From Adam to Noah ten generations and sixteen hundred years elapsed. Ten generations and sixteen hundred years are not accidental periods; they have deep significance in relation to God's Restoration Providence.

Sixteen hundred years has the same meaning as "four". The number sixteen is the multiple of four which is the Heavenly unit of the four-position foundation.

Since both ten generations and sixteen hundred years elapsed, a condition was established whereby God could begin His dispensation. In other words His time was ready and His spiritual cycle was ready; therefore, God could begin His work through Noah's family. The number "10" and the number "4" had been set up as two of the indemnity conditions to begin the dispensation centering in Noah's family.

Thirdly, an Adam type person must be chosen. God chose Noah and his family to restore what He could not accomplish in Adam's family as the result of Cain's slaying Abel. Noah was a descendant of Seth, Adam's third son who had been placed in Abel's position. Noah was:

1) in the place of Adam,

2) he is the Father of Faith (first Adam failed as Father of Faith),

3) therefore, Noah is the second ancestor of man. God extended Adam's blessing to Noah in Genesis 9:7 "Be fruitful and multiply"

The fourth condition is faith. Noah proved his faith by working on and building an ark for 120 years ... a ridiculous task in any age. By obeying the exceedingly difficult command of God in the faithless world of his day, Noah's faith made a condition for him to undertake God's dispensation.

Genesis 7:4 states: "I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy."

The significance of the flood judgment was to:

1) Wipe out all mankind on earth under Satan's control,

2) Lay a foundation of faith through Noah's family to carry out the divine dispensation,

3) Sanctify Noah's family by separating them from Satan.

What is the significance of the ark in relation to God's providence?

1) The ark symbolized the New Creation of the Universe.

2) The members of Noah's family represent Adam's family of eight; Adam, Eve, 3 sons, 3 daughters-in-law. The number "8" is the symbol of a new start, the beginning of a new race in this case.

3) The three decks of the ark symbolize the three orderly stages of the creation ... Formation, Growth and Perfection.

The symbolic representation of the four-position foundation was set up in this manner:

Noah - Represents - God

Sons and daughters - represent - man and woman

All animals in the ark - represent - All things

Now let us see how Noah's activities in the ark at the end of the flood judgment have shown God's activities after the creation. God shows His mysterious providence symbolically through Noah's activities after the flood judgment according to Amos 3:7 which states God does nothing without revealing His plans to His prophets.

Amos 3:7 "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets."

1) Genesis 8:7 "And he (Noah) sent forth a raven, which went to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth."

Symbolically, the raven represented Satan, Lucifer, who was watching Eve that he might tempt her. It also symbolically shows that Satan was watching Cain who, being led by Satan, slew Abel. Satan is always watching where he might tempt or invade man.

2) We stated previously that Noah represents God. The ark represents the whole universe. From the ark, Noah sent a dove three times in three weeks. (Gen. 8:8-12) We can see the significance of sending the dove three times in the following diagram:

The first time the dove represents Adam who failed; "and the dove returned to Noah," (who represents God.)

The second time the dove represents Jesus whose crucifixion delayed fulfillment of God's Restoration Providence; "and the dove returned".

The third time the dove represents the Second Coming Ministry which will fulfill all things in heaven and on earth and God's creation will not return to Him void; "and the dove did not return to him anymore".

We shall explain this further:

The Act of Adam - - - The Symbolic Act of the First Dove

Gen. 8:9 says "But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark ..."

This symbolized first Adam's failure to attain perfection of body and spirit while living on the earth. Because of the fall, Adam could not accomplish God's ideal of the perfect man on earth.

The Ministry of Jesus - - - The Symbolic Act of the Second Dove

Gen. 8:10-11 "And he (Noah) stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark. And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth."

The second dove symbolized Jesus Christ, who would be able to accomplish only spiritual salvation if He were rejected and crucified by His people. The dove's return with the olive leaf symbolizes the fulfillment of only half of Jesus' mission leaving the hope of perfection (consummation of both spirit and body) for fulfillment on the earth at His Second Coming.

The Ministry of Second Coming - - - The Symbolic Act of the Third Dove

Gen. 8:12 says "And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the dove; which returned not again unto him anymore."

The third dove symbolizes the Second Coming when Christ shall be accepted on earth and consummate God's Ideal Kingdom on earth. So the third dove did not return to Noah (who represents God) but remained on the earth.

Having been assured that the land was dry, Noah and his family left the ark to begin a new life.

Noah's family laid a foundation of faith upon which God could send the Messiah, After 40 days and nights flood judgment, the eight members of Noah's family became a new family returned to God's side with whom a new creation should begin, a new race and a new world.

Next in Bible history is the story of Noah and his son Ham. What is the significance of this story? Why was the sin of Ham so great in the sight of God?

Gen. 9:20 states: "And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent. (22) And Ham, the father of Canaan saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without. (23) And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father, and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness."

When Noah awoke from his wine, he realized what Ham had done in shame. Noah cursed Ham to be a slave to his brothers.

Gen. 9:25 "And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren."

Why was Ham's act of shame a sin, and why did Noah curse Ham? Han's act provided Satan the condition to invade Noah's family and nullify the 40-day flood judgment which was to separate mankind from Satan. Thus, God's dispensation centering in Noah's family was frustrated and failed. Lot us carefully examine the reasons why Ham's act became the element of destruction in God's dispensation in Noah's family.

First, we must clarify the definition of "sin". Sin is formed when an objective position is made with Satan which allows or permits Satan a condition to invade or control.

The sense of shame came into being immediately following the fall of Adam and Eve. Before the fall the sense of shame had not existed.

Gen. 2:25 "And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed."

However after the fall, we find in Gen. 3:7 "And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons."

Adam and Eve fell having the love relationship (blood relationship) with Lucifer, the Archangel. In the innocent state of nakedness Adam and Eve committed sin, and through this felt the sense of shame. The innocent state of nakedness must be restored. As we have stated, the 40-day flood judgment symbolized the complete separation of Satan from Noah's family. The expression of the shameful act by Ham after the 40-day separation showed Noah's family was tinged and affected by the blood relationship of Satan.

Noah's family was an alternate for Adam's family; accordingly, Noah's family had to make the indemnity condition which Adam's family failed to do. The purpose for Noah's family in God's Restoration Providence was to restore the innocent state which existed prior to the fall. In order to make an indemnity condition and restore the innocent state, Noah's family had to trace reversely all that Adam's family had done. Therefore, Ham had to pass through a shameful state without a sense of shame to fulfill the Divine Dispensation centering in Noah's family. This was the condition which Noah's family should set up after the flood Judgement.

Ham proved there was still blood relationship with Satan. By Ham a condition with Satan had been formed. Ham gave the condition for Satan's invasion into Noah's family. These conditions were lost by Noah's family because of Ham's sinful act or failure.

1) The "4" number (40 days flood judgment) was nullified.

2) The ten generations from Adam to Noah were lost.

3) Ham was representing Abel's position. Ham's act brought the same result of sin as Cain's act in slaying his brother; thus, for the second time Abel's position was lost.

4) Noah's capacity as the Father of Faith in Adam's position was lost.

Therefore, the simple act of shame concerning the father's nakedness became so great a sin to God's eye that Ham was cursed. Thus, God's dispensation centering in Noah's family was nullified.

God had to wait for 400 years to select Abraham to continue His Restoration Providence. The 400 years represents a spiritual cycle in God's plan for restoration through man on the earth.

We learn some very important lessons from God's dispensation centering in Noah's family.

God's first front line (battle line) is also Satan's first front line. This is shown in the symbolic act of the raven which was sent first and symbolized Satan (the raven over the waters symbolized Satan had already started and was watching for the chance to invade into Noah's family).

God could not interfere with the sinful act of Ham; because man is fully responsible for his 5%, God can not do that.

Noah was chosen by God for the fulfillment of God's Will in the Restoration Providence but in the case of his failure, God must choose another person. When one man fails, God's dispensation changes to another man whose responsibility is to fulfill that work or mission which was left incomplete. Each mission in relation to God's Restoration Providence must be fulfilled by a man on earth.

From Noah's day to Abraham 10 generations and 400 years had elapsed. God called out Abraham from Ur in Chaldea and commanded him to leave his country for the land that God would show him. With great faith and obedience, Abraham left the country of idol worship and went to Canaan with Sarah, his wife, and Lot, his nephew. Since there was famine in the land, they went down to Egypt to sojourn.

God chose Abraham as an alternate for Noah and accordingly Adam. In the dispensation centering in Abraham's family the following conditions have been set up:

The number "4" by the 400 years from Noah to Abraham. This 400 years also made indemnity and restored the 1600 years lost by Noah's family (1,600 is 40 x 40, a multiple of the "4" number).

The "10" number by the ten generations from Noah to Abraham.

In order to fulfill God's dispensation in this case, 10 generations are needed and must be passed in 400 years. For this reason, during the period from Noah to Abraham the "generation span" (from birth to marriage and birth of the first son) for mankind was shortened to the approximate average of 40 years (although the "life span" still extended 200 and 300 years). This was an unavoidable situation to fulfill God's Restoration Providence within the Heavenly cycle.

It was again necessary to set up the Faith Foundation and the Adam capacity or Adam-type person must be chosen.

Abraham was worthy to become the Father of Faith. In a land of Idol worship, he worshipped God. Adam failed as the Father of Faith; Noah, in Adam's capacity as the Father of Faith, failed in fulfilling God's Restoration Providence. In the third attempt, Abraham became the Father of Faith, thus the seed of Abraham was blessed (not Adam's or Noah's). All scholars say God's covenant with Abraham was conditional on the premise that he would complete his mission according to God's plan.

Now that the four conditions have been set up, the "4" number, the "10" number, Faith and Adam-type person, the Restoration Providence can continue.

In Genesis 12:10 God commanded Abraham to travel from Canaan to Egypt. Before Abraham entered Egypt with his family, he told Sarah to pretend she was his sister because of her great beauty. As they entered Egypt, Pharaoh took Sarah into his house because of her beauty. God afflicted Pharaoh's house with a plague because of Sarah. Then Pharaoh begged Abraham to leave with Sarah, Lot, and all their goods. Even though this is strange activity in the eyes of men, in the sight of God it fulfills an important phase of the Restoration Providence.

This was an act of indemnity for Abraham. Lucifer took Eve while Adam and Eve were still in the sister-brother relationship. Pharaoh represents Satan. Abraham and Sarah who pretended they were sister and brother represented the relationship of Adam and Eve, before the fall. Pharaoh took Sarah as Lucifer took Eve, but God prevented Pharaoh from invading Sarah. By taking back Sarah, Lot, and all his things, Abraham symbolically restored the four-position foundation which had been lost to Satan by Adam and his family.

Thus: the symbolic representation of the four-position foundation was set up with:

1) Abraham symbol of restored Adam

2) Sarah symbol of restored Eve

3) Lot symbol of restored children

4) All goods - symbol of restoration of all things.

1.) Meaning of offering. What is the meaning of the three kinds of offering which Abraham presented to God?

Gen. 15:9 "And he said unto him, 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 turtledove, and a young pigeon."

This symbolic offering represents the whole universe (all mankind and all things).

The turtledove and pigeon represent the Formation Stage or Old Testament Age. The 3-year old goat and ram represent the Growth Stage or New Testament Age. The 3-year old heifer was offered to represent the Perfection Stage or Complete Testament Age.

Biblical grounds for this interpretation of the three kinds of offerings are as follows:

Dove And Pigeon - - - Formation Stage and Old Testament Age

The mission of Jesus Christ was to fulfill the Old Testament; therefore, a Spiritual Dove descended upon Jesus when he was baptized by John the Baptist.

John 1:32 "And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him."

Jesus was the fulfillment of the dove, the Formation Stage of the Restoration Providence. Therefore, the turtledove and the pigeon represent the Formation Stage and the Old Testament Age.

Goat and Ram - - Growth Stage and New Testament Age

When Jesus began his public ministry, the dispensation of the New Testament began. His mission was to fulfill the Growth Stage of God's dispensation. Jesus and the Growth Stage were symbolized by a lamb. John the Baptist witnessed to him when Jesus began His ministry and said:

John 1:29 "... Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world."

The goat and ram, therefore, represent the Growth Stage, New Testament Age.

Heifer - - - Perfection Stage and Complete Testament Age

The heifer represents the Perfection Stage and the Complete Testament Age. In the book of Judges, Samson said to the Philistines:

Judges 14:18 "And he said unto them, If ye had not plowed with my heifer, ye had not found out my riddle."

By reading further we find the Philistines solved the riddle by enticing Samson's wife. Samson used a heifer to symbolize his wife.

In the day of the Second Coming mankind will meet the Lord in the capacity of His bride, or wife, because He shall come in the capacity of the bridegroom.

Rev. 19:7 "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready."

The Second Coming is the time of the restoration of all humankind in the position of bridehood. Therefore, the heifer symbolizes the wife, or bride, or the Perfection Stage and Complete Testament Age.

Thus, in the three kinds of offering which Abraham was to bring, the complete process of the restoration of mankind including all things, was represented.

2.) Symbolism in division of offering. Abraham's offering was a very significant act in the History of God's Restoration Providence. The symbolic dividing of the sacrifices was an important step in the offering which:

was to separate all things from Satan's control in order to restore them to God's side;

was to make indemnity and restore what Cain and Abel had failed to restore;

was to symbolically remove Satan's blood from the sacrifice.

Abraham did not divide the sacrificial birds in half according to:

Genesis 15:10 "And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not."

