On Jacob's deathbed, he declares that Judah is the tribe from which a king will come. Similarly, Balaam prophesies that a king would come out of Jacob. Jer 31:31 prophesies a new covenant, and Isaiah prophesies a suffering servant whose life points to Christ. There are several covenants, those of creation, conscience, Noah, Abraham, the law, David, and the new covenant of Christ, each building on the other.

God has been willing to come to man and be intimately with us, as the word immanuel, God with us, implies, but the priesthood is instituted to keep us from transgressing, by holding us to the service of God, and acting as a buffer between man and the holy things.

God promises to Abraham that through him, all the nations will bless themselves. God is so involved with man that He will even send an angel to wrestle with man, as Jacob does. We are told to not be unclean, and God will welcome us.

Through this time, we can see many Christophanies in the Old Testament: Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac, his chosen son, Melchizedek, the priest who offers sacrifice of bread and wine, the 3000 who died at the giving of the law prefiguring the 3000 saved at Pentecost.

It is through the promises of the Old Testament that the love of God, which will be fulfilled in the New Testament, is clear.

Here begins a sweeping overview of salvation history.

God created man because of love. God wants a relation with man, and man gropes after God. Prov 8:17 says that those who seek God diligently find Him, and Hebrews says something very similar. Sin clouds our minds, but even in Genesis 3, God promises an end to this state. In the very next chapter, the sin of eating the fruit has become murder.

From the Rochester NY Chesterton Society's 8th Annual Conference, Dale Ahlquist (President, American Chesterton Society) talks about the end of the world and how it factors into the world that God has created, a world of justice and peace, and a world that will undergo a revolution to conform it to God's plan. We must use our free will to be a part of this plan.  Whether or not you agree with every point touched on here, you will find this talk timely, provocative, and stimulating.

Visit the Rochester NY Chesterton Society's website at www.rochesterton.com.

See more from the American Chesterton Society at www.chesterton.org.