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Think on this! Abram had his tents/household set up in the open, 3 ‘men’ approached, an older gentleman (Abram) rushed out to invite them in to ‘rest’ their feet!

Abraham welcoming three divine visitors at the oaks of Mamre, as recorded in Genesis 18.

The Biblical Narrative Breakdown

• The Welcome: While sitting at the entrance of his tent during the heat of the day, Abraham (still referred to as Abram shortly before this encounter, when God changed his name to Abraham) looked up and saw three travelers. Demonstrating extreme hospitality, he bowed low to the ground and insisted they rest under a tree while he and Sarah prepared a lavish meal of cakes, milk, curds, and a choice calf.
• The Announcement: While eating, the visitors—revealed to be the Lord accompanied by two angels—asked where his wife Sarah was. One of them announced, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son”.
• The Reaction: Sarah was listening from inside the tent entrance. Knowing that both she and Abraham were advanced in years (she was 90 and he was 100), she laughed to herself in disbelief. The Lord then famously questioned her doubt, asking, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”.

The promise was fulfilled exactly a year later with the birth of their legal heir, Isaac, whose name means “laughter”.

I am led to point out fact. We live in a physical world with limits! So, very much is contained in this share! Think on this, Jesus taught about the bosom of Abraham!

Bosom of Abraham

The bosom of Abraham (Greek: ton kolpon Abraam) is a biblical phrase from the Gospel of Luke (Luke 16:22) used in the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus.

Biblical Reference and Meaning

• The Parable: Jesus describes a poor beggar named Lazarus who dies and is carried by angels to the “bosom of Abraham,” while a wealthy man who ignored him dies and wakes up in the torment of Hades.
• Table Fellowship Imagery: In ancient Jewish culture, people reclined on low couches during banquets, leaning on one another’s chests. Being in someone’s bosom symbolized a position of high honor, intimacy, and nearness to the host.
• The Afterlife State: In first-century Jewish thought, it represented the blissful, sheltered compartment of Sheol (the realm of the dead) where righteous souls rested, separated from the wicked by a great chasm.

Theological Interpretations

Intermediate State: Traditionally viewed (and compared to the Catholic limbus patrum) as a temporary resting place for believers who died before the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Synonymous with Heaven: Many Christian traditions view the phrase as an idiomatic or figurative expression for heaven, fellowship with God, or being gathered into eternal rest with the faithful.

Reversal of Fortunes: Beyond a physical map of the afterlife, the story emphasizes moral accountability, divine comfort for the afflicted, and the finality of choices made in earthly life.

I am led to point out Biblical teachings and fact.

The call of Abram (later named Abraham) is recorded in Genesis 12:1-9 of the Bible.

The Divine Command

God told 75-year-old! Abram to leave his country, his relatives, and his father’s house to travel to a land that God would show him.

The Promises of God

God made seven primary promises to Abram in Genesis 12:2-3:

• To make him a great nation
• To bless him
• To make his name great
• To make him a blessing to others
• To bless those who bless him
• To curse those who curse him
• To bless all the families and peoples of the earth through him

Abram’s Response and Journey

• Departure: Abram obeyed in faith, leaving Haran with his wife, Sarai, his nephew Lot, his possessions, and the people they had acquired.
• Arrival in Canaan: They traveled to the land of Canaan, stopping at the great tree of Moreh in Shechem.
• Altars built: God appeared to Abram and promised the land to his descendants, prompting Abram to build an altar to the Lord at Shechem, and later another near Bethel.

We are KNOWN before we were born!

The primary biblical passage for the concept of being known before birth is Jeremiah 1:5, where God tells the prophet Jeremiah: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations”.

Key Biblical Passages

• Jeremiah 1:5: Highlights God’s intentional foreknowledge, selection, and consecration of Jeremiah before his physical conception.
• Psalm 139:13–16: Describes God forming a person’s inward parts in the mother’s womb, seeing their unformed substance, and recording their days before any of them came to be.
• Ephesians 1:4: States that God chose believers in Him “before the foundation of the world”.
• Galatians 1:15: The Apostle Paul writes that God set him apart even from his mother’s womb and called him by His grace.

Meaning and Interpretation

• Divine Foreknowledge, Not Pre-Existence of Souls: Mainstream biblical scholarship emphasizes that “knowing” in Hebrew (yada) implies an intimate, personal relationship and deliberate design rather than literal human souls floating around or existing consciously before conception.
• Intentional Purpose: The verses communicate that human life is not a random accident; God has a pre-planned design, care, and calling for individuals.

There is so much to share here!

The story of Abram and Sarai (later renamed Abraham and Sarah) during the famine is found in the Book of Genesis (Genesis 12:10–20). Shortly after God called Abram to leave his homeland and move to the land of Canaan, a severe famine struck the region.

The narrative unfolds through several key events:

1. The Journey to Egypt

Because the famine threatened their survival in Canaan, Abram decided to take his household down to Egypt to live as temporary residents.

2. Abram’s Deception

As they approached the border of Egypt, Abram grew terrified for his life. Knowing that Sarai was highly beautiful, he feared that the Egyptians would murder him in order to take her for themselves. To protect himself, he asked Sarai to act as a shield:

“Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.”—Genesis 12:13 [1]

(Note: Genesis 20:12 later reveals that Sarai was technically Abram’s half-sister—sharing a father but not a mother—making his statement a misleading half-truth.)

3. Sarai Taken into Pharaoh’s Palace

When they arrived, Pharaoh’s officials noticed Sarai’s beauty, praised her to the king, and she was taken into Pharaoh’s harem. Believing Abram was simply her brother, Pharaoh treated him exceptionally well. Abram amassed vast wealth from the arrangement, acquiring sheep, cattle, donkeys, camels, and servants.

4. Divine Intervention

Before Pharaoh could touch Sarai, the Lord intervened by striking Pharaoh and his household with terrible plagues. Pharaoh realized that the divine curses were linked to Sarai being another man’s wife.

5. Rebuke and Expulsion

Pharaoh furiously confronted Abram, demanding to know why he had lied. He ordered Abram to take his wife and leave immediately. Escorted out by Pharaoh’s men, Abram and Sarai returned to Canaan safely, enormously wealthy in livestock, silver, and gold.

Theological Themes

Biblical scholars often highlight this story as a test of faith. While Abram initially showed great obedience by moving to Canaan, the famine caused him to rely on human manipulation rather than divine protection. Ultimately, the story underscores God’s faithfulness to His covenant, protecting the line of promise even when His chosen patriarch faltered.

Omniscience!

The Bible contains numerous verses describing God’s omniscience (all-knowing nature) and His ability to know the future before it occurs.

Key Bible Verses

• Isaiah 46:9–10: “Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’”
• Psalm 139:2–4: “You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely.”
• Psalm 139:16: “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”
• 1 John 3:20: “If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.”
• Hebrews 4:13: “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”
• Isaiah 42:9: “See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you.”
• Acts 2:23: “This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.”

And to wrap up this session:

God’s omniscience means He knows the exact timing of every person’s life and death, though religious traditions and theological views differ on whether that timing is strictly predetermined or simply foreseen. [1, 2]

Theological Perspectives

• Predestination and Sovereignty:
  • Many Christian traditions teach that God actively determines or “appoints” the length of a person’s life before birth.
  • Passages like Job 14:5 (“You have decided the length of our lives. You know how many months we will live…”) and Psalm 139:16 (“all the days ordained for me were written in your book”) are frequently cited to support the view that the span of life is fixed by God.
• Foreknowledge vs. Determinism:
  • Other theologians and denominations (such as Roman Catholic teachings) argue that God possesses complete foreknowledge outside of human time, meaning He knows what will happen without necessarily micro-managing or forcing a deterministic outcome that violates human free will.
• Role of Chance and Choice:
  • Some interpretations emphasize that human choices, free will, medical care, and unexpected events (such as accidents mentioned in Ecclesiastes 9:11) play a real role in how long a person lives, rejecting the idea that every minute is rigidly locked in.
  • Resources like GotQuestions.org and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association outline the common evangelical view that life is governed by God while still encouraging practical safety and medical care.