"Who than..." - Prophecy 101
(A brief summary - according to Jesus) (Matt 24, 25)

The missing key component of systematic prophecy is found in the Olivet Discourse (Matt 24, 25) starting where virtually ALL prophecy experts end, Matt 24:45). 

 

Jesus's Rendition

The Torah Background

"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? (Matt 24:45)

 

 "let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt.... appoint commissioners ... collect all the food ... store up the grain .. for food. This food should be held in reserve ..., to be used during the seven years of famine ... Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "... there is no one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. (Gen 41:33-44)

 

The Goal: To Divide & Test

"I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed! Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. (Luke 12:49)

The New Commission

Who then.... the commissioning of the Rulers. The highest of all callings. Those willing to leave their 'human ancestry' and enter the 'family' of God. It begins with a midnight call to 'Exodus' from 'Egypt' - to enter the wilderness, to enter into the marriage covenant of Mt. Sinai. To 'prepare in the wilderness a people for the Lord". - ready to enter the Promised Land (holiness) and the final 'works of service' of this age. Those 'works' are prophetically outlined in the story of Joseph (Gen 41-47) This is the primary strategy pattern of the EOTA. (Divine foreknowledge & management of a natural disaster). Here the 'Joseph' people (actually becoming a Messiah, Moshiach Ben Joseph (Ephraim)) are finally sanctified & glorified.

 
  Steps
1. Matt 24:45-51 - Gen. 41 Commissioning Joseph - "who then..."
2. Matt 25:1 - 13 Discovering Joseph - The Ten Virgins
3. Matt 25:14 - 30 Refining Joseph - The Talents

 
4. Genisis 41:56-47:12 Joseph ruling - Testing Israel
5. Genisis 47:13-26 Joseph ruling - 'Converting' the nations
  ---------------------------- Millenium ---------------------------------------------------
6. Matt 25:31-46 Joseph ruling in Millenium - Sh. & Go.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Joseph - Testing Israel

 

Prophetic Interpretation - Two Methods of Exposition

There are two distinct methods of exposition or interpretation

One must exercise care to applay the apporpriate method to the appropriate Scriptural passage. A persons tendency toward one method or the other is intrinsic to ones personallity and spiritual call. However the ability to distinguish between the two methods can be developed with execsice.

One of the failures of Judism was their failure to see the complex stradegy God was working out through them - and the elements yet undone. For them it was simply 'the Kingdom now - or nothing'. This human tendency toward the simple and immediate is alive and flourishing within Christianity.

 
Pastoral

Prophetic

Principle /Character

Strategy / Grand Plan

Lifestyle Oriented

Goal Oriented

Faith, Love, Joy

Victory, Purpose, Knowledge

Short Term

Long Term

Heart

Mind

Lessons, Testimonies

Patterns, Numbers, Time

People, Relationships

Objects, Inter-Relationships

always relevent

'for the appointed time'

 

----------------------------------------- scripture -------------------------------------------------------

The Luke Account (Luke 12:31-59)

But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.  "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  "Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them.  It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him."  Peter asked, "Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone?"   The Lord answered, "Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose the servant says to himself, 'My master is taking a long time in coming,' and he then begins to beat the menservants and maidservants and to eat and drink and get drunk. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.  "That servant who knows his master's will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. "I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed! Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.  From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law."   He said to the crowd: "When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, 'It's going to rain,' and it does. And when the south wind blows, you say, 'It's going to be hot,' and it is. Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don't know how to interpret this present time?  "Why don't you judge for yourselves what is right?   As you are going with your adversary to the magistrate, try hard to be reconciled to him on the way, or he may drag you off to the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.  I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny."

The New Commission

"And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food. This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine." The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials. So Pharaoh asked them, "Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?" Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you." So Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt." Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph's finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and men shouted before him, "Make way !" Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt. Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt." (Gen 41:33-44)

Parable of the Ten Virgins

"At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. "At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!' "Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.' "'No,' they replied, 'there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.' "But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. "Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!' "But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.' "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour. (Matt 25:1-13)

Parable of the Talents

"Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money. "After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.' "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' "The man with the two talents also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.' "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' "Then the man who had received the one talent came. 'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.' "His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. "'Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' (Matt 25:14-30)

Ruling & Reigning (Sheep & Goats)

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,

I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' "He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." (Matt 25:31-46)

The Sellout

There was no food, however, in the whole region because the famine was severe; both Egypt and Canaan wasted away because of the famine. {14} Joseph collected all the money that was to be found in Egypt and Canaan in payment for the grain they were buying, and he brought it to Pharaoh's palace. {15} When the money of the people of Egypt and Canaan was gone, all Egypt came to Joseph and said, "Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes? Our money is used up." {16} "Then bring your livestock," said Joseph. "I will sell you food in exchange for your livestock, since your money is gone." {17} So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and he gave them food in exchange for their horses, their sheep and goats, their cattle and donkeys. And he brought them through that year with food in exchange for all their livestock. {18} When that year was over, they came to him the following year and said, "We cannot hide from our lord the fact that since our money is gone and our livestock belongs to you, there is nothing left for our lord except our bodies and our land. {19} Why should we perish before your eyes--we and our land as well? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we with our land will be in bondage to Pharaoh. Give us seed so that we may live and not die, and that the land may not become desolate." {20} So Joseph bought all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh. The Egyptians, one and all, sold their fields, because the famine was too severe for them. The land became Pharaoh's, {21} and Joseph reduced the people to servitude, from one end of Egypt to the other. {22} However, he did not buy the land of the priests, because they received a regular allotment from Pharaoh and had food enough from the allotment Pharaoh gave them. That is why they did not sell their land. {23} Joseph said to the people, "Now that I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh, here is seed for you so you can plant the ground. {24} But when the crop comes in, give a fifth of it to Pharaoh. The other four-fifths you may keep as seed for the fields and as food for yourselves and your households and your children." {25} "You have saved our lives," they said. "May we find favor in the eyes of our lord; we will be in bondage to Pharaoh." {26} So Joseph established it as a law concerning land in Egypt--still in force today--that a fifth of the produce belongs to Pharaoh. It was only the land of the priests that did not become Pharaoh's. (Gen 47:13-26 NIV)

(Gen 41:56-57 NIV) When the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout Egypt. {57} And all the countries came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe in all the world.

(Gen 42 NIV) When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, "Why do you just keep looking at each other?" {2} He continued, "I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, so that we may live and not die." {3} Then ten of Joseph's brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. {4} But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph's brother, with the others, because he was afraid that harm might come to him. {5} So Israel's sons were among those who went to buy grain, for the famine was in the land of Canaan also. {6} Now Joseph was the governor of the land, the one who sold grain to all its people. So when Joseph's brothers arrived, they bowed down to him with their faces to the ground. {7} As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them. "Where do you come from?" he asked. "From the land of Canaan," they replied, "to buy food." {8} Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him. {9} Then he remembered his dreams about them and said to them,

"You are spies! You have come to see where our land is unprotected." {10} "No, my lord," they answered. "Your servants have come to buy food. {11} We are all the sons of one man. Your servants are honest men, not spies." {12} "No!" he said to them. "You have come to see where our land is unprotected." {13} But they replied, "Your servants were twelve brothers, the sons of one man, who lives in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father, and one is no more." {14} Joseph said to them, "It is just as I told you: You are spies! {15} And this is how you will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you will not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here. {16} Send one of your number to get your brother; the rest of you will be kept in prison, so that your words may be tested to see if you are telling the truth. If you are not, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!" {17} And he put them all in custody for three days. {18} On the third day, Joseph said to them, "Do this and you will live, for I fear God: {19} If you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here in prison, while the rest of you go and take grain back for your starving households. {20} But you must bring your youngest brother to me, so that your words may be verified and that you may not die." This they proceeded to do. {21} They said to one another, "Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that's why this distress has come upon us." {22} Reuben replied, "Didn't I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn't listen! Now we must give an accounting for his blood." {23} They did not realize that Joseph could understand them, since he was using an interpreter. {24} He turned away from them and began to weep, but then turned back and spoke to them again. He had Simeon taken from them and bound before their eyes. {25} Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to put each man's silver back in his sack, and to give them provisions for their journey. After this was done for them, {26} they loaded their grain on their donkeys and left. {27} At the place where they stopped for the night one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey, and he saw his silver in the mouth of his sack. {28} "My silver has been returned," he said to his brothers. "Here it is in my sack." Their hearts sank and they turned to each other trembling and said, "What is this that God has done to us?" {29} When they came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them. They said, {30} "The man who is lord over the land spoke harshly to us and treated us as though we were spying on the land. {31} But we said to him, 'We are honest men; we are not spies. {32} We were twelve brothers, sons of one father. One is no more, and the youngest is now with our father in Canaan.' {33} "Then the man who is lord over the land said to us, 'This is how I will know whether you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers here with me, and take food for your starving households and go. {34} But bring your youngest brother to me so I will know that you are not spies but honest men. Then I will give your brother back to you, and you can trade in the land.'" {35} As they were emptying their sacks, there in each man's sack was his pouch of silver! When they and their father saw the money pouches, they were frightened. {36} Their father Jacob said to them, "You have deprived me of my children. Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more, and now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is against me!" {37} Then Reuben said to his father, "You may put both of my sons to death if I do not bring him ba-ck to you. Entrust him to my care, and I will bring him back." {38} But Jacob said, "My son will not go down there with you; his brother is dead and he is the only one left. If harm comes to him on the journey you are taking, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in sorrow."

(Gen 43 NIV) Now the famine was still severe in the land. {2} So when they had eaten all the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, "Go back and buy us a little more food." {3} But Judah said to him, "The man warned us solemnly, 'You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.' {4} If you will send our brother along with us, we will go down and buy food for you. {5} But if you will not send him, we will not go down, because the man said to us, 'You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.'" {6} Israel asked, "Why did you bring this trouble on me by telling the man you had another brother?" {7} They replied, "The man questioned us closely about ourselves and our family. 'Is your father still living?' he asked us. 'Do you have another brother?' We simply answered his questions. How were we to know he would say, 'Bring your brother down here'?" {8} Then Judah said to Israel his father, "Send the boy along with me and we will go at once, so that we and you and our children may live and not die. {9} I myself will guarantee his safety; you can hold me personally responsible for him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him here before you, I will bear the blame before you all my life. {10} As it is, if we had not delayed, we could have gone and returned twice." {11} Then their father Israel said to them, "If it must be, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your bags and take them down to the man as a gift--a little balm and a little honey, some spices and myrrh, some pistachio nuts and almonds. {12} Take double the amount of silver with you, for you must return the silver that was put back into the mouths of your sacks. Perhaps it was a mistake. {13} Take your brother also and go back to the man at once. {14} And may God Almighty grant you mercy before the man so that he will let your other brother and Benjamin come back with you. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved." {15} So the men took the gifts and double the amount of silver, and Benjamin also. They hurried down to Egypt and presented themselves to Joseph. {16} When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, "Take these men to my house, slaughter an animal and prepare dinner; they are to eat with me at noon." {17} The man did as Joseph told him and took the men to Joseph's house. {18} Now the men were frightened when they were taken to his house. They thought, "We were brought here because of the silver that was put back into our sacks the first time. He wants to attack us and overpower us and seize us as slaves and take our donkeys." {19} So they went up to Joseph's steward and spoke to him at the entrance to the house. {20} "Please, sir," they said, "we came down here the first time to buy food. {21} But at the place where we stopped for the night we opened our sacks and each of us found his silver--the exact weight--in the mouth of his sack. So we have brought it back with us. {22} We have also brought additional silver with us to buy food. We don't know who put our silver in our sacks." {23} "It's all right," he said. "Don't be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, has given you treasure in your sacks; I received your silver." Then he brought Simeon out to them. {24} The steward took the men into Joseph's house, gave them water to wash their feet and provided fodder for their donkeys. {25} They prepared their gifts for Joseph's arrival at noon, because they had heard that they were to eat there. {26} When Joseph came home, they presented to him the gifts they had brought into the house, and they bowed down before him to the ground. {27} He asked them how they were, and then he said, "How is your aged father you told me about? Is he still living?" {28} They replied, "Your servant our father is still alive and well." And they bowed low to pay him honor. {29} As he looked about and saw his brother Benjamin, his own mother's son, he asked, "Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about?" And he said, "God be gracious to you, my son." {30} Deeply moved at the sight of his brother, Joseph hurried out and looked for a place to weep. He went into his private room and wept there. {31} After he had washed his face, he came out and, controlling himself, said, "Serve the food." {32} They served him by himself, the brothers by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because Egyptians could not eat with Hebrews, for that is detestable to Egyptians. {33} The men had been seated before him in the order of their ages, from the firstborn to the youngest; and they looked at each other in astonishment. {34} When portions were served to them from Joseph's table, Benjamin's portion was five times as much as anyone else's. So they feasted and drank freely with him.

(Gen 44 NIV) Now Joseph gave these instructions to the steward of his house: "Fill the men's sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each man's silver in the mouth of his sack. {2} Then put my cup, the silver one, in the mouth of the youngest one's sack, along with the silver for his grain." And he did as Joseph said. {3} As morning dawned, the men were sent on their way with their donkeys. {4} They had not gone far from the city when Joseph said to his steward, "Go after those men at once, and when you catch up with them, say to them, 'Why have you repaid good with evil? {5} Isn't this the cup my master drinks from and also uses for divination? This is a wicked thing you have done.'" {6} When he caught up with them, he repeated these words to them. {7} But they said to him, "Why does my lord say such things? Far be it from your servants to do anything like that! {8} We even brought back to you from the land of Canaan the silver we found inside the mouths of our sacks. So why would we steal silver or gold from your master's house? {9} If any of your servants is found to have it, he will die; and the rest of us will become my lord's slaves." {10} "Very well, then," he said, "let it be as you say. Whoever is found to have it will become my slave; the rest of you will be free from blame." {11} Each of them quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it. {12} Then the steward proceeded to search, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin's sack. {13} At this, they tore their clothes. Then they all loaded their donkeys and returned to the city. {14} Joseph was still in the house when Judah and his brothers came in, and they threw themselves to the ground before him. {15} Joseph said to them, "What is this you have done? Don't you know that a man like me can find things out by divination?" {16} "What can we say to my lord?" Judah replied. "What can we say? How can we prove our innocence? God has uncovered your servants' guilt. We are now my lord's slaves--we ourselves and the one who was found to have the cup." {17} But Joseph said, "Far be it from me to do such a thing! Only the man who was found to have the cup will become my slave. The rest of you, go back to your father in peace." {18} Then Judah went up to him and said: "Please, my lord, let your servant speak a word to my lord. Do not be angry with your servant, though you are equal to Pharaoh himself. {19} My lord asked his servants, 'Do you have a father or a brother?' {20} And we answered, 'We have an aged father, and there is a young son born to him in his old age. His brother is dead, and he is the only one of his mother's sons left, and his father loves him.' {21} "Then you said to your servants, 'Bring him down to me so I can see him for myself.' {22} And we said to my lord, 'The boy cannot leave his father; if he leaves him, his father will die.' {23} But you told your servants, 'Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.' {24} When we went back to your servant my father, we told him what my lord had said. {25} "Then our father said, 'Go back and buy a little more food.' {26} But we said, 'We cannot go down. Only if our youngest brother is with us will we go. We cannot see the man's face unless our youngest brother is with us.' {27} "Your servant my father said to us, 'You know that my wife bore me two sons. {28} One of them went away from me, and I said, "He has surely been torn to pieces." And I have not seen him since. {29} If you take this one from me too and harm comes to him, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in misery.' {30} "So now, if the boy is not with us when I go back to your servant my father and if my father, whose life is closely bound up with the boy's life, {31} sees that the boy isn't there, he will die. Your servants will bring the gray head of our father down to the grave in sorrow. {32} Your servant guaranteed the boy's safety to my father. I said, 'If I do not bring him back to you, I will bear the blame before you, my father, all my life!' {33} "Now then, please let your servant remain here as my lord's slave in place of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers. {34} How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? No! Do not let me see the misery that would come upon my father."

(Gen 45 NIV) Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, "Have everyone leave my presence!" So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. {2} And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh's household heard about it. {3} Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph! Is my father still living?" But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence. {4} Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Come close to me." When they had done so, he said, "I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! {5} And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. {6} For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will not be plowing and reaping. {7} But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. {8} "So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt. {9} Now hurry back to my father and say to him, 'This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; don't delay. {10} You shall live in the region of Goshen and be near me--you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all you have. {11} I will provide for you there, because five years of famine are still to come. Otherwise you and your household and all who belong to you will become destitute.' {12} "You can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin, that it is really I who am speaking to you. {13} Tell my father about all the honor accorded me in Egypt and about everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly." {14} Then he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin embraced him, weeping. {15} And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward his brothers talked with him. {16} When the news reached Pharaoh's palace that Joseph's brothers had come, Pharaoh and all his officials were pleased. {17} Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Tell your brothers, 'Do this: Load your animals and return to the land of Canaan, {18} and bring your father and your families back to me. I will give you the best of the land of Egypt and you can enjoy the fat of the land.' {19} "You are also directed to tell them, 'Do this: Take some carts from Egypt for your children and your wives, and get your father and come. {20} Never mind about your belongings, because the best of all Egypt will be yours.'" {21} So the sons of Israel did this. Joseph gave them carts, as Pharaoh had commanded, and he also gave them provisions for their journey. {22} To each of them he gave new clothing, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver and five sets of clothes. {23} And this is what he sent to his father: ten donkeys loaded with the best things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and other provisions for his journey. {24} Then he sent his brothers away, and as they were leaving he said to them, "Don't quarrel on the way!" {25} So they went up out of Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. {26} They told him, "Joseph is still alive! In fact, he is ruler of all Egypt." Jacob was stunned; he did not believe them. {27} But when they told him everything Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts Joseph had sent to carry him back, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. {28} And Israel said, "I'm convinced! My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die."