Because Abraham did not divide the sacrifices, God could not receive the offering. It was still under Satan's control and was not separated from Satan. As a result the offering was for Satan only. The offering was not sanctified because the blood of death was not taken away. For that reason the birds of prey came down upon the carcasses and Abraham's descendants were domed to be enslaved 400 years. Abraham's neglect in the division of the birds became a sinful act causing Israel to undergo 400 years exile in the land of Egypt.

Genesis 15:13 "And he said unto Abraham, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them: and they shall afflict them four hundred years."

We find in Genesis 15:11 "And when the fowls came down upon the carcasses, Abram drove them away." The appearance of the fowls symbolized the invasion of Satan. Because a pigeon, representing the Formation Stage, was not divided, Satan was able to invade the Lamb (Jesus) and the Heifer (Second Coming), representing the Growth and Perfection Stages, which are built on the foundation of the Formation Stage. So three kinds of offerings were automatically sacrificed for Satan, not for God.

Abraham's failure in dividing the offering brought the same sinful result as the murder of Abel. The foundation he had formed was lost:

(a.) "4" number indemnity condition (400 years) was lost

(b.) "10" number (10 generations) was lost to Satan

(c.) Faith foundation was lost

(d.) Abraham (Adam-type person was again lost)

Because of Abraham's failure, the 400 years from Noah to Abraham were nullified. In order to make indemnity and restore the 400 years, the descendants of Abraham had to struggle in the Satanic world, Egypt, for 400 years.

1.) We must note that the act of dividing the sacrifice was that responsible part belonging to man. God cannot interfere with the work or portion which belongs to man.

2.) Also the dividing shows us that we must symbolically divide our bodies into the good and the evil side; by separating our body from Satan and sacrificing our body to God we can be restored.

3.) Abraham was chosen by God to fulfill a mission. In case of his failure, God must choose another man to fulfill the mission.

The restoration of mankind had now failed in its third attempt. The dispensation to lay the foundation for restoration had begun with the offering of Cain and Abel in Adam's family, but Cain murdered Abel. Because of this failure, the dispensation was centered in Noah's family but Ham caused Noah to fail. Then God chose Abraham and had him undertake the responsibility as a third attempt. Therefore, God's dispensation has passed three stages, Adam's, Noah's, and Abraham's families, representing the three orderly stages of growth, Formation, Growth and Perfection.

Because Abraham's family is the final stage in God's dispensational course, Abraham must, by any means, accomplish the dispensation.

There was another condition by which Abraham could be used to accomplish the dispensation.

Abraham could offer Isaac as a burnt offering -- indemnity condition to separate Satan from mankind without having to start an indemnity period of 400 years. Since Satan had taken the two generations in the first family (Adam and Abel) God had a condition for Abraham to accomplish the dispensation through two generations (reversing the process of loss). Abraham is in the position of Noah who represented Adam. Therefore, Abraham must make indemnity and restore Adam's lost condition just as Adam should have done. Adam should have separated Cain and Abel from Satan. So, Abraham in place of Adam should perform an indemnity condition to separate his son, Isaac, from Satan. Therefore, God commanded Abraham to offer his only son, Isaac, in order to make indemnity for what he, himself, had failed to accomplish in his symbolic offering.

It is interesting to see how God accomplished the separation of Satan from Isaac, in the act of the burnt offering. Four hundred years of slavery in Egypt should have started with Isaac; but it could not, because in Abraham's symbolic offering Isaac was included as a part of his family, and because of the failure in his offerings Isaac automatically belonged to Satan.

In order to restore Isaac in substance, Abraham should offer Isaac, himself, as a sacrifice.

Gen. 22:2 God said to Abraham "Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of."

Abraham has set up a condition by his absolute faith and obedience that formed a correlative standard with God; this power was able to separate Isaac from Satan.

Gen. 22:3.1 and 12 "And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, (12) And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou a thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me." (13) (ram was sacrificed).

In these verses we see "now I know" means that in the first offering Abraham did not truly fear God, but in his second offering he sincerely feared God, and he realized his mistake in the symbolic offering. In these words we see God's displeasure with Abraham for his mistake in the symbolic offering and also God's joy for the power of Abraham's faith that accomplished the second offering.

It took three days journey or a three day period until Abraham offered Isaac on Mt. Moriah in order to separate him from Satan. Since that time, the three-day period has become the period of separation from Satan throughout the remaining course of God's Restoration Providence. Three persons who have had three-day periods in their course of life to fulfill separation periods according to the Restoration Providence are:

Jacob -- the first consummator of the Restoration Providence on the (3-days journey leaving Haran) individual scale.

Moses -- the first consumator of the Restoration Providence on the racial (3-days journey as exodus from Egypt) (national) scale.

Jesus -- the first consumitator of the Restoration Providence on the world (3-days in the tomb) wide scale.

We have much to learn about God's Restoration Providence from Abraham. Absolute Faith and obedience can be the condition for the separation of Satan, as we see in the case of Isaac. The offering of Isaac shows more clearly how necessary it is for us to obey God. In case of failure in smaller things (such as the symbolic offering by not dividing the pigeon) we can only restore by paying a much greater indemnity price (such as the offering of Isaac as a substantial burnt offering).

Though Isaac, himself, is restored by becoming the substantial offering, a condition still exists whereby Satan can invade Isaac since Abraham's symbolic offering included Isaac. For this reason, Isaac could not be the one to begin the 400 years of slavery in Egypt which would set up the racial foundation of faith. Just as Adam could not serve two masters (God and Satan) compelling God to use Adam's sons, Cain and Abel, for the separation from Satan, so also Isaac has a condition for Satan to invade which mast be resolved. In order to separate Satan from this family, God gave Isaac twin sons, Esau and Jacob.

Esau and Jacob struggled together in their mother's womb according to Genesis 25:22. Scripture says in Malachi 1:3 that God loved Jacob but hated Esau. Jacob and Esau both were in a position to fulfill a mission in God's Restoration Providence. God hated Esau, the firstborn, because he is in "Cain's position" representing Abraham's offering (symbolic) which failed and was taken by Satan. God loved Jacob because he is in "Abel's" position and represents Abraham's offering of Isaac which was successful.

If Jacob is to fulfill a mission for God, he must take back from Satan what is God's. Therefore, Jacob bought Esau's birthright with bread and pottage of lentils (Gen. 25:34). Later Jacob used trickery to receive the blessing from his father as stated in Gen. 27:29. Upon receiving this blessing, Jacob must begin setting up the foundation for the Restoration Providence.

Esau hated Jacob for his trickery and planned to kill him. Rebecca, their mother advised her second-born son to flee from Esau. She sent him to Laban, her brother, in Haran. (Gen. 27:41-45) Jacob worked very hard for Laban for 21 years. During these years he took wives, begat children and gathered together much livestock. Thus, he formed a symbolic representation of the four position:

Jacob representing Adam

Wives representing Eve

Children representing Mankind (12 of them)

Livestock representing all things

Jacob is ready to begin God's work now having the necessary foundation.

Jacob then returned to Canaan, but in his returning he was still afraid of Esau and sent many gifts ahead to placate him. (Gen. 32:33) Esau had the opportunity to restore Cain's position to God if he would be meek and humble and surrender to Jacob through love. Esau was pleased with the gifts and welcomed his brother with love, instead of the hatred he might have shown.

By loving Jacob, Esau restored the conditions which were lost when Cain murdered Abel. This act of Esau's was the first step in the restoring of God's first family. On this foundation, culminating in Jacob, God is able to begin the Restoration Providence to form the Israel people, a new race to be set aside for God, after 2,000 years of working with fallen man.

Thus, Jacob received the same blessing that was promised first to Adam in Genesis 1:28, then to Noah in Gen. 12:2, and finally to Abraham in Genesis 26:4, and Isaac Gen. 35:11.

In the course of God's Restoration Providence, the first man to complete the foundation of faith was Jacob. Jacob became the Father of Faith. The foundation should have been accomplished in Abraham. Because of Abraham's failure in the symbolic offering, the fulfillment of the dispensation was extended to Isaac and finally to Jacob. It was accomplished through Jacob, the third generation, whose name, therefore, God changed to Israel. Thus God's dispensation with Abraham was fulfilled in three generations. This is the reason that God was called the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. (Ex-3:6)

God's Promise

Gen. 35:11 "And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins; (12) And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land."

The story of Jacob and Esau gives us the lesson that the person in Cain's post will be equally blessed when he accepts with love, and wisdom and humility, the person in Abel's post.

God has shown a clear model for both Moses and Jesus to follow in Jacobs-course.

Amos 3:7 "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets."

God has already shown the secret of His providential course in the course of Jacob's life, so that later Moses and Jesus might follow this course to subjugate Satan and accomplish God's Restoration Providence. Moses' course will be on the national level and Jesus' will be on the world level. A comparative study will show that they correspond on at least twelve instances:

Chart # 4

The pattern or course revealed by God was followed first by Jacob, then by Moses and Jesus. God reveals a Heavenly Pattern to accomplish His Divine Will for the Restoration Providence through men on earth.

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