The letter from Artaxerxes, the First, dampened the spirits of Zerubbabel and Jeshua, but the prophets Haggai and Zechariah turned things around. They proclaimed that Yahweh ordered them to continue building the house of the Lord. They had to obey God rather than Artaxerxes, the First. And they, too, sent a letter Darius the Second, requesting to search the records of Cyrus, the second Persian king. Meanwhile, the builders obeyed the prophets (Ezra 5).

The letter from Artaxerxes, the First, dampened the spirits of Zerubbabel and Jeshua, but the prophets Haggai and Zechariah turned things around. They proclaimed that Yahweh ordered them to continue building the house of the Lord. They had to obey God rather than Artaxerxes, the First. And they, too, sent a letter Darius the Second, requesting to search the records of Cyrus, the second Persian king. Meanwhile, the builders obeyed the prophets (Ezra 5).

Moses was of the tribe of Levi and he did secure the most prominent role in Israel for his tribe. He set up his brother Aaron as the High Priest and as the spiritual leader. The Levites were the guardians of the “Theocratic System” based on the Law and the religious ordinances and worship of Yahweh. Religion was to dominate the public, as well as the private life of every Hebrew. The priest was to wear special garments that set him apart from the people. God spoke to Moses:

Moses was of the tribe of Levi and he did secure the most prominent role in Israel for his tribe. He set up his brother Aaron as the High Priest and as the spiritual leader. The Levites were the guardians of the “Theocratic System” based on the Law and the religious ordinances and worship of Yahweh. Religion was to dominate the public, as well as the private life of every Hebrew. The priest was to wear special garments that set him apart from the people. God spoke to Moses:

The world is God’s stage and all men and all women perform on that stage. God entered a “Covenant” with Adam, with Noah, with Abraham --- Moses, and with Jesus the Christ to produce plays that would honor God and sustain man. Actually, God does not negotiate or form partnerships! God simply delegates His intentions to man for man’s own good. The designated directors, except for Jesus, did not produce plays; neither did they choose actors that brought dignity to their profession and their Creator. Jesus came up with the right play and the right instructions, but his followers also added and subtracted from the original "Covenant" (agreement) with God. The "Covenant" with God is the same from Genesis to Revelation and Jesus’ warning has not changed:

When God created man, He put part of His Spirit into man. Therefore, God could stay in touch with man and partner with man (Genesis 2:7). Jesus, who was begotten of the Holy Spirit, became a "Man." Jesus revived that partnership between man and God and the Spirit (Matthew 2:18-23). The power of Christ can free the human spirit of sin, so that the human spirit can partner with the Holy Spirit. The Risen Lord Jesus promised his disciples that the Holy Spirit would clothe them with power (dunamin), (Acts 1:8). Jesus’ promise of the Holy Spirit is more than an external visible power! The Holy Spirit is an indwelling of the Holy Spirit in man that will help man to believe and to understand what God and Christ are all about. According to the beloved John, Jesus gave two statements regarding the work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus also indicated what it takes to have the Holy Spirit live in man:

Jacob became a living example of how limited man’s perception of “God’s Presence” appears in the midst of human crisis and in the midst human predicaments. Centuries later, Jesus did tell his disciples that they had “little faith” as to what God had made available to them in resolving obstacles and what God could do with men of “little faith”:

King Solomon who was not well disciplined, nor did he discipline his successor Rehoboam; nevertheless, he left this nugget of wisdom for posterity, “My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights” (Proverbs 3:11-12).

Jesus Christ, the Risen Lord, spent forty days on earth. During this time, Jesus appeared visible in a different form to more than five hundred believers. Paul was the very last who heard the voice of Jesus, but he did not see Him. Jesus was no longer visible to the human eyes! Nevertheless, Jesus was present in the Spirit. Luke, a Gentile, had a profound understanding how Jesus, the Son of God, was disclosing Himself and continued His work among his converts. While Peter slept, he had a similar vision because he had to be ordered to go to Cornelius. Paul, himself, confessed that he did not know the human Christ (II Corinthians 5:16). Paul is important to our faith because the Gospels were yet to be compiled. It is doubtful that the Gospels were available before Paul and Peter were martyred. That makes Luke and John very valuable. Unfortunately, even Luke was not able to finish Acts and he also may have died with Paul.

In contrast to the stipulations to Adam and Noah, Abram’s was the most demanding; yet, Abraham was to make the greatest sacrifice. God demanded that Abram share his son Isaac with God. In Isaac God would begin to built a nation that would represent Yahweh on earth. Isaac lived up to the expectation and trusted in God. He married at the age of forty. His wife Rebekah was barren for twenty years. During this time, Isaac did not turn to other women to secure an heir like his father Abraham did. Isaac prayed and trusted God who answered by speaking to Rebekah: