when the wellsprings of my joy are opened up.
4 I will praise Thee at all times and seasons.
5 When the sun riseth upon the earth, I will praise Thine holy name.
6 When in its ordered course, day reacheth its turning point at the meridian, I shall not fail to praise Thee.
7 Again in the evening when the daylight departeth, I will marvel at Thy wonders and glorify Thy name.
CHAPTER 89
THEN rose up my wife Judith who danced and sang, saying, Praise the Lord who hath shown me the wonders of His ways.
2 For as I lay upon my bed enwrapped in the ecstasies of the Holy Spirit, when the Spirit rushed into me, I saw the vision of the Almighty and heard that which is unlawful to be spoken.
3 Yea, O Lord, Thou hast visited me and I have heard Thy wondrous secret and I know that it is true. Through Thine Holy Spirit, through the rites of Thine holy priesthood, through the glorious inner vision to which Thou didst open my mind in the moment of passion, Thou has caused a spring of knowledge to well up within me, a fountain of strength and power, of loving kindness and glory in my God.
4 Thou has put an end to the darkness of the world in me and the splendor of Thy glory hath become in me an eternal light.
5 Wherefore, I will praise Thy name forever and give myself unto Thee.
CHAPTER 90
WHEN Judith had finished her son, all the congregation, being filled with the Holy Ghost, arose to their feet and began to dance and sing and praise the Lord and to prophecy in His name.
2 Some saw holy angels in our midst and others saw the heavens opened and beheld God seated upon His throne and all were filled with His Spirit and shouted praises to the Lord in joyousness until dawn.
3 Then we all rose up before the Lord and praised His name for this great outpouring and worshipped Him all that day.
4 And we rejoiced in the grace of the Lord our God.
CHAPTER 91
PREVIOUS to this time, Amraphel, son of Nimrod, king of Shinar, Chederlaomer, king of Elam, Arioch, king of Capadocia, and Tidal, king of Goyim in Mesopotamia, had waged war against Bera, king of Sodom, Birsha, king of Gomorrah, Shinah, king of Admah, Shemeber, king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela.
2 They assembled for combat in the vale of Siddim and the king of Shinar and his royal allies overcame the king of Sodom and his confederates and imposed tribute upon them.
3 For twelve years they paid their tribute to the king of Shinar, but in the thirteenth year they revolted against him.
4 In the fourteenth year the king of Shinar led forth all his allies and they went up along the way of the wilderness, attacking and plundering all who were confederate with the king of Sodom.
5 But the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela came forth to battle and met Amraphel and his allies in the vale of Siddim.
6 However, Amraphel and his allies prevailed against them and Bera, king of Sodom turned and fled and Birsha, king of Gomorrah fell into the slime pits which were in the vale of Siddim and perished there.
7 The remainder of the kings fled unto the mountain which was called Hanabal and tarried there in great fear.
CHAPTER 93
BUT one of Lot's servants who dwelt in his house escaped and came to me in Hebron and told me that Lot, my brother's son, had been taken with all his possessions, but that he yet lived.
2 he showed me, moreover, the route which the kings had taken toward the land of Damascus.
3 When I heard this news, mine heart melted within me for Lot who had stood at my right hand had been as a brother to me in the place of my brother Haran, who had been slain in the Land of Shinar.
4 Oh, that Lot had stayed among the body of saints of the Most High God, I thought, and not go off to possess his own property apart.
5 Then these circumstances would never have befallen him that he should be in the hands of Amraphel, son of Nimrod, king of Shinar and his host.
6 But as I thus mourned over Lot, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Up, arouse thee, O Abraham. Take three hundred and eighty of the young men of the strength of thine house and also thy friends Aneram, Eshcol, and Mamre each with one hundred and five of the strength of his house and also Eliezer of Damascus who is with thee in the tent and pursue after Amraphel, son of Nimrod, king of Shinar, for truly I shall deliver his hosts into your hands.
CHAPTER 94
WHEREFORE, we did according to all that the Lord had commanded me, having all seven hundred of men and we pursued after them even unto the valley of Dan where we found them encamped.
2 And falling upon them by night from all four directions, we commenced the work of death and continued wreaking slaughter among them and discomforting them all that night.
3 And with the rising of the sun, they fled from before us until they reached Hobah which is situated to the left of Damascus where we did again overtake them and conquer them.
4 There we did strip them of all that they had taken as plunder and loot and likewise of all their won goods.
5 Lot also and his family we rescued from their hands and restoring to him all his possessions and all that they had taken from him as spoil, we restored him to his home in peace.
CHAPTER 95
WHEN the king of Sodom heard that I had returned from the conquest of Amraphel, son of Nimrod, king of Shinar, he came forth to meet me at the valley of Shaveh which is west of the city of Shalom where Noah and Melchizedek dwelt.
2 And Melchizedek brought forth bread and wine from the city of Shalom unto the valley of Shaveh where we were encamped.
3 And he being the high priest after the Order of the Most High God, brake the bread and blessed it and he blessed the wine also and he distributed them unto me and those who were with me, and we partook and were filled.
4 And Melchizedek lifted up his hands to heaven and blessed me, and said, Blessed Abraham, thou art a man of the Most High God, possessor of heaven and of earth, wherefore, his name and
priesthood shall not depart from thee and thy seed after thee while the earth shall stand and even in eternity shall it remain with thee.
5 And blessed is the name of the Most High God and almighty His power, which hath delivered thine enemies into thine hand.
6 And I, Abraham, gave into the hand of Melchizedek, tithes of all I had taken, for he was the presiding high priest after the Order of the Most High God, the first of the fathers unto me, and he reigned under his father Noah.
CHAPTER 96
AND when the king of Sodom had come unto me, he said unto me, My lord Abraham, give me the persons who are not thine but who are with thee whom thou hast rescued from the hand of Amraphel, son of Nimrod, king of Shinar, but let all the property be left with thee.
2 But I said unto him, This day do I, Abraham, lift up mine hand before the Most High God, before His holy angels and before these witnesses who are with us and declare that I will not take even so much as a thread or a shoe's latchet which is not mine, lest thou shouldst say that all Abraham's wealth cometh really from they possession.
3 Only that which the young men who are with me have eaten and that which Aneram, Eshcol, and Mamre, these three stalwarts who went with me, have received as their share shall be excepted of all that I took from Amraphel, son of Nimrod, king of Shinar that was thine.
4 The rest I return freely unto thee.
5 Now go thy way in peace.
6 Thereupon, I returned all the possessions and all the spoil and gave them unto the king of Sodom and I released all the captives and sent them away rejoicing.
CHAPTER 97
AND when I had done this, Melchizedek again lifted up his voice and blessed me saying, Blessed art thou, Abraham, for the Most High God shall visit thee and shall bestow upon thee riches and honor and lands for an everlasting possession because thou hast been true and faithful to the covenants which thou hast entered before Him.
2 Wherefore, thou shalt continue to increase, worlds without end, and the glory of the Lord shall never depart from thee. The blessings of thy Fathers shall rest upon thee and thou shalt stand at the head and in thee and in thy seed after thee, those who shall bear thy priesthood, shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.
CHAPTER 98
THEREWITH, I departed from Melchizedek, rejoicing in his blessing, for he was a man of faith who wrought righteousness and when a child he feared God and by his faith he stopped the mouths of lions and quenched the violence of fire when those of the evil combination sought to destroy him from off the face of the earth.
2 Therefore, having been approved of God, he was ordained an high priest after the order of the covenant which God made with Enoch which is after the order of the Firstborn, even our Father Adam.
3 For this holy order came not by man nor the will of man, neither by father nor mother, neither by beginning of days nor end of years, but of God.
4 For it was established in the beginning of the earth by the Ancients of days, wherefore it is called the Order of the Ancients, and it was delivered unto men from the beginning by the calling of God's own voice according to His own will through the voice of His Priesthood, unto as many as believed on His name and were faithful until they had obtained.
CHAPTER 99
BEHOLD, these could transcend the veil, according to the will of God, and commune with the General Assembly and Church of the Firstborn in heaven and many were caught up to be with them.
2 For God had sworn unto Enoch and unto his seed with an oath by Himself the every one being ordained after this order and calling should have power by faith to break mountains, to divide the seas, to dry up waters, to turn them out of their course, to put at defiance the armies of nations, to divide the earth, to break every band, to stand in the presence of God, to do all things according to His will according to His command, subdue
principalities and powers, and this by the will of the Son of the Only Begotten of the Father which was from before the foundation of the world.
3 And men having this faith and coming up unto this order of God could be translated and taken up into heaven.
CHAPTER 100
NOW Melchizedek was a priest after this order which is the Holy Order of God; therefore he obtained peace in Shalom and was called the prince of peace.
2 And his people wrought righteousness and obtained heaven for they sought for the city of Enoch which God had before taken, separating it from the earth, having reserved it unto the latter days or the end of the world.
3 For God hath said and sworn with an oath that the heavens and the earth should come together again and the sons of God be tried even by fire.
4 And thus Melchizedek, having established righteousness, was called the king of heaven by his people or, in other words, the king of peace.
5 And they communed with those in the city of Enoch and in the city of Peleg and had access to them and were blessed all their days.
CHAPTER 101
AFTER these things God appeared to me in a vision and he said unto me, Behold Abraham, it is ten full years since thou camest into this land from Haran.
2 Two years didst thou remain then in the land, seven years wast thou in Egypt and one year hath passed since thy return from Egypt.
3 Now, number all that thou hast and see how it hath increased to double that which went out with thee in the day thou camest forth from Haran.
4 Therefore, fear not, for I am with thee and will be thine help and the source of thy strength.
5 I will be thy shield and thine exceeding great reward and thy wealth and thy possessions shall I increase exceedingly.
CHAPTER 102
AND I said unto Him, My Lord God, truly my wealth and my possessions have increased but, behold, Eliezer of Damascus standeth as mine heir, whereas, prior to my departure from the city of Shalom, Father Shem said unto, Eliezer is a good and righteous man and he shall be greatly blessed in time and in eternity, but he shall not be thine heir, for another shall be thine heir who shall come forth from the womb of thy wife whom thou shalt take in the house of thy father for she is ordained to be thy queen of queens and the mother of thine heir.
2 Wherefore then doth Sarah remain barren, having neither son nor daughter?
3 Nay, replied God, fear not, for none shall be thine heir save he that shall come forth from the womb of they wife Sarah for she is ordained to be thy queen of queens and the mother of thine heir.
4 Therefore is her name called Sarah.
CHAPTER 103
AND the Lord took me out of the camp and He said, Look now toward heaven and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them.
2 And He said unto me, So shall thy seed be.
3 And I said unto him, Lord God, how wilt thou give me this land for an everlasting inheritance?
4 And the Lord replied, Though thou wast dead, yet am I not able to give it thee?
5 And if thou shalt die, yet thou shalt possess it, for the day cometh that the Son of Man shall live but how can he live if he be not dead?
6 He must first be quickened.
7 And the Lord touched the eyes of mine understanding that they were opened and I beheld the days of the Son of Man, for I beheld Him ministering unto my seed, teaching them the law of God, healing the sick, casting out devils and doing many wonderful works.
8 I saw also the Son of Man lifted up upon the cross for the sins of men; wherefore I wept for the wickedness of man which could crucify the Son of God.
9 Nevertheless, I saw also that He should rise again from the dead, wherein mine heart did rejoice and my soul found rest in the knowledge that though I should die, yet again in the flesh should I see God and dwell in the land of mine inheritance.
10 For I saw also the days of the coming of the Son of Man upon the earth in the last days when He shall descent with ten thousands of His saints according to the prophecy of Father Enoch and the earth shall be cleansed by fire.
11 Then all shall rise to stand before God, both the just and the unjust, to be judged according to their works.
CHAPTER 104
AND the Lord said unto me, I, the Lord thy God, saved thee from the fire in the land of Shinar and from the hand of the wicked priest and from all the evil intentions of king Nimrod and I brought thee into this land that I might give it to thee as an everlasting inheritance.
2 Now, I knew that the word of the Lord was true. Nevertheless, I desired to know more of this inheritance which the Lord had provided me.
3 Wherefore, I said, Lord, how shall it be that I shall inherit this land wherein I am a stranger?
4 And the Lord said unto me, Take me an heifer of three years old and a she goat of three years old and a ram of three years old and a turtle dove and a young pigeon.
5 Divide each of these in the midst and lay one half on each side of an open place, except the birds thou shalt not divide but lay one on each side.
6 Wherefore, I went and did according to all that the Lord had commanded me and when the fowls came down upon the carcasses, I drove them away.
7 And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon me and lo, in the sleep was a great horror of darkness.
8 And I cried unto the Lord, saying, O Lord, what meaneth this great horror of darkness?
9 And the Lord said unto me, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land which shall not be theirs and shall be in bondage to strangers, even to the seed of Ham who shall again overrun the land of Egypt.
10 And thy seed shall be afflicted and serve them four hundred years.
11 But at that time, I shall judge the seed of Ham and thy seed shall come up out of the land of Egypt with great substance.
12 And as for thee, thou shalt die and go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.
13 But in the fourth generation thy seed shall come higher again for the iniquity of the Canaanites is not yet full.
CHAPTER 105
AND it came to pass that when the sun was down and it was dark, behold, two personages passed between those pieces which I had divided.
2 And their countenance was as fire such that I could hardly look upon them and the one said to me, Behold, of thy seed shall the Messiah come who shall redeem all those who believe on His name and walk in His footsteps.
3 Wherefore, repent and call upon the name of the Son all thy days that in the end thou mayest dwell with me in my mansion.
CHAPTER 106
NOW when Sarah saw that she bare neither son nor daughter, it grieved her heart.
2 And she said unto me, Take therefore Hagar, daughter of Pharaoh, to be thy wife, for she is a woman now.
3 And let her come into my bed and let her womb be unto thee in the place of mine to raise up seed unto thee.
4 Hagar also was willing to enter this covenant and it was according to the voice of the Spirit of God; wherefore, Sarah gave Hagar to be my wife and Sarah and Hagar were as one wife unto that the seed of Hagar might be also the seed of Sarah.
5 For Hagar had been raised by Sarah and been taught by her and had followed Sarah in ways of righteousness.
CHAPTER 107
AND when I came into unto Hagar in Sarah's bed, she conceived.
2 And when Hagar saw that she had conceived, she rejoiced greatly and began to be lifted up in pride and to despise Sarah and she taunted Sarah, saying, Surely I am better than thee for in all the years thy lord hath lain with thee, thou hast not conceived, but lo, in this short time, I have conceived from the seed of my lord.
3 And Sarah was grieved in her heart and she said unto me, Surely Hagar hath wronged me and thou also hast contributed to her wrong, for she hath spoken despitefully to me in thy presence, yet thou hast done nothing to correct her.
4 But I replied to Sarah, Surely Hagar is thy child for thou hast instructed her from her youth.
5 Correct her, therefore, as seemeth thee good.
CHAPTER 108
HOWEVER, when Sarah attempt to correct Hagar, Hagar grew angry and determined to return unto her father's people; wherefore, she departed into the wilderness.
2 But an angel of the Lord met her by a well where she stopped to rest and he said unto her, Hagar, daughter of Sarah, who gave thee unto her husband Abraham and took thee into her own bed that thou mightest raise up seed unto her, why art thou thus fleeing into the wilderness from the camp of Abraham?
3 And Hagar replied, I am returning to the land of my father for it grieveth me to be bound to Sarah.
4 And the angel of the Lord said to her, Return unto Sarah and be subject unto her for she is given to thee to be a mother unto thee and this seed is hers as well as yours.
5 The Lord will multiply thy seed exceedingly so that it shall not be numbered for multitude and thou shalt bear a son and shall call his name Ishmael, because the Lord hath heard thy prayers and answered them.
6 He will be a man of the desert and a man of war; nevertheless, many shall join themselves unto him and his people shall be great.
CHAPTER 109
HAGAR replied, What shall I say is the name of him who beareth these glad tidings.
2 And the angel replied, Beerlahairoi, for know thou that God seest thee in all places withersoever thou shalt be.
3 And Hagar said, I know that God seest me, for He hath this day sent His angel to minister unto me.
4 Wherefore, Hagar returned unto the tent of Sarah and at the appointed time she bare unto me a son and I called his name Ishmael, according to the word of the angel.
5 And I was four score and six years old when Hagar bare Ishmael unto me.
CHAPTER 110
AT the end of thirteen years, the Lord appeared unto me and He said unto me, Abraham, because thou hast been faithful in all things unto me from the time thou wast three years old, and behold, now thou art ninety and nine, therefore, I will establish my covenant with thee for with thee I shall commence a new
dispensation of the gospel that from this time forth all those who would be sealed into me must be sealed into thee.
2 Wherefore, I will send Noah unto thee in the tabernacle, and he will bestow upon thee the keys of this priesthood, for the city of Melchizedek will I take up from off the earth and there will be a new beginning in thee.
3 For I will greatly multiply thy seed and I will make them my ministers that through thy priesthood all the peoples of the earth shall be blessed.
4 Therefore, from this time forth shall every male child among you be circumcised in that his foreskin shall be opened in token of the opening of his heart to the light of the gospel.
5 And on the eighth day shall ye do it that ye may remember that on the eighth day they shall be baptized that the blessing of the gospel may come upon them.
6 This is according to the covenant I made with Adam in the garden Eden, but I instructed Noah and Shem not to administer this covenant unto thee that thou mightest receive it in token of this new covenant which I make with thee.
7 Although I gave these ordinances in the beginning unto Adam, yet the sons of men have continually gone astray from my precepts and have not kept mine ordinances which I gave unto their fathers.
8 They have neglected the ordinance of baptism which I commanded unto them in token of the burial of the natural man and have ceased to receive the anointing whereby they become kings and priests unto me.
9 Yea, they have turned from my commandments and changed mine ordinances and have replaced baptism with the washing of children which they call baptism.
10 But, behold, this is no baptism, for I will atone for the fall of Adam; wherefore, little children are innocent until they reach the age of accountability.
11 But the sons of men have rejected mine atonement wherein I will offer Mine Only Begotten Son for the sins of the world, for they say that the blood of righteous Abel was shed for sins, thereby rejecting Me as their Savior.
12 But thou hast upheld mine ordinances. Therefore, thy seed shall sprinkle all nations, for thou shalt be a father of many nations.
13 And thou shalt be fruitful and many nations shall come of thee and kings of nations shall be of thy seed.
14 Moreover, ye shall not cut yourselves in your foreskins after the manner of the heathen, for this is the lesser law and applieth only to those who have had part of the gospel cut off from that which they have received.
15 But your hearts are opened to the fullness of my gospel wherefore your foreskins shall be opened.
16 For if it were profitable for you to be without a foreskin, then would your father beget you in you mother without a foreskin.
17 Take not y away what God hath given.
18 But let your foreskins be opened, for this is the true circumcision and it will be profitable unto you as a covenant written in your flesh, which shall be an everlasting covenant.
19 Your daughters also shall be circumcised upon the marriage bed when the matrix is opened by the entrance of her husband, for this is an holy ordinance, and it is completed at the birth of her firstborn; wherefore it is written that the firstborn which openeth the matrix is holy because it is an instrument in the performance of an holy ordinance.
20 Now, go into the tabernacle and fast and pray until Noah cometh to bestow upon thee the keys of which I have spoken.
CHAPTER 111
WHEN the Lord had departed from me, I went into the tabernacle and I remained there fasting and praying for three days.
2 And at the end of that time Noah came to me and he said, Hail, Abraham, for thou art highly favored of the Lord.
3 Behold, I come to thee from the city of Enoch my father to bestow upon thee the keys which I received from Enoch many years ago, for thou shalt stand at the head and thy posterity shall be without number and in thee and in thy seed after thee shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.
4 When Noah had departed from me, I rose up and was circumcised by Eliezer and all the males of mine house were circumcised with me, including my son Ishmael who was thirteen years old at this time.
5 And I conferred upon my son Ishmael the Priesthood of Elias and ordained him to be a priest that he might minister before the Lord.
6 But Ishmael did not honor his priesthood, taking it to be a light thing, which thing was a grief of heart unto me for I knew that in heaven he was counted as having no priesthood because he honored it not; wherefore, I did not call upon him to act in the priest's office.
CHAPTER 112
AND the Lord appeared unto me in the plains of Mamre and he said unto me, Behold, Ishmael shall not be thine heir, neither Eliezer, for Sarah will I bless and I will give thee a son of her.
2 She shall be the mother of nations and kings and people shall be of her.
3 Then I fell upon my face before the Lord and I rejoiced and I said unto Him, O Lord, it is a wondrous thing that this promise should be fulfilled when I am an hundred years old and Sarah is ninety.
4 And the Lord said, Prepare thine heart to receive it, and he told me many secret things concerning the conception of the child which are great mysteries to the unenlightened, but the elect shall know them, and I rejoiced therein.
CHAPTER 113
WHEN the Lord had told me these things, I thought of my son Ishmael and I prayed, O God, grant that Ishmael might live uprightly before Thee.
2 And the Lord God replied, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son and thou shalt call his name Isaac and I will continue in him the covenant which I have established with thee to be an everlasting covenant with his seed after him.
3 And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee.
4 Behold, I have blessed him and will make him a great nation.
5 But my covenant will I establish with Isaac whom Sarah shall bear unto thee at this same time in the next year.
6 Then God left me and I saw Him ascent up into heaven and mine heart rejoiced in the promises of the Lord unto me.
CHAPTER 114
THREE months later the Lord sent unto me three of His ministering angels who were holy men of god from the city of Enoch.
2 For I was sitting at the door of my tent and I lifted up mine eyes from my meditations and, behold, three men in the distance were walking toward our camp.
3 And the Spirit of the Lord whispered unto me that they were holy men of god who had a blessing for me; wherefore, I rose up and ran to meet them; and, bowing down before them, I led them unto Sarah's tent.
4 Taking water from Sarah, I washed their feet and spreading a carpet under the tree which was at the door of Sarah's tent, I spread cushions upon it and caused them to sit down there.
5 And I called Eliezer and instructed him to send one of the young men to fetch a young and tender calf and supervise the preparation of it.
6 Sarah also supervised the young women in preparing cakes and milk and cheese, mutton and beef to eat until the calf was prepared.
CHAPTER 115
WHEN they had eaten, one of the holy men said unto me, We shall return to thee nine months hence and, behold, at that time Sarah shall bear a son.
2 Now, Sarah was listening at the door of the tent, and when she heard these words, she laughed within herself, knowing that she was past the age of bearing and I also was very old.
3 But the holy man of God rebuked her, saying, Is anything too hard for the Lord?
4 Surely when we return here nine months hence, thou shalt bear a son.
5 Whereupon the three holy men of God entered with me into Sarah's tent and blessed her.
6 And the Holy Spirit fell upon Sarah in mighty power in the blessing and she conceived according to the word of the man of God.
CHAPTER 116
THEN the three holy men of God departed from our camp, and I walked with them to bring them on their way toward Sodom.
2 And the one who had before spoken, said unto me, Abraham, we are from the city of Enoch and are ordained after the holy order of God.
3 We have come not only to bless Sarah that thou mightest have seed raised up unto thee out of her, but also on a mission which bringeth us sorrow.
4 Nevertheless, the word of the Lord came unto me saying, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I will do?
5 Nay, surely for his integrity he shall know what I am about to do.
6 Wherefore, Abraham, hast thou looked upon the iniquities of Sodom and her sister cities?
7 For they have provoked the Lord with their abominations.
8 For four times in each year they gather together to sing and dance before their idol gods and when they are dancing every man layeth hold upon the wives and daughters of his neighbors and lieth with them and this they do without authority from God, which thing is an abomination in His sight.
9 But, behold, this is the least of their sins.
10 For no man is safe who entereth their city, for when a stranger entereth there, they will take from him his goods by force and they will abuse his body, for both men and women will they bind and crowds of the Sodomites will gather about them and lie with them by force until every one who desireth to lie with them hath done so.
11 Now it is a wicked thing that men or women should be forced to lie with another against their will, but here the whole city uniteth to force this wicked thing.
12 Moreover, when they have stolen a man's goods and abused his flesh, they will torture him and when they tire of torturing him, they will leave him naked and without food or water to die in the streets of their city and it is forbidden by the law for anyone to help such an one by giving him food or drink.
13 Moreover, the people of these cities have numerous idol gods before which they practice every kind of abomination without authority.
14 Wherefore, the Lord hath sent us to gather the righteous out of the cities before they are destroyed.
15 So saying, the three embraced me and kissed me and went on their way toward Sodom.
CHAPTER 117
BUT I remained a long time where they had departed from me thinking on the things they had said, for it grieved mine heart that these great cities with all their inhabitants should be destroyed.
2 Wherefore, I, too, went down to the vicinity of Sodom and I called upon the name of the Lord there.
3 And when He answered me out of heaven, I said unto Him, O Lord God, merciful and kind, wilt thou destroy the inheritances of the righteous because of the wicked?
4 Nay, O Lord, far be it from Thee to do this thing. Wilt thou not spare the inheritances of the righteous?
5 Peradventure there may be fifty righteous in the city, wilt thou in thine anger destroy the city and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous that are in it?
6 Surely thou wilt not destroy the inheritances of the righteous because of the wicked.
7 Such a judgment should never be passed according to the justice of thine holy law which is in they bosom.
8 And the Lord said, If I find in these cities fifty righteous who keep the laws and precepts of God and have not partaken of the abominations of the Sodomites, then surely I will spare the whole country for their sake.
CHAPTER 118
NEVERTHELESS, I ventured to speak before the Lord again, for I know that all His ways are just.
2 And I said unto Him, O Lord, suppose there shall lack but five of the fifty righteous. Wilt thou destroy the whole land for the lack of five men?
3 And He said, If there be fortyfive righteous in the land, I will not destroy it.
4 And I spake unto the Lord again, saying, O Lord, I know that I am yet but dust and ashes, for although I am, by the testimony of thine own mouth, declared to be a son of God, yet I am not yet glorified to be like thee.
5 Nevertheless, be not displeased with me when I plead in behalf of the righteous; for suppose there shall be forty righteous in the land?
6 And He said, I will not destroy it if I find there forty.
7 Then I said, O Lord, thou hast been patient indeed with thy servant; wherefore, I shall speak yet again before thee, Suppose there shall thirty righteous be found there?
8 The Lord replied, I will not destroy it if I find thirty there.
9 Then I spake again saying, I have ventured to speak before the Lord; shall I now cease lest the righteous be destroyed with the wicked?
10 Suppose there shall be twenty righteous found in the land?
11 And the Lord said, I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty.
12 Finally I said, Oh, let not the Lord be displeased and I will speak only once more.
13 Suppose ten righteous shall be found there?
14 And he said, I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.
15 But thou, Abraham, remain here in prayer and fasting until my messengers return unto thee, for if ten righteous be not found in the land, I shall gather out those righteous who are found there and thou shalt be caught up of the earth to call down fire and brimstone upon the land by an holy ordinance inasmuch as thou art a priest and a king forever after the order of the Most High God, having the right of the Firstborn which hath come down from the fathers to exercise absolute authority over thy posterity, even the right of life and death under the direction of the Holy One.
16 Nevertheless, remember that this authority can only be exercised under the direction of heaven, for when any man exerciseth his priesthood contrary to the will of heaven, his priesthood is forfeited, his authority passeth away and he can call upon the powers of heaven to accomplish no work from that day forward.
17 Wherefore, let all men repent of the exercise of unrighteous dominion and turn unto the Lord their God, that they be severed not from the rights of His House.
18 So saying, the Lord departed from me and I remained in that place in fasting and praying, awaiting the return of the three messenger.
CHAPTER 119
THIS is the account which Lot told unto me, Abraham,
concerning the coming of the three messengers unto him in Sodom.
2 For Lot was sitting in the door of his house in the city of Sodom conversing with two of his sonsinlaw who were Sodomites, when he saw three men approaching down the street of the city.
3 And the Spirit of the Lord whispered unto Lot, Behold these are my messengers who bring tiding of salvation.
4 Lot, therefore, rose up to meet them and bowing down before them, said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house and tarry all night that I may wash your feet and anoint your heads and feed you, and in the morning ye may go on leaving only a blessing upon the head of your servant.
5 And they said, Nay, but we will abide in the street tonight for we have heard that it is not safe to enter into the house of a Sodomite lest we be abused and tortured and killed and our property stolen from us.
6 But Lot replied, Not so, my lords, for I am no sodomite, but a true worshiper of the Lord Jehovah and I know that ye are his messengers for his Spirit hath shown me this thing.
7 Then, when Lot had confessed his faith in the Lord Jehovah, the angels entered with him into his house and he did set before them a feast with unleavened bread and wine and they blessed it and partook thereof and Lot's family also partook and were filled.
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| These writings are not shared as "Revelations to any Church", because we believe that all may receive revelation direct from the Fathers regarding their own circumstances in life. Joseph Absalom |
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