About 300 years after The Flood—in 2,000 BC—a man named Abraham was born in the Middle Eastern city of Ur in modern-day Iraq. Noah was still alive during the early years of Abraham's life, and it is possible that they knew each other. Noah lived to be 950 years old.
Abraham was a seeker of righteousness, but he lived among the wicked Chaldean people, who worshipped idols and conducted sacrifices of men, women, and children. One day the priest of the god Elkenah put upon the altars the three virgins daughters of Onitah who had refused to worship idols, and they were sacrificed in the manner of the Egyptians.
Sources:
• Abraham 1:1-11
Abraham had tried to preach righteousness to his own family, but they would not listen, and his father Terah was willing to offer his own son as a sacrifice to the false gods. Abraham was tied down on the altar of the god Elkenah. As the priest raised up his hands to kill him, Abraham called out to his God to rescue him.
Immediately an angel appeared and Abraham was set loose. Abraham heard God's voice saying, "My name is Jesus Christ, and I have come down to rescue you and take you away to a foreign land, and I will destroy those who tried to kill you." Then Jesus broke the altar of Elkenah and killed the priest.
Jesus caused a great famine to come upon the people of Ur which killed Abraham's brother. Jesus led Abraham, his wife Sarah, and his nephew Lot to the land of Canaan. There he said to Abraham, "I am Jesus your God. I live in heaven and the earth is my footstool. I will make your offspring a great nation and will give them this land as an eternal inheritance."
Sources:
• Abraham 2:1-7
Because of a famine in the land, Abraham and Sarah went to the land of Egypt which had first been discovered after The Flood by a granddaughter of Noah named Egyptus. Before they arrived in Egypt, Jesus taught Abraham about the stars using the Urim and Thummim. Abraham learned that Kolob is the first creation and nearest to the throne of Heavenly Father.
Abraham learned about the premortal life and the creation of Earth. He learned that our earth is only one of innumerable inhabited worlds created by Jesus, and that Jesus is intimately familiar with each of them. In Egypt, Abraham was invited by Pharaoh to sit on the throne and teach the Egyptians the principles of astronomy.
NEXT:
Melchizedek
[click image to continue]
Also from the creator of The Brick Book of Mormon:
