THE DESTINY OF ISRAEL

AND

THE TWILIGHT OF CHRISTIANITY:

IN QUEST OF THE MEANING AND SIGNIFICANCE

OF THE  HEBREW AND GREEK SCRIPTURES
THREE-VOLUME EDITION, VOLUME 1

OLD TESTAMENT, CHAPTERS 1 THROUGH 8

John Saggio

(Go to Table of Contents, Chapter 1)
(Select page number)

www.TwilightofReligion.com

Worldcomeofage@TwilightofReligion.com

Apache Junction, Arizona

©2008 John Saggio


DEDICATION

To all those

Who love the pursuit of truth

and

Courageously follow the path of truth

Wherever it may lead . . .

And to

My father, Joseph D. Saggio

My mother, Helen Giamario Saggio

And

My entire family

Whose benevolent familial webb

Provided and still provides

Strength and love

Contributing to

A life well worth living . . .

                                                        To the Saggio’s and Giamario’s

                                                                the Licata’s

                                                                        the Lazzaro’s

                                                                                the Chalupa’s

                                                                                        the Healion’s

                                                                                                the Maccarone’s

                                                                                                      the Alifi’s

                                                                                                            the Aune’s

                                                                                                                the Biczo’s

                                                                        All of Whom

                                                                                Have made living

                                                                                        A joyful and satisfying

                                                                                                Concatenation

                                                                                                      Of meaningful relationships


FOREWORD

When Albert Einstein demonstrated scientifically the law of relativity, he had elucidated a big chunk of physics. And so it is with John Saggio’s findings concerning the interpretation of the Hebrew and Greek scriptures.

This book is the sum of fifty years of research. The discoveries encountered will turn an ordinary Bible student into a Bible scholar in less time than any other book. This book is truly an amazing treasure because the reader will understand once for all the very essence of the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures which have been misunderstood for the last 2,000 years. This misunderstanding is not because the Messianic Ecclesia (the primitive New Testament church) was wrong concerning the imminent arrival of the Parousia of Christ, but because the only authentic Church of Christ (the primitive New Testament church) entered into its Celestial Allotment with the arrival of Christ in 70 A.D.

This book will fill the truth-seeker’s heart with astonishment because it solves many important problems. So, prepare yourself for a viewing of the true story of Israel , but this time through the lens of a treasure-seeker whose reward was to unravel the original point of view of the writers and original readers of the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures: that point of view which has been lost for two millenniums.

However, the truths revealed herein are as old as the Bible itself, but these lost truths were hidden from the sight of those Christian pseudo shepherds who have acted and continue to act like the Pharisees and scribes of the time of Jesus. Again, the rediscovered truths revealed in this book are extremely important when seeking to understand the covenantal scope of the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures. By ignoring these extremely important facts, the truth-searcher will continue to wander here and there in a world of mysteries controlled by religious minds; thus many honest questions will remain unanswered.

John Saggio’s forensics will transform the reader’s perception dramatically and permanently. At the present time, no other book in the world explains the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures like this one does, and no truth- seeker can remain insensitive to its content.

Finally, the reader will come to understand why it makes sense that these truths remained hidden from Christianity for the last 2,000 years, because NOW that the world has come of age, the time is right for a correct understanding of what really happened historically, politically, and religiously to the sons of Israel in the time of Jesus and the truths that God wants this world to learn from Israel’s experience.

After reading this book, hopefully you will understand why Mr. Saggio has concluded that one of the great purposes of the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures is to identify the beginning and end of all religions in the eyes of God, religions that began with Adam and Eve’s perception of good and evil and ended with the crucifying of Jesus, the Christ of God.

This book is of capital importance to those seeking truth. So, prepare yourself for a great feast, one which will satisfy your intellectual taste buds and nourish your inquisitive mind.

Ronald Kouri, Montreal, Quebec

August 27, 2008


PREFACE

Purpose

This book presents an ongoing quest for the meaning and significance of the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures (which in this literary quest are assumed to be the Word of God and historically accurate). The study proposes that the promises in the Torah and the Prophets and the promises of Jesus and the writers of the Greek Scriptures, including the author of the Book of Revelation, have all been fulfilled, concluding in 70 A.D. Interweaved in the study are the facts that Jesus the Christ has literally been raised from the dead and has achieved for all men without exception a justification of immortal life.

Because the entire canon of Scripture has been fulfilled, it is concluded that Christianity is not the Church of Christ. It is a religion whose function and purpose have been achieved, resulting in its present obsoleteness, along with all other religions. The Kingdom of God has been operating for the past 2,000 years, and humanity is now entering into adulthood. The world has come of age. Mankind is commanded by God to stand on his own two feet as an adult son of God taking full responsibility for his present and future welfare having been provided the wherewithal through Jesus the Christ to solve his problems in his quest to fulfill his God-given, creative potential.

In this ongoing quest for the meaning and significance of the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures is an explanation of Bonhoeffer’s exploration represented by the expressions “a world come of age,” “religionlessness,” “non-religious interpretation,” and “religionless Christianity.” This quest also provides a final appreciative response to Nietzsche’s insights into Christianity as a religion, as well as a correction of his misconceptions of the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures of the Jews given to humanity by Yahweh through the ancient nation of Israel . As Karl Barth’s commentaries on Romans (1919, 1921), Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s letters and papers from prison, and John A. T. Robinson’s writings expanded the consciousness of truth affecting the western world of the 20th century, this present work now submitted for public scrutiny should continue this expansion of the consciousness of truth in both the western and eastern worlds of the 21st century.

This book proposes the fulfillment of all biblical prophecy by 70 a.d. It concludes that Christianity is a religion to be distinguished from the Messianic Ecclesia of the Greek Scriptures. This study redefines, on the basis of an Oriental understanding of the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures, the traditional Occidental conception of original sin and biblically redefines the traditional Christian conceptions of grace, election, justification by faith, salvation, and redemption. This analysis of the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures from the point of view of Oriental ancient Israel also necessitates the rejection of the concept of a literal hell (the word eternal, in the Hebrew olam and in the Greek eon, should be translated age, eon, or eonian), as well as the acceptance of the salvation (justification of immortal life) of all men and women without exception. Extraordinarily relevant is the conclusion that Christianity and all religions are obsolete in a world come of age. This radically biblical quest defines the concept of a world come of age and provides a basis for this world come of age in the fulfillment of the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures by the literally only-generated Son of God, Jesus Christ, having been both literally raised from the dead and ascended into the celestial realm.

This study is unique and radically biblical in its treatment of the following subjects:

1.             The analogy of Israel ’s creation and generation to the creation and generation of Adam and Eve (chapter 5).

2.             The significance of the Lo-Ammi condition of the Northern Kingdom of Israel/Ephraim (chapter 8).

3.             The only comprehensive, first century Jewish approach to the Gospel of John (chapter 9, especially the gospel’s opening passage).

4.             The only presentation of a first century Jewish interpretation of the Sermon on the Mount (chapter 11, the Emancipation Proclamation of Jesus).

5.             The only thoroughly first century Jewish understanding of the parables of Jesus (chapter 12).

6.             The only unbiased first century Jewish exposition of Matthew, chapters 24 through 25, the Eschatological Proclamation of Jesus (chapter 13).

7.             The only radically biblical illumination of a first century Jewish approach to the apostleship of Paul and his Letter to the Romans (chapters 23 through 25).

8.             The only consistent first century Jewish analysis of the Book of Revelation (chapter 17).

9.             The only eschatological exposition of the Letters of James, Jude, Peter, John, and Hebrews (chapter 27).

This literary journey (chapters 1 through 13) follows the covenantal progression of the Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant (Old Covenant) through to its conclusion at the crucifixion and ascension of Christ. The journey continues its covenantal progression (chapters 14 through 28) by following the covenantal progression of the Golgothic/Messianic Covenant (New Covenant) to its conclusion in 70 A.D. with the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple.

Use of the Concordant Literal Translations

The home website for the Concordant Literal Translation is www.concordant.org/. The complete text for the New Testament books can be located at www.concordant.org/version/html. The following is quoted from pages 7-8 of the 1978 Concordant Literal New Testament publication to explain the particular reasons for the use of concordant literal translations in this literary journey:

God’s Word is mankind’s most precious possession. What are all the treasures in the world compared with it? Do they even begin to approach the riches which are brought to us by the knowledge of His mind, the appreciation of His love? Indeed, it is God Himself Who is revealed in the Sacred Scrolls. They alone are the channel of His light, and His life, and His love. Is it not the object of all creation and all revelation to lead us to a knowledge of the Deity? And is it not one of the finest and most fruitful works in the world to bring God’s great gift nearer to earth’s peoples in its original purity, preciousness, and power, and to seek methods of making their access to this boon as easy and practicable as possible? Every human undertaking, and every translation of the Scriptures, falls short of perfection. Our finite understanding, our faulty opinions as to the meaning of words in the ancient languages of inspiration cannot be fully evaded. To reduce this baneful influence to a minimum should be our earnest endeavor.

No mortal can fully comprehend or even sound the depths of God’s marvelous message to mankind. We never reach the point where we cannot find new light and fresh treasures in divine revelation. Since men carry over the truth into another language only so far as they grasp it themselves, no translation can be fully satisfactory. The compiler of the Concordant Literal New Testament, the late A. E. Knoch, was painfully aware of his shortcomings in this regard. He therefore sought to emphasize the necessity of shielding himself against his personal views, his inherited tendencies and traditional errors. This led to the development of the concordant method of translation.

Concordant means “agreeing, correspondent, harmonious, consonant” (Webster’s Third International Dictionary). It was the purpose of the compiler to make a translation that agreed as closely as possible to the original language of the Scriptures, and yet also one that was presented in readable English. The concordant method of translation clearly recognizes the importance of the vocabulary of Scripture keeping distinct the well-chosen words used by God in His revelation of truth. Though absolute consistency cannot be achieved in the making of a readable English translation, the Concordant Literal New Testament, by being “harmonious” with the Original, keeps to a minimum the confusion resulting from translating different Greek words with the same English word.

An example of distinguishing scriptural words in translation is the way in which the word love has been used in English versions. Often the verb love has been used in English versions. Often the verb love stands for two different Greek verbs, phileō and agapaō. Concordantly, however, phileō is rendered be fond (with the idiomatic variants—kiss and friend), and agapaō is rendered love (with the alternate—beloved).

With the exception of occasional idiomatic usages, in this Version each English word does exclusive duty for a single Greek word. By this means the significance and application of a single word can be determined from the inspired contexts.

This Version is also literal in the sense that it follows the word order and sentence structure of the early Greek manuscripts more than do most other translations. And it is also idiomatic in that when needed it alters the Greek syntax (sentence structure) in order to achieve acceptable English. For strict literalness and consistency the English sublinear of the Concordant Greek Text may be consulted.

Following is a list of Concordant Literal Translations published from 1978 through 1994 that were quoted from in this literary journey:

Concordant Literal New Testament . 1978. Canyon Country, CA: Concordant Publishing Concern.

The Book of “Genesis,” IN A BEGINNING. 1957/1978. Canyon Country, CA: Concordant Publishing Concern.

The Book of “Exodus,” THESE ARE THE NAMES. 1982. Canyon Country, CA: Concordant Publishing Concern.

The Books of “Leviticus,” AND HE CALLED and “Numbers,” IN THE WILDERNESS. 1983. Canyon Country, CA: Concordant Publishing Concern.

The Book of “Deuteronomy,” THESE ARE THE WORDS. 1984. Canyon County, CA: Concordant Publishing Concern.

The Book of Psalms. 1994. Canyon Country, CA: Concordant Publishing Concern.

The Book of Isaiah. 1962/1978. Canyon Country, CA: Concordant Publishing Concern.

The Book of Ezekiel. 1977. Canyon Country, CA: Concordant Publishing Concern.

The Book of Daniel. 1968. Canyon Country, CA: Concordant Publishing Concern.

The Twelve “Minor Prophets.” 1979. Canyon Country, CA: Concordant Publishing Concern.

Following is a list of Concordant Literal Translations published from 1998 through 2005 that were quoted from in this literary journey:

The Former Prophets: Joshua—Judges 1 Samuel—2 Samuel 1 Kings—2Kings. 2001. Santa Clarita, CA: Concordant Publishing Concern.

1 Chronicles—Job: 1 Chronicles—2 Chronicles Ezra-Nehemiah Esther—Job. 2004. Santa Clarita, CA: Concordant Publishing Concern.

Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs. 1998. Santa Clarita, CA: Concordant Publishing Concern.

The Latter Prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi. 2005. Santa Clarita, CA: Concordant Publishing Concern. (Note: Only the Book of Jeremiah was quoted from this version. The remaining books of the latter prophets were quoted from the earlier versions in this literary journey.)

The following are three reasons Scriptures quoted from the Concordant Version (CV) are not indicated as being “modified”:

  1. The Concordant Version often translates the Aorist tense (past tense) as the present tense. Concordant staff are now in agreement that the Aorist past tense should have been used instead of the present tense in these occurrences. Any changes showing the past tense instead of the Aorist tense translated in the present are not indicated as modified.
  2. The Concordant Version has signs or abbreviations before and after words that suggest a more precise translation. If the precise wording indicated by these signs and abbreviations are included in the CV text in this study, there is no indication of modification. For example, John 3:16 has a superscripted io before the word in: “who is believing ioin Him . . .” The abbreviation io stands for the word into. So this study could quote this part of John 3:16 as “who is believing into Him . . .” Any changes that include the wording from the signs and abbreviations are not indicated as modified.
  3. Use of the word Elohim instead of Alueim is not indicated as modified. Any changes using Elohim instead of Alueim are not indicated as modified.

Acknowledgments

A word of acknowledgment must be given to those special friends apart from whom the publication of this volume would have been long in coming. If Ronald Kouri of Quebec, Canada had not volunteered to type my handwritten manuscript from the very beginning of this literary project, I would still be typing the manuscript to this day. While working with the incredible task of deciphering my handwriting, Ron also edited, made revisions, checked biblical sources, and endured long hours of revisions over the telephone. For these time-saving endeavors, I will always remain grateful.

Margaret Carr of Mesa, Arizona took over the task of formatting the documents according to publication standards and styles. My immense thankfulness for and indebtedness to her expertise in compiling a very lengthy Table of Contents, checking the biblical sources, coding and compiling both the reference index and subject index, developing tables of biblical structures (unusual, but insightful outlines), using image applications to complete the dust jacket, constant printing of work completed, obtaining the ISBN number and bar code, and understanding copyright procedures cannot be adequately expressed.

Robert G. Gollehon of Reno, Nevada, from the very inception of this literary endeavor, read the chapters as they were completed, contributed notes and suggestions regarding structural and thematic contents, searched for those tiny errors that are difficult to spot, and checked the page numbers against the lengthy Table of Contents. For those contributions to a project which has drawn the interest of few people, he is to be sincerely thanked and commended.

Penultimaltely, I also want to thank my former colleague Richard Bonjour of Mountain View High School, Mesa, Arizona, for his editing skills and critical reading of the early chapters of the typed manuscript. His suggestions coming from our discussions of these early chapters proved to be invaluable in the clarification of ideas and terminology unfamiliar to many readers.

Last, but very important to the design of the dust jacket, the artistic depiction of the sunset scene was drawn by Joan Herr of Showlow, Arizona. Her ability to express pictorially that which I communicated only linguistically is remarkable.

One final acknowledgment is necessary. The conclusions of the biblical quest described in this volume will most likely be controversial, though certainly relevant to all of us living in the 21st century. Consequently, the contributions to the publishing of this volume by all these friends are a tribute to their courage, their love of truth, and their generosity in the offering of valuable time to a friend in need.

John Saggio, September 2008

ABBREVIATIONS

Bible Translations

ASV: American Standard Version, 1901 edition

BY: The Book of Yahweh, The House of Yahweh Edition, A House of Yahweh Publication,
       Abilene, Texas, 2nd printing, 1988

CV: Concordant Version, Concordant Publishing Concern, California

EB: The Emphasized Bible, Rotherham, 1978 edition

Heb MT: Hebrew Masoretic text

KJV: King James Version

LXX: Septuagint with Apocrypha: Greek and English

NASB: New American Standard Bible, 1963 edition

NGEINT: New Greek-English Interlinear New Testament (Greek text)

NJPST: New Jewish Publication Society Translation, TANAKH, 1988

NKJV: New King James Version

NRSVNT: New Revised Standard Version New Testament

RSV: Revised Standard Version, 1952

Books of the Bible (Old and New Testaments in order as appearing in the Scriptures)

Old Testament

Genesis: Gen.

Exodus: Ex.

Leviticus: Lev.

Numbers: Num.

Deuteronomy: Deut.

Joshua: Josh.

Judges: Judg.

Ruth: Ruth

1 Samuel: 1 Sam.

2 Samuel: 2 Sam

1 Kings: 1 Kings

2 Kings: 2 Kings

1 Chronicles: 1 Chr.

2 Chronicles: 2 Chr.

Ezra: Ezra

Nehemiah: Neh.

Esther: Esther

Job: Job

Psalms: Ps.

Proverbs: Prov.

Ecclesiastes: Eccl.

Song of Solomon: Song.

Isaiah: Isa.

Jeremiah: Jer.

Lamentations: Lam.

Ezekiel: Ezk.

Daniel: Dan.

Hosea: Hos.

Joel: Joel:

Amos: Amos

Obadiah: Obd.

Jonah: Jon.

Micah: Mic.

Nahum: Nah.

Habakkuk: Hab.

Zephaniah: Zeph.

Haggai: Hag.

Zechariah: Zech.

Malachi: Mal.


New Testament

Matthew: Matt.

Mark: Mk.

Luke: Lk.

John: Jn.

Acts: Acts

Romans: Rom.

1 Corinthians: 1 Cor.

2 Corinthians: 2 Cor.

Galatians: Gal.

Ephesians: Eph.

Philippians: Phil.

Colossians: Col.

1Thessalonians:
     1 Thess.

2 Thessalonians:
     2 Thess.

1 Timothy: 1 Tim.

2 Timothy: 2 Tim.

Titus: Titus

Philemon: Phn.

Hebrews: Heb.

James: James

1 Peter: 1 Pe.

2 Peter: 2 Pe.

1 John: 1 Jn.

2 John: 2 Jn.

3 John: 3 Jn.

Jude: Jude

Revelation: Rev.


PART 1A

(Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant Begun)

THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES

THE REVELATIONAL STORY BEGINS

THE FOUNDATIONAL CHAPTERS

Chapters 1 through 8


Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1 A Panoramic Introduction

Pursuing Truth
Stephen Crane: The Wayfarer

The Faithful Pursuit of Truth
Probing for Truth
The Use and Removal of Spectacles
The Purpose of This Literary Journey
The Premise of This Literary Journey
A Beginning--Genesis
Israel's Perspective
Israel's Reading of Her Holy Scriptures
Israel's Covenantal Relationship With Yahweh
Israel's Relation to Abraham and the Promised Land
The Elect Peoples of the Covenants
The Salvation of the Elect
The Last Generation of the Elect Peoples
Adam and Mankind
Jesus and Mankind
Adam and Israel
Israel and the Nations
The House Made for David: Jesus and Israel
The Terrestrial and the Celestial
The Awaited Expectation Received
The Jerusalem Above and the Jerusalem Below
      Paul's Allegory
      The Two Temples
      The Ecclesia as Temple
      Hagar and Her Children: The Jerusalem Below
      The Two Deaths
      Adam and Jesus
      Sarah and Her Child
      The Jerusalem Above
      Metaphoric Images
      The New Jerusalem
     A New Heaven and a New Earth
     The Mother of Us All
     The Tabernacle of God
     Two Communities Contrasted
      A Woman Clothed With the Sun
      Another Sign in the Heaven: The Dragon
      The Curse of the Law
      The Children of Cain
      The Blind and the Seeing
      Blind Israel
      The Pregnancy of Blind Israel
      The Dragon and His Stars
      The Birth of a Son, a Male
      Snatched Away to God
      The Bride
      Another Woman: Babylon the Great
      The Mother of the Prostitutes
      A Wilderness
      Deception Not Rebellion
      The Unveiling of the Sons of God
      The Creation
      The Expectation
      Metaphoric Death and Resurrection
      The Parable of the Tares
      The Tares: Cain
      The Harvest: Conclusion and Consummation
      The Culling of the Tares: The Apostasy
      The Furnace of Fire
      The Shining Out of the Just and the Unveiling of the Sons of God
      The Restoration of the Kingdom to Yahweh
Those Things Impending
      The Writer of Matthew
      The Writer of the Book of Acts
      Paul
      The Writer of the Book of Hebrews
      James and Peter
     The Writer of the Book of Revelation
     Conclusion

Table of Contents


Chapter 2 The View From Mount Sinai: Part I, Deuteronomy and Genesis 1-11; Part 1, The Vital View
The Song of Yahweh
     Israel's Father
     The Days of the Eon: National Allotments and the Sons of El
     The Portion of Yahweh: Jacob
The Sons of El and the El of Israel: The Ancient World
     Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: The Image of Gold
     Nebuchadnezzar and the Supreme El
     The Order of the Ancient World
     The Celestial Messenger and the Chief of the Kingdom of Persia
     Michael the Chief Messenger
     Michael iin the Book of Revelation
     Michael in the Letter of Jude
     A Voice of a Chief Messenger
     The Problem of the Exception to the Rule
Like the Stars of the Heavens for Multitude
The Evil Generation
The Sons of Lot and the Sons of Esau
Destruction of Powers and Liberation
The Analogy of the Former Days
     A City, A Tower, and A Name: The Origination of the Nations
     The Promise to Abram: A Great Nation, A Great Name, A Great City
     The Analogy Begins
     The First Question: The Former Days
     The Second Question: The Six-Day Creation and the Creation of Israel
     The Creation of a Metaphoric Heavens and Earth
     Paul's Use of the Metaphoric Heavens and Earth
     The Metaphoric Breath of Covenantal Life
     The Metaphoric Throne and Footstool of Yahweh
     Another Analogy: A Woman Giving Birth
     The Pregnancy of Israel
     The Purpose of the Implantation of the Seed of Jacob
     The Allusion to the Garden Planted in Eden
     The Allusion to the Two Trees
     The Conclusion of the Analogy
Genesis Revisited: The Creation of the Heavens and Earth
     The Statement of Fact
     Explaining the Process
     The Heavens
     The Earth
     The Creation Account
     The Appearance of Light Not the Creation of Light
     Asah and Bara
     The Heavens
     The Land and Sea
     The Sun, the Moon, the Stars
     Day and Night
     Creatures Inhabiting This Creation
     The Making of Humanity
     The Image and Likeness of Humanity
     The Creation of Humanity
     The Responsibility of Humanity
     The Conclusion of the Opening Account
     The Question Concerning the Meaning of the Word Day
Israel's Practical Application



Table of Contents

Chapter 3 Table of Contents: The View From Mount Sinai: Part II, Deuteronomy and Genesis 1-11; Part 2, Genesis Revisited: The Generations of the Heavens and the Earth

     The Formation of Adam From the Soil: The Image of the Elohim
     The Vivification of Adam by the Spirit: The Likeness of the Elohim
     Paul's Commentary on This Passage: The Two Men
     The Habitation of Adam: The Garden in Eden
     The Assignment of Adam: The Forbidden Fruit and Death
     The Complement of Adam: The Naming of All Living Creatures
     The Complement of Adam: The Surgical Removal of an Organ
     Paul's Analogy in Romans Chapter Seven
     The Complement of Adam: Woman
     Yahweh's Original Intention Concerning Marriage
     Marriage and the Analogy of Intercession: Adam and Moses
     The Generation of Death, Sin, and Shame
          Nakedness and Shame
          The Serpent
          The Woman
          Adam's Dilemma
          Paul's Understanding of Adam's Dilemma
Israel's Insight and Understanding
     The Promise to Israel: A Conquering Seed
     The Promise to Israel: A Nation out of Cain
     The Shed Blood of Abel
The Seed of the Woman
     The Sin of Adam and the Sin of Cain
     Jesus as the Seed of The Woman
     The Secret of the Gospel
The Judgment of the Woman
     The Two Sons
     Cain
     The Cainish Character of Israel
     The Faithful Abelites
     Cain and Abel as Metaphors
     The Hebrew Characterization of Humanity
The Question Concerning the Satan
     The Significance of the Serpent for Israel
     The Serpent and Egyptian Worship
     The Satan Not Involved in the Garden
     Israel and the Satan
The Problem of Cain
     Cain's Heart
     Cain's Audacity
     Cain as Firstborn
     Yahweh's Gracious Sign
The Line of Cain (Genesis 4:17-24)
Seth: A Replacement Seed for Abel
The Structure of the Book of Genesis
     The Structure of the B Members
     The Structure of the Book of The Generations of Adam
     The H1 Member: Terah (Gen. 11:27-25:11)
     The H2Member: Ishmael (Gen. 25:12-18)
     The E Members: Adam (Gen. 5:1-6:8) and Jacob (Gen. 37:1-50:26)
     The F Members: Noah and His Sons (Gen. 6:9-11:9) and Esau and His Sons (Gen. 36:1-43)
     The G Members: Shem (Gen. 11:10-26) and Isaac (Gen. 25:19-35:29)
The Royal Line and the Multiplication of Evil
     An Analysis of Genesis 5:1-6:8
           Rule and Procreation: The Sons and Daughters of Adam and Eve
           The Royal Line
     An Analysis of Genesis 6:1-8
           The Distinguished Ones
           Multitudinous Evil
           Yahweh's Regret
The Catastrophic Judgment and the Noahic Covenant
     The Faithfulness of Noah and the New World-Order
     The Reign of Death Continues
     Good and Evil
     The Noahic Covenant
     The Significance of Ham and Canaan
           Noah's Drunkedness and the Significance of Nakedness
           Noah's Curse Upon Canaan
     The Generations of the Sons of Noah
           Japheth
           Ham
              Nimrod
            Mizraim and Canaan
           Shem
           The Conclusion to the Account of the Generations of Noah
Babel: The City, the Tower, and a Name
2 Peter and the Heavens of Old
The Genealogies of Shem and Terah
A Promissory Note

Table of Contents


Chapter 4 The Significance of the Forefathers
Introduction
Abram/Abraham
     Election and the Celestial Reward
     Abraham's Heart
     The Promise Made to Abram on Behalf of His Seed
     The Hope of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
     The Duration of the Promised Tenancy of the Land
     Abram and Melchizedek
     The Distinction Between the Death of Christ and the Shed Blood of Christ
     Abram and the King of Sodom
     The Hebrew Word Enosh
     The Celestial Seed
     Romans 9:7-8
     The Hope: Lost and Found
     The House of Yahweh
     Abram's Heir
     Yahweh's Covenant with Uncircumcised Abram: Egyptial Bondage and Deliverance
     A Revelational Flashback
     Abram and Hagar
     Election and Non-Election
     Abraham and the Covenant of Circumcision
     Paul's Allegorical Interpretation in Galatians
     The Sacrifice of Isaac
     The Significance of the Death and Entombment of Sarah
Isaac
     Isaac as a Type of the Ultimate Seed of Promise
     Christ and Christianity
Jacob
     The Theme of Election
     Jacob and Esau
     The Three Analogies Representing Abraham's Seed
     The Relation of Transgression to Covenant
     Deception and Favoritism
     Jacob the Chosen One
     Esau the Unchosen One
     The Dream of Jacob: The Staircase into the Heavens
     A Stone and A Rock
     Jacob and Laban
     Jacob's Vision: The Encampment of Elohim
     Jacob's Wrestling: The Messenger of Yahweh
     Jacob's Trouble
          Dinah, Simeon, and Levi
          Jacob's Prophetic Words
     The Significance of Jacob's Trouble in Jeremiah and Daniel
     The Interpretation of Daniel by Jesus
     The Resurrection Prophesied by Daniel
     Jesus and the Resurrection Prophesied by Daniel
     The Kingdom of Righteousness
      Joseph
     The Significance of Judah and Tamar
     Joseph as Type of Jesus
     Joseph's First Dream
     Joseph's Second Dream
     The Rejection of Joseph: The Evil Scheme
     The Faithfulness of Joseph: The Suffering of Evil
     The Dreams of Two Servants of Pharaoh
     The Dreams of Pharaoh
     The Exaltation of Joseph
     Egypt as Symbol
     The Sons of Jacob: First Journey to Egypt During Famine
     The Sons of Jacob: Second Journey to Egypt During Famine
     Joseph's Manifestation to His Brothers
     Joseph's Manifestation and Jesus' Manifestation
     Saul/Paul as Pattern
     The Testimony of James
     Jacob and Joseph Reunited
     The Message of Moses to Israel in Moab

Table of Contents

Chapter 5The Nation Taken Out of a Nation: Covenantal Life and the Ministry of Death, Exodus
The Beginning of a New Nation and a New Eon
     The Death Common to All Humanity: Eden
      The Death Common to All Israel: Sinai
      The Temporary Rejuvenation of the Sinatic Mosaic Covenant
A New King Over Egypt
     Moses as Archetype
     Salvation
      Moses: A Shepherd in the Land of Midian
     The Dual Metaphor
     Paul's Allusion in Romans 8:18-25
     The Commissioning of Moses
The Hardening of Pharaoh's Heart
      Three Hebrew Words: Kabed, Qashah, Chazaq
      Yahweh's Purpose in Bolstering Pharaoh's Heart
      Final Reference to the Word Kabed
The Bolstering of Pharaoh's Heart and Theme of Election
     Paul's Treatment of the Theme of Election--Romans Chapter 9
      The Same Kneading and the Theme of Romans 5:12-21
Yahweh's Redemption of Israel: Passover and the Death of the Firstborn Ones
     The Death of the Firstborn Ones
      The Ransom of Israel's Firstborn Ones
      The Judgment Against Egypt's Firstborn Ones
     Yahweh as Kinsman Redeemer
          Redemption
          Ransom
     Jesus as Kinsman Redeemer
Yahweh's Salvation of Israel
Eonian Statutes and the Phrase Throughout Your Generations
     The Sabbath as a Sign for the Eon
     The Creation at Sinai and The Creation of Genesis Chapter One
     The Eonian Priesthood
     The Eonian Faith
     The Ministry of Moses and the Ministry of Jesus
     The Salvation at the Sea and the Song to Yahweh
The Capricious Character of the Sons of Israel
The Covenant at Sinai
     The Mortal Condition of Israel Before Yahweh
     Israel as a Collective Man
     Moses and the Selectmen of Israel
     Israel and Adam
     The Abrahamic Covenant and the Mosaic Covenant
     Face-to-Face Encounter and Righteousness for Us
The Breaking of the Covenant
     The Misconception of the Role of Moses
     The First Intercession of Moses
          The Restoration of the Covenant and the Verdict of Death
          The Judgment Initiated by Moses
          The Tribe of Levi Replaces the Firstborn Males
     The Second Intercession of Moses
          The Analogy with Adam and Eve
          The Love of Moses for Israel
          Israel Despoils Herself
     The Third Intercession of Moses
          The Way of Yahweh
          The Identification of Moses with Israel and the Verdict of Death
          The Restoration of the Covenant
           The Restored Covenant as a Ministry of Death and the Future Covenantal Resurrection: Jesus and Nicodemus
The Significance of the Veil of Moses
     Paul's Allusion in Romans 7:1-3
     The Glory of Yawheh Reflected on the Face of Moses
     The Restoration of the Stone Tablets
     Paul's Argument in 2 Corinthians 3:1-18
The Blessing of Moses at Sinai: Yahweh's Glory Fills the Tabernacle


Table of Contents

Chapter 6 In the Wilderness: A Holy Nation: A Generation Lost and a Generation Found: Leviticus and Numbers

Leviticus
     Holiness
     Yahweh's Instructional Manual
     The Tabernacle as the Center of Worship and Service
     Worship and Service Under the Elements of the World
     The Sacrifices
          The Law of Sin and Death
          The Sin and Guilt Offerings
          The Potency of Repentance
     The Mosaic Law and the Impossibility of Not Sinning
          Impurity in Childbirth
          Impurity and Skin Diseases
     The Day of Propitiatory-Shelter
     The Tabernacle as the Only Place for Sacrificial Offerings
     Prohibition Against Eating Blood
     The Central Theme of Holiness
          The Nation as One Man
          Justice in the Higher and Lower Courts
          Justice in the Higher Courts: A Holy Land and a Holy People
          The Purpose of Yahweh's Statutes: A Holy Land
          The Purpose of Yahweh's Judgments: A Holy People
          The Essence of Holiness: Separation and Wholeness
          The Heart of the Book of Leviticus: No Mixture
Numbers
     The Rebellion at Taberah and Kibroth Hattaavah
          The Desperation of Moses
          The Diverting of the Spirit of Moses
          The Judgment of Yahweh
     The Unique Stature of Moses
     Rebellion in the Wilderness of Paran
     The Rebellion of Korah
     The Significance of Balak and Balaam
     The Second Numbering of the People
     The Last Acts of Moses
          The Last Appointment of Joshua
          The Final Instructions--Blessings and Cursings
          The Final Prophetic Declarations: Latter Days
          The Song of Yahweh
          The Powerful Torah
          The Farewell Blessing of Moses
     The Covenantal Graduation of Israel and the Epitaph Concerning Moses

Table of Contents

Chapter 7 One Nation Under Yahweh: The Rejection of Yahweh as King (Joshua--Solomon)

     Joshua
     The Primary Message
     The Dethronement of the Powers
     The Fulfillment of Possession and Rest
     The Faith and Assistance of Rahab
     The Transgression of Achan
     The Ingenuity of the Gibeonites
     The Southern Campaign of Joshua and Israel
     The Northern Campaign of Joshua and Israel
     The Allotment of the Land
     Appointment of Cities of Refuge and Levitical Cities
     The Honorable Discharge
     The Construction of a Memorial Altar
     Joshua's Final Exhortation to Israel
     The Renewal of the Covenant
     The Death and Entombment of Joshua
Judges
     The Judgeship of Othniel
     The Judgeship of Deborah and Barak
     The Judgeship of Gideon
     The Judgeship of Samson
     Micah, the Danites, and the Inhabitants of Gibeah: The Extreme Decadence of the Evil Age of the Judges
Samuel
     The Birth of Samuel: A Woman Pressed in Spirit
     The Dedication of Samuel: A Son Sauled of El
     The Purpose of Yahweh
     Eli and His Sons: Depravity of the Aaronic Priesthood
     The Departure of the Shekinah Glory
     The Loss of the Ark of the Covenant
     The Judgeship of Samuel
Saul
     The Rejection of Yahweh as King in Yeshurun
     The Selection and Transformation of Saul by Yahweh
     The Kingship of Saul
          Saul's First Victory Over the Philistines: Hubristic Faithlessness
          Saul's Rejection as King
          Saul's Enmity Against Yahweh's Messiah
David
     The Restoration of the Mosaic System of Worship and Service
     David's Desire to Build a House for Yahweh
     The Ultimate Fulfillment of Yahweh's Promise to David
Solomon
     The Election of Solomon
     The Failure of Solomon

Table of Contents

Chapter 8 Table of Contents: One Nation Divided: The Voice of the Foreboding Prophets (Rehoboam--Zedekiah)

Rehoboam and Jeroboam
The Destruction of the Northern Kingdom: Lo-Ammi--Not My People
The Fall and Exile of Judah: Ruhamah--I Will Have Compassion
The Message of Isaiah and the Greek Scriptures
     Isaiah 40:3-5 The Voice in the Wilderness
     Isaiah 40:10 The Strong Arm of Yahweh
     Isaiah 42:1, 6-7 Behold My Servant
     Isaiah 42:9 New Things I Do Declare
     Isaiah 51:6 The Heavens Shall Vanish Like Smoke: The Use of Metaphoric Language
     Isaiah 1:1; 2:2; 4:2 Judah, Jerusalem, and The Branch in the Last Days
          The Contemporary Generation of Jesus
          The Mountain of Yahweh's House Exalted
          A New Exodus
          A New Judgment
          A New Salvation
          A New Tabernacle
     Isaiah 9:6-7 A Son and Dominion Given
          The Testimony of Peter, Paul, and Jesus
          The Testimony of the Book of Revelation
     Isaiah 11:6-9 They Shall Not Destroy in All My Holy Mountain
     Isaiah 55:11 My Word Shall Not Return to Me Void
     Isaiah 11:10-12 The Standard of the People
          The Sign of the Son of Man in Heaven
          The Wheat and the Weeds
     Isaiah 11:15-16 A Highway for the Remnant of His People
     Isaiah Chapter 13 The Destruction of Babylon in Metaphoric Language
     Isaiah 14:12-20 How Are You Fallen From Heaven O Day Star, Son of Dawn
     Isaiah 44:28; 45:1; and 49:6 Two Shepherd Servants of Yahweh
     Isaiah 50:1-3 The Metaphor of Mother and Children
          The Mother and Children of Revelation 12
          The Mother and Children of Cain
          The Two Mothers in the Wilderness
          The Lake of Fire
          A Highway of Redemption
     Isaiah 61:1-9 The Spirit of Yahweh Elohim is Upon Me
     Isaiah 55:3 A New Eonian Covenant and the Sure Mercies of David
     Isaiah 60:14 The City of Yahweh
          The Saints as the New Holy City of Jerusalem
          The Former Things Passed Away
     Isaiah 60:1-2 The Glory of Yahweh is Risen Upon You
     Isaiah 60:18-22 Violence Shall No More Be Heard in the Land
          The New Covenant
          The Righteous People
     Isaiah 66:8 A Nation Born at Once
          In the Regeneration
          The Progression Recorded in Acts
     Isaiah 65:17-23 A New Heavens and a New Earth
          The Heavenly Jerusalem
          Abraham's Seed
     Isaiah 66:15-16 Judgment and Dishonor, Salvation and Glory
          The Heavenly Jerusalem Becomes the Celestial Jerusalem
          The Manifestation of the Glory of Christ
          The Bride of the Lamb
          The New Covenant
          The Second Adam
     Isaiah 66:19-21 The Ecclesia of the Branch
          The Faithful Messianic Jews
          The Faithful Messianic Gentiles
     Isaiah 66:22-24 Yahweh's Blessing and Cursing
          The Continuing Eons
          The Worm That Shall Not Die
The Message of Jeremiah and the Greek Scriptures
     The Promise of Future Salvation for the Northern Kingdom
     The Future True Shepherd and Shepherds
          Slaves of Sin
          The Time of Future Salvation
     The Sin of Judah Engraven on the Heart
     A Righteous Branch, A King, Shall Reign and Prosper
     In His Days: Judah and Israel Reunited
     The Time of Jacob's Trouble--Past
     The Time of Jacob's Trouble--Future
          Four Degrading Elements
          The Abomination of Desolation
          The Salvation of Jacob Out of This Time of Trouble
     Ephraim Shall Bemoan His Lo-Ammi Condition
          Uncircumcised Ephraim
          Other Sheep Not of This Fold
          Ephraim's Repentance
          Yahweh's Mercy Upon Ephraim
          Ephraim as Backsliding Daughter and Virgin Bride
     The New Covenant
          The Unconsummated Marriage--The Old Creation
          The Consummated Marriage--The New Creation
          The Covenant Written on the Heart--The Indwelling Spirit
          The Priesthood of Christ, the Aaronic Priesthood, and Jeremiah 31:31-34
     The Consummation of the New Covenant
The Message of Ezekiel and the Greek Scriptures
     The Departure of the Glory of Yahweh
     Yahweh's Promise: I Will Gather You
     The Righteousness of Yahweh: The Soul That Sinneth Shall Die
     Yahweh's Salvation: A New Heart and New Spirit
     The Law of Christ
     The Valley of the Dry Bones
     The Two Sticks
     The Future Temple
     The Return of the Glory of Yahweh
     Worship and Service Within the New Temple
     The Prince and the Sharing of His Allotment
     The River of Living Water
     The Trees Along the Banks of the River
     The Border of the New Land And the Elevated Relation of the Sojourners in the Land
     The Final Word of Ezekiel
The Message of Daniel and the Greek Scriptures
     The Times of the Gentiles
          Nebuchadnezzar's Hubris
          Jesus the Messiah's Faithfulness
     The Termination of the Rule of the Sons of El and the Inauguration of the Rule of the Only-Generated Son of Yahweh
     Christianity as a New Religion of the Nations
          The Stone Cut Out From a Mountain Range
          The Collapse of the Image
          The Task of Christianity
     The Seventy Weeks
The Message of Zechariah and the Greek Scriptures
     The First and Second Visions: The Seventy-Year Captivity and Return
     The Third Vision: Judah as the Apple of Yahweh's Eye
     The Fourth Vision: The Kingdom of Priests
     The Fifth Vision: The Construction of the Future Temple
     Salvation is of the Jews
          The Deviation of the Jews
          The Advantage of the Jews
     The Arrival of the Branch
     The Future Shepherd
     The Future Foolish Shepherd
     The Future Salvation of Judah and Jerusalem
     The Day of Yahweh
          The Parousia of Christ
          The Last Day
          The New Eon
          The Final Plague
          The Kingdom of Yahweh
          Christianity
          The Conclusion of Zechariah
The Message of Malachi and the Greek Scriptures
     The Corrupted Covenant of Levi
     The Faithful Messenger
     The Messenger of the Covenant
     The Wicked and the Righteous
     The Bridge

List of Structures

Structure 1: The Literary Structure of Genesis (Genesis 1:1-50:26)
Structure 2: Book of Genesis (Genesis 1:1-50:26)
Structure 3: The Process of Creation (Genesis 1:2-50:26)
Structure 4: The Book of The Generations of Adam: The Ten Generations (Genesis 5:1-50:26)
Structure 5: Adam as Yahweh Elohim's Appointed King (Genesis 5:1-6:8)
Structure 6: Structural Relationship Between Genesis 5:1-2 and Genesis 6:1-2 (my translation)
Structure 7: The Generations of Adam: Structural Relationship of the Royal Line (Gen. 5:3-32)
Structure 8: Generations of Terah (Genesis 11:27-25:11)
Structure 9: Abraham and the Birth of Isaac (Gen. 11:27-22:19)
Structure 10: Yahweh’s Covenant--The Central Theme of Holiness: Be Ye holy For I Am Holy (Leviticus 18:1-20:27)
Structure 11: Instructions and Purpose of Statutes and Judgments Concerning Sexual Unions and Resulting Seed (Leviticus 18:1-30; 20:1-27)
Structure 12: Purpose of the Judgments--A Holy People (Expansion of the E2 Member of Structure 11, Leviticus 20:23-27)
Structure 13: Judicial Justice in the Lower Courts (Leviticus 19:1-37)
Structure 14: The Book of Numbers (Numbers 1:1-36:13)
Structure 15: The Song of Yahweh (Deuteronomy 32:1-43)
Structure 16: Song of Yahweh: Heavens and Earth (Poetic Structure of Deuteronomy 32:1, 32:43a, 43c CV Modified)
Structure 17: Song of Yahweh: The Heavens and Earth Called to Jubilate (Literary Relationship of Deuteronomy 32:1-4 and 32:43)
Structure 18: Song of Yahweh: Poetic Structure of Monition of Moses (Deuteronomy 32:2-4 Modified)
Structure 19: Song of Yahweh: Monition of Moses (Relationship Between Deuteronomy 32:43b and 32:43d of Structure 17)
Structure 20: Song of Yahweh: Yahweh’s Lamentation (Expansion of B Member of Structure 15, Deuteronomy 32:5-42)
Structure 21: Song of Yahweh: Yahweh’s Response (Expansion of Verse 6 of d1 Member of Structure 20, Deuteronomy 32:6)

Bibliography

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References

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CHAPTER 1

A PANORAMIC INTRODUCTION

Pursuing Truth

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What is Truth? It has been written, “The truth shall set you free.” Truth, though much spoken about, is rarely pursued. Truth pursued is like tracking a wounded lion. To pursue truth is to court danger. To pursue truth is to play with dynamite. For eventually, truth heats up and explodes, shattering the very foundation of belief systems.

Truth is painful. Choosing to pursue truth demands serious deliberation about the cost. The seriously committed pursuer of truth will carefully consider the cost, and, having made the decision to pursue, will put his or her hands to the plough and never turn back (Lk. 9:62; 14:28-31).

Pursuing truth is a life and death adventure. One must be ready to live dangerously. One must be willing to die courageously to one’s most sacred beliefs . . . to one’s most sacred core of knowledge and understanding . . . that which has been effortlessly and/or painlessly received from others as well as that which has been acquired personally through exhausting and/or painful effort.

If truth is to set one free, it must be understood that one will be set free from error, from that which is false. But if the error, that which is false, has been considered sacred, to continue down the pathway of truth will be perceived as fearfully dangerous and threateningly painful. That which is revered as holy is most difficult to give up.

Pursuing truth means desacralizing the sacred so as to free oneself from its debilitating mesmerization, its deceiving enslavement. It demands the acknowledgement of having been wrong. It might even mean the destruction of the very foundation of one’s life. It might mean having to abandon all that one has previously achieved.

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Stephen Crane: The Wayfarer

Stephen Crane (Katz 1972, 94) in his poem “The Wayfarer” exposes the hypocrisy of the individual pretending to be a wayfarer seeking truth.

The wayfarer

perceiving the pathway to truth was struck with astonishment.

It was thickly grown with weeds.

“Ha,” he said,

“I see that none has passed here in a long time.”

Later, he saw that each weed

was a singular knife.

“Well,” he mumbled at last,

“Doubtless there are other roads.”

Crane does not describe “a” wayfarer. He describes “the” wayfarer. “The” depicts a specific kind of wayfarer. This particular wayfarer proves to be a deceiver, a liar, a hypocrite. He does not merely see the pathway to truth. He perceives this pathway. Perceiving is not the same as seeing. Perception claims to understand the significance of what one sees. This wayfarer does not just see the pathway to truth. He knows, understands that the path he sees is in fact “the” pathway to truth. He is not deceived, and he is not in doubt.

However, he is astonished. What he perceives is not in question. This is “the” pathway to truth. But something causes him to become “struck with astonishment.” His expectation proves to be an illusion! What he sees is unanticipated. It is startling. He had expected beautiful flowers and grass as smooth as velvet, but discovers thickly grown weeds. At first, this does not discourage this wayfarer. His response to the unanticipated reveals his accurate perception of what he sees. He draws the correct conclusion, “none has passed here in a long time.” This is precisely Crane’s point. There are very few pursuers of truth, very few courageous wayfarers genuinely seeking truth.

The question which now has to be answered concerns this particular wayfarer. Is he a courageous wayfarer genuinely seeking truth? This wayfarer first declares, “Ha.” This emotional outburst reveals the (Page 2)wayfarer’s joy. He is thrilled that he is a member of an elite group. Not many others have “passed here in a long time.” He is special. He feels honored to be among such a select group of wayfarers. Up to this point, his astonishment, his disillusionment has not detracted him from his pursuit. The thickly grown weeds had indicated only that few had passed there in a long time. He would now join this select group by beginning his journey along this pathway to truth.

With the word “later,” Crane proceeds to make clear the answer to the above question. The wayfarer has delayed his journey while he investigates more closely the thickly grown weeds. “Later” signifies the passing of some time. The wayfarer has hesitated in spite of the fact that he knows this is “the” pathway to truth. He now sees “that each weed was a singular knife.” Knives cut . . . cuts bleed . . . bleeding is painful and potentially fatal. This wayfarer’s conclusion is revealing. Instead of clear and confident pronunciation, the wayfarer “mumbled.” By mumbling, the wayfarer indicates his grievance corresponding to the fact that he knows what should be done but is not willing to pay the price for doing so. Therefore, he needs to invent some excuse for not acting in accord with what he knows to be true . . . that is, this is definitely “the” pathway to truth. Thus, “at last” he grudgingly comes to a cowardly compromising conclusion, “Doubtless there are other roads.”

The wayfarer rejects the pathway to truth by rationalizing that “there are other roads.” Doubtless, there ARE other “roads.” But there is only one “pathway.” A pathway is made by a few. Roads are made by many. It is the pathway that leads to truth, nurtured by doubt, authentic and honorable questioning. Too many roads lead to illusions maintained by lies, dishonorable pseudo-certainty, narrow-mindedness.

Crane has the wayfarer use the word “doubtless” rather than surely or certainly in order to emphasize the wayfarer’s fraudulent final decision. “Doubtless” there are other roads. This is true, but certainly there is only one pathway to truth, and this wayfarer does not doubt this. He will settle for illusions maintained by lies (falsehood and error), since he prefers comfort and safety to pain and danger in the pursuit of truth.

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The Faithful Pursuit of Truth

The concern of this present literary journey is the faithful pursuit of truth. How is one to respectfully and guilelessly read the literature of the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures, traditionally referred to as the Old and New Testaments of the Bible? How does one judiciously read these writings so as to impartially understand what the authors intended to communicate to those addressed? The answer to these questions is to be found in the theme of Crane’s poem above. The reader in quest of truth must be prepared to endure the pain, the frustration, and the anxiety that comes with the conscious effort to exclude personal preconceptions in the process of reading the chosen text before him or her. Each sharpened weed must be allowed to make its own authentic cut, even if that cut goes against the reader’s most sacred preconceptions, assumptions, and theological objections. The judicious and guileless reader will proceed along the pathway to truth willingly, though anxiously, prepared to honorably engage whatever may be encountered, even if that engagement threatens his or her most revered foundational beliefs.

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Probing for Truth

This task is never easy and may never be completely possible. The reader must probe to discover his or her own assumptions and preconceptions so that he or she is aware of that which must not be allowed to interfere with, or distort, his or her understanding of the text. Too often the reader is not even aware of his or her assumptions and preconceptions being read into the text or being used as spectacles through which the text is being colored or distorted.

What the reader sees is determined by how he or she perceives. How he or she perceives is determined by the spectacles through which he or she reads the text. The guileless reader must become consciously aware of the effect or contribution of these spectacles (one’s assumptions, preconceptions, and theological beliefs) so as to avoid misreading the text due to the foreign refractions of these spectacles.

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The Use and Removal of Spectacles

Such awareness will make it possible for the reader to remove these spectacles, allowing a more neutral, judicious, authentic reading which will free the text to paint its own picture, create its own foreground and background, reveal its own assumptions and preconceptions, thereby making visibly clear (Page 3)its own intended vision. But this is a process which must be practiced continually in order for the text to continually challenge the reader’s preconceptions, the reader’s many unconscious spectacles determining the reader’s perceptions and conceptions. Oftentimes the text will manifest what one’s spectacles interpret as flaws in the picture. Such flaws may prove to be signals from the text that the reader’s spectacles are inappropriate. Upon investigation, such flaws may lead to a new vision, a new pair of spectacles resulting in the discarding of the old inappropriate spectacles. Such flaws are the weeds described by Crane, “each weed was a singular knife.” Investigation of such flaws will cause painful cuts, but the truth obtained will be well worth the pain, at least for those seeking truth, those treasuring truth as precious pearls of great price.

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The Purpose of This Literary Journey

The present literary journey seeks to share with the reader the results obtained by the writer’s attempt to journey along the pathway to truth in relation to his reading of the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures. Investigating the weeds along the way has generated a restoration of the paramount vision of the holy scriptures making up the literary heritage of the nation created and generated at Mount Sinai by Yahweh, the God (Elohim) of Israel .

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The Premise of This Literary Journey

The premise of the present literary journey is twofold: (1) The Hebrew and Greek Scriptures of the Bible were written by Israelites for Israelites. (2) The Promises and Prophecies of these scriptures were fulfilled within the first 70 years of the first century a.d. These holy scriptures have as their main theme the significance and purpose of the creation of the nation Israel and her covenantal life spanning the duration of the Mosaic Eon (age).

In order for these scriptures to explicate this theme, it was necessary to provide significant information from the previous eon—from the creation and generation of the heavens and the earth (that is, the molding of our planet into a fit habitation for mankind) to the creation and generation of the nation of Israel. Thus, Israel has a significant relation to both mankind as a race and to mankind as comprising the nations, both of which preceded Israel ’s creation and generation.

Israel also has a significant relation to the nations and the race as they exist today. However, the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures have little to communicate about this current eon. These holy scriptures have as their primary theme the nation Israel and the nations during the Mosaic Eon—from Moses to Jesus the Messiah, the Seed of Abraham, the Son of David, the Son of Adam, the Son of God (Yahweh).

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A Beginning—Genesis

For this reason the Hebrew Scriptures begin with the Book of Genesis. This first book provides the pertinent information concerning the early history of mankind and the nations which necessitated the creation and generation of Israel . This text begins with the creation of the heavens and the earth by God. However, it does not refer to the creation of the universe, as western civilization has understood it. The Hebrew Scriptures do not focus on the universe, the cosmos. The universe provides the distant background upon which the Hebrew Scriptures paint their picture, focusing on the foreground of the heavens and earth, the planet we call Earth.

Thus, the interest of the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures is focused on the human race created on the sixth day of God’s creative preparation of this planet for the habitation of mankind created in His likeness and His image. The first chapter of Genesis is not concerned with the creation of the cosmos. Nor is it concerned with the origination of this satellite of the Sun. Genesis begins its story, not at “the” beginning, but at “a” beginning. This book presupposes the existence of a planet in a chaotic state unfit for the habitation of mankind. It presupposes the existence of the sun, the moon, and the stars. The explanation it provides begins with God (Elohim) as a potter taking hold of this raw lump of clay and molding it into a vessel fit for the habitation of the human race He has chosen to create. This explanation was important to Israel ’s understanding of her own creation and purpose, her own identity and significance.

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Israel ’s Perspective

The Hebrew and Greek Scriptures assume that mankind began with the creation of a single man called Adam. The text does not attempt to prove this assumption. It merely describes as fact the details as to how God (Elohim) created the heavens and the earth and the man Adam. There is significant reason for this approach. Western civilization tends to read this literature chronologically. It begins with Genesis and reads forward. However, for the nation Israel , the experience of Yahweh her Elohim began, not with Genesis, but with Moses and the mighty demonstrations of the power of Yahweh as He delivered her out of the brutal hands of the Egyptians.

Israel did not have to ask the question concerning Yahweh's existence. This people saw His mighty right arm at work in the historical events in Egypt resulting in their exodus. They heard His awe-inspiring voice at Sinai. As a result of these dynamic experiences, Yahweh was an historical reality. Yahweh was the Elohim of Israel and was like no other elohim of the nations.

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Israel ’s Reading of Her Holy Scriptures

Therefore, Israel read her holy scriptures in media res in the midst of her own historic story, her own historic experience. The revelation given to Moses making up the holy Torah originated with this living, active God. It was as if Israel had been abruptly awakened to find herself cast into the midst of a conflict which she had known nothing about. Israel urgently needed to acquire knowledge of that which had led up to the present situation in order that she could properly respond to the present conflict and perform her intended role in the drama being played out before her own eyes. A desperate sense of urgency prevailed. Anxiety concerning the immediate future, her immediate safety, was the prevailing concern.

This people had heard the stories about Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but, until the commissioning of Moses, they had not experienced historically the intervention of this Elohim of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Elohim of Abraham had been silent and inactive in relation to the affairs of Abraham’s children. Thus, the revelation was given to Israel in order that this nation might know and understand why Yahweh Elohim created her as His own personal nation, and what part she was chosen to play in this human drama Yahweh Elohim had begun with the creation of Adam. Consequently, Genesis was written for Israel based upon revelation provided by her God Whom these people personally experienced in Egypt and at Mount Sinai.

Genesis and the entire corpus of the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures must, therefore, be read from the experiences, perceptions, assumptions, and theological beliefs of Israel . This nation was not interested in the presupposed background of the story (the creation of the universe). Israel’s interest was in the foreground of the drama (the Earth and mankind) in the midst of which she found herself as she experienced Yahweh’s intervention on her behalf in the exodus out of Egypt led by Moses.

From Israel ’s perspective, her God was not mythical, not philosophical, not even theological, but historical, covenantal, personal, experiential, relational. This God, Yahweh Elohim, separated Himself from the nations for an eon in order to have a monistic relation to a nation He created for Himself out of another nation ( Egypt ). As Yahweh was holy (set apart for Israel ), so also Israel was to be holy (set apart for Yahweh) in the midst of this human drama.

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Israel ’s Covenantal Relationship With Yahweh

Such a relation was covenantal. Yahweh and Israel entered into a contractual agreement. If Israel obeyed Yahweh’s Law, Yahweh’s Voice, Yahweh’s Word, the nation would be blessed by Yahweh religiously, socially, economically, hygienically, and politically. Yahweh would give this elect people supremacy over the nations. And upon willingly entering into this covenant with Yahweh, Israel was indeed given supremacy over the nations. Yahweh fought the nations on her behalf in the land which Yahweh set apart (made holy) for her.

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Israel ’s Relation to Abraham and the Promised Land

This gifted land was the result of Yahweh’s promise to Israel ’s forefather, Abraham. Thus, Israel understood herself, her blessings, and her destiny as historically and covenantally related to Yahweh’s calling of Abram, Yahweh’s promises given to Abram/Abraham, and Yahweh’s covenants made with (Page 5)Abram/Abraham. In spite of this relation, Abraham himself was never under the covenant Yahweh made with Israel at Mount Sinai. The promise of the land was given to Abraham on behalf of his seed. However, neither Isaac nor Jacob ever received the gifted land, and neither one participated in the Sinatic Covenant. The members of the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob who experienced the promise of the land and participated in the Sinatic Covenant were the seed of Jacob’s twelve sons living in Egypt at the time of Moses’ commission to lead Yahweh’s people out of Egypt .

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The Elect Peoples of the Covenants

The Hebrew and Greek Scriptures were written during the course of the Mosaic Eon (from the generation of Moses through the generation of Jesus) and are primarily concerned with the people participating in the Sinatic Covenant and the Abrahamic covenants preceding the Sinatic Covenant. However, what was written concerning these elect peoples was to have, and did have, a profound affect on the nations and mankind as a race. In spite of this, these scriptures are not addressed to the nations and to mankind as a race. They are addressed to one nation, Israel . They are concerned with Israel ’s fulfillment of her role in the human drama into which she had been cast while in the midst of Egyptian slavery.

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The Salvation of the Elect

These scriptures are therefore primarily concerned with the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. This fulfillment concerned only the elect peoples related to Abraham and Israel . The salvation promised and proclaimed in these scriptures was limited, in accord with Yahweh’s purpose, to the elect peoples.

This salvation did not include all humanity. It was based upon Election (God’s choice) and faithfulness (man’s choice). For those not included in the election (for example, Esau), salvation and covenantal faithfulness were not even possible. Esau was never lost since he was never elected. Only a person participating in the election could become lost and, so, be cut off from the promised salvation in Abraham’s seed, Jesus the Messiah.

However, the following must be noted. Simply because a person was not permitted by Yahweh to participate in the election did not mean that person was consigned by God to eternal punishment. The ultimate destiny of mankind is not dependent upon man’s faith or works. It is dependent upon the will and purpose of God. It is dependent upon the faithfulness and works of God on behalf of all humanity, all God’s people created in His likeness and His image.

The Hebrew and Greek Scriptures have made it clear that God loves all humanity, and that the life He has already given to the faithful elect, He will give to all humanity. For even though Israel did fulfill her task, the last curtain of the human drama has not yet come down. The drama continues. It has not yet reached its concluding act. What Israel has contributed has significantly affected the final outcome of the drama, but her covenantal role on stage was never intended to be played out into the last act.

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The Last Generation of the Elect Peoples

Since these scriptures (Hebrew and Greek) are primarily concerned with the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, and since Jesus declared that He came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets, it should not surprise the reader of the Greek Scriptures to find that these scriptures (Hebrew and Greek) were written to the last generation of the elect peoples. The Hebrew and Greek Scriptures were primarily concerned with instruction and encouragement for these peoples as they shared in the sufferings of the Christ (the Messiah), which sufferings would culminate in the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets during that very generation, even as Jesus had declared to His Apostles,

Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. (Matthew 24:34 KJV)

And as Paul declared to the faithful at Rome,

For I am reckoning that the sufferings of the current era do not deserve the glory about to be revealed for us. (Romans 8:18 CV)

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Adam and Mankind

The last generation of the elect peoples and its accomplished destiny cannot be properly evaluated apart from its relation to Adam. This first man was formed from the soil of the ground. God breathed into him the breath (spirit) of life and he became a living soul. The Greek Scriptures refer to this man as the first Adam, the first man. This man is said to be a soulish man, out of earth. He is contrasted with the last (eschatos) Adam, the last man (Jesus) Who became a vivifying spirit, the lordly one out of heaven, spiritual (cf. 1 Cor. 15:45-49 CV, Grk. text).

The first man Adam was provided a complement, a mate. This complement was created by God from a cell taken out of Adam’s body. Adam called his complement “woman” (Gen. 2:23) for she was taken out of man. Later, he called her “Eve,” for she would become the mother of all living (Gen. 3:20). It was through this man and this woman that the race of mankind (the first humanity, soulish humanity) was generated. Adam, through his complement, his mate, his bride, his wife, became the biological forefather and head of the human race.

Adam, through his disobedience, also became the one responsible for introducing death into the human race. Thus, the first humanity, soulish humanity, became soilish humanity, each member of the race participating in biological, soilish death through no fault of any individual except Adam, “for soil you are, and to soil are you returning” (Gen. 3:19 CV). Paul declared this in his letter to the Romans, “Therefore, even as through one man the sin entered into the world, and through this sin the death, and thus this death passed through into all men . . . (Rom. 5:12 CV).

So the first man, Adam, became the forefather and head of the first humanity, which is soulish and which became condemned to participate in death, thus becoming soilish. Adam was held responsible, not Eve. It was through Adam’s sin that death became stamped on the race. Therefore, it was through Adam’s sperm that death (mortality) was passed on to his children, and, from thereon, through the sperm of all male fathers. The seed (egg) of the woman does not carry within it the gene encoding The Law of Death. It is Adam’s, the male’s sperm that contributes this gene to the seed (egg) of the woman.

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Jesus and Mankind

The Hebrew and Greek Scriptures looked to the seed of the Woman for salvation. The seed of the Woman is free from the contamination of the sperm of the man until it is penetrated by that sperm. Isaiah prophesied,

Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14 KJV)

Now, Isaiah prophesied this concerning a young woman who would give birth naturally to a male child, and this child would be a sign to King Ahaz. But Matthew, writing in Greek, interpreted this passage as applying to Jesus:

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as His mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make a public example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a Son, and they shall call his name Immanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. (Matthew 1:18-23 KJV)

To an Israelite, this made complete sense. It was the way his God revealed what was concealed in the holy scriptures by God’s spirit through God’s prophets. This interpretation of Isaiah 7:14 by the Jewish writers of the Greek Scriptures justified their conclusion that Jesus was born apart from the sin and death Adam brought into the race. A child generated by God’s spirit penetrating the seed (egg) of a woman would be uncontaminated by physical, soulish death. That child would not be soilish, since he was not participating in the death that Adam brought into the human race. Death would not be operating within his biological system. He would be immune to natural death (the death common to all humans), though still being able to die by means of an outside source. He would thus be what the Jewish writer, John, called Jesus, God’s “Only Begotten Son” (Jn. 3:16 KJV modified).

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Adam was called God’s son (Lk. 3:38), but he was a created son. Adam was not generated. Every generated son of Adam is contaminated by death and thus can be physically, soulishly, labeled illegitimate, since each is not like his father Adam when Adam was first created. From the hand of God, Adam was not contaminated by death. Death was not operating in him, though he was capable of being killed.

The Jewish writers of the Greek Scriptures understood this distinction. Jesus is presented as the only legitimate son of Adam, and the only generated son of God. Jesus is said to be “son of Adam, . . . son of God” (Lk. 3:38). Jesus was a soulish son of Adam uncontaminated by the death Adam passed into the race. Jesus was the son of the woman Mary, the son of the woman Eve, who was taken out of Adam. He is the only legitimate son of Adam and the only generated son of God. Therefore, He was and is the only legitimate heir of Adam (the Son of the Man, Mk. 2:28 CV) and, as such, the only legitimate Heir of God, King over all humanity, all nations, all life. Jesus was born the last (eschatos) Adam and became at His resurrection and ascension the Second (deuteros) Man (cf. 1 Cor. 15:45-47 CV, Grk. text).

As the Second Man, the Second Adam, Jesus became the forefather, the Head of a new humanity, a new race. The first man was soulish and through disobedience became soilish, contaminated by death. The Last Man was soulish and through His obedience unto death became spiritual, in essence immortal. This Last Man, Jesus, was never soilish. It had been prophesied of Jesus and affirmed by Peter (Acts 2:29- 31) that the body of Jesus would not see corruption. Yahweh’s words addressed to Adam in Genesis 3:19, “for soil you are, and to soil are you returning” (CV), did not apply to Jesus.

The first man, Adam, is the forefather and head of the first humanity characterized by death. The Second Man, Jesus, is the Forefather and Head of the Second Humanity characterized by life (immortality). The first man, Adam, generated a soulish humanity (race) through his complement, his bride, his wife, Eve. The Second Man, Jesus, has been in the process of generating a spiritual humanity (race) through His Complement, His Bride, His Body, His Church (Ecclesia), His Celestial Wife in the Celestial Jerusalem above.

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Adam and Israel

The preceding analysis of Adam to Jesus is an example of Biblical analogy designed to communicate Biblical truth. Another paramount analogy is the comparison of the creation of Adam with the creation of Israel .

For ask now about the former days which came before you, from the day Elohim created humanity on the earth, and from one end of the heavens unto the other end of the heavens: Has there occurred anything like this great thing, or has anything been heard like it? Has a people ever heard the voice of the living Elohim speaking from the midst of the fire just as you heard it, and lived? Or has an elohim ever tried to come and take for himself a nation from among another nation by trials, by signs and by miracles, by war, by a steadfast hand and by an outstretched arm and by great fear-inspiring deeds, such as all that Yahweh your Elohim did for you in Egypt before your eyes? (Deuteronomy 4:32-34 CV)

According to this text, Moses declares to Israel that Yahweh has accomplished no greater work since the creation of mankind than the work He has accomplished in creating this nation. This text also provides one Biblical division of time which Paul refers to in his letter to the Romans as “from Adam to Moses” (Rom. 5:14).

Genesis announces “In a beginning” and proceeds to describe Elohim’s creation of the heavens and the earth, reaching its apex on the sixth day with the creation of a man. Deuteronomy announces “ask now about the former days which came before you” and proceeds to describe Yahweh Elohim’s creation of another heavens and earth, reaching its apex with the creation of a nation. Yahweh declares that this new creation is his greatest achievement since His creation described in Genesis, chapters 1 and 2.

Moses declares,

From the heavens He let you hear His voice, to discipline you, and on the earth He showed you His great fire, and you heard His words from the midst of the fire. (Deuteronomy 4:36 CV)

As Yahweh Elohim formed Adam from the soil of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, so Yahweh Elohim formed Israel from the midst of Egypt and breathed into him the breath of covenantal life as this nation heard Yahweh’s Words from the Heavens, the Ten Words, commonly referred to as the Ten Commandments. Moses also declares,

I testify against you today by the heavens and the earth . . . (Deuteronomy 4:26a CV)

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Of which heavens and earth does Moses speak? The heavens and earth of Israel ’s experience at Mount Sinai. This experience for Israel was covenantal life. No other nation had such life from Yahweh Elohim.

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Israel and the Nations

Covenantally, this newly created nation was placed (metaphorically) near to Yahweh in the heavens above the nations on the earth.

So Yahweh will make you to be head and not the tail, and you will surely be above, and you shall not be below [many nations] . . . (Deuteronomy 28:13a CV)

And again,

Yahweh your Elohim chose you to belong to Him as a special people above all the peoples who are on the surface of the ground. (Deuteronomy 14:2b CV)

And finally,

Yahweh your Elohim will give you supremacy over all the nations of the earth. (Deuteronomy 28:1b CV)

This would begin to occur under Moses and would be established with the nation’s conquest of the land under Joshua. It would constitute a beginning of a new eon, a new world-order during which Yahweh would rule the kingdoms of the earth (the ancient world) as the God of Israel. Under Yahweh, Israel (as Yahweh’s newly created national man) would perform the role of priest on behalf of the nations and himself. As Adam reflected the image and likeness of God to the old order, so now, Israel would reflect the image and likeness of God to the new order, during which he (as Yahweh’s national, corporate man/priest) would have supremacy over the nations.

The Jewish writer of the Book of Revelation in the Greek Scriptures made use of these metaphoric images. In the 12th chapter, the writer refers to a great sign in the heaven. This sign consists of “a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon underneath her feet, and on her head a wreath of twelve stars” (Rev. 12:1b CV). The woman symbolically represents Israel and her covenantal position of supremacy over the nations. She is portrayed as a Priestess clothed with the sun (according to the analogy of creation, Israel had been newly created a national, corporate man/priest. According to the analogy of generation, Israel as generated out of the terrestrial womb of Egypt became a national, corporate woman/priestess as a result of the sin committed at the foot of Mount Sinai and the establishment of the Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant). The sun symbolically represents the glorious light of her statutes and judgments which Yahweh Elohim gave exclusively to her: “He showeth His word unto Jacob, His statutes and His judgments unto Israel . He hath not dealt so with any nation . . .” (Ps. 147:19-20 KJV).

The moon is described as underneath her feet. This befits her role as priestess. She is mediator between God and the nations by reflecting down to the nations the glorious light of Yahweh’s statutes and judgments. This light is shed upon the nations during the night of the Mosaic Eon. The writer is inferring a full moon shining brightly in the night sky. This is evident when reading this book from the perspective of Israel ’s self-understanding based upon her holy scriptures.

Israel was chosen and formed at the beginning of a new age, a new world-order, because the nations had failed to walk in accord with Yahweh’s innate moral and natural orders. They had failed to continue to worship and serve the One Living Elohim Who created the heavens and the earth and gave mankind life. Moses at Moab warned Israel ,

Guard yourselves lest you shall lift up your eyes toward the heavens, and you see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of the heavens, and be induced to bow yourself down to them and serve them, which Yahweh your Elohim has apportioned to all other peoples beneath the entire heavens. (Deuteronomy 4:19- 20 CV)

Paul, commenting on this in his letter to the Romans, declares that

knowing God, not as God did they glorify or thank Him, but vain were they made in their reasonings, and darkened is their unintelligent heart. . . . God gave them over to a disqualified mind . . . (Romans 1:21, 28b CV)

Israel was elected and created to worship and serve Yahweh according to truth, according to Yahweh’s statutes and judgments which would enlighten her path as she worshiped and served Yahweh during the night of the ancient world. Yahweh had given up the nations to their own disqualified thinking and, so, (Page 9)apportioned to them the worship and service of pseudo-gods associated with the sun, the moon, and the stars. Therefore, Israel was warned not to boast in her privileged election.

Do not say in your heart . . . Because of my own righteousness Yahweh brings me in to tenant this land. Rather it is because of the wickedness of these nations that Yahweh is evicting them before your face. It is not because of your own righteousness or the uprightness of your own heart that you are entering to tenant their country, for it is because of the wickedness of these nations that Yahweh your Elohim is evicting them before your face, so that He may confirm the word that Yahweh had sworn to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. (Deuteronomy 9:4-5 CV)

Israel was commanded to obey Yahweh’s voice, to keep His statutes and judgments and to refrain from ever worshiping and serving the sun, the moon, and the stars. She was to worship the living and true God in accord with a qualified mind.

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The Analogy of the Two Trees

Here again we are confronted with another Biblical analogy. As Adam and Eve had once had access to the Tree of Life and to the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, so too Israel would be given as a nation access to Yahweh’s covenantal Tree of Covenantal Life (the Ten Words) and Yahweh’s covenantal Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (His statutes and judgments). The nations had not been given these privileged gifts of election. Thus, Israel had been given covenantal life which permitted her to draw near to Yahweh’s presence, and she had access to Yahweh’s Knowledge of Good and Evil, which if continually obeyed would bring continual blessing in this terrestrial realm and would be a manifestation of her qualified mind.

Thus, the writer of the Book of Revelation is writing in accord with the qualified mind promised to Israel if she would obey the voice of Yahweh, obey His statutes and judgments with all her heart, all her soul, and all her intensity. The writer of Revelation, in agreement with Paul, knew he was writing at the end of the Mosaic Eon and at the end of the long night of the ancient world. Paul testifies “now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night progresses, yet the day is near” (Rom. 13:11b-12a CV). The first century followers of Jesus the Messiah were perceiving the dawn of a New Day, a New Eon which was already beginning to usher out the night of the ancient world while ushering in the day of the modern world.

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The House Made for David—Jesus and Israel

The twelve stars in the woman’s crown symbolically represented the twelve-tribe Kingdom of Israel and the fulfillment of the Eonian Covenant made with her greatest king, David. The writer of the Book of Revelation was deeply immersed in the Hebrew holy scriptures which describe this most significant covenant. In the second Book of Samuel, chapter 7, the Israelite writer records David’s desire to build Yahweh a house in which to dwell. Yahweh, however, reveals to Nathan the prophet that David was not to build this house. Instead, Yahweh declares He would make a house for David, “Also the Lord telleth thee that he will make thee a house” (2 Sam. 7:11b KJV). Yahweh then continues,

And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever [for an age]. (2 Samuel 7:12-13 KJV)

Later, Solomon was to fulfill this promise, but Solomon in no way could fulfill all the claims involved in this prophecy. Even David understood this when he rejoiced before Yahweh’s graciousness, “thou hast spoken also of Thy servant’s house for a great while to come” (2 Sam. 7:19b KJV). The house that Solomon built and established for David was divided in two at Solomon’s death (the Southern Kingdom of Judah and the Northern Kingdom of Israel). And the house that Solomon built for Yahweh (the Solomonic Temple) was destroyed by the Babylonians. David understood the fulfillment of Yahweh’s promise to him to be a long way off.

The ultimate fulfillment was accomplished by Jesus the Messiah, the Son of David . The writer of the Book of Revelation understood this, for he was in agreement with the writer of the Letter to the Hebrews who quoted from 2 Samuel 7:14 in chapter 1, verse 5, applying it to Jesus, “I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son” (Heb. 1:5b KJV). The writer of the Book of Acts also understood this (Page 10)promise to be fulfilled by Jesus, since James declares that the work of the spirit of Yahweh through Jesus’ appointed Apostles was to “rebuild the tabernacle of David which had fallen . . .” (Acts 15:16b CV).

But even more poignant is what Yahweh also tells David through Nathan the Prophet:

Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime, . . . (2 Samuel 7:10 KJV)

The writer of the Gospel of John records how Jesus was in the process of fulfilling this promise when he records the following words of Jesus:

In my father’s house are many mansions: . . . I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. (John 14:2-3 KJV)

The writers of the Greek Scriptures understood that Jesus had gone to prepare a place for the ecclesia He was building, which church was called a temple, a spiritual house, a temple not built by hands. The place which Jesus prepared was in the celestials. The writer of Hebrews declares that Abraham waited for “the city . . . whose Artificer and Architect is God” (Heb. 11:10b CV). Abraham, along with all the faithful ones, also is described as “craving a better, that is, a celestial [country]; wherefore God . . . makes ready for them a city” (Heb. 11:16 CV). This city was the Celestial Jerusalem which Jesus indirectly refers to when He tells Nicodemus, “If I told you of the terrestrial and you are not believing, how shall you believe if I should be telling you of the celestial?” (Jn. 3:12 CV).

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The Terrestrial and the Celestial

One problem with the English translations of the Greek Scriptures is that they do not translate the distinction between certain Greek word forms. They translate both ouranios and epiouranios as heaven, disregarding the distinction between these words. Ouranios should be translated heaven while epiouranios should be translated celestial. This is true also of the words gai and epigai. Gai should be translated earth or land while epigai should be translated terrestrial, that which is above the earth, land, representing that realm which includes the heavens and the earth as distinguished from the realm above the heavens (the celestial). Thus, the terrestrial realm refers to that which is both upon and/or over the land and water. The celestial realm refers to that which is above and beyond the atmosphere, the sky surrounding the planet Earth. Jesus had told Nicodemus of the terrestrial things revealed in the Hebrew Scriptures. If Nicodemus did not understand the terrestrial things, how could he then be prepared to understand the celestial things which had been concealed in these same scriptures?!

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The Awaited Expectation Received

The writers of the Greek Scriptures were awaiting the celestial promise which would be revealed when Jesus as the Son of David defeated all His enemies in Israel . From the time of His resurrection and ascension, Jesus began reigning on the Throne of David, and His enemies were those Jews who clung desperately to the terrestrial things (the Temple built by hands and the Sinatic Covenant which was growing old and was near its disappearance, its termination, see Heb. 8:13 CV). These were antichrist. Jesus the Christ would destroy them and their temple during the course of that very generation to which Jesus had been sent. He would then remove His Ecclesia (church), His Bride, His Body, His Complement from this terrestrial realm, leading her into the Celestial Realm where she would become His Wife (metaphorically, of course). Thus, the Celestial City, the Celestial Jerusalem would be the Temple of Yahweh not built by hands. This has been a reality for nearly 2,000 years.

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The Jerusalem Above and the Jerusalem Below

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Paul’s Allegory

Having pointed out that Abraham looked for a celestial city and that the members of the Messiah’s Ecclesia have already entered into that city, the distinction between the Jerusalem above and the Jerusalem below must be clarified. In his letter to the Galatians, chapter 4, Paul refers to an allegory in which Sarah (Page 11)and Hagar come to represent two covenants. Hagar represents the Mosaic Covenant associated with Mount Sinai. The scripture explains

these two women are two covenants; one, indeed, from mount Sinai, generating into slavery, which is Hagar. Yet Hagar is mount Sinai in Arabia; it is in line with the Jerusalem which now is, for she is in slavery with her children. (Galatians 4:24b-25 CV)

Hagar thus represents the Sinatic Covenant associated with the Jerusalem “which now is,” that is, the Jerusalem below, the literal city of Jerusalem located in Judea, within which was located the sacred Temple built with hands.

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The Two Temples

Jesus had declared that the present Herodian Temple (the rebuilt Solomonic Temple) would be destroyed. After the Babylonian exile, the Shekinah Glory of Yahweh had never returned to fill either the Solomonic Temple or the Herodian Temple. So, this Temple had never been inhabited by Yahweh. Consequently, the writer of John declares, “And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us, and we gazed at His glory, a glory as of an only-begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (Jn. 1:14 CV). Jesus, thus, was the Temple of Yahweh, and Yahweh’s Shekinah Glory inhabited, indwelt the temple which was Jesus’ body.

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The Ecclesia as Temple

Jesus came to build an Ecclesia (church). The participants in this Ecclesia would be taken out of the Christ (as Eve was taken out of Adam) and become members of His Body (metaphorically), being filled with the spirit of God and sharing in the glory of the Christ. This Ecclesia would be designated a temple of God: “Are you not aware that you [plural] are a temple of God and the spirit of God is making its home in you [plural]?” (1 Cor. 3:16 CV). This Ecclesia was the New Temple not made with hands, and its members participated in the New Covenant with its new life and new freedom.

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Hagar and Her Children: The Jerusalem Below

The Jews identifying themselves with the city of Jerusalem in Judea and the Temple therein were participating in the Old Sinatic Covenant and were thus represented by Hagar in Paul’s allegory. From Paul’s point of view, these Jews were slaves and were about to be destroyed in the death of the Old Sinatic Covenant. If they persisted in clinging to the Sinatic Covenant, they would die covenantally at the death of that covenant. The only escape was to be found in Christ, for Christ had died as the fulfillment or goal of the Old Sinatic Covenant, but He had been resurrected out of its death.

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The Two Deaths

The Mosaic Administration had been and continued to be a ministry of death (2 Cor. 3:7). The crucifixion death of Jesus the Messiah marked the beginning of the end of the Mosaic Administration and Eon . It ushered in the life and freedom of the New Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant promised in the Prophets. The Mosaic ministry and covenant represented the Second Death. The First Death was that which had been brought in by Adam, Yahweh Elohim’s created Man. The Second Death was brought in by Israel , Yahweh Elohim’s created Nation. As Adam had disobeyed by eating the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, so also Israel had disobeyed by molding and worshiping a golden calf. Israel ’s disobedience ushered in the Second Death, which was associated only with the covenanted nation. The death of Jesus the Messiah satisfactorily fulfilled and ended the condemnation brought in by both Adam and Israel .

Adam and Jesus

As Adam brought death into the human race, Jesus brought resurrection and immortality into the human race. Neither of these consequences were the results of the faith or the works of other human beings. As Israel brought covenantal death into the world-order of the covenanted nation, Jesus the Messiah brought covenantal life into the world-order of the covenanted nation. However, as Israel ’s Sinatic covenantal life had been entered into by a faithful commitment to Yahweh and the conditions of His Sinatic (Page 12)Covenant, so also Israel ’s entrance into the life of the New Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant called for a faithful commitment to this covenant and its conditions. Entrance into the Celestial City in the Celestial Realm called for faithfulness to the end. This meant a faith that produced righteous works (the righteous works of the Kingdom of the Heavens, the righteousness superexceeding the righteousness of the Pharisees and scribes), a faith which would continue either unto death or unto the consummating arrival of Jesus the Messiah to take His Bride to her Celestial Place.

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Sarah and Her Child

Consequently, Paul understood Sarah as the free woman giving birth to a free son who would be the only heir of Abraham. Sarah represented the New Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant, the mother of the children of promise, the mother of The Son of Abraham, Jesus the Messiah Who was THE HEIR of the promise of Life. Jesus was the Firstborn, and all in Him were children of Abraham, the Israel of Yahweh, sharing in the allotment of the Firstborn. The writer of Hebrews (if not Paul) again is in agreement with Paul when he refers to the Ecclesia as “the church of the firstborn [ones](Heb. 12:23b KJV).

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The Jerusalem Above

But Paul’s allegory continues, “Yet the Jerusalem above is free, who is mother of us all” (Gal. 4:26 CV). Paul refers to another Jerusalem coexisting in his present time with “the Jerusalem which now is” (Gal. 4:26), that is, with the Jerusalem located in Judea and associated with the slavery and the death of the Old Mosaic Covenant. He describes this new Jerusalem as “the Jerusalem above.” Here he is speaking metaphorically. The Jerusalem above is referring to the Heavenly Jerusalem associated with the New Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant, the New Life, the New Temple, and the New King, Jesus the Son of David . The Heavenly Jerusalem is contrasted with the Jerusalem which now is, that is, the Jerusalem below, the earthly Jerusalem associated with the Mosaic Covenant, the old covenantal life, the old temple made with hands, and the old king, Saul the son of Kish.

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Metaphoric Images

This metaphoric image of a heavenly Jerusalem is also used by the writer of the Book of Revelation and may even have been taken by Paul from this book (which I have reason to believe is one of the earliest books written in the Greek Scriptures). Reference has already been made to heaven in Revelation 12:1a (CV): “And a great sign was seen in the heaven.” The writer of Revelation is not referring to the literal heaven, but to the heaven of his vision. The Book of Revelation is a book of metaphoric images. These metaphors all refer to real events occurring in Israel from Pentecost to just prior to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 a.d. The metaphoric image of heaven is referring to the spiritual, heavenly people of Yahweh making up the Ecclesia, the Israel of Yahweh in contrast with the fleshly, earthly people of Yahweh consisting of those Jews clinging to the Old Sinatic Covenant. These Jews are described by the Greek Scriptures as enemies of Jesus the Messiah. They represent the apostate nation which boasts, “We do not want this man to reign over us” (Lk. 19:14b CV).

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The New Jerusalem

Paul refers to “the Jerusalem above,” and the author of Revelation writes that he

perceived the holy city, new Jerusalem, descending out of the heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice out of the throne saying, “Lo! the tabernacle of God is with the men, and He will be tabernacling with them, and they will be His peoples, and God Himself will be with them. . . .” (Revelation 21:2-3 CV)

This is metaphoric language, the very language of the prophets of the Hebrew Scriptures. The writer is metaphorically referring to the new spiritual community of faithful ones committed to Jesus the Christ. He sees this community as representing a people belonging to Yahweh on the basis of a new covenant. The old covenant had metaphorically placed Israel in the heavens over the nations which had been metaphorically placed on the earth. Israel had been given supremacy over the nations; such is the metaphorical meaning used by the writer of Revelation in chapter 12, verses 1-2.

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A New Heaven and a New Earth

In this 21st chapter, the writer begins his vision by perceiving “a new heaven and a new earth, for the former heaven and the former earth passed away, and the sea is no more” (Rev. 21:1b CV). He is not writing literally. Again, the language is metaphoric. The new heaven and earth in Revelation is contrasted with an old or former heaven and earth. This former heaven and earth takes us back to Deuteronomy 4:32- 36. There Moses is telling Israel to ask about another time period of former days. Those days referred to the time beginning with Adam and ending with Moses and the creation of Israel . Hence, from Moses to Jesus the Messiah was a new eon (age) associated with the creation of Israel and the covenantal relationship of Israel with Yahweh, thus, a new heaven and earth.

From the point of view of Moses, the former heaven and earth referred to the creation of the planet and Adam. From the point of view of the writer of Revelation, the Mosaic Eon is the former heaven and earth in which Israel had been metaphorically drawn close to Yahweh in the heavens while the nations had been metaphorically set on earth at a distance from Yahweh. The new heaven and the new earth refer to the new covenant made with Israel according to which Israel and the nations have a new, reconciled, counter-altered relationship to Yahweh. This is accentuated by the reference to “the sea is no more.” The sea symbolically refers to the uncircumcised God-fearers dwelling in the land of Israel. The New Covenant and New Covenant Community do not put a distance between circumcised believers and uncircumcised believers in terms of their relation to Yahweh, “What God cleanses, do not you count contaminating!” (Acts 10:15b CV). The sea is no more—the uncircumcised God-fearers are no longer at a distance from Yahweh.

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The Mother of Us All

This new community is metaphorically described as the holy city, the new Jerusalem. This new holy city is perceived as “descending out of the heaven from God” (Rev. 21:2a). Thus, Paul can refer to the holy city descending out of heaven as the Jerusalem above. He declares that this new Jerusalem was, for those he was currently writing to, “the mother of us all” (Gal. 4:26b). He does not declare this new Jerusalem will in the future be the mother of us all! No, this Jerusalem above was presently for that generation alone “the mother of us all.” It already existed because it referred to the New Covenant Community of those faithful to Jesus the Messiah. It referred to “a bride adorned for her husband” (Rev. 21:2b), the Bride of Jesus the Christ, His Ecclesia (church), His Body, the New Temple of Yahweh not made with hands.

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The Tabernacle of God

The writer of Revelation in 21:3b declares,

Lo! the tabernacle of God is with the men, and He will be tabernacling with them, and they will be His peoples, and God Himself will be with them . . . (CV)

The Greek text uses the article with the plural “men.” The writer is not referring to all mankind. He is referring to the elect community at that present time. Yahweh at that time was present with (tabernacling with) the men (the New Covenant Community of faithful ones from among Israel and the nations). From that time (Pentecost), He would continue to tabernacle with them (the Ecclesia, the Bride of Christ, the New Jerusalem, the Jerusalem Above). The writer declares these men will be Yahweh’s peoples and Yahweh Himself will be with them from the very time that Yahweh begins to tabernacle with these men. And, according to the text, “the tabernacle of God is with the men.” At the time of the vision, Yahweh was already tabernacling with these men who are said to be His [God’s] peoples. This reality was not a future reality for the writer of Revelation. It was a present reality.

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Two Communities Contrasted

This New Covenant Community (the Jerusalem above, the holy city, new Jerusalem) is contrasted with the Old Covenant Community (the Jerusalem which now is, the Jerusalem below, the unholy city, old Jerusalem) by both Paul and the writer of Revelation. Paul contrasts them in his allegory by referring to those clinging to the old Mosaic Covenant as children of Hagar, slaves, begotten according to the flesh, associated with the Jerusalem which now is (the Jerusalem in Judea associated with the apostate nation) (Page 14) and referring to those clinging to the New Covenant as children of Sarah, free, begotten according to the spirit, associated with the Jerusalem above (the Israel of Yahweh).

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A Woman Clothed With the Sun

The writer of Revelation contrasts these communities. The faithful nation is represented by a woman clothed with the sun (Rev. 12:1) and by the Bride of the Lamb having the glory from Yahweh (Rev. 21:9-11). The woman clothed with the sun, the moon underneath her feet, and having upon her head a crown of twelve stars refers to Israel as Yahweh’s elect, covenantal, holy nation. This metaphoric image is based upon the special status of Israel given her at the institution of the Sinatic Covenant. At that time, Yahweh created a new heaven and a new earth (metaphorically). Israel was given a position of supremacy over the nations as a result of being clothed with the glorious light of Yahweh’s Ten Words and His statutes and judgments, which Israel would manifest to the nations through her moon-like reflection of this glory to the nations metaphorically designated as on the earth.

This woman, though temporarily dwelling within the apostate nation as a result of her blindness, her having been deceived by the apostate rulers and teachers, is not apostate. Her heart is circumcised and, like Saul of Tarsus, she will be delivered from this blindness during the Parousia/Approach of Jesus the Messiah.

The apostate nation is symbolized in Revelation by the city Babylon the Great” (Rev. 17:5; 18:2), the woman designated as “the great prostitute” (Rev. 17:1), and by the scarlet wild beast upon which she is seated (Rev. 17:3 CV). The woman Babylon the Great” represents apostate Jerusalem, while the scarlet wild beast represents apostate Israel .

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Another Sign in the Heaven: The Dragon

But at the resurrection and ascension of Jesus the Messiah, the glory associated with the Mosaic Covenant began to diminish as the glory of the New Covenant, manifested by the Bride of the Lamb, began to shine and increase until it completely overwhelmed the glory of the old covenant. In the vision of Revelation, chapter 12, the woman clothed with the sun is pregnant and about to give birth. Another sign is then seen in this heaven, a Great Dragon with its tail dragging a third of the stars of this heaven! Now, the only stars in this heaven of this vision are the stars in the woman’s crown. A third of these stars would consist of four stars. These four stars are symbolic of the geographical area occupied by Judea (Judah, Benjamin, Dan, and Simeon as allotted under Joshua) whose capital city was the Jerusalem below in the midst of which was the sacred Temple built by hands. The Great Dragon is symbolic of those princes of Judea who are described as pseudo-shepherds whose father was The Adversary, or Satan, as associated with Cain and his serpentine seed:

I am aware that you are Abraham’s seed. But you are seeking to kill Me, for My word has no room in you. What I have seen alongside My Father am I speaking. You also, then, what you hear alongside your father are doing. . . . You are of your father, the Adversary, and the desires of your father you are wanting to do. (John 8:37-44a CV)

These princes claimed they were not slaves but were the seed of Abraham, free. But Jesus claimed they were slaves and needed to be set free: “. . . ‘the truth will be making you free.’ They answered Him,The seed of Abraham are we, and we have never been slaves of anyone . . .’ Jesus answered them, ‘. . . everyone who is doing the sin, is a slave of the sin’” (Jn. 8:32b-34 CV). The sin referred to by Jesus was the same sin of unbelief/disobedience committed by Israel at Sinai with the making and worshiping of the golden calf.

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The Curse of the Law

The entire nation at Sinai had come under the curse of the law. It was this incident that caused the Mosaic ministration to become a ministration of death. The intercession of Moses allowed the nation to go on living under a renewed covenant. But the curse of death would be meted out at the appointed time of Yahweh, which would take place during the last days of the Mosaic Eon (age). Thus, the nation had become the slave of this sin and the princes who were contemporaries of Jesus had been committing the same sin of unbelief/disobedience in relation to Yahweh’s covenant. They had repudiated, transgressed the (Page 15) precept of Yahweh in order that they might be keeping their own tradition (Mk. 7:9): “And you invalidate the word of God because of your tradition. Hypocrites!” (Matt. 15:6b-7a CV).

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The Children of Cain

These same princes claimed they were not blind when Jesus declared,

“For judgment came I into this world [the world-order created by Yahweh at Sinai] that those who are not observing may be observing, and those observing may be becoming blind.” And those of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these things, and they said to Him, “Not we also are blind?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have had no sin. Yet now you are saying that ‘We are observing.’ Your sin, then, is remaining.” (John 9:39-41 CV)

These princes are symbolically represented by the image of the dragon. They are not blind. They are the children of Cain who murdered his brother Abel because Abel’s works were just in contrast to Cain’s works which were wicked (1 Jn. 3:10-12).

Concerning these children of The Adversary who were like Cain, out of the wicked one (the serpent of Genesis, chapter 3), Jesus says, “It is My Father Who is glorifying Me, of Whom you are saying that He is your God. And you know Him not . . .” (Jn. 8:54-55 CV). Those in Israel who were legitimately blind could not be children of The Adversary (Satan), could not be like Cain. They were deceived like Eve. They did not understand what they were doing. It was because of their ignorance and blindness they opposed Jesus the Messiah. Only after their eyes would be opened could they choose for or against the God of Israel and His Anointed Son.

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The Blind and the Seeing

Thus, the nation consisted of the blind and the seeing. Those seeing were sons of The Adversary, like Cain. They knew what they were doing. They were the enemies of Jesus the Messiah and would be defeated and destroyed. They were pseudo-shepherds leading the sheep away from the Law of Yahweh by deceiving them with their lies. They were responsible for deceiving the blind ones into opposing Jesus the Christ and acting as His enemies. Saul/Paul is an example of such a blind one. He was not a son of The Adversary (Satan). He was a son of Yahweh who acted in accord with the works of the Adversary (Cain) because Saul/Paul was blind and ignorant.

Paul himself makes this clear when he says that he “formerly was a calumniator [blasphemer] and a persecutor and an outrager: but I was shown mercy, seeing that I did it being ignorant in unbelief” (1 Tim. 1:13-14 CV). This explains why Saul/Paul, hearing the Gospel from the mouth of Stephen and being unable to refute him, acted against him, participating in his unlawful death, the murder of an innocent fellow-Israelite. Saul/Paul was acting in accord with the works of the Adversary (Cain), but he believed he had to act this way because Stephen, according to Saul’s understanding, was blaspheming Yahweh, and Yahweh’s Law demanded the death of such a blasphemer. But in Yahweh’s appointed time, He opened Saul’s eyes and redirected him in accord with Saul’s heart. Saul had been blind, but when his eyes were opened, he submitted to the revealed will and word of his God.

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Blind Israel

The woman of Revelation 12 represents blind Israel , like Saul of Tarsus. She is not out of Cain. She gives birth to “a son, a male, who is about to be shepherding all the nations with an iron club” (Rev. 12:5 CV). Israel herself had come into existence as a result of Egypt ’s pregnancy. Egypt travailed in the process of giving birth to Israel . Yahweh had declared through Moses, “Let my people go!” And Egypt experienced the birth pangs of the ten plagues before she gave birth to this New Nation taken out of a nation. Now, Israel herself gives birth, through much travail, to the new holy nation of Yahweh.

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The Pregnancy of Blind Israel

So, now, the writer of Revelation pictures the birth of the Ecclesia (church), the New Nation, the New Covenant Community, as a consequence of the pregnancy of Mosaic Israel, blind and deceived Israel clinging to Yahweh according to the Mosaic Covenant. As Egypt travailed in her pregnancy culminating in Israel ’s birth, so now Israel is travailing as Yahweh is calling out another nation (ecclesia) out of a nation. (Page 16) As Egypt ’s travail was caused by her animosity against Yahweh’s people, so Israel ’s travail is caused by her animosity against Yahweh’s new people. As Israel had formerly been given covenantal life as a result of the covenant ratified at Mount Sinai, so the Messiah’s Bride would be given covenantal life as a result of the New Covenant ratified at Mount Zion (the Cross of Golgotha) in Jerusalem at the crucifixion, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus the Messiah and the pouring out of the spirit at Pentecost. As Israel had to go through the wilderness before entering her promised rest in the terrestrial realm, so the Ecclesia had to go through the wilderness sharing in the sufferings of the Messiah before entering into her promised rest (allotment) in the Celestial Realm.

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The Dragon and His Stars

The woman of Revelation, chapter 12, who is about to give birth is not alone in this heavenly vision. As mentioned earlier, there is the Great Dragon dragging a third of the stars of this heaven and casting them into the earth (land). Here, the earth metaphorically represents the Kingdom of Judea under the rule, the shepherding of the pseudo-shepherds, the sons of The Adversary, the Great Dragon. Thus, the Great Dragon and his stars represent Israel according to the flesh, the apostate nation, those who are not blind, those who oppose Jesus the Messiah knowingly, deliberately, like Cain opposed Abel.

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The Birth of a Son, a Male

The Birth of a Son, a Male

The purpose of this Great Dragon is to devour the child of the woman at its birth. The woman gives birth to a son, a male. This metaphoric image is used of the Ecclesia in relation to its existence as the new man of Ephesians 2:15b, “that He should be creating the two [ Israel and the nations] in Himself, into one new man . . .” (CV modified). This new man, a son, a male, Christ with His Body (like Adam when first created) is about to be shepherding all the nations with an iron club.

This imagery is not negative, but positive. It must be understood in the light of Revelation 2:26- 27b:

And to the one who is conquering and keeping My acts until the consummation, to him will I be giving authority over the nations; and he shall be shepherding them with an iron club . . . (CV)

This is spoken of the faithful members of the Christ’s Bride. The iron club is a strong image conveying a loving shepherd as he strong-handedly uses his firm staff (iron club) to continually care for the welfare of the sheep. In this case, the need for an iron club is due to the fact that many uncircumcised believers from among the nations had lived licentious and immoral lives, following the disqualified mind of the nations that had been given over to their unwillingness to worship and serve the One Living Elohim. It would be the responsibility of the circumcised believers to shepherd the uncircumcised believers from among the nations with an iron club used in accord with the shepherd’s loving heart concerned wholeheartedly with the welfare of the sheep.

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Snatched Away To God

However, before the Great Dragon can devour the child, the male son is snatched away to Yahweh and to His throne. Yahweh’s throne had been the position and place of the woman under the Sinatic Covenant, but now that this covenant could no longer provide covenantal life, the woman is compelled to flee into the wilderness. There she would be nourished and protected from the Great Dragon and his minions until the appointed time when Yahweh would open her eyes as He did for Saul of Tarsus.

Thus, this woman no longer had the right, the authority, the privilege of being clothed with the sun and manifesting its light to the nations. This could now only be accomplished by the New Nation possessing the life and authority of the New Covenant, the life and authority of Jesus the Messiah. All of these images can only be understood if taken to be metaphors for the then present reality in Christ. The Book of Revelation is a past reality for us. It does not refer to anything in our future. It addresses the realities of the 40-year period culminating with the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in the year 70 a.d.

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The Bride

The woman of Revelation, chapter 12, is contrasted with the writer’s picture of the Bride of the Lamb in chapter 21:

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“Hither! I shall be showing you the bride, the wife of the Lambkin.” And He carried me away, in spirit, on a mountain, huge and high, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, as it is descending out of the heaven from God, having the glory from God. The luminosity was like a stone most precious . . . having a wall, huge and high, having twelve portals, and at the portals twelve messengers, and their names inscribed, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel . . . . And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lambkin. (Revelation 21:9b-14)

The Bride of the Lamb is pictured as a city, the holy city, Jerusalem, the Jerusalem above; since, in order to see it, the writer had to be taken up to the top of a mountain huge and high, where he could view it descending out of this metaphoric heaven. It is descending as authorized by Yahweh, and it manifests the glory of Yahweh.

The Bride in this imaging is not clothed with the sun. She is clothed with Yahweh’s glory as manifested by Jesus the Messiah Who is, according to the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures, the ultimate manifestation of Yahweh’s Glory (Eph. 1:17). Her luminosity is like a most precious stone, a crystalline jasper gem. In chapter 4, verses 2-3, the writer describes the radiance of Yahweh in terms of the same precious stone, “I came to be in spirit, and lo! a throne, located in this heaven, and on the throne One sitting. And He Who is sitting is, to my vision, like a jasper stone . . .” (CV). The glory of the woman of Revelation, chapter 12, had come from the old Sinatic Covenant mediated by Moses. The Bride’s glory comes from the New Davidic Covenant mediated by Jesus the Messiah, the Son of David. The Bride replaces this woman (previously located in the metaphoric covenantal heaven) as the manifestation of the glory of Yahweh to the world-order (the heaven and the earth) created at Sinai. Thus, the Bride’s exalted positioning sets up a new heaven and a new earth (Rev. 21:1 CV) in which the apostate nation (the Prostitute of Revelation, chapter 17, Babylon The Great) is metaphorically located beneath her on the new earth.

The Bride in this book is not future. She was then presently functioning as the New Heavenly Jerusalem opposing the fraudulent old, earthly Jerusalem inhabited by the children of The Adversary, those princes and citizens who declare, “We do not want this man to reign over us!” (Lk. 19:14b CV). The Bride, when replacing the woman clothed with the sun, is then contrasted with another woman, Babylon the Great, the Great Prostitute.

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Another Woman: Babylon the Great

Again, the image used to depict this woman is a city. Babylon takes the addressees of this book back to their Hebrew Scriptures. For therein is the story of the Babylonian captivity. The Kingdom of Judah had been conquered by the Babylonian Empire. In the first deportation, many of her greatest citizens were carried off to the city of Babylon as slaves. This city was associated with the destruction of the Temple built by Solomon. According to the prophet Ezekiel, the Shekinah Glory of Yahweh withdrew from this Temple just prior to its destruction by the Babylonians. This destruction was understood by the prophets to be the judgment of Yahweh against the prostitution of His wife, Israel as represented by the Kingdom of Judah.

The writer of the Book of Revelation reveals the Great Enemy of the Heavenly Jerusalem in chapter 17. John is called by one of the seven messengers having the seven bowls of judgment. The messenger announces,

“Hither! I shall be showing you the sentence of the great prostitute who is sitting on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth commit prostitution, and those dwelling on the earth are made drunk with the wine of her prostitution.” And he carried me away, in spirit, into a wilderness. And I perceived a woman sitting on a scarlet wild beast replete with names of blasphemy, and having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was clothed with purple and scarlet, and gilded with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand, brimming with abominations and the uncleanness of the prostitution of her and the earth. And on her forehead is written a name:

Secret

Babylon the Great

the mother of the prostitutes

and the abominations

of the earth.

And I perceived the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. (Revelation 17:1b-6 CV)

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The Great Enemy is revealed as “ Babylon the Great.” She is metaphorically a city. She is not representing the literal city of Babylon. The writer makes this certain in chapter 11, verse 8. When referring to the corpses of the two witnesses, he writes,

And their corpses will be at the square of the great city which, spiritually, is being called Sodom and Egypt , where their Lord, also, was crucified. (CV)

This city is clearly Jerusalem. In verse 6 of Revelation 17, the writer perceived the woman “drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus” (CV). Jesus declared to the apostate rulers of Israel ,

Woe to you! for you are building the tombs of the prophets, yet your fathers killed them. Consequently, you are witnesses and are endorsing the acts of your fathers, for they, indeed killed them, yet you are building their tombs. Therefore, also, God’s Wisdom said, “I shall be dispatching to them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will be killing and banishing,” that the blood of all the prophets which is shed from the disruption of the world may be exacted from this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the house. Yea, I am saying to you, it will be exacted from this generation!” (Luke 11:47-51 CV)

Matthew’s account adds,

Jerusalem! Jerusalem! who art killing the prophets and pelting with stones those who have been dispatched to her! How many times do I want to assemble your children in the manner a hen is assembling her brood under her wings—and you will not! Lo! left is your house to you desolate.” (Matthew 23:37-38 CV)

Jerusalem is spiritually called Sodom and Egypt because of its abominations before Yahweh and opposition to Yahweh and His people. It is metaphorically described as Babylon because it sought to make a name for itself apart from Yahweh, attempting to accomplish this by committing covenantal prostitution with the nations. Thus, the title “ Babylon the Great” also alludes to Genesis 11 and the construction of the Tower of Babel by the nations.

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The Mother of the Prostitutes

This ultimate secret name revealed in chapter 17 of Revelation, “Babylon the Great, the mother of the prostitutes and the abominations of the earth,” is her ultimate name because she is opposing the ultimate revelation of Yahweh, His Only-Begotten Son, Jesus the Messiah, and His Bride. This Mother of Prostitutes is opposing the Gospel of Christ, the Life, and contractual terms of the New Davidic Covenant. This amounts to spiritual, religious, covenantal prostitution.

In rejecting the New Covenant, she clings to the old, obsolete Sinatic Covenant, casting her lot with, and confidence in, the nations as represented by the Roman Empire, which she hopes to gain supremacy over because of her status as Yahweh’s elect nation. In her pride, she had previously turned away from Yahweh in order to commit herself to political and covenantal prostitution with the nations. As such, she has been given up, like the nations, to her disqualified mind, thereby coming under the authority, worship, and service of The Adversary, Satan. Thus, she had begun worshiping and serving another elohim, another god, The Adversary, resulting in a distortion, a corruption of the Word of Yahweh, the Law delivered to her by Moses.

In attempting to kill her sister, the Heavenly Jerusalem, she is the final Cain. She is the final generation of the Cainish Israel represented from the beginning by the first generation coming out of Egypt which had been put to death in the wilderness by Yahweh. That first generation had failed to enter the Promised Land because of rebellion against Yahweh. Because of her rebellious unbelief, this final Cainish generation of Israel according to the flesh also would fail to enter the Celestial Allotment promised to the faithful children of Abraham.

This is the Israel represented by the Jerusalem below which Jesus judges with the prophetic proclamation, “Lo! left is your house to you desolate” (Matt. 23:38b CV). Jesus here speaks prophetically for Yahweh and with Yahweh’s authority. This judgment was fulfilled by 70 a.d. and is the theme of the Babylon the Great” passages in the Book of Revelation. The earthly Jerusalem, the Jerusalem below, “the Jerusalem which now is” was the great enemy of the Christ and His Bride in the first century a.d. It was that Jerusalem, that enemy, which was conquered by the Christ and His Bride.

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A Wilderness

This woman, this city, this Great Prostitute is located in a wilderness. This is the same location into which the woman clothed with the sun fled. The wilderness symbolizes the Kingdom of Judea ( Judah ) no longer in covenantal relation to Yahweh. It is the wilderness of rebellion against Yahweh. The woman clothed with the sun needs to be miraculously protected in the midst of the territory of the enemy. This wilderness is the dwelling place of the nation of Judea ( Judah ) under the powerful rule of The Adversary and his children, Israel according to flesh, Israel as children of Cain, as children of the seed of the Serpent.

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Deception Not Rebellion

The woman clothed with the sun represents the children of Yahweh, the children of Abel, the children of the woman Eve who is characterized as having been deceived (1 Tim. 2:14). Eve never was in rebellion against Yahweh. She had been deceived and thus had acted against Yahweh as Saul of Tarsus had acted against Yahweh . . . in ignorance and unbelief. When confronted by Yahweh, Eve did not respond as Cain responded when confronted by Yahweh Elohim. When Eve’s eyes were opened in confrontation with Yahweh Elohim, she responded by submitting to the judgment of Yahweh her Elohim.

This was to be the response of the woman clothed with the sun when Yahweh would open her eyes. This is the meaning of Paul’s confession in 1 Timothy 1:16:

Christ Jesus came into the world [the Sinatic world-order] to save sinners, foremost of whom am I. But therefore was I shown mercy, that in me, the foremost, Jesus Christ should be displaying all His patience, for a pattern of those who are about to be believing on Him for life eonian. (CV)

From Paul’s point of view, the time was coming during the course of that generation when Yahweh would open the eyes of those Israelites, like himself, who had been deceived into opposing Jesus the Messiah and His Bride.

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The Unveiling of the Sons of God

Paul writes further on this subject in his letter to the Romans:

For I am reckoning that the sufferings of the current era do not deserve the glory about to be revealed for us. For the premonition of the creation is awaiting the unveiling of the sons of God. For to [this] vanity was the creation subjected, not voluntarily, but because of Him Who subjects it, in expectation that the creation itself, also, shall be freed from the slavery of [this] corruption into the glorious freedom of the children of God. (Romans 8:18-21 CV)

The sufferings here referred to were the sufferings of the Messiah that all members of the Messiah’s corporate, covenantal Body were sharing in during that current era. These members made up the Bride of the Lamb and are referred to as the sons of God in contrast to having been minors (Gal. 4:1-7). These were awaiting the manifestation, the revelation of the hidden glory they possessed as the Christ’s Bride. This glory had been hidden from the woman clothed with the sun in Revelation 12. Those Israelites making up this figurative woman clothed with the sun were still blind to the glory associated with the disciples of Jesus the Messiah. They were children of God (Yahweh), but still minors. They had not yet experienced sonship as the members of the Bride of the Lamb had experienced sonship.

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The Creation

The next sentence in this passage of Romans 8:18-21 poses a real problem. Just what does Paul refer to with his use of the term “the creation”? To answer this question it will be necessary to refer to the Book of Hebrews. Once again, the text must be allowed to speak for itself. The language of the writers of the Greek Scriptures must be understood in terms of the Hebrew Scriptures. The writer of Hebrews provides the insight into the meaning of “the creation.”

Now Christ, coming along a Chief Priest of the impending good things through the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made by hands, that is, not of THIS THE CREATION; not even through the blood of he-goats and calves, but through His own blood, entered once for all time into the holy places, finding eonian redemption. (Hebrews 9:11-12 CV modified)

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The writer refers to the creation of the Mosaic system, the Sinatic Covenant, the nation Israel with its hand-made Tabernacle in which Yahweh’s glory had dwelt. This is the creation Paul is alluding to in Romans, chapter 8.

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The Expectation

Paul understands that built into the Mosaic Administration, the nation created at Sinai, is the expectation of being delivered from the Mosaic Covenant, the Mosaic system, the ministration of death. The Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant could only provide terrestrial life and blessings. It could and did give Israel covenantal life in which Israel was allowed to draw close to Yahweh in the terrestrial realm. This terrestrial realm consists of the heavens and the earth created in Genesis, chapter 1. The Celestial Realm consists of all that which transcends the terrestrial realm. Abraham and the faithful ones of Israel awaited, patiently looked for, the life and blessing associated with the Celestial Realm. The New Covenant established and mediated by Jesus the Messiah was in the process of providing this long-awaited expectation.

For Paul, this expectation had already begun to be experienced in part by the members of Christ’s Ecclesia, His Body, His Bride. They had already left minorhood and had become sons of God in Christ. They had been children, minors under the Mosaic system. They had been slaves to the ministration of death, but now had become sons under the New Creation of the New Covenant. They were now free under the ministration of the spirit, the ministration of the New Celestial Life which Messiah Jesus had established (see 2 Cor. 3:1-18).

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Metaphoric Death and Resurrection

The members of Christ’s Ecclesia, also, were awaiting their own unveiling at which time the glory of the Messiah would be manifested to all Israel . They had been metaphorically buried into Christ’s Death and were in the process of sharing in His metaphoric Resurrection Life, the life of the New Covenant, the life of the spirit of Yahweh dwelling within them. But this life was still hidden, as the life of a sown seed is hidden as it dies and begins to grow beneath the soil. But soon their metaphoric resurrection would break through the soil and their new life and new glory would be manifested so as to be perceived by the woman clothed with the sun, those Israelites whose hearts were right but who had been wandering around in blindness.

This was the hope and promise to all the children of Yahweh: the woman clothed with the sun, the Bride of the Lamb, and the faithful uncircumcised children of Abraham. The Bride (the faithful circumcised children of Abraham) and the faithful uncircumcised children of Abraham had already experienced “the firstfruit of the spirit” (Rom. 8:23 CV). When the Bride would be perfected, she would shine forth in all her glory, the glory of Jesus the Christ Who is the Glory of Yahweh.

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The Parable of the Tares

This glory is the subject of the Parable of the Tares in Matthew, chapter 13. Jesus explains this parable to His disciples. The sower of the ideal seed is the Son of Man, Jesus. The field is the world (order, system), not all humanity, but Israel . For Jesus had been sowing the seed of the Gospel of the Kingdom of the Heavens in the ground of the holy land. He had been sent to the lost sheep of the House of Israel.

This world-order of Israel refers to that order established at Sinai. The ideal seed brings forth the sons of the Kingdom, faithful Israelites who receive the word of Jesus and keep His word. These, according to the Book of Revelation, are called the Bride of the Lamb. They were, at the time Jesus spoke this parable, stone blocks being gathered for the building of the Temple not made with hands, His Ecclesia, His called-out-ones, which He would soon (after His death, resurrection, and ascension) be building. The Kingdom would be the newly restored Davidic Kingdom promised in the Law and the Prophets. Jesus is the son of David and would begin reigning on David’s throne after His resurrection and ascension.

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The Tares: Cain

The tares are the sons of the wicked one, the sons of Cain, who was out of the wicked one (the serpent of Genesis, chapter 3). They had been sown in the field of Israel by The Adversary (Satan) who was the enemy of the Israel of Yahweh and Jesus the Messiah. The tares and the wheat grow up together and are difficult to distinguish until the time of the harvest. Note that this parable is about the impending history of (Page 21) the Ecclesia, Christ’s Body, the Bride of the Lamb. It would be fulfilled approximately over the next 40 years.

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The Harvest: Conclusion and Consummation

Jesus explains in the Parable of the Tares that the harvest is the “conclusion of the eon” (Matt. 13:40 CV). Jesus made a distinction between the “conclusion” (sunteleias) of the eon and the “consummation” (telos) of the eon (cf. Matt. 24:1-8, Grk. text). The conclusion must take place before the consummation can take place. According to this parable, the harvest is not the consummation of the eon, but the conclusion of the eon. The harvest referred to here has to do only with the “sons” of the kingdom (Matt. 13:37b), the very ones Paul referred to as already experiencing sonship and possessing the firstfruit of the spirit.

However, among these sons are counterfeit sons, the tares sown by The Adversary. They are functioning within the Ecclesia and would be revealed as apostates at the harvest, the conclusion of the eon , at which time they would be separated out and placed with Apostate Israel according to flesh, under the rule of the Great Woman Prostitute, in preparation for the great judgment ending in their destruction. In this parable, Jesus explains the harvest as follows:

Now the harvest is the conclusion [sunteleia] of the eon. Now the reapers are messengers. Even as the darnel [tares], then are being culled and burned up with fire, thus shall it be at the conclusion of the eon. The Son of the Man shall be dispatching His messengers, and they shall be culling out of His Kingdom all the snares [Greek = scandala] and those doing lawlessness, and they shall be casting them into a furnace of fire. There shall be lamentation and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the just be shining out as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. (Matthew 13:39b-43 CV)

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The Culling of the Tares: The Apostasy

The tares are first culled. Paul refers to this culling as The Apostasy which must take place before the coming of the day of the Lord (2 Thess. 2:1-5). The Apostasy must take place during “the conclusion of the eon” and thus precedes the consummation, the last event of the day of the Lord.

The conclusion (sunteleia) of the eon (age) refers to the process of the converging of the loose ends of the lines of prophecy running through the Law and the Prophets. It is a summing-up, a gathering together of all those things which had been written in the Hebrew Scriptures concerning the Messiah, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham, the Son of Adam, the Son of Yahweh and the promises made to Abraham and Israel . Metaphorically, it is the concluding paragraph of an essay. Historically, it represents a relatively short period of time.

The consummation (telos) refers to the very end, the termination, the end-knot resulting from the tying together of all the loose ends. Metaphorically, it is the period at the end of the last sentence of the concluding paragraph of an essay. Historically, it is the destruction of Jerusalem and the burning of the Temple by the Roman army in 70 a.d.

When His disciples ask Jesus, “And what is the sign of thy presence [parousia] and the conclusion [sunteleia] of the eon?” (Matt. 24:3b CV), He proceeds to reveal the numerous events which must be coming together (converging) in order to bring about the consummation (telos), the termination, the very end of the age. As He reveals each event, He warns them, “but not as yet is the consummation (telos) (Matt. 24:6b CV). He then tells them, “Yet he who endures to the consummation [telos], he shall be saved” (Matt. 24:13 CV).

In 2 Thessalonians, chapter 2, Paul writes of “the secret of lawlessness” (v. 7 CV) and of “the man of lawlessness” (v. 3 CV) who must be unveiled and is described as “the son of destruction” (v. 3 Grk. text). Jesus had described the tares as snares (scandalous or offensive things) “and those doing lawlessness” (Matt. 13:41 CV). These tares make up the pseudo-ecclesia of Christ, a pseudo-new man. They are lawless because they, like Cain, hate their righteous brothers and have sought to destroy them by leading them away from Jesus the Messiah back to the condition and terms of the old, obsolete Mosaic Covenant, which covenant was doomed to termination in the Second Death.

These tares, these lawless ones, would be unveiled at the unveiling of the Sons of Yahweh (Rom. 8:19). These tares would be culled out of the Ecclesia and exposed for what they were. As the sons of Yahweh would be unveiled in glory, so the sons of The Adversary would be unveiled in shame. The rest of the Israel of Yahweh (the woman clothed with the sun and protected in the wilderness, those Israelites (Page 22) whose hearts are circumcised but whose eyes had remained blind), having their eyes opened to this double-unveiling, would be saved even as Saul of Tarsus had been saved (delivered from unbelief due to ignorance) on the road to Damascus. This would fulfill the joyous declaration of Paul in Romans 11:25- 26a:

For I am not willing for you to be ignorant of this secret, brethren, . . . that callousness in part, on Israel has come, until the complement of the nations may be entering. And thus all Israel shall be saved . . . (CV)

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The Furnace of Fire

Jesus concludes His explanation of the Parable of the Tares by declaring His messengers would be casting the tares, the lawless ones, “into a furnace of fire” (Matt. 13:42). This is metaphoric language depicting Yahweh’s judgment of destruction on the Israel according to flesh, the Apostate Israel, and on its religious system (world-order), which would have by then become obsolete and transcended by the affect of the New Davidic Covenant mediated by Jesus the Messiah. Moses had been a servant in Yahweh’s Sinatic House. But Jesus is a Son over Yahweh’s Zionistic House (Heb. 3:6; Isa. 2:3; Micah 4:2).

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The Shining Out of the Just and the Unveiling of the Sons of God

Concerning the Sons of the Kingdom, Jesus concludes, “Then shall the just be shining out as the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Matt. 13:43a CV). This is equivalent to the unveiling of the sons of God in Romans, chapter 8. Paul concludes this theme in verses 22-24a of chapter 8 of Romans:

For we are aware that the entire creation is groaning and travailing together until now. Yet not only so, but we ourselves also, who have the firstfruit of the spirit, we ourselves also, are groaning in ourselves, awaiting the sonship, the deliverance of our body. For to this expectation were we saved. (CV)

Paul understands the entire creation (the Israel of Yahweh) to be currently groaning and travailing together. The entire creation was awaiting the salvation promised in the Law and the Prophets; however, the Bride, consisting of those who had already participated in sonship and the spirit, was particularly groaning in herself, groaning in her particular expectation of her unveiling in glory when she will have received the deliverance of her body. Note that Paul uses the singular body, not the plural bodies. Here he is writing metaphorically. He is referring to the Body of the Christ as a corporate whole. This Body needed to be delivered from the uncleanness of the tares, the lawless ones, the pseudo-ecclesia, the pseudo-man. This Bride needed to complete Her readiness for Her Husband. The Bride completely prepared for Her Husband becomes the completed Body, the completed Complement, the Wife of the Christ, the two becoming metaphorically, spiritually, covenantally One. As a result of The Apostasy (the culling out of the tares, the lawless ones), the Bride would shine out as the sun in the interest of the Kingdom of the Father.

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The Restoration of the Kingdom to Yahweh

When Jesus the Christ had completely destroyed His enemies, He would then give up the Kingdom to His Father. Thus would end the Davidic/Abrahamic Kingdom and Yahweh would again be King in Israel . No longer would it ever be said, “Make us a king to judge us like all the nations” (1 Sam. 8:5b KJV). Israel had rejected Yahweh as her King, but Jesus the Messiah, the Son of Abraham, the Son of David restored the Kingdom to Yahweh His Father at the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 a.d. This became a reality at the consummation of the eon (see 1 Cor. 15:23-25).

With the arrival of the new eon, Yahweh once again took upon Himself the role of the One August King over all the nations. The distinction between Israel as an elect, holy nation and all other nations was terminated and consummated. The Kingdom of the Heavens, the Kingdom of God, had arrived. The gods of the ancient world no longer had authority to rule over the nations. Yahweh Elohim was once again the One and Only living Elohim reigning over all the nations. The role of Satan, Yahweh’s appointed Adversary, was terminated, being superseded by Yahweh’s appointed Advocate, Jesus the Christ His Only-Begotten Son together with His Royal Wife, the Queen of the celestial and terrestrial realms, through whom Jesus the Christ, the Son of Yahweh, would spiritually generate a new humanity.

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Those Things Impending

To the Writers of the Greek Scriptures

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The Writer of Matthew

Before concluding this introduction, a brief survey of those events considered to be impending by the writers of the Greek Scriptures will prove most provoking. The Greek word used by these writers to denote an event on the horizon is mello (meaning about to be or impending). This word in its various forms is used over 100 times in the Greek Scriptures. Its first usage is found in Matthew 2:13b where a messenger appears to Joseph and commands him to flee into Egypt with his wife and child because “Herod is about to be seeking the little Boy to destroy him” (CV). Here it is clear that Herod is an immediate enemy and threat to this child. The danger is close at hand, not far away.

The next usage in the Greek Scriptures is found in Matthew 3:7. John the Baptist, perceiving many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, addresses them as “Progeny of vipers” and asks them who has warned them to be fleeing from “the impending indignation [wrath].” From John’s point of view, this wrath is impending. It is near. It would occur within the lives of these very Pharisees and Sadducees.

The writer of Matthew quotes Jesus as saying He was about to be coming in the glory of His Father with His messengers to pay each in accord with his practice and that some of those standing there with Him would not be tasting death until they had perceived Him coming in His Kingdom (Matt. 16:27- 28). Did Jesus speak the truth?! Was He referring to a long time in the future? It is clear from both the words and the context that the event referred to would occur in that generation, the generation of His contemporaries. If Jesus spoke the truth, this event has already occurred.

This same writer records Jesus’ answer to His disciples’ question concerning the sign of His regal presence and the conclusion of the eon. After Jesus enumerates various signs they should be looking for, He declares, “by no means may this generation be passing by till all these things should be occurring” (Matt. 24:34b CV). Thus, all the signs given by Jesus were to occur in that generation. His disciples were told to beware that no man should be deceiving them. These signs were given for their benefit. If the signs did not occur during their generation, their time, and if the conclusion of the eon did not occur in that generation, then Jesus would have been a false prophet, a liar.

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The Writer of the Book of Acts

The writer of the Book of Acts quotes Paul as warning the men of Athens that God was about to be judging the inhabited earth in righteousness by the Man Whom He specifies . . . raising Him from among the dead—” (Acts 17:31 CV). Paul understands this judgment to be near. This is why he charges all these men among the nations to repent.

Defending himself before Felix and the Jews accusing him of being a pestilence and a cause of insurrections among all the Jews, Paul declares he is in agreement with his accusers concerning the anticipation of the impending resurrection for both the just and the unjust (Acts 24:15). Later, before Felix and his wife, Paul warns them of “the impending judgment,” and Felix becomes frightened (Acts 24:24- 26). Paul understood this resurrection and judgment to be near. So did Felix!

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Paul

Paul, writing to the Ephesians, wrote of the then current eon and the impending eon (Eph. 1:21- 22). In Romans, chapter 8, he wrote of the glory about to be revealed. In Colossians 2:17, he wrote of those things which were a shadow of the impending things. In 1 Timothy 4:8, he wrote of an impending life. In 2 Timothy 4:1b, Paul wrote of Jesus as the one “Who is about to be judging the living and the dead” (CV).

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The Writer of the Book of Hebrews

The writer of the Book of Hebrews refers to Christ’s faithful ones as “about to be enjoying the allotment of salvation” (Heb. 1:14 CV). He refers also to “the impending inhabited earth” (Heb. 2:5 CV), “the powerful deeds of the impending eon” (Heb. 6:5 CV), and to Christ as “a Chief Priest of the impending good things” (Heb. 9:11 CV). He refers to the Law as “a shadow of the impending good things” (Page 24) (Heb. 10:1 CV). Finally, he declares that Christ’s faithful ones were not looking to the Jerusalem below, which was not a permanent city, but were “seeking for the one which is impending” (Heb. 13:14 CV), the Celestial Jerusalem which would be in the realm of God’s Celestial Kingdom of which Paul declared, “The Lord will be . . . saving me for His celestial kingdom” (2 Tim. 4:18 CV).

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James and Peter

James writes of those about to be judged” (James 2:12 CV). Peter, in his first letter, writes of the “salvation ready to be revealed in the last era” (1 Pet. 1:5 CV) and “the glory about to be revealed” (1 Pet. 5:1 CV).

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The Writer of the Book of Revelation

Finally, the writer of the Book of Revelation, introducing his prophecy, declares the ones reading, hearing, and keeping that which is written in it, happy, because “the era is near” (Rev. 1:3 CV). In concluding his prophecy, he is told, “You should not be sealing the sayings of this prophecy of this scroll, for the era is near” (Rev. 22:10 CV). Daniel had been told, “stop up the words and seal the scroll till the era of the end” (Dan. 12:4 CV); “I come to cause you to understand what will befall your people in the latter days; for the vision is for future days” (Dan. 10:14 CV). This represented a period of approximately 500 years, for Jesus tells His disciples that whenever they would perceive the abomination of desolation declared through Daniel, those in Judea should flee into the mountains (Matt. 24:15 CV). Jesus expected this to take place during their lives. The writer of the Book of Revelation is told not to seal the sayings of this book because the era is near! How can the “near” of the Book of Revelation be four times as long as the “future days” (CV) or “many days” (KJV) of the Book of Daniel?!

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Conclusion

Having provided this brief summary of the picture painted by the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures viewed through the lenses of the original writers and addressees, the reader is now ready to begin the journey along this pathway in order to either substantiate or refute the findings of the present author. This, of course, assumes the reader will choose to proceed further along this pathway. For many, this pathway will sincerely be perceived as a pathway to falsehood, demanding no further attention. For some, “doubtless there are other roads” will be mumbled. For others “doubtless there are other roads!” will be shouted out with gnashing of teeth. Still, some will investigate a little further, but then turn back. Yet, a few will be compelled by their minds and their hearts to venture further along this less traveled pathway having been briefly described above, because they perceive it as the pathway of truth and will not be satisfied until they probe for themselves all that is discoverable only along this pathway strewn with weeds, “each weed . . . a singular knife.”


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CHAPTER 2

 

THE VIEW FROM MOUNT SINAI:

PART I, DEUTERONOMY AND GENESIS 1-11

PART 1, THE VITAL VIEW

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On the first day of the 11th month in the 40th year, Moses spoke to all the sons of Israel all that Yahweh had instructed him concerning them. This took place in Moab on the eastern side of the Jordan River. Yahweh had already delivered into Israel ’s hands the kingdoms of Sihon King of the Amorite and Og King of Bashan. In this country, as the nation awaited Yahweh’s command to cross the Jordan into the Promised Land, Moses was disposed to elucidate the law given to Israel by Yahweh.

This is the situation forming the background of the Book of Deuteronomy. “These are the words” introduces the book to the reader. Moses declares, “Yahweh our Elohim, He spoke to us at Horeb. . . .” (Deut. 1:6 CV). The word of covenantal life heard at Horeb, Mount Sinai, and the words mediated through Moses at this same site gifted Israel with two metaphoric trees denied to all other nations: The Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. This life and this knowledge were to make Israel distinctly superior to all other nations. Thus, the view from Mount Sinai is vital to an understanding of the identity and purpose of this nation and to Yahweh’s various relationships to it.

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The Song of Yahweh

The Song of Yahweh (Deut. 31:30–32:43) given to Moses for all Israel consists of a number of metaphors depicting Yahweh’s relationships to this nation.

Is not He your Father Who acquired you? He Himself made you and established you. (Deuteronomy 32:6b CV)

Israel ’s Father

Yahweh is said to be Israel ’s Father. Yahweh Himself made Israel . The Hebrew word is asah. It is the same word used in Genesis 1:7 CV, “And making [asah] is Elohim the atmosphere.” Thus, the creation of Israel is metaphorically analogous to the creation described in Genesis, chapter 1. Yahweh also is said to be the One Who acquired Israel . This is referring to Yahweh’s deliverance of Israel from Egypt . Yahweh ransomed Israel from Egypt and established (consecrated) the nation at Sinai.

Remember the days of the eon;

Understand the years of generation after generation.

Ask your father,

and he shall tell you,

Your elders, and they shall say to you:

When the Supreme gave the nations allotments,

when He parted the sons of Adam,

He stationed the boundaries of the peoples

According to the number of the sons of El.

For the portion of Yahweh is His people;

Jacob is the line of His allotment.

He found him in a wilderness country,

And in a chaos, a howling desolation.

He surrounded him; He made him understand;

He preserved him as the pupil of His eye. (Deuteronomy 32:7-10 CV)

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The Days of the Eon: National Allotments and the Sons of El

In this passage of the Song, Israel is asked to remember the days of the eon and understand the years of generation after generation. The “days of the eon” (Deut. 32:7) refers to the period prior to Israel ’s creation. It refers to the period of years making up the many generations of the nations. During this period, this eon (age), the Supreme (God, Yahweh Elohim) gave the nations allotments. He parted the sons of Adam and established boundaries for all the peoples making up the nations and placed them under the (Page 26)authority of the Sons of El (God, Yahweh Elohim), celestial beings given governorship over these nations. These Sons of El served under the authority of Yahweh Elohim.

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The Portion of Yahweh: Jacob

At that time, Yahweh had already designated as His portion from among the nations His people, Israel . Jacob would be His allotment. This was determined even before Jacob’s existence. Thus, Yahweh predetermined to make Himself holy to Jacob and Jacob holy to Himself. He had appointed Himself Jacob’s Elohim as He had appointed the Sons of El elohim (gods) over the nations. This was the world-order, the heavens and earth, of the eon (age) of the nations beginning with Noah and his sons after the flood.

Yahweh is also said to have found Jacob in “a wilderness country” (Deut. 32:10). This wilderness refers to Egypt . Metaphorically, Egypt is depicted as “a chaos, a howling desolation” (Deut. 32:10). Once again, Moses is alluding to Genesis, “Yet the earth was a chaos and vacant, and darkness was on the surface of the submerged chaos” (Gen. 1:2 CV modified). This allusion to Egypt as a wilderness, a chaos, a howling desolation accounts for the naming, in the Book of Revelation, of the Great City (where the corpses of the two witnesses are left unburied) as “spiritually . . . called . . . Egypt, . . .” (Rev. 11:8 CV).

In this Egyptian wilderness of chaos and desolation, Yahweh “surrounded him” (Deut. 32:10), that is, Yahweh protected Jacob/Israel from his enemy. He secured Jacob/Israel by giving him covenantal life, making him Yahweh’s nation, Yahweh’s portion from among the nations. Yahweh made Israel understand. That is, He gave him His statutes and judgments. He gave him access to His knowledge (His identification, classification) of Good and Evil. Yahweh preserved Jacob as the pupil of His eye. That is, He took Jacob to Himself. He took Jacob as His portion. He separated Himself from the nations and to Jacob. He drew Jacob close; and, in the process, the nations were set at a distance. He raised Jacob to His throne, giving him supremacy over the nations. Thus, a new Heavens and a new Earth were created. A new order was established in the ancient world. Israel was placed under the authority of Yahweh, while the nations remained under the authority of the Sons of El. Israel/Jacob was given Yahweh’s statutes and judgments by which he would worship and serve Yahweh, while the nations were appointed the sun, the moon, and the stars by which they would worship and serve the gods of their own creation, the gods created for themselves out of their own disqualified minds (see Deut. 4:19). Yahweh had given them up to worship and serve the gods of their own imaginations because they refused to worship and serve the living and true God (Yahweh Elohim).

According to Deuteronomy 32:12b (CV), “Yahweh alone guided him, and with him was no foreign el, . . .” Jacob was to be led and guided by Yahweh alone. He was not to worship and serve any of the Sons of El appointed over the nations. He also was not to be led and guided by any of the pseudo-gods the nations had created for themselves. These distinctions are important. The Sons of El appointed over the nations were not pseudo-gods. They were authorized by Yahweh Elohim. They were under the authority of Yahweh Elohim. They were, thus, legitimate. There is no text in either the Hebrew or Greek Scriptures to indicate or imply that these Sons of El were in opposition to Yahweh’s rule or in rebellion against His authority.

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The Sons of El and the El of Israel : The Ancient World

This authorization of the Sons of El by Yahweh Elohim is demonstrated in the Book of Daniel. In the second chapter, Nebuchadnezzar has a dream. He summons the sacred scribes, the magi and enchanters, and the Chaldeans. He demands they make known the dream and its interpretation. This he does in order to assure the authenticity of their interpretation. The implication is he has reason to distrust the source of their interpretation. He is doubting their ability to actually have access to the gods of the nations. He may even have had doubts concerning the power of these gods.

These wise men of his kingdom acknowledge they cannot accomplish the king’s demand. Hearing of the plight of all the wise men in the kingdom, Daniel prays to his El, Yahweh, the El of the Heavens, the El of his forefathers, and is granted the revelation of this secret. Daniel tells Nebuchadnezzar no human is capable of achieving his demand. But the El of the Heavens reveals secrets and chooses to make known to the king what shall be in the latter days.

After hearing the disclosure and interpretation of the dream, the king declares to Daniel,

In verity, your El, He is the El of elohim, Lord of kings, . . . (Daniel 2:47b CV)

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Nebuchadnezzar is acknowledging the supremacy of the El of Israel over the elohim of the nations in accord with the revelation of Deuteronomy 32:7-9. This dream of the king occurred in the second year of his kingdom (Dan. 2:1).

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Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: The Image of Gold

In the 18th year of Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom, the king sets up an image of gold and commands all invited authorities in the kingdom to bow down and worship the golden image (Daniel, chapter 4). Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Israelites previously appointed by Daniel to rule over the Jews in the province of Babylon (Dan. 2:49), refuse to obey this command. They are thrown into a furnace of fire but are protected by their El. In response, Nebuchadnezzar says, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of Him Who is the Supreme El of elohim, step out and come hither” (Dan. 3:26b CV modified). Again, Nebuchadnezzar acknowledges the El of Israel as having supremacy over all other elohim. He further declares that because these three Israelites will not worship and serve any other el but their own El, “Blessed be their El— . . . whoever is saying aught carelessly against their El— . . . shall be dismembered . . . forasmuch as there is actually not another El who can rescue as this One” (Dan. 3:28b-29 CV). There were other legitimate Elohim, but Yahweh the El of Israel had supremacy over these Elohim.

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Nebuchadnezzar and the Supreme El

In the fourth chapter of Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar has another dream. However, before divulging the dream, the king announces to all peoples, leagues, and language groups dwelling within the boundaries of his kingdom his dependence on and praise of the Supreme El. He acknowledges how the Supreme El has revealed immense signs and achieved amazing, mighty deeds on his behalf. He describes the kingdom of the Supreme El as an eonian kingdom and His jurisdiction as being with generation after generation. Thus, Nebuchadnezzar acknowledged the kingdom of the Supreme El as incorporating all the kingdoms of the Earth. He, in effect, acknowledged the supremacy of the El of Israel and the supremacy of the nation Israel . Because he treated Israelites well, he was being blessed. His authority and kingdom came from the Supreme El. As long as he subjected himself to the Supreme El, he would prosper and continue to rule over this kingdom authorized by the Supreme El.

But Nebuchadnezzar was to become proud, taking personal credit for the glory of his kingdom. His resulting dream came from the Supreme El, and its message had to do with the dormant pride of Nebuchadnezzar and the evil pride of those hating Nebuchadnezzar, “the Supreme is in authority in the kingdom of the mortals [renown men of authority], and to whom He is willing he is giving it, . . .” (Dan. 4:17b CV). Because Nebuchadnezzar will have forgotten this truth, his sanity would be taken from him, and he would be removed from authority by those, like himself, selfishly coveting (for their own welfare) power and authority.

However, the interpretation of the dream by Daniel (for all others were unable to interpret it) informed Nebuchadnezzar that he would be reinstated as ruler of the kingdom when he had learned that “jurisdiction is of the heavens” (Dan. 4:26b CV). This referred to the supremacy of the Supreme El over all the kingdoms of the Earth. The Supreme El (Yahweh) had placed His own nation ( Israel ) over the nations of the Sons of El. Though His nation had disobeyed and had been disciplined by His establishment of world empires, each of these empires was held responsible for the welfare of His people. Each empire, each ruler, each authority was under His jurisdiction.

Nebuchadnezzar had acknowledged the authority of the Sons of El, but had also demonstrated how the nations had been given up to worship and serve according to their own disqualified minds by his molding of the golden image and requirement that authorities worship it. This golden image was referred to by the Chaldean authorities as Nebuchadnezzar’s el (Dan. 3:12 CV). The Supreme El, through this dream, was predicting the actualization of the dormant potential within the heart of Nebuchadnezzar. He would forget this dependence on the Supreme El, the El of the nation Israel . However, at the culmination of this judgment against Nebuchadnezzar, he confessed,

And at the end of the days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to the heavens, and my knowledge was returning to me. Then I blessed the Supreme, and I lauded and honored Him Who is living for the eon , seeing that His jurisdiction is an eonian jurisdiction, and His Kingdom is with generation after generation. All abiding on the earth are reckoned as naught: according to His will is He doing in the army of the heavens and with those abiding on the earth. And no one will actually clap with his hands and say to Him, “What doest (Page 28)Thou?” . . . Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, am lauding and exalting and honoring the King of the heavens, seeing that all His deeds are verity, and His paths are adjudication; and all walking in pride He can abase. (Daniel 4:34-37 CV)

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The Order of the Ancient World

The order of the ancient world consisted of the Supreme El, King of the Heavens, over the Sons of El. Over each nation, the Supreme El appointed a Son of El. After the nations abandoned the worship and service of the Supreme El, they were given over to produce that which was in accord with their disqualified minds. Thus, they began to create their own gods in the image of the sun, the moon, the stars, and other life forms created by Yahweh Elohim, the Supreme El. The appointed Sons of El continued to have jurisdiction (under the authority of the Supreme El) over these nations. The Supreme El assigned to each nation its apportioned worship and service, and the Sons of El were not to interfere with that apportioned worship and service.

Consequently, the Supreme El activated His right to His portion among the nations, Jacob. He formed Jacob in the womb of Egypt and brought him forth in the travail of Egypt brought about by the ten plagues. He breathed into Jacob the breath of covenantal life at Sinai where Jacob absorbed the Ten Words spoken from the Sinatic heaven. He then gave Jacob access to the Sinatic Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Jacob would not be apportioned the worship and service of the sun, the moon, and the stars. He would worship and serve the Supreme El, Yahweh his Elohim, according to the knowledge, according to the qualified mind resulting from the Ten Words and the Law of Yahweh consisting of His instructions, testimonies, statutes, and judgments. He would be given national and priestly supremacy over the nations. This Sinatic order would remain in effect until the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus the Messiah of Israel.

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The Celestial Messenger and the Chief of the Kingdom of Persia

The last reference to the celestial authorities in the Book of Daniel is found in chapter 10. Daniel has been praying and fasting for 21 days. He then has a vision of a celestial being. This being announces he has been sent in response to Daniel’s words. However, he had been detained 21 days by the chief of the kingdom of Persia. This chief could not be referring to a human ruler on Earth. This chief had to be a celestial being.

Daniel is told this chief of the kingdom of Persia confronted the celestial messenger from Yahweh. The text does not indicate a war, a battle, a rebellion. It does describe a legal confrontation or dispute. The chief of the kingdom of Persia was most likely the Son of El appointed over the kingdom of Persia on Earth. He had his authority from the Supreme El. He was duty-bound to challenge this messenger of Yahweh. An appeal to a higher authority was necessitated.

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Michael the Chief Messenger

The higher authority sent to mediate the dispute was Michael, one of the highest chiefs. In chapter 12 of Daniel, Michael is referred to as “the great chief, standing over the sons of your people [ Israel ]” (12:1b CV). Apparently, Michael was given authority over matters connected with Yahweh’s people Israel during the period of their captivity among the nations. His authority was needed in order for Yahweh’s celestial messenger to enter the jurisdiction of the chief of the kingdom of Persia , within which Daniel was residing.

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Michael in the Book of Revelation

In the Book of Revelation, chapter 12, this same Michael, with his messengers, is described as battling with the Great Dragon and his messengers. This is symbolical, metaphorical language. Michael represents Jesus the Messiah and Michael’s messengers are the disciples of Jesus the Messiah as they metaphorically reside in heaven beside the throne of Yahweh. They battle with the Great Dragon and his messengers. The Great Dragon represents The Adversary, and his messengers represent the children of Cain in Israel , the Israel according to flesh, the apostate nation. This battle is not a literal military battle. It is a legal/spiritual battle between two opposing gospels. It consists of two opposing covenants attempting to capture the minds and hearts of the human beings addressed by these proclamations. Thus, we have (Page 29)reference to the two Jerusalems described in chapter one of this present literary journey: the Jerusalem above and the Jerusalem below.

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Michael in the Letter of Jude

In the letter of Jude, verses 8-10 (CV), Michael is called “the chief messenger.” He is described as disputing with The Adversary in the past over the physical body of Moses. Again, the issue is a legal dispute. The jurisdiction of The Adversary is not in question. The particular case of the body of Moses is in question. Michael had been sent by Yahweh to claim the physical body of Moses. This implied a request for the resurrection of Moses from the dead. Michael did not yield to The Adversary’s legal argument justifying his rejection of Michael’s request. He simply rebuked The Adversary in the name of Yahweh. There was no literal battle. There was no rebellion on the part of The Adversary. The Adversary understood Michael’s appeal to the Highest Court, the Highest Authority. Michael did not attempt to revile, to curse, to challenge The Adversary with vicious words or with physical force. He simply invoked the authority of Yahweh, and The Adversary withdrew his argument, releasing the body of Moses. There is no hint of rebellion in this account. Both parties recognize and submit to the authority of the Supreme El, Yahweh the Elohim of Israel. The Adversary, in this case, had to authenticate and acknowledge an exception to the rule, which he obediently did.

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A Voice of a Chief Messenger

In 1 Thessalonians 4:16, Paul refers to Christ Jesus as descending from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of a chief messenger, and the dead arising in response. As Michael is depicted as having authority to raise the dead body of Moses, so Christ is depicted as both replacing and superseding the position and authority of Michael. Thus, in Revelation 12:7-8, Michael symbolically represents Jesus the Messiah, the Son of Abraham, the Son of David, the Son of the Supreme El. This is confirmed by the Hebrew meaning of the name Michael, he who is like El.

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The Problem of the Exception to the Rule

The Supreme El both reveals and conceals. His revealed will is obeyed by the Sons of El and the various administrators under their jurisdiction. It is the concealed will that poses problems. The chief of the kingdom of Persia understood his duty and responsibilities. The celestial messenger sent to Daniel residing in Persia posed a problem for this chief. The issue consisted of an exception to the rule. Apparently, the issue was rather complicated because the celestial messenger sent to Daniel tells Daniel he (the messenger) will return to fight with the chief of the kingdom of Persia . He adds that the chief of Greece would soon come. He is referring to the rise of the Greek Empire, and this may be part of the current problem with the king of Persia . The Supreme El was again in the process of revealing what had been concealed, posing new questions in the process of authenticating current exceptions to the rule. The celestial messenger sent to Daniel concludes by telling Daniel that no one would be standing with him (the messenger) in the things now being revealed, except Michael the chief over Daniel’s people, Israel . The exception to the rule appears to be related to the rise of a new empire and the fall of the current Persian Empire within which Daniel resided.

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Like the Stars of the Heavens for Multitude

Returning to Deuteronomy, Moses at Moab repeats an important message. He declares that the nation at Sinai and in Moab has multiplied and is like the stars of the heavens for multitude. This is important because it confirms the fulfillment of a promise made to Abraham (Gen. 22:17a). Yahweh the Elohim of Israel is a faithful El. The implication is that as Yahweh has fulfilled this promise, He would shortly fulfill the promise concerning the land.

Two other times in Deuteronomy Moses likens Israel ’s multitude to the stars of the heavens. In 10:21-22, he reminds Israel of Jacob’s descent into Egypt with 70 souls and Yahweh’s multiplying of this group so as to become as the stars of the heavens. Again, this is now a current reality as Israel is camped in Moab on the eastern side of the Jordan River.

However, in Deuteronomy 28:58-62, Moses warns Israel that should she not observe to obey all the words of Yahweh’s Law, she would become few in adult males instead of continuing to increase as the (Page 30)stars of the heavens. Thus, Israel had already become as the stars of the heavens, and, if obedient would continue to increase as the stars of the heavens. But if disobedient, Israel would forfeit this blessing. The Sinatic Covenant was a contract depending upon Israel ’s obedience to Yahweh. If obedient, Yahweh would continue to bless and protect. If disobedient, Yahweh would discontinue His blessing and protection.

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The Evil Generation

Already, at Moab , it had become apparent how the first generation coming out of Egypt had failed. That generation had been brought to the southern border of the land and had been commanded by Yahweh to ascend and tenant the land. But this generation “defied the bidding of Yahweh” (Deut. 1:26b CV). Moses had attempted to overcome this generation’s fear and hesitancy:

Then I said to you: You should not be terrified, and you should not fear them. Yahweh, your Elohim, Who is going before you, He Himself shall fight for you according to all that He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness you saw how Yahweh your Elohim carried you, just as a man carries his son, in all the way you went until you came to this place. (Deuteronomy 1:29-31 CV)

But this generation would not believe. It murmured,

In Yahweh’s hatred of us, He brought us forth from the country of Egypt to give us into the hands of the Amorite to exterminate us. Whither are we ascending? Our brothers, they melt our heart by saying: The people are greater and taller than we are; the cities are great and defended to the heavens. . . . (Deuteronomy 1:27b-28a CV)

This generation chose to believe the word of the ten spies rather than the two who had declared Yahweh would deliver the enemy into their hands. Moses concluded, “Even in this matter you were not believing in Yahweh your Elohim, . . .” (Deut. 1:32 CV). Though this people had experienced the great deliverance of Yahweh out of Egypt , had heard His life-giving voice at Sinai, and saw His great glory in the fire on Mount Sinai, this first generation refused to trust in Yahweh’s continued protection and blessing. At the sound of this murmuring, Yahweh became wrathful and pronounced His judgment:

Assuredly, no one among these mortals, this evil generation, shall see the good land which I had sworn to give to your fathers, . . . Deuteronomy 1:35 CV)

The only exceptions among these mortals (renowned men of authority) of that evil generation were Caleb and Joshua, who believed Yahweh and recommended immediate entrance into the land. But all those men 20 years and older in the military and in leadership would be destroyed in the wilderness. They were not willing to trust in Yahweh. They believed Yahweh to be a capricious god, like the gods of the nations. Forty years this evil generation wandered in the wilderness, until it had been culled out from among the wheat, the faithful generation which would enter and tenant the land of promise (Deut. 2:7, 14- 15 CV).

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The Sons of Lot and the Sons of Esau

That evil generation had failed to accomplish even that which the sons of Lot and the sons of Esau had accomplished in accord with the allotment designated for them by Yahweh, the Supreme El, Who declared,

for I shall not give any of the country of the sons of Ammon to you as a tenancy, since I gave it to the sons of Lot as a tenancy, . . . Rephaim dwelt in it beforetime, . . . a people great and numerous, and as tall as the Anakim. Yet Yahweh exterminated them before their face that they might tenant in their place and dwell in their stead, just as He did for the sons of Esau who were dwelling in Seir, when He exterminated the Horite before their face, and they tenanted in their place and dwelt in their stead until this day. (Deuteronomy 2:19- 22 CV)

It appears, on the basis of this passage, that some nations had already become so corrupt that the Supreme El had to exterminate them from their allotted lands. These judgments were executed after the call of Abraham and were accomplished by the sons of Lot, nephew of Abraham, and the sons of Esau, son of Isaac. Though the sons of Lot and the sons of Esau were not given a part in the elective promises given to Abraham’s seed through Isaac and Jacob, they were given an allotment and were blessed by Yahweh. The (Page 31)nations coming out of these two men (Lot and Esau) were not to be attacked by Israel . Their allotments of land were authorized by the Supreme El, Yahweh El of Elohim.

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Destruction of Powers and Liberation

However, Israel was commanded to exterminate the Amorite kingdoms in the transjordan area, the lands east of the Jordan River. Israel was to destroy the power structure of these kingdoms located in prominent cities within which the powerful and corrupt rulers resided, wielding their power against the populations surrounding these cities. Thus, as Israel conquered powers, these populations were liberated from corrupt and evil principalities and powers, coming under the righteous statutes and judgments of Yahweh administered by the righteous and just rulers of Israel . This would apply also to the kings and kingdoms conquered in Canaan, the land of promise, Yahweh’s covenantal Eden allotted to Jacob His (Yahweh’s) portion, His people, His nation.

In the conquering of the kings and kingdoms in transjordan, Yahweh commanded Israel to offer words of peace. Any city which accepted this offer of peace would not be doomed to destruction, but would become a tributary to Israel . However, Moses claimed that Sihon and Og each rejected the offer of peace due to the fact that Yahweh “made his spirit obstinate and made his heart resolute, that He might give him into your hand, . . .” (Deut. 2:30 CV). Yahweh hardened the hearts of those whose evil demanded the justice of complete destruction.

But, again, not all the people within these kingdoms were killed. Moses testifies,

So Yahweh our Elohim also gave into our hand Og King of Bashan and all his people, and we smote him until no survivor at all was left remaining to him. Then we seized all his cities at that time. There was not a town which we did not take away from them, sixty cities, the whole district of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan. All those cities were defended by lofty walls, doors and bars, aside from the unwalled villages which were exceedingly numerous. And we doomed them just as we did to Sihon king of Heshbon, dooming every city—adult males, women, and the little ones. All the domestic beasts and the loot of the cities we plundered for ourselves. (Deuteronomy 3:3-7 CV)

The first group of people completely destroyed in this account consists of Og and all those members of his army. The second group completely doomed, destroyed, so that there were no survivors, consists of the 60 cities which rejected peace and were strongly fortified. But there were also towns taken, not necessarily doomed to destruction, as well as numerous unwalled villages which most likely welcomed liberation from this evil and corrupt system of enslavement.

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The Analogy of the Former Days

The nations needed liberation. They needed light. They were living in darkness and slavery. The powers of darkness had distorted and corrupted the knowledge of the Supreme El and His appointed rulers, the Sons of El. The nations had become submerged in the dark waters of ignorance. Myth, superstition, and astrology became the spectacles through which they perceived themselves and their world. They had become metaphorically blind. They were religiously, politically, socially, and economically groping in the dark. But the embers of truth had not been extinguished. A fresh, clean breath of air was all that was necessary to revive the flame of truth. Israel was to become this fresh, clean breath of air.

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A City, A Tower, and A Name: The Origination of the Nations

However, Jacob had not escaped the encompassing darkness into which the nations had been submerged after the destruction brought about by the flood. Noah and his three sons had been saved from that destruction. A new beginning was made possible. But the people generated out of these three sons had sought to make for itself a city, a tower reaching into the heavens, and a name (Gen. 11:4). At that time the Supreme El, Yahweh Elohim, confused their tongues and set the appointed Sons of El over them. This, according to the Genesis account, was the origination of the nations. This was the occasion alluded to in Deuteronomy 32:8. The Supreme El allotted the nations territories and appointed each nation a Son of El as governor.

The Supreme El had parted “the sons of Adam” (Deut. 32:8a CV). Adam is referred to in this passage rather than Noah because the nations had not yet been generated. The record of Genesis, chapter 10, concerns the genealogical annals of the sons of Noah. It omits reference to the event recorded in chapter (Page 32)11 because its focus is only on the genealogical record of the descendants of Noah through his three sons. Therefore, the event of chapter 11 (the confusion of tongues) must be read as occurring chronologically after the events recorded in chapter 9 (the blessing of Noah and his three sons after the flood and the account of Noah’s drunkenness).

Genesis, chapter 5, opens the book or scroll of the genealogical annals of Adam. Chapter 9 closes the first chapter of this book. Chapter 10 of Genesis opens the second chapter of the book of Adam, taking up the human drama as continued through the genealogical annals of the sons of Noah. Genesis 11:1-9 closes the second chapter of the book of Adam with an account of the Tower of Babel and the division of languages.

Genesis 11:10-26 opens the third chapter of the book of Adam with the genealogical annals of Shem. Chapter 11, verse 26, closes chapter three of this human drama with a reference to Terah and his three sons. Genesis 11:27 opens chapter four of this human drama with the genealogical annals of Terah.

Genesis, chapter 11, had recalled the attempt of the people to build for itself a city and a tower reaching into the heavens and to make for itself a name. This desire is thwarted by the Supreme El, resulting in the division of languages and the scattering of the people into territories assigned by the Supreme El to the developing nations.

Chapter 12 of Genesis continues the human drama by taking up the call of Abram. Yahweh separates Abram from his land, his kindred, and his father’s house. Abram is a descendant of Noah through Shem, through Terah. Yahweh thus makes Abram holy (separated to and for Himself).

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The Promise to Abram: A Great Nation, A Great Name, A Great City

More significant, however, is Yahweh’s promise to Abram. It is this promise that takes up the thread going back to the significant event recorded in Genesis 11:1-9 (the building of the city and the Tower of Babel). Yahweh promises to make Abram a great nation and a great name. The people had sought to make itself a great name in order to avoid scattering over the Earth. The people had failed due to Yahweh’s intervention. What the people desired and failed to accomplish, Yahweh promises to Abram.

This is why the writer of the Book of Hebrews declares that Abraham looked for a city (Heb. 11:10). The descendants of Adam and Noah after the judgment of the flood sought to make themselves a city and a name. This displeased the Supreme El, Yahweh Elohim. He intervened against these people, but He intervened in favor of Abram and his seed. Abram and his seed would be made a great nation, having a great name, and inhabiting a great city whose artificer and architect would be God, the Supreme El, Yahweh Elohim, Yahweh the Elohim of Israel. But these promises were not to be terrestrial but celestial, even as Jesus would declare, “My kingdom is not of this world [not of the terrestrial world-order of Adam, Noah, and Moses](Jn. 18:36b CV). Jesus Christ, THE SEED of Abraham would become the great NAME promised to Abram. His Ecclesia, His Bride, would become the great NATION, the Israel of Yahweh. The Celestial Jerusalem would become the great CITY.

The celestial fulfillment of these promises would affect the entire terrestrial realm. The race, as well as the nations, would be blessed through Abram’s seed. But Abram’s seed had been immersed in the darkness that came upon the nations. They, too, had been affected by the environmental atmosphere of myth, superstition, and astrology. They, too, were immersed in the dark water of ignorance. They had become immersed in the dark water of the bowel of Egypt for approximately 400 years. They, too, needed to be liberated. They, too, needed a breath of fresh, clean air. This they would be given in order for them to become a breath of fresh, clean air for the nations.

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The Analogy Begins

Thus, Moses takes up the theme of the analogy of the former days:

For ask now about the former days which came before you, from the day that Elohim created humanity on the earth, and from one end of the heavens unto the other end of the heavens: Has there occurred anything like this great thing, or has anything been heard like it? Has a people ever heard the voice of the living Elohim speaking from the midst of the fire just as you heard it, and lived? Or has an elohim ever tried to come and take for himself a nation from among another nation by trials, by signs and by miracles, by war, by a steadfast hand and by an outstretched arm and by great fear-inspiring deeds, such as all that Yahweh your Elohim did for you in Egypt before your eyes? You were shown this to know that Yahweh, He is the only Elohim. There is no one else aside from Him. From the heavens He let you hear His voice, to discipline you, and on the earth He showed you His great fire, and you heard His words from the midst of the fire. For (Page 33)inasmuch as He loved your fathers and chose their seed after them and brought you forth from Egypt into His presence by His great vigor, to evict greater and more substantial nations than you from your presence, to bring you in and give to you their country as an allotment, as it is this day, so you know today, and you recall it to your heart that Yahweh, He is the only Elohim in the heavens above and on the earth beneath; there is no one else. Hence you will observe His statutes and His instructions which I am enjoining on you today, that it may be well with you and your sons after you, and that you may prolong your days on the ground that Yahweh your Elohim is giving to you, all the days. (Deuteronomy 4:32-40 CV)

This analogy compares the creation of Israel at Sinai with the creation of the heavens and the earth of Genesis, chapters 1 and 2. It is extremely vital to an understanding of the self-identity and purpose of this nation. The events occurring in Egypt and at Sinai are paramount to the reading and understanding of the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures. They are just as significant as the events occurring during the six days of the creation of the heavens and the earth. The reader is obliged to perceive the holy texts through the spectacles of the Sinatic Covenant. Without these spectacles, the reading of the Greek Scriptures becomes chaotic guesswork. The language and metaphoric images comprising the Greek Scriptures have their origination in the Hebrew Scriptures with their emphasis on the Sinatic Covenant and its relation to the Abrahamic covenants.

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The First Question: The Former Days

Moses begins his analogy with a question. He asks the people to inquire about the former days which preceded the nation’s formation, which oral history passed down from Adam through Noah, through Abraham. He directs the attention of the nation and the reader back to the historical events later to be recorded in Genesis, chapters 1-11, “from the day that Elohim created humanity on the earth, and from one end of the heavens unto the other end of the heavens: . . .” (Deut. 4:32b CV). The nation and the reader are reminded of the day Elohim created Adam and initiated the spreading of humanity over the surface of the Earth.

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The Second Question: The Six-Day Creation and the Creation of Israel

Moses then asks the nation a rhetorical question. Has there occurred anything since the creation of the heavens and the earth in six days to compare with the creation of a nation out of a nation—the creation of Israel ? The implied answer is No! No people had ever heard the voice of the living Elohim speaking from the midst of the fire on Mount Sinai and had been given life. Moses is alluding to the creation of the heavens and the earth by the word of Elohim:

“Become light!” And it is becoming light. (Genesis 1:3b CV)

Moses is simultaneously alluding to the creation of Adam:

And forming is Yahweh Elohim the human of soil from the ground, and He is blowing [breathing] into his nostrils the breath of the living, and becoming is the human a living soul. (Genesis 2:7 CV)

As the heavens and the earth had been created as a result of the word of Elohim and as Adam had been formed and given life by the breath of Elohim, so Israel had been metaphorically taken out of the bowel of Egypt and made alive covenantally by the word of Yahweh Elohim breathed into him from the heavens of Mount Sinai. Moses is implying the metaphorical creation of a new heavens and earth and a new national man.

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The Creation of a Metaphoric Heavens and Earth

By taking this nation out of the belly of Egypt and forming it into a living nation before Him, Yahweh had created a new order, a new heavens and earth. The separation (making holy) of Israel from the nations and his being drawn close to Yahweh Elohim residing in the heavens of Mount Sinai set Israel in the metaphoric heavens above the nations dwelling on the metaphoric earth. Yahweh had done nothing like this since the creation of the heavens and the earth in six days. What Yahweh Elohim had accomplished in Egypt and at Mount Sinai could only be compared with His six-day creation. Thus the astounding significance of the work of Yahweh in creating for Himself this nation. This metaphoric language is also the key to understanding the metaphoric images and analogies of the Greek Scriptures.

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Paul’s Use of the Metaphoric Heavens and Earth

An example of this is found in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. In chapter 1 he addresses the letter to “the saints, who are also believers in Christ Jesus” (1:1b CV). He continues to address this group using the pronouns our, us, and we. He refers to our Lord Jesus Christ” (v. 3); “Who blesses us (v. 3); “chooses us (v. 4); we to be holy” (v. 4); “designating us beforehand for the place of a son” (v. 5); “graces us in the Beloved” (v. 6); “in Whom we are having the deliverance” (v. 7);“the riches of His grace, . . . on us (v. 7); and “making known to us the secret of His will” (v. 9). But in verse 13, he refers to another group by the use of the pronouns you and your. He declares to this group, “In Whom you also—on hearing the word of truth, the evangel of your salvation—in Whom on believing also, you are sealed with the holy spirit of promise . . .” How is this to be understood?

The clue that solves this puzzle is Paul’s metaphoric usage of the words “in the heavens and that on the earth” in verse 11. Addressing the saints (our, us, we), Paul writes, “making known to us the secret of His will . . . to have an administration of the complement of the eras, to head up all in the Christ—both that in the heavens and that on earth— . . .” (vs. 9-10 CV). The group represented by “that in the heavens” consists of the believing ones out of Israel (the circumcised faithful ones), the saints, the your people of the Book of Daniel. The group represented by “that on the earth” consists of the believing ones out of the nations (the uncircumcised faithful ones). This interpretation is ratified in Ephesians, chapter 2, verses 13-18 (CV):

Yet now, in Christ Jesus, you [the nations], who once were far off, are become near by the blood of Christ. For He is our Peace, Who makes both [ Israel and the nations] one . . . that He should be creating the two, in Himself, into one new humanity [man], making peace; and should be reconciling both in one body [the body of Jesus] to God through the cross, killing the enmity in it [the physical body of Jesus]. And coming, He brings the evangel of peace to you, those afar [nations], and peace to those near [the nation Israel ], for through Him we both [ Israel and the nations] have had access, in one spirit, to the Father.

Why does Paul write of a new humanity, a new man? Because he alludes to Deuteronomy 4:32-40 and its metaphoric analogy of the former days. As the Sinatic Covenant created a new heavens and a new earth, and a new humanity, a new national man (Israel), so the new Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant consecrated by the blood of Jesus created a new heavens and new earth, and a new national man (Jesus the Messiah and His Ecclesia, His faithful called-out ones). Paul alludes to and makes use of the metaphoric images and analogies of the Hebrew Scriptures.

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The Third Question: The Metaphoric Breath of Covenantal Life

In Deuteronomy 4:33 (CV), Moses continues his analogy of the former days by asking,

Has a people ever heard the voice of the living Elohim speaking from the midst of the fire just as you heard it, and lived?

Again, the implied answer is a resounding No! At Sinai, Yahweh Elohim spoke the Ten Words (the ten commandments), and, hearing the very voice of Yahweh Himself speaking these words of covenantal life, the nation became a living soul, a living man, a living nation in the close presence of Yahweh Elohim. Yahweh had metaphorically breathed into this national man’s nostrils the metaphoric breath of covenantal life. This analogy of the nation as a living man, a national Adam, is confirmed by the response of the people to the question under consideration:

Behold, Yahweh our Elohim has shown us His glory and His greatness, and we heard His voice from the midst of the fire. This day we have seen that Elohim speaks with the human [the national man] and he [the national man] lives. (Deuteronomy 5:24b CV modified)

The translations add “still” lives. However, in the Hebrew text there is no word to be translated as such. This word is added because of the translators’ interpretation of the verse. Such a translation misses the analogy alluding to Genesis 2:7. “The human” is analogously comparing the living nation to the living man, Adam. As Yahweh Elohim had breathed into Adam’s nostrils the breath of life and he became a living soul, a living man, so also the nation at Sinai, hearing the life-imparting voice of Yahweh, becomes a living national man. With the impartation of this metaphoric breath of covenantal life, Yahweh begins something new.

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The Metaphoric Throne and Footstool of Yahweh

Verse 33, chapter 4 of Deuteronomy, refers to the place from which Elohim spoke as “from the midst of the fire.” In verse 36, “From the midst of the fire” is described as “From the heavens . . .” From the heavens (the pinnacle of Mount Sinai), Yahweh spoke and on the earth (the foot of Mount Sinai) the people heard His words. This imagery describes metaphorically the throne and footstool of Yahweh Elohim. Jesus alludes to this same imagery:

Yet I am saying to you absolutely not to swear, neither by the heaven, for it is the throne of God, nor by the earth, for it is a footstool for His feet; . . . (Matthew 5:34 CV)

Jesus says this to Israelites. The Sinatic Covenant took Jacob/Israel out from among the nations and placed him at the footstool of Yahweh Elohim. Thus, once again, Israel is metaphorically depicted as Yahweh’s priest residing in the covenantal heavens and humbly taking his place of mediation before the footstool of Yahweh’s throne bowing on behalf of himself and the nations. Jesus could not have addressed this saying to the nations. It could only have meaning for Israelites who had been given the covenantal relationship to Yahweh described in Deuteronomy 4:32-40.

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Another Analogy: A Woman Giving Birth

Deuteronomy 4:34 continues Moses’ analogy of the former days, but now uses the analogy of a woman giving birth. Moses asks,

Or has an elohim ever tried to come and take for himself a nation from among another nation by trials, by signs and by miracles, by war, by a steadfast hand and by an outstretched arm and by great fear-inspiring deeds, such as all that Yahweh your Elohim did for you in Egypt before your eyes? (CV)

Egypt is depicted as a woman experiencing birth pangs. Israel is depicted as a fetus in the womb of Egypt . The birth pangs are depicted as the plagues that Yahweh put Egypt through in order for Egypt to give birth to His nation, His people, at the appointed time. “Let my people go!” (Ex. 5:1) was Yahweh’s command. Egypt suffered under the birth pangs of those plagues until she finally gave birth to this holy nation. Yahweh had implanted life in the womb of Egypt when the seed of Jacob descended into her womb, and out of that womb came forth His child, a male child, a son, a nation taken out of another nation. This had never previously occurred.

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The Pregnancy of Israel

However, it was destined to occur one more time. Israel herself would one day, at the appointed time of Yahweh, give birth to a male child. Yahweh would once again take a nation out of a nation, as Jesus declared to the rulers of Israel according to flesh,

Therefore I am saying to you that the kingdom of God shall be taken away from you and shall be given to a nation producing its fruits. (Matthew 21:43 CV)

That nation would be the Israel of Yahweh consecrated by the blood of the New Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant, the Israel of Yahweh associated with the Jerusalem above, the Israel according to spirit designated as the Bride of the Lamb. This Bride produces the righteous fruits of Yahweh’s Law, that fruit worthy of the repentance acknowledged by those faithfully responding to the Gospel of the Kingdom of the Heavens proclaimed by John the Baptist, Jesus the Messiah, and the Apostles of Jesus the Messiah.

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The Purpose of the Implantation of the Seed of Jacob

But why had Yahweh implanted this seed in the womb of Egypt ? According to Deuteronomy 4:35, the purpose was to make known to this special child, this special people, this holy nation that Yahweh is the only Elohim; Yahweh is the Supreme El. Israel would become the only nation worshiping and serving the Supreme El in accord with a true knowledge of Good and Evil. Israel alone, among all nations, would possess a qualified mind, in contrast to the mind of the nations as described by Paul in the first chapter of his Letter to the Romans, “God gave them [the nations] over to a disqualified mind, to do that which is not befitting, filled with all injustice, wickedness, evil . . .” (Rom. 1:28-29 CV).

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Israel ’s only Elohim would be Yahweh Elohim. The nations had many gods (elohim) corresponding to the many needs of life. But Israel would have only ONE GOD (ELOHIM) corresponding to the many needs of life. The nations sought to satisfy the capricious will of their many gods in order to obtain from these gods the various necessities of daily life. Israel was to obey the uncapricious will of its ONE and ONLY LIVING ELOHIM specifically and consistently revealed in His graciously given law with its elucidating statutes and judgments. As a result of obeying His righteous law and keeping His just statutes and judgments, Israel was guaranteed all the necessities of daily life which the plurality of the gods of each nation could not and did not provide.

Moses adds (Deut. 4:36) that Israel’s Elohim had permitted Israel to hear His voice from the heavens in order to discipline him, unlike the nations which Yahweh Elohim had left undisciplined. This lack of discipline among the nations was due to their disqualified minds which resulted in an “irreverence and injustice of men who were retaining the truth in injustice . . .” (Rom. 1:18 CV). The men of the nations had altered the truth of the Supreme El into the lie that led to the worship and service of the creation rather than the Creator (Rom. 1:25). Thus, Jacob/Israel, implanted in the womb of Egypt , is a child, a descendant of the nations, destined to bless and bring the light of salvation to his (Jacob/Israel’s) metaphorical family of nations.

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The Allusion to the Garden Planted in Eden

The analogy of Moses continues by alluding to Genesis 2:8 (CV):

And planting is Yahweh Elohim a garden in Eden, in the east, and He is placing there the human whom He forms.

As Yahweh provided a garden for the man Adam, He also was about to be providing a garden for the national man Israel .

For inasmuch as He loved your fathers and chose their seed after them and brought you forth from Egypt into His presence by His great vigor, to evict greater and more substantial nations than you from your presence, to bring you in and give to you their country as an allotment, as it is this day, so you know today, and you recall it to your heart that Yahweh, He is the only Elohim in the heavens above and on the earth beneath; there is no one else. (Deuteronomy 4:37-39 CV)

The land promised to the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was to become a garden into which Yahweh Elohim would place His new national man, His new creation, Israel . As the Supreme El had allotted the nations their territories, so now He would activate His prior claim to Jacob with its accompanying land allotment.

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The Allusion to the Two Trees

In this second garden (as in Adam’s garden) Yahweh planted two trees: The Tree of Covenantal Life (the Ten Words) and The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Yahweh’s statutes and judgments). As Adam had disobeyed by eating the fruit of the forbidden tree, so also will Israel disobey. But unlike Adam, Israel will disobey by not eating from the trees provided by Yahweh. Jacob/Israel will fail, like the nations, by planting and (Page 37)eating of the fruit of his own trees, rather than continuing to eat of the fruit of Yahweh’s trees.

Though Moses does not allude to the two trees planted in the garden of Eden in the passage under discussion, he does allude to these trees in Deuteronomy 4:1-8. In this passage, Moses reminds Israel of the generation exterminated in the wilderness for failure to obey Yahweh’s voice. The nation is reminded that all who are presently alive are alive because they cling to Yahweh their Elohim. This meant they had continued to obey His Ten Words and His statutes and judgments. Thus, he alludes to the two trees planted in the garden of Eden.

Access to these trees distinguishes Israel from the nations. The nation had been given covenantal life at Sinai by hearing Yahweh’s Ten Words. These Ten Words then become for them a tree of covenantal life. If they continue to cling to Yahweh, they will continue to breathe the breath of covenantal life supplied by this metaphoric tree.

They were also given Yahweh’s statutes and judgments which become for them a tree of covenantal knowledge of Good and Evil. Clinging to Yahweh also meant they would have to continue eating of the fruit of this tree, since this tree was Yahweh’s identification and classification of what was to be considered good and evil. The nations had not been given either of these trees. Moses declares,

And you must observe and obey them, for that is your wisdom and your understanding in the eyes of all the peoples who shall hear of all these statutes and will say: Surely this great nation is a people wise and understanding. For what great nation is there which has elohim so near to it as Yahweh our Elohim is in all that we call to Him? And what great nation is there which has statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law that I am putting before you today? (Deuteronomy 4:6-8-CV)

The writer of Psalms 147 corroborates the testimony of Moses by exclaiming,

He is telling His words to Jacob,

His statutes and His ordinances to Israel .

He has not done so for any other nation,

And His ordinances, they [nations] do not know them at all.

Praise Yah. (Psalms 147:19-20 CV)

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The Conclusion of the Analogy

Moses concludes his analogy of the former days by reiterating the necessity of observing Yahweh’s statutes and judgments. If the nation obeys the voice of Yahweh, He will guarantee Jacob/Israel’s welfare throughout the years and generations making up the Mosaic Eon (age).

Hence you will observe His statutes and His instructions which I am enjoining on you today, that it may be well with you and your sons after you, and that you may prolong your days on the ground that Yahweh your Elohim is giving to you, all the days. (Deuteronomy 4:40 CV)

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Genesis Revisited:
The Creation of the Heavens and Earth

The analogy of the former days directed Israel back to a beginning—that of the Genesis account. It provided Jacob/Israel with a profound sense of his self-identity and purpose as he found himself suddenly thrown into the midst of the drama initiated by the six-day creation described in the Book of Genesis. However, the Book of Genesis, upon further investigation, reveals much more about the perspective and self-understanding of Israel .

As stated previously, from Israel ’s point of view, the existence of God (Yahweh) is not in question. The nation had experienced the practical intervention of Yahweh on Jacob/Israel’s behalf. Thus, the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures do not concern themselves with the question of God’s existence. These scriptures assume God’s existence as a given. In the Hebrew mind, this question never arises. The account in Genesis raises the curtain of the drama with a simple and concise statement of fact, “In a beginning, created by Elohim were the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1 CV).

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The Statement of Fact

This statement of fact does not refer to the creation of the universe. The writer does not refer to “the” beginning, but “a” beginning. Israel ’s interest focused on the human drama. The information Jacob/Israel found important had to do with the nation’s national existence and purpose within the human drama. Therefore, the origination of this drama was of vital interest. It was deemed necessary not only by Israel (in order for Jacob/Israel to understand his purpose in his present situation within the human drama), but also by Israel ’s God (in order for Him to appropriately educate Jacob/Israel for his role in this human drama). Thus, the writer of Genesis (most likely Moses) begins his account with the origination of the heavens and the earth. His audience would have understood immediately the reference to the heavens and the earth. Common experience made it unnecessary to define or explain the meaning of “the heavens and the earth” in the opening statement.

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Explaining the Process

However, with verse 2, the writer begins to present the process that resulted in the final product: the creation of the heavens and the earth. As the Hebrew mind assumed the existence of God (Yahweh Elohim), it also assumed the existence of the heavens and the earth. What the Hebrew mind sought was the how and the why of the heavens and the earth. Thus, Israel was instructed that his Elohim, Yahweh, was responsible for the creation of the heavens and the earth. What followed would be a broad but sufficient explanation of how Yahweh achieved this creation. In the process, however, the writer would also make his understanding of “the heavens and the earth” clear to the foreign reader of the text.

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The Heavens

In Genesis, chapter 1, verses 6-8, the writer states,

And saying is Elohim “Become shall an atmosphere in the midst of the water, and coming is a separation between water and water.” And coming is it to be so. And making is Elohim the atmosphere. . . . And calling is Elohim the atmosphere “heavens.” (CV)

With this information, the foreign reader (such as the modern Western reader) is provided by the text itself with the writer’s meaning of the word “heavens.” The writer is referring to the heavens over the earth of the planet we today call Earth. Therefore, this account concerns itself with the creation of the heavens and the earth that humans experience every day and night with the rising and setting of the sun. This account concerns itself with the creation taking place within the terrestrial realm (consisting of the sky, the land, and the water), not the creation taking place within the Celestial Realm (consisting of the sun, moon, and stars).

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The Earth

But is the writer describing a creation out of nothing? Or does he begin with something? Verse 2 indicates the writer is not concerned with the origination of the planetary sphere we call Earth. He begins not with the creation of this planetary sphere, but with its existence in a primordial, raw, disordered state.

Yet the earth became [or was] a chaos and vacant, and darkness was on the surface of the submerged chaos. (Genesis 1:2 CV)

There is a difference of opinion concerning the translation of the first verb in this text. Some scholars argue for the verb was and others argue for the verb became. In either case, from the writer’s point of view, the earth is the object of the creation process described in this account. The question concerning its origination is not under consideration. What is under consideration is how this “earth” was acted upon by Elohim in such a way as to become a suitable habitation for life in general and for man in particular.

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The Creation Account

In verse 2, chapter 1 of Genesis, the writer begins his account of the creation of the heavens and the earth with the earth submerged under water and darkness upon the submerged surface. The writer does not imply the non-existence of the sun, the moon, and the stars. As a matter of fact, the writer is not concerned with the creation of these objects. His concern is with the creation process having Earth as its object.

The writer describes the creation process as beginning with the vibration of the spirit of Elohim over the surface of the water. Elohim then commands, “Become light!” The writer does not claim that Elohim created light at this moment in time. His only claim is that Elohim commanded light to come. “And it is becoming light. And seeing is Elohim the light, that it is good. And separating is Elohim between the light and the darkness. And calling is Elohim the light ‘day’ and the darkness he calls ‘night.’ And coming is it to be evening to be morning, day one” (Gen. 1:3b-5 CV).

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The Appearance of Light Not the Creation of Light

The writer has already informed the reader that darkness was on the surface of the submerged earth. Elohim commands the coming of light, not the creation of light. The coming of this light begins to illuminate the darkness covering the surface of the submerged earth. Elohim then calls the light “day” and the darkness “night” (Gen. 1:5).

How was the Hebrew mind to understand this language? The people of Israel understood from daily experience “day” and “night.” Thus, they would understand these words in their everyday common meaning.

Elohim commanded the light from the sun to begin to penetrate the darkness covering the earth. His designation of this light as “day” implies the daily circuit of the sun through the heavens across the surface of the earth beneath as experienced by all humans inhabiting the earth, especially the Israelites.

There is no magic or mysticism in this text. The Hebrew reader of this account was not mystified. The account is not an attempt to explain scientifically the phenomena under consideration. At the same time, however, it is not a contradiction of a scientific explanation. The writer does not attempt to explain scientifically how these results occur. He simply records the spoken commands of Elohim and describes the overall results. Everything described, however, will conform to accurate scientific investigation. But the writer is certainly not attempting to explain in detail the physical processes contributing to the end result recorded. The purpose of the writer is to make it clear that Elohim is the One responsible for the order and design experienced by humanity dwelling within this environment created for it.

For Israel , the terrestrial realm of man’s habitation is not something created from chaos through violence, through the violent and the capricious activity of gods representing the unpredictable and uncontrollable forces of nature. The Elohim of creation is separate from His creation. The Elohim of creation is in control of all the natural forces and is, therefore, the Elohim of order and purpose. He is to be revered, not appeased. He is to be obeyed and to be imitated as a creator of order. Man is to rule the natural order. He is not to be ruled by the natural order. This conception of the natural forces of the terrestrial realm is not the conception of the nations around Israel .

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Asah and Bara

During day two, the spoken word of Elohim commands the establishment of an atmosphere. This is brought about by a separation of the water covering the surface of the earth, leaving an atmosphere between these waters, which is then referred to as “heavens” (Gen. 1:8). The writer states, “And making (Page 40)is Elohim the atmosphere” (Gen. 1:7 CV). The Hebrew word translated “making” is asah. This word is to be distinguished from bara.

The word bara is introduced in verse 1 and means to cut, to create. There is no dispute concerning its meaning. The meaning of the word asah, however, is disputed. Many scholars understand it to be a synonym for bara. Some scholars understand it to be distinct from bara.

This word asah means to do, bring about, accomplish, appoint in the broadest sense and widest application. It has to do with bringing about or producing a given purpose. Its meaning stresses the outcome, the result, the product of an activity, not the process of an activity (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, compact ed., s.v. 6213 . . . asah). Linguistically, there are no synonyms. No two words have exactly the same meaning. Though words can be similar in meaning, they can never be exactly the same in meaning. For this reason, asah is to be distinct in meaning from bara. Bara stresses the process of an activity, whereas asah stresses the result or outcome of an activity. One can, thus, define asah as meaning to make appear in distinction to bara which one can define as meaning to create. To create stresses the actual process or activity of the artist or artisan upon an object in order to make it something different. To make appear stresses the removal of obstacles so that something already created can be unveiled.

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The Heavens

Therefore, the writer refers to Elohim as making (asah) the atmosphere, the heavens, appear, stressing not the creative process but the end result. Elohim creatively acted upon the earth to make it something different. Having acted upon it as an artisan, He had removed the obstacles so that which was created could be unveiled, “separating is He between the water which is under the atmosphere and the water which is above the atmosphere” (Gen. 1:7b CV). Having described the creative act of separating the water, the writer has established the process resulting in his previous statement of fact, “And making [asah] is Elohim the atmosphere” (Gen. 1:7a CV), thus indicating the end result, the product of the creative act. Elohim made to appear the atmosphere, “And calling is the Elohim the atmosphere ‘heavens’” (Gen. 1:8).

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The Land and Sea

During the third day (Gen. 1:9-10), Elohim causes the water on the surface of the earth to flow to one place, making the dry part to appear. This He calls “land” or “earth.” The water He calls “seas.” Then, through His spoken word, He commands the land to bring forth plants and trees, and so, the land brings forth plants and trees (Gen. 1:11-12). Hence, creation by means of the spoken word of Elohim implies Yahweh Elohim’s dynamic, rather than static, relationship to His creative activity and His creative products produced by His creative laws.

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The Sun, the Moon, the Stars

During the fourth day, Elohim commands,

“Become shall luminaries in the atmosphere of the heavens, to give light on the earth, to separate between the day and the night. And they came to be for signs and for appointments, and for days and years.” And there came to be luminaries in the atmosphere of the heavens to give light on the earth. . . . And making [asah] is the Elohim two great luminaries, the greater luminary for ruling the day and the smaller luminary for ruling the night, and the stars. (Genesis 1:14-16 CV)

Again, the writer uses the verb asah. Elohim did not create the sun, the moon, and the stars at this time (during the fourth day of this six-day creation). He made them appear as if in the atmosphere, the heavens, above the surface of the planet. This meant humans residing on the surface of the earth could now observe these luminaries, since the atmosphere became translucent. This also accounts for man’s experience of the seasons, the astrological signs, holy festivals, and the determination of days, months, and years. The writer is thus attributing these common experiences of humans to Elohim’s deliberate creation. Elohim is to be praised. Elohim is to be worshiped and served. This is to be accomplished through man’s appropriate, intelligent creative rule over the terrestrial realm and its natural forces, thereby following in the footsteps of his Creator.

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Day and Night

The definitions of “day” and “night” are also clearly established (Gen. 1:16-18). The “day” would be ruled by the sun and the “night” would be ruled by the moon. Thus, the day was understood as the period of time dominated by the presence of the sun. The night was understood as the period dominated by the absence of the sun and the presence of the lesser luminaries, the moon and the stars. Night was the period of time which began at the setting of the sun and ended with the rising of the sun. This conforms to man’s experience. It is not intended to represent the scientific point of view of the Copernican revolution. It reflects the practical daily observation of men dwelling upon and within the habitation created for them by Elohim. This practical observation continues to dominate the experience of contemporary men and women.

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Creatures Inhabiting This Creation

The account continues with the description of the creation occurring during the fifth day. Elohim creates the creatures flying in the atmosphere (the sky) and the creatures residing in the water. During the sixth day, Elohim creates the creatures residing on the surface of the dry land, reaching its apex with the making (asah, the appearance) of man (Gen. 1:26).

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The Making of Humanity

In verse 26 of Genesis, chapter 1, the writer refers to Elohim as saying,

Make will we humanity in Our image, and according to Our likeness, and sway [rule, govern] shall they over the fish of the sea, and over the flyer of the heavens, and over the beasts, and over all land life, and over every moving animal moving on the land. (CV)

The word translated “make” is the Hebrew word asah. Thus, the writer is emphasizing not the process of creation but the end result, the final appearance of the product in terms of its purpose.

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The Image and Likeness of Humanity

Man would be made in “Our” image (Gen. 1:26). “Our” refers to Elohim and His council, consisting of celestial Sons of El. This is consistent with Moses’ description of the parting of the sons of Adam (representing man, humanity) by the Supreme. Celestial Sons of El were each appointed a nation to govern. Yahweh’s portion was Jacob (Deut. 32:8-9 CV). Israelites would therefore understand the pronoun “Our” without further explanation.

Man’s image, his physical form, is therefore modeled after the form of Elohim and the celestial Sons of El. By deduction the reader can conclude that Elohim and the celestial Sons of El have the appearance of human beings. This is consistent with the description of celestial messengers throughout the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures.

“Our likeness” (Gen. 1:26) refers to the function or authority of Elohim and the celestial Sons of El. Mankind was to rule, have authority over all other creatures inhabiting the heavens and the earth. The Hebrew word El is the singular form of the word Elohim. An el refers to one having authority and power over others, one having authority to rule over subjects placed under one’s responsibility. The writers of the Hebrew Scriptures refer to Yahweh as Elohim because He, as One El, became to Israel what the plurality of elohim (gods) became to each nation. This is the meaning of the declaration, “Hear Israel ! Yahweh is our Elohim; Yahweh the only One” (Deut. 6:4 CV).

Thus, Elohim became a name for Israel ’s El, Yahweh. Yahweh Elohim came to mean Yahweh over the Elohim, Yahweh Supreme Chief over all Elohim. Yahweh Elohim is also referred to as the Supreme One. The Supreme One is the Supreme El over the celestial Sons of El and over the terrestrial human elohim.

Thus, the title elohim is also used of Israel ’s judges. Jesus claimed to be the Son of God (Greek, Theos; Hebrew, El). The rulers of Israel were offended by Jesus’ use of this title. But Jesus defended this designation by referring them to their own scriptures which referred to their judges as elohim (see Jn. 10:34-36; Ps. 82:1-8, especially v. 6). As The Son of Elohim, Jesus was claiming authority and power from Yahweh Elohim. In actuality, however, He was also the only generated Son of the Father, and thus could justly claim the titles Son of El, Son of Elohim, Son of Yahweh Elohim, Son of the Supreme One, for He was sired by the Supreme One, the Supreme El, Yahweh Elohim.

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The Creation of Humanity

The writer continues his account concerning man by stating, “And creating [bara] is Elohim humanity in His image. In the image of Elohim He creates it. Male and female He creates them” (Gen. 1:27 CV). Thus, the writer indicates that Elohim first planned the form and purpose of mankind (asah, make to appear, v. 26) with the co-operation of His celestial council consisting of a select number of Sons of El. Having predesigned man’s form and predetermined his rule over all other creatures inhabiting the heavens and the earth, Elohim created (bara) mankind (“it”) male and female—“it” meaning the man consisting of both male and female.

The detailed description of this creating process is passed over in the present account. It will be provided in the next section of the book (Gen. 2:4-25). This opening section comes under the theme of the six-day creation of the heavens and the earth. The next section comes under the theme of “the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created” (Gen. 2:4 KJV). The writer makes an essential distinction between the creation of the heavens and the earth and the generations of the heavens and the earth. This division is inherent to the structure of the book.

Structure 1: The Literary Structure of Genesis (Genesis 1:1-50:26)

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(Page 42)

The Responsibility of Humanity

Having created the male and the female, Elohim blesses them and commands them to “Be fruitful and increase and fill the earth, and subdue it. And sway over the fish of the sea, and over the flyer of the heavens, and over the beast, and over all the earth, and over all life moving on the land” (Gen. 1:28b CV). He also designates all green herbage as food for all creatures residing in the heavens and the earth. Thus, there was no need to kill in order to obtain food (Gen. 1:29-30).

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The Conclusion of the Opening Account

This opening account concludes with Genesis 1:31-2:3 (CV):

And seeing is Elohim all that He had made [asah], and behold, it is very good. And coming is it to be evening and coming to be morning, the sixth day. And finished are the heavens and the earth and all their host. And finishing is Elohim, on the sixth day, His work which He does. And ceasing is He on the seventh day from all His work which He does. And blessing is Elohim the seventh day, and hallowing it, for in it He ceases from all His work, which Elohim creates [bara] to make [asah].

Elohim created (bara) the heavens and the earth (the artistic process) in order to make (asah) the intended product. When He finished the heavens and the earth, He beheld what He had made (asah, completed product) and it was very good. It was exactly as He had intended it to be. It was perfectly suited for His intended purpose. He then ceased working on this creation, for it was finished.

Note the last statement. Elohim ceased from all His work which He artistically created (bara) in order to make (asah) the intended product, in order to achieve the goal. Both words (bara and asah) are used to describe the conclusion of all the work of Elohim. These words, therefore, must not be understood to be synonymous from either the point of view of the writer or the primary reader being addressed.

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The Question Concerning the Meaning of the Word “Day”

The question as to the meaning of the word “day” in the statement “coming is it to be evening and coming to be morning, day one” (Gen. 1:5b) is still disputed. Is “day” to be understood metaphorically as referring to a lengthy, extended period of time? Or is “day” to be understood literally as referring to a 24- hour period of time? In this account, verses 3-5a of chapter 1 must be considered in the process of determining which definition the writer intends.

The writer states that Elohim calls for light and light begins to appear. Elohim then separates the light from the darkness. The darkness had already been there. What is added is light. The writer does not state that Elohim creates the light. The light is simply made to appear.

Thus, the light comes from the sun. As the sun goes down, from the point of view of those residing on the surface of the land, darkness occurs. Elohim calls the light “day” and the darkness “night.” The combination of the presence of light followed by the presence of darkness is described as “day one.”

Hence, day one consists of the rising of the sun, the setting of the sun, and the coming on of night. The return of the sun in the morning begins another day. This understanding would be the most natural for the writer and the reader. Both understand from experience and language the meaning of “day” and “night.”

The work of Elohim in creating the heavens and the earth is not presented as mysterious, something difficult to decipher. Man’s common experience of his environment is simply being attributed to the handiwork of Elohim. Therefore, one can reasonably conclude the words “the evening and the morning” refer to a 24-hour day based upon man’s experience of the rising of the sun, the setting of the sun, the ensuing presence of darkness (night), and the return of the sun in the morning. Elohim and the writer are not attempting to baffle or confuse the reader. The reader is receiving information that he can naturally and easily comprehend. Thus, this account is neither mystery nor myth. It is a clear and concise account of Elohim’s responsibility for all that exists in the heavens and the earth of man’s experience, including man himself.

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Israel ’s Practical Application

Israel ’s reception of this revelational account of the six-day creation and the seventh day cessation of Yahweh’s work enlightened the mind of the nation as to the full extent of the identity of Yahweh. As the (Page 43)Creator of the heavens and the earth of man’s habitation, Yahweh is the source of all life and sustenance. His promises of terrestrial blessings above and beyond the blessings extended to the nations are not to be doubted. All the processes of nature are subject to His will. Nature is not infested with capricious spirits. The Elohim Who created the heavens and the earth is Israel ’s personal Elohim. Israel alone of all nations has access to His presence, His revealed knowledge, His promises, His covenant, His protection and guidance. He alone is the One and Only Living Elohim. His word is sure, for His authoritative power is all-sufficient. When He speaks, He is faithful to His word.

Jacob/Israel now has a better understanding of his unique election, advantage, and responsibility in relation to his covenantal supremacy over the nations. He has been given access to a qualified mind in the midst of the darkness of the ancient world of the nations. In his keeping of the sabbath, he reflects the likeness of the glorious cessation of Yahweh from His successfully finished work. In his obedient figurative six days of work, he reflects the likeness of the glorious activity of Yahweh in the habitation of humanity, the habitation of the nations.

Jacob/Israel has been liberated from the darkness of myth, superstition, and astrological enslavement to the pseudo-gods of the nations, as well as enslavement to the mythopoeic view of nature as populated by capricious, uncontrollable spirits constantly threatening man’s welfare. Therefore, as Yahweh successfully completed His work in six days, ceasing on the seventh day, so also Jacob/Israel would successfully complete his elective work over the course of the Mosaic Eon , entering finally into his Celestial Sabbath Rest.


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CHAPTER 3

THE VIEW FROM MOUNT SINAI:


PART II, DEUTERONOMY AND GENESIS CHAPTERS 1-11

PART 2, GENESIS REVISITED:

THE GENERATIONS OF THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH

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Beginning with Genesis 2:4, the writer takes up the theme of the generations of the heavens and the earth. He returns the reader to day three of the six-day creation account. On that day, Yahweh Elohim made to appear (asah) earth (dry land) as distinct from heavens (atmosphere). At that time, Yahweh Elohim had not caused rain to fall upon the earth. Humidity ascending from the earth irrigated all the surface of the ground, thereby causing the dry land to produce herbage. On that day there was no man to serve the ground.

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The Formation of Adam From the Soil: The Image of the Elohim

The writer then moves forward to day six and describes, specifically, Yahweh Elohim’s formation of man from the soil of the ground. The writer describes the formation of the biological body of the first created man. The man’s physical body is formed from the soil of the ground.

And forming is Yahweh Elohim the human of soil from the ground, and He is blowing [breathing] into his nostrils the breath of the living, and becoming is the human a living soul. (Genesis 2:7 CV)

Upon completion, the biological body of the first man is organically alive. When Yahweh Elohim breathes into the man’s nostrils the breath of life, this man becomes a living soul, a conscious human being.

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The Vivification of Adam by the Spirit: The Likeness of the Elohim

Thus, the biological body energized by the spirit made man a living soul. Death was not operating within the biological body of this man. This organic body would not decay. Organically, this first man (before receiving the breath of life) could not experience physical (organic) death. Spirit was necessary to make this man consciously alive with a thinking organism (the brain) efficient enough to make him in the likeness of the Elohim.

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Paul’s Commentary on This Passage: The Two Men

This description of man allowed the Apostle Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians, to label the first man, Adam, a living soul and the Second Man, Jesus, a life-giving spirit (1 Cor. 15:45 CV, NEGINT). Adam, upon receiving the breath of life (spirit), became a living soul. Thus, he was soulish in essence. He was capable of experiencing death by means of an outside source. But death as a principle, a law, was not operating within him. If this spirit were to be withdrawn, he would not decay. He would simply become unconscious.

Jesus as the Second (deuteros) Man (1 Cor. 15:45 CV, NEGINT) is spiritual in essence. He is no longer capable of experiencing death by means of an outside source. Jesus as a generated human being had been a soulish being. He had been capable of being killed by an outside source. After His resurrection, He became a spiritual being possessing immortality. This immortality made Him a life-giving spirit, a vivifying spirit. As a spiritual being He could impart immortality to soulish beings. Paul’s further distinction between soilish man and soulish man and his distinction between the Last Man and the Second Man will be explained later.

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The Habitation of Adam: The Garden in Eden

This man formed from the soil of the ground and made consciously alive by the reception of spirit was placed by Yahweh Elohim in the garden of Eden which He had prepared for man’s habitation. In this (Page 46)garden Yahweh had planted every tree beautiful to the eye and good for food. He also planted the Tree of Life in the midst of the garden and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

The writer then describes the rivers irrigating the garden. His purpose is to relate the location of this garden to Israel ’s then present geographical knowledge. Thus, this garden is not to be understood as mythical. It is a creation of Yahweh Elohim having a geographical relationship to the generated geography of Israel ’s then present experience under the leadership of Moses.

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The Assignment of Adam: The Forbidden Fruit and Death

Having placed the man in this garden, Yahweh Elohim assigns him the task of serving and keeping it. He further instructs the man concerning the forbidden fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. He can eat of the fruit of every tree except this one. Adam is instructed,

you are not to be eating from it, for in the day you eat from it, to die shall you be dying. (Genesis 2:17b CV)

The consequence of Adam’s disobedience is not immediate death. It is the internal activation of the dormant principle of death which slowly operates in Adam’s biological body terminating in his return to the soil of the ground. This death is physical, biological. But it represents a process occurring over a period of time. This death was later understood to be the first death in contrast to the second death associated with the crucifixion death of Jesus. Israel, understood metaphorically as a national man, also activated a dormant covenantal principle of death which slowly operated through its national life, terminating in what the writer of the Book of Revelation calls “the second death” (Rev. 2:11 CV).

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The Complement of Adam: The Naming of All Living Creatures

Yahweh Elohim then says,

Not good is it for the human for him to be alone. Make for him will I a helper as his complement. (Genesis 2:18b CV)

He then brings to Adam all living creatures in order to see what Adam would name each. This naming process is a demonstration of Adam’s being in the likeness of Elohim. In this task the text refers to Adam as “the human living soul” (Gen. 2:19 CV). Adam became a living soul at the reception of spirit, making him consciously alive with efficient intelligence enabling him to name, and thus rule over, all living creatures. This is why Adam is called “[son] of God” in Luke’s genealogy of Jesus (Lk. 3:38 CV).

But, in the naming of all these creatures, there is found no creature fit to be named Adam’s complement. Yahweh Elohim Himself would provide a complement for Adam. The writer has already stated that Elohim created man male and female. Now the writer reveals how this is accomplished. Adam is created first. He represents humanity. He is created in the image and likeness of Elohim. As Yahweh Elohim is first in relation to the sons of El, so Adam would be first in relation to his complement, Eve. As the Supreme El had headship over the sons of El, so Adam would have headship over his complement.

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The Complement of Adam: The Surgical Removal of an Organ

Yahweh Elohim, therefore, anaesthetizes Adam, causing him to sleep. He then removes from Adam one of his angular organs, afterward closing the flesh of the resulting wound. From this angular organ, Yahweh Elohim builds a woman and brings her to Adam.

