Sharon and Frances Rabbitts review 'Abraham's Vision' (2011, Hatikvah Films) – previously 'Blessing, Curse or Coincidence? Vol 1'.
Abraham's Vision is a 2-hour long, multi-award winning documentary looking at God's covenant purposes for Israel and their implications for the nations through history. Presented by Lance Lambert, this Hatikvah film was previously published under the title Blessing, Curse or Coincidence? Vol 1, and stands as the first of a three-part documentary, the second of which is entitled Jacob's Tears (reviewed elsewhere on the site).
Tracing God's Divine Purpose
The series traces God's divine purpose for Israel from Genesis to Revelation, mapping this onto the course of world history. In particular, it tracks how God's promise in Genesis to bless those who bless Israel and curse those who curse her has been borne out through various Gentile nations, empires and individuals (given the nature of history, of course, the focus is mostly on those who have come under God's curse for harming His people).
But beyond this, the ultimate goal is to get viewers to see the course of global history, including the rise and fall of major empires, as a testimony to God's truth and faithfulness to His promises, particularly in relation to His covenant people. We are to see history in the context of Scripture and God's overarching covenant purposes, not the other way around. This it achieves well.
The DVD tracks God's covenant promises to Israel and their fulfilment through time, also joining up the dots between His purposes for them and His Gospel purposes for the whole world.
From Eden to Rome
Abraham's Vision is split into 9 parts, beginning in Eden, but spending the bulk of its time looking at the three major covenants - Abrahamic, Mosaic and Davidic. It then follows Israel through into exile in Babylon, and then into the dominion of the Greek and Roman empires, during which the New Covenant is given through Jesus Messiah.
It covers the usual ground, bringing the narratives alive with the help of artistic renderings and computer-generated images (some of which appear rather dated now, but which are still helpful for bringing the stories alive), as well as footage of the Holy Land. It also makes time to explore less well-known themes such as the enmity between Israel and the Philistines (and the continuation of this in modern-day Islam). Where it ends – with the fall of Rome – is where Jacob's Tears picks up.
Suitable for Group or Individual Use
The DVD comes with Bible Study notes for individuals and groups, making this an ideal resource for home/cell groups as well as personal use. It is an ideal introduction for those with little or no prior experience of this topic or understanding of Scripture/history, and is paced well for stop-start group discussion.
Each section is well-supported with Bible verses, as well as historical and archaeological evidence, discussed and applied ably by international Bible scholars and teachers, academics and ministry leaders, several of whom are Messianic Jews. Contributors include Malcolm Hedding, Dr Jack Hayford, Chuck Cohen and Ofer Amitai. Together they unpack the significance of the biblical covenants, the fulfilments we are still awaiting today, how they connect into global politics and what to look for in the future. Everything is very clearly explained – but with enough room left for questions and discussion to be inspired amongst viewers.
This is a very helpful, Spirit-filled, encouraging DVD that would make useful grounding for anyone interested in exploring God's purposes for Israel, the world and themselves – especially those who have little or no prior knowledge in this area. Ideal for small group use – and suitable for teens and up.
Buy Abraham's Vision for £15 from Hatikvah Films (who also offer a streaming service). It is also available on DVD as a series of 13 half-hour programmes originally aired on Revelation TV.
Download accompanying resources, watch clips and find out more about the film's history at blessingcursecoincidence.com.
