3. The Work of God in Era of Covenant

The Work in the Era of Covenant indicates the establishment of the covenant which covers as far as the Judgement at the end of man and New Era come. God made a prophesy through the mouth of righteous Noah regarding Shem, Ham, and Japheth that “Blessed be the LORD, The God of Shem, and May God enlarge Japheth and let him dwell in the tents of Shem, and let Canaan be their servant;” this prophecy is not only confined to the Era of Covenant but also it covers as far as the end of man.

This prophecy embraces everything of the human history until this day.

Noah’s prophecy has been fulfilled in accordance with the fact that from the tents of Shem God revealed to mankind the Bible of Old and New Testament, and from the tents of Shem the Holy Spirit begun to give the world the opportunity to return to God. Moreover, Bible teaches that at the end of man, too, from the tents of Shem, specifically from the edge of the East, the Work will occur and break through all difficulties and then the Kingdom of saints, the unified world, will come.

Thus, the prophecy by the mouth of Noah is not fully fulfilled yet, but it lasts until New Era comes. Also, the prophecy which said “May God enlarge Japheth” has been fulfilled because four powerful nations with scientific technology, being stronger with material civilization and prosperity of population, have emerged from the tents of Japheth in the present time.

However, the enlarged Japheth is not who will bring New Era, and they will end up dwelling in the tents of Shem. This also will be fully fulfilled when New Era comes at the end of man.

And Ham has become people of fruitless life, and will surely continue fruitless as it is written in Daniel 11:40 and following verses. Therefore, what the whole Bible points out is that the Work of God will rise up from the tents of Shem, not from the house of Japheth. The Work from tents of Shem is as follows.

First: God’s visitation to Abraham’s family

God told Abraham that he will be the ancestor of worldwide religion. (Genesis 12:1~3) A phrase of God’s Word to him, “All the nations of the earth shall be blessed by you,” became the main topic of the whole Bible.

In every Works of God, He establishes a covenant to a representative person and works to fulfill it. God said He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and it means that Abraham will be the ancestor of worldwide religion. God said “Your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. And in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed (Genesis 22:17~18),” and God established it as a perfect pledge.

Second: God’s covenant to Isaac (Genesis 26:4)

God appeared to Isaac at the land of Gerar, and established a covenant, saying “I will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. And through your offspring all nations on the earth shall be blessed.”

Third: God’s covenant to Jacob (Genesis 28:10~19)

When Jacob departed from Beersheba and went toward Haran, God established a covenant to Jacob at the wilderness of Bethel.

God said “In you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed.” God who made this covenant called Himself the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; it means the covenant established to them will last until the end of man.

Fourth: God’s covenant that is ethnic (Genesis 15:12~14)

God said to Abram in great darkness, “Your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years. But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve; and afterward they will come out with many possessions.” The worldwide covenant covers as far as the end of man, but this ethnic covenant was completed as Era of the Law started.

For the fulfillment of this covenant, Jacob’s family suffered the tribulation of discord when the brothers sold their younger brother to Egypt. It was miserable, yet thanks to it, the ethnic covenant entered the process of being fulfilled. It too was one of the process that righteous Joseph was jailed due to the unjust charge of Potiphar’s wife.

It looked shameful in the sight of man that the brothers who had sold Joseph came and bowed down before him due to the seven-year famine, but it was also of the process to fulfill the ethnic covenant. The settlement of Jacob’s family of about 70 members to the land of Egypt or the Pharaoh’s oppression on newborn sons were the process of the covenant being fulfilled over their ethnic group.

God suddenly appeared to Moses and he, smiting the earth with plagues, delivered 600,000 people; it was the testimony of coming of the appointed time for the ethnic covenant. Thus, in the process to fulfill God’s covenant, there are difficult tribulations, and what took place beforehand becomes prophetic antitype of things to be done at the end of man. The ethnic religion developed into the worldwide religion and became the prophetic history of things to take place at the end of man, that is when the Kingdom of saints, the unified world will begin to be fulfilled. (Isaiah 11:16, 30:29, Micah 7:15)