This is an edited version of the lecture titled, "To Abraham and His Seed," which was preached on April 15th, 2007.   Egypt, the Image of the Cursed WorldWe will read from Genesis chapter 12 verse 10.    Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was severe in the land. And it came to pass, when he was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, "Indeed I know that you are a woman of beautiful countenance. Therefore it will happen, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, 'This is his wife'; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. Please say you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I may live because of you." So it was, when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful. The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken to Pharaoh's house. He treated Abram well for her sake. He had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female servants, female donkeys, and camels. But the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife. And Pharaoh called Abram and said, "What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? Why did you say, 'She is my sister'? I might have taken her as my wife. Now therefore, here is your wife; take her and go your way." So Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they sent him away, with his wife and all that he had. Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, to the South. Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the LORD. Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents. Now the land was not able to support them, that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together. And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock. The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land. So Abram said to Lot, "Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren. Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left." And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar. Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other. Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom. But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the LORD.  (Genesis 12:10-13:13)   Last time, we studied in detail about how Abram's left Ur of the Chaldeans, crossed Mesopotamia, stayed in Haran, then came down to the land of Canaan. We use the word, "Hebrews," often and even in the Bible there is a book called Hebrews. The word, "Hebrew," comes from the Hebrew word, "ibri," and it means "to come over," "people who have come over from afar," "to cross over." Therefore, the people that was formed through Abram's journey was referred to by the people in the region, the Egyptians in particular, as Hebrews. Some linguists have suggested that the word, "Hebrews," actually has the same etymology as "Eber," the name of Abraham's ancestor. However, we cannot know it for sure.It was under such circumstances that Abram entered the land of Canaan. Just as we studied before, Abram passed through the land of Canaan from top to bottom as if he was cutting through it.  He passed through the land of Canaan and gradually went downward. Then, he built an altar in between two cities called Bethel and Ai and called on the name of the Lord. (See Genesis 12:8) This story is repeated in Genesis chapter 13. Abram, who had traveled south, returned from Egypt, came to the same place, and called upon the name of the Lord. This is described in the first part of Genesis chapter 13.When we read such passages in the Bible, we might merely think, "Well, he must have returned because that's where he used to live." But when I read stories like this, I think about various matters. A while back, I read in a certain book that belly worms inside our bodies and parasites like distoma - which lay eggs and grow in the human liver - leave the body, enter into a fish, and when a person eats that fish, they return to the human liver. Migratory birds return to where they came from, and we often encounter stories of missing dogs somehow finding their way back to their master's home even when they are abandoned far away. Even animals, including parasites - which are invisible to the naked eye - and insects know where they were born and to where they should return, and they return to it. We call this the way of nature. When we look at such things happening in the Bible and examine the path of Abram's life, can we say that it is but a coincidence? As the Bible says, "The sun also rises, and hastens to the place where it arose. The wind whirls about continually, and comes again on its circuit" (Ecclesiastes 1:5-6), God's way and purpose of creating and running the world are hidden in nature. They are also revealed in the lives of one nation, which God established in order to fulfill God's plan. We encounter this firsthand through the Bible. This applies to the creation of the world as well. Earlier, we studied the brief explanations in the Bible, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void" (Genesis 1:1-2), and we examined the fact that God carried out tremendous works within the time frame that human mind cannot understand. This earth did not come about spontaneously; God created the original heaven and earth and there faced a force called Satan. It was in a situation where the image of darkness - described as "spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12) - and God's plan clash that the world was made. In Romans, it says, "For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things" (11:36). This history is progressing according to the intentions that God had from the original beginning; it is headed towards the fundamental purpose of the original creation, where God predestined one body. The Bible promises that even the kingdom of heaven that the Jewish people are waiting for, the one where they will serve Messiah on this earth, will return to the state in which it was in the beginning, when "God created the heavens and the earth." (Genesis 1:1)The footsteps of the man called Abram are just like that; they follow the principle of God's creation and the principle where His creations return to their origin. Abram's footsteps or what he saw and thought and felt are not mentioned very often in the Bible. Yet, if we put ourselves in Abram's shoes, we can begin to think deeply about how God conducted this history and about the kind of heart He had and still has when dealing with man.Let's turn to Genesis chapter 12 verse 10.   Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was severe in the land.   In the latter parts of Genesis, we read about the incident where the seventeen-year-old Joseph is sold and taken to Egypt as a result of his older brothers' jealousy and envy. After they sell Joseph, he rises to the position of an overseer over Egypt. Around that time, great famine came over the land of Canaan, in which his brothers and father were living. All of the 70 or so members of his family, including his father Jacob, go down to the land of Egypt, where Joseph is, and live in Egypt for 430 years. Their descendants leave Egypt through the person named Moses, and they go up to the land of Canaan. This is what we read towards the end of the book of Genesis and the beginning of Exodus. When we read about Abram going down to Egypt, we can think about how God showed us to Abram in advance what his descendants will experience later on. From then, when 1400 years pass, the Messiah is born on this land. Jesus also has to go down to Egypt in order to escape from the sword of King Herod, who heard the words of the wise men from the east and planned to kill all children in that region. Then Jesus returns to the land of Canaan in order to fulfill His purpose of being born in the world, in order to be nailed on the cross, to die in that land. Jesus returns to the land of Canaan, that is, the land of Israel, in order to be nailed on the cross.We can understand the thoughts of God who controls the history of mankind through the entire Bible. Canaan was a cursed land. Just as the Bible says, "The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep" (Genesis 1:2), Canaan was a land where the cursed people of Canaanites were living. In the same way, Jesus came into this world that is filled with sin. And just as Abraham crossed and passed through the land of Canaan from top to bottom, the veil that was covering the Most Holy Place was torn from top to bottom, as Jesus' body was torn apart and sacrificed on the cross. The way to the Most Holy Place is now open to mankind. This is the doctrine of the New Testament.It does not just end there. Jesus leaves this earth. In the beginning of the book of Acts, the disciples watch as Jesus ascends and the angels say to them that Jesus will return in the manner in which He went up. (See Acts 1:11) This promise has been given in the Bible. Since Jesus' departure from this world, the history of the world continues to flow, until He returns again. This is the period of time that we call the history of the Church. When the hi

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