In this class, Dr. Keislar mentions some highlights of how monotheism was introduced after the Sumerian and Babylonian cultures had accepted the Anunnaki system in which each city and tribe worshiped and made ritual offerings to it own “god” – actually the extraterrestrial leader from the Niburean race who had been granted leadership of that particular territory or group.
In the midst of this polytheistic situation, Melchizedek appeared and taught the unity of God and salvation through faith alone. He is mentioned in the Bible as the “priest of the Most High God” who blessed Abraham, but he is not well known today. At that time it was a common idea that in order to please the gods and be saved from one’s sins, one must offer them sacrifices, even human sacrifice and especially one’s own oldest son. Melchizedek managed to teach his disciple Abraham that he should not offer his own son in sacrifice, but Abraham was unable to give up the widespread practice of sacrificing an animal, which was considered absolutely necessary.
It took well over a thousand years, and the efforts of many prophets, to gradually convince the followers of Abraham to finally and completely give up the worship of many gods. Moses with great difficulty tried to convince them, after they had become slaves in Egypt, that their tribal god, Yahweh (the god of the volcanic Mt. Sinai, whom they worshiped in the image of a silver or golden calf) alone should be worshiped, without any image, as the supreme Creator. Later, prophets like Samuel, Elijah, Amos and Hosea gradually taught that God is trustworthy and will always take care of His people, and then that He will not tolerate sin even among His own people, yet is always merciful. All this information is from an extraterrestrial source, The Urantia Book, which does not always seem true but in this section appears reliable.
Micah came next and taught, “Shall I come before God with burnt offerings? Will the Lord be pleased with a thousand rams or with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I give my first-born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has shown me, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God?”
By the time of Jeremiah, he even could warn the people of Jerusalem, when they were being attacked by Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, that this so-called enemy was actually the servant of God. And after the Jewish people had been made captives in Babylon, the second Isaiah was finally able to bring the Hebrew people to understand and accept that “the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob” was in fact the only God, the universal Creator.
Lord Jesus appeared later and taught that God is above all the God of love, and finally the prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) made the very basis of his teaching that there is no other god but the one God, who is full of mercy and compassion.