And falling is a stupor on the human, caused by Yahweh Elohim, and he is sleeping. And taking is He one of his angular organs and is closing the flesh under it. And Yahweh Elohim is building the angular organ, which He takes from the human, into a woman, and bringing her is He to the human. (Genesis 2:21-22 CV)

The writer, in this passage, describes a surgical operation performed on Adam’s physical body, resulting in the removal of one of his organs which is then built genetically into a woman. Thus, Adam originally was male and female. His female organ was removed and genetically built into a fitting complement for him, a woman. This account is a description of the process used by Elohim to bring about the statement of fact recorded in Genesis 1:27b: “Male and female He created them” (CV).

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Paul’s Analogy in Romans Chapter Seven

This account of the relation of Adam to Eve becomes by analogy a type of Moses’ relation to his people Israel . As Adam has headship and authority over his complement, Eve, so Moses has headship and authority over his complement, Israel . This analogy is alluded to in Romans 7:1-6. Paul uses this analogy to explain Jesus’ relationship to all humanity as Adam’s only legitimate son and His relationship to all Israel as Moses’ successor.

In both cases (Adam and Moses), Paul alludes to the law lording it over the man for as long as the man is living (Rom. 7:1 CV). Paul uses the definite article “the” in relation to the man and the woman referred to in his analogy. The man he writes about alludes to both Adam and Moses. In Romans, chapter 5, he begins his contrast of Adam with Christ in relation to the entire race of men. In chapter 6, he continues this contrast, adding to it the theme concerning the elect as no longer being under law but under grace (Rom. 6:14-15).

This analogy of headship is applied to humanity as a whole in relation to The Law of Sin and Death activated by Adam’s sin and to Israel as a nation in relation to the law of sin and death activated by Israel ’s sin (the worship of the golden calf). In both cases (Adam and Moses), each man held responsible for the law associated with him had acted in relation to his complement. Adam sins in response to Eve’s transgression and Moses intercedes in response to Israel ’s transgression. In both cases a law of sin and death is activated, affecting all generations of humanity in the first case and all generations of Israel in the second case. Adam’s sin brought in biological death in relation to all humans born of women. Moses’ intercession on behalf of Israel brought in covenantal death in relation to all Israelites under the covenant of law (the Sinatic Covenant).

As long as Adam remained the head of the race, the death that his sin introduced into the race would reign over all men. All men would return to the soil from which Adam had been formed, and there they would remain. As long as Moses remained the symbolic head of Israel , his law (the Sinatic Covenant renewed after Israel ’s sin of worshiping the golden calf) would continue to be a ministry of death in relation to Israel as a nation. The destiny of the nation would be covenantal death, the return of the nation to the metaphorical soil (the nations) out of which it was formed. This is called by the writers of the Greek Scriptures the Second Death. For Israel , this death meant the end of her Sinatic covenantal relationship to Yahweh Elohim and, thus, the end of her covenantal benefits and promises.

Thus, in chapter 7 of Romans, Paul addresses the theme of Christ’s deliverance of all humanity from the biological death that Adam brought in and His deliverance of all Israel from the covenantal death brought in by Moses’ intercession on behalf of disobedient Israel . In order to be free from the law of each of these men, the two men (Adam and Moses) had to die.

This is precisely what the death of Jesus the Christ achieved. His death terminated the headship of Adam and the grave as the last word regarding humans. Humanity had been delivered from the bondage of the grave, the soil to which all men must return.

The death of Jesus also terminated the Law of Moses, as the result of its being fulfilled. His resurrection offered to all the elect the life of the New Covenant which superseded the Mosaic Law. Thus, Paul could write,

For the woman in wedlock is bound to the living man by law. Yet if the man should be dying, she is exempt from the law of the man. (Romans 7:2 CV)

To continue to trust in the Mosaic Law (the Sinatic Covenant) for covenantal life was to be harmed by the Second Death.

All those in the Christ shared in His death and were sharing in His new covenantal life that came about as a result of the death of the old covenant. As long as they were covenantally identified with Him in His death (the death of the Old Sinatic Covenant), they would not be harmed of that Second Death. But if they returned to the old covenant as a covenant of life, and thus became antimessianic, not being found in the Christ, the Messiah (Phil. 3:8-9), they would suffer the harm of the Second Death.

Paul’s use of this analogy will affect the understanding of the resurrection spoken of by Jesus in John 5:19-29. These themes will be developed further when the Greek Scriptures are analyzed.

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The Complement of Adam: Woman

Yahweh Elohim, after atomically building the woman from an organ of Adam, presents her to Adam. Adam responds, “This was once bone of my bones and flesh from my flesh. This shall be called woman, for from her man is this taken” (Gen. 2:23 CV). The woman is taken out of the man; thus Adam calls her “woman.” Here is his fitting complement. She is biologically, soulishly, and intellectually his female clone. The two are actually one—male and female. Adam is formed from the soil of the ground; the woman is formed from an organ out of the body of Adam. Apart from the woman, Adam is incomplete. Adam is created first and then the woman. He thus has headship. Paul will later draw theological truth from the implication of this passage.

Upon the completion and presentation of the woman, Yahweh Elohim blesses them, saying, “Be fruitful and increase and fill the earth, and subdue it” (Gen. 1:28b CV). From this couple all other humans are to be generated. Humanity is to be responsible for all created life inhabiting the heavens and the earth of his God-authorized domain (Gen. 1:28).

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Yahweh’s Original Intention Concerning Marriage

The writer of Genesis (in my estimation, most likely Moses) then draws a conclusion from the foregoing account: “Therefore a man shall forsake his father and his mother and cling to his wife, and they two become one flesh” (Gen. 2:24 CV). This commentary establishes Yahweh’s original intention concerning marriage. A man is to forsake his father and mother and cling to his wife, the two becoming one flesh in the act of conjugal consummation with its potential for generating children (progeny). This is how Jesus expounded the meaning of this text (Matt. 19:4-6). Each couple in marriage is to reflect the relationship of the very first couple.

The Hebrew word for “cling” used here is the same word used to denote Israel ’s relation to Yahweh. Israel is to “cling” to her God as her God clings to her. Clinging refers to a commitment between a man and a woman based upon or driven by love. Adam was bound to his woman by love. Yahweh was bound to Israel by love. Israel was bound to Yahweh by love, though not for long. She quickly broke her marriage bond. She quickly released her clinging hands and arms from around her God, her covenantal husband, though Yahweh continued to cling to her.

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Marriage and the Analogy of Intercession: Adam and Moses

Yahweh’s clinging is to be seen in the intercession of Moses and Yahweh’s acceptance of this intercession on behalf of Israel as a nation. In this intercession of Moses, the Hebrew Scriptures allude, once again, to Adam and Eve. The allusion takes the reader back to Genesis, chapter 3.

Unlike Adam who failed to righteously intercede on behalf of Eve, Moses succeeds in faithfully interceding on behalf of Israel , having acquired the appropriate wisdom and understanding from the failure of Adam and Eve described in Genesis, chapter 3. Adam loved Eve and understood the consequence of her disobedience. She had been deceived. He was not deceived (1 Tim. 2:14). But Adam failed to trust in the goodness of Yahweh. Instead of interceding on her behalf, he chose to join her by sharing in the judgment. Thus, he failed to act righteously on her behalf. His intention was noble, but not in accordance with righteous intercession. As a result, Adam and Eve were driven out of Eden.

Moses trusted in Yahweh’s goodness and thus interceded on Israel ’s behalf. Moses was not disappointed. Yahweh accepted his intercession, renewing the covenant and leading the nation into the Promised Land. The covenant, it is true, became at that time a ministry of death for the nation. But the nation did not forfeit her Promised Land, and Yahweh did continue to dwell in the midst of the nation.

From that point in time, the nation was doomed to die covenantally. As Adam would return to the soil from which he had been taken, so Jacob/Israel would return to the soil from which he had been taken. He would return to his place among the nations (as later experienced by the apostate nation in 70 a.d.).

The Mosaic Covenant would terminate in the Second Death. But Yahweh would deliver Israel-according-to-spirit from the death of the first covenant by providing a second, a new covenant built upon the Rock of the intercession, the mediation of Jesus the Christ, the Son of Abraham, the Son of David, the Son of Adam, the Son of Yahweh Elohim, Whose death was on behalf of the faithful covenanted nation and the race created in the Image and Likeness of Yahweh Elohim.

Jesus the Christ thus fulfilled the Law and the Prophets by terminating the Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant. His Death was the death of the ministry of death, the Mosaic Covenant. Upon His resurrection (Page 49)and ascension, the Mosaic Covenant could no longer provide a living covenantal relationship with Yahweh. Only the New Covenant could provide a living covenantal relationship with Yahweh. This will be developed further when John 5:24-29 is expounded.

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The Generation of Death, Sin, and Shame

Nakedness and Shame

Genesis, chapter 2, concludes with the Hebrew Scriptures’ first reference to the theme of nakedness.

And coming are they two, the human and his wife, to be naked, yet are not shaming themselves. (Genesis 2:25 CV)

This statement is the writer’s transition into the theme of chapter 3: the failure of Eve and Adam. This failure would result in an awareness of their nakedness that became associated with shame. The original nakedness of the first couple had not been associated with shame. Shame is the product of the act of sinning (missing the mark) in relation to the command of Yahweh Elohim. The third and fourth chapters of Genesis develop the theme of sin in relation to the first human family. This information would be vital to Israel ’s understanding of her relationship to Yahweh and His covenant which she consented to obey.

Later, with the addition of the Greek Scriptures, these two chapters (Genesis 3 and 4) would provide much necessary knowledge vital to the growth and completion of the Ecclesia, the Bride and Body of The Christ. Without these two chapters, an understanding of the writings of Paul and John would be impossible. The secret revealed to Paul had been concealed in these two chapters.

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The Serpent

Genesis, chapter 3, introduces the reader to the Serpent and its rationalization of the words of Yahweh concerning the prohibition of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Again, the text has been understood by some to be mythic because of the role given to the Serpent. But the writer refers to the Serpent as being the craftiest of all the field life which Yahweh Elohim had created, thus connecting the Serpent with the creative work accomplished during day six of the six-day creation account of Genesis, chapter 1.

The Serpent is not presented as a mythical invention of the writer. This creature was created by Elohim and, according to Genesis 2:20a, Adam was responsible for naming this very field life creature:

And calling is the human the names for every beast and for every flyer of the heavens, and for all field life. (CV)

As incredible as it may seem, the writer presents the Serpent as capable of intelligent thought and speech.

It is the Serpent named by Adam who seduces or deceives the Woman, and it is this same Serpent who is cursed to crawl on its belly and eat soil all the days of its life. The Serpent literally eats soil because it crawls on its belly. However, the curse is symbolic and refers to the symbolic relation the Serpent will have with a specific human seed. To eat soil is to figuratively experience shame and ultimate defeat. For even the field life had been created out of the soil of the ground. Soil, from this point on in the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures, will signify the verdict of death which came upon the human race as a result of Adam’s sin. The curse on the Serpent is metaphorically a curse on the seed of this Serpent, which seed refers to a specific group of humans.

The Serpent thus becomes a symbol of an attitude about to become characteristic of a certain group of human beings. For the enmity set by Yahweh between the seed of the Serpent and the seed of the Woman is without doubt enmity between two groups of humans, as will be made clear in chapter 4 of Genesis and the writings of the Greek Scriptures.

Thus, Genesis 3:14 is a literal judgment (crawling on his belly and eating of the soil) of the Serpent as a creature of the field life. This literal judgment then becomes symbolic of the two seeds set at enmity in Genesis 3:15. The seed of the Serpent (Cain) is set against the seed of the Woman (Abel). Here the language must be understood metaphorically. The seed of the Serpent is a man and the seed of the Woman is a man.

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The Woman

The Woman is deceived into believing that the eating of the fruit of The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil will not result in her dying but in her becoming like Elohim, knowing good and evil. She is not contemplating rebellion against Yahweh Elohim and His command. She believes she will become like Elohim by acquiring intelligence.

And seeing is the woman that the tree is good for food, and that it brings a yearning to the eyes, and is to be coveted as the tree to make one intelligent. (Genesis 3:6a CV)

She is not seeking to depart from Yahweh Elohim. She is not seeking to challenge Yahweh Elohim’s authority. She is not seeking to become free. She is seeking to be like Elohim in intelligence. She believes this to be a beneficial goal. She is sincere, though sincerely wrong. But she is not in rebellion against Yahweh her Elohim.

She decides to take and eat the forbidden fruit:

And she began taking of its fruit and began eating, and she began giving, moreover, to her husband with her, and he began eating. (Genesis 3:6b my translation)

The Woman begins to take and eat the forbidden fruit. The imperfect tense is used. She eats first, and, then, finding her husband, he also eats. Adam is not with his woman when the Serpent deceives her. This is part of the problem. The Woman acts on her own. She does not seek the advice or counsel of her man. She closes her ears to the prohibition of Yahweh Elohim. This is made clear in the judgment against her:

in the sphere of the interest of your husband is your desire [restoration LXX], and he will begin ruling in the sphere of your interest. (Genesis 3:17b my translation)

The Serpent does not address the Woman and the Man. It addresses the Woman, for she is more apt to be deceived, since she had not heard the prohibition directly from Elohim, but indirectly, from Adam (Gen. 2:16-17). The Serpent targets the Woman in order to get at the Man.

This is Paul’s understanding of the text in the argument of Romans 5:12-21 and in his direct statements in 2 Corinthians 11:1-3 and 1 Timothy 2:4-14:

Would that you had borne with any little imprudence of mine! Nay, and be bearing with me, for I am jealous over you with a jealousy of God. For I betroth you to one Man, to present a chaste virgin to the Christ. Yet I fear lest somehow, as the serpent deluded [seduced out, deceived] Eve by its craftiness, your apprehensions should be corrupted from the singleness and pureness which is in Christ. (2 Corinthians 11:1-3 CV)

Let a woman learn in silence with all submissiveness. I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over men; she is to keep silent. For Adam was formed first then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. (1 Timothy 2:11-14 RSV)

Adam was not deceived. He did not believe the words of the Serpent. He believed the words of Yahweh Elohim. The Woman would die as a result of her act of disobedience (hearing aside) resulting in her transgression (stepping aside).

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Adam’s Dilemma

Here is the dilemma placed before Adam as a result of the successful deception by the Serpent. There is nothing in the text to indicate that Adam’s response at Yahweh’s presentation of the Woman to him has changed. She is still “bone of my bones and flesh from my flesh” (Gen. 2:23b CV). The two are one. How can he solve this present enigmatic problem?! Surely, she will die. Already she was in the process of dying. For had not Yahweh Elohim said, “for in the day you eat from it, to die shall you be dying” (Gen. 2:17b CV)! The answer to Adam’s dilemma is revealed in Moses’ intercession on behalf of Israel (his woman) after she transgressed Yahweh’s covenant by worshiping the golden calf.

But Adam failed to perceive this possibility. He acted in haste. He would remain one with her by joining her in death. Adam loved the Woman as Jesus the Christ loved the Ecclesia.

However, Adam’s act of love did not and could not redeem his Woman. Not only did his love fail to deliver his Woman, his act of disobedience (hearing aside, Rom. 5:19), transgression (stepping aside, Rom. 5:14), and deviation (slipping aside, Rom. 5:18) caused him to sin (miss the mark, Rom. 5:16), thereby bringing death into the race he would generate (see Rom. 5:12-21).

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Only Adam’s sin could bring death into the race. The Woman’s sin brought death only to herself. Adam was the head of the race, the head of the Woman, and his act would determine the destiny of the race. He should have interceded on her behalf.

Instead, he acted out of ignorance and in unbelief (1 Tim. 1:13). He believed Yahweh’s word concerning death. But he did not believe Yahweh Elohim could solve his enigmatic dilemma. He had failed to believe in Yahweh’s compassion and mercy. Thus, he obeyed (heard, listened to, hearkened to) the voice of the Woman.

The text does not accuse Adam of hearkening to the words of the Woman. Yahweh Elohim’s reproach is that Adam hearkened to the VOICE of his wife. Note, the accusation has to do with hearkening to the voice. And it is the voice, not of the Woman, but “your wife” (Gen. 3:17 CV). Adam was not deceived. The Woman’s words did not deceive him and thus cause him to eat. It was his wife’s VOICE, the sound of her voice, which aroused his love for her and induced him into eating the forbidden fruit.

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Paul’s Understanding of Adam’s Dilemma

This is certainly Paul’s understanding of Adam’s dilemma. By analogy he compares and contrasts Adam with Jesus the Christ. This is demonstrated in Romans 5:12-21 and Romans 7:1-4. It is also demonstrated in Ephesians 5:22-33. In his instruction to husbands and wives, he alludes to the relation of Adam and his wife. He declares that wives should be subject to their own husbands since the husband is head of the wife even as Christ is Head of the Ecclesia and Savior of the Body, that is, the Body of The Christ which is His Ecclesia. This alludes to Eve’s acting on her own in response to the words of the Serpent. She had ignored her subjection to her husband, Adam.

Paul then declares that husbands should be loving their wives as Christ loves the Ecclesia and as Christ gave Himself up to death for her sake. Thus, husbands also should be loving their own wives as their own bodies. Paul further declares,

He who is loving his own wife is loving himself. For no one at any time hates his own flesh, but is nurturing and cherishing it, according as Christ also the ecclesia, for we are members of His body. For this [reason] “a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall be one flesh.” (Ephesians 5:28b-31 CV)

Here he directly quotes from Genesis 2:24. Adam and Eve are a type of Jesus the Christ and His Ecclesia, His Complement, His Body.

Adam had failed to intercede on behalf of his Woman, his Complement, his Body. But his failure was not due to his lack of love for her or his desire to rebel against Yahweh Elohim. His failure was due to ignorance and unbelief. When he is asked by Yahweh Elohim, “from it did you eat?” (Gen 3:11b CV), he answers, “The woman whom Thou gavest, withal, she gave to me from the tree and I am eating” (Gen. 3:12b CV). He is not passing the blame onto the Woman. He is simply stating his enigmatic dilemma. What else could he do? The two are one flesh. She is under the verdict of death. He concludes that his love for her and their being one flesh demand his joining her in death.

He chooses to die with her in disobedience to the command of Yahweh Elohim, his Father and God. Jesus the Christ chooses to die for His Complement in obedience to the command of His Father and God. Adam’s choice and act result in Sin and Death. Jesus the Christ’s choice and act result in Righteousness and Life. That this is Paul’s understanding is further evidenced by his exposition of Genesis 2:24 in the very next verse of Ephesians, chapter 5.

Referring back to verse 31 where Paul had quoted Genesis 2:24, he exclaims, “This secret is great: yet I am saying this as to Christ and as to the ecclesia” (Eph. 5:32 CV). By analogy, Adam’s failure was due to ignorance and unbelief, not rebellion against Yahweh Elohim. As Christ loved the Ecclesia, so Adam had loved Eve.

This is why Adam and Eve are not cursed. The Serpent and his seed are cursed; the ground is cursed, but not the Man and the Woman. Adam is not a coward and Eve is not a seditionist. In the presence of Yahweh Elohim, they both humble themselves, submitting to His authority and righteous judgment.

In addition, after their removal from the garden in Eden, the two continue to have fellowship with Yahweh Elohim, though they no longer enjoy His visible presence which had been manifested to them in the garden. They are removed from His visible presence, but not from His audible presence.

Yahweh’s audible presence is implied in the text when the writer records Yahweh Elohim speaking to Cain. He does not speak to Cain through a mediator. Thus, Adam and Eve were not spiritually separated from Yahweh Elohim. They were removed from His visible presence, but were dynamically (Page 52)close to Him in His audible presence. Adam, Eve, Cain, and Abel had an access to Yahweh Elohim far superior to any individual today, and certainly far superior to most Israelites under the Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant. This needs to be kept in mind as the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures are read.

The primary consequences of the transgressions of Adam and Eve are twofold: they begin to die biologically and are removed from the garden in Eden in a state of shame. Yahweh does not abandon or leave them. They are not spiritually separated from Him. Adam and Eve never rebel against or abandon Yahweh Elohim.

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Israel ’s Insight and Understanding

For Israel , this Adam and Eve account provided insight and understanding regarding her own failure to obey Yahweh’s command. Moses, her head, interceded on her behalf. Yahweh did not abandon her. Yahweh’s presence continued with her in the cloud by day and the fire by night and in the tabernacle. Yahweh did not invalidate His promise concerning the Promised Land, but rather led them, under the leadership of Joshua, into the Promised Land and fought for them.

The Sinatic/Mosaic covenant had become a ministry of death and, thus, the nation was doomed to die covenantally. But until the time of that covenantal death, the covenant was a source of terrestrial life and blessing if obeyed. If disobeyed it would become a source of terrestrial death and cursing.

However, this death and cursing would not be the last word, for Yahweh promised that though He would expel her from the land, He would gather her from among the nations and bring her back into the land (see Deuteronomy, chapters 28; 29; 30:1-3; 32). It was only in the land that the ultimate covenantal death of the nation could occur. For only in the land could also occur the resurrection and new life of the nation (the Born-From-Above Israel). This would be the covenantal significance of Joseph’s command to take his bones out of the land of Egypt and bring them up to the Land of Promise (Gen. 50:25).

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The Promise to Israel : A Conquering Seed

As the Woman Eve is promised a conquering seed (Gen. 3:15), so Israel is promised a conquering seed who would deliver her from the curse of the law by redeeming her out of the Second Death (the death of the Sinatic/Mosaic covenant) and giving her the new life of a New Covenant. As Yahweh had known, understood, and planned for the enigmatic problem Adam would encounter, so He had known, understood, and planned for the disobedience of Israel both at Sinai and in the land.

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The Problem to Israel : A Nation Out of Cain

This is the meaning of the words of Yahweh to Moses recorded in Deuteronomy 31:21b (CV):

I know the bent of their heart which they are forming today ere I bring them to the land about which I had sworn.

This is the reason Yahweh composed the song given to Moses as a testimony against the sons of Israel . Yahweh already knew that when Israel would occupy the land He had promised her, eating and becoming satisfied, she would “spurn Me and annul My covenant” (Deut. 31:20b CV). Before Israel entered the land, Yahweh knew she would “turn around to other elohim and serve them, . . .” (Deut. 31:20a CV).

Again, this is the meaning of Moses’ words to Israel in Moab :

Yet until this day Yahweh has not given you a heart to realize and eyes to see and ears to hear. (Deuteronomy 29:4 CV)

Israel was given the Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant, but this covenant did not give the nation a heart to realize, eyes to see, and ears to hear. Yahweh knew the bent of the nation’s heart. This nation under the Sinatic Covenant was out of Cain and represented the seed of the Serpent. The faithful remnant represented the seed of the Woman and was, thus, out of Abel (cf. 1 Jn. 3:7-12 CV). Therefore, the history of Israel , according to the early Hebrew Scriptures, was to be the continuing history of the seed of the Serpent (Cain’s seed) and the seed of the Woman (Abel’s seed). Moses concludes Deuteronomy, chapter 29 by declaring,

The things being concealed are Yahweh our Elohim’s, yet the things being revealed are ours and our sons’ until the eon , so that we might keep all the words of this law. (Deuteronomy 29:29 CV)

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The Mosaic Law was a revelation given to this nation by Yahweh Elohim for the duration of the Mosaic Eon. The faithful ones would keep all the words of this law in their hearts. The faithful ones would be listening for the words of Yahweh yet to be revealed. Those yet-to-be-revealed words had been concealed from Israel, but would be revealed through the promised prophets, such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, John the Baptist, Jesus the Messiah, the Twelve Apostles, and Paul.

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The Shed Blood of Abel

Thus the revelatory meaning of the words of Jesus when He exclaimed,

Serpents! Progeny of vipers! How may you be fleeing from the judging of Gehenna? Therefore, lo! I am dispatching to you prophets and wise men and scribes. Of them, some of you will be killing and crucifying, and of them, some of you will be scourging in your synagogues and persecuting from city to city, so that on you should be coming all the just blood shed on the earth, from the blood of just Abel until the blood of Zechariah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Verily I am saying to you: all these things will be arriving on this generation. (Matthew 23:33-36 CV)

The shed blood of just Abel was to come upon the Cainite nation of Israel while the faithful and just Abelite nation of Israel would receive the life of the New Covenant and the Celestial Jerusalem which Abraham awaited in faith. This is what Paul meant when he wrote,

for not all those out of Israel , these are Israel ; neither that Abraham’s seed are all children, but “In Isaac shall your seed be called.” That is, that the children of the flesh, not these are the children of God, but the children of the promise is He reckoning for the seed. (Romans 9:6b-8 CV)

The children of the flesh are the children of Cain, who himself was out of the wicked one (1 Jn. 3:12 CV), the Serpent. These children are opposed to Yahweh and are in rebellion against Him. Though Yahweh Elohim loves them, they forfeit the promise because of their lawlessness and their evil hearts which refuse to love Yahweh’s law, Yahweh’s words, Yahweh’s voice.

The children of God, the children of the promise are those characterized by the faithfulness of Abel and the faithfulness of Abraham. These are the seed of the Woman. They may have been deceived for a period of time, but their hearts always belong to Yahweh, even as Eve’s heart always belonged to Yahweh Elohim.

Paul himself is an example of such a child deceived for a period of time, but whose heart always belonged to Yahweh. When his eyes were opened, he humbled himself before Yahweh and submitted to Yahweh’s anointed King, Jesus the Messiah. When his eyes were opened on the road to Damascus, he immediately recognized his shame. He beheld his nakedness; he was metaphorically washed in the blood of the Lamb and clothed with the glory of the New Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant. He became a new creation. The primitive things (the Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant) passed by while the new things (the New Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant) superseded the primitive things (see 2 Cor. 5:12-17 CV; Phil. 3:1-14 CV). In The Christ he would no longer be harmed by the Second Death.

Although the motif of the seed of the Serpent and the seed of the Woman was revealed to Israel , the motif of Adam and Jesus the Christ in relation to the human race had been concealed. It would not be revealed to Israel until the call and commissioning of Saul of Tarsus. This Saul became known as Paul, the Apostle to the nations, to whom was given the Gospel of the Uncircumcision and the Secret of The Christ.

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The Seed of the Woman

In Genesis, chapter 3, the reader is informed concerning the seed of the Woman. Why did the writer refer to the seed of the Woman rather than the seed of the Man (Adam)? The answer to this question has to do with the distinction between the purpose of the seed of the Woman and the purpose of the Son of Adam. Jesus would be identified as the Seed of the Woman in relation to the elect seed of The Promise. This had been revealed (Gen. 3:15). But the significance of Jesus as the only-begotten Son of God and only legitimate Son of Adam had not been revealed.

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The Sin of Adam and the Sin of Cain

Adam’s sin had brought sin and death into the race. The sin of Cain had brought murder into the race and hatred of one’s brother. Such sin was rebellion against Yahweh Elohim and came to represent the (Page 54)possible choice of each individual human being. Cain’s sin was not caused by ignorance and was not the result of deception. Yahweh Elohim interceded on Cain’s behalf when He warned and instructed Cain concerning his evil heart. Cain sinned with his eyes wide open. He defied Yahweh Elohim. Thus, he was held accountable for his own sin.

But the sin of Adam affected all humanity apart from the choice of any individual human being. The verdict of Yahweh Elohim in relation to Adam’s sin was death (the death common to all men, Num. 16:29) for all individual human beings generated by Adam. Thus, to be born into the race is to be born to die, apart from any intention or act against Yahweh Elohim’s will by any generated child of Adam. Death passed into the race in spite of the fact that not a single individual child generated by Adam has had a choice as to the deadly effect of Adam’s sin.

This death (physical, biological) was passed into the race through Adam’s sperm. The Law of Death does not reside within the biological seed of the Woman Eve and her daughters. The male sperm contains the Law of Death. This is why Elohim created them male and female. This would allow death to enter the race while at the same time providing the means by which humanity could evolve from a lower state to a higher state.

As Adam was head of the lower or soulish state, so Jesus the Christ would become the head of the higher or spiritual state. As the lower state had become immersed in death, so the higher state would become immersed in life. Though the lower state had contained within itself the possibility (which became actualized) of mortality, the higher state would consist only of immortality.

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Jesus as The Seed of the Woman

As the seed of the Woman, Jesus was born into the human race with the possibility of death. However, since He was not generated by a sperm contaminated by death, His body was free from The Law of Death. He was capable of dying only from a source outside Himself. As long as He did not sin, The Law of Death would remain inactivated within His body. He, thus, would not die the common death of human beings contaminated by the sin of Adam (cf. Num. 16:29).

Jesus would be the only legitimate son of Adam, because He would be the only son of Adam in the likeness of Adam prior to Adam’s sin. As such, He would also be the only-begotten Son of God. Adam was created, but all his sons, apart from Jesus, were generated by a contaminated sperm. Therefore, these sons are illegitimate.

Jesus was generated by the spirit of God, yet was Adam’s son, because the seed of the Woman Eve was originally incorporated in Adam before the Woman was created from one of Adam’s organs. As Elohim created Adam male and female, making Adam His created son, so Elohim generated Jesus by impregnating the seed of the Woman Eve/Mary, making Jesus the only-begotten (generated) Son of God. Thus, Jesus is both the Son of Adam and the only-begotten (only-generated) Son of God (see Lk. 3:38).

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The Secret of the Gospel

This secret of the Gospel became the foundation upon which the Gospel of Christ was firmly and justly set. Paul’s expounding of this secret is set forth in Romans, chapters 5-8; 1 Corinthians 15:20-57; and 2 Corinthians, chapter 5. Adam’s sinful act (hearing aside, stepping aside, and slipping aside) resulted in Yahweh Elohim’s verdict of death (mortality) upon all individual members of the race apart from each member’s personal choice or act. Christ’s righteous act (accurate hearing, accurate walking, and accurate consummation) resulted in Yahweh Elohim’s verdict of life (immortality) for all individual members of the race apart from each member’s personal choice or act.

Thus, the verdict of Yahweh Elohim in the case of the one man Jesus was a triumphant declaration of justification of life for each individual member of the Adamic race (Rom. 5:18). With this verdict, all humanity is to eventually transcend the first humanity (soulish), evolving metamorphously into the second humanity, the superior humanity (spiritual) headed up by Jesus the Christ and spiritually generated by Christ and His Body, Christ and His Ecclesia, both dwelling as spiritually One in the Celestial Realm, the Celestial Jerusalem.

From this foundational truth, Paul concluded that Yahweh Elohim’s justification of the elect, promised seed on the basis of faith was a just verdict. All humanity would be given immortal life, but only the faithful, elect seed of the Woman, elect seed of Abraham, would be promised a share in the allotment promised to Abraham’s seed, Jesus the Christ, the Firstborn.

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Yahweh Elohim accounted faith as righteousness only to the faithful, elect seed whose faithfulness to the end gained them a share in the allotment of the Christ in the Celestial Realm. The salvation proclaimed in the Gospel of Christ was not for all humanity. It was offered only to the faithful, elect seed of the Woman, which seed, during the history recorded in the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures, continually narrowed down from Abel to Noah, to Shem, to Abraham, to Jacob, to David, to Jesus the Messiah.

By the year 70 a.d. (the end of the Mosaic Eon ), the elect, faithful promised seed entered into the Celestial Allotment, thereby fulfilling the Law and the Prophets. The Gospel of Christ had been given to the Apostles, had been proclaimed by the Apostles, had been received by the elect, faithful seed living in that final generation of the Mosaic Eon; thereby concluding the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ, in accord with the testimony of Isaiah the prophet concerning Yahweh’s word:

For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and return not thither but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose and prosper in the thing for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:10-11 RSV)

Yahweh had commissioned Jesus with the Gospel of the Kingdom. He fulfilled His commission by preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, and that Gospel message accomplished Yahweh’s purpose. Jesus then commissioned His Apostles to preach the Gospel of Christ. He declared He would be with them to the end of the eon (Matt. 28:16-20); they would be afflicted, killed and hated (Matt. 24:9); they would be perceiving the abomination of desolation declared through Daniel (Matt. 24:15); they would proclaim this Gospel throughout the whole inhabited earth (the whole habitation of the household of Israel) and, having accomplished this, the consummation would arrive (Matt. 24:13-14).

Either they had fulfilled this by the end of the Mosaic Eon or they had failed. If they have failed, Yahweh’s word has failed; Jesus’ word has failed; and the Greek Scriptures are false. Yahweh’s word was proclaimed. Yahweh’s word did not return to Him empty. Yahweh’s word accomplished His purpose and prospered in the thing for which He sent it: “Verily, I am saying to you that by no means may this generation be passing by till all these things should be occurring” (Matt. 24:34 CV). This must be the conclusion of faith.

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The Judgment of the Woman

After Yahweh Elohim declares enmity between the seed of the Serpent and the seed of the Woman, He turns to the Woman and declares,

I will begin greatly multiplying your grief and your pregnancy. In grief you will begin bearing sons. Yet, in the sphere of the interest of your husband is your desire, and he will begin ruling in the sphere of your interest. (Genesis 3:16 my translation)

The grief of the Woman would come about as a result of the two sons she would shortly begin bearing. In these sons, she would experience again the effect of The Knowledge of Good and Evil.

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The Two Sons

This judgment did not concern the general giving birth to children. It concerned this specific Woman and her beginning to bear sons in grief. What she was soon to experience in the bearing of Cain and Abel, all women in general giving birth to sons would continue to experience to some degree. Her grief would eventually be terminated by means of her seed, a son coming forth from her who would overcome and transcend the affect of The Knowledge of Good and Evil resulting from her eating of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. This son would demonstrate the power derived from loving one’s brother, even one’s enemy.

At the beginning of chapter 4 of Genesis, the Woman, Eve, Adam’s Wife, gives birth to her first son and rejoices, declaring, “I have acquired a man from Yahweh” (Gen. 4:1 my translation). She had not yet experienced Yahweh’s judgment of grief. This first son is named Cain (acquired).

The text goes on to record that she bore another son. This second son is named Abel (vanity). With the slaying of Abel by Cain, the Woman experiences the grief pronounced by Yahweh. The acquired one turns out to be the seed of the Serpent, representing the evil acquired as a result of eating the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

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Abel, the one experiencing and illustrating the vanity of The Knowledge of Good and Evil, is the first human murdered. He represents the seed of the Woman, representing the good received from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The acquired one brought forth in rejoicing is the one to bring forth the grief of the judgment pronounced in Genesis 3:16.

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Cain

Cain is the acquired one. As such, he brings grief by his rebellion against Yahweh. In his heart is hatred against his brother. He is warned of this evil by Yahweh Elohim. He refuses to take heed. In slaying his brother he sheds innocent blood. By this act, he becomes identified as the seed of the Serpent. He openly and directly opposes Yahweh Elohim. The shed blood of his brother Abel cries out for vengeance. This same shed blood pollutes the ground. Yet, Yahweh Elohim does not exact from him the price of this crime, this sin. Evil is to have its place in this world outside the garden of Eden. Yahweh is to demonstrate His love for Cain. Cain is to be expelled from Yahweh’s presence, but not from Yahweh’s heart. Cain is to be allowed to set his face to the east in order to establish his contribution to the generation of the Heavens and the Earth (see Gen. 2:4) now under the influence of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, the Law of Sin and Death. For Yahweh’s hand is upon both the Good and the Evil, in accord with the wisdom of Koheleth who declared,

For everything there is a stated time,

and a season for every event under the heavens:

A season to give birth and a season to die; . . .

A season to kill and a season to heal; . . .

I see the experience that Elohim gives

To the sons of humanity to humble them by it.

He has made everything fitting in its season;

However, he has put obscurity in their heart

So that the man [Adam and his illegitimate, generated progeny] may not find out His [Yahwel Elohim’s] work,

That which the One, Elohim, does

        from the beginning to the terminus. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-3, 10-11 CV)

Yahweh Elohim would use both the Good and the Evil to establish His purpose, His goal. He would demonstrate His love, mercy, and compassion for both the seed of the Woman (living according to the Good) and the seed of the Serpent (living according to the Evil). He would demonstrate the meaning of love thy brother and I am my brother’s keeper. He would accomplish this through the Son of His Love, the Obedient Son Who would demonstrate His Father’s Love by becoming the Man from Whom Yahweh Elohim would exact the price of Cain’s crime, Cain’s sin. Only in this way could the cry of the shed blood of Abel be avenged apart from the total destruction of the seed of the Serpent. Only the shed blood of Jesus the Christ could speak better than the shed blood of Abel. Abel’s blood cried out for vengeance, death. Jesus’ shed blood cried out Reconciliation, Life:

But you have come . . . to Jesus, the Mediator of a fresh covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling which is speaking better than Abel. (Hebrews 12:22-24 CV)

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The Cainish Character of Israel

The echo of the story of Cain and Abel reverberates throughout the writings of the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures. Jacob/Israel’s understanding of himself, his history, and his destiny cannot be completely grasped apart from a recognition of the significant shadow cast upon the holy writings by the influence of the metaphoric representation of Cain and Abel. From the beginning of Jacob/Israel’s national history, the nation as a corporate man is informed of his Cainish character:

Do not say in your heart when Yahweh your Elohim thrusts them [the nations] out from before you, saying: Because of my own righteousness Yahweh brings me in to tenant this land. . . . It is not because of your own righteousness or the uprightness of your own heart that you are entering to tenant their country, . . . for you are a stiff-necked people. (Deuteronomy 9:4-6 CV)

In the Song of Yahweh given to Moses to speak in the hearing of the whole assembly of Jacob/Israel, Moses describes Israel as follows:

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They have become corrupt before Him;

No longer are they His sons because of their blemish:

A generation perverse and twisted.

Is this what you requite to Yahweh,

You decadent and unwise people?

Is not He your Father Who ACQUIRED you? (Deuteronomy 32:5-6a CV emphasis mine)

As Eve declared concerning her firstborn, Cain, “I have acquired a man from Yahweh” (Gen. 4:1 my translation) so Jacob/Israel is made to understand that Yahweh, concerning His firstborn nation, ACQUIRED a man. Metaphorically, Jacob/Israel is Cainish. Jacob/Israel was taken out of the midst of the nations, out of the midst of Egypt .

Jacob/Israel was no different than the nations, no different than the Egyptians. Jacob/Israel conceived his Elohim as capricious even as the nations conceived their elohim as capricious. When trapped against the shore of the sea by Pharaoh’s army, this nation cried out to Yahweh, represented by Moses,

Is it for lack of tombs in Egypt that you have taken us to die in the wilderness? What is this you have done to us bringing us forth from Egypt ? Is not this the word which we spoke to you in Egypt , saying: Leave off from us and let us serve the Egyptians, for it is better for us to serve the Egyptians than for us to die in the wilderness? (Exodus 14:11b-12 CV)

Again, in the wilderness of Sin the nation cried out against Yahweh and Moses,

O that we had died by the hand of Yahweh in the land of Egypt when we sat over the flesh pots when we ate bread to satisfaction, for you have brought us forth to this wilderness to put this entire assembly to death with famine. (Exodus 16:3 CV)

When Moses ascended Mount Sinai to receive the two tablets of the covenant, the first verse of Exodus, chapter 32, records,

The people saw that Moses was tardy to descend from the mountain. So the people assembled themselves against Aaron and said to him: Rise! Make for us elohim who shall go before us, for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt , we know not what has become of him. (Exodus 32:1 CV)

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The Faithful Abelites

But though the nation as a whole was Cainish, a stiffed-necked and rebellious people, there was always a faithful remnant, the Abelites. At Kadesh-Barnea Moses sent 12 men to spy out the land. Only two remained faithful to Yahweh.

They went up the watercourse of Eschol and saw the land, yet they discouraged the heart of the sons of Israel so as not to enter the land which Yahweh has given to them. The anger of Yahweh grew hot on that day, and He swore, saying: Assuredly no one of the men coming up from Egypt , from twenty years old and upward shall see the ground about which I had sworn to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. For they have not fully followed after Me save Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, for they fully followed after Yahweh. The anger of Yahweh grew hot against Israel , and He caused them to rove about in the wilderness forty years until the whole generation doing evil in the eyes of Yahweh came to end. (Numbers 32:9-13 CV)

Caleb and Joshua were metaphorically Abelites. They represented the faithful seed of the Woman. The whole generation doing evil in the eyes of Yahweh represented the rebellious seed of the Serpent, and so, that evil generation was metaphorically Cainish. The entire history of Israel follows this pattern to the very last generation operating under the Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant. That last generation is described in the writings of the Greek Scriptures and is referred to individually as those out of the Adversary (Cain, 1 Jn. 3:8), those whose father was not Yahweh, but the Adversary (the mankiller, Cain, Jn. 8:44). It was from that generation that the blood of Abel and the prophets would be exacted:

that the blood of all the prophets which is shed from the disruption of the world may be exacted from this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, . . . Yea, I am saying to you, It will be exacted from this generation! (Luke 11:50-51 CV)

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Cain and Abel as Metaphors

As metaphors of The Knowledge of Good and Evil, Cain and Abel illustrate the two types of human beings existing from Adam to the end of the Mosaic Eon . Each represents a choice confronting each member of the Adamic race living from Adam to the end of the Mosaic Age. Every member of the race either chooses to serve the Good (I am my brother’s keeper) or chooses to serve the Evil (I am not my brother’s keeper). Those who choose to serve the Evil are children of the Serpent (representing during that age, the Adversary, Cain). Those who choose to serve the Good are children of the Woman (thus, during that age, children of Abel).

However, the children of the Woman (from Adam to the termination of the Mosaic Eon) consisted of two distinct groups. As Eve was deceived by the deceptive influence of the Serpent, many of her children also are deceived by the deceptive influence of the seed of the Adversary, Cain, into ignorantly serving the Evil. But a remnant of her seed remains faithful. As Abel faithfully served Yahweh, avoiding the deception of the Adversary Cain (I am not my brother’s keeper), so also there continued to exist a faithful remnant of the seed of the Woman.

These faithful ones serve Yahweh and the Good (I am my brother’s keeper). They represent a royal line beginning with Abel and proceeding through Noah, Shem, Terah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Jacob’s twelve sons. This royal line culminates in the arrival of Jesus the Christ (the superlative representative of I am my brother’s keeper).

However, the division represented by Cain and Abel continued to exist within Jacob/Israel as an elect nation. The character of the nation from its exodus out of Egypt is essentially Cainish. The nation had been acquired (the meaning of the Hebrew name Cain) by Yahweh. Its leadership, aside from Moses and an elect faithful remnant (such as Caleb and Joshua), is Cainish. This Cainite seed deceived the first generation exiting Egypt and was destroyed in the wilderness by Yahweh over the course of the 40-year wandering.

However, this seed continued to exist throughout the generations of the covenantal history of Israel , deceptively leading astray the majority of the nation belonging to the seed of the Woman. Despite the effort of this seed of the Serpent, Yahweh secured the safety and welfare of the faithful remnant of Abelites, through whom, and on behalf of whom, THE PROMISED SEED of the Woman, THE PROMISED SEED of Abraham would come. The prophet Elijah learned this lesson when he despairingly complained to Yahweh,

I have been zealous, yea zealous for Yahweh Elohim of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken your covenant; they have demolished your altars, and they have killed your prophets with the sword, so that I am left, I by myself alone. And they are seeking for my soul to take it. (1 Kings 19:14 CV)

Yahweh, however, replied,

Yet I will let remain [protect] in Israel 7,000, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him. (1 Kings 19:18 CV)

Thus the pattern (Cainites and Abelites) held true for all humanity from Adam to the end of the Mosaic Eon , but was dramatically reflected in the covenantal history of Jacob/Israel. The seed of the Woman (from Adam to the end of the Mosaic Eon) is characterized by either the deceived Eve or the faithful Abel. The deceived seed is blinded and led astray, thus becoming unfaithful in relation to the Abrahamic Covenant of Circumcision. The faithful seed remains loyal to Yahweh and His Word, the covenant established at Sinai, thus becoming the faithful elect in relation to the hope of the Promise made to THE SEED of the Woman, Jesus the Christ, the hope of Israel .

At the consummation of the Mosaic Eon , the history of the seed of the Woman and the seed of the Serpent had reached its telos, its end, and its purpose had reached its fulfillment. The seed of the Woman, Jesus the Christ, had come. He had conquered the Adversary and his seed, the seed of the Serpent represented by Cain. He had redeemed the faithful seed of the Woman, represented by Abel, and had granted them their celestial reward based upon their faithfulness to the end. He had also conquered Death on behalf of every member of Adamic humanity, apart from either their faith or their deeds.

As a result, the work and purpose (the administrative office) of The Adversary (Satan) has been concluded. The Adversary, from the beginning of the new age to the present, has no longer been operating in the world of humanity. Humanity is no longer characterized by the metaphors of Cain and Abel in the (Page 59)eyes of Yahweh the Elohim of the nations and the Elohim of the New Jesuic humanity under the kingship of the Second Man, the one out of heaven, the spiritual man, Jesus the Christ.

The seed of the Woman and the seed of the Serpent are no longer applicable as fitting characterizations of humanity in the eyes of Yahweh Elohim. Adam is no longer the head of the human race. Christ is the Head of the human race, together with His Ecclesia, His Faithful Ones, His Body, His Complement, His Eve.

Humanity now (since the end of the Mosaic Eon in 70 a.d.) has access to Yahweh’s revealed and exemplified knowledge of Good and Evil and has Yahweh’s guarantee of Justification of Life (immortality, see Rom. 5:18; 1 Tim. 6:16; 1 Cor. 15:53-54), secured for every member of Adamic humanity by the faithful obedience of Jesus the Christ. This immortality will result in the perfection of every member of the Adamic race to the ordained state and condition of being in the likeness and image of Yahweh Elohim Himself, exemplified in the state and condition of Jesus the Christ.

Thus, Israel is no longer the favored nation of God. Yahweh Elohim is once again the God (the One Living Elohim) of all nations and is in the process of becoming the One and Only God of the one human race. Sin has not been counted up since the beginning of the new eon , and Death is no longer the final word regarding the destiny of each individual human being. Therefore, it has been impossible for sin and death to REIGN over the nations, over humanity as a whole, or over any individual person, though sin and death still operate in the world of humanity. The kingdoms of the nations have all been under the authority of the Kingdom of God and His Christ, His Anointed One. Christians have been no more favored by God than any other individual human beings.

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The Hebrew Characterization of Humanity

The members of humanity (from Adam to the end of the Mosaic Eon ) characterized by Cain represent a small minority of the race in the worldview of Israel ’s holy scriptures. The Hebrew and Greek Scriptures depict humanity as basically good, not evil. The concept of total depravity is not to be discovered in the worldview of faithful Israel .

The ultimate goal of the macroscopic history of humanity, illustrated in the microscopic covenantal history of Israel , is the transcendence of this metaphor of Good and Evil (Cainite and Abelite) depicted in the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures. For the God of Israel loves and has compassion for the race created in His Image and Likeness, including both Abel and Cain. From the perspective of faithful Israel , there is only One God, and The Adversary (Satan) is subject to the rule and authority of this One Living God. The One Living God is the Creator of both Good and Evil:

I am Yahweh Elohim, and there is none else.

      Former of light and Creator of darkness,

      Maker [asah] of good [prosperity, health] and Creator of evil [misfortune]. (Isaiah 45:6b-7a CV)

He is also the Creator of The Adversary, Satan.

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The Question Concerning the Satan

For Israel , who is this Adversary (in Hebrew, the Satan, the accuser)? What is his role in relation to the covenantal history of Israel and the history of humanity? It must first be noted that Genesis, chapter 3, makes no reference to the Satan. This chapter introduces the reader to the Serpent, the craftiest of all the field life which Yahweh Elohim made. Here the word craftiest is associated with shrewdness, a virtue the wise should cultivate (Prov. 12:16; 13:16). Thus, craftiness has an association with wisdom.

But when misused crafty becomes associated with guile (Job 5:2; 15:5). In the present context (Genesis 3) the Hebrew word for crafty is arum and directs the reader’s attention back to the word naked in Genesis 2:25, which in Hebrew is the word arom, thus, providing a play on words foreshadowing the outcome of the intervention of the Serpent.

The couple had been declared to be naked, yet without shame. The intervention of the Serpent will culminate in the couple coming to perceive, to know themselves as naked with the understanding that this nakedness is now associated with shame. The acquisition of the knowledge of good and evil brings with it shame.

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The man and the woman, now conscious of personal shame, make coverings for themselves from the leaves of the fig tree. Locating themselves behind a tree in the garden, they hide from the presence of Yahweh Elohim. After Yahweh Elohim judges the three participants, He replaces the fig-leaf coverings with “tunics of skin” (Gen. 3:21), thus, clothing (covering the shame of) the couple Himself.

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The Significance of the Serpent for Israel

How was Israel to understand the significance of the Serpent? The text does not refer to the Satan. However, Israel , during its previous 400-year history, had been in Egypt , eventually becoming enslaved to the Egyptians. This period of enslavement brought with it a more intimate experience of the gods of Egypt , especially that worship associated with the Serpent. The significance of the sacredness of the serpent to the Egyptians is illustrated when Moses, standing before Pharaoh, turns his staff (rod) into a serpent.

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The Serpent and Egyptian Worship

Why a serpent? To impress the Egyptians who believe the serpent to be sacred. When the Egyptian wise men turn their staffs (rods) into serpents, the serpent of Moses devours the serpents of the Egyptians. Israel well understood the association of the serpent with the worship of the gods of the Egyptians and would readily make this connection with the appearance of the serpent in Genesis, chapter 3.

Therefore, the Serpent in the garden would be associated with the false gods (elohim) of the nations. There was no need for Moses to refer to the serpent as the Satan in Genesis, chapter 3. The record in Genesis 3 provides the basis upon which the serpent becomes a symbol of wisdom and, thus, an object of worship for mankind and the nations. Israel ’s reading of the text of Genesis, chapter 3, would immediately bring to mind the false worship of the gods of the nations in contrast with the true worship of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

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The Satan Not Involved in the Garden

According to the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures, the Satan was not involved in the event described in Genesis, chapter 3. The text of Genesis, chapter 3, refers only to the serpent described as the craftiest of all the field life which Yahweh Elohim had made. The role of the Satan as an adversary was later to be connected with this literal serpent of Genesis, chapter 3, which serpent became the metaphoric representation of the role and work of one of the Sons of El referred to as the Satan in Job 1:6-12.

The role and work of the Satan begins only after the flood and the establishment of the nations. According to Deuteronomy 32:7-9, when the Supreme (Elyon, Most High God) gave the nations their allotments, dividing the sons of Adam (Shem, Japheth, and Ham), He stationed their boundaries according to the number of the Sons of El. That is, each nation was placed under the jurisdiction of one of the Sons of El. The Satan was apparently given jurisdiction over all the Sons of El who had been given jurisdiction over all the nations. This seems to be confirmed in the record of the temptation of Jesus. Satan offers Him all the kingdoms of the world (Matt. 4:8-10). Jesus does not refute his authority to make this offer.

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Israel and The Satan

At the time of this new arrangement (Deut. 32:7-9), Yahweh had apportioned for Himself jurisdiction over Jacob who became Yahweh’s allotment. However, at that time, Jacob did not exist as an individual or as a nation. After Jacob/Israel is established as Yahweh’s people, His nation, His allotment, the Satan seems to have been given the task of opposing Israel by enticing the nation into the worship and service of other gods (elohim) and prosecuting Israel (before the throne of Yahweh and in the presence of the Sons of El over the nations) for failure to keep her covenant obligations to Yahweh. His success can be seen in the captivity of both the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah.

By the time of John the Baptist and Jesus, Israel is under the shadow of darkness cast by the imposing image of the Satan (Lk. 1:79), The Adversary whom Israel is worshiping and serving. Jesus declares to the Jews,

Yet now you are seeking to kill Me, a Man Who has spoken to you the truth which I heard from God [Yahweh]. This Abraham did not do. Yet you are doing the works of your father. They said to Him, “We were not born of prostitution! One Father have we, God!” Jesus then said to them, “. . . You are of your father, the Adversary, and the desires of your father you are wanting to do. He was a man-killer from a (Page 61)beginning, and does not stand in the truth, for the truth is not in him. Whenever he may be speaking the lie, he is speaking of his own, for he is a liar, and the father of it.” (John 8:40-44 CV modified)

Jesus here declares the rule of The Adversary, Satan, over the nation Israel . He charges The Adversary of being “a man-killer from a beginning” and of being a liar and the father of the lie. Jesus is alluding to Genesis, chapters 3 and 4. However, He is not claiming The Adversary was the Serpent in the garden deceiving Eve with a lie concerning the eating of the fruit from the Tree of The Knowledge of Good and Evil. He is claiming that the Adversary was Cain in the slaying of his brother Abel.

He is claiming that those two acts, those two figures (the Serpent and Cain) as metaphors characterize the function, the role, the work of The Adversary from the time he was appointed by Yahweh Elohim as The Adversary, the Satan. Thus, the Serpent as metaphor and Cain as metaphor symbolically represent the function and work of The Adversary, the Satan, when he later enters the drama of human history and Israel ’s covenantal history.

The Serpent craftily entices with relative truth designed to deceive. But the Serpent neither is the Satan nor is possessed by the Satan. The Satan, The Adversary, in accord with his role, characteristically engages in this technique of deception.

Cain rebels against the known will of Yahweh Elohim. He is not deceived. He directly and flagrantly opposes the revealed will of Yahweh fully understanding the essence of his decision and act. He becomes the first man-killer (murderer). Then he brazenly lies to Yahweh when he denies knowing the whereabouts of his brother Abel. He questions his responsibility for the welfare of his brother. But Cain is neither the Satan nor possessed by the Satan.

The Satan, The Adversary, characteristically engages in this kind of open rebellion. The only difference is that Satan has been appointed by Yahweh Elohim to operate in this fashion. Satan, the Accuser, the Deceiver, functions in this capacity under the authority, the commissioning of Yahweh Elohim Himself.

There is nothing in either the Hebrew or Greek Scriptures to support a celestial rebellion by Satan and a group of fallen angels. All references to Satan The Adversary present him as being under the authority of Yahweh Elohim and subjecting himself accordingly. A war in heaven between obedient angels and disobedient angels is a myth devised by human beings as a result of a distorted reading of the holy scriptures. This theme will be addressed again when Genesis 6:1 is interpreted in its textual context (see section titled “An Analysis of Genesis 5:1-6:8”).

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The Problem of Cain

Returning to Genesis, chapter 4, the problem of Cain must be addressed. From the fruit of the ground, Cain brings a present-offering to Yahweh. Abel also brings a present-offering to Yahweh, but from his flock. Yahweh accepts Abel’s offering but rejects Cain’s. The anger of Cain is aroused, and he becomes dejected. Yahweh responds,

Why do you continue glowing hot and why is your face completely fallen? Would you not lift it up if you should begin doing well? And if you continue doing not well, at the opening of a womb is sin, the thing which is crouching in preparation for attack. And toward you is its desire. But you must begin to rule it. (Genesis 4:6-7 my translation)

What is the problem between Cain and Yahweh? Why is Cain’s offering rejected? What is the meaning of Yahweh’s response to Cain’s anger and dejection? The answer lies not in the offering of Cain but in the heart of Cain. His heart is not right with Yahweh because it is not right with his brother Abel. Jealousy against his brother burns in his heart, and rebellion burns in his heart against Yahweh. Cain hates his brother, and, like an animal of prey, sin crouches at the opening of the womb of his heart in readiness to spring forth for the kill.

Murder is in Cain’s heart. Yahweh declares he can and should master this desire. He is not to allow this evil desire to come forth from the womb of his heart as an irreversible act of murder.

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Cain’s Heart

Cain’s problem is a rebellious heart. He desires to set his own standards and values. He desires to determine for himself what is good and what is evil. He loves the relative and the immanent over against (Page 62)the absolute and the transcendent. He seeks to become his own god in accord with the wisdom of the Serpent:

You will become as Elohim [gods], knowing good and evil. (Genesis 3:5 my translation)

That is, you will become as gods, determining for yourself what is good and what is evil.

Cain, opening the womb of his heart, releases his hatred. Murder enters the world. Cain slays his brother, feeling no remorse. He had determined as evil Abel and all Abel stood for. This was an act of Cain’s independently induced will to power. His self-authorized will to power became justified on the basis of his obligation, his duty to the conviction of his self-determined truth. His strength, his power gives him the right, the authority to eliminate the weak, the powerless, the innocent who become obstacles to his destiny, his potential, his determination of good and evil.

Cain would not master what Yahweh determined to be sin. He would master only that which he determined to be sin (missing the mark). He would do this in the name of a new, true, authentic, natural morality. He had concluded that he, as a free and responsible son of Yahweh, created in the Image and Likeness of Yahweh Elohim, had the right and the responsibility to determine for himself who or what is good or evil and who is or is not his brother.

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Cain’s Audacity

When Cain is judged and found guilty by Yahweh, he does not cower before Yahweh. He is brazenly bold:

And Cain began saying to Yahweh, “Great is my depravity so as to be worthy of being lifted up magnificently.” (Genesis 4:13 my translation)

He boasts in his act. He ironically uses the word “depravity” in order to directly challenge Yahweh’s evaluation of his act. What Yahweh declares “depravity,” Cain vauntingly proclaims “magnificent” and worthy of the highest honor. He does not whimper before Yahweh.

He stands erect in all his strength and confidence, thereby declaring his own glory and honor as Yahweh’s creation. In essence, he is declaring himself to be Yahweh’s glory. He is presenting himself as the true, authentic son of Yahweh, the son who manifests the father’s strength, power, independence, creativity, and will to mastery.

He is saying to Yahweh that he, not Abel, represents the glorious intention of Yahweh for man. Man must be free, like Yahweh, in order to act creatively, powerfully, masterfully upon his world. He must be free to actively determine and use good and evil to create his world in his own image, thereby manifesting his own glory, and, thus, the glory of Yahweh.

Cain opposes Yahweh in the name of Yahweh. He believes himself to be the man, the son Yahweh intended for His own glory. Cain is passionately dedicated to prove his perception, his perspective in order to eventually gain the respect, approval, and love of Yahweh. Cain is the original prodigal son. Cain is the original Prometheus. Yahweh declares,

And now the cursed one you are away from the ground which has opened its mouth wide to take the blood of your brother from your hands. When you begin serving the ground again, it will not continue to give its vigor to you. The one fluttering and wandering you will begin being in the earth. (Genesis 4:11-12 my translation)

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Cain as Firstborn

Cain is cursed in association with the ground. This alludes to Genesis 3:14 where the reader is informed that the Serpent is cursed in association with the soil of the ground. Cain is to be associated with the wisdom and perspective of the Serpent. The text thus associates the Serpent with Cain and, later, the Satan with the Serpent and with Cain. All three are associated metaphorically.

Cain as the cursed one away from the ground is to be related to the significance of his act against his brother. Cain had been the one serving the ground. The ground had been cursed due to Adam’s transgression. Cain, thus, is associated with the curse. Cain’s perspective interprets the curse as something positive. He perceives it as a challenge through which he can prove his worth to Yahweh. The curse becomes a means by which Cain can demonstrate his strength, his ingenuity, his creativity, and his honor as the firstborn son.

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When his effort is rejected by Yahweh, Cain burns hot with anger. He perceives Yahweh as the one favoring weakness, imitativeness, and commonness. He concludes he must defy Yahweh; he must manifest his strength, his will, his righteousness in the cause of Yahweh’s glory. Again, he perceives the situation as a challenge, a trial to prove his worthiness as Yahweh’s image, Yahweh’s firstborn son.

Yahweh’s judgment against Cain’s slaying of his brother Abel removes Cain from manifesting his strength and honor through serving the ground as a tiller. Again, Cain perceives this judgment as a new challenge. Having boasted in the very act condemned by Yahweh, Cain proceeds to boast in the very conditions of this judgment. He perceives these conditions as the very means by which he will once again manifest his strength, honor, glory, and righteousness. He will once again demonstrate for Yahweh his superiority. Yahweh will yet come to glorify and honor him as His image and His firstborn.

He will be vindicated:

Behold, you have driven me out this day off from the surface of the ground, and from the expressions on your face I begin concealing myself, and I am and will always remain the one fluttering and wandering in the earth. And anyone who finds me will attempt to kill me! (Genesis 4:14 my translation)

Again, Cain continues to boast before Yahweh. The very judgment of Yahweh he will use to vindicate his righteousness. He will conceal himself from the revealed expressions of the judgmental face of Yahweh. Thus, Cain turns away from the judgment of Yahweh. He accepts the verdict only as another challenge to creatively manifest his strength ingeniously in the new circumstances dictated by the new conditions mandated by Yahweh.

Cain will establish his superiority as the one condemned to live in continued flux, change in the course of his wanderings, journeying throughout the earth. He will no longer till the ground. As will soon be seen in the continuing record of the text, Cain will exert mastery over the ground through the application of technique and the production of technology.

He boastingly proclaims the superiority of his strength and will to power in the fact that other men will fear him and thus attempt to kill him. In this fear and attempt of others to do as he did, Cain perceives his superiority and their inferiority. He is the creator, the determiner of good and evil, while they are merely the inferior ones, the weak ones attempting to be imitators of his genius and his strength. They represent the weak, inferior sons of Yahweh Elohim, those resenting the strength of the strong, those seeking to kill or enslave their superior brothers, those fearing to take on the responsibilities, the obligations of the creative sons of Yahweh Elohim who are destined to master the terrestrial world-order.

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Yahweh’s Gracious Sign

Yahweh responds, not by further condemnation of Cain, but by issuing an edict:

Not so! Anyone who kills Cain, sevenfold he will begin to be avenged. (Genesis 4:15a my translation)

Yahweh protects Cain’s life. Yahweh provides Cain space and time to generate his will to power. Yahweh clears the way for evil to work out its purpose in the generation of the heavens and the earth, the history of humanity. Yahweh then proceeds to secure Cain’s life by means of a sign:

And Yahweh began placing for Cain a sign, to secure him against anyone who finds him with the intent to smite him. (Genesis 4:15b my translation)

The edict and the sign are meant not only to secure Cain’s life, but also to secure the life of all humans against the evil of murder.

The sign itself is not stated to be placed upon Cain in any way. In order to understand the significance of the sign, the reader must refer back to Genesis 1:14 where the word “sign” is first used. The writer refers to the sun, the moon, and the stars as signs. The sign associated with Cain is not on Cain. It is a sign placed in the heavens, in the stars, in the constellations, the heavenly book of Yahweh Elohim given to mankind to read and understand His plan, His design, His purpose for ancient man.

The sign associated with Cain is the scorpion placed in the third constellation called Scorpio. Included in this constellation are the signs of the Serpent, Ophiuchus, and Hercules. The figure of the scorpion is that of a gigantic, noxious, and deadly insect, with its tail and sting uplifted in anger, as if striking. The serpent is depicted as wrestling with Ophiuchus (a mighty man, the serpent holder), whose one heel has been stung by the scorpion while the other is crushing the scorpion. This constellation with each of its signs alludes to Genesis 3:15:

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And enmity I will begin setting between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will begin bruising your head and you will begin bruising his heel. (my translation)

As stated previously, Abel represents the seed of the Woman, and Cain represents the seed of the Serpent. The conflict is between Good and Evil. The dialectical goal is to transcend the knowledge of Good and Evil by means of a synthesis leading humanity beyond the knowledge of Good and Evil. Cain is associated with the Serpent and the curse placed upon the Serpent by Yahweh, as well as, in the present context of Genesis, chapter 4, the Scorpion (concerning the significance of the constellations, read The Witness of the Stars, 1967, by E. W. Bullinger and The Gospel of the Stars, 1975, by Joseph A. Seiss).

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The Line of Cain (Genesis 4:17-24))

Having been given Yahweh’s security and stubbornly standing firm in his own conviction of integrity, Cain removes himself from Yahweh’s presence, dwelling in the land east of Eden. The text then takes up the topic of Cain’s lineage. His first son is named Enoch, meaning dedicated, and Cain proceeds to build the first city, calling it, after the name of his firstborn son Enoch, Dedicated. The city establishes protection and security for the Cainites.

Enoch fathers Irad, meaning the city suffices. The city is set forth as refuge, safety, power. Irad fathers Mehajael, meaning wipe-out-El. Cain and his line continue to exalt themselves as gods in their own right. Mehajael fathers Methushael, meaning death is questionable. The line of Cain questions the inevitability of death, again taking up the wisdom of the Serpent, “Ye shalt not surely die” (Gen. 3:4 KJV). Methusael fathers Lamech, meaning to reduce, to impoverish, incorporating double meaning (double entendre), to be impoverished or to impoverish others, to be powerful and to use power against others—thus, might makes right. From Yahweh’s point of view, Cain’s line is impoverished. From Cain’s point of view, it inflicts impoverishment on others. Yahweh’s definition of Good and Evil is reversed by the Cainites. Lamech takes two wives, challenging Yahweh’s monogamous ideal: “Therefore a man shall forsake his father and his mother and cling to his wife, and they two become one flesh” (Gen. 2:24-25a CV).

Lamech’s wives then begin bearing sons. Adah gives birth to Jabal, the father of the tent dwellers and the cattlemen. His brother Jubal becomes the father of those who develop musical instruments. Zillah, Lamech’s second wife, gives birth to Tubal-Cain, meaning to acquire by disintegrating the earth. He becomes the one forging every tool of copper and iron. The text then includes a reference to Tubal-Cain’s sister, Naamah, meaning pleasant. The line of Cain seeks to make life pleasant, comfortable, secure through culturization: city-building, civil government, philosophy, military power, ethics, mercantilism, cattle domestication, art, technique and technology. The final reference to the line of Cain records Lamech’s boast in the presence of his wives:

For a man I have killed for injuring me, and a young man for slapping me. As sevenfold is Cain being avenged, then Lamech seventy and seven. (Genesis 4:23-24 my translation)

If Yahweh avenges the slaying of Cain sevenfold (see Gen. 4:15), how much more shall be the price for the slaying of Lamech! This is a declaration of the power and prestige of Lamech and the accomplishments of the line of Cain in Cain’s quest for vindication. The text implies the vital contribution of the power of evil in the development of civilization, though not without warning of the negative price attached to such evil.

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Seth: A Replacement Seed for Abel

Having set forth the place and contribution of Cain and his genealogical line, the writer returns to take up the genealogical line of Adam which had been interrupted by the slaying of Abel. Cain, as firstborn, had been heir to the throne of Adam. But Cain forfeited this right with the slaying of Abel. Eve next bore Seth, meaning set, appointed. Concerning Seth she declares,

For Elohim has set for me another seed instead of Abel, for Cain has killed him. (Genesis 4:25 my translation)

Abel had been the seed of the Woman in contrast with Cain, the seed of the Serpent. Elohim then appoints Seth in the place of Abel as representative of the seed of the Woman and as firstborn in place of Cain the murderer. Seth, thus, becomes the rightful heir to the throne of Adam.

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In contrast to Cain’s son Lamech, Seth’s firstborn son is named Enosh, which means mortal. The name Lamech means to impoverish. Lamech boasts in his strength and power to impoverish his enemy and, thus, stands for might makes right. He also, like Cain, slays those he designates as offenders against his honor, his glory, his righteousness. But Seth names his son Enosh, meaning mortal, thereby indicating his submission to the Word and Authority of Yahweh Elohim. For Seth believes Yahweh’s Word concerning the entrance of death, mortality, into the world of Adam. When Enosh’s honor, glory, and righteousness are wounded, or offended, he does not retaliate by killing. He invokes the name of Yahweh (see Gen. 4:26 CV). Vengeance belongs to Yahweh (see Deut. 32:35 KJV).

Life is to be considered holy. The shedding of human blood is to be considered evil in the eyes of Yahweh. Man is to seek Yahweh’s judgment. Adam rules under and with the authority of Yahweh. He is accountable to Yahweh. He rules not in his own name, but in the name of Yahweh. This is the significance of Seth and his firstborn son, Enosh.

Two lines have been established: the line of Cain representing the knowledge of Good and Evil as determined by man and the line of Adam representing the knowledge of Good and Evil as determined by recourse to Yahweh. Cain’s line secures pleasure, comfort, and safety, but at the ultimate cost of spiritual impoverishment. Adam’s line, through the seed of the Woman, secures peace and righteousness with Yahweh and among men with the ultimate promise of redemption (see Gen. 3:15).

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The Structure of the Book of Genesis

Before proceeding to Genesis, chapter 5, it will prove beneficial to go back and take a look at the literary structure of the book as a whole (see Structure 2).

Structure 2: Book of Genesis (Genesis 1:1-50:26)

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The literary structure is a simple alternation: theme one (A1) followed by theme two (B1), theme three (A2) corresponding to theme one (A1), and theme four (B2) corresponding to theme two (B1). The A1 member is an introductory statement of the fact of the creation (bara) of the heavens and the earth. The B1 member provides the process by which the heavens and the earth of the A1 member were created. The A2 member is a concluding statement of the fact of the creation of the heavens and the earth, ending the description of the actual work that went into this creation.

The A2 member also serves as a transition into the final B2 member of the literary structure. The B2 member begins to record the generation of living historical events produced by this completed creation. Thus, the bulk of the book takes up the theme of generation. It is interested in the actual development of the historical events resulting from the thoughts and actions of the living creatures in relation to one another, their environment, and their Creator.

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The Structure of the B Members

In order to better understand the literary purpose of the B2 member, it needs to be seen in relation to the literary structure of the B1 member of Structure 2: Book of Genesis (Gen. 1:1-50:26). See Structure 3 for the expansion:

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Structure 3: The Process of Creation (Genesis 1:2-50:26)

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The B1 member consists of two members, C1 and D1, which are perfectly in balance with the two parallel members of the B2 member, C2 and D2. The C1 member records the actual work producing the creation of the heavens and the earth with its emphasis on the provision of a habitation for all living creatures. The D1 member emphasizes the provision of the actual inhabitants. This work, this creation was completed in six days.

The C2 member records the generations, the actual working out of the life given this creation of the heavens and the earth. It focuses on the generation of the heavens and the earth in relation to the first human family. Thus, the human drama is initiated with the recording of the interaction between the Man, the Woman, the Serpent, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, Cain, Abel, and the two seeds. The D2 member extends the human drama by beginning to record the history of the generations of Adam by focusing on ten specific generations: the generations of Adam, Noah, the Sons of Noah, Shem, Terah, Ishmael, Isaac, Esau, the Sons of Esau, and Jacob, the father of the nation Israel, which holy nation is the original recipient of this Book of Genesis.

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The Structure of the Book of The Generations of Adam

The literary structure of the generations of Adam through Jacob and his sons (Gen. 5:1-50:26) are outlined in Structure 4 (see next page), which is an introversion. Structure 4 moves from the E1 member through the F1 and G1 members to the two central members, H1 and H2, and then proceeds inversely through the G2 and F2 members to the concluding E2 member. The two central members play a most significant role in Jacob/Israel’s understanding of his role in this history of the generations of Adam.

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The H1 Member: Terah (Gen. 11:27-25:11)

The H1 member of Structure 4 (see next page) deals with the generations of Terah, Abraham’s father in the flesh. Terah represents a non-elect group, having no part in the promises made to Abraham. Nevertheless, the elect nation Jacob/Israel is to understand that his election, his favor ultimately is given him on behalf of the non-elect peoples. Jacob/Israel is not to exalt himself as superior to the non-elect peoples, since he is not chosen because he is better than all other peoples. Terah is a descendent of the Royal Line of Adam, but is neither called by Yahweh nor given any promises. His son Abram is called and is given promises. This is meant to humble Jacob/Israel and contribute to a proper self-understanding of his role in this elective history.

 
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Structure 4: The Book of The Generations of Adam: The Ten Generations (Genesis 5:1-50:26)

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The H2 Member: Ishmael (Gen. 25:12-18)

The H2 member of Structure 4 deals with the generations of Ishmael, Abraham’s son in the flesh. Again, Ishmael represents a non-elect people, having no part in the promises made to Abraham. Yet, Ishmael also would eventually be blessed by the favor shown to the elect seed of Abraham. By including these two names in the two central positions of this literary structure, and by excluding Abraham from any position in the literary structure of the generations of Adam, Jacob/Israel the nation which is the original recipient of this document, is clearly being informed that his calling, his favor, his promises, his destiny had as their goal the blessing of the nations and the blessing of humanity. As shall be seen, the history of the seed of the Woman and the seed of the Serpent would culminate, reach its telos, within the covenantal history of Jacob/Israel.

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The E Members: Adam (Gen. 5:1-6:8) and Jacob (Gen. 37:1-50:26)

The E1 member of Structure 4 begins the literary structure by listing the genealogical lineage of Adam, progenitor of the human race, emphasizing his role as the elect ruler over Yahweh’s created Kingdom. The E2 member concludes the literary structure by recording the covenantal history of the progenitor (Jacob) of the nation Jacob/Israel, emphasizing his role as the father of Israel , the only elect nation among the nations which are naturally (non-covenantally) generated out of the seed of the sons of Noah. This elect nation is the only-begotten nation of Yahweh, a nation generated out of a nation. This elect nation is also the only nation created by Yahweh, formed out of the figurative soil of Egypt and given the covenantal breath of life at Sinai.

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The importance of Jacob in this divine, covenantal history is equal to the importance of Adam. Both men are flawed, but both men are appointed vital roles in Yahweh’s purpose. Through Jacob’s nation (Jacob/Israel), Adam’s race will be redeemed and transformed.

The E1 member (Gen. 5:1-6:8) of Structure 4 also provides the transition to and title of (5:1) the theme of the remainder of the Book of Genesis (and the entire corpus of the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures), The Book of The Generations of Adam, as reflected within the covenantal lifetime of Jacob/Israel. Jacob/Israel needed an accurate and authentic understanding of the historic drama of humanity up to the time of his delivery from Egypt and his preparation for entrance into Canaan, the land of promise. The significance of this history for Jacob/Israel was that it was from the point of view of Yahweh Elohim. It thus was to be received as a divine account of the development of humanity and the nations from Adam as the father of Seth through Jacob as the father of Israel .

This history would provide Jacob/Israel with the holy insight necessary for completing his national elective role in the midst of the present reality of this human drama. What Jacob/Israel is given is an accurate account of the past and present, a past and present which had been distorted and thus lost by the nations generated naturally through the sons of Noah. Jacob/Israel, though appearing to be a national orphan and a slave among the nations, is made aware of his royal lineage through Jacob back through Seth to Adam. By this knowledge, Jacob/Israel is to grasp the significance of the great responsibility placed upon his shoulders by Yahweh Elohim.

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The F Members: Noah and his Sons (Gen. 6:9-11:9) and Esau and His Sons (Gen. 36:1-43)

The F1 member (Gen. 6:9-11:9) of Structure 4 takes up the theme of Noah as the one finding favor with Yahweh and the divine judgment of the flood. After the flood, Noah’s drunkenness is associated with the curse on Canaan which is significant to Jacob/Israel because of his present preparation for entrance into the land of the idolatrous Canaanites. The F1 member then proceeds to provide a history of the sons of Noah leading to the generation of the nations and their coerced spreading throughout the earth.

The F2 member (Gen. 36:1-43) of Structure 4 takes up the theme of Esau and his previously lost birthright as associated with the taking of his wives from the daughters of Canaan (36:2-8). In both these members (F1 and F2), Israel is reminded of the danger of the Canaanites. Israel is not to become entangled with the idolatrous ways of this accursed people.

The F2 member of Structure 4 then proceeds to provide a lineage list of the sons of Esau (Gen. 36:9-43), emphasizing Esau as the father of Edom , whose people inhabit the land of Edom bordering the southeast boundary of the land of Canaan. As Jacob/Israel is reminded of the danger of the Canaanites, he is also reminded of his kinship to Edom and the continued possibility of danger due to the enmity that had existed between these two brothers, Jacob and Esau. However, Esau, unlike Cain, mastered his anger and hatred, refusing to allow the hatred in his heart toward Jacob to leap forth from the womb of his heart as a beast of prey.

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The G Members: Shem (Gen. 11:10-26) and Isaac (Gen. 25:19-35:29)

The G1 member (Gen. 11:10-26) of Structure 4 provides the genealogical lineage of Shem, meaning in Hebrew the one with the name. Shem bears the name of the Royal Line proceeding from Adam through Seth to Noah. His genealogical lineage is listed as proceeding from Arphaxad to Terah, who is the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Shem is thus identified as the continuation of the Royal, Elect Line, the Royal seed of the Woman.

The G2 member (Gen. 25:19-35:29) of Structure 4 takes up the story of Isaac who is the son of Abraham’s old age, the son of promise, the chosen heir of Abraham in contrast with Ishmael who is sent away. Yahweh grants Abraham a son through the aged and barren Sarah. This son is chosen to be the seed through whom the promises made to Abraham would be fulfilled.

In Isaac, Israel beholds the son of Abraham’s faithfulness. In Isaac, Israel beholds Yahweh’s faithfulness. Thus, Israel ’s responsibility must be borne in accord with the faithfulness demonstrated by Abraham with the resulting guarantee of Yahweh’s faithfulness demonstrated in the gift of Isaac.

Terah (H1 member, Gen. 11:27-25:11) of Structure 4 is shown to be in the Royal Line, but Yahweh calls Abram. Ishmael (H2 member, Gen. 25:12-18) is shown to be in the Royal Line, but is rejected as a firstborn son. The accepted firstborn son is the son of Yahweh’s promise to Abram, Isaac, the son coming forth from the long barren womb of the aged Sarah, the son covenantally generated in contrast


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to the son generated naturally, non-covenantally; the son of the spirit in contrast to the son of the flesh; the son of faith in contrast to the son of doubt; the son of revealed knowledge in contrast to the son of concealed knowledge.

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The Royal Line and the Multiplication of Evil

Genesis, chapter 5, begins The Book of The Generations of Adam, which consists of the remainder of the Book of Genesis and, by literary design, the remainder of the entire corpus of the Hebrew Scriptures and the Greek Scriptures. This design is corroborated by the opening words of the Greek Scriptures:

The scroll [book] of the lineage [generations] of Jesus Christ, the Son of David , the Son of Abraham. (Matthew 1:1 CV)

The Greek Scriptures present themselves as the final chapter in The Book of The Generations of Adam. Jesus is presented by Matthew as the Son of David , the Son of Abraham. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus is also presented as the son of Adam, the son of God (Lk. 3:38). Jesus is thus presented as the final son of Adam, the only legitimate heir to Adam’s throne, since He is the only son of the Woman, Eve, generated apart from a male out of Adam. All Adam’s sons are generated after the entrance of sin and death. Jesus is the only son in the likeness of Adam while Adam resided in the Garden of Eden prior to his partaking of the forbidden fruit. He is also the only son in the likeness of Adam before Eve was created out of him. These details may seem insignificant, but they are vital to an accurate understanding of the last chapter of the Book of Adam as recorded in the Greek Scriptures (“The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, . . .” Matt. 1:1).

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An Analysis of Genesis 5:1-6:8

Genesis 5:1-6:8 now needs to be analyzed. Here is presented the Royal Line of Adam, the appointed ruler over Yahweh’s Kingdom of the Heavens and the Earth. Adam again is referred to as the one in the “likeness” of Elohim (Gen. 5:1). This “likeness” has to do with function, rule, authority. The title Elohim in Hebrew means subjector, one who rules, judges, has authority over others. It is a title used to designate Yahweh as Creator and Ruler over His creation (Gen. 1:1 CV). It is also a title used in reference to men given authority to rule or judge other men. Jesus uses it as such in John 10:34-35 CV:

Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, that ‘I say you are gods’? If He said those were gods, to whom the word of God came . . . are you saying to Him Whom the Father hallows and dispatches into the world that ‘You are blaspheming,’ seeing that I said, ‘Son of God am I’? . . .”

Here Jesus is quoting Psalms 82:6 (CV), “I Myself have said: you are elohim, And sons of the Supreme are all of you.” The title elohim is used in this text of men in authority, men who are judges over Israel . Jesus confirms this usage and so does Moses when speaking of Hebrew servants:

Yet if the servant should say, yea say, I love my lord, my wife and my sons; I shall not go forth free, then his lord will bring him close to the elohim, . . . and he will serve him for the eon . (Exodus 21:5-6 CV)

Again, the elohim referred to in this passage are human judges, members of the nation Israel . Structure 5 is a literary structure of Genesis 5:1-6:8.

The literary pattern of Structure 5 is a simple alternation. Theme A1 (5:1-2) is followed by theme B1 (5:3- 32) at which point the author returns to the corresponding theme of A2 (6:1) followed by the corresponding theme of B2 (6:2-8). Each of the B themes has a similar internal literary arrangement: c1 (5:3-27) followed by d1 (5:28-32), a return to c2 (6:2-7) followed by a return to d2 (6:8). A1 (5:1-2) begins by referring to Adam as being in the likeness of Elohim, thereby presenting him as the only created son of Elohim, making him an elohim having jurisdiction over Elohim’s creation. Adam is Yahweh Elohim’s appointed king ruling over the Kingdom of the Heavens and the Earth.


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Structure 5: Adam as Yahweh Elohim’s Appointed King (Genesis 5:1-6:8)

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This section (A1 5:1-2) then reiterates the fact that Elohim created Eve out of Adam, making humanity a complementation of male and female. Thus, Adam had consisted of both male and female elements. But the female element was taken from him and created into the woman Eve, now his complement. Elohim thus created them male and female and began calling their name (singular) Adam. This becomes significant when interpreting the A2 section (Gen. 6:1) which refers to Adam as “the man” consisting of the complementariness of the male and the female roles in generating sons and daughters.

The A2 member begins by referring to Adam as the man who was in the process of continuing what he had started, that is, “to be multitudinous on the surface of the ground” (Gen. 6:1a CV). But the author continues by noting that “daughters had been born to them” (Gen. 6:1b CV). Thus, the author is referring to Adam and Eve, not to humanity in general. The daughters referred to are the specific daughters generated by the coming together of Adam and Eve, not the daughters generated by other sons and daughters of Adam and Eve. The daughters referred to in this text are first generation daughters of Adam and Eve.

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Rule and Procreation: The Sons and Daughters of Adam and Eve

The literary relationship between the A1 (5:1-2) and A2 (6:1) members can be set forth in more detail as follows (see Structure 6):


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Structure 6: Structural Relationship Between Genesis 5:1-2 and Genesis 6:1-2 (my translation)

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As can now be seen, the theme of 5:1 is Rule; the theme of 5:2 is Procreation; the theme of 6:1, corresponding to 5:2, is Procreation; the theme of 6:2, corresponding to 5:1, is Rule. The Rule and Procreation has to do with the Royal Line of Adam. The issue has to do with establishing a clear-cut, well-defined legitimation of the authentic line of authoritative rule. The royal descendancy (descent, lineage) must be distinguished and made perfectly apparent to all humanity, all society.

Thus, the sons of the elohim (the king, Adam) are first generation sons of Adam and Eve. The heir to Adam’s throne would then be Seth, Adam’s firstborn son (in the place of Cain). All other first generation sons would be in the first (royal) ranks of societal leadership.

To secure and strengthen this Royal Line, and thus its power, authority, and prestige, these sons of the elohim (Adam) perceived the daughters of the man, that is, the first generation daughters of Adam and Eve, as good. The text does not use the word beautiful. It uses the same Hebrew word as first recorded in Genesis 1:4, “And seeing is Elohim the light, that it is good” (CV). Here the word “good” refers to the purpose of the appearing of light. The light was “good” in terms of its role, its purpose, in the created system. The sons of the elohim (the king, Adam), in like manner, seeing (same word as used in Genesis 1:4) the daughters of the man (Adam and Eve, “He . . . began calling their name Adam” [Gen. 5:2 my translation]) concluded these women to be good in terms of their contribution to the prestige, power, and authority of the Royal Line of rule. Thus, they began choosing wives from among these royal daughters.

Genesis 5:3-32 (see the B1 member of Structure 5: Adam as Yahweh Elohim’s Appointed King [Genesis 5:1-6:8]) then proceeds to take up the theme of Adam, the Royal line, the other sons and daughters of Adam, and the line of the firstborn sons. The emphasis of this passage is on the Royal Line of heirship to the throne occupied by Adam, the elohim, the one having divine jurisdiction over this Kingdom of Elohim. This line is contrasted with the line of Cain. In the naming of the firstborn sons of Cain’s line (4:17-24), the author reveals the story of the contaminating influence of the line of Cain, in spite of the many positive contributions to society by Cain’s line, that is, art, mercantilism, city construction, domestication of animals, technique and technology.

The Royal Line begins with Adam who fathers Seth, meaning appointed instead. Cain had forfeited his position as firstborn by slaying Abel. Seth was appointed in place of Abel, being appointed firstborn instead of Cain. Seth represents the restoration of subjection to Yahweh Elohim.

Adam was 130 years old when Seth was born. Seth would not reign until the year 930, which marked the year of Adam’s death. This means that all the heirs to the throne except Noah were contemporaries of Adam. They all knew him personally and had access to his knowledge, wisdom, and experience. Noah, last in the line, was born after the death of Adam.

Genesis 6:2-8 (see B2 member of Structure 5: Adam as Yahweh Elohim’s Appointed King [Genesis 5:1-6:8]) takes up the theme of the man in relation to the Royal Line and the other sons of the elohim, Adam, as well as the daughters of Adam. This passage emphasizes the multiplication of Evil on the earth. As Genesis 5:3-32 (B1 member of Structure 5) consists of two themes (c1 5:3-27 and d1 5:28-32), so (Page 72)Genesis 6:2-8 (B2 member of Structure 5) correspondingly consists of two themes (c2 6:2-7 and d2 6:8). The c1 member deals with the Royal Line and the multiplication of Evil, highlighting the significance of Enoch, meaning dedicated. Enoch dedicated himself to walking with Elohim (Gen. 5:21-22 CV). This literary member (c1 5:3-27) corresponds by way of contrast with the c2 member (6:2-7) which deals with the Royal Line and the multitudinous of Evil, highlighting the significance of the Distinguished Enoshes, meaning mortals with the name. These Distinguished Enoshes dedicated themselves to the evil devices of the distorted heart.

Genesis 5:28-32 (see d1 member of Structure 5) has as its theme the Royal Line and the consolation of Yahweh, focusing on the birth and naming of Noah, meaning Stop. Noah would be the one chosen of Yahweh as the instrument through whom the multiplication of evil would be brought to a sudden catastrophic end (stop). As such, Noah is to be the one consoling humanity, in that with him there would be a new beginning.

By way of comparison, the corresponding d2 member of Structure 5 has the same theme as d1 (5:28-32), again focusing on Noah, but this time pointing to the fact that Noah finds grace in the eyes of Yahweh. In bestowing favor on Noah, Yahweh demonstrates His mercy and compassion toward humanity, delivering the race from total destruction and remaining faithful to His promise concerning the seed of the Woman associated with the Royal Line preserved with the survival of Noah and his family.

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The Royal Line

Structure 7 reveals the literary relationship of the Royal Line as recorded in Genesis 5:3-32.

Structure 7: The Generations of Adam: Structural Relationship of the Royal Line (Gen. 5:3-32)

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The line begins with Adam, the Royal Elohim, judge, ruler, king appointed by Yahweh Elohim. It continues with Seth, Adam’s appointed firstborn instead of Cain who forfeited this honor and Abel who was slain by Cain. Seth signifies the restoration of subordination to Yahweh’s authority. Enosh is Seth’s firstborn son. His name means mortal. He (Enosh) signifies belief in Yahweh’s judgment concerning sin and death in relation to Adam and the race. In Genesis 4:26 (CV), Enosh is presented as becoming wounded and yet invoking the name of Yahweh. He thus reveals his confidence in Yahweh’s promise concerning the seed of the Woman. Enosh’s firstborn is Cainan, meaning acquisition. Cainan represents the faithfulness of Yahweh in response to Enosh’s invocation, thus indicating Enosh’s deliverance from his enemy and Yahweh’s blessing in His provision (Enosh’s acquisition) of a son. Mahalalel is Cainan’s firstborn son. His name means Praiser of El, signifying his humility in the presence of Yahweh, while at (Page 73)the same time signifying a humility brought about by a reversal in trend among men. The way of Yahweh begins to be questioned.

This is further developed by Mahalalel’s firstborn son, Jared, meaning It is descending. The trend begun in his father’s time continues the descent, the deterioration of humanity away from Yahweh Elohim. Jared takes pride in serving Yahweh, but society is ascending the ladder of its pride in men, encouraged by the philosophy and religion of the Cainites. The son of Jared, Enoch, meaning dedicated, initiates the repudiation of the descent of society caused by the evil devices of the heart of the Distinguished Enoshes (mortals with the name), as humanity continues to increase its repudiation of Yahweh Elohim, following the example of Cain. Society deteriorates as a result of its increasing tendency to determine good and evil according to the apple of its own eyes while decreasing its recourse to what is Good and Evil in the eyes of Yahweh Elohim.

Enoch fathers Methuselah, which means dying He sends. This signifies a prophetic warning. When Methuselah dies, Yahweh will initiate the judgment upon a deviant and corrupt humanity. This warning is then carried out by the proclamation of Enoch who begins walking with the Elohim after the birth of Methuselah (Gen. 5:22). To walk with Elohim means a special calling, a special task, a special service. Enoch is called to proclaim the coming judgment. He warns humanity of the present self-inflicted consequences of its evil ways. He calls individuals to repent of their abandonment of that which is Good and Evil in the eyes of Yahweh Elohim. Genesis 5:24 records that

Enoch continued walking with the Elohim. And he was not found for Elohim had taken him. (my translation)

According to the text, Enoch began walking with the Elohim at the age of 65, when Methuselah was born. His service to Yahweh continued for 300 years (v. 22), which means he was not found, due to his having been taken by Elohim, in the year 987 (counting from the creation of Adam). This would be 57 years after the death of Adam, 669 years before the death of Methuselah, and before the birth of Noah. This means his 300-year proclamation of warning went unheeded by the vast majority of humans.

At the death of Adam, Seth would then occupy the throne. It is during the transition from one king to another that rebellion is most likely to occur or increase. The transition from Adam to Seth had to be tremendous, since Adam was the only human, other than Eve, to have lived in the garden in Eden in the very bodily presence of Yahweh Elohim Himself. Adam’s authority would be difficult to challenge. But Seth’s authority was much more vulnerable.

That Enoch’s warning was heeded by very few is confirmed by the birth of Lamech, the firstborn of Methuselah. When Lamech was born in 874, Enoch had only 48 years left before he would be taken. The name Lamech means to reduce or impoverish. As humanity continued to reduce or impoverish its relation to Yahweh Elohim, Yahweh was making preparation for the reduction of this impoverished humanity to one human family, eight individual people. Insubordination would lead to catastrophic destruction.

In 1042 Seth dies, once again transferring the throne, this time to Enosh. In 1140 Enosh dies and Cainan takes the seat of authority. In 1056 Noah is born, the firstborn son of Lamech who will not live to sit on the throne of Adam. Noah means Stop. He will be the last of the Royal Line to occupy the throne of Adam. With Noah the antediluvian civilization ends. The throne of Adam is vacated with the death of Noah in 2006.

Noah would come to signify the royal consolation, confirming the hope of the faithful members of the seed of the Woman. The Adamic race would be spared. Noah’s family of eight would be delivered through the coming judgment. Thus, the literary structure of the Royal Line comes full circle. It begins with the appointment of Adam as Royal Elohim, judge and concludes with Noah and the appointed judgment.

After Cainan dies, Mahalalel ascends the throne. At his death in 1290, Jared ascends the throne. With the death of Jared in 1422, Methuselah begins to reign on the throne of Adam. Enoch is passed over since he had been taken by Yahweh Elohim. Sometime during the year of Methuselah’s death, 1656, the judgment of the flood takes place. Lamech had died five years earlier. The Royal Line was now represented by only one last living, elect (appointed by Yahweh) firstborn son. Thus, Noah is the last of the elect sons of Adam as elohim, until the arrival of Jesus the son of David, the son of Abraham, the son of Noah, the son of Adam, the Son of Yahweh Elohim. And what does Jesus proclaim?—the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of the Heavens is at hand!

This Jesus is designated the Son of The Man (Adam), The Son of The God (Elohim). He is the final heir to Adam’s throne, the throne of the first soulish humanity which He fulfills by bringing it to its telos (end). Jesus is the first and only heir to the newly established throne of Yahweh Elohim, which throne (Page 74)had been prepared for Yahweh’s only generated Son, the Second Man, the Spiritual Man, the Man Who alone is the visible Image of the God Who still chooses to remain invisible to the sight of present humanity.

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An Analysis of Genesis 6:1-8

Having concluded the significance of the Royal Line as condensed or as cryptic antediluvian history, Genesis 6:1-8 needs to be examined in more detail. In this section the author provides a more specific account of the deterioration of humanity. The account opens with the following statement:

And continuing was that which The Man had started—to be multitudinous on the surface of the ground. And daughters had been born to them [Adam & Eve]. (Genesis 6:1 my translation)

The Man refers to Adam as reflecting the fact of Genesis 5:2, “Male and female He had created them” (CV). This is necessary because of the present subject: Procreation (see Structure 6, Structural Relationship Between Genesis 5:1-2 and Genesis 6:1-2 my translation). Adam procreates only after Eve is created out of him. Thus, the daughters mentioned here clearly refer to the first generation daughters of Adam and Eve. These are royal daughters.

In Genesis 6:2, the sons of the elohim refer to the first generation royal sons of Adam and Eve. Adam is understood to be the elohim, the judge, the ruler appointed by Yahweh Elohim to reign over His creation, the Kingdom of the Heavens and the Earth. As indicated above, these sons see the daughters of The Man, the royal daughters, as “good” in relation to the purpose of establishing a clearly apparent legitimation of the authentic line of rule and authority. Marriage to such royal daughters would accomplish this goal. The account continues,

And Yahweh began saying, “My spirit shall not continue abiding in The Man for the eon [age], in that moreover, he is flesh. And his days shall be concluded in a hundred and twenty years. (Genesis 6:3 my translation)

Yahweh’s spirit would not continue abiding in The Man Adam during that present age because he is flesh, that is, death is operating in him as a result of the verdict declared in Eden. Yahweh then reveals that Adam would remain alive for only 120 more years. This means Adam was 810 years old when this revelation was given, since we are informed in Genesis 5:5 that he died at the age of 930.

This revelation was Yahweh’s warning to humanity concerning its evil ways. It was not a judgment against Adam’s faithfulness or behavior. Adam had known since the verdict in Eden that he must die. He, however, did not know how long he would live before death claimed him. The purpose of this declaration at that time had to do with Yahweh’s patience and mercy in relation to the development of society as a whole, as will be made clear in the following verses.

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The Distinguished Ones

The account now begins to describe the situation that gave Yahweh cause to be concerned over the course humanity was taking.

Now these Distinguished Ones had been in the earth in those days [0-930], and, moreover, afterward [930-1656], when continued coming sons of the elohim into daughters of The Man. And they had borne them [masculine gender] sons. These sons were the Mighty Chiefs [having power and authority] who were from that eon [age], Mortals [enoshes] with [identified by] THE NAME [Heb. = shem, the one with the name, thus: place of honor, place of renown identified with a name]. (Genesis 6:4 my translation)

These “Distinguished Ones” are the sons of the elohim Adam. They had married first generation daughters of Adam and Eve. The phrase “in those days” refers to the time before Adam’s death. Those “Distinguished Ones” became even more powerful after the death of Adam, for they continued to secure the legitimation of their authority by continuing to marry the daughters of Adam and Eve. Thus, the Royal Line nobility was made apparent to all members of society.

This class distinction resulted in the social and legal recognition of “the Mighty Chiefs” having power and authority. The writer of the text, Moses, inserts at this point an editorial statement meant for Israel ’s instruction. He declares these “Mighty Chiefs,” these “Distinguished Ones,” to have all been antediluvians. They exerted their power and authority in that eon , age, characterized by Adam and his Royal Line, which endured for 1,656 years, ending in the destruction of the flood.

During that age, humanity had consisted of one society. Nations had not yet developed. The society had two branches, the Sethites and the Cainites. These branches brought forth numerous tribes, and (Page 75)thus, tribal chiefs. Cain was still recognized as a first generation son of Adam and Eve. He most likely married a first generation daughter of Adam and Eve. Therefore, both he and his firstborn son Enoch must have been included among the royal nobility. The influence of the line of Cain must not be underestimated.

These “Distinguished Ones” are also called “Mortals [enoshes] with [identified by] THE NAME.” The word enosh means mortal, and is first associated with Seth’s firstborn son, Enosh. Its significance had to do with subordination to the judgment of Yahweh Elohim concerning His verdict of death over the race. Death, from the time of this verdict, began operating in all human beings sired by Adam and his descendants. Man’s dormant mortality had been activated. The race had become mortal. Death began to reign over the humanity fathered by Adam.

Thus, the designation mortals refers to the condition of each human being, and identification with “THE NAME” refers to Adam, The Man, and his title of honor and authority, The Elohim. Therefore, the Distinguished Ones consisted of the royal nobility who were Mighty Chiefs (men of renown) having power and authority due to their place of honor, place of renown as those identified with the royal name Adam and his divine title of authority, The Elohim. This name and title had been associated first with Seth (appointed instead of Cain) and then with his firstborn son, Enosh (mortal), in relation to his (Enosh’s) subordination to the judgment of Yahweh concerning mortality.

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Multitudinous Evil

The writer continues his account of the history of antediluvian man by recording the failure of humanity to heed the warnings of Yahweh Elohim associated first with Enoch and Methuselah and then with Adam. Yahweh’s response to this failure is stated by means of anthropomorphical analogy.

And Yahweh began seeing that much [multitudinous, cf. 6:1] was evil of The Man in the earth, and that every form of the devices of his heart was only evil all the day. (6) And Yahweh began regretting that He had made to appear [asah] The Man in the earth. And He began grieving to His heart. (7) And began saying Yahweh, “I will begin wiping off from the surface of the ground The Man whom I have created, from man to quadruped, to reptile, to flyer of the heavens. For I regret that I have made them appear. (8) But Noah had found GRACE [favor] In The Eyes of Yahweh. (Genesis 6:5-8 my translation)

As Yahweh sees His creation is “good” in Genesis, chapter 1, so now He sees how much evil is operating in the earth as a result of the evil devices of the heart of the royal nobility (influenced by the Cainites) which had filtered down through the rest of society.

Humanity is here designated by the phrase “of The Man.” Adam himself is not being referred to. The Royal Line of the elect firstborn sons is not included in this evaluation. The writer refers to the evil being produced “of” The Man, that is, by the offspring of The Man Adam, in general. This is confirmed by the text itself. The reader has already been informed that every member of the Royal Line died a natural death, excluding only Enoch, who was taken by Yahweh. In the present passage under consideration, Yahweh determines to wipe off, not only The Man from the surface of the ground, but also the quadruped, the reptile, and flyer of the heavens. All these creatures are not to die the common death. They are to die the judgmental death of the flood. Mankind had contaminated the whole creation. And again, later in the text, exceptions among all these groups are noted (Noah and the ark).

Thus, upon “seeing” that every form of the devices of humanity’s heart is evil, and “only” evil, all the day, that is, continually, habitually, Yahweh determines to wipe humanity off the earth by bringing a most uncommon, extraordinary death upon the race through a catastrophic upheaval of the waters below and above the surface of the earth. Society had deteriorated, had become impoverished due to its doing that which had been determined right or good in its own eyes. In producing that which was good in its own eyes, it had departed from that which is good in the eyes of Yahweh Elohim. Thus, every evil form of every evil device of humanity’s heart produced both societal and environmental impoverishment. Both man and animal had been contaminated, thereby becoming evil in the eyes of Yahweh. But, “Noah had found GRACE In The Eyes of Yahweh.”

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Yahweh’s Regret

However, what about Yahweh’s grief and regret? Because of the multiplication of evil upon the surface of the ground, the text describes Yahweh Elohim as grieving and regretting that He made humanity to appear in the earth. Yahweh’s grieving and regretting is an anthropomorphic analogy. Such grief/regret does not necessitate Yahweh’s surprise at humanity’s behavior. Yahweh foresaw this situation. But, by analogy, Israel is made to understand that Yahweh Elohim, like a mature and wise father, experiences grief (Page 76)and regret in response to His creation’s foolish decisions, which decisions culminate in the contamination of impoverishment necessitating holy destruction of the contaminated holy object. Thus, Israel is to take heed. Disobedience to Yahweh’s covenant will also result in Yahweh’s grief and regret and will culminate in similar judgment of Israel as Yahweh’s holy people.

Mankind is not a stringed puppet. Choices can and will be made. Options allowing, even demanding, authentic decisions have been designed within the creation, options necessitating creative generation. Man, like Yahweh Elohim, must work at developing, shaping, molding, actualizing the various potentials of the habitation created for him by Yahweh Elohim. In the process, he must learn to actualize his own potential discriminately, discerning the proper application of The Law of Good and Evil.

This freedom and responsibility, within the boundaries, limitations set by The Creator, initiates an existential relationship between mankind and Yahweh Elohim. Within this relationship, Yahweh shares in the emotions and thought processes of humanity. He applauds and praises man’s triumphs. He rejoices over man’s wisely accurate application of and conformity to the laws of his habitation and to the laws of his own nature. He regrets man’s defeats, grieving over the resulting injustice and suffering, sometimes necessitating His merciful and compassionate intervention. He continues to work together with mankind toward the actualization of His intended goal for this beloved creation. Yahweh Elohim is an immanent, as well as a transcendent, Creator-God.

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The Catastrophic Judgment and the Noahic Covenant

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The Faithfulness of Noah and the New World-Order

The Genesis account next focuses on the generations of Noah (6:9-9:29). He is declared a “just” man (Gen. 6:9a CV). He is right with Yahweh Elohim. He is characterized as “flawless became he in his generations” (Gen. 6:9b CV). In the Hebrew language, the word translated flawless means complete, perfect, entire, integral. Its usage in Genesis is never in relation to moral perfection. Noah is flawless in his faithful relationship to Yahweh. His commitment to Yahweh is complete. His integrity of faith is demonstrated by his faithful behavior throughout his life. His faith in Yahweh is flawless. It never wavers. He remains faithful to Yahweh’s covenant to the end. Thus, in relation to his faith commitment to Yahweh, he becomes flawless in his generations. This same word (flawless) is also used in relation to Abraham (Gen. 17:1) and Jacob (Gen. 25:27).

Noah, like Enoch, walked with Elohim, indicating he had a calling and service to Yahweh Elohim both before and after the catastrophic deluge. He is the legitimate heir to Adam’s throne, thus possessing legal and social authority. He is also the called servant of Yahweh, thus possessing spiritual authority to speak in Yahweh’s name. Noah, however, would not long rule over humanity as a unified race. Such a unity characterized the antediluvian age. It would not characterize the Noahic Age, the post-diluvian age.

Noah faithfully builds an ark according to Yahweh’s instruction and, at a revealed time, enters the ark with his wife, his three sons (Shem, Ham, and Japheth), and their wives. Entering also were seven pairs (male and female) of all clean animals (acceptable for sacrifice) and one pair (male and female) of all unclean animals (unacceptable for sacrifice).

After the waters of the deluge abate, Noah and those with him exit the ark. Yahweh again instructs man and animals to be fruitful, increase on the earth, and roam in the earth. Noah and his three sons are blessed. Not only are they told to be fruitful, they are also told to subdue the earth (Gen. 9:1) and sway, rule in it (9:7). But this rule does not manifest itself in a king. It manifests itself in a covenant made with Noah as representative of humanity and all animal life. Soon, the reader will be informed of the primary focus of this new world-order: the nations. The race is to be divided into nations, each nation given its own territory.

Yahweh then informs Noah and his sons that all animal life will now fear mankind and will become acceptable for food. But the blood of any animal killed for food will not be eaten. Yahweh also institutes capital punishment. The penalty for shedding innocent blood will now be the death of the murderer, in contrast to the mercy shown Cain after he shed the innocent blood of his brother Abel.

The shedder of the blood of a human, by a human his blood shall be shed, for in the image of Elohim has He made humanity. (Genesis 9:6 CV)

This was not the rule during the antediluvian age.

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The Reign of Death Continues

Noah then builds an altar to Yahweh Elohim, upon which, from every clean animal, he offers up ascent offerings. These offerings are not in relation to sin. They are not sin offerings. They are the means required by Yahweh Elohim to obtain access into His presence for proper, acceptable worship. The ascent offering is necessary due to the contamination of the death brought to the race by Adam, not to individual sin. Yahweh is not yet counting up sin. This He will do only in relation to Israel and only during the course of the Sinatic Covenant. Thus, sin cannot be reigning among the nations, but death is certainly reigning. From this account, Paul draws the following conclusion:

for until law sin was in the world, yet sin is not being taken into account when there is no law; nevertheless death reigns from Adam unto Moses, . . . (Romans 5:13-14b CV)

The judgment of the flood is not associated with the eternal destiny of those who were destroyed. The salvation from the deluge is associated with a faithful elect. This elect group gains access to life in the new world-order under the covenant made with Noah. Those who died were not eternally doomed. They simply had their natural lives cut short. They forfeited the death common to all men. This common death had entered the world through Adam’s sin (see Num. 16:29 CV; Rom. 5:12 CV).

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Good and Evil

Yahweh responds to these offerings by rescinding the curse upon the ground and promising never to destroy the earth and all living creatures again:

And smelling is Yahweh Elohim a restful smell. And saying is Yahweh Elohim to His heart, “Not any more will I slight further the ground for the sake of humanity [lit. The Man], for the form of the human heart is evil from its youth. Neither again will I smite further all living flesh, as I have done. In the future, all the days of the earth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and warmth, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease. (Genesis 8:21-22 CV)

The human heart is declared to be evil from its youth. The Hebrew word good implies building up; the Hebrew word evil implies tearing down. Neither the good nor the evil is necessarily associated with morality, that is, moral good or moral evil. Thus, evil does not necessarily include moral evil. The evil spoken of here refers to The Man’s (Adam’s) propensity to make foolish, ignorant, arrogant decisions which culminate in destruction, impoverishment. This is exemplified by the decisions of Eve and Adam in Eden. Such decisions are not rebellion against Yahweh. They merely indicate unbelief due to ignorance, which causes figurative blindness. The line of Cain had deceived and led astray the seed of the Woman. The Cainites had arrogantly cultivated the evil potential within the heart of mankind, resulting in the complete contamination of man and his habitation.

Moral evil is exemplified by Cain in his slaying of his brother Abel. Cain is not ignorant of the significance of his decision and deed. Cain does not act out of ignorant unbelief. He acts out of brash rebellion. He understands Yahweh’s words. He opposes Yahweh Elohim in the name of Yahweh Elohim. Cain believes Yahweh Elohim to be in error regarding His judgment concerning the essence and nature of what it means to be man. Cain rejects Abel as the Superior Man. Cain exalts himself as the Superior Man, even in the presence of Yahweh. Cain boldly sets out to prove he, rather than Abel, is Yahweh’s glory.

Thus, the evil heart of a man from his youth is not describing the evil rebellion of Cain, though such rebellion continued to exist after the flood. The evil described here by Yahweh is that of Eve and Adam. Its extreme form is seen in Cain and his seed, Canaan.

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The Noahic Covenant

It is also important to note that Yahweh, according to Genesis 8:21-22 (CV), promises never to destroy the earth and all living flesh. Some interpret this passage to mean Yahweh will not destroy the earth again by water, but will destroy it by fire. But this interpretation contradicts what Yahweh specifically declares will not cease: seedtime and harvest, cold and warmth, summer and winter, day and night. The natural cycles of the planet will not cease. There will never be another catastrophic destruction of the earth according to this declaration of Yahweh Elohim. Any interpretation of prophetic literature which concludes a further destruction of the earth needs to be examined under the light of this lucid passage.

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In Genesis, chapter 6, verse 18, the word “covenant” is used for the first time. Yahweh makes a covenant with Noah before the great deluge arrives. This covenant is associated with judgment and salvation: Judgment upon all flesh, with the exception of those entering the ark for Salvation. In chapter 9, after the conclusion of the great deluge, Yahweh speaks again of this covenant. He refers to it as “My Covenant,” and it is between Yahweh Elohim and all flesh, that is, all humans and all animal life (Gen. 9:8- 10). It is also described as being between Yahweh Elohim and the earth (Gen. 9:13). Its duration is said to be “for generations eonian” (Gen. 9:12 CV) and is called a “covenant eonian” (Gen. 9:16 CV). Thus, it is a covenant made with Adamic humanity as represented by Noah; its duration extends through all the generations making up the Adamic age, and as such, it is labeled an eonian covenant, a covenant of the age or eon of Adam.

This covenant would no longer be necessary or relevant to the Jesuic humanity when this humanity became perfected under Christ’s Headship as the Second Adam. At the conclusion of the Jesuic Eon , the Noahic Covenant would reach its termination. With the problem of Sin and Death solved and the problem of the knowledge of Good and Evil transcended, catastrophic judgment becomes impossible. Humanity will have reached its intended goal. Under the Headship of Christ, humanity is in the process of progressing toward the transcendence of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. When the Knowledge of Good and Evil is transcended, mankind will have learned the skillful application of both the Good and the Evil appropriate in each decisional context. Good and Evil will then be perceived no longer dichotomously, but homogeneously, each complementing the other dialectically.

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The Significance of Ham and Canaan

Having established the provision of the covenant, the text names Noah’s three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, emphasizing Ham as the father of Canaan and declaring “from these the entire earth is scattered over” (Gen. 9:19 CV). The reference to Ham as Canaan’s father is a signal demanding Israel ’s attention. Israel is about to enter the very land of Canaan’s descendants. The judgment of the flood is a warning to Israel to take heed. Inappropriate decisions and behavior bring Yahweh’s judgment. Yahweh’s covenant with Noah reminds Israel of His covenant with them. As He promised faithfulness to the Noahic Covenant, so He promises faithfulness to the Mosaic Covenant. Jacob/Israel can and should place his confidence in Yahweh.

The naming of Ham as the father of Canaan is also to alert Israel to possible danger. The writer is making it clear to Israel that Ham and Canaan are definitely enemies of Israel ’s welfare. Jacob/Israel must maintain constant vigilance in his relationship to the seed of Canaan.

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Noah’s Drunkenness and the Significance of Nakedness

The episode of Noah’s drunkenness follows on the heel of the naming of Ham as Canaan’s father (Gen. 19:18-28). This episode will initiate Israel into the specific danger associated with Ham and Canaan. Although the biological descendants of Cain had been wiped out in the deluge, the figurative (or typological) seed of Cain continues on in the seed of Ham, especially his son Canaan. As Lamech had been to Cain, so Canaan is to Ham.

But what is dangerous about Ham? Noah plants a vineyard. Since the ground is no longer cursed, Noah becomes a man who serves the ground. His effort is not wasted. The ground brings forth abundantly and Noah partakes of its produce. Not knowing experientially the power of these new grapes coming forth from the uncursed ground, Noah drinks too much and becomes drunk. The text does not accuse or judge Noah. He is not to be considered morally evil. He sins (misses the mark of soberness) but is not to be judged as unrighteous. The reader has already been told that Noah is just and had become flawless in his generations. His drunkenness is not intentional disregard of Yahweh’s authority and rule. It is unintentional and, thus, a consequence of his ignorance.

In his drunkenness, his nakedness is exposed. Ham, again referred to as the father of Canaan, sees his father’s nakedness (Gen. 9:22), after which he exits his father’s tent in order to tell his brothers of Noah’s condition. The text has already used this word seeing in chapter 1, referring to Yahweh seeing His creation as good, and in chapter 6, verse 2, referring to the sons of the elohim seeing the daughters of Adam and Eve as good. Seeing thus has to do with contemplative observation. It entails more than just seeing momentarily. Ham contemplatively observes, gazes upon, considers, examines with his eyes his father’s nakedness. He is enthralled, fascinated with nakedness. But the text has already made it clear to the reader (Page 79)that nakedness is associated with shame and shame with the transgression of Adam and Eve which is evil in the eyes of Yahweh.

Such shame needed to be covered, not gazed upon, examined, studied. Adam and Eve understood this immediately, covering themselves with fig leaves. Yahweh also acknowledges the necessity of covering this nakedness, providing His own covering for their nakedness. Nakedness is equated with shame, and shame is equated with the condition of sin and death associated with the disobedience of Adam and Eve. Thus, mankind’s disregard of the significance of nakedness is disrespect of Yahweh’s judgment, and, in Ham’s case, a rebellion against Yahweh. Ham, like Cain, opposes Yahweh’s judgment. Ham opposes in the name of truth, freedom, knowledge, science, and ultimately, in the name of Yahweh, declaring himself to be Yahweh’s glory, the superior man acting as creative investigator in order to more perfectly develop his potentiality as Yahweh’s glory, as one in the likeness of Yahweh Elohim.

Shem and Japheth demonstrate a proper respect for the significance of nakedness. They enter their father’s tent backwards in order to cover his nakedness without seeing it, observing it, contemplating it, examining it, studying it. Thus, they honor both Noah and Yahweh. Their behavior demonstrates faithful subjection to Yahweh’s judgments.

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Noah’s Curse Upon Canaan

When Noah becomes aware of the previous events, he curses Canaan. Ham is the guilty party, not Canaan. Why not curse Ham? Ham is Noah’s son and is included in Yahweh’s blessing, “And blessing is Elohim Noah and his sons” (Gen. 9:1 CV). Ham is also a first generation son of Noah and a curse upon Ham would reflect directly on Noah’s fatherhood. Finally, Noah places the curse on Canaan because, as a prophetic spokesman for Yahweh, he is given a prophetic understanding as to how the character and role of Canaan will represent the work of the seed of the Serpent, the seed of Cain, in relation to the seed of the Woman, the faithful seed of Abel, the faithful seed of Abraham through Isaac and Jacob, and thus, through Israel. Again, the author is aiming at the instruction of this nation on the verge of entering into the land of the Canaanites, the poisoned seed of the Serpent, the seed of Cain.

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The Generations of the Sons of Noah

The Genesis account now begins to focus on the development of the nations in this new world-order, this postdiluvian order of humanity. The text is interested in the spreading out of the nations over the earth. Noah was told by Yahweh, “be fruitful and increase, and roam in the earth. . . .” (Gen. 9:7 CV). Would humanity obey Yahweh? If not, then what? After all, the reader has been told about the character of man’s evil heart. Whether it be on account of humanity’s ignorance or overt rebellion, the tendency has been failure to obey Yahweh. The initial failure had brought catastrophic judgment. But Yahweh has sworn He will not repeat such a judgment. Thus, the writer takes up the account of the generations of the sons of Noah (Shem, Ham, and Japheth) after the flood.

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Japheth

Japheth is the first to be considered (Gen. 10:2-5). His generations are listed together with a note to the reader:

From these are parted the coastlanders of the nations among their lands, each man to his tongue, to their families, in their nations. (Genesis 10:5 CV)

These nations, from the point of view of Israel about to enter the land of Canaan, would be those on the geographical horizon of the land of Canaan, the outer boundary of the known world at that time. Note the assumption of the author concerning the variety of languages. The author is giving an account of these nations after the confusion of tongues brought about by Yahweh. This would be no problem for Israel , since numerous languages had been common experience. Thus, the generations of the sons of Noah provided in chapter 10 skips over the original situation of one common language and the cause of the coming of multiple tongues. The writer will take up that theme in chapter 11.

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Ham

Ham is considered next (Gen. 10:6-20). The reader is informed of Ham’s four sons: Cush , Mizraim, Phut, and Canaan. Israel would immediately take note of Canaan. The length of this genealogy alone would have alerted Israel to its importance. Among the descendants of Ham would be some of Israel ’s closest neighbors, each exercising a vital influence on Israel ’s political, cultural, and religious life. But again, the author inserts a note to the reader, this time concerning Nimrod, a member in the lineage of Cush, but not a firstborn son. As Cain had been to Lamech, so Cush is to Nimrod. Scholarly consensus concerning the meaning of the name Nimrod seems to favor we will rebel. According to the passage under investigation, Nimrod is considered the first man to begin to be a “master.”

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Nimrod

The word “master” is the same word used in Genesis 6:4 to refer to the Distinguished Ones, mortals with the name, which I translated as “the Mighty Chiefs having power and authority.” Nimrod, like Cain and Ham, perceives himself as a superior man having tremendous physical strength and strength of character (Gen. 10:8-12). He, also, judges Yahweh Elohim to be in error concerning the nature and essence of a great man. He, also, in Yahweh’s presence, boldly attempts to convince Yahweh of his superiority, the superiority of the man of action and intelligence over the man of submission and faith. He is thus a Mighty Chief, a mighty warrior standing defiantly before Yahweh.

Nimrod begins (Gen. 10:10) to establish a kingdom with the building of the city of Babel ( Babylon). He rules in this city over the kingdom it represents. In chapter 11 of Genesis, the reader will be informed of the nature, purpose, and extent of this kingdom. As Seth “began” (Gen. 4:26 RSV) to name his firstborn son Enosh (mortal) who in turn began calling on the name of Yahweh, so Nimrod began (Gen. 10:8 CV, starts) to become a master in the earth, attempting to make a name for himself and his people. The word began is used three times prior to Genesis 10:8, each time referring to a significant innovator or a significant event in the early history of mankind. In 4:26 (RSV) it refers to Seth and Enosh; in 6:1 it refers to Adam who began to be multitudinous in the earth; in 9:20 it refers to Noah who began to serve the ground which had been released from its curse. Here again, a significant innovator and event are hinted at.

Nimrod, however, like Cain, Lamech, Ham, Canaan, and others of their type, is not to be perceived as merely black or evil. All men struggle with the problem of the knowledge of Good and Evil. The determination of that which is to be considered good and that which is to be considered evil continues to be no simple matter. The seed of the Serpent, the seed of Cain is to be considered evil in the overall purpose of Yahweh, but in its contemporary historical situation, this seed (here represented by Ham and Nimrod) contributes much good to society as a whole, as already has been seen in the line of Cain (Gen. 4:17-22).

It is also true that the seed of the Woman, the seed of Abel (here represented by Shem and Abram) in its contemporary historical situation has contributed much evil to society as a whole. Neither seed in its contemporary historical situation is absolutely good or absolutely evil. Both seeds produce good and evil within society.

Nimrod is not to be viewed as solely an evil tyrant. He is a man of great character, strength, genius, and ability. His decisions and actions are his attempt at determining the proper use or application of good and evil for the benefit of himself and his people. He does this in defiance of Yahweh’s judgments in order to gain the admiration and acceptance of Yahweh on his own terms. He is a worshiper of Yahweh Elohim, even as Cain was such a worshiper. This will become significant when the present writer examines Israel ’s rulers in the time of Jesus. These rulers will claim Abraham as their father and Yahweh as their God. Eventually, Nimrod’s defiance would degenerate, turning to the creation and using it to worship the gods of man’s own creation.

Nimrod’s kingdom is located “in the land of Shinar” (Gen. 10:10 CV). This land was later to be known as Mesopotamia, and its Sumerian civilization spread from the south ( Shinar ) to the north (the land of Assyria). From the land of Shinar, Ashur went forth and built Nineveh (Gen. 10:11) which later became the most important city of Assyria.

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Mizraim and Canaan

The text then continues the generations of Ham through Mizraim and Canaan. The author then inserts information concerning the boundaries of Canaan and the scattering of the families of the (Page 81)Canaanites after the generation of the nations listed in Genesis 10, verses 15-18. The listing ends with “These are the sons of Ham, by their families, by their tongues, in their lands, in their nations” (Gen. 10:20 CV). With this formula, the important digressions about Babylon (vs. 8-12), Egypt (vs. 13-14), and Canaan (vs. 15-19) are completed. All three of these areas and the nations associated with them are vital to the identity and purpose of Israel .

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Shem

Finally, Shem is considered. He is placed last because he is the most significant in relation to the seed of the Woman. Unlike the previous listings, Shem is given an additional introduction.

And to Shem sons are born. Moreover he is the forefather of all the sons of Eber. He is a brother of Japhet; [he is] the eldest [of Noah’s three sons]. (Genesis 10:21 CV modified)

This addition exalts the importance of Shem’s descendants over the descendants of Japheth and Ham. It also draws attention to the fact that Shem is the forefather of all the sons of Eber, who is to be the forefather of the Hebrew branch of Shem’s family. It is this branch which maintains, continues the original sole language of the race, Hebrew. In the following list (Gen. 10:25-30), Eber is shown to have two sons. This genealogical table follows only Joktan, leaving the generations of Peleg the firstborn to the genealogical table of Shem listed in chapter 11, which genealogy is placed after the narration of the events at Babel.

Finally, Shem is noted as the eldest son of Noah, and thus heir to the throne occupied by Noah. This is important since it alludes to Seth’s son Enosh who began invoking the name of Yahweh. Thus, it establishes the line held responsible for the faithful worship of Yahweh Elohim. Shem bears the burden of faithful, accurate worship among the nations of the new world-order. It is through Shem that the lineage of the Royal Seed of the Woman will continue. Thus, in Shem will reside the hope of all humanity. For in Shem will come the only legitimate son qualified to ascend the uncontaminated throne of Adam.

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The Conclusion to the Account of the Generations of Noah

The account of the generations of the sons of Noah (Gen. 10:1) is closed as follows:

These are the families of the sons of Noah by their genealogical annals in their nations. And from these the coastland nations are parted in the earth after the deluge. (Genesis 10:32 CV)

Before the deluge, humanity functioned as one race, one society, one civilization, having one king and one language. After the deluge, humanity is divided into nations apportioned specified territories. These nations would produce separate societies, civilizations, each having its own king and its own language. The cause of this new arrangement is about to be related in chapter 11 of Genesis.

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Babel: The City, the Tower, and a Name

After the deluge, humanity continues to speak one language, that is, humanity is of one lip, having one stock of words. In their journey east, the people come to a valley in the land of Shinar and begin to dwell there. This journey eastward alludes to the movement of Adam and Eve to the east of the garden in Eden and to the movement of Cain to the land of Nod, east of Eden. East seems to be associated with man’s failure, requiring Yahweh’s judgment. The reference to “ Shinar ” (Gen. 11:2) recalls to mind Genesis 10:10-12, Nimrod’s kingdom in the land of Shinar.

In Genesis 10:8-10 Nimrod “began to become a master in the earth. . . . And coming is the beginning of his kingdom to be Babel . . . in the land of Shinar” (CV, modified). The account in chapter 11 describes Nimrod in the beginning of his process of becoming a master in the earth. He is the innovator of this ingenious plan to make a name for himself and the people by building a city and a tower with its head in the heavens. He is a Distinguished One, a master, a mortal with a name, and so, a man of renown. The people support Nimrod. They exalt and honor him among themselves, saying, “Nimrod, the master hunter before Yahweh” (Gen. 10:9 CV).

The worship of Yahweh continues. However, this worship is being defined by Nimrod’s innovative plan. By demonstrating their strength and ingenuity, Nimrod advises that they shall make a name for themselves to the glory of Yahweh. Such an accomplishment can only result in Yahweh’s approval and praise. This reflects the attitude and accomplishment of Cain, the first city builder.

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The tower in the midst of the city would have a dome, or head, in the sphere of the interest of the heavens. This is not to be understood as an attempt to spatially reach the location of Yahweh Elohim. The tower in the midst of the city is to be a temple for the worship of Yahweh. Its roof, its dome-shaped head, would consist of a heavenly map depicting the twelve constellations and their related stars. Yahweh had established these constellations and the pictures associated with the revealed, imaginary connection of the stars. As already pointed out, the origination of the constellation Scorpio and the scorpion as the sign of Cain were given by Yahweh Elohim.

Job, speaking about El, declares “who made the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the chambers of the south. . . .” (Job 9:9 RSV). The Psalmist declares of Yahweh, “He determines the number of the stars, he gives to all of them their names. Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure” (Ps. 147:4 RSV). Isaiah, speaking for Yahweh Elohim, says, “To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name; by the greatness of his might, and because he is strong in power not one is missing” (Isa. 40:25-26 RSV). David exclaims,

The heavens are recounting the glory of El,

And the atmosphere is telling the work of His hands.

Day after day is uttering a saying,

And night after night in disclosing knowledge.

There is no audible saying, and there are no words;

Their voice is unheard.

Yet into the entire earth their voice goes forth,

And into the ends of the habitance their declarations. (Psalms 19:1-4a CV)

Thus, this tower is an attempt to preserve and hand down the antediluvian traditions which had been revealed to the Man Adam by Yahweh Elohim. In this revelation, humanity had access to the testimony of Yahweh Elohim. The evil in the eyes of Yahweh is not the city or the tower in themselves. The evil is the attitude of the heart of men in attempting to gain the approval and praise of Yahweh Elohim on their own grounds. Such approval would be founded upon their own decision regarding what is to be pleasing or good in the eyes of Yahweh. What they had determined to be good in their eyes, they concluded would have to be good in the eyes of Yahweh. Here again is a demonstration of defiant, proud, arrogant worship of Yahweh Elohim. Here is the deception of the seed of the Serpent, the seed of Cain. And it is offered as worship of Yahweh in accordance with the Name as defined by Nimrod.

The evil that necessitated Yahweh’s intervention is the determination of men not to be scattered over the surface of the earth. This plan of Nimrod would impoverish humanity. It would initiate another process of deterioration similar to that which necessitated the deluge, the catastrophic judgment against man and animal. But Yahweh swore He would not again bring about a catastrophic judgment. Therefore, He confuses their tongues, thereby eliminating the universal communication which would have resulted in an absolute deterioration necessitating catastrophic judgment. The confusion of tongues separates the people into nations, necessitating the scattering of each nation into its apportioned territory. Universal and catastrophic judgment is thereby avoided. Nimrod’s kingdom and renown would continue, but only in relation to his nation associated with Babel, Babylon, Babylonia.

Eventually, however, the distortion of Yahweh’s astrological testimony would lead to astrological worship in connection with the worship and service of other gods. Yahweh Elohim would finally give up the nations to the evil desires of their hearts. This is evidenced in His warning to Israel at Sinai:

Guard yourselves lest you should lift up your eyes toward the heavens, and you see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of the heavens, and be induced to bow yourself down to them and serve them, which Yahweh your Elohim has apportioned to all other peoples beneath the entire heavens. (Deuteronomy 4:19 CV)

Paul also alludes to this:

For presently being revealed is God’s indignation from heaven upon every ungodliness and injustice of men, the men actively retaining the truth in the sphere of the interest of injustice. Because that which is known of the God is manifested among them. For the God to their interest manifested it upon them. For His objectives hidden from sight, coming from an artistic creation and being understood according to the purpose of His artistic portraits making up this artistic creation, are being fully seen, both His imperceptible power and godship, making them undefendable. Because being men who knew the God, not as God did they (Page 83)worshipfully-glorify or gratefully-thank Him. But vain were they made in the sphere of the interest of their rationalizations, and overwhelmingly-darkened became the uncomprehending heart of these men. . . . And according as they did not prove-by-testing to retain the God in their acknowledgment, the God gave them aside into a disapproved mind to be producing the things not precisely fitting, . . . (Romans 1:18-21, 28 my translation)

God (Yahweh Elohim), thus, eventually apportioned such astrological worship to all other peoples. But He avoids catastrophic judgment upon the nations by creating for Himself a special nation, Israel , through whom He would maintain a testimony among the nations. Israel would manifest over the nations the light of Yahweh Elohim’s glory by means of His law, His statutes and judgments which He gave to no other nation,

He is telling His words to Jacob,

His statutes and ordinances to Israel .

He has not done so for any other nation,

And His ordinances, they [the nations] do not know them at all. (Psalms 147:19-20 CV)

Jacob/Israel, upon reading this account of Babel, now can understand the purpose of Yahweh in forming him out of the ground of Egypt , in generating him out of the womb of Egypt . Jacob/Israel can now understand the significance of Yahweh’s breathing into his nostrils at Sinai the covenantal breath of life, making him different, unique, and special among the nations. Yahweh’s covenant at Sinai has also wed Israel to Yahweh, making Yahweh her only Elohim, making her His only Bride, His only covenantal Wife among the nations. Yahweh is covenantally obligated only to Israel . The appointed sons of El are each obligated to his apportioned (assigned) nation.

From the account in Genesis 11:1-9, the reader and Israel learn the circumstances and the time necessitating the Supreme’s giving each nation its allotment, assigning each a Son of El, and setting aside Jacob for His allotment (cf. Deut. 32:8-9 CV). From the text in Deuteronomy, chapter 32, the reader learns that this scattering of the nations occurred when the Supreme parted the sons of Adam. From Genesis 10:25 the reader learns that the parting of the sons of Adam occurred in the days of Peleg, the firstborn son of Eber, the father of the Hebrew branch of Shem’s line.

Genesis 11:1-9 informs the reader of the actual historical events out of which came the parting of the sons of Adam into separate nations, having separate territories, having different languages. It is also noteworthy to point out that this division of the sons of Adam occurred after the deaths of Noah and Shem, the two most influential, powerful men (mortals, Distinguished Ones, Men of Renown) of their time. The author’s account foreshadows, among the nations, the beginning of another regression toward a deterioration and impoverishment of humanity.

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2 Peter and the Heavens of Old

Before concluding the final genealogies of Genesis, chapter 11, a brief comment about 2 Peter’s reference to this deluge under discussion proves enlightening. Writing of scoffers in the last days, Peter declares,

For they want to be oblivious of this, that there were heavens of old, and an earth cohering out of water and through water, by the word of God; through which the then world, being deluged by water perished. Yet the heavens now, and the earth, by the same word, are stored with fire, being kept for the day of the judging and destruction of irreverent men. (2 Peter 3:5-7 CV)

Peter refers back to the Noahic deluge to answer the scoffers who ask, “Where is the promise of His presence [Parousia]?” (2 Peter 3:4 CV). These scoffers imply the Parousia of Jesus the Christ and the judgment of Israel are not imminent. They conclude that the last days are far off, thus not to come in their lifetime. But Peter declares they are disregarding the scriptural account of the judgment in Noah’s day.

The heavens of old and the earth described in Genesis, chapter 1, were created out of water and through water by the word of God. The world-order (the society of men) of humanity inhabiting that creation was destroyed by the same waters and the same word that made that creation a habitation fit for man and animal.

Peter then proceeds to apply the lesson to the then present heavens and earth which had been created for Israel ’s habitation. His understanding of the identity of the present heavens and earth, the present creation, comes from the Torah. Moses addresses the nation given covenantal life at Sinai,

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For ask now about the former days which came before you, from the day that Elohim created humanity on the earth, . . . Has there occurred anything like this great thing, or has anything been heard like it? Has a people ever heard the voice of the living Elohim speaking from the midst of the fire just as you heard it, and lived? . . . From the heavens He let you hear His voice, to discipline you, and on the earth He showed you His great fire, and you heard His words from the midst of the fire. . . . so you know today, and recall it to your heart that Yahweh, He is the only Elohim in the heavens above and on the earth beneath; there is no one else. (Deuteronomy 4:32-39 CV)

Israel was taught to understand that the creation of Genesis, chapter 1, could only be compared with her own creation. With the creation of Israel , Yahweh had established a new heavens and a new earth in which Yahweh was the only Elohim of Israel. Israel metaphorically had been drawn close to Yahweh in the heavens in contrast with the nations which were set at a distance from Yahweh and Israel , being placed metaphorically on the earth. Nothing in the history of mankind from the original creation described in Genesis, chapter 1, could be compared to what Yahweh had accomplished at Sinai with the creation of Israel . This included the deluge and the confusion of tongues at Babel.

Thus, for Peter, the present heavens and earth had to do with the world-order created at Sinai in which Israel had been set over the nations. Israel had been given Yahweh’s law and His statutes and judgments. Israel ’s religious system came from Yahweh, and she worshiped in Yahweh’s Tabernacle/Temple. It is this system (contaminated by Apostate Israel) and this group of irreverent men (Apostate Israel’s power-elite) that Yahweh was presently preparing for destruction by fire. Peter was well aware of Yahweh’s sworn promise to Noah recorded in Genesis 8:22. Yahweh would not in the future destroy the earth.

Peter, however, was aware of the word of God spoken through His only-begotten Son:

Verily, I am saying to you, Under no circumstances may a stone here be left on a stone, which shall not be demolished. (Matthew 24:2 CV)

Jesus is here referring to the destruction of the Temple which occurred in 70 a.d. It was destroyed in a great conflagration in which all the elements of worship were “dissolved by combustion” (2 Pe. 3:10 CV).

Peter also remembered Jesus declaring,

Now immediately after the affliction of those days the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not be giving her beams, and the stars shall be falling from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. And then shall appear the sign of the Son of Mankind in heaven, and then all the tribes of the land shall grieve, and they shall see the Son of Mankind coming on the clouds of heaven with power and much glory. . . . Verily, I am saying to you that by no means may this generation be passing by till all these things should be occurring. . . . For even as the days of Noah, thus shall be the presence [parousia] of the Son of Mankind. (Matthew 24:29-37 CV)

As antediluvian mankind and its system of worship had been destroyed by the word of Yahweh Elohim, so also, the ungodly men under the Mosaic Covenant, along with their system of worship, would soon be destroyed by the word of Yahweh Elohim spoken by the prophets and finally by Jesus the Son of the Man and the Son of God. This is the argument of Peter in his second epistle. The presence [parousia] of Jesus the Christ was imminent. It would occur in that very generation which was contemporary with Jesus and His Apostles.

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The Genealogies of Shem and Terah

Chapter 11 of Genesis concludes with a second genealogical list for Shem, this time going through Eber’s firstborn son, Peleg. The royal and elect line of the seed of the Woman continues through Peleg’s descendants. Peleg and Joktan together represent the people designated “Hebrews” (see Gen. 14:13). From this people the Hebrew language (the original language of mankind) is preserved. However, this second lineage of Shem placed after the events at Babel is important because it focuses on the line descending from Peleg through which Yahweh would provide an escape from another universal judgment, this time against the nations. This second lineage of Shem concludes with Terah, “And living is Terah seventy years, and begetting is he Abram, Nahor, and Haran” (Gen. 11:26 CV).

The author concludes the history of the ancient world by providing a transition into the history of the patriarchs of the nation Israel . This transition consists of the generations of Terah, Genesis 11:27-25:11, which represents the first H1 central member of the book of the generations of Adam (Page 85)(member D2 5:1- 50:26, of Structure 4: The Book of The Generations of Adam: The Ten Generations (Genesis 5:1-50:26). Structure 8 is a literary structure of this section of the Book of Genesis.

Structure 8: Generations of Terah (Genesis 11:27-25:11)

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The A1 member introduces Abram who is called by Yahweh and promised a son. The B1 member concerns Abram’s brother Nahor who is blessed with sons by Milcah his wife and Reumah his concubine. These sons are also Hebrews of the line of Shem, but they are not elect sons in relation to Yahweh’s purpose concerning the seed of the Woman. In this section, the author also mentions Bethuel as the father of Rebecca, foreshadowing the quest for a bride for Isaac. The first central member, C1, of Structure 8 tells of Sarah’s death and Abraham’s purchase of a burial ground in Canaan. Abraham and Sarah are strangers in the land. They are not the concrete, actual heirs who are promised the national occupation of the promise concerning the land. Abraham’s seed shall receive the promise of the land. Thus, Abraham and Sarah are entombed in the land. Sarah’s death corresponds to the second central member, C2, of Structure 8 which narrates the circumstances by which Isaac is provided Rebecca as his wife. Thus, the social position or rank of Sarah is now transferred to Rebecca who is to become the mother of Jacob, the chosen of Yahweh to carry on the royal, elect line.

The B2 member of Structure 8 corresponds to the B1 member. As Nahor fathered non-elect sons of the line of Shem, so Abraham through Keturah continues to be blessed with sons, though those sons, like Nahor’s, are non-elect sons of the line of Shem, even though considered Hebrews. The author, by means of these two accounts, makes clear that just because these sons are non-elect, does not mean their eternal destiny is one of doom. Election and salvation by faith have to do with a special calling and purpose of Yahweh requiring a special responsibility and service in relation to the Promised Land and the eonian glory associated with the hope of Abraham.

Remember, Abraham and Sarah were buried in the land of Canaan. Abraham never received the land as promise. It was never promised to him. It was promised to his seed. But Abraham did have a promise and hope to which he looked forward. The Book of Hebrews reveals that promise and hope to be “the city having foundations, whose Artificer and Architect is God” (Heb. 11:10 CV). According to Hebrews 11:16, this city which Yahweh was making ready for them was a “celestial” city, not a terrestrial city nor a heavenly city. These distinctions will be developed later.

The final A2 member of Structure 8 draws this section to a close and corresponds perfectly with the opening A1 member. In the A1 member, Abraham is promised a son. That son is revealed to be Isaac. The birth of Isaac is the central member of Structure 9: Abraham and the Birth of Isaac (Gen. 11:27- 22:19), which is an expansion of the A1 substructure of Structure 8: Generations of Terah (Genesis 11:27- 25:11).

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Structure 9: Abraham and the Birth of Isaac (Gen. 11:27- 22:19)

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The A2 member (Gen. 25:5-11) of Structure 8: Generations of Terah (Gen. 11:27-25:11) records that Abraham gives all that he has to Isaac. No other son of Abraham shares in the inheritance and the promise given to Abraham. Isaac is the sole heir of Abraham’s terrestrial possessions and the sole heir through whom both the terrestrial and celestial promises are to come. The land is a terrestrial promise; the city is a celestial promise. Abraham never experienced the terrestrial promise of the land. He, later, did experience the celestial promise of the city.

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A Promissory Note

It is also interesting that the author adds, “And to the sons of the concubines which are Abraham’s, Abraham gives gifts. And sending them is he away from Isaac, his son, while he [Abraham] is still living, eastward to the land of the East” (Gen. 25:6 CV). This foreshadows the period of the fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham concerning the Celestial City. For the Gospel of Christ was not sent to the East according to the account of the Book of Acts. The Gospel was sent from the land of Canaan, first north and then west. It went from Jerusalem through Judea through Samaria; from Antioch of Syria through Cyprus , through Galatia , through Asia, through Greece and finally came to Rome in Italy (cf. Acts 1:8; 16:9).

In his letter to the Colossians, Paul testifies that the truth of the Gospel had been heard “in the entire world. . . . bearing fruit and growing” (Col. 1:6 CV). The proclamation of the Gospel of Christ had been completed during the very lifetime of the generation contemporary with Jesus. This is in complete agreement with the promise made by Jesus to His disciples, “And lo! I am with you all the days till the conclusion of the eon ! Amen!” (Matt. 28:20b CV). Jesus was referring to the Mosaic Eon , which the writer of the Book of Hebrews, referring to the Mosaic Covenant as “old,” declared to be “growing old and decrepit” being “near its disappearance” (Heb. 8:13 CV). Such testimony needs to be given careful consideration.


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CHAPTER 4

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE FOREFATHERS

Introduction

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At the end of Genesis, chapter 11, the genealogy of Shem is traced through Peleg through Terah to Abram. The text then establishes the background of Abram in preparation for the call of Abram by Yahweh. Abram is favored by Yahweh as Noah was favored. As Noah had been declared righteous, so Abram will be characterized as righteous. As Noah became “flawless . . . in his generations” (Gen. 6:9b CV) and walked with Yahweh, so Abram is told by Yahweh, “Walk before Me and become flawless” (Gen. 17:1b CV).

But Abram’s righteousness, his walk before Yahweh, and his flawlessness will be associated with his faith. Thus, Abram is the first to be declared righteous on the basis of his faith. The writer of Hebrews reveals those before Abram as also being men of faith. But the Genesis record first associates faith with Abram. This will prove most significant in understanding the covenants about to be made with Abram and the theme of election about to be developed throughout the accounts of the forefathers of the nation Israel : Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Abram is the firstborn son of Terah. He is born in Ur of the Chaldeans. Though he is a descendant of Shem through Peleg, his homeland is within the kingdom of Nimrod, descendant of Ham. While still in Ur of the Chaldeans, Yahweh calls him out of the land of his birth and away from his kindred to a land He would show him. As it turns out, that land would be the land of the Canaanites, descendants of Canaan, the cursed son of Ham.

However, it must be noted that the curse of Canaan consisted of his becoming “a servant of servants . . . for his brothers” (Gen. 9:25b CV). This curse indicates nothing about religious or moral corruption. Canaan was simply to be a servant of servants to his brothers Shem and Japheth. A servant of servants would be the chief, the highest servant whose labor would be most beneficial to those he served, rather than himself. This does not necessitate moral or religious evil. As shall be seen later in the history of Israel in Canaan, those Canaanites who subjected themselves as “a servant of servants” to the favored nation of Yahweh were blessed in the land, though benefiting Israel more than themselves.

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Abram/Abraham

Nimrod and humanity attempted to build a city and make a name for themselves. Their purpose was to avoid being scattered over the surface of the earth. Yahweh ended that effort by confusing their tongues. Thus, the people became scattered according to national tongues. What Nimrod sought, Yahweh promises to Abram:

And make you will I into a great nation, and bless you will I and make your name great, and become must you a blessing. And bless those will I who bless you, and those making light of you will I curse. And blest in you and in your seed are all the families of the ground. (Genesis 12:2-3 CV)

Abram will become a great nation, and he will acquire a great name. Here, again, is the theme of the “name,” representing honor, authority, power, and blessing. Through Abram and his seed, Yahweh will bring honor, authority, power, and blessing to the nations and ultimately to all humanity.

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Election and the Celestial Reward

Therefore, Abram “must” become a blessing by walking before Yahweh in flawless faith. A great responsibility and service are placed upon Abram’s shoulders. Faithfulness, however, will also bring a special reward, the hope of the celestial city. This reward is only for those among the elect who walk before Yahweh in flawless faith, that is, those who remain faithful to the end. Just to be a member of the elect seed does not guarantee the hope of the reward. The elect seed contribute nothing to their inclusion in the elect. Election has nothing to do with their choice or their behavior. Abram has no choice in his election. However, he does have a choice in becoming flawlessly faithful. Walking by faith is an act of the will of the one called, elected.

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Abraham’s Heart

As Yahweh Elohim read the hearts of mankind during the antediluvian age, so He reads the heart of Abraham over the course of Abram’s walk before Him. Twenty five years into this walk, Yahweh tells Abraham that Sarai his wife shall be called Sarah, for she shall bear Abraham a son. Abraham responds as follows:

And falling is Abraham on his face. And laughing is he and saying IN HIS HEART, “To one a hundred years of age shall a son be born? And should Sarah, ninety years of age, be bearing?” (Genesis 17:17 CV my emphasis)

In his heart Abraham is rejoicing in faith. He believes Yahweh. Note how he refers to his wife as “Sarah” rather than “Sarai” (see Gen. 17:15-17). He does not question or laugh in doubt. He laughs in his heart in belief. Yahweh reads his heart, and one chapter later, when informing Abraham of his intent to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, reveals the conclusion of His reading:

For I know him, that, responding, he will instruct his sons and his household after him, and keep will they the way of Yahweh to do justice and judgment, that Yahweh may bring on Abraham all that He speaks concerning him. (Genesis 18:19 CV)

Abraham has been walking before Yahweh in flawless faith. This he chooses to do. This is an act of his will based upon his faith in Yahweh’s promise, Yahweh’s word.

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The Promise Made to Abram on Behalf of His Seed

After Abram leaves Haran at the age of 75, obeying Yahweh’s earlier call, Yahweh appears to Abram in Shechem promising his seed the land of Canaan which Abram has just entered. The promise of this land is not given to Abram himself. He would never possess the land. This land was not to be his hope. The testimony of Stephen before the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem confirms this:

Then, coming out of the land of the Chaldeans, he dwells in Charan, and thence after the death of his father, He [Yahweh] exiles him into this land in which you are now dwelling. And He does not give him any allotment to enjoy in it, nor even a platform for a foot. (Acts 7:4-5 CV)

Abram is said to be exiled by Yahweh to this land promised to his seed, having no allotment, not even a small platform for his foot. The writer of Hebrews testifies,

By faith he sojourns in the land of promise as in an alien land, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the joint enjoyers of the allotment of the same promise. For he waited for the city having foundations, whose Artificer and Architect is God. . . . In faith died all these not being requited with the promises, but perceiving them ahead and saluting them, and avowing that they are strangers and expatriates on the earth. For those who are saying such things are disclosing that they are seeking for a country of their own. And, . . . they might have had occasion to go back. Yet now they are craving a better [allotment], that is, a celestial [allotment]; wherefore God . . . makes ready for them a city. (Hebrews 11:9-16 CV)

Abram sojourns in this land as an alien, dwelling in tents. He does not possess any part of the land (other than a burial ground). Though he, Isaac, and Jacob are joint enjoyers of this allotment of the land, only their seed would actually enjoy the possession of it. Abram, Isaac, and Jacob confessed to be “strangers and expatriates on the earth.” The hope of the promise given to them was not a terrestrial hope. Thus, it could not be the land of Canaan.

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The Hope of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

These patriarchs sought a country of their own, a celestial country, which the writer of Hebrews declares Yahweh was making ready for them, referring to it as “a city” (Heb. 11:16). Even at the writing of Hebrews they had not yet received their promise. But it was impending. The writer of Hebrews indicates they were “about to be enjoying the allotment of salvation” (Heb. 1:14). Speaking of the present faithful ones, this same writer declares enthusiastically,

But you have come to Mount Zion, and the city of the living God, celestial Jerusalem, . . . to the ecclesia of the firstborn ones, . . . and to Jesus, the Mediator of a fresh covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling which is speaking better than Abel. (Hebrews 12:22-24 CV)

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These faithful ones had not yet entered into this salvation. They were experiencing the power foreshadowing it. The author goes on to write,

Wherefore Jesus also, that He should be hallowing the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate. Now then, we may be coming out to Him outside the camp, carrying His reproach. For here we are not having a permanent city, but we are seeking for the one which is impending. (Hebrews 13:12-14 CV)

These faithful ones were not looking to the terrestrial Jerusalem for the fulfillment of their hope. They had come outside the gate of the terrestrial city and outside the camp of the Mosaic Covenant to the gate of the Celestial Jerusalem and the “fresh” covenant established by the blood of Jesus. They had not yet entered the gate, but entrance through the gate into the celestial city was impending for them. It was not generations away or thousands of years away. In Hebrews, chapter 11, the author, writing of all the faithful ones listed (including those who had received the allotment of the terrestrial land), declares,

And these all, being testified to through faith, are not requited with the promise of God concerning us (the looking forward is to something better), that, apart from us, they may not be perfected. (Hebrews 11:39-40 CV)

The consummation of the Mosaic Age meant the entrance into a celestial city, of which Jesus had announced,

In my Father’s house are many abodes; yet if not I would have told you, for I am going to make ready a place for you. And if I should be going and making ready a place for you, I am coming again and I will be taking you along to Myself, that where I am, you also may be. (John 14:2-3 CV)

Jesus had declared to his disciples that He would be with them to the conclusion of the eon. That eon was referring to the then present but “growing old and decrepit” eon which began with the establishment of the Mosaic Covenant at Sinai and was presently “near its disappearance” (Heb. 8:13 CV). At the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem in 70 a.d. the Mosaic Eon ended and John 14:2-3 was fulfilled. Where has Jesus been for the past 2,000 years? Where He has been is where His ecclesia also has been and continues to be.

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The Duration of the Promised Tenancy of the Land

After Lot separates from Abram, Yahweh again speaks to Abram. Again, Abram is told that Yahweh gives the land of Canaan to his seed. However, Yahweh adds “till the eon (Gen. 13:15 CV). There is a time limitation (cf. Gen. 13:15, 17 CV). The Hebrew word used by Yahweh according to the text is olam. This word does not mean eternal. A careful examination of its usage throughout the Hebrew Scriptures will make this clear. The word olam in Hebrew is the equivalent of the word eon in Greek. Yahweh promises the land of Canaan to Abram’s seed only for the duration of the age (eon). At the time this was spoken to Abram, the age referred to the Adamic Age. Later, it would be further limited to within the duration of the Mosaic Age and would be bound up with the telos of the Mosaic Covenant. After these limits, Yahweh would not be covenantally obligated to maintain this land for Israel . However, having chosen Jacob/Israel for Himself before the covenants made with Abram/Abraham and before the establishment of the Sinatic Covenant and having designated the land of Canaan as Israel’s terrestrial allotment among the nations before the establishment of these same covenants (see Deut. 32:7-9), the land of Canaan remains the legal possession of Jacob/Israel according to the flesh, the terrestrial seed of Abraham referred to as the sand of the seashore.

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Abram and Melchizedek

Abram’s encounter with Melchizedek provides some interesting insights. To begin with, in Genesis, chapter 14, Abram is depicted as acting militarily. He puts together a military force consisting of 318 “dedicated” (Gen. 14:14 CV) servants born in his household. He does not organize all the men in his household. The battle belongs to Yahweh. Abram chooses only those servants dedicated to him and his Elohim. He intervenes only because of the involvement of his brother’s son, Lot. Trusting Yahweh, he defeats the Babylonian armies which had just defeated the Canaanite forces representing the cities of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Zoar. He recovers all the goods, the women, and the people taken from these cities, and his nephew Lot with his goods.

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Upon returning from this great victory (the initial fulfillment of Yahweh’s promise to make Abram’s name great), the king of Sodom and the king of Salem go forth to meet Abram. Melchizedek, King of Salem, is also a priest of the El Supreme (the Most High El). He brings forth bread and wine and blesses Abram, attributing Abram’s victory to the Supreme El:

Blest is Abram by the El Supreme, Owner of the heavens and the earth. And blest is El Supreme, Who awards your foes into your hands. (Genesis 14:19-20a CV)

Abram acknowledges the priesthood of Melchizedek by referring to Yahweh his Elohim as the El Supreme, “Owner of the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 14:22). He then gives Melchizedek tithes from all the goods captured.

The implication is that the worship of Yahweh Elohim among the nations had continued to take place after Babel. A priesthood associated with Yahweh as the El Supreme owner of the heavens and the earth must have been initiated, most likely by Noah himself. This passage is the first reference to priest and priesthood in the Hebrew Scriptures. Humanity, and later the nations, having recourse to Yahweh Elohim through Adam and his Royal Line, must have learned much concerning Yahweh Elohim’s statutes, judgments, and laws as they inquired of Elohim and His Royal Line in relation to questions concerning the determination of good and evil in specific social, legal, and religious cases. Adam and his Royal Line would then be the origination of the Melchizedekian priesthood. This would seem to be the implication of this account in Genesis, chapter 14, as well as Psalms 110:4 and Hebrews, chapters 5-7.

Christ’s Melchizedekian priesthood, then, would be limited to the eon according to Psalms 110:4, and would be associated with the shed blood of Abel. Therefore, the shedding of Christ’s blood and His offering it up as a priest after the order of Melchizedek must have been effective only through the Adamic Age and, within that age, the Mosaic Age or Eon. Its efficacy would then be limited to the faithful ones beginning with Abel and concluding with the faithful ones contemporaneous with the generation of Jesus.

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The Distinction between the Death of Christ and the Shed Blood of Christ

There is a distinction between the death of Christ, associated with Adam, and the shed blood of Christ, associated with Abel. The death of Christ deals with the verdict of death stamped upon humanity as a result of Adam’s deviation. The shed blood of Christ deals with the sin of humanity associated with the shedding of innocent blood beginning with Cain’s shedding of the blood of innocent Abel. Thus, the shed blood of Christ is associated with the enmity between the seed of the Serpent and the seed of the Woman. It is not associated with the disobedience, transgression, and deviation of Adam resulting in Adam’s sin (missing the mark of life) through which death entered the world of humanity (cf. Romans 5:12-21).

Abram and the King of Sodom

In contrast to Melchizedek who is blessed as a result of his blessing Abram, the king of Sodom does not acknowledge the great name of Abram. He does not bless Abram; he makes light of Abram; thereby making himself vulnerable to the curse of Yahweh: “And bless those will I who bless you, and those making light of you will I curse” (Gen. 12:3a CV).

The Hebrew Word Enosh

One final insight. According to the English translations of Genesis 14:24b, Abram makes an exception of the “men” (Gen. 14:24b KJV) who went with him to do battle against the Babylonian kings. These men, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre, not belonging to his household, were to receive a portion of the captured goods. The Hebrew word translated men is the word enosh, meaning mortal. It is the same word used in Genesis 6:4, “mortals with the name.” In Genesis 14:24b, it should be translated mortal, not men. The term mortal designates men of renown, distinguished men, leaders. This translation will reap rewards in the usage of this Hebrew word in passages yet to come.

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The Celestial Seed

In chapter 15 of Genesis, in a vision, Yahweh adds to the promise of the land the promise of a son. Years have passed since Abram had been promised his seed would be given the land of Canaan. His only heir at the time of the present vision is Eliezer his servant. Abraham himself had no son. In this vision, he (Page 91) inquires concerning this matter. Yahweh reveals that Abraham himself shall sire a son to be his heir. In Genesis 13:16, Yahweh used the analogy of the soil of the ground to confirm His promise concerning the seed of Abram. Now he uses another analogy, the stars of the heavens (Gen. 15:5). Each analogy makes a distinction between the two future seeds of Abraham, one associated with the terrestrial realm (the seed of the Serpent), the other associated with the Celestial Realm (the Seed of the Woman). As the stars of the heaven, so shall his Celestial seed become. And Abram believes Yahweh Elohim Who accounts as righteousness this faith in the promise of a son (Gen. 15:5-6).

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Romans 9:7-8

Thus, justification by faith is associated with the Celestial seed, the spiritual seed, in contrast to the terrestrial seed, the fleshly seed. This is the meaning of Paul’s words in Romans 9:6b-8: “for not all those out of Israel , these are Israel ; neither that Abraham’s seed are all children, but ‘In Isaac shall your seed be called.’ That is, that the children of the flesh, not these are the children of God, but the children of the promise is He reckoning [accounting] for the seed” (CV). The children of the flesh represent those who, unlike Noah and Abraham, are not flawlessly faithful, not faithful to the end. They are elect, but disqualified, not accounted by Yahweh as the seed. They did not possess the required faithfulness of Abraham and so were cut off from the promise. Yahweh read their hearts and concluded them to be “children of the Adversary” (1 Jn. 3:10), seed of the Serpent.

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The Hope: Lost and Found

This did not mean the children of the flesh were doomed eternally. It did mean they lost the hope of the promise, the celestial reward associated with the Celestial Jerusalem. Salvation had to do with deliverance from the ministry of death, the ministry of the Mosaic Covenant (the Second Death) and deliverance to the ministry of Life, the ministry of the New Covenant (2 Cor. 3:1-16), the hope of the Celestial Jerusalem. The Celestial seed is associated with Yahweh’s words to Abram in Genesis 15:1b:

You must not fear, Abram! I am your shield, your exceedingly increased hire. (CV)

What could Abram fear? He could fear the seed of the Serpent, the seed associated only with the terrestrial realm, the sand of the seashore, the seed of Cain, the unfaithful seed, the seed which walks according to the flesh, the seed which would eventually place its faith and confidence in the Mosaic Covenant alone. That seed would attempt to destroy the seed associated with the Celestial Realm, the stars of the heavens, the seed of Abel, the faithful seed, the seed walking according to the spirit, the seed which would eventually place its faith and confidence in the New Covenant, sharing in Christ’s sufferings associated with the death of the Old Covenant.

For this reason, Yahweh used the analogy of the stars of the heavens. Abram’s “exceedingly increase hire,” his greater reward, would have to do with the celestial promise of the celestial country, of the celestial city associated with the Christ. For he himself was not to share in the experience of possessing the land of Canaan. He was exiled in Canaan. His Exodus awaited the coming of THE SEED, Christ, Who would lead all the faithful ones (past and present) into His Kingdom which was not of “this world” (Jn. 18:36), the terrestrial, but was of the celestial world. He would lead them into the place He went to prepare for them in His Father’s House, the House Not Made With Hands (in contrast to the house Solomon built),

And Moses, indeed, was faithful in His [Yahweh’s] whole house as an attendant, for a testimony of that which shall be spoken. Yet Christ, as a Son over His [Yahweh’s] house—Whose house we are, that is, if we should be retaining the boldness and the glorying of the expectation confirmed unto the consummation. (Hebrews 3:5-6 CV)

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The House of Yahweh

The “House of Yahweh” in Hebrews 3:5 refers to a metaphorical house. It is a metaphorical way of speaking about the faithful ones as a corporate group. The writer of Hebrews refers to it as “the ecclesia of the firstborn ones” (Heb. 12:23 CV). Paul refers to it as “a temple of God” (1 Cor. 3:16-17 CV); “God’s building” (1 Cor. 3:9); “our body” (Rom. 8:23); “one body” ( Rom. 12:4-5; 1 Cor. 12:12). John refers to it as “the bride” (Rev. 21:9). Peter refers to it as “a spiritual house” made up of “living stones” (1 Pe. 2:5 CV). The writer of Hebrews informs the reader that Abraham looked for a celestial city (cf. Heb. 11:10, 16; 12:22 CV), (Page 92) another metaphoric reference to the faithful ones. Finally, Paul refers to the faithful ones as “a new creation” (2 Cor. 5:17 CV), “one new man” (Eph. 2:15 KJV).

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Abram’s Heir

Abram’s first question after hearing Yahweh’s words has to do with his current heir, the Damascan, Eliezer. Certainly he could be his heir according to the analogy of the sand of the seashore. But Abram seeks an heir of his own generating. Yahweh agrees. Eliezer shall not be his heir. Abram will sire a son. It is in relation to this specific son that Yahweh now uses the analogy of the stars of the heavens (Gen. 15:1-6).

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Yahweh’s Covenant with Uncircumcised Abram: Egyptian Bondage and Deliverance

The vision of Genesis, chapter 15, continues. Yahweh repeats His promise concerning the land. Abram then asks for a sign to confirm His promise. This is not to be considered a lack of faith (cf. Isa. 7:10-14). Signs have been a means by which Yahweh confirms His covenant or promise. This was seen in the sign of the rainbow given to mankind to confirm the covenant Yahweh made with Noah on behalf of humanity (Gen. 9:12-17).

Yahweh responds to Abram’s request by directing him to arrange a ritual in which he is to slay specifically designated animals, dividing them in two and lining them up in two rows forming a pathway in between. The sacrificial birds, however, were not to be cut in two. Having set up the ritual arrangement, Abram discovers he must fight off the birds of prey (Gen. 15:8-11).

When the sun was about to set, a stupor falls on Abram. Stupor is the same word used of Adam when Eve was created out of him. In the state of this stupor, Abram experiences the dread of a great darkness falling upon him, and Yahweh speaks prophetically to him concerning the future Egyptian bondage of his seed and their eventual exodus and return to the Promised Land after 400 years (Gen. 15:12- 14). They shall leave Egyptian bondage bearing great goods, and Yahweh will judge Egypt for her mistreatment of Abram’s seed. Yahweh’s judgment of the Canaanites ( Israel ’s conquest of them) will await the passing of these 400 years, in the course of which their depravity becomes sufficient enough to deserve His judgment. Note Yahweh’s mercy and longsuffering in this matter concerning the judgment of the Canaanites.

Abram is then promised he will join his forefathers in peace, being entombed at a great, ripe, old age. At the actual setting of the sun, a smoking pot and a torch of fire pass between the severed parts. So ends the vision. The remaining verses (18-21) proclaim that in that day Yahweh contracted a covenant with Abram and describe the boundaries of the Promised Land.

The ritual animals represent Abram’s seed humiliated in Egypt for 400 years. The birds of prey represent the efforts of the enemies to devour them, that is, destroy them. Abram’s efforts to protect them are futile. The time of Abram’s stupor, during which he experiences the great dread of darkness, represents his seed’s period of dreaded darkness in Egyptian bondage. The smoke pot and torch of fire represent Yahweh’s faithful walking among them. He promises Abram He will not abandon his seed.

Yahweh’s presence, in contrast with Abram’s fighting off the birds of prey, will guarantee the preservation of Abram’s seed against the enemies determined to destroy them. He will deliver them, giving them great wealth, and will lead them in battle in the conquering of the Canaanites, at which time Israel , Abram’s seed, will possess the land in fulfillment of Yahweh’s promise to Abram. This vision confirms the covenant Yahweh makes with Abram.

Note, this covenant and the previous promises of Yahweh are made with Abram before he became circumcised. Paul will find covenantal significance in this distinction. This will be developed further when the covenant of circumcision is discussed. One further note, Abram’s sand of the seashore seed, as well as his stars of the heavens seed, endure the period of humiliation and darkness in Egypt . Yahweh will be faithful in preserving both branches of Abram’s seed. For both branches are the elect of Yahweh. However, both branches are not accounted by Yahweh as the seed worthy to receive the higher promise made to Abram and his seed, with its accompanying greater reward. Paul will refer to this higher promise and reward as “the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14, NGEINT).

As Israel was encamped in Moab in preparation for entrance into Canaan, the account of the call of Abram with its promise of a great nation and a great name brought to her conscious mind additional memories from her past. She could now understand the background against which her life, her call, her(Page 93) purpose were to be interpreted. Her period of darkness and dread under Egyptian bondage had made her an orphan. Her royal lineage had receded from her memory. Her relation to her past had become hidden from her conscious awareness of who she had been. A collective amnesia had left her with a slave mentality. But Yahweh had awakened her from this stupor. Her memory began to revive with the call of Moses. The instruction of Moses continued to revive memories of the past. With these memories came a vital insight into her identity, responsibility, and destiny.

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A Revelational Flashback

After the judgment of the flood, the nations began to depart from Yahweh at Babel. The call of Abram was Yahweh’s merciful response to this deterioration of the nations. He would not again decree catastrophic judgment. He would create for Himself a nation through which He would demonstrate authentic greatness, through which He would manifest the Power of A Name, His Name. He would make a covenant with this nation, and not with any other. He would create this nation out of a nation ( Egypt ) and out of a man (Abram) as He had created Eve out of Adam. He would create this nation out of Moses as He had created Eve out of Adam. Finally, He would create this nation anew out of Jesus the Christ as Yahweh had created Eve out of Adam. This latter creation, of course, Israel in Moab could not have grasped.

Israel was to conquer Canaan as Yahweh’s judgment against Canaanite corruption of Yahweh’s system, Yahweh’s order, Yahweh’s creation. Israel then became aware of her responsibility, her service, her role in the destiny of the nations and all humanity. However, this did not mean she was willing to shoulder such responsibility. As shall be seen, the first generation coming out of Egypt demonstrated that although it was Yahweh’s elect by call, by attitude and behavior it was not Yahweh’s chosen. Many were to be called, but few chosen. Thus, apart from Joshua and Caleb (the few), the remainder of the first generation died in the wilderness, forfeiting the promise of entrance into and possession of the land (the many). Out of the sand of the seashore seed of the first generation, only Joshua and Caleb are accounted faithful, accounted as Abram’s stars of the heavens seed, accounted as chosen ones on the basis of their faith after the likeness of Abraham’s faith. They walked in spirit believing the words of Yahweh, even against what may have seemed insurmountable odds.

Thus, Israel encamped in Moab is aware that her period as an orphan was in accord with Yahweh’s intention. She also is aware that throughout that time of darkness and dread, Yahweh continued to walk in her midst, preserving her from her enemies. The mighty visible hand of Yahweh delivering His people out of Egypt by means of signs, wonders, and miracles had been the same mighty hand working invisibly for her preservation through the darkness and dread. Israel also became aware of the reality of Yahweh’s judgment. For Yahweh’s favor toward her in the conquering and possessing of the land of Canaan is merely the reflection of His disfavor of the ways of the Canaanites. Israel also would likewise be judged if she disobeyed Yahweh’s Law, His statutes, and His judgments. From the establishment of Yahweh’s first covenant with Abram, Israel began to understand further the significance and commitment of covenantal contract. Yahweh is faithful to His covenantal commitments. Israel would soon learn the full implication of what Yahweh’s covenantal faithfulness entails as she became informed of Yahweh’s next covenant with Abram.

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Abram and Hagar

In Genesis, chapter 16, the author presents the continuing problem of the seed promised to Abram. Yahweh had clarified His promise to Abram by indicating that his servant Eliezer would not be counted as his seed. Abram himself would sire a son. However, as time passes and Sarai remains barren, she suggests Abram take her maid Hagar and through her sire a son. Since Yahweh had not indicated to Abram who the mother of the child would be, this suggestion was not an impossibility in relation to Abram’s faithfulness. Sarai reasoned that since Yahweh restrained her from bearing a child, maybe Yahweh would “build” her honor through Hagar bearing a child (Gen. 16:2). Though the author does not approve of this arrangement (Gen. 2:24), it was apparently acceptable within the social custom of that day. This is another indication of the deterioration, impoverishment of the nations.

Abram, like Adam, hearkens to the voice of Sarai his wife. Apparently, he agrees, not because he is convinced of her rational justification, but because of the heart-felt pain revealed in her voice. It was dishonor and shame for a woman to be barren. In this situation, the author presents a genuine ethical dilemma issuing out of much personal anguish. Yahweh had promised that Abram would sire a son. Ten (Page 94) years had passed. Still no son. Sarai remains barren. What shall we do? What can we do? These questions are legitimate. These questions derive out of much emotional anxiety. A decision must be made. An attempt to solve the problem, relieve the anguish, and still remain faithful to Yahweh must be made.

Abram yields to his wife’s suggestion. He takes the maid. She bears him a son, Ishmael. Yahweh later reveals that Ishmael will not be counted as Abram’s promised seed. Abram has sinned. He has missed the mark. But his faith has never wavered. He has not acted in rebellion against Yahweh. He has not even acted against Yahweh’s revealed word. Yet, his action is sin. It missed the mark of Yahweh’s intention. Thus, sin is not necessarily a sign of doubt, faithlessness, or disobedience. Abram did not sin against Yahweh’s revealed will. He did not disobey a word from Yahweh. He did not step out of his walk with Yahweh. He merely made a decision based upon his inadequate knowledge of the situation. This position was later revealed to be wrong.

Such decisions are necessitated by the events occurring in one’s life. One does not always have access to all the information needed in order to make a correct decision. Too often, one must decide without the aid of enough substantial information. One must at times make a decision knowing in advance the deficiency of one’s knowledge. Flawless faithfulness is not marred or voided by such sin. Walking in faith is possible only because the faithful one is free to commit such sins. Without such freedom the ability to decide, to act, to respond, to react, to make corrections, to grow, to learn, to develop, to change, to pursue and acquire truth would be crippled.

The consequences of such sin, however, cannot be escaped. Hagar disrespects Sarai as a result of the pregnancy. Later, Ishmael will become a threat to Isaac’s welfare and will have to be sent away. Sarai comes to understand the wrong she has instigated. Sarai then deals harshly with Hagar causing her to run away. But Yahweh’s messenger encourages her to return to Sarai. He tells her that Ishmael’s seed will increase, becoming a great multitude. As Abram’s seed is to be blessed with great increase in number, so Ishmael’s seed is to be blessed.

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Election and Non-Election

But Ishmael and his seed are not elect. They have no prospect in relation to the promises made to Abram. In relation to Abram’s call and Abram’s promises, Ishmael and his seed have no possibility of faithfulness or unfaithfulness, no possibility of obedience or disobedience, no possibility of blessing or cursing. Election has to do only with Yahweh’s calling. One cannot choose to be called. Only Yahweh decides who shall be called. Ishmael was not called. As shall be seen, Esau is not called. Jacob is called. Yahweh alone elects the called. Such elect calling is not based on faith. Unless this is understood, Paul’s argument in Romans, chapters 9-11, cannot be interpreted properly. As a matter of fact, apart from this understanding, the entire corpus of the Greek Scriptures is unintelligible. The misinterpretation of Yahweh’s elect calling is precisely why Christianity, during its 2,000 year history, has been ignorant of the message of the Greek Scriptures.

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Abraham and the Covenant of Circumcision

Chapter 17 of Genesis opens with an appearance of Yahweh to Abram. He introduces Himself as “The El Who Suffices” and commands Abram, “Walk before Me and become flawless.” Abram is now 99 years old. At the birth of Ishmael he was 86 years old. Thirteen years have passed. Abram is under the impression Ishmael is the promised seed. But Ishmael is a product of human endeavor. Ishmael is going to be associated with the work of the flesh. He will adversarily oppose the son of the spirit. He is Abraham’s son according to the flesh. Abram’s promised seed will be according to the spirit. He will be Yahweh’s endeavor and will be associated with the work of the spirit, making him a child of Yahweh in contrast to a child of the Adversary (Cain as the seed of the Serpent). Being a child of the Adversary does not necessitate being morally wicked. It does mean one is opposed to Yahweh’s covenantal purpose. This will be clearly demonstrated in the Gospels of the Greek Scriptures where the rulers of the Jews are called sons of the Adversary. These men were not immoral, but they did oppose Yahweh’s covenantal purpose.

Yahweh next introduces His present purpose. He is about to make another covenant with Abram. This covenant will be distinguished from the previous covenant as a result of the required circumcision of the flesh and the fact that Yahweh makes it not with the man named Abram but with the man now named Abraham, meaning high father, or father of throngs, a father of many nations. The covenant of circumcision is to remind Abraham and his seed that their confidence is to be in Yahweh and His Word, not (Page 95) in the flesh, not in the endeavors of humanity under the verdict of death (see Gen. 3:19). This will make Abraham’s seed dynamically distinct from the nations. This religious ritual of circumcision has significance only within the covenantal relationship.

This covenant will also emphasize and require walking before Yahweh flawlessly, that is, walking in faith, trusting in Yahweh’s faithfulness to fulfill all that He promises, in spite of circumstances which may seem to dictate decisions and actions contrary to Yahweh’s Word. Thus, it incorporates Yahweh’s counting faith as righteousness. But this faith is always associated with walking before Yahweh flawlessly. It demands behavior conforming to the word and to the promises of Yahweh. Abraham demonstrates this faith in this very context when he begins to act in accordance with his new name by obeying Yahweh’s covenantal conditions.

The Covenant of Circumcision is a contract between Yahweh and Abraham. Both parties come under obligation. The terms of the contract are limited to the eon , the age. Yahweh describes this covenant as an eonian covenant (Gen. 17:7 CV). The land promised in this contract is to be an eonian holding (Gen. 17:8 CV). It is not an eternal covenant, and the land is not an eternal holding. This is evident from the proclamation of the Gospel authorized by the Messiah, Jesus. According to this Gospel, circumcision is no longer required for salvation. In Christ, according to Paul, there is no longer “circumcision” and “uncircumcision” (Col. 3:11).

Yahweh declares of Moses, “in you shall they [ Israel ] believe for the eon (Ex. 19:9b CV). With the establishment of the New Covenant, Israel was to believe in Jesus the Messiah. Moses could then no longer provide covenantal life. Thus, believing in Moses for covenantal life ended with the telos of the Mosaic Covenant. Yahweh declares of Aaron and his sons, “the priesthood comes to be theirs for an eonian statute . . .” (Ex. 29:9b CV). Yet the writer of Hebrews characterizes the Levitical and Aaronic priesthoods as inferior to the Melchizedekian priesthood of Christ. He describes them as coming to be repudiated. The High Priest is no longer needed, since in order for him to function for others, he first needs to offer a sacrifice for his own sin. But Christ as High Priest after the order of Melchizedek has offered up one sacrifice, making further sacrifices unnecessary (see Hebrews, chapters 7-8). How then can this Hebrew word olam and its Greek equivalent eon be given a meaning (eternal) which is its antonym?! A word cannot mean itself and its opposite.

The Covenant of Circumcision stipulates that Yahweh is to become the Elohim only of Abraham and his seed. This, however, does not include Ishmael or any of the other sons of Abraham by Keturah, even though they were circumcised. Thus, this covenant would be applicable only to the seed of Abraham descending through Isaac. Carried one step further, it would be applicable only to the seed of Isaac descending through Jacob. Esau, also, was not to be a participant in this covenant, even though he was circumcised. Shall we then conclude that Ishmael, the sons of Keturah, and Esau are lost?! Are they beyond the reach of salvation and thus doomed to an eternal hell?! The obvious answer is No. Salvation must always be understood in terms of its context, and hell and eternal are not biblical words or concepts.

Circumcision is a sign in the flesh continually reminding Abraham’s elect seed of the danger of placing their confidence in the flesh, rather than in Yahweh’s revealed word and promises. Thus, they will not walk according to sight, as the other nations. They will not walk according to what is right in their own eyes, as the other nations. They will not walk according to their own political savvy and military might, as the other nations. In the eyes of the other nations, they will appear weak and vulnerable. But trust in Yahweh will secure their superiority over these same nations.

This covenant has another stipulation. It must be kept. Every male is to be circumcised the eighth day after birth. This includes any male acquired with money from a foreigner. At its inception it meant every male of any age, homeborn or acquired by purchase. No female is invoked in the sign of the covenant, though every female is included under the covenant benefits and is also required to walk by faith. Thus, Yahweh is obligated to fulfill the spiritual and material needs of the members of the covenant and to preserve them from the enmity of their enemies. Abraham had already been informed that Yahweh would bless those who bless him and curse those who treat him lightly. In chapter 14, this had been exemplified in the events involving Abram’s rescue of Lot. Any male lacking the sign of circumcision is cut off from the benefits of the covenant, thus is cut off from the hope associated with the promises. This makes such a male covenantally dead. To disregard the sign of the covenant and/or walk in a flawed, unfaithful manner annuls the covenant and makes one covenantally dead. This metaphorical concept of death is carried forward through both the Hebrew and the Greek Scriptures.

Having set forth the conditions of this second covenant, Yahweh tells Abraham that his wife shall no longer be called Sarai, but Sarah, meaning Princess. As Abraham is to sire kings and nations, so Sarah (Page 96) shall be the mother of princes. More importantly, Abraham is now informed that Sarah shall give birth to the son who shall be the Seed of Promise. Abraham rejoices over this good news, “laughing is he . . . in his heart” (Gen. 17:7). He is joyfully amazed at the greatness of his Elohim and the glorious prospect of siring a son at the age of 100 and Sarah’s conceiving at the age of 90. But he immediately remembers Ishmael, for he loves the son of his flesh, though he knows Ishmael cannot be heir to the promises. Abraham thus requests that Yahweh will bless Ishmael also. Yahweh grants Abraham his request. Ishmael shall be blessed and become fruitful. He shall generate twelve princes, and he will be made a great nation.

Abraham, then, on that very same day circumcises all the males in his household, including himself, Ishmael, and even the mortals (men of status and rank in his household, who had been either homeborn or acquired with money from a foreigner of the nations). Note again the usage of the word enosh, meaning mortal, to designate men of status and rank, rather than men in general.

Passing over chapters 18-20, the next significant section in relation to the theme of this literary journey (the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, the destiny of Israel ) is the birth of Isaac. Sarah was 90 years old when she conceived him. The text has made it clear that she had been beyond the years of the possibility of conceiving a child. The conception and birth of Isaac is thus due to the intercession of Yahweh. Sarah had no longer been producing eggs. But Yahweh intervened and caused the production of one special egg. Isaac surely is a child of Yahweh. He is conceived according to the spirit. He is THE SEED generated as a result of Yahweh’s elective intervention. Sarah’s womb had been dead. Yahweh vivified it, producing against the normal physiological functions of her body an egg to be pierced by a sperm of Abraham. Yahweh promised to bless Abraham above all others, and this He does with the birth of Isaac. Yahweh’s faithfulness in this manner overwhelmingly impresses Abraham and Sarah.

But a problem arises. Ishmael begins to make fun of Isaac, and Sarah recognizes in him a threat to her son. She demands that Ishmael be driven out. Isaac alone is to enjoy the promise. Yahweh confirms Sarah’s demand. He tells Abraham to hearken to her voice. Here again, her voice conveys her deep concern. Her concern is justified. Yahweh again declares, “in Isaac your seed shall be called” (Gen. 21:12b CV). But Yahweh assures Abraham that because Ishmael also is his seed, “a great nation I will constitute him, for your seed is he” (Gen. 21:13b CV).

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Paul’s Allegorical Interpretation in Galatians

It is this episode that Paul uses in Galatians 4:21-31 to illustrate the difference between the Mosaic Covenant and the New Covenant of Christ. From this passage he is able to generate an allegory he perceives as having been hidden in the two women and the two sons. He presents this allegory as actually residing within the text, awaiting its time of revelation. The two women represent two covenants. Sarah represents the New Covenant of Christ THE SEED of Abraham, the Ultimate Seed, of which Isaac is the ultimate type. Isaac was generated supernaturally and Jesus was generated exceedingly supernaturally. Isaac is the son of the free woman, Sarah as wife. Ishmael is the son of the maid, Hagar as servant. Hagar represents the Mosaic Covenant, identified with Mount Sinai, generating into slavery. Her son Ishmael is generated according to flesh, the scheme of Sarai and Abram. Sarah’s son Isaac is generated according to spirit, the promise of Yahweh.

Paul applies this to the then current situation of the nation Israel . Hagar is a picture of the earthly Jerusalem which is in slavery, with her children, to the Mosaic Covenant. This covenant is a ministry of death since the establishment of the New Covenant of Christ. The New Covenant fulfills and thus supersedes the Mosaic Covenant. It is a ministry of life leading the faithful ones into the celestial city of Abraham’s hope promised by Yahweh.

The Jerusalem above is free, like Sarah. This heavenly Jerusalem is spiritual, like Isaac. This new Jerusalem is Yahweh’s Spiritual House, made up of living stones; it is Yahweh’s Celestial Temple, Yahweh’s Building; it is Christ’s Body, Christ’s Bride, Christ’s Complement, Christ’s Ecclesia.

The Jerusalem below is in bondage, like Hagar. It is according to flesh, like Ishmael. It is Yahweh’s fleshly house made by hands (the Mosaic tabernacle); it is Yahweh’s terrestrial temple, made up of marble stones (Solomonic/Herodian Temple).

The faithful ones in Christ are children of the promise, like Isaac. The unfaithful ones in Moses are children of the flesh, like Ishmael. The faithful ones are receiving life from the New Covenant. The unfaithful ones are experiencing the death of the Old Covenant, which can no longer provide covenantal life. The only covenantal life available is to be found in the New Covenant of Christ, the Seed of Abraham, the Seed of Promise.

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The hope of the promise is not the terrestrial land, but the celestial city. Abraham and Isaac were not promised the terrestrial land. Their sand of the seashore seed was promised the terrestrial land, and they received it under Joshua. The Stars of the Heavens Seed was promised the celestial city, the greater reward, the better resurrection than the resurrection in Babylon with its Exodus, under Ezra and Nehemiah, back to the terrestrial land. This lies behind the meaning of the words of Jesus to Nicodemus recorded in John 3:12, “If I told you of the terrestrial and you are not believing, how shall you be believing if I should be telling you of the celestial?” (CV). The terrestrial is associated with the Mosaic Covenant; the celestial is associated with the New Covenant Jesus would initiate through His death, resurrection, and ascension.

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The Sacrifice of Isaac

Isaac is the Seed of Abraham. He is a type of the children of the promise. He, with Sarah, is a type of the New Covenant of Christ and the Celestial Jerusalem. He is also a type of Jesus Christ who is to become the ultimate SEED of Abraham. Thus, much is at stake when Abraham is commanded by Yahweh to sacrifice Isaac. According to the text (Gen. 22:1-19), Yahweh probes Abraham. He commands Abraham to take his only son, whom he loves, to the land of Moriah and offer him up as an ascent offering. Isaac is the seed through whom the promises are to be channeled. How can Yahweh command this of Abraham? Would this not annul the promises?

But Abraham follows Yahweh’s instructions and is prepared to sacrifice Isaac. He is refrained at the last moment by a messenger of Yahweh. From the heaven above, Yahweh’s messenger speaks to Abraham, “You must not stretch out your hand on the lad, and you must not do aught to him, for now I know that you fear Elohim, for you have not kept back your son, your only one from Me” (Gen. 22:12 CV). A ram is provided instead. Isaac is not slain. Abraham has once again demonstrated his “flawless” walk before Yahweh. Abraham believes Yahweh. But what did he believe? The writer of Hebrews reveals the answer:

By faith Abraham, when undergoing trial, had offered Isaac, and he who received the promises offered the only-begotten, he to whom it was spoken that “In Isaac shall your seed be called,” reckoning that God is able to be rousing him from among the dead also; whence he recovered him in a parable also. (Hebrews 11:17-19 CV)

Abraham believed Yahweh had to fulfill His promises and that would be impossible apart from the life of Isaac. Therefore, he concluded Yahweh Elohim would rouse Isaac from the dead after he had been offered up. This confidence, this belief was not the product of the moment. This belief had developed over the course of Abraham’s dealings with Yahweh. Paul, writing of Abraham’s faith, refers to this development as follows:

according as it is written that, A father of many nations have I appointed you—facing which, he believed it of the God Who is vivifying the dead and calling what is not as if it were—who, being beyond expectation, believed in expectation, for him to become the father of many nations, according to that which had been declared, “Thus shall be your seed.” And, not being infirm in faith, he considered his body, already deadened (being inherently somewhere about a hundred years) and the deadening of the matrix of Sarah, yet the promise of God was not doubted in unbelief, but he was invigorated by faith, giving glory to God, being fully assured also, that, what He has promised, He is able to do also. Wherefore, also, it is reckoned to him for righteousness. (Romans 4:17-22 CV)

From the very beginning of his call, Abraham believes Yahweh. His faith is confirmed continually as he experiences the faithfulness of Yahweh. He was promised he would become a father of many nations. Ishmael was born to him and would become a nation of twelve princes. He was informed that Sarah would bear him a son when she was far beyond the age of fertility. He believed Yahweh was able to vivify the womb, and Yahweh vivified the womb of Sarah, bringing forth Isaac. If Yahweh could vivify a dead womb, he could also rouse the dead. Abraham was “fully assured.” He walked before Yahweh flawlessly. From beginning to end, Abraham never doubted Yahweh’s promises.

This ultimate probing of Yahweh confirmed what He had already declared in Genesis 18:19. Yahweh knew Abraham’s heart. He knew Abraham would always hearken to His voice. The probe is meant more for Israel and the elect seed yet to come, than it is for either Yahweh or Abraham. At the conclusion of this probe, Yahweh proclaims,

By Myself I swear, averring is Yahweh, that, because you have done this thing and have not kept back your son, your only one, from Me, that, blessing yea, blessing you am I, and increasing, yea, increasing your seed (Page 98) am I as the stars of the heavens [Celestial Seed] and as the sand which is on the sea shore [terrestrial seed]. And your seed shall tenant the gateway of its enemies, and blessed, in your seed shall be all the nations of the earth, inasmuch as you hearken to my voice. (Genesis 22:16-18 CV)

What an encouragement and example this is for Israel as she camps on the border of the Promised Land. Yahweh is able to do all He promises to do. This had been demonstrated in the life of her forefather Abraham, who always hearkened to the voice of his Elohim. Note again, the use of the word voice. The voice of Yahweh reveals His identity and His character, His faithfulness and His power. Just the sound of His voice calls for Israel ’s faith. As Yahweh Elohim knew the heart of Abraham, Abraham knew the heart of Yahweh his Elohim. At the sound of Yahweh’s voice, Abraham stood ready to hearken to whatever was spoken. Take heed O’ Israel . Your Elohim is the Elohim of Elohim. All He promises to do for you, He will do. Hearken to and obey His voice and all that He commands you to do. This is covenantal life to you!

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The Significance of the Death and Entombment of Sarah

Sarah’s death introduces the need for a burial site. The significance of this section relates to the fact that Abraham and Sarah are not to possess any part of the Promised Land. In procuring a burial site in Canaan for Sarah, Abraham refers to himself as a “stranger and a sojourner” (Gen. 23:4 KJV). He seeks to purchase a holding in which he can entomb his wife’s dead body. This he accomplishes by purchasing in Hebron a field within which is a cave. The sons of Heth, Canaanites, agree to sell Abraham this land because he is considered “a prince of Elohim” in their midst. They honor Abraham and thus come under the promise of Yahweh to bless those who bless or honor Abraham.

Thus, the only possession of Abraham and Sarah in Canaan is a tomb. The land signifies death to them. Entombment marks the significance of this Promised Land for Abraham and Sarah. Their seed shall possess the land in covenantal life. But the land to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob would signify only entombment, death. This parcel of land for a burial site was not a gift from Yahweh; it was purchased by Abraham. Their hope, their reward was not entombment in the land but resurrection in the Christ and entrance into the celestial promise, the celestial hope, the celestial city not made by hands but by Yahweh Elohim Himself. This section ends with a reference to Hebron as being in the land of Canaan and to the burial site as “a holding for a tomb from the sons of Heth” (Gen. 23:20 CV). Yahweh does not give Abraham and Sarah even a piece of land to set a foot on (Acts 7:5). The sons of Heth sell Abraham only “a holding for a tomb.”

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Isaac

Isaac has now reached the age of 40. His mother has recently died and been entombed in the land. It is the right time to seek out a wife for the seed of promise. In Genesis, chapter 24, Abraham instructs his servant Eliezer to seek a wife for his son Isaac from among the daughters of his brother Nahor. Under no circumstances is a wife to be chosen from the daughters of the Canaanites, and under no circumstances is Isaac to return to the land of Abraham’s kindred, Ur of the Chaldeans. Abraham assures his servant that Yahweh will send his messenger before him in order to secure the success of his mission.

The servant arrives at a well of water outside the gates of the city of Nahor. He requests a sign from Yahweh indicating the woman of Yahweh’s choice. The sign he requests is granted even before he finishes speaking to Yahweh in his heart. Rebecca, daughter of Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, arrives at the well to retrieve water. She fulfills in every detail what the servant had asked of Yahweh. The servant inquires as to her family. He discovers she is a relative of Abraham. The reader is informed of the woman’s beauty, and of the fact she is a virgin, not a man had known her. It is the clear purpose of the writer to assure the reader that Yahweh has chosen and prepared this specific woman to be the wife of Isaac, taking the place of Sarah in the line of the seed of promise. The servant bears witness to this fact in his request for a sign from Yahweh. The sign was to point out the woman “whom Yahweh finds correct for Isaac” (Gen. 24:44 CV).

Arrangements are made with the family, and Rebecca agrees to the marriage. The family decides that she remain with them at least two to ten days. The servant indicates he desires to leave the following day, due to such great success attributed to Yahweh’s kindness and faithfulness to Abraham. The decision is left to Rebecca. She chooses to leave immediately.

Upon arriving at the residence of Abraham and Isaac, the writer introduces Isaac who is worshiping Yahweh in a field just before the onset of evening. Rebecca and Isaac are immediately attracted (Page 99) to one another. The marriage takes place, and Isaac is last seen leading Rebecca into the tent of Sarah, his mother. Rebecca now occupies the place and elective position of Sarah. Isaac and Rebecca are now prepared to carry on the history of the seed of Promise, the seed of the Woman.

In all this, Israel is encouraged to act faithfully, walk before Yahweh flawlessly, knowing that Yahweh her Elohim is actively pursuing her welfare, even as He actively involved Himself in the choosing and securing of a wife for her forefather Isaac. As Isaac is conceived supernaturally and is blessed superexceedingly, so Israel has been conceived supernaturally and will be blessed superexceedingly if she walks before Yahweh flawlessly, keeping His Law, His statutes, and His judgments. There can be no greater power, no greater security, no greater success among the nations than Israel walking flawlessly together with her Elohim. In His presence is covenantal life, covenantal victory, covenantal superiority over the nations. In His presence she is illuminated with the glory of His Law, His Word, reflecting the light of this illumination upon the nations to the glory of Yahweh her Elohim, the Elohim of the heavens and the Elohim of the earth. Israel , like Isaac, has been elected and favored by Yahweh in order to be the channel of blessing to all the non-elect families under the heavens and upon the earth of Yahweh Elohim’s creation.

After Sarah’s death and Isaac’s marriage to Rebecca, Abraham takes Keturah as his wife. She bears him many sons. But these sons are not to receive any share in his possessions. They contribute to the fulfillment of Yahweh’s word concerning Abraham’s seed bringing forth many nations and kings. As Abraham approaches his last days, he gives all these sons gifts and sends them away from Isaac, eastward to the land of the East. The destiny of the seed of Promise seems to be associated with the westward movement to the land of the West (cf. Gen. 25:1-6).

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Isaac as a Type of the Ultimate Seed of Promise

Abraham gives all his possessions to Isaac alone. Isaac becomes the sole heir to all of Abraham’s wealth and the only son through whom the blessing of all the families of the earth will be channeled. As Isaac is The Seed of Promise, is supernaturally conceived, is offered up to Yahweh, is given a wife by Yahweh, and is the recipient of all his father’s possessions; he is a type of The Ultimate Seed, The Final Seed, The Teleostic Seed of Abraham, of Adam, of Yahweh—Jesus the Christ. Paul argues this association in Galatians 3:16:

Now to Abraham the promises were declared, and to his Seed. He is not saying “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of One: And to “your Seed,” which is Christ. (CV)

Thus, Christ fulfills the destiny, the purpose of the seed of the Woman, the seed of the Promise. The line of the Seed ends with the Christ. Jesus the Christ is sole possessor of all Abraham’s possessions.

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Christ and Christianity

The Promise associated with the Seed has been fulfilled in the Christ. The blessings associated with the greater reward of the faithful ones (those accounted by Yahweh as children of Abraham in spirit, and thus children of God) have been distributed and received. All these faithful ones metaphorically became members of Christ’s Body and, like Eve, were taken out of Him and built metaphorically into a new creation, a complement. Thus, they have been and presently are citizens of the Celestial Realm. Through Christ and His Ecclesia, His Body, His Complement, His Eve, the remainder of the families of the earth has been receiving blessings for the past 2,000 years. But these blessings are being channeled from the Celestial Realm to our (the present) terrestrial realm. The Kingdom of God and His Christ, His Son, has been operating for the past 2,000 years, but Christianity is not the Kingdom of God’s representative. Christianity has been its instrument in transforming, in terminating the ancient world of the gods and metamorphosing humanity. But Christianity is a religion; it is not the primitive, Messianic Church of Christ. As a religion, it will be transcended. It will be transcendentally terminated along with all other religions. For the last two-and-a-half centuries it has been in the process of becoming old and decrepit and, like the Mosaic Covenant, is nearing its disappearance as an instrument of God and Christ among men. Christianity is presently in the dusk, the twilight of its existence. This theme will be taken up and developed in the last chapter of this analysis of the Mosaic Eon.

This section of Genesis ends with the death of Abraham. He has set his affairs in order. Isaac and Rebecca have been established. Abraham is 175 years old. He dies in “a good grey-haired age, old and satisfied with days” (Gen. 25:8 CV). He is gathered to his peoples, among whom he would await the coming of the Ultimate Seed and the time of the fulfillment of the Promise. At that time, he would awaken (Page 100) to enter the Celestial City. His two sons, Isaac and Ishmael, entomb him in the burial site purchased in Hebron. For Abraham, the soil of the Land of Promise means only entombment, not hope.

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Jacob

The account continues with the generations of Isaac (Gen. 25:19- 35:29). Tracking the theme of the Seed, attention will be focused on Jacob and Esau. Isaac was 40 years old when he married Rebecca. Rebecca had been barren; Isaac entreats Yahweh to invigorate Rebecca’s womb. Yahweh hearkens to Isaac; Rebecca gives birth to twins, Esau and Jacob. Esau is the firstborn, but, directly behind him, holding on to his heel, is Jacob. Before the twins are born, Yahweh tells Rebecca that in her womb are two nations. These two peoples shall be divided; the elder shall serve the younger.

Already the text implies an enmity between these two brothers in that within the womb the two had been wrestling, culminating in Esau being born first, but Jacob tenaciously holding on to Esau’s heel. The writer is apparently alluding to Genesis 3:15 and the enmity between the seed of the Serpent and the seed of the Woman. This, of course, is manifested in the enmity between Cain and Abel which foreshadows the continuing enmity between these two seeds as briefly seen between Ishmael and Isaac, and as will soon be seen in greater length between Joseph and his brothers.

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The Theme of Election

The theme of election becomes predominant in the relationship between Jacob and Esau. Before either is born, Yahweh declares the elder will serve the younger. He has elected, favored, Jacob and disfavored, counting as non-elect, Esau. Thus, election is not based on either faith or works. It is Yahweh’s sovereign choice. But again, the reader must be reminded that election is not to be associated with one’s ultimate destiny. One’s eternal destiny is associated with the independent acts of two single individuals—Adam and Jesus. As Yahweh Elohim’s verdict against Adam means death for each and every human being, so Yahweh Elohim’s verdict exalting Christ means life for each and every human being.

This is Paul’s argument in Romans 5:12-21, upon which he vindicates God’s elective purpose which required walking flawlessly before Him in accord with the faithful behavior of Abraham. The verdict of God in relation to Adam and Jesus excludes both faith and works on the part of each human being. Death is passed on to each human through the generating process. In contrast to this, life is passed on to each human through a spiritual generating process, which, again, requires neither faith nor works on the part of each individual human. All humans die because of Yahweh’s verdict regarding Adam’s Sinful Act; all humans, after death, live because of Yahweh’s verdict regarding Jesus’ Righteous Act. Hell is an invention of human beings, having no place in the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures.

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Jacob and Esau

Isaac is 60 years of age when the twins are born. Esau becomes a man of the field, an accomplished hunter. However, Jacob is said to be a flawless man, dwelling in tents. The literal Hebrew text indicates Esau “is a man” and Jacob “is a flawless man” (Gen. 25:27 CV). The word flawless has been associated only with Noah and Abraham and had to do with faith. Abraham and Noah were flawless in their faith, but each is shown to be a sinner in relation to behavior unassociated with the word of Yahweh calling for faith. Noah becomes drunk, but that does not affect his faithfulness to the promise and word of Yahweh. Abraham takes Sarai’s maid and sires a son by her. Though this is sin, missing the mark of Yahweh’s purpose concerning the promised seed, it is not faithlessness. The very reason Abraham takes the maid is because of his faith in Yahweh’s promise. Yahweh had not yet indicated the promised seed would come through Sarah’s womb. Abraham in ignorance, but also in faith, makes a decision that he believes may be the way Yahweh’s Promise will be fulfilled.

In the same way, Jacob is a flawless man, cherishing, appreciating, accounting of great value the promises and the birthright. His faith accounts the promises of Yahweh as most valuable. He is a flawless man in relation to faithfully treasuring the promises, but a flawed man in relation to his deceptive behavior. Jacob can be compared to Samson. Samson is chosen, elected by Yahweh to be a judge in Israel . His behavior in relation to the law is evil, but his faithfulness to his calling is never denied and ultimately fulfilled in the last faithful act of his life. Jacob, being ambitious, is also a schemer. He is crafty and uses


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these skills deceptively to obtain his objectives, hurting others in the process. He is a sinner, yet a flawless man, a man of faith who walks before Yahweh flawlessly. He values the spiritual, the celestial. But he is all too willing to use evil means to obtain good ends. He has much to learn.

Esau, in contrast, is a man, a common man; a good man, but a common man appreciating the earthly, the natural. He is a sensuous man living in the present moment for the pleasure he can experience within it. He neither cherishes nor appreciates the great value of the promises of Yahweh nor his birthright. He is rather naïve, easily deceived and duped. He is not a schemer, not ambitious. He lives by means of the instincts of his bodily senses. He is wild, untamed, acting impetuously. He values the fleshly, the terrestrial. But he is all too willing to sell cheaply the birthright he despises due to a lack of appreciation for the exceptional. He learns too late.

In Isaac’s days, a famine blights the land of Canaan. Yahweh instructs him not to go down to the land of Egypt. He is directed to Gerar in the land of the Philistines. Yahweh then restates the covenant made with Abraham, applying it now to Isaac as the Seed of Promise. Isaac is to continue to sojourn in the Land of Promise in the place that Yahweh chose. Isaac is promised that, in spite of the famine, he will be blessed.

Later, in Jacob’s time, another famine occurs. But Yahweh does not sovereignly act to make an exception of Jacob as He had done with Isaac. Jacob is forced to send his sons to Egypt for sustenance. This would be necessitated because of their treatment of Joseph their brother.

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The Three Analogies Representing Abraham’s Seed

Yahweh then confirms the Abrahamic promises with Isaac:

I will come to be with you and bless you. For to you and your seed will I give all these lands, and carry out will I the oath which I swore to Abraham, your father. And increase will your seed as the stars of the heavens, and give will I to your seed all these lands. And blessed, in your seed, are all the nations of the earth, inasmuch as hearken did Abraham, your father, to My voice and kept My charge, My instructions, My statutes, and My laws. (Genesis 26:3b-5 CV)

The promises made to Abraham are here referred to as Yahweh’s “oath” which He “swore” to Abraham. The oath sworn guarantees the promises to the faithful ones making up the seed represented as “the stars of the heavens.” During the course of the narrations regarding the promises made to Abraham’s seed, the writer has used three analogies to represent this seed: the sand on the seashore, the stars of the heavens, and the soil of the land.

The analogy with the greatest scope refers to the seed as “the sand which is on the sea shore.” (Gen. 22:17 CV). This analogy conveys the idea of a great number, emphasizing all the circumcised, biological descendants of Abraham through Isaac, through Jacob, and through Jacob’s twelve sons to the end of the Mosaic Eon . The sand analogy includes the seed of the Woman and the seed of the Serpent. The seed of the Serpent represents the blatantly rebellious sons of Cain among the Israelites. These Israelites are not deceived. They oppose Yahweh in principle, like Cain. The seed of the Woman consists of those who are faithful to the end and those who are not faithful to the end but do not rebelliously oppose Yahweh. This latter group, like Eve, is deceived into acting unfaithfully.

However, those among the seed of the Woman who, after having their eyes opened to the deception of their Cainite brethren, act faithfully to the end become the members of the stars of the heavens seed, allottees of the Celestial Allotment promised to Abraham. But those among the deceived seed of the Woman who, after having their eyes opened to the deception of the Cainite Israelites, lack the courage to endure to the end the sufferings on behalf of the righteousness of Yahweh forfeit their right to the Celestial Allotment of the faithful children of Abraham.

The former group is referred to by the analogy of “the stars of the heavens.” Those belonging to this group walk in the steps of faithful Abraham. Under the New Covenant, these are the ones accounted by Yahweh as the children of Abraham worthy to share in the celestial reward promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as the chief representatives of the “stars of the heavens.” This “star” analogy conveys the idea of great number, but emphasizes faithfulness. Deuteronomy 1:10 describes the second generation coming out of Egypt as the stars of the heavens because of its great number and its faithfulness under the leadership of Moses and Joshua. Those belonging to this generation, in contrast to their unfaithful parents, entered the Promised Land and victoriously took possession.

The third, but earliest, analogy (Gen. 13:16) emphasizes the quality and the success of the blessed seed. It refers to the blessed seed as “the soil of the land,” indicating the fertility of the seed. It will yield a (Page 102) multiplication of fruit. It will be rich in nutrients (Yahweh’s Law, statutes and judgments), like the top-soil of the ground, thereby producing much fruitfulness. It is characteristic of the ones faithful to the end, the flawless ones who have Yahweh’s Law, statutes, and judgments in their hearts. This is the reason why it is the first analogy used by the writer of Genesis. It is used two other times in the Hebrew Scriptures. In Jacob’s vision of the staircase into the heavens, Yahweh promises that Jacob’s seed would become “as the soil of the land” (Gen. 28:14 CV), that is, great in number and fertile in quality. David refers to the number of the people of his kingdom as “many as the dust [Heb., soil] of the earth” (2 Chr. 1:9 RSV). The word soil is used here to convey the idea of great number as well as convey the idea of the seed’s fertility and success under David’s faithful reign. However, it must be repeated that all three analogies convey the idea of greatness of number.

The blessings are transferred to Isaac because of Abraham’s faithfulness. Abraham had hearkened to Yahweh’s voice. In that voice Abraham recognized and obeyed the Supreme El, the El of covenantal faithfulness. At the sound of Yahweh’s voice, Abraham had always been prepared to carry out the instructions of His words. For Yahweh’s words were covenantal life. His words were celestial hope. Yahweh’s words were the hope of the nation, the hope of humanity. Yahweh here testifies to Isaac that Abraham his father kept His charge, the responsibility of the blessing promised all the families of the earth (Walk before me and become flawless, Gen. 17:1); kept His instructions (offer up Isaac); kept His statutes (circumcision); kept His laws (honor thy father: Abraham does not leave his father’s house to enter the Land of Promise until after the death of his father Terah; thou shall not steal or covet: Abraham refuses to take what belonged to the king of Sodom; thou shall not commit adultery: Abraham does not take another wife until after the death of Sarah; thou shall not worship other elohim; thou shall not make any idolatrous image; thou shall not take the name of Yahweh in vain). Abraham’s faithfulness is a Memorial Rock in the sight of Yahweh guaranteeing absolutely the fulfillment of the promises made to Abraham. There could not be any annulment of these promises. Abraham’s faithfulness had secured in the eyes of Yahweh the impossibility of annulment, forfeiture, cancellation, regret.

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The Relation of Transgression to Covenant

The knowledge of the laws of Yahweh that Abraham kept (as already pointed out) had been the result of the Royal Line’s recourse to Yahweh Elohim’s judgments in matters relating to social, legal, economic, and religious questions that developed out of humanity’s experience. The firstborn sons of Adam, the elohim, functioned as rulers and priests. Melchizedek’s priesthood has its roots in that Royal Line which continued to be represented after the flood in the persons of Noah and Shem.

Yahweh Elohim’s laws had been known to mankind and the nations, though these laws had not been written up or agreed to contractually. Thus, these laws were known, but neither mankind before the flood nor the nations after the flood were contractually or covenantally bound to such laws. Therefore, Paul could declare, “for where no law is there is no transgression” (Rom. 4:15b KJV). By law, he means covenant.

Abraham was aware of Yahweh’s laws but was never bound by covenant to these laws. He chose, however, to keep these laws in his heart. When he sinned in relation to these laws, these sins could not be and were not counted up or charged against him. This is Paul’s meaning when he further declares, “for until law [the Mosaic Covenant] sin was in the world, yet sin is not being taken into account when there is no law [no contractual covenant between two agreeing parties](Rom. 5:13 CV). Before the Mosaic Law (Covenant), it was impossible for sin to reign, since SIN could not be counted up.

However, though SIN could not reign, DEATH could and did reign, since death is related to Adam and the affect of Adam’s sin, death into all men:

Therefore, even as through one man sin entered into the world, and through this sin the death, and thus this death passed through into all men, upon which all have sinned—for until law sin was in the world, yet sin is not being taken into account when there is no law; nevertheless this death reigned from Adam unto Moses, over those also who do not sin upon the likeness of the transgression of Adam, . . . (Romans 5:12-14a CV modified)

The likeness of the transgression of Adam had to do with the Mosaic Law. Adam transgressed a covenantal command of Yahweh. He was under legal obligation. The Mosaic Covenant placed Israel in such a legal position. Israel could sin after the likeness of Adam’s transgression because Israel was under the law, the Mosaic Covenant which Israel agreed to enter into with Yahweh, making Israel legally obligated to the covenant requirements, including its penalties for failure to keep the requirements.

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Sin, thus, began to be counted up only in the case of Israel . The nations were under no such contractual covenant with Yahweh. Their sins were not counted up, as had been the case before the Mosaic Law. This continued to be the case among the nations during and after the Mosaic Eon . Whose sins, then, needed a propitiatory shelter (atonement)? The nations? No! Israel ’s? Yes! That is why the Law of Moses added the Sin Offering and the Guilt Offering to the sacrifices commonly offered by the nations to their gods. That is why the Mosaic Covenant required the Day of Propitiatory Shelter (atonement) for the nation. It was the sacrificial blood that covered the accounted sins of this nation and of each individual member of the nation. Sin reigns only when sin is counted up.

Under the New Covenant, the faithful ones out of the nations became “fellow-citizens of the saints” (Eph. 2:19 CV), that is, they entered the commonwealth of Israel. Though the faithful Israelites (saints) and faithful ones out of the nations were not under the Law of Moses, they were in proper relation to it (Rom. 3:31). As long as that law continued to operate, all faithful ones needed to be cleansed from their sins, which the law continued to count up.

However, they no longer needed the sacrificial blood of animals for such cleansing. The blood of Christ now cleansed them from all sin (1 Jn. 1:9). Thus, they were not under law but under grace (Rom. 6:14). Sin no longer would reign if they stopped accounting the old humanity as alive. Sin would be counted up only as long as they considered themselves alive to the law, only as long as they considered the Mosaic Law a ministry of life. Instead of accounting the old man alive, they were to count themselves dead to Sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus (Rom. 6:11). This meant they counted themselves dead to the Mosaic Law. Their confidence was not to be in the flesh (the Mosaic Covenant), since the Mosaic Covenant had become a ministry of covenantal death.

Only in Christ were they cleansed from sin and delivered from the Second Death, the covenantal death of the Mosaic system. The Mosaic Covenant was administering covenantal death. The only alternative was the New Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant which was administering covenantal life. Thus, all the faithful ones had been baptized metaphorically into Christ’s death in order to share spiritually in the likeness of His resurrection, which meant sharing in the power of His spirit which was empowering them with resurrection power to walk in newness of life, new covenant life. One’s confidence would be either in the Mosaic Covenant (which meant the flesh) or in the New Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant (which meant the spirit).

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Deception and Favoritism

Though Jacob is elected, while still in the womb, to be the channel through whom the Seed of Promise is to continue, he and Rebecca attempt to secure the blessing of Isaac by means of deception. After the birth of the twins, the reader is informed that Isaac loved Esau because of his hunting skills, while Rebecca loved Jacob. Such favoritism divides people and causes misunderstandings leading to unnecessary and undesirable conflict.

The intention of Jacob and Rebecca is good, but the means devised to achieve this intention are evil. Rebecca had been informed that Esau would serve Jacob. In the womb, Jacob had unsuccessfully wrestled with Esau for the position of firstborn. But Yahweh had overruled this defeat by His election of Jacob. Now Jacob attempts to wrestle the blessing of the firstborn from Isaac. Yahweh again overrules, but this time He overrules Isaac’s intention. For Isaac is deceived by Jacob and gives him the blessing of the firstborn, thinking he is Esau. However, the birthright blessing stolen by Jacob from Esau only had to do with a greater portion of the possessions of the father. The firstborn blessing stolen from Esau and wrestled deceptively from Isaac only provided the superior blessing regarding future success. The blessing of Abraham, however, is not determined necessarily by firstborn rank. Ishmael is Abraham’s firstborn by Hagar. But he is rejected. The blessing of Abraham is Yahweh’s sovereign choice. Before the birth of these two sons, Yahweh had made His choice known.

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Jacob the Chosen One

Jacob’s character as deceiver, supplanter, is incorporated into Yahweh’s purpose, thereby demonstrating how He is able to use evil wisely, intelligently, purposefully. Jacob is free to act in accord with his character. His appreciation of the exceptional things proves him better qualified for the greater responsibility of the Abrahamic blessing. But his character leaves much to be desired. He has much to learn about the ways of Yahweh.

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Isaac, learning of the deception, trembles exceedingly. He has given the blessing to Jacob unintentionally, and it cannot be revoked. It is this faith that the writer of Hebrews refers to in Hebrews 11:20, “By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come” (KJV). By faith Isaac understood the blessing was irrevocable. Thus, he realized the overruling of his intention by Yahweh and submitted himself to Yahweh’s decision.

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Esau the Unchosen One

Esau reveals his inferiority by holding a grudge against his brother Jacob. In his heart, he intends to murder his brother after his father’s death. For Esau, sin is crouching in readiness to spring forth from the heart, as it had been for Cain. But Yahweh has chosen Jacob and will preserve him. Rebecca learns of Esau’s intention and sends Jacob to Haran.

Esau had previously taken to wife two daughters of the Canaanites. These had been “a bitterness of spirit to Isaac and Rebecca” (Gen. 26:35 CV). In spite of this bitterness, Isaac had closed his eyes to this offensive act of Esau. His intention remained to bless Esau with the firstborn blessing. When this had been overruled by Yahweh, Rebecca reminds Isaac of Esau’s disobedience, his dishonoring the will of his father and mother, and even more serious, his dishonoring the will of Yahweh. She uses this offense to convince Isaac that Jacob needs to be sent to Haran to assure that he takes a wife from the family of Abraham. It is at this time that Isaac pronounces over Jacob the full blessing of Abraham, “And El-Who-Suffices will bless you and make you fruitful and increase you, and you shall become an assembly of peoples. And give to you will He the blessing of Abraham, my father, to you and to your seed with you, for you to tenant the land of your sojournings, given by Elohim to Abraham” (Gen. 28:3-4 CV).

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The Dream of Jacob: The Staircase into the Heavens

This blessing is reaffirmed in the course of Jacob’s journey to Haran (Gen. 28:10-22). In a dream, he sees Yahweh stationed on a staircase planted on the earth with its head touching the heavens. Ascending and descending upon this staircase are the messengers of Elohim. This scene is clearly alluding to the building of a city whose tower had its head in the heavens. The purpose of the ancient city and the Tower of Babel associated with it had been to make a name for the people and to unify them. This endeavor of mankind was brought to a halt by Yahweh’s confusion of their tongues. Abram is then called and Yahweh promises to make him a great nation and a great NAME. That which had been denied the people under Nimrod had been promised to Abraham. Jacob is heir to Abraham and, so, heir to this promise.

The staircase represents the joining of the terrestrial realm with the Celestial Realm. It implies the unifying of the terrestrial inhabitants with the Celestial Inhabitants, making one unified system. This should not be shocking, since Genesis 1:26 (KJV) has already indicated that humanity is made in the image of the elohim: “Let us make man in our image.”

This scene, however, does not only allude back to Babel. It also points forward to John 1:51, where, after Nathaniel proclaims, “Rabbi, Thou art the Son of God! Thou art the king of Israel !” Jesus responds,

Verily, verily, I am saying to all of you, henceforth all of you shall be seeing heaven opened up and the messengers of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man. (CV modified)

The staircase represents Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the Son of Man. He declares He would be the one Who bridges, unifies, joins the terrestrial world with the Celestial World. He will merge the terrestrial inhabitants and the Celestial Inhabitants into one Family, one Kingdom, one House.

He would accomplish this because He was the Son of God, the Son of Adam, the Son of Abraham, the Son of Isaac, the Son of Jacob, the Seed of the Promise. In Him would all the families of the earth be blessed. He first declared to Israel the terrestrial things. He would later declare to Israel the celestial things. Abraham’s seed as soil of the land, sand on the seashore, and stars of the heavens would receive the promise of the land of Canaan, the terrestrial blessing; but Abraham’s royal seed, the seed as stars of the heavens would share with The Seed, Jesus the Christ, the Celestial Blessing, the Celestial City which would merge the two worlds, the inhabitants of the two worlds, into one Kingdom, one House, one Family.

In Jacob’s dream, Yahweh confirms once more the giving of the Abrahamic blessing to Jacob. Yahweh tells Jacob not to fear the solemnity of this sublime vision. Jacob is to be given the land upon which he is lying. His seed is to become as the soil of the land (great in number and fertile in quality). All (Page 105) the families of the earth are to become blessed in him and his seed. Yahweh is to be with him and to keep him in all he does and wherever he goes.

Upon waking, Jacob realizes Yahweh is in this place, and this place is fearful. He understands the place and the land are holy, separated unto Yahweh, and thus are to be respected with great awe. He realizes that this place (this land) is the “house of El” and “the gateway of the heavens” (Gen. 28:17 CV). The full implication of this realization is not understood by Jacob or his seed until the coming of The Seed, Jesus the Christ, Son of God, Son of Adam, Son of Abraham, Son of Isaac, Son of Jacob. Jesus the Christ will be the House of Yahweh, the gateway of the heavens. He shall spiritually generate a new humanity, transcending the old through spiritual metamorphosis. He shall restore the terrestrial kingdom of Yahweh Elohim, uniting it with Yahweh’s Celestial Kingdom. He shall merge the terrestrial family and the celestial family into one dynamic family.

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A Stone and A Rock

Rising early in the morning, Jacob sets up a stone monument as a memorial to the greatness of this place he now names Bethel, House of El. His seed would become the House of El. In that House ( Israel , the Tabernacle, the Temple, Jesus the Christ), Yahweh would bless all the families of the earth, every member of the terrestrial race, together with all the inhabitants of the Celestial Realm.

In Genesis 26:4-5, the writer makes of Abraham a metaphorical memorial rock or pillar upon which the Promise is secured. Yahweh’s sworn oath to Abraham is irrevocable inasmuch as Abraham hearkened to the Voice of Yahweh, keeping His charge, His instructions, His statutes, and His laws. Abraham as a metaphoric memorial rock points to and through Jacob’s memorial stone to the Rock of Yahweh’s promise, Jesus the Christ. All the rocks of the Hebrew Scriptures are types of The Rock, even the Rock of Moses which provided Israel with life-giving water while in the wilderness. According to Paul, Jesus the Christ became the anti-type of that Rock, “But that Rock, with the coming of Jesus, began to be the Christ” (1 Cor. 10:4 my translation).

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Jacob and Laban

Jacob makes his way to the land of Laban, son of Bethuel and brother of Rebecca his mother. There Yahweh is with him in all he does. But there he experiences the deception of Laban. The tables are turned on him. As he had used deception to obtain his desires, so Laban uses deception to obtain his desires. As Jacob the younger was able to take the place of Esau the older, so also, Laban, in reverse, is able to replace the younger daughter with the older daughter. Jacob bargains for the hand of Rachel, but is given instead the hand of Leah. As Jacob had been the perpetrator of deception, so now he becomes the target of deception. This will continue throughout his stay in Syria with Laban. Yet, in spite of such deception, Yahweh continues to bless Jacob.

When Jacob is told by Yahweh, “Return to the land of your forefathers and to your kindred, and come will I to be with you” (Gen. 31:3 CV), he leaves with Leah and Rachel, his two wives, and all his children and possessions without informing Laban. Meanwhile, Rachel had stolen Laban’s elohim. Apparently, images of the gods had become introduced, and Laban had made for himself an image, an elohim to represent his god, Yahweh Elohim. This does not conform to Yahweh’s law. However, the nations are not under contractual obligation to keep Yahweh’s law as given later to Israel . Their sins are not being counted up, though the consequences of their sins could not be escaped—impoverishment and deterioration would follow.

Laban is angered upon hearing that Jacob has left without informing him. But Yahweh warns Laban in a dream not to harm Jacob. Laban takes the warning seriously and concludes a covenant with Jacob, and they part on good terms.

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Jacob’s Vision: The Encampment of Elohim

Returning to the border of the land of Canaan, Jacob has a vision of the encampment of Elohim (Gen. 32:1-2). He sees the messengers of Elohim, guardians of the border to the Promised Land, who come upon him, apparently approving of his entrance as they identify him as heir of the land. From this vision, the reader is given a window through which to view the movement of celestial inhabitants in the affairs of terrestrial inhabitants. This land and this human, Jacob, are Yahweh’s allotment among the nations. This vision is another sign of Yahweh’s protection and blessing. Jacob is soon to be reconciled with his brother (Page 106) Esau, who has had a change of heart. No longer is sin crouching in Esau’s heart in readiness to devour the enemy. Esau would not become, like Cain, a murderer of his brother. He has learned to submit himself to the will and purposes of Yahweh Elohim. In blessing his brother Jacob, he will be blessed by Yahweh.

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Jacob’s Wrestling: The Messenger of Yahweh

The theme of wrestling returns (Gen. 32:24-32) as Jacob is described as wrestling with a Man. Hosea 12:4 specifies this Man is a Messenger. Jacob had just seen in a vision the encampment of the Messengers of Yahweh. Now, alone, just before engagement with his brother Esau, he is wrestling a messenger (a celestial inhabitant) of Yahweh. His entire life has been characterized as a struggle to wrestle blessings: from Esau, from Isaac, from Laban, and now from Yahweh.

In this wrestling contest, Jacob has reached his final wrestling match. His character is about to be transformed. This did not happen suddenly. It had been in the process of development from the time he left Isaac and Canaan to the very moment under consideration. Jacob has been undergoing educational change. His life experiences have caused him to reevaluate his assumptions about his perceptions of the terrestrial world he lives in.

However, his wrestling, his struggling, from his time with Laban to the present has excluded deception on his part. He has learned the futility of deception. He has learned the unnecessary harmfulness of deception. In this present wrestling with the Messenger of Yahweh, he is not engaged in deception. His struggle is upright. His goal is directly communicated. His tenacious character is no longer masked by deception. He lacks nothing and openly makes his demand known. The Messenger realizes he does not prevail against this tenacity of Jacob. He touches Jacob’s thigh, which gives way. But Jacob tenaciously holds on, even as he had held on to his brother’s heel coming forth from the womb. On that earlier occasion he had figuratively/metaphorically failed to attain his goal.

The Messenger requests that Jacob release his hold on him. Jacob responds, “Not letting you go am I save you bless me” (Gen. 32:26b CV). The Messenger requests his name. He responds, “Jacob.” The Messenger then proclaims, “Not Jacob shall your name be called longer, but rather ISRAEL is your name. For upright are you with Elohim and with mortals, and are prevailing” (Gen. 32:28 CV my emphasis). To Jacob’s “Not letting you go,” the Messenger proclaims Jacob’s victory, “Not Jacob shall your name be called, . . .”

Jacob has prevailed because Yahweh has prevailed in Jacob’s acquirement of wisdom and understanding. Jacob is no longer a deceiver, a supplanter. He is upright with Elohim. As the change in Abram’s name is significant, so also the change in Jacob’s name is significant. The nation coming forth from his bowels will not be called Jacob, deceiver, but Israel , upright with Elohim. His experiences outside the land of Canaan have been carefully orchestrated by Yahweh. Jacob has successfully matriculated through the personal tutelage of Yahweh his Elohim. He is now ready for the responsibility which comes with being heir to the promise and the vessel through which the blessings will come to his seed and to the nations.

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Jacob’s Trouble

Jacob would no longer be a deceiver. However, two of his sons are to bring great trouble upon Jacob. This incident is to become most significant to the future of the nation Israel . It will characterize the nation as Jacob not Israel . It will reveal the nation to be two nations—the Jacob nation in contrast to the Israel nation; the Cainite nation in contrast to the Abelite nation; the seed of the Serpent nation in contrast to the seed of the Woman nation. This incident will foreshadow the last generation of the Mosaic Eon and its opposition of the Cainite nation to the faithfulness of Yahweh to Israel and the nations.

Jeremiah alludes to the future significance of this incident: “Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it” (Jer. 30:7 KJV). Daniel also alludes to this vicious act on the part of Jacob’s sons: “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation [Israel] even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book” (Dan. 12:1 KJV). However, before examining its future significance, its present significance must be investigated.

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Dinah, Simeon, and Levi

Dinah, Jacob’s daughter by Leah, is raped by Shechem, son of Hamor the Hivite, who is the prince of this area of Canaan. Shechem had been smitten by Dinah’s beauty, resulting in his forcing himself upon Dinah, thus humiliating her. When Jacob hears that Dinah had been defiled by Shechem, he remains silent until the return of his sons from the field.

Having communicated to them the defilement of Dinah, “mortified are the mortals, and hot is their anger exceedingly, that decadence does he in Israel by lying with Jacob’s daughter, for so is not being done” (Gen. 34:7b CV). The term “mortals” refers to Simeon and Levi, brothers of Dinah. When Hamor and Shechem seek to secure Dinah as Shechem’s wife, they direct their proposal “to her father and her brothers” (Gen. 34:11 CV). However, the answer to this proposal comes from Simeon and Levi. The mortals of the family refer to all the elect sons of Jacob who had taken up positions of leadership. In this case, Simeon and Levi would have had chief jurisdiction, since Dinah is their sister.

Apparently, Jacob had delegated the problem to them, since he is not described as the one responding to the request of Hamor. The text indicates that Jacob is unaware of the deceitful scheme of Simeon and Levi. He hears only of the demand that all the males of this Canaanite city be circumcised. If this is carried out, Simeon and Levi agree to give the daughter of Israel in marriage to the Hivites and take the daughters of the Hivites to themselves as wives. They would then dwell together as one people.

But Jacob could not have agreed to such a covenant. He knew very well intermarriage with the daughters of Canaan was evil in the eyes of Abraham and Isaac. However, being that all the males were to be circumcised, he may have considered this agreement acceptable, since the Canaanites would be joining them as circumcised participants in the Abrahamic Covenant. Whether this is the case or not, Jacob certainly did not approve of what was to follow. For the text states clearly, “And answering are the sons of Jacob to Shechem and Hamor, his father, with deceit” (Gen. 34:13a CV). Simeon and Levi never intend to keep the covenant. Jacob might have thought the plan was to take Shechem into the family by circumcision and marriage and then move on during the days of the Hivite circumcision. This would avoid becoming one people and bringing harmful enmity between the two peoples.

The proposal of Simeon and Levi brings to mind the proposal at Babel. The events at Babel were evil in the eyes of Yahweh and ended in the confusion of tongues. In the current situation, confusion results, but is brought about by the deception of Simeon and Levi, tainting the reputation of Jacob among the inhabitants of the land. Intermarriage with the Canaanites is still evil in the eyes of Yahweh, but such deception is also evil in His eyes. Israel is disgraced by this deceptive scheme of these two sons of Jacob. Consequently, Jacob is compelled to rebuke his sons at the conclusion of the deception. He will refer to their deceptive activity as bringing him “trouble” (Gen. 34:30 CV). Thus, the trouble brought to Jacob by Simeon and Levi is to be associated with the trouble at Babel. In the end, the two peoples part, and the purpose of Yahweh is fulfilled in spite of the inappropriate activities of human intention. The nations are parted at Babel; the two peoples are parted in the land of the Hivites. But a price is paid in each case. These two events, Babel and Jacob’s trouble, will become symbols evoking much meaning in the writing of the Hebrew prophets and the writing of the Hebrew disciples of Jesus the Messiah.

Hamor and Shechem persuade the mortals (the leaders) of their city to consent to the rite of circumcision, and thus compel all males to endure this rite by claiming, “Yea, in this are the mortals consenting to us, to dwell with us, to become one people, by our circumcising every male, as they circumcise. Their cattle and their acquisitions and all their beasts, will they not be ours? Yea, in this are we consenting to them, and they will dwell with us” (Gen. 34:22-23 CV). The Hivites expect Jacob to dwell with them and become one people with them. This would be to their advantage. But this would be another type of Babel. Jacob, Simeon, and Levi had no intention of becoming one people with the Hivites. That would be evil in their eyes. On this, they clearly agree. But Jacob did not expect the outcome that Simeon and Levi masterminded. On the third day after being circumcised, Simeon and Levi take up the sword and

coming are they to the trusting city, and killing are they every male. . . . and plundering are they the city which defiled their sister Dinah. And all their flocks and all their herds, and all their asses, and all that is in the city, and all that is in the field, they take. And all their estate, and all their tots and their wives, they capture. And plundering are they all that is in the city and all that is in the houses. (Genesis 34:25b-29 CV)

The writer makes certain the reader understands the evil of this deed by referring to those slain as “the trusting city.” The Hivites are acting honorably in keeping the requirements of the covenant. Their only guilt is by association with Shechem’s evil act against Dinah. But even in this association, their guilt is ameliorated by the fact that Shechem genuinely loves Dinah and seeks her as his wife. The issue could have (Page 108) been adjudicated simply by determining a bridal price and requiring Shechem to be circumcised and enter into the family and the Abrahamic covenant by separating himself from his family and people and becoming one with Jacob.

However, Simeon and Levi seek vengeance, not justice. Their anger is described as exceedingly hot. It is this anger which demands, necessitates this deceptive, evil scheme. They justify their decision and action, which is evil in the eyes of Yahweh, on the grounds of prostitution, “As with a prostitute may he deal with our sister?” (Gen. 34:31 CV). They claim Shechem has done “decadence . . . in Israel (Gen. 34:7 CV). The sons and daughters of Israel are holy. They are chosen of Yahweh Elohim. How dare Shechem, an uncircumcised and uncovenantal dog, defile even a daughter of the holy people.

This is a sinful and evil attitude generated out of the womb of unwarranted pride and jealousy. It is a Cainish attitude and act. It is a boasting based upon a misconception of Yahweh’s election and covenantal relationship with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The exaltation and blessing of Jacob is for the purpose of blessing the nations, not destroying them on the basis of doing what is right in your own eyes.

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Jacob’s Prophetic Words

The deception perpetrated on the Hivites in the city of Shechem is not attributed to Jacob. He is now Israel . He has transcended his deceptive ways. The deception is that of his sons, specifically, Simeon and Levi. Their deception is devised and set in motion in the name of Yahweh their Elohim. From their point of view, it is Yahweh’s honor that has been defiled. It is Yahweh’s covenantal people who have been dishonored and contaminated. This necessitated the holy destruction of the object which defiled, contaminated a holy daughter of a holy people. However, Jacob perceives the underlying motive of his sons. He sees the intent of the heart:

You trouble me to make me stink among all the dwellers of the land, among the Canaanite and among the Perizzite. And I am death-doomed, outnumbered when gathered are they against me and smite me, and exterminated shall I be, I and my household. (Genesis 34:30 CV)

This prophetic word is not fulfilled in Jacob’s time. Yahweh graciously and mercifully delivers Jacob and his family, remaining faithful to His covenantal promises:

and the terror of God [Elohim] was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob. (Genesis 35:5b KJV)

Yahweh commands Jacob to remove himself from Shechem and go up to Beth-El after cleansing his family of the foreign elohim taken from the Shechemites. As Yahweh at Beth-El began to deliver Jacob from his distress with Esau, so He continued to deliver Jacob from his distress, even from this evil deed committed by his two sons.

But Jacob’s prophetic words would be fulfilled against the last generation under the Mosaic Covenant during the consummation of the Mosaic Eon . As the blood of just Abel would be exacted from that generation, so the evil deed of Simeon and Levi would be exacted from that same generation whose heart and behavior would be in accord with the heart and behavior of Cain. Jacob’s trouble would not come from outside Jacob. The source and cause of Jacob’s trouble comes from his own sons, his own people. This would be part of the content of the mystery or secret of the Kingdom of Yahweh, the secret of the Gospel of Christ. This trouble will be associated with Joseph and his mistreatment at the hands of his brothers, including Simeon and Levi, the perpetrators of the trouble initiated at Shechem. The remainder of the Book of Genesis develops this theme of Jacob’s trouble in relation to Rachel’s firstborn son, Joseph. Thus, the Royal Line of the seed of the Woman, the seed of Abraham, the seed of Isaac, and the seed of Jacob would proceed through Judah , considered Leah’s firstborn son due to the evil committed by Reuben (the actual firstborn) and the evil committed by Simeon and Levi, next in line. However, Joseph would become the type of the coming, suffering Seed whose enemies would be those of his own family. Their evil towards him would be used by Yahweh Elohim to bring blessings upon them and the nations. Joseph will, thus, have a special association with the nations. This will be indicated later in Jacob’s blessing of Ephraim, the younger son of Joseph.

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The Significance of Jacob’s Trouble in Jeremiah and Daniel

What then is the future significance of Jacob’s trouble as prophesied in Jeremiah and Daniel? Jeremiah (Page 109) describes the time of Jacob’s trouble as a great day, having no other like it (Jer. 30:7). Daniel describes the time of Jacob’s trouble as a time of trouble like no other time since there was a nation (Dan. 12:1). The nation he refers to is Israel . Thus, Daniel informs us of a time of trouble for Jacob like no other time since the beginning of Israel ’s national existence. Jeremiah confirms this by writing of a great day unlike any other day in Israel ’s history.

The context of Jeremiah’s reference to this great day is the return of Israel and Judah from captivity. When Jeremiah prophesied, Israel (the Northern Kingdom) had already gone into captivity and was proclaimed Lo-Ammi, not My people. After Judah (the Southern Kingdom) went into Babylonian captivity, she returned under Ezra and Nehemiah. But Israel had never returned from Assyrian captivity. Not until the first century a.d. is there a word about the return of Israel and, thus, a unification of the two kingdoms of Israel and Judah .

This word comes in Acts, chapter 15, in relation to the question concerning the salvation of the nations. Paul and Barnabas had been sent to the nations by the spirit of Yahweh. The Gentiles responded by believing the Gospel of Christ. That posed a question concerning the requirement of circumcision. The Jerusalem council concluded that the believers out of the nations need not be circumcised. James then explained the salvation of the nations by quoting Amos 9:9-15. James declared that Amos’ prophecy was being fulfilled by the coming in of the nations.

Amos prophesied about a time when Yahweh would rebuild the fallen tabernacle of David. This was a reference to the unified Kingdom of David consisting of Judah and Israel . This kingdom had collapsed after the death of Solomon. It split into two kingdoms, Israel and Judah (1 Kings, chapters 12- 13). James declared that the two kingdoms were in the process of being restored into one unified kingdom under the reign of David’s Son, Jesus the Christ, the Anointed One. Thus, Jeremiah’s prophecy concerning the great day of trouble (Jer. 30:7 KJV) had to refer to the years beginning with the coming of John the Baptist and Jesus and concluding with the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 a.d. For at no other time were Israel and Judah reunified.

The very next chapter of Jeremiah (31:18-40) proclaims Yahweh’s Word concerning the Northern Kingdom, Israel , also called Ephraim, which had been sent into Assyrian captivity. Jeremiah proclaims that Yahweh in the latter days would become the Elohim of all the families of Israel . He would rebuild the Northern Kingdom, and she would go forth playing her tambourine and dancing in merriment. The watchman upon Mount Ephraim would cry “Arise . . . let us go up to Zion . . .” (Jer. 31:6b). She would return to Jerusalem and worship at Yahweh’s only temple in Zion. This is metaphoric language. Yahweh’s glory had departed from the Temple at the time of Judah ’s captivity and the first destruction of the Temple. That glory had not returned to the rebuilt Temple. The Shekinah Glory of Yahweh returned to Israel when it tabernacled in Jesus (Jn. 1:14). The first Temple had been built by human hands. The ultimate Temple was being built by Yahweh and His Son Jesus the Christ, the Son of David over a period of forty years, being completed at the very time that the Temple built by human hands was being destroyed by human hands. The Northern Kingdom would return to the Spiritual Zion (the Jerusalem above, the New Heavenly Jerusalem, the Bride of Christ), the Spiritual Temple (the ecclesia of Christ) not built by human hands.

Thus, Jeremiah’s prophecy in chapters 30 and 31 is not to be interpreted literally, but metaphorically. Ephraim refers to the coming in of the nations. She had been declared “not My people” (Hos. 1:9). This cut Ephraim off from the Mosaic Covenant, making her like the nations in relation to Yahweh. When Yahweh sent Paul and Barnabas to the nations, He was calling Ephraim back from the nations and reuniting her with her sister Judah under THE SON OF DAVID, Jesus the Messiah. But she was being called, not in relationship to the Mosaic Covenant, but in relationship to the New Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant of Jesus. Zion metaphorically referred to the New Spiritual Jerusalem Above in contrast to the old geographical Jerusalem below.

In this same context, Jeremiah declares, “Thus saith the Lord [Yahweh]; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rachel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not (Jer. 31:15 KJV my emphasis). Again, Yahweh is referring to Ephraim, the Northern Kingdom. Rachel was the mother of Joseph. Joseph’s younger son, Ephraim, was blessed with the greater blessing of the firstborn one. The tribe of Ephraim became great in number and eventually became identified with the Northern Kingdom. Rachel is depicted metaphorically as weeping for her children for they were not. This symbolically referred to the fact that Ephraim had been cut off from the Mosaic Covenant. She had become “not My people.” She had become covenantally dead. She would need to be resurrected from that covenantal death. That began to occur with the ministry of Paul and Barnabas in Acts, chapter 13.

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But this passage (Jer. 31:15) is quoted by Matthew (Matt. 2:18) as being also fulfilled in the days of the birth of Jesus. Matthew declares that Herod’s order to kill all the male children from two years and under in the city of Bethlehem was a fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecy. This, by implication, would make that time, the latter days, the time of Jacob’s trouble.

Herod was king of Judah . He was attempting to kill another Joseph, the Suffering Messiah, the one, according to the prophets, to be born in Bethlehem. Herod perceived this child to be a threat to his throne, his kingdom. The enemy of Jacob would be one of his own. The enemy causing the Great Day of Trouble would come from within the family. Herod was the first. He was not to be the last. He was jealously protecting his kingdom against a brother within the family. The entire narrative of Joseph reflects this theme as it was played out by Jesus and His Judaic brothers in the first century a.d. In the course of the development of the enmity of the Jews against Jesus and His disciples, the themes of deception, circumcision, and prostitution were played out against the background of first century Judaism. The Judaic rulers once again acted out the script first written and performed by Jacob’s sons in Genesis chapter 34.

Jeremiah continues his prophetic word concerning Rachel,

Thus saith the Lord [Yahweh]; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded . . . and they shall come again from the land of the enemy. And there is hope in thine end, . . . thy children shall come again to their own border. I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus; Thou hast chastised me, . . . as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke: turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the Lord [Yahweh] my God [Elohim]. (Jeremiah 31:16-18 KJV)

This is metaphoric language. It must be understood metaphorically, not literally. When Paul comes to Corinth, he is resisted by the Jews in the synagogue. He declares he will go to the nations. That night, in a vision, Christ tells him, “Fear not! but be speaking; and you should not be silent . . . because there are many people of Mine in this city” (Acts 18:9-10 CV).

The people referred to are not Jews but Gentiles. These are the children Rachel has been weeping over. Their hearts have been prepared by Yahweh their Elohim in the course of their captivity, their bondage, their exclusion from the covenant blessings. In their response to the Gospel of Christ, they metaphorically return to their own border. These people belong to Yahweh. He has not forgotten them, though He cut them off from His presence for a time. “Is Ephraim my dear son? is he a pleasant child? for since I spake against him, I do earnestly remember him still: therefore . . . I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the Lord [Yahweh] (Jer. 31:20 KJV).

In the same context, Yahweh declares, “Behold, the days come, . . . that I will sow the house of Israel [Ephraim] and the house of Judah with the seed of man, and with the seed of beast” (Jer. 31:27 KJV). He will bless both houses with an increase in the number of people and an increase in spiritual blessing, wealth. He goes on to declare that as He has plucked them up and broken them down in order to afflict them, so He will build them up; He will plant them for their growth once again (Jer. 31:28). He then proclaims, “Behold, the days come, . . . that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel , and with the house of Judah (Jer. 31:31 KJV). The writer of the Book of Hebrews, referring to the better covenant mediated by Christ, quotes this passage. For this writer, Jer. 31:31-34 is fulfilled by the New Covenant established by Jesus the Christ. The writers of the Greek Scriptures, therefore, believed they were living in the latter days of the Mosaic Eon (age). They were experiencing the time of Jacob’s trouble. They believed Yahweh would deliver them through this trouble to the reward promised to the ones faithful to the end.

Daniel’s prophecy testifies to the correctness of the writers of the Greek Scriptures. He writes that Israel will be delivered. But he qualifies Israel by adding “everyone found written in the book” (Dan. 12:1b KJV). This means the one faithful to the end. This same terminology is used by the writer of the Book of Revelation:

The one who is conquering, . . . under no circumstances will I be erasing his name from the scroll of life, . . . (Revelation 3:5 CV)

And all who are dwelling on the earth will be worshiping it [the wild beast], everyone whose name is not written in the scroll of life of the Lambkin slain from the disruption of the world. (Revelation 13:8 CV)

Daniel’s “time of trouble” (Dan. 12:1 KJV), “era of distress,” (CV) refers to the time of John the Baptist and Jesus of Nazareth. The latter days had arrived. The anti-type of Joseph stood in the midst of his brothers and spoke words of truth from His Father ( Yahweh, Israel ’s Elohim). These words made his brothers jealous. This Jesus of Nazareth claimed a relation to Yahweh which exalted Him over His brothers. To His brothers, this was unjustified pride and arrogance. They had to oppose Him. They had to(Page 111) remove Him from their midst. Thus, they deceptively plotted to have Him killed—Cain against Abel, Ishmael against Isaac, the sons of Jacob against Joseph, the Jewish rulers against Jesus.

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The Interpretation of Daniel by Jesus

This understanding of Daniel’s conception of “a time of trouble” is the interpretation given it by Jesus Himself. Matthew, chapter 24, opens with the disciples observing the glory of the Temple buildings. Jesus responds that these buildings will be demolished. The Temple would be destroyed. He does not indicate it will be rebuilt in a near or distant future. His disciples, grasping the implication, ask him, “when will these things be? And what is the sign of Thy presence [parousia] and of the conclusion [suntelias, not telos] of the eon ?” (Matt. 24:3 CV). The disciples immediately perceive the implication of the words of Jesus concerning the Temple. They understand Him to mean this destruction would occur during their lifetime. Thus, they do not ask Him concerning the end (telos) of the eon, but rather the conclusion (sunteleas) of the eon. The conclusion would be a period of time within which certain events would take place contributing to the arrival of the final end (telos, consummation). The telos or consummation would be the destruction of the Temple.

Jesus proceeds to answer their questions by describing certain events that must occur before the consummation arrives. The information He gives them is for their benefit. The events He describes they will experience. He warns them to take heed because these events will take place in the near future, their future, “Beware that no one should be deceiving YOU” (Matt. 24:4 CV my emphasis).

In the midst of this discourse, He declares, “Whenever, then, YOU may be perceiving the abomination of desolation, which is declared through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let him who is reading apprehend!); then let those in Judea flee into the mountains” (Matt. 24:15-16 CV my emphasis). Jesus informs His disciples they would be perceiving “the abomination of desolation” of which Daniel the prophet wrote. Daniel wrote of this “abomination” in the same chapter which began with a reference to “a time of trouble” (Dan. 12:1 CV). That chapter is the last chapter of his book. In that chapter, Daniel is told, “stop up the words and seal the scroll till the era of the end, . . .” (Dan. 12:4 CV). Jesus interprets Daniel’s prophecy as occurring in His generation. His disciples will perceive this “abomination.” He and they live in “the era of the end,” “the time of Jacob’s trouble,” the end of the Mosaic Eon , the time of the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, the end of the Mosaic Covenant, and the beginning of the New Covenant spoken of by Jeremiah.

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The Resurrection Prophesied by Daniel

Daniel’s prophecy concerning this time of trouble during the era of the end also foretold of a resurrection: “From those sleeping in the soil of the ground many shall awake, these to eonian life and these to reproach for eonian repulsion” (Dan. 12:2 CV). This resurrection is not a biological resurrection of the body out from the ground or up from the grave. It is a metaphorical resurrection referring to the restoration of covenantal life.

Many in Israel were to be restored to the life of the Mosaic Covenant. They would be restored to a proper relationship before Yahweh their Elohim in accord with the stipulations of the Mosaic Covenant. Yahweh would once again walk in the midst of them.

This resurrection restored their standing under the obligations and blessings of the Mosaic Covenant. They were graciously given a clean slate and a new start. But this meant they would be required to keep the Law. If they did so, they experienced the continued covenantal life of the Mosaic Covenant. If they did not keep the Law, they experienced the reproach of covenantal repulsion or covenantal death. Thus, this resurrection restored them to a justified, a righteous, a legal standing in the presence of the light of the Law.

This prophecy of Daniel corresponds to the teaching of Jesus before His death and resurrection. When Jesus begins His ministry, He proclaims the Gospel of the Kingdom of the Heavens. This Gospel calls for repentance. It is first proclaimed by John the Baptist who is authorized by Yahweh to forgive sins and restore covenantal relationship on the basis of repentance and obedience to the Law of Moses. John the Baptist is murdered and thus rejected by the rulers of Israel .

Jesus then continues that ministry. He is authorized by Yahweh His Father to forgive sins; restore covenantal relationship (life); and perform signs and miracles calling for repentance, obedience to the Law of Moses, and faith commitment to Him (Jesus). The last requirement would be vital because of the (Page 112)impending death of the Mosaic Covenant. An enormous change is on the horizon. The Mosaic Covenant would soon be unable to provide covenantal life. Thus, it would become vital to be identified with Jesus.

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Jesus and the Resurrection Prophesied by Daniel

The foregoing is the background upon which the teaching of Jesus in John 5:21-29 is highlighted. Jesus once again is expounding a prophecy of Daniel. He begins by declaring, “For even as the Father is rousing the dead and vivifying, thus the Son also is vivifying whom He will” (Jn. 5:21 CV). The “Father” refers to Yahweh Elohim. At Sinai, Yahweh breathed into the nostrils of Israel the breath of life and Israel became a living man, a living nation before Yahweh. In the current situation, Yahweh is rousing the dead and vivifying. This He is doing through John the Baptist. The Baptist rouses the covenantally dead members of the covenanted nation, restoring them to a righteous covenantal relationship with Yahweh whereby they once again have access to the light and life of the Mosaic Law. Thus, through John the Baptist, Yahweh is rousing the dead and vivifying them.

But Jesus claims that He also is vivifying even as the Father. Notice the use of the present tense verbs. Rousing and vivifying are presently going on. The rousing and vivifying referred to in John 5:21 is metaphorical language communicating truth concerning covenantal life and death.

The Father, Yahweh, has given all judging to the Son, Jesus, in order that “all may be honouring the Son, according as they are honoring the Father. He who is not honoring the Son is not honoring the Father Who sends Him” (Jn. 5:23 CV). Is it any wonder that the Jewish leaders would be offended by such a person making such claims?! Is this not Joseph declaring his dream to his parents and brothers, a dream exalting him above all of them?! Is this not the exceedingly hot anger of Simeon and Levi against Shechem for defiling the holy daughter of Jacob, the favored of Yahweh Elohim?!

The rulers of Israel interpret the words of Jesus to be a defilement of the holy nation and a dishonor to its legally authorized rulers. Jesus is prostituting the holy nation of Yahweh, and they are determined to deceptively plot His destruction, “Why are you seeking to kill me? . . . Who is seeking to kill you?” (Jn. 7:19b-20 CV). The only theme missing here from the deceptive scheme of Simeon and Levi in Genesis, chapter 34, is that of circumcision. But circumcision as part of a deceptive plot to destroy the Christ will be added after His death and resurrection when pseudo-messianic Jews attempt to abort the Gospel of Christ by requiring believing Gentiles to be circumcised in order to participate in the salvation of the Jews and enter into the restored Kingdom of David.

Jesus continues His teaching using the present tense: “he who is hearing my word and believing Him Who sends Me, has life eonian and is not coming into judging, but has proceeded out of death into life” (Jn. 5:24b CV). Those presently hearing and believing His word as coming from Yahweh are said to presently have eonian life, that is, age-abiding life. Jesus here refers to the Mosaic Eon and the life provided by the Mosaic Covenant. Only Israel had access to this covenantal life. And such access is contingent on obedience.

But the nation had failed to keep the Law and, at the time of John the Baptist and Jesus, is sitting in the shadow of death and darkness (see Matt. 4:16). Repentance and renewed commitment to the Mosaic Law rouses the believer of the Gospel out of covenantal death and vivifies the believer with the light of life channeled through the Law. Jesus is thus restoring Israelites to the life of the Mosaic Covenant, making them once again members in good standing.

But the Mosaic Law is terrestrial and temporal. It is without power or authority to redeem from physical death, the common death of all humanity (Num. 16:29). It could not provide the celestial hope and reward. It could not provide the life and immortality of the New Covenant and the age to come (cf. 1 Cor. 15:53-54; 1 Tim. 6:16). The Mosaic Covenant was old, decrepit, and terrestrial. It was about to die. It was necessary that it die. For out of its death would come the life of the prophesied New Covenant, the life of the age to come, life in the Celestial Jerusalem.

Jesus then elaborates further on this present life:“coming is an hour, and now is, when the dead shall be hearing the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will be living” (Jn. 5:25b CV). This is commentary on what was said in verse 24. The dead are Israelites. Their death is covenantal death. The Son is presently speaking and those presently hearing, believing, obeying shall be living upon such hearing. They shall be living once again covenantally. To be restored to a righteous relationship to the Mosaic Covenant meant to be righteously related to their covenant God, Yahweh their Elohim, and that meant life in the covenantal presence of Yahweh.

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But surprisingly Jesus reveals the necessity of another resurrection: “for coming is the hour in which all who are in the tombs shall hear His voice, and those who do good things shall go out into a resurrection of life, yet those who commit bad things, into a resurrection of judging” (Jn. 5:28b-29 CV modified). This is the resurrection of Daniel’s prophecy (Dan. 12:2). This resurrection had not yet occurred. Its hour is still to come. Those hearing His voice are “in the tombs,” that is, they are buried. But this burial is not literal, but metaphorical. The ones in the tombs are those who remain faithful to Jesus by continuing to identify with Him even in His death. Thus, this resurrection is associated with the death and burial of Jesus (see Rom. 6:1-11). It was on its way, but had not yet arrived. It would establish the New Covenant and the life of the New Covenant. All those hearing His voice could only hear that voice if they remained faithful to Him by sharing in His death and burial. That death and burial would be the death and burial of the old Mosaic Covenant. From this time on, the Mosaic Covenant could not provide covenantal life. It could only administer covenantal death. Only in Christ could one experience the death and burial of Christ. Only in Christ’s entombment could they hear His voice and rise with Him in the likeness of His resurrection to walk in newness of life. This required faith in Christ’s death and resurrection. It required commitment to Christ after the humiliation of the cross. It required faith in the cross as the wisdom of Yahweh Elohim.

This resurrection could not occur until after His crucifixion death, burial, and resurrection. It would also be a covenantal resurrection providing covenantal life, the life of the New Covenant, spiritual life, celestial life reaching its consummation, its telos in the victory over the common death of all humanity at the consummation of the Parousia of Christ. This life, for the faithful ones, would lead to immortality at the consummation of the Mosaic Eon . After the Mosaic Eon, biological death for the rest of humanity would no longer be the last word. For after such death, there would be another verdict of God in relation to all humanity, justification of life—immortal life.

All the faithful ones sharing in the resurrection occurring after the death and resurrection of Jesus share in the life of the New Covenant. According to John 5:29, those sharing in this New Covenant resurrection who “do good things shall go out into a resurrection of life, yet those who commit bad things, into a resurrection of judging” (CV modified). This is Jesus’ commentary on the resurrection of Daniel 12:2: “these to eonian life and these to reproach for eonian repulsion” (CV). Each group shares in a resurrection. The outcome of this resurrection, however, varies according to faithfulness or unfaithfulness to the requirements of the New Covenant.

Paul explains this as being baptized into Christ’s death. All those in Christ by faith have been planted together into Christ’s death in order that they might also participate in the likeness of His resurrection. This is metaphorical language. No one was literally baptized into Christ’s death. This has to do with covenantal identification.

The one identified with Christ in His death is also identified with Christ in His resurrection. To be planted together into Christ’s death is to share in His death to the old covenant. To remain in Christ means sharing in the likeness of His resurrection in order to walk in newness of life. What life? The life of the New Covenant empowered by the poured out spirit of God. The Mosaic Covenant, after the death and resurrection of Jesus, could not administer or impart covenantal life. It could only administer or impart covenantal death. This is referred to in the Greek Scriptures as the Second Death. Only in Christ could one escape the harm of the Second Death. Paul writes,

Thus you also, be reckoning yourselves to be dead, indeed to Sin, yet living to God in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Let not Sin, then, be reigning in your mortal body for you to be obeying its lusts. . . . but present yourselves to God as if alive from among the dead, . . . For Sin shall not be lording it over you, for you are not under law, but under grace. (Romans 6:11-14 CV)

This “reckoning” or accounting distinguishes those having a resurrection of life from those having a resurrection of judging. Both groups are baptized into Christ’s Death. Both groups initially participate in His Resurrection. Only those who continue faithful to the end, however, attain to the resurrection of life, the out-resurrection (Phil. 3:11 CV, NGEINT), the consummation of the Resurrection of the Christ. Those failing to remain faithful to the end attain to the resurrection of judgment, the covenantal judgment of the Second Death. The one faithful to the end will be continually to the end accounting himself dead with Christ to the Mosaic Covenant and will be continually to the end accounting himself alive with Christ to the New Covenant. Thus, he will be sharing in the likeness of Christ’s resurrection (standing up) in order that he might with this newness of life be continually to the end walking as covenantally alive to God.

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The only way sin can be reigning is if one is under law. For where there is law there is a counting up of sins. But in Christ, the faithful one is dead to the Law of Moses. If dead, then he is no longer under the law. If no longer under the law, then sin cannot be counted up and, so, cannot reign. Thus, life and service before God is only possible in Christ in association with the New Covenant. For if one is to account the law as a ministry of life before God, one then returns to the Mosaic Covenant, is under the reign of sin, and is under the curse of the law which is the Second Death.

When one is alive from among the dead, one is delivered from among the dead-ones under the curse of the law. Again, this is metaphorical language referring to covenantal death and life. Jesus was the seed representing the Mosaic Covenant. Unless the seed was planted and died, it would not bring forth new life. The Mosaic Covenant was a seed, a system, an order, which had to be planted in order for it to die and bring forth fruit. Jesus had to be planted into the ground of death in order to fulfill the Law and the Prophets. He had to bring the Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant of Law to its death in order to bring forth out of the old covenant’s death (the curse of the Law) the life of the New Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant (Jn. 12:24).

In order to experience the life of the New Covenant, the faithful one had to metaphorically experience the death of the old covenant. Thus, the faithful one given the life of the Mosaic Covenant by the Baptist and Jesus had to continue his identification with Jesus by becoming entombed with Him. Being entombed with Christ, he died with Christ to the Mosaic Covenant and rose with Christ to the life of the New Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant, “We, then, were entombed together with Him through baptism into death, that, even as Christ was roused from among the dead through the glory of the Father, thus we also should be walking in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4 CV). In order to escape the Second Death, one had to remain in Christ walking in the newness of life imparted by the New Covenant, even as Enoch, Noah, and Abraham walked before Yahweh flawlessly, that is, faithfully to the end. This, each individual in Christ “should” be doing. This demanded an act of the will to live, to walk faithfully in accordance with the requirements of the New Covenant. Thus, Paul declares,

And am even I having confidence in flesh [old covenant], also? If anyone is presuming to have confidence in flesh, I rather: in circumcision the eighth day, of the race of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews, in relation to law, a Pharisee, in relation to zeal, persecuting the ecclesia, in relation to the righteousness which is in law, becoming blameless. But things which were gain to me, these I have deemed a forfeit because of Christ. But, to be sure, I am also deeming all to be a forfeit because of the superiority of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord, because of Whom I forfeited all [these things], and am deeming them to be refuse, in order that I should be gaining Christ, and may be found in Him, not having my righteousness, which is of law, but that which is through the faithfulness of Christ, the righteousness which is from God upon this faithfulness: to know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, conforming to His death, if somehow I should be attaining to the out-resurrection that is out from among the dead. (Philippians 3:4-11 CV modified)

Paul counted the advantages of the old covenant as “refuse” in order to be found in Christ. In Christ was the life and righteousness of the New Covenant. In Christ was the fulfillment of the promises made in the Law and the Prophets. But Paul understood he had to pursue this prize (Phil. 3:14) by continuing faithfully to the end, which end was near at hand. He sought to attain to the “out-resurrection,” the out-up-standing out from among the dead. The out-resurrection was the resurrection to life promised to all those who remained faithful to the end, to those walking flawlessly before Yahweh Elohim in accord with the New Covenant life and righteousness based upon the faithfulness of Christ. Paul did not desire to attain to the resurrection of judging (Jn. 5:29), which meant a return to the confidence in the flesh, a return to the Mosaic Covenant for righteousness and life.

To return to the Mosaic Covenant for life and righteousness is to apostatize from Christ, “crucifying . . . the Son of God again and holding Him up to infamy” (Heb. 6:6b CV). Those who abandon the life and righteousness of the New Covenant no longer believe in the impending eon , the impending hope, the impending Parousia of Christ. They declare, “Where is the promise of His presence [parousia]?” (2 Pe. 3:4a CV). These are the ones who tasting “the celestial gratuity . . . becoming partakers of holy spirit and tasting . . . the powerful deeds of the impending eon, and falling aside” (Heb. 6:4b-6 CV) cannot be renewed to repentance because, having crucified the Son of God again, they cut themselves off from the only hope for life and righteousness, Christ Jesus. Such a person is no longer found in Christ in His death and resurrection. He comes to be found outside Christ and inside the Mosaic Covenant, which at that time becomes a ministry of death. Such a person is analogous to land “bringing forth thorns and star thistles, it is disqualified and near a curse, whose consummation is burning” (Heb. 6:8b CV).

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“Burning” refers metaphorically to the termination, death of the Mosaic Covenant and literally to the blazing destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem which occurred in 70 a.d. Peter writes of the arriving of this judgment and its significance for those in Christ:

Now the day of the Lord will be arriving as a thief, in which the heavens shall be passing by with a booming noise, yet the elements shall be dissolved by combustion, and the earth [land] and the works in it shall be found. At these all, then, dissolving, to what manner of men must you belong in holy behavior and devoutness, hoping for and hurrying the presence [parousia] of God’s day, because of which the heavens being on fire, will be dissolved, and the elements decompose by combustion! Yet we, according to His promises, are hoping for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness is dwelling. (2 Peter 3:10-13 CV)

Peter is not forecasting the literal destruction by fire of the heavens and the earth. He had been taught by Jesus that the Temple would be destroyed. He was told that this would happen during that same generation. He was told to heed the specific signs that would occur just prior to this destruction of the Temple and the consummation of the Mosaic Eon .

Such a judgment by Yahweh had been referred to by the prophets of the Hebrew Scriptures as The Day of The Lord. Yahweh was about to judge Israel . John the Baptist had declared, “Yet already the axe is lying at the root of the trees” (Matt. 3:10a CV). He addressed the Pharisees and Sadducees, “Progeny of vipers! Who intimates to you to be fleeing from the impending indignation?” (Matt. 3:7b CV). This indignation, judgment, destruction was impending. It was near! It was certain. Escape from this judgment was being provided. But the judgment was inevitable. The Mosaic Eon was in its last days, its last generation.

Peter warns his readers that the day of the Lord will be arriving as a thief. This analogy is the very analogy used by Jesus to describe the coming of the Son of Man: “if the householder were aware in what watch the thief is coming, he would watch, and would not let his house be tunneled into. Therefore you also become ready, for in an hour which you are not supposing, the Son of Man is coming” (Matt. 24:43-44 CV).

The heavens passing by with a booming noise (2 Pe. 3:10, quoted above) refers to the destruction of the Temple. Metaphorically, Yahweh’s Temple is the place of His throne, and that throne is metaphorically in the heavens. The Mosaic Covenant created a new heavens and a new earth in which Israel was metaphorically/covenantally drawn near to Yahweh in the heavens, being given a place of superiority over the nations metaphorically/non-covenantally placed on the earth.

With the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem in 70 a.d., the elements of Mosaic worship were dissolved by combustion and the Land of Promise with its works of the law was no longer to be covenantally found. Yahweh had terminated, put to death the Mosaic Covenant, ending the Mosaic Eon with its characteristic heavens and earth.

In place of this covenant, this age, this heavens and earth, Yahweh established a new heavens and a new earth, in which there was no difference between Israel and the nations. The ancient world of the gods was ended. Yahweh Elohim was now the God of all nations, all peoples, all families, all humanity (Dan. 7:14). Adam was no longer covenantally the head of the race. Eve was no longer covenantally the mother of all living.

Christ was now the head of humanity. His Ecclesia, His Bride, His Body, His Wife, His Complement was now the mother of all living (1 Cor. 15:48-49 CV). A new age began with the destruction of the Temple and the Parousia of Christ. The New Covenant of Christ had been put into effect on behalf of all humanity. Jesus and His Ecclesia rule in the heavens (metaphorically in relation to this terrestrial realm, though literally in the Celestial Realm), directing and guiding the continued generations of mankind toward the goal predetermined by the Creator, Yahweh Elohim. The Kingdom of God had arrived. The Kingdom of the Son would now have no end: “to Him is granted jurisdiction and esteem and a kingdom, and all the peoples and leagues and language-groups shall serve Him; His jurisdiction, as an eonian jurisdiction, will not pass away, and His kingdom shall not be confined. . . . Yet the saints of the supremacies shall receive the kingdom and they will safeguard the kingdom unto the eon, even into the eon of the eons” (Dan. 7:14, 18 CV).

All of this, of course, is to be understood from the point of view of God. Yahweh Elohim views the history of humanity from 70 a.d. to the present as described above. This does not mean, however, that mankind as a whole views things in this manner.

From God’s point of view, Jesus began to reign on the throne of David at His resurrection and ascension. His faithful Israelite kinsmen, the Saints, shared in His sufferings and in His reign (Dan. 7:18) as (Page 116)He metaphorically fought (Rev. 19:11-21) to place His enemies under His feet in the course of establishing His kingdom in order to bring about the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. Having succeeded, He handed this kingdom over to His Father. Thus, the Kingdom of God had come (1 Cor. 15:22-28). The Davidic Kingdom had fulfilled its purpose. The Kingdom of the Father and the Son would have no end (Dan. 7:14). It would continue from one eon to another.

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The Kingdom of Righteousness

In this kingdom, righteousness is currently dwelling (2 Pe. 3:13), the righteousness of Christ based upon His faithfulness. This righteousness is the foundation upon which the new age, the new heavens and earth, the new Jesuic humanity headed up by Christ is functioning, from the viewpoint of Yahweh Elohim. Mankind’s relationship with God has been essentially changed. Its history has been in the process of metamorphosis. It is not the characteristic of this kingdom that all men are righteous. It is Christ’s righteousness that characterizes this kingdom, and it is His righteousness that dwells within it as the spiritual dynamic guiding its metamorphosis.

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Joseph

The time of Jacob’s trouble in the Book of Genesis, however, had not yet reached its consummation. Jacob’s trouble increases as a result of the enmity between Joseph and his older brothers. Genesis chapter 37 begins the tenth and final “generation” in the Book of the Generations of Adam begun in Genesis 5:1. This section brings the Book of Genesis to its consummation, as well as consummating Jacob’s trouble during his lifetime. His troubled soul is relieved in finding comfort serendipitously in Yahweh’s awe-inspiring blessing—the metaphorical resurrection of his son Joseph.

Chapter 37 begins the record of the generations of Jacob. This record focuses on Joseph (Jacob’s firstborn son generated out of Rachel) in his relation to his family, especially his brothers. Joseph becomes the favored son of Jacob. This honor becomes externalized when Jacob provides Joseph a distinctive tunic. Joseph is depicted as being upright, honest, and faithful. As a boy of 17, he faithfully and righteously reports to his father the “evil mutterings” of his brothers Dan and Naphtali (of Rachel’s maid Bilhah) and Gad and Asher (of Leah’s maid Zilpah). Such divisiveness could imperil the security and welfare of the family.

As a result of Joseph’s favored position and righteous character, his brothers begin hating him. Once again, the reader is reminded of the theme of Cain and Abel. As the unrighteous Cain hates his righteous brother Abel, so also do the unrighteous brothers hate the righteous Joseph. As Cain’s heart toward his brother nurtures evil, so also the hearts of Joseph’s brothers nurture evil toward their brother. After Joseph announces his two dreams to his brothers, this hatred becomes manifested in jealousy: “And jealous are his brothers of him, . . .” (Gen. 37:11 CV). Hatred and jealousy toward Joseph result in a plot to kill him.

Though Joseph is not to channel the ongoing line of the seed of Promise, his story is significant because it reveals the faithfulness of Yahweh in spite of the unfaithfulness of His elect people. The reader becomes aware of the evil thoughts and actions of Jacob’s sons, whose evil hearts lead them into deceptive schemes which dishonor their father and their Elohim. They weave a deceptive web of lies in which they themselves will be caught.

This becomes a warning to Israel encamped in Moab , preparing to enter the Promised Land under the leadership of Joshua. Israel is to be as Abel, as Joseph—upright before Yahweh Elohim. Jacob/Israel is not to nurture evil in his heart. He is to trust in Yahweh his Elohim Who has promised to be with him as he came to be with Joseph. The people of Israel are thus warned against hatred and jealousy of Yahweh’s favored ones among themselves. To weave the web of hatred and jealousy is to be ensnared by the very snare designed to entrap the object of one’s hatred and jealousy. However, as in the account of Joseph and his brothers, Yahweh’s purpose will be accomplished through both Jacob’s unfaithfulness and Israel ’s faithfulness.

Joseph is not to channel the ongoing line of the seed of Promise; Judah is to channel that line. However, Judah is shown to be weak. He is not depicted as upright before Yahweh. He, also, is a deceiver. He fails to honor his word and, in the process, jeopardizes the purity of the royal line.

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The Significance of Judah and Tamar

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This is the significance of the episode of Judah and Tamar, placed in the text precisely after the successful scheme against Joseph. Judah has participated in this evil scheme. He continues his evil activity by taking to wife a daughter of the Canaanites. She bears him three sons: Er, Onan, and Shelah.

Judah , later, takes a wife for Er, his firstborn. He chooses Tamar, apparently not a daughter of the Canaanites, since the writer does not indicate this of her, though he had made it clear concerning the wife of Judah . It seems Judah came to understand the evil of his choice of a Canaanite bride.

Er, however, is “evil in the eyes of Yahweh” (Gen. 38:7 CV). Yahweh puts him to death. Onan, acting unrighteously, does evil in the eyes of Yahweh in his scheme to avoid raising seed for his brother, Er. He, also, is put to death by Yahweh. This put the seed of Judah in jeopardy. He has but one son remaining. He is too young for marriage. But Judah promises Tamar she will be married to him as soon as he comes of age. This promise, however, he fails to honor. Tamar, playing the harlot, lures Judah to her bed and conceives twin sons by him, Perez and Zerah. Thus, the lineage of Judah is not through a daughter of Canaan. Judah ’s son by Tamar, Perez, continues the royal line. The evil of Judah is averted by Yahweh through the righteousness of Tamar.

However, though Judah would continue the royal line through Perez, through David, to Jesus the Christ, Joseph is to be the type of the coming Son of Man, Son of Adam, Son of God. Through Judah would come the Son of David to sit on David’s throne. But Joseph is to be the type of the Son of Man to sit on the throne of His father Adam, His Father Yahweh Elohim. Thus, the ultimate significance of Joseph goes beyond what Israel could have understood when first hearing this text read aloud.

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Joseph as Type of Jesus

The story of Joseph foreshadows the One sent before Israel to prepare and administer Jacob/Israel’s salvation in the midst of a time of great trouble. This One sent before Yahweh is also to be the salvation of the nations. He shall be raised to the right hand of the Father to administer life to the nations and the human race in the Kingdom of His Father. As Joseph is to rule all Egypt as the regent of Pharaoh, so also Jesus is to rule as the regent of Yahweh Elohim, His Father. Therefore, the story of Joseph foreshadows and is the ultimate type of the story of Jesus.

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Joseph’s First Dream

In the first dream of Joseph (Gen. 37:5-7), he and his brothers are binding sheaves in the field. Joseph’s sheaf stands upright. In response, the sheaves of his brothers prostrate themselves before Joseph’s sheaf. Immediately, the brothers grasp the significance of the dream. They declare, “Shalt thou indeed reign over us?” (Gen. 37:8a KJV). This dream increases their hatred of Joseph. But this hatred is now extended to his very words: “And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words” (Gen. 37:8b KJV). For Joseph’s words are upright and true. His words reflect his integrity, his flawlessness.

It is interesting to note that in the account of Joseph’s life, the author records not a single blemish on his character. There is recorded not a single error in his thought, his judgment, or his behavior. This is not the case with Noah, Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob. His account of Joseph is by far the lengthiest section of the Book of Genesis. Judah, through whom the royal seed is to come, is given only one chapter, and that chapter is provided to indicate the evil tendencies of the sons of Jacob and the necessity for the one sent ahead. The people of Yahweh will need to be enslaved and humiliated in order to separate them psychologically, religiously, socially, and economically from the nations. They will go through metaphorical death in Egypt before being roused and resurrected metaphorically in accord with the prophetic words of Yahweh to Abram in Gen. 15:13-16.

Joseph is the one sent ahead in order that Yahweh might use the evil of Joseph’s brothers to bring about good. Out of their evil, Yahweh will create good. Thus, Joseph’s enemies are the members of his own family. This is precisely the case with Jesus of Nazareth. Joseph’s brothers hate him out of jealousy due to his father’s favor. They hate him not only because their father exalts him, but because he also exalts himself by the arrogant proclamation of his dreams. They are not concerned with truth, nor are they concerned with the purpose of Yahweh. They judge Joseph by means of their understanding of good and evil. They do what is good in their own eyes rather than investigate what is good in the eyes of Yahweh. They act selfishly in accord with the flesh and reveal themselves as the blind leading the blind.

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When Jesus presents Himself to Israel , He proclaims the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. He claims to have authority to forgive sins. He teaches with authority and is judged by Israel ’s rulers as arrogant and proud. They are offended by Jesus’ words, even as Joseph’s brothers hate him because of his words. Jesus proclaims that His Father has sent Him and given Him the words to speak. He claims to perform miracles by the power of Yahweh His Father. Israel ’s rulers interpret this as blasphemy. They judge Him as one dangerous to the welfare of the nation. They thus scheme to put Him to death. The enemies of Jesus are not the Romans, not the nations, but His own brothers within the household of Israel .

However, unlike Joseph, Jesus understood He was the One sent ahead to turn His brethren’s evil into good, to turn their slavery into freedom. He knew their hearts and was aware of their blindness. He knew they would deliver Him up to death. But He also knew that through this death He would deliver them out of bondage. He would restore their sight. He would preserve the nation and provide the nation with the salvation and sustenance promised in the Law and the Prophets. He would overcome their jealousy with the revelation of His love which was a gift of Yahweh their Elohim. What they meant for evil, Yahweh used for good.

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Joseph’s Second Dream

Joseph’s second dream is told to his father and his brothers (Gen. 37:9-11). In this dream, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars are prostrating themselves before Joseph. Jacob rebukes Joseph, immediately understanding the significance of this dream. His father and mother and eleven brothers would bow down in subjection to his rule. His brothers, once again, respond with jealousy. But, unlike his brothers who take offense at his words, Jacob his father “keeps the word” (Gen. 37:11 CV). Jacob ponders Joseph’s word in his heart. He is not offended, just surprised and perplexed concerning its meaning.

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The Rejection of Joseph: The Evil Scheme

When Jacob sends Joseph to join his brothers who are grazing the flocks, they seize the opportunity to plot his death. Reuben seeks to deliver Joseph from his brothers by persuading them not to shed his blood. He persuades them to place Joseph in a cistern to be left to die. His plan was to deliver Joseph from the cistern and return him to his father. But Judah , upon the arrival of a caravan of Ishmaelites, persuades the brothers, in the absence of Reuben, to sell Joseph to the Midianites. This accomplished, Reuben returns to the cistern and finds Joseph gone. After learning that Joseph was sold to the Ishmaelites, even Reuben is drawn into the plot to deceive Jacob into believing Joseph was devoured by an evil animal. Thus, the brothers lie to Jacob concerning Joseph. Their deceptive lie causes Jacob to mourn many days over Joseph’s death. Once again, his sons bring upon Jacob unnecessary trouble, a time of trouble not to be relieved until Jacob reached the age of 130 years (Gen. 47:9).

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The Faithfulness of Joseph: The Suffering of Evil

Joseph is then sold into Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh. The author states, “And coming is Yahweh to be with Joseph” (Gen. 39:2a CV). As a result of Yahweh’s presence on behalf of Joseph, “becoming is he a prosperous man” (Gen. 39:2b CV). Potiphar recognizes that Yahweh is prospering Joseph. He appoints him supervisor over his household. As a result, his household is blessed by Yahweh due to Joseph’s presence. In this the reader is reminded of Yahweh’s promise to Abram. All who bless Abram will be blessed by Yahweh, and all who mistreat Abram will be cursed by Yahweh. This now applies to Joseph, the favored one of Yahweh.

It is while in Potiphar’s service that Joseph is tempted by Potiphar’s wife to enter into an illicit relationship with her. He refuses, saying, “Behold! My lord knows naught of me in the house [with me around, my lord does not concern himself with anything in the house, NASB modified], and all, forsooth, that is his he gives into my hand. No one is greater in this house than I, and he has not kept back aught from me save you, in that you are his wife. And how shall I do this great evil and sin against Elohim?” (Gen. 39:8b-9 CV). Joseph refuses to sin against Potiphar or Elohim. He is a righteous man, a man of integrity, a man who honors and obeys Yahweh Elohim’s revealed will as passed down from Adam. He is a faithful servant to his terrestrial master and his Celestial Master. He is then accused by Potiphar’s wife of attempting to seduce her and is imprisoned as a result. By refusing to come under the seductive power of Potiphar’s wife, he is accused and prosecuted for attempting fornication with the wife of Potiphar.

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Joseph, under relentless temptation, is shown to be without blemish. This episode foreshadows the temptation of Jesus by The Adversary, who desires that Jesus fall down and worship him. Jesus replies, “Go away, Satan, for it is written, ‘The Lord your God shall you be worshiping, And to Him only shall you be offering divine service’” (Matt. 4:10 CV). As a result, like Joseph, Jesus is eventually accused of and prosecuted for worshiping The Adversary. He is said to be a blasphemer of the God of Israel and worker of powerful deeds through the power of Satan. Again, it should be noted that the enemy of Joseph and Jesus is to be found within, not outside, the household. Joseph is accused of and prosecuted for being a seducer by the very seductress herself. Jesus is accused of and prosecuted for being the servant of The Adversary by the very children of The Adversary himself. In both cases, the innocent person becomes the victim of a lie. Potiphar’s wife is well aware of the innocence of Joseph. The rulers of Israel are well aware of the innocence of Jesus. Potiphar’s wife deceives her husband. The rulers of Israel attempt to deceive Rome and the people of Israel . Their deception fails, but the lie of their political manipulation succeeds.

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The Dreams of Two Servants of Pharaoh

However, even this injustice is turned to Joseph’s advantage. Yahweh continues to be with Joseph, even in prison. The chief officer of the prison shows Joseph much kindness and in the process begins to favor him. Eventually, Joseph is put in charge of all the prisoners. In all his endeavors, Joseph is prospered by Yahweh. In the course of time, two servants of Pharaoh are cast into prison. Each has a dream which Joseph is able to interpret: “Do not interpretations belong to Elohim?” (Gen. 40:8b CV). Yahweh reveals to Joseph the meaning of the dreams of each of these men. The cupbearer’s dream reveals he will be restored to his position in three days. The chief baker’s dream reveals he will be hung in three days. Joseph asks the chief cupbearer to remember him before Pharaoh after he is restored to his position. Both interpretations prove correct. But the chief cupbearer forgets to remember Joseph.

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The Dreams of Pharaoh

Two years later, to the day, Pharaoh has two dreams. All the sacred scribes and wise men of Egypt are called before Pharaoh in order to interpret the dreams. None of them is able to interpret the dreams. However, the cupbearer on that very day remembers Joseph. How precise is Yahweh’s timing. The cupbearer forgets Joseph until the very appropriate moment when his remembrance of Joseph will do the most good. Joseph is immediately summoned before Pharaoh. Joseph declares, “Apart from Elohim there is no answer for the welfare of Pharaoh” (Gen. 41:16 CV). Pharaoh relates to Joseph the two dreams. Joseph immediately responds, “The dream of Pharaoh, one is it. What Elohim will be doing He tells to Pharaoh” (Gen. 41:25 CV).

Joseph exalts Elohim as the revealer of dreams and proclaims Elohim’s activity in the world of men. Pharaoh is told that Elohim will be causing seven years of abundance followed by seven years of famine. Joseph recommends that Pharaoh find a man of understanding and wisdom and set him over the land of Egypt. This man will then be given supervision over supervisors who will sequester one fifth of all the produce of the land of Egypt. All such produce will be stored and distributed by supervisors during the seven years of famine. Pharaoh is impressed with this advice and declares, “Find will we one as this man, who has the spirit of Elohim in him?” (Gen. 41:38 CV). Turning to Joseph, he announces,

After Elohim has made known to you all this, there is no one as understanding and wise as you. You shall be over my household, and at your bidding all my people shall bear weapons. But on the throne will I be greater than you. (Genesis 41:39-40 CV)

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The Exaltation of Joseph

Joseph is exalted to the highest position in Egypt under Pharaoh. He is given Pharaoh’s ring, signifying his authority as coming directly from the hand of Pharaoh. He is clothed in royal garments. He rules in the second chariot, preceded only by Pharaoh himself. He is given a royal wife.

All these honors typologically point to the Coming One, the Sent One of Yahweh Elohim, Jesus the Christ, the Son of Man, the Son of God. Joseph’s exaltation by Pharaoh is a picture of Christ’s exaltation by Yahweh after Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. As Joseph was unjustly sold into slavery in Egypt by those of his own Jacobean household, by his own blood brethren, and unjustly (Page 120)imprisoned by those of his own Egyptian household, by the subversive wife of his own fleshly master, so was Jesus unjustly condemned to death by those of His own household.

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Egypt as Symbol

Symbolically, Joseph’s enslavement in Egypt represents his death. Egypt becomes a symbol of the grave, the womb, and the soil. Joseph is separated from the community of covenantal life. His exaltation by Pharaoh represents his resurrection from death, from the grave. He is no longer a slave. He is no longer a prisoner. Symbolically, Joseph’s enslavement in Egypt also represents the womb. Within that womb Yahweh begins to generate new life. Joseph is typologically reborn at his exaltation by Pharaoh. Symbolically, his enslavement in Egypt also represents the soil of the ground. Joseph represents the seed which must die if the seed is to bear fruit. Egypt symbolically comes to represent the soil out of which Yahweh germinates Joseph into a new creation. Joseph becomes typologically a new creation at his exaltation by Pharaoh.

Egypt is symbolically used in these three ways by the writers of the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures. This is directly associated with the experience of Abram in Genesis 15:8-16. Abram, anaesthetized, falls into a deep sleep in which he experiences “The dread of a great darkness . . .” (15:12b). In this state, he is told by Yahweh that his seed will become slaves in a land not their own. In this land they will endure evil and humiliation for 400 years, after which they will be delivered from this alien land and return to tenant the land promised to Abram. This referred to the future bondage in Egypt and contributed to the symbolic usage of Egypt as representative of the grave (death and resurrection), the womb (conception and birth), and the soil (germination and new creation). The last two of these analogies are originally based on Genesis 2:7, the formation of Adam from the soil of the ground. This symbolic usage of Egypt is applied to Israel and to Jesus, even as Jesus will come to represent Israel and the Mosaic Covenant.

As Joseph is exalted by Pharaoh over all Egypt and becomes the one providing sustenance for the nations in a time of great famine, so Jesus is exalted by Yahweh over all the nations and becomes the one providing the necessary sustenance for the nations to pass through the time of great famine represented by the ancient world and the worship of the gods. With the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ, spiritual sustenance is provided to both Israel and the nations. All are invited to partake in the life-preserving sustenance provided by the administration of the man of understanding and wisdom, Jesus the Christ, the Son of Man, the Son of God.

As Joseph’s exaltation by Pharaoh created a new order, a new humanity, a new heavens and earth (metaphorically speaking), so Jesus’ exaltation by Yahweh created a new order, a new hierarchy, a new heavens and earth (metaphorically speaking). As Joseph rules under Pharaoh’s authority, so Jesus rules under Yahweh’s authority. As Joseph replaces the former supervisor under Pharaoh, so Jesus replaces Adam, the former supervisor under Yahweh Elohim.

Finally, as Pharaoh gives Joseph a royal wife, so Yahweh gives Jesus a royal wife—His Ecclesia, His Bride, His Body, His Complement. Jesus speaks of this gift of Yahweh as follows:

All that which the Father is giving to Me shall be arriving to Me, . . . all which He has given to Me, of it I should be losing nothing, but I shall be raising it in the last day. (John 6:37, 39 CV)

Paul refers to this relationship when he declares,

Husbands, be loving your wives according as Christ also loved the ecclesia, and gave Himself up for its sake, that He should be hallowing it, cleansing it . . . presenting to Himself a glorious ecclesia, not having spot or wrinkle . . . that it may be holy and flawless. (Ephesians 5:25-27 CV)

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The Sons of Jacob: First Journey to Egypt During Famine

When the seven years of famine begin, Jacob sends his sons to Egypt to purchase food. Ten sons are sent. Benjamin remains with Jacob. Upon being received by Joseph, each prostrates before him. He recognizes them but does not reveal himself to them. He remembers his dreams. Faithful is Yahweh Elohim. Joseph now determines to discipline his brothers. His forthcoming schemes are for the purpose of corrective chastisement. As they have troubled Jacob’s soul, now their souls will be troubled in order to bring them to an acknowledgment of their evil deed and to repentance. Joseph charges them with espionage. They declare their innocence of this charge. They acknowledge they are twelve brothers, sons of(Page 121) one man. Thus begins the revival of their memories and their conscience. They acknowledge the loss of one brother, repeating the lie that he had died. They also declare the youngest brother is with their father.

This opens an opportunity for Joseph to increase their anxiety even further. He will test their truthfulness. One of the brothers will remain in Egypt while the others return to their people with the purchased food. Upon returning with the youngest brother, the one remaining in Egypt will be set free. This causes the brothers to dwell on their evil deed, “guilty are we on account of our brother when we saw the distress of his soul, when he supplicated us and we did not hearken. Therefore comes on us all this distress” (Gen. 42:21b CV). The text makes it clear that Joseph’s motive is not revenge or hatred. He overhears them speaking of their guilt and departs to weep privately. He loves his brothers and now understands that what they intended for evil Yahweh has intended for good.

Before the nine brothers leave, Joseph instructs his servants to place the purchase price in the bags of food. When one of the brothers discovers this money, they are even more perplexed, not knowing whether to rejoice or to grieve, each man saying to his brother, “What is this that Elohim does to us?” (Gen. 42:28b CV). On the one hand, Elohim seems to be distressing them for their evil deed. Yet, on the other hand, He seems to be blessing them. Such perplexity becomes cause for soul-searching reflection.

Jacob is told of all that happened to them. When each man empties his sack after arriving home each finds his money. With this additional awareness, Jacob and his sons become more fearful. Jacob’s distressed soul reminds them of the trouble they have caused him, “Me you bereave! Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and Benjamin you will take! On me come all these things” (Gen. 42:36 CV).

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The Sons of Jacob: Second Journey to Egypt During Famine

At the end of the second year of the famine, the brothers return to Egypt with Benjamin (Gen. 45:6). Joseph provides a banquet. Each is served abundantly, but Benjamin is served five times as much as the others. When they get ready to leave, Joseph has his servants place a valuable silver cup in the bag of Benjamin. A short way from the city, Joseph’s servants overtake them and discover the silver cup in the bag of Benjamin. They return under guard to the city and Joseph’s residence. Benjamin is to become Joseph’s slave. The plight of Benjamin impels the solemn and momentous confession of Judah :

And now, when I return to your servant, our father, and the youth is not with us, when his soul is tied to his soul, and it comes as he sees that no youth is with us, he will die, and down will your servants bring the gray hairs of your servant, our father, by affliction to the unseen [sheol]. . . . For how shall I go up to my father, and the youth is not with us, lest I shall see the evil which will find my father? (Genesis 44:30-31, 34 CV modified)

Judah reveals a change of heart. Whereas in the past he showed little concern for his father’s distressed soul over Joseph, now he is overwhelmed with the thought of distressing his father’s soul with the loss of Benjamin also. He is prepared to become Joseph’s servant in place of Benjamin. Judah, who light-heartedly offended his father by taking a wife from among the daughters of the Canaanites and hard-heartedly distressed his father’s soul over the deception concerning Joseph’s fabricated death, now manifests a melted heart of sacrificial love on behalf of his father and his brother.

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Joseph’s Manifestation to His Brothers

Joseph’s wise decisions and actions have been used by Yahweh to soften the heart of the brothers (as illustrated in Judah ’s confession) and lead them to repentance. Judah ’s words overwhelm the emotions of Joseph. He excuses his servants and, in their absence, reveals himself to his brothers (Gen. 45:1), his voice quivering with joyous lamentation. He exclaims, “I am Joseph. Still is my father living?!” (Gen. 45:3 CV modified). At this revelation, his brothers are stunned by his presence (his parousia).

Joseph realizes their need for assurance. His manifestation to them causes much perplexity—should they tremble in fear or tremble in joy?! He gently responds to their bewilderment,

Come close, pray, to me. . . . I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold to Egypt . And now, you must not grieve, and it must not be hot in your eyes, that you sold me hither, for to preserve life Elohim sent me before you. For these two years the famine is within the land, and there are still five years in which there is no plowing or harvesting. And sending me is Elohim before you to constitute you a remnant in the earth and to preserve your lives for a great deliverance. And now, not you sent me hither, for it was the Elohim. And constituting me is He a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his household, and ruler in all the land of Egypt. (Genesis 45:4-8 CV)

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Joseph’s Manifestation and Jesus’ Manifestation

This manifestation of Joseph to his brothers and these words of revelation foreshadow the manifestation of Jesus to Saul of Tarsus and the words spoken to Saul:

Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? . . . I am Jesus Whom you are persecuting. Nevertheless, rise and enter the city, and it will be spoken to you what you must be doing. (Acts 9:4-6 CV)

Saul had been persecuting Jesus by persecuting His ecclesia. Saul had been an enemy within Jesus’ own household, as had been and still were the Chief Priest, the Sanhedrin, the Scribes, and the Pharisees—the rulers of Israel. Saul had been blind and ignorant. His heart had been circumcised, but his mind had been blind to the activity of Yahweh in relation to His favored Son, Jesus. Thus, Saul, as son of Jacob, a brother of Joseph, had been thinking and acting as Jacob’s sons of trouble, as Joseph’s brothers in their hatred of and jealousy toward Joseph.

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Saul/Paul as Pattern

Saul is thus to be viewed as a representative of the blind and ignorant Israel of God, enemies of Jesus and Yahweh, enemies of the Gospel of Christ, but soon to be delivered from the then current time of covenantal famine (Mosaic Covenant), time of Jacob’s trouble (persecution of Jesus the Christ, the antitype of Joseph) by Jesus’ revelation of Himself to His brothers (the Israel of Yahweh, the ten brothers) by His Parousia. Paul understands his experience of Christ’s manifestation to him on the road to Damascus as a pattern, a foreshadowing of the ultimate deliverance of the Israel of Yahweh from her hard-heartedness caused by her blindness and ignorance:

Grateful am I to Him Who invigorates me, Christ Jesus, our Lord, for He deems me faithful, assigning me a service, I, who formerly was a calumniator and a persecutor and an outrager: But I was shown mercy, seeing that I did it being ignorant in unbelief. Yet the grace of our Lord overwhelms, . . . that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, foremost of whom am I. But therefore was I shown mercy, that in me, the foremost, Jesus Christ should be displaying all His patience, for a pattern of those who are about to be believing on Him for life eonian. (1 Timothy 1:12-16 CV)

Saul/Paul’s salvation on the road to Damascus is a pattern of the impending salvation of the Israel of Yahweh. He states clearly in Romans 9:6-8 that not all Israel in the flesh are counted by Yahweh as the Israel of God. Only those who walk in the faithfulness of Abraham are Abraham’s children and thus sons of Yahweh, the Israel of Yahweh. Saul/Paul was an Israelite. However, he was persecuting Christ. Such persecution did not represent the faithfulness of Abraham. Yet Paul declares that Yahweh considered him faithful! Why? Because he persecuted Christ in blindness and thus in ignorance. In his heart, he was zealous for his God, his people, and his covenant. He persecuted Christ and blasphemed Him, believing Christ to be an enemy of Yahweh, Yahweh’s covenant, and Yahweh’s people.

However, when Yahweh shows Saul/Paul mercy by spiritually opening his eyes on the road to Damascus, immediately he subjects himself to Jesus, Yahweh’s Christ (Messiah). He believes, repenting of his former persecution and now realizing, like the brothers of Joseph, “you devised against me evil, yet Elohim devises it for me for good, . . .” (Gen. 50:20 CV).

This, Paul believes, will also be the experience of other Israelites like himself who were then presently still in blindness and ignorance. Impending is the time when Jesus the Christ will manifest Himself to the remaining Israelites, who, like Saul/Paul, are being counted by Yahweh as children of Abraham, children of the promise. Of these Israelites, Paul declares,

For I am not willing for you to be ignorant of this secret, brethren, lest you may be passing for prudent among yourselves, that callousness, in part, on Israel has come, until the complement of the nations may be entering. And thus all Israel shall be saved, . . . (Romans 11:25-26a CV)

This was to occur in that very generation contemporaneous with Jesus and His Apostles. Thus, according to all the writers of the Greek Scriptures, we today are to understand that the salvation of all Israel has already occurred.

Paul’s phrase “the complement of the nations” refers us back to the story of Joseph in Genesis. In chapter 48, Jacob takes Joseph’s sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, as his own. They will be counted as the seed of Jacob and will receive an allotment in the Land of Promise. In the blessing of Ephraim by Jacob, it is stated that Ephraim’s seed “shall become a fullness of the nations” (Gen. 48:19 CV). Ephraim was to (Page 123)become associated with the Northern Kingdom of Israel which departed from the Southern Kingdom of Judah after the death of Solomon. Ephraim was conquered by the Assyrians in 722 B.C. and was declared by the prophet Hosea as “Lo-Ammi,” not My people (Hos. 1:9). He became scattered among the nations, never returning to his land in Canaan. Thus, Ephraim became “not My people,” cut off from the covenantal presence of Yahweh. He became like the nations. But Jacob’s blessing indicated Ephraim (the Northern Kingdom) would become “a fullness of the nations.” Paul declares the Israel of Yahweh will remain callous “until” the complement or fullness of the nations enters into the Abrahamic blessings.

The word “complement” means to complete. If a pie is divided into four pieces and one is removed, that single piece would be the complement of the three remaining pieces. It would be the piece that completes the whole. When Paul was made an apostle to the nations in order for Yahweh to call out of the nations a people for His name, he understood his commission to be the fulfilling of Genesis 48:19 and Hosea 1:10-11:

Yet the number of the sons of Israel [Ephraim, the Northern Kingdom] shall become as the sand of the sea, Which is not being measured nor numbered. And it comes to be in the place in which it was being said to them, Not My people are you, There shall it be said to them, Sons of the living El. And the sons of Judah [the Southern Kingdom] and the sons of Israel [the Northern Kingdom] shall be convened together. And they shall place one head over them. And they shall go up from the land, for great is the day of Jezreel. (Hosea 1:10-11 CV)

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The Testimony of James

The ministry of Paul to the nations was the gathering of Ephraim, the Northern Kingdom, to be re-united with Judah, the Southern Kingdom, under one head, Jesus the Christ, the son of David. Thus, David’s tabernacle, house, was in the process of being re-built. This was in accord with the judgment of James in Acts chapter 15. He supports his judgment by quoting Amos 9:9-15,

Now after they hushed, James answered, saying, “Men! Brethren! Hear me! Simeon unfolds how God first visits the nations, to obtain out of them a people for His name. And with this agree the words of the prophets, according as it is written,

After these things I will turn back,

“And I will rebuild the tabernacle of David which has fallen . . .

And its overturned structure will I rebuild,

And I will re-erect it . . .

So that those left of the men [the house of David, the Southern Kingdom of Judah] should be seeking out Yahweh,

As well as all the nations [the Lo-Ammi Northern Kingdom of Israel ], on them over whom My name is invoked,

Is saying the Lord, Who is doing these things.” (Acts 15:13-17 CV modified)

The complement of the nations (the Lo-Ammi Kingdom of Northern Ephraim/ Israel ) was being accomplished by the preaching of the Gospel of Christ to the nations. When that ministry had been completed, Christ would reveal Himself to the then presently blind and ignorant Israel of Yahweh, and thus all Israel would be saved, Judah and Ephraim, the Southern Kingdom and the Northern Kingdom. David’s house would be united once again. Paul was given this commission, and Paul completed this commission:

. . . the gospel that you heard which has been proclaimed to every creature [elect creation] under heaven of which I, Paul, became the dispenser. (Colossians 1:23 my translation)

Therefore, the Parousia of Christ did occur in the first century and certainly before the end of 70 a.d. The writers of the Greek Scriptures and those believing the Gospel of Christ and becoming faithful to the end were not mistaken. They expected Christ’s Parousia during that generation, and they were not disappointed.

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Jacob and Joseph Reunited

Joseph then summons Jacob to go down to Egypt . When Jacob learns that Joseph still lives, the text states, “Then living is the spirit of Jacob, their father. And Israel is saying, ‘Much! Still is Joseph, my son, living! Go will I and see him ere I die’” (Gen. 45:27b-28 CV). It seems Jacob is not planning to remain in Egypt . However, Elohim appears to him in “appearances of the night” telling him not to fear going down to Egypt . Elohim will go down with him, and there Elohim will constitute his seed a great (Page 124)nation. Yahweh had already prophesied to Abram concerning his seed’s bondage within an alien nation. Elohim now assures Israel not to fear going down to Egypt , since in Egypt He will constitute his seed a great nation, and He will bring up this nation from Egypt to the Land of Promise.

Jacob travels to Egypt and is presented before Pharaoh. Prior to this, the writer indicates that Pharaoh’s heart is with Joseph. Having heard that Joseph’s brothers have come to Egypt , we are informed “good is it in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of his servants” (Gen. 45:16 CV). What is good in the eyes of Yahweh is good in the eyes of Pharaoh and his servants. Thus, Pharaoh is guaranteed Yahweh’s blessing. For Yahweh is faithful to His word of promise. This is further established when, standing in the presence of Pharaoh, Jacob blesses Pharaoh. Jacob is Yahweh’s favored one. Favor Jacob and receive blessings. Mistreat Jacob and receive cursings.

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The Message of Moses to Israel in Moab

Yahweh is with Jacob. Yahweh is with Israel . The nation encamped at Moab is told by Moses that a time is coming when she will abandon Yahweh and serve alien gods. They will provoke Yahweh to vexation, sacrificing to demons, to elohim the nation had not known before. They will forget the El travailing with them. Thus, Israel will become like the sons of Jacob in relation to Joseph and Jacob. Israel will become the enemy of Yahweh. She will come to hate Yahweh in her behavior and attitude. Israel will come to be jealous against Yahweh and His prophets (see Deuteronomy, chapter 32).

In such a time, the story of Joseph will remind them of Yahweh’s faithfulness and the principle that “You devised against me evil, yet Elohim devises it for me for good . . .” (Gen. 50:20 CV). There will be another Joseph, another Moses, another one sent ahead to preserve life. Moses encourages every Israelite to be faithful to Yahweh to the end. For His purposes cannot fail to be attained. His faithfulness will not be diverted to another nation. If Israel abandons Yahweh, Yahweh will never abandon Israel . Israel will be sent into captivity. Yahweh will conceal His face from her for a moment. But He will gather her from among the nations and cause His face to smile upon her, eon after eon. Yahweh will joyously weep over His Israel, as Joseph joyously wept over his brothers, in the course of His provision of sustenance and His manifestation of His face in joyous reunion.


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CHAPTER 5

THE NATION TAKEN OUT OF A NATION:

COVENANTAL LIFE AND THE MINISTRY OF DEATH, EXODUS

The Book of Exodus continues the history begun in Genesis. As Yahweh Elohim had blessed Adam and Eve and commanded them to be fruitful and increase, so He had blessed Noah and his sons (Gen. 9:1), Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and his sons. As Genesis ends with the family of Jacob in Egypt , the introductory verses of Exodus begin with a transitional reference to that same family, ending with the statement, “And the sons of Israel were fruitful and were swarming and numerous and very, very staunch. So the land was filling up with them” (Ex. 1:7 CV). The sons of Jacob had increased in number, extending the family into a numerous people consisting of twelve family tribes.

The seed of the Woman had been traced by the author through Seth, Noah, Shem, Terah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, concluding with the twelve sons of Jacob, now designated by the author of Exodus as “the sons of Israel .” The first verse of the Book of Exodus begins with “These are the names . . .” This continues the theme of Yahweh’s promise to make Abram a great “name” (Gen. 12:1). The sons of Adam at Babel sought to make for themselves a great name. Yahweh disapproved and confused the languages of the sons of Adam generated through Noah and his sons. He then called Abram and promised to make him a great nation and a great name. That great name is now to be associated with the nation generated out of Jacob, whose name was changed by Yahweh to Israel .

This nation was about to be taken out of a nation. The birth pangs within the womb of Egypt were about to begin. The time of Jacob/Israel’s gestation in the darkness and dread of his Egyptian womb was about to end. His birth into the light of a new eon , a new age was fast approaching. The 400 years of Egyptian bondage, foretold by Yahweh to Abram, were drawing to a close.

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The Beginning of a New Nation and a New Eon

The death of Joseph and his brothers and all that generation (Ex. 1:6) signified the end of the patriarchal eon and the beginning of the Mosaic Eon . A nation ( Egypt ) was about to give birth to a nation ( Israel ). Yahweh was about to form a nation for Himself. As Yahweh Elohim had formed Adam from the soil of the ground, so now He would form Israel from the metaphorical soil of Egyptian ground. Yahweh was once again to become actively involved in the creation of a new heavens and a new earth, a new Adam, a new man, the nation Israel . This new man, this new nation would stand before Yahweh as His holy man, His holy nation, royally distinguished with honors above all nations (see Deut. 4:32-40 CV).

The Book of Exodus is thus the story of Moses and the exodus of the sons of Israel out from Egyptian bondage into life-giving covenantal relationship with Yahweh. This would later become, in the Greek Scriptures, analogous to the exodus of the sons of Israel out from the bondage of the Sinatic Covenant into the superior life-giving covenantal relationship with Yahweh established by Jesus. The need for this second covenant is one of the major themes of the Book of Exodus. Careful attention must therefore be given to the significance of Israel ’s early breaking of the Sinatic Covenant.

Thus, the second book of the Torah presents an exodus out of Egyptian bondage and an entrance into covenantal freedom. The arrival of Moses marks the opening of a new eon in the history of the promised seed. Similarly, the arrival of John the Baptist and Jesus would mark the opening of a new eon which would complete the history of the promised seed. The Sinatic Covenant breaths covenantal life into Israel ’s nostrils. But immediate covenantal failure brings covenantal death, alluding analogously to the entrance of death at the eating of the forbidden fruit by Eve and Adam.

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The Death Common to All Humanity: Eden

The first man, Adam, was warned by Yahweh Elohim, “you are not to be eating from it, for in the day you eat from it, to die shall you be dying” (Gen. 2:17b CV). That is, the law of mortality, death, lying dormant within man became activated upon the eating of the forbidden fruit and initiated the process of death within man which would terminate in his return to the soil: “soil you are, and to soil are you returning” (Gen. 3:19 CV). This is, scripturally, the first death, “the common death of all humanity” (Num. 16:29 CV).

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The Death Common to All Israel : Sinai

Israel ’s early failure is scripturally referred to as “the second death” (Rev. 2:11; 20:6, 14; 21:8). The Second Death is the covenantal death that came upon Israel due to worship of the golden calf. This death transformed the Sinatic Covenant into a ministry of death. That is, the Sinatic Covenant now initiated a process of national death which would terminate with the death of the Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant. It was this covenantal death that John the Baptist announced when he asked, “Who intimates to you to be fleeing from the impending indignation?” (Lk. 3:7; Matt. 3:7b CV).

The crucifixion death of Jesus represented the death of the Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant. Thus, it became necessary to be identified, baptized into the death of Christ and share in His sufferings in order to escape being harmed by the Second Death, the termination of the Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant. With the ministry of the New Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant, the old Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant could only administer covenantal death. It no longer possessed the authority to administer covenantal life. As the writer of Hebrews declares concerning the old Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant, “In saying ‘new,’ he has made the former old. Now that which is growing old and decrepit is near its disappearance” (Heb. 8:13 CV). This period of decrepitness lasted about 40 years, from the ministries of John the Baptist and Jesus to the destruction of the Temple in 70 a.d.

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The Temporary Rejuvenation of the Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant

John the Baptist understood the condition of the Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant. It was old and about to become without power to impart covenantal life. Its impending death assured him of the impending indignation. However, before the death and resurrection of Jesus, this old covenant was rejuvenated by Yahweh to restore Israel to covenantal life, though only for a short time. This rejuvenation was accomplished by the ministry of John the Baptist and the ministry of Jesus. But at the death and resurrection of Jesus, that final invigoration of covenantal life rejuvenating Israel to a living relationship with Yahweh under the authority and power of the Mosaic Covenant came to an end. Only the New Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant established by Jesus could then administer life. In Christ, one would not be harmed by the Second Death, since one would be sharing not only in the likeness of Jesus’ death, but also in the likeness of the resurrection of Jesus the Christ. This meant being empowered by the life of the New Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant, the life imparted by means of the spirit of Yahweh.

Thus, the sending and arrival of Moses is a shadow, a type of the sending and arrival of Jesus, the substance, the antitype. The story of Moses and the history of Israel under the Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant cannot be properly understood apart from the story of Jesus and the history of Israel under the New Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant mediated by Jesus. The exodus out of Egypt and entrance into the Sinatic Covenant brought about the formation, the creation of a nation out of a nation. The exodus out of the Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant and entrance into the New Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant brought about the formation, the creation of a superior nation out of an inferior nation. This superior nation in Christ was instrumental in bringing about the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. Her hope was the impending Parousia of Christ and the promised celestial blessings. This nation was not disappointed.

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A New King Over Egypt

After the death of Joseph and his brothers and all that generation, the author of the Book of Exodus informs the reader that “a new king rose over Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph” (Ex. 1:8 CV). At the very least, this means that a new administration came into power which did not recognize the generous influence and policy of Joseph in relation to the sons of Israel . This new king begins to humiliate the sons of Israel . Their previously favored position is lost. They now become disfavored in Egypt ’s attempt to destroy what is perceived as a national threat. The very blessing of Yahweh bringing about their great increase in population becomes the cause of disfavor with the Egyptians. Persecution ensues. The sons of Israel are brought into bondage. Their daily life becomes characterized by oppression and hardship. In spite of this persecution, the people continue to increase. Yahweh is at work in these events. He has not forgotten His people. He has not forgotten His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The new minions of the new king fail to secure their intended end. As a result, this new king issues a decree commanding his people to drown, in the numerous canals, every son born to the Hebrews. But this also works against the purpose of the king. The mother of Moses places him in an ark of papyrus and places the ark in one of the (Page 127)waterways flowing along the banks of the residence of the daughter of Pharaoh. The child is rescued and brought up as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. Yahweh is preparing His chosen one for the task of leading the sons of Israel out of Egypt to become His Holy people, His Holy nation.

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Moses as Archetype

When Pharaoh’s daughter rescues the infant in the papyrus ark, he is “lamenting” (Ex. 2:6 CV). This lamentation becomes representative of the lamentation of his people. Moses typifies the nation in the womb of Egyptian bondage. He becomes the archetype. Moses is likened to Adam. Elohim had created Adam male and female. Adam was mankind. Elohim created Eve out of Adam and presented her to Adam as his complement. Metaphorically, Moses is Israel , male and female. Yahweh creates Israel (the female) out of Moses (male and female) and presents her to Moses as his complement. As Adam had headship over Eve, so Moses has headship over Israel . As Moses first laments the birth pangs of Egyptian bondage, so Israel laments the birth pangs and later gives vent to her birth pangs through agonized moanings. As Moses is rescued out of his womb-like ark, so Israel is rescued out of her womb-like bondage. “Elohim heard their moaning, and Elohim was mindful of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” (Ex. 2:24 CV).

The responsibility of Moses for his people is foreshadowed in the narration concerning his mediation on behalf of a fellow-Hebrew being beaten by an Egyptian. Moses rescues the Hebrew by accidentally killing the Egyptian. But when he attempts mediation between two disputing Hebrews, he is rejected, “Who appointed you as foreman and judge over us? Are you meaning to kill me just as you killed the Egyptian?” (Ex. 2:14 CV). Already the author reveals the capricious character of the people. They will continue to question the authority of Moses given to him by Yahweh. At the slightest sign of trouble, the people turn against Moses and Yahweh, accusing Moses of attempting to kill them in the wilderness (Ex. 17:1-3). In spite of this rejection, Yahweh has chosen Moses to deliver His people from Egyptian bondage.

As a result of his mediation on behalf of his people, Moses is forced to flee Egypt . Pharaoh seeks his death. In his narration concerning the mediation of Moses on behalf of the daughters of Jethro, the priest of Midian, the author continues to foreshadow the unique role of Moses. It is in this story that the text of Exodus first uses the word “saved.” Moses drives away some shepherds who are preventing the daughters of Jethro from drawing water for their sheep. The text declares, “so Moses rose, saved them and let their flock drink” (Ex. 2:17 CV). As Moses saves the daughters of Jethro from the shepherds and provides their flock with water, so he would save his people from Pharaoh and his minions and provide water for them in the wilderness.

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Salvation

Thus, salvation must always be understood within the context of election. Yahweh would save His people from their enemies. This is always in the context of the promises and the covenants. It is not the context of the ultimate destiny of each member of the human race.

Salvation concerns Yahweh’s deliverance of His people from the attempts of their enemies to destroy them. When Paul quotes Isaiah 49:8 in 2 Corinthians 6:2b (CV) and declares, “Lo! Now is a most acceptable era! Now is a day of salvation!” he is speaking concerning the salvation of Israel from the curse of the law. This salvation concerns the elect seed of promise, not all humanity. It had to do with the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets being completed in that very generation. Thus, Paul’s letter should not be read as though it were written to all people or Christians in the present. It is written to the Corinthian believers (Messianic brethren) and concerned the salvation being offered to them at that time, the very salvation to be achieved in their own generation.

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Moses: A Shepherd in the Land of Midian

For the next 40 years, Moses becomes a shepherd in the land of Midian. Toward the close of this period, the messenger of Yahweh appears to Moses in a burning bush in the vicinity of Mount Sinai. Yahweh Elohim declares, “I see, yea see the humiliation of My people who are in Egypt . And I hear their crying . . . for I know their pains. Hence I have descended to rescue them from the hand of Egypt . . . And now, behold, the cry of the sons of Israel has come to Me, . . . I have seen the oppression with which Egypt has been oppressing them” (Ex. 3:7-9 CV). The narration alludes to the previous chapter where the reader is informed, “In the course of these many days it came to be that the king of Egypt died. Yet, the sons of (Page 128) Israel sighed under the servitude and cried out, and their imploration ascended to the One Elohim . . .” (Ex. 2:23 CV).

The moaning and groaning of the people indicate the closeness of delivery time. Egypt has reached the final stage of her birthing contractions. Yahweh has prepared her for delivery. Her painful delivery would evoke the glory of Yahweh. The right time had arrived. The king of Egypt seeking the death of Moses had died. Another Pharaoh had come to the throne. His heart had been hardened by the 40-year history of oppression against the sons of Israel . Such oppression had become characteristic of Egyptian rule. It had become self-evident tradition, unchallengeable. Its demise had become unthinkable to Egyptians.

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The Dual Metaphor

This dual metaphor, Jacob/Israel in the womb of Egypt awaiting his birth and Jacob/Israel in the dread and darkness of Egyptian bondage awaiting his resurrection, is a type of Jesus the Christ and His Body, His Complement, His Ecclesia. As Moses is an archetype of the man Jacob/Israel, so Jesus the Christ is the archetype of the New Man Jesus/Israel. As Moses metaphorically consists of male and female, so Jesus the Christ metaphorically consists of male and female. As Israel (the female) is taken out of Moses and presented to Moses as his complement, his body, his bride, his people, his responsibility; so the New Israel, the Israel of Yahweh (the feminine) is taken out of Jesus the Christ and presented to Jesus the Christ as His Complement, His Body, His Bride, His Ecclesia, His responsibility. As Israel shares in Moses’ metaphorical death in the dread and darkness of Egyptian bondage, so the New Israel (the Ecclesia, Church) shares metaphorically in the death of Jesus the Christ. As Israel shares in Moses’ sufferings, so the New Israel shares in Christ’s sufferings. As Israel shares in Moses’ metaphorical resurrection as the sent one with authority and power to save Israel, so the New Israel shares metaphorically in Christ’s resurrection as the sent one raised from the dead with authority and power to save the New Israel of Yahweh, Jesus’ Ecclesia.

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Paul’s Allusion in Romans 8:18-25

Paul alludes to this dual metaphor based on Moses, the Egyptian bondage, and the exodus out of Egypt in Romans 8:18-25. He writes of the “sufferings of the current era,” referring to the sufferings of Christ shared by the community of faithful ones. These sufferings are accounted as nothing compared to “the glory about to be revealed for us.” He refers to the New Israel of Yahweh, the Israel according to spirit, as “the creation . . . awaiting the unveiling of the sons of God.” These “sons of God” refer to those already in Christ, sharing in His death, resurrection, and sufferings. He declares “the entire creation is groaning and travailing together until now,” alluding to the sons of Israel moaning in expectation of their deliverance out of Egyptian bondage. Yahweh had declared, “I know their pains” (Ex. 3:7 CV). The “entire” creation refers to the New Man created in Christ, the Ecclesia, Christ’s Body, together with the sons of Israel still at that time in a condition of hardness and blindness, like Saul of Tarsus before his encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus.

At the revelation of the sons of God in glory, these hard and blind sons of Israel will encounter Christ in the glory of His metaphorical Body, like Saul encountered Christ on the road to Damascus. As a result, their blindness and hardness will be removed (Rom. 11:25), and thus, “all Israel shall be saved” (Rom. 11:26). This expectation belonged to that generation and was to be fulfilled in their day, “the current era” (Rom. 8:18 CV). Paul refers to the faithful ones already in Christ as “we ourselves also, who have the firstfruit of the spirit . . . also, are groaning in ourselves, awaiting the sonship, the deliverance of our body” (Rom. 8:23 CV). The body referred to in this text is not primarily the individual, physical bodies of the faithful ones. The body refers to the metaphoric Body of The Christ, the community of faithful ones, metaphorically, covenantally baptized, identified into Christ’s death, resurrection, and sufferings. They are the living members of the New Covenant Community, the New Born-From-Above Israel.

As all Israel passed through the sea and were thus baptized into Moses (1 Cor. 10:2), so all the faithful ones in Paul’s era were baptized into Christ. As Yahweh had been displeased with the majority of Israelites baptized into Moses because of their disobedience, their refusal to be faithful to the end, He had destroyed them in the wilderness during their 40 years of wandering.

Paul declares this a warning to all those in Christ: “Now all this befalls them typically. Yet it was written for our admonition, to whom the consummations of the eons have attained” (1 Cor. 10:11 CV). (Page 129)Their salvation and expectation was to be experienced within the span of that current era, that current generation, the 40 years of their exodus out of the old Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant, into the full glory of the New Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant. This would entail entrance into the promised Celestial Jerusalem under the leadership of Christ at the consummation of His Parousia, as He had promised in John 14:2b-3, “for I am going to make ready a place for you. . . . I am coming again and I will be taking you along to myself, that where I am, you also may be.” Where has Christ been for the last 2,000 years? In the Celestial Realm! So has been His Church! The 40 years of exodus under the leadership of Jesus the Christ consisted of the faithful ones in Christ who were sharing in the sufferings of Christ during that current era of the proclamation of the Gospel by the Apostles. Paul concludes Romans 8:18-25 as follows: “Now, if we are expecting what we are not observing, we are awaiting it with endurance” (Rom. 8:25 CV). Did they wait in vain? Not according to Paul. And not according to the writer of Hebrews,

You should not, then, be casting away your boldness, which is having a great reward, for you have need of endurance that, doing the will of God, you should be requited with the promise. For still how very little, He Who is coming will be arriving and not delaying. (Hebrews 10:35-37 CV)

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The Commissioning of Moses

Moses at Mount Sinai has been informed of Yahweh’s day of salvation. Yahweh declares He has heard the moaning of the sons of Israel . The time has come for deliverance. Israel has been prepared. Egypt is ripe for judgment. Moses has been chosen to declare Yahweh’s day of salvation. Moses is commissioned to proclaim the near end of the sufferings of Egyptian bondage. The expectation of their exodus out of Egypt has drawn near. Only a short time remains for the endurance of their sufferings in Egypt and in the wilderness. Moses proclaims with authority the fulfillment of Yahweh’s promise to Abraham concerning his seed and its allotment in the land of Canaan. The present generation has been chosen by Yahweh to experience the fulfillment of His promise to Abraham, entrance into and possession of the Promised Land of Canaan.

Disobedience and faithlessness on the part of the majority of this favored generation is to bring judgment on the faithless majority. But a minority of that generation remains faithful to the end, gaining entrance into and possession of the holy land. It would take a period of 40 years to complete the judgment and entrance into the land. But at the end of these 40 years, the faithful minority of the first generation and the faithful second generation enter into the land under the leadership of Joshua.

Moses is to be completely identified with the first generation (Num. 11:11-12). He, like Adam in relation to Eve, shares in the death brought about by the first generation. But unlike Adam, Moses intercedes on behalf of the nation and gains a reprieve for the second generation coming out of Egypt . Yahweh agrees to reinstate the covenant on behalf of the second generation. However, this renewed covenant is to be characterized as a ministry of death, since the nation would eventually be returned to the soil from which it came, the metaphorical soil of the nations represented by Egypt . This is a type of the day of salvation proclaimed by John the Baptist, Jesus, and the Apostles of Christ. As faithful Israelites coming out of Egypt entered their expectation within a period of 40 years, so also the faithful members of the New Israel in Christ entered their expectation under the headship and leadership of Jesus the Christ as anti-type of both Moses and Joshua. As Moses mediated and died on behalf of the nation (Ps. 106:23, 32-33; Deut. 3:26-29; Deut. 4:21-22), so also Jesus mediated and died on behalf of the nation. As Joshua led the nation into the promised possession (the terrestrial land), so also Jesus the Christ led the nation into the promised possession (the celestial city).

Moses is thus sent by Yahweh Elohim to lead His people out of Egypt . Aaron is to act as Moses’ prophet, even as Moses is to be an elohim to Aaron (Ex. 4:16 CV). This is another example of how the word elohim in the Hebrew Scriptures simply refers to one with authority to rule over and subject a group of people. The Hebrew Scriptures use this word to describe human judges as well as celestial beings and the pseudo-gods of the nations.

Yahweh commands Moses, “Now go, I am sending you to Pharaoh. Bring forth My People, the sons of Israel , from Egypt (Ex. 3:10 CV). Moses balks at this command. Yahweh responds by giving him a personal sign of assurance, “I shall come to be with you. And this will be the sign for you that I have sent you: when you bring the people forth from Egypt you [plural, all the people] shall serve the One, Elohim, on this mountain” (Ex. 3:12 CV). The sign given to Moses is the burning bush. As Moses experienced the theophany (manifestation) of Yahweh Elohim in the burning bush, so also Israel would experience the theophany of Yahweh Elohim in the devouring fire blazing upon the heights of Mount Sinai. From the (Page 130)midst of this fire, Yahweh would speak to the nation as He had spoken to Moses from the midst of the fiery bush. Thus, Moses could be assured of the fulfillment of Yahweh’s deliverance of the nation based upon the supernatural appearance of Yahweh in the burning bush. This powerful manifestation of Yahweh signified the greatness of His power to accomplish the task given to Moses (Childs 1974). Moses then asks Yahweh,

Behold! When I am coming to the sons of Israel , and I say to them, The Elohim of your fathers sends me to you, then they will say to me, What about His name? What shall I say to them? (Exodus 3:13 CV)

Yahweh responds, “I shall come to be just as I am coming to be. . . . I-Shall-Come-to-Be has sent me to you” (Ex. 3:14 CV). He continues, instructing Moses to tell the sons of Israel that Yahweh, the Elohim of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has sent him to them. Then Yahweh declares, “This is My name for the eon , and this the remembrance of Me for generation after generation” (Ex. 3:15b CV). The name “I-Shall-Come-to-Be” (the meaning of the Hebrew word Yahweh) reveals Yahweh’s sovereignty. He cannot be manipulated like the pseudo-gods of the nations. He will be and do as is fitting His intention and purpose.

However, the name Yahweh is to be associated with His covenant relationship to Israel . This covenant will obligate Yahweh to fulfill His part of the agreed contract if Jacob/Israel fulfills his part of the agreed contract. Thus, both parties become obligated to each other to fulfill the terms of the contract. But this contract is only valid for the eon . The name Yahweh is His name “for the eon,” that is, for the duration of the Mosaic Eon and thus will be valid only for all the generations living during the span of this eon. There would be a last generation. That last generation would later be identified as the generation of Jesus the Christ (Matt. 23:33-36). The Mosaic Covenant is not eternal; it is eonian. It was terminated with the establishment of the New Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant.

Moses is finally assured concretely of the success of his mission when Yahweh declares the people will believe, the king will be hardened, Egypt will undergo powerful plagues, the sons of Israel will be delivered, and the Egyptians will be despoiled (Ex. 3:18-22). Yahweh then affirms that Moses will be an elohim to Pharaoh, and Aaron shall be Moses’ prophet (Ex. 7:1). Moses is equipped with a common shepherd’s rod. The golden scepter of Pharaoh will not be able to match the wooden scepter of Yahweh wielded by Moses. Pharaoh’s scepter will struggle against Yahweh’s scepter, but in the end, Yahweh’s rod will put to shame the meager twig of Pharaoh’s authority and power. The mere casting of Yahweh’s looming shadow will shrivel the puny kingship of Pharaoh. Moses obeys Yahweh; he goes to Egypt .

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The Hardening of Pharaoh’s Heart

As Yahweh had declared, “Hence the people believed; when they heard that Yahweh notices the sons of Israel and that He sees their humiliation, then they bowed their heads and bowed themselves down” (Ex. 4:31 CV). When Moses and Aaron stand in the presence of Pharaoh and demand the release of the sons of Israel , Pharaoh refuses. He declares haughtily, “Who is Yahweh to Whose voice I should hearken to discuss Israel ? I do not know Yahweh!” (Ex. 5:2 CV). He then increases the daily burden of the sons of Israel . Yes, Pharaoh does not know Yahweh. But he soon will. He soon will experience the activity of Israel ’s Elohim in the realm of the terrestrial. For Israel ’s Elohim is not like the elohim, the gods, of Egypt and the nations. Israel ’s Elohim actively manifests His power and authority in the historic events of man’s every day life. Yahweh sees, Yahweh hears, Yahweh acts on behalf of His people. The sons of Israel have no need to question the existence of Yahweh their Elohim. For Yahweh their Elohim boldly acts in their midst, powerfully manifesting His authority, His strength, His existence, His reality in the realm of man’s habitation, the heavens and the earth.

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Three Hebrew Words: Kabed, Qashah, Chazaq

Pharaoh continues to harden his heart. He refuses to dismiss Israel , in spite of the heavy hand of Yahweh against him and his people. The text assigns this hardening to both Pharaoh and Yahweh.

When Pharaoh saw that there came to be an interval, he caused his heart to glory [Heb., make heavy, make weighty; to boast; kabed], and he hearkened not to them, . . . Yet Pharaoh gloried [boasted: kabed] in his heart, . . . he did not dismiss the people. (Exodus 8:15, 32 CV)

I Myself shall harden [qashah] the heart of Pharaoh . . . (Exodus 7:3 CV)

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Yet Yahweh made the heart of Pharaoh steadfast [chazaq], so that he did not hearken to them . . . (Exodus 9:12 CV)

Yahweh said to Moses: Enter to Pharaoh, for I have made his heart glory [kabed] . . . (Exodus 10:1 CV)

Three Hebrew words referring to this hardening are used throughout this account:

Kabed (glory, glorying)

Qashah (hardened, hardening)

Chazaq (steadfast)

In Exodus 8:15, 32; 10:1 the Hebrew word kabed is used. This word means to be heavy, to make weighty, to boast, to glory. In 8:15 and 32, Pharaoh caused his heart to glory, thus refusing to dismiss the people. In 10:1, Yahweh claims to have “made his heart glory,” that is, make confident Pharaoh’s heart. In Exodus 7:3 the Hebrew word qashah is used. It means to be dense. Yahweh assures Moses that He will densen, harden Pharaoh’s heart. This is the only time the word qashah, to be dense, to harden, is used by the author in this account. Pharaoh gloried in his heart and Yahweh densened, hardened that glory, that boasting, that insolence. In Exodus 9:12 the Hebrew word chazaq is used. It means to fasten upon, to seize, to strengthen, thus to make steadfast. Yahweh made the heart of Pharaoh “steadfast.”

Pharaoh caused his heart to glory, to boast when he saw “there came to be an interval” (Ex. 8:15). Thus, when Moses causes the plague of frogs to cease, Pharaoh makes a choice. Instead of humbling himself before the Elohim of the sons of Israel , he causes his heart to boast, to glory (kabed). He does this to himself. Yahweh responds to Pharaoh’s choice by encouraging, bolstering that choice, that attitude. As a result, “Yahweh made the heart of Pharaoh steadfast . . . [chazaq]” (Ex. 9:12 CV). He strengthened Pharaoh’s attitude of resistance, causing Pharaoh to seize, hold firm, strengthen his defiance of the command of the Elohim of the sons of Israel . After all, was not the Elohim of the sons of Israel like the elohim (gods) of Egypt , capricious, quick to reverse himself?! Pharaoh reasons that these plagues are merely temporary threats. They would not or could not become sustained over a long period of time. Therefore, resistance could eventually prove triumphant.

Thus, the account of the hardening of the heart of Pharaoh, using these three words, runs as follows. In chapter 7, verse 3, of Exodus Yahweh assures Moses, “I Myself shall harden [qashah, first and only time used in this account] the heart of Pharaoh and increase My signs and My miracles in the land of Egypt” (CV). In 7:22, after the sacred scribes of Egypt duplicated with their occultism the feat of Moses and Aaron in turning the waterways into blood, the text declares, “hence the heart of Pharaoh was steadfast [chazaq], and he did not hearken to them [Moses and Aaron], just as Yahweh had spoken” (CV). In 8:15, the text for the first time uses the word kabed, to glory. After Pharaoh sees an interval, that is, the cessation of the plague, “he caused his heart to glory [kabed], and he hearkened not to them, just as Yahweh had spoken” (CV). In 8:19, after the sacred scribes declare to Pharaoh that “This is the finger of Elohim!” (CV), the text asserts, “Yet the heart of Pharaoh was steadfast [chazaq], and he did not hearken to them just as Yahweh had spoken” (CV). In 8:32, at the removal of the plague of flies, “Pharaoh gloried [kabed] in his heart, even at this time, and he did not dismiss the people” (CV). In 9:11, as a result of the plague of boils, the sacred scribes, suffering the boils themselves, were not able to stand before Moses and Aaron. The text in 9:12 then declares, “Yahweh made the heart of Pharaoh steadfast [chazaq], so that he did not hearken to them as Yahweh had spoken to Moses” (CV).

In 9:34, the author reports, “Now Pharaoh saw that the rain, the hail and the thundering sounds had halted, yet he continued to sin and made his heart glory [kabed], he and his servants” (CV). Again, because the plague ceases, Pharaoh is encouraged in his heart to defy the command of this Hebrew elohim, god. Consequently, in the following verse, the author explains, “So the heart of Pharaoh was steadfast [chazaq], and he did not dismiss the sons of Israel, just as Yahweh had spoken by means of Moses” (CV). Pharaoh made his heart glory (kabed) due to the cessation of the plague. Thus, Yahweh’s halting of the plagues, instead of continuing them to the complete destruction of Egypt , causes Pharaoh to conclude that this elohim is weak and can be resisted successfully. Yahweh uses Pharaoh’s perceptions and conceptions to His own advantage and purpose.

But Yahweh does not initiate Pharaoh’s glorying (kabed). Pharaoh initiates this for himself. Yahweh merely encourages, bolsters (kabed), then hardens, densifies, solidifies (chazaq, strengthen, make steadfast) this glorying by providing the very signs Pharaoh would interpret as being favorable to his remaining steadfast in his resistance to this elohim.

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Only in Exodus 10:1-2 does the author use the word kabed, glory, as being caused by Yahweh: “Enter to Pharaoh, for I have made his heart glory [kabed] and the hearts of his servants that I may set these My signs among them, and that you may relate in the ears of your son, and your son’s son, that which I set in action in Egypt, and My signs which I placed among them, that you will know that I am Yahweh” (CV). This text declares that Yahweh made Pharaoh’s heart glory. This is true. But only after Pharaoh had initiated this glorying for himself. Yahweh merely continues to encourage Pharaoh in his glorying by appropriately fueling the fire of his own initiated glorying, thereby making Pharaoh’s heart continue in its own initiated glorying.

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Yahweh’s Purpose in Bolstering Pharaoh’s Heart

What is Yahweh’s purpose in bolstering, supporting, encouraging Pharaoh’s heart, in making his heart glory, in making him steadfast in his resistance? In Exodus 7:3-5, the reader is informed,

And I Myself shall harden [kabed, bolster, support, encourage] the heart of Pharaoh and increase My signs and My miracles in the land of Egypt. Though Pharaoh shall not hearken to you, yet I will lay My hand on Egypt and bring forth My hosts, My people, the sons of Israel , from the land of Egypt with great judgments. And all the Egyptians will know that I am Yahweh when I stretch out my hand over Egypt and bring forth the sons of Israel from their midst. (CV)

Yahweh had intended to increase His “signs” and His “miracles” in the land of Egypt in order that Egypt might know the difference between its elohim and the true and living Elohim. The hardening (bolstering) of Pharaoh’s heart would guarantee Yahweh the opportunity to increase, extend His signs and miracles, thereby impressing the Egyptians and the sons of Israel . The plagues are both “signs” and “miracles.” They are “signs” both to the Egyptians and the sons of Israel . To the Egyptians, they are signs indicating that their religion and their elohim (gods) are superficial, man-made illusions, and thus, pseudo, erroneous. Egyptian religion conceived the heavens and the earth as a well-balanced, harmonious system. Pharaoh, as the incarnate elohim on the earth, was responsible for maintaining this balance.

The plagues are signs indicating that Pharaoh and his sacred scribes are incapable of maintaining this harmony in the presence of the activity of the Elohim of the Hebrews. The sacred scribes have recourse to magic, the art of producing effects with the assistance of supernatural beings or by a mastery of secret forces in nature. This is a secret art performed only by those initiated into the secrets of the occult power: sorcery, necromancy, conjuration, enchantment. The Law of Moses, established at Mount Sinai, would prohibit such art.

The religious beliefs and practices of the nations came about as a result of their abandonment of the true and living Elohim responsible for the creation of the heavens and the earth. Now, the true and living Elohim is once again revealing Himself as Yahweh (I-Shall-Come-to-Be-Just-As-I-Am-Coming-to-Be) the Elohim of the sons of Israel . Yahweh’s signs affirm His presence and power, His legitimacy, while revealing the elohim of the Egyptians (and thus the nations) to be ineffectual and illegitimate fabrications of distorted human conception and perception.

The work of Moses and Aaron is not the result of recourse to magic. They have not been initiated into the secret occult arts. Their work overpowers and nullifies the work of the Egyptian sacred scribes. Thus, not only does their work consist of “signs,” but also “miracles.” These miracles are the work of Yahweh Elohim demonstrating His power over the forces of nature. This power is not the result of the skill of Moses and Aaron in the various arts of occult manipulation. The work of Moses and Aaron is qualitatively different from the work of the sacred scribes. The elohim of the Egyptians are clearly demonstrated to be helpless in the presence of the true and living Elohim Who acts in the course of historical events on behalf of His people. Here is the only Elohim Who can hear, see, smell, taste, touch, walk, and talk in the midst of His people and in the midst of the land of Egypt.

Thus, Yahweh purposed to bring forth His people from the land of Egypt with great judgments. These judgments were not meant to destroy Egypt . They were intended to judge her for having exchanged truth for a lie. They had in their distant past abandoned Yahweh Elohim, even refusing to respond to His generous overtures which were meant to lead them back to Him. As a result, the living and true Elohim gave them up to their disqualified mind. Darkness enveloped Egypt and the nations. Worship of nature, now conceived to be inhabited by demons or spirits, ensued. The nations walked nonchalantly into the bondage of ignorance, their eyes slowly becoming blind to the light of truth, while adjusting to the darkness of their distorted minds.

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The “signs” and “miracles” became a wake-up call to both Egyptians and the sons of Israel . For all had been affected and influenced by this distorted mind. The first generation of the sons of Israel coming out of Egypt would soon validate this reality. The creation of Yahweh’s nation out of a nation was intended to be the means by which the living and true Elohim would once again bless the nations. This was in accord with the promise made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob/Israel.

Israel as a nation was to be different from the nations. Israel would be delivered out of the darkness of ignorance into the light of Yahweh’s Law, His judgments and His statutes. Israel would not worship nature. She would not worship the elohim (gods) of the nations. She would not walk blindly in darkness. She would not attempt to manipulate the elohim and nature through false worship of idols, pseudo-astrology, and the secret arts of occult magic. She would be a light to the nations, a beacon guiding them out of the darkness of their ignorance. The fulfilling of the Law and the Prophets would bring blessing to the nations. Yahweh Elohim would deliver the nations out of the darkness and bondage brought about by their abandonment of the one true and living Elohim. The author again addresses the purpose of Yahweh in Exodus 9:14-16:

For at this time I am sending all My strokes onto your heart and your servants and your people in order that you shall know that there is no one such as Me in the entire earth. For by now I could have put forth My hand and smitten you and your people with the plague so that you were suppressed from the land. Howbeit, for this sake I keep you standing, in order to make you see My vigor, and that My name may be related in the entire earth. (CV)

The Egyptians need to become aware of the fact that there is no other god such as Yahweh Elohim. These strokes are judgments against their error, their ignorance. However, they are not meant to destroy Egypt , to remove her from the land. These strokes are meant to manifest Yahweh’s vigor, His strength, His reality, His substance to the perceptions and conceptions of all the Egyptians.

In addition, these signs and miracles will once again reintroduce Yahweh’s name (I-Shall-Come-to-Be-Just-As-I-Am-Coming-to-Be: uncapricious, steadfastly righteous, unmanipulable) throughout the earth. At Babel the nations attempted to make a name for themselves. Yahweh’s name had been repressed. Yahweh then called Abram, promising to make him a great name. That name would be associated and identified with the name of Yahweh Elohim as He identified Himself as the Elohim of the sons of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob/Israel. Thus, the name of Yahweh had once again begun to be impressed upon the mind of the nations. Yahweh had initiated a new age, a new eon during which His presence would be experienced by the nations in and through His chosen nation, Israel .

The final reference to Yahweh’s purpose in bolstering Pharaoh’s heart is found in Exodus 10:1- 2:“Yahweh said to Moses: Enter to Pharaoh, for I have made his heart glory and the hearts of his servants that I may set these My signs among them, and that you may relate in the ears of your son, and your son’s son, that which I set in action in Egypt, and My signs which I placed among them, that you will know that I am Yahweh” (CV). Pharaoh had caused his heart to glory (to be lifted up and bolstered in its exaltation). Yahweh confirmed his glorying, providing the necessary encouragement. This allowed Yahweh to set and increase His signs among the Egyptians. Moses is here informed that these signs would be passed down from generation to generation of the sons of Israel . Yahweh’s activity on their behalf would be remembered as the terrestrial intervention of the One, True, Living Elohim revealing His vigor, His strength, His reality, His substance, and His faithfulness as their Elohim. Israel thus knew experientially Yahweh her Elohim. He was not the product of the man-perceived/conceived elohim of the nations, who were lifeless idols of wood and stone, capricious in their demands and judgments.

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Final Reference to the Word Kