Four thousand years ago, in a world of tribal gods, wandering herdsmen, and empires rising and falling, one man heard a call that would echo through millennia. That man was Abraham.
His story is more than an ancient chronicle. It is the opening sketch of a divine plan — a Kingdom that would one day embrace the whole earth. This plan, passed down through scripture, prophecy, and history, is still shaping the world we live in today. And yet, that
same plan has been repeatedly misinterpreted, hijacked, and bent to serve agendas far removed from its original purpose.
To understand the crises and conflicts of our modern world, you must understand the Covenant God made with Abraham.
The Bigger Picture
While Abraham’s covenant is the first outline of God’s Kingdom that was written down in
words, it’s not the first time humanity glimpsed the plan. Long before Abraham, the
prophet Enoch revealed it in ways that spread across cultures — through oral tradition,
symbolic pictographs, even the mathematics embedded in the Great Pyramid of Giza
and the Mayan calendar.
But with Abraham, the promise entered history in a concrete way. God showed him “the
end from the beginning” — the eventual establishment of a global Kingdom of peace
and justice. Abraham’s life became a living parable, planting in human consciousness a
seed of hope for the world to come.
Today, standing at the far end of history’s arc, we can trace how that seed took root and
passed through its stages of growth, until in our own time it begins to bear fruit. Along
the way, the story reveals both seasons of faithful nurture and moments of fierce assault
from its enemies.
Why It Matters Now
The Abrahamic Covenant is not just a theological artifact. It’s the backbone of much of
the religious, political, and even geopolitical drama of our time.
Why? Because throughout history, certain forces have sought to appropriate the
Covenant for their own purposes. They’ve replaced its spiritual meaning with self-
serving, materialist interpretations. Instead of seeing the promises as conditions tied to
obedience and righteousness, they’ve treated them as unconditional entitlements based
on national and religious identities.
Understanding the original intent of the Covenant equips us to see through these
distortions — and to recognize how it points toward the institutions foretold by
Baha’u’llah for the coming Kingdom of God.
A Five-Part Promise
The Covenant unfolds in five parts — one through Abraham’s first son, Ishmael, and
four through Isaac.
1. The Ishmael Promise
Ishmael, the son of Abraham and Hagar, received a distinct blessing.
“As for Ishmael, I have heard you. I will indeed bless him, make him fruitful, and
give him a multitude of descendants. He will become the father of twelve princes;
I will make him into a great nation.” (Genesis 17:20)
Islam fulfills this promise, as Muhammad was a descendant of Ishmael. The “twelve
princes” correspond to the twelve Imams of Shi’a Islam, while the “great nation” is
reflected in the Sunni Caliphate. Yet the promise to Ishmael was not the eternal
Kingdom covenant — that flowed through Isaac. In prophetic terms, the line of Ishmael
serves as a sacrifice to prepare the way for the Kingdom of Baha’u’llah.
2. The Land Promise
God pledged a land to Abraham’s seed:
- From the Nile to the Euphrates (Genesis 15:18)
- Forever — or more literally, “for an age” (Genesis 13:14–15)
- Conditional on righteousness (Leviticus 18:26–28; 25:23)
This raises the foundational question: Who is counted as Abraham’s seed? And thus,
who inherits the land?
Materialists see the “Land” as real estate. But spiritually, the promise points to a center
of divine teaching — the Holy Land as the headquarters of the Kingdom of God. In
God’s plan, it belongs to Baha’u’llah, a descendant of David and Abraham, and under
His Covenant it will be a planetary center for peace and cooperation.
History complicates the picture. After Rome destroyed Jerusalem, many Jews remained
in Palestine. Over centuries, some embraced Christianity; later, under Muslim rule,
others accepted Muhammad as a prophet. These converts, grafted back into the Tree of
Life (Romans 11), became part of the faithful seed — inheritors of the promise through
their obedience to God’s Covenant.
3. The Great Nation Promise
In Genesis 12, God tells Abraham:
“And I will make of you a great nation [Strong’s 1471: goy: nation; people], and I
will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will
bless those who bless you, and him who curses you I will curse; and by you all
the families of the earth shall bless themselves.’” (Genesis 12:1-3)
This was fulfilled in the ancient Kingdom of Israel. But with Jesus, the Great Nation
promise was superseded by something bigger: the “Multitude of Nations” promise. Paul
declared that in Christ, both Jew and Gentile form the “Israel of God” (Galatians 6:15–
16). National identity gave way to a spiritual commonwealth.
4. The Multitude of Nations Promise
Genesis 17 expands the vision: Abraham will be the father of “a multitude of nations.”
His very name change from Abram (“exalted father”) to Abraham (“father of many”)
foretells this shift.
Paul explains that the “seed” in this promise ultimately refers to Christ (Galatians 3:16)
— and through Him, a global community united not by bloodline but by faith and the
Holy Spirit. Jesus universalized the Covenant, extending it to all humanity.
5. The Promise of Kings
Finally, God told Abraham:
And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall
come out of thee.” Genesis 17:6, KJV
This isn’t just about political monarchs — it points to the Davidic line and the throne that,
scripture says, will endure “as the days of heaven” (Psalm 89:20, 28–29). This lineage
passes from Abraham, through Judah, through King David, and through Baha’u’llah, the
second of two Davidic Messiahs.“
Zionism and the Covenant
Modern Zionism — the political movement to establish and maintain a Jewish national
homeland in the Holy Land — claims its roots in God’s promise to Abraham. But this
rests on a misreading of the Covenant.
Being “chosen” is not an unconditional birthright. It is a calling to obedience and service.
Without faithfulness to the Covenant, the title and the land are forfeited. This is the
lesson of the Hebrew prophets — and the repeated exiles of the Jewish people.
A candid non-Zionist Jewish perspective, such as that voiced by Rabbi Yaakov Shapiro,
reminds us: the holiness of the land depends on the conduct of those who dwell there.
Political possession alone does not fulfill the Covenant.
The Materialist Hijacking
Whether in ancient Zealot uprisings or modern nationalist movements, the same error
recurs: confusing God’s Kingdom with mere political sovereignty. This is the
“controversy of Zion” (Isaiah 34:8) — the clash between God’s vision for the Holy Land
as a center of divine justice, and humanity’s tendency to reduce it to a parcel of
contested real estate.
This materialist hijacking is not unique to Judaism or Zionism. It is a recurring
temptation in all religions, whenever the symbols of God’s Kingdom are appropriated for
worldly power.
The Covenant’s True Fulfillment
When seen in its full scope, the Covenant to Abraham unfolds like an architectural plan.
Its foundation is laid in Genesis, expanded through the prophets, reframed by Jesus,
and completed in the revelation of Baha’u’llah.
- Through Ishmael: Preparation and sacrifice, from Ishmael to Muhammad to the
Great Nation of Islam and the 12 princes of Shi’a, and then to the Bab, the martyred
forerunner of Baha’u’llah. - Through Isaac: Four promises — Land, Great Nation, Multitude of Nations, Kings.
- Through David: The Abrahamic Covenant for a line of kings went through Isaac
to Judah and came to fruition in the promise to King David for an enduring throne. - Through Jesus Christ: The universalizing of the Abrahamic Covenant for a Multitude of
Nations. - Through Baha’u’llah: The establishment of the promised Kingdom, bringing
together all the promises: A multitude of nations governed by Baha’u’llah’s
Universal House of Justice, headquartered in the Holy Land, and with the throne of David
at its head.
It is this spiritual Kingdom that God pledged to Abraham. And it is this Kingdom — still
emerging in our own time — that holds the key to the world’s future.
Why This Matters for Us
The Abrahamic Covenant is more than ancient history — it is a living contract between
God and humanity, with conditions, responsibilities, and a clear destination. It reminds
us that chosenness is never about privilege without accountability. Every promise
comes with a charge to act justly, walk humbly, and remain faithful.
In our time, the Covenant challenges us to look past nationalism, sectarianism, and
materialist ambitions, and to ask: Am I aligned with the purpose for which God made
these promises in the first place?
It calls each of us to become active participants in the unfolding of God’s Kingdom — a
Kingdom where unity replaces division, where justice protects the vulnerable, and
where the Holy Land is no longer a flashpoint of conflict but the beating heart of a
reconciled world.
The question is no longer simply Who will inherit the promise? but Will we live in such a
way that we are counted among the faithful seed of Abraham?