About 2000 BC (about 4,000 years ago)
God made long-term promises to Abraham, including that his descendants would inherit the land of Israel, and that he would be a forefather to the Messiah. These are promises that would take generations to fulfill. In Genesis 28:10-14, these promises are inherited by Jacob, who was a grandson of Abraham:
10 Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran. 11 He came to a certain place, and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. He took one of the stones of the place, and put it under his head, and lay down in that place to sleep. 12 He dreamed and saw a stairway set upon the earth, and its top reached to heaven. Behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13 Behold, Yahweh stood above it, and said, “I am Yahweh, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac. I will give the land you lie on to you and to your offspring. 14 Your offspring will be as the dust of the earth, and you will spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south. In you and in your offspring, all the families of the earth will be blessed. (Genesis 26:10-14, WEB)
As explained in the book, Jesus the Messiah, by Ray Konig, this prophecy, with the phrase, In you and in your offspring, all the families of the earth will be blessed, points to a worldwide spiritual impact, which points to the promised Messiah. This is a Messianic prophecy.
With this prophecy, Jacob is being told that it would be through him and his descendants that God would work his plan of salvation.
Jacob's name is later changed to Israel and he later becomes the forefather of the 12 Tribes of Israel.
Related article: Jacob, son of Isaac, inherits the promises (including the Messiah) that God gave to Abraham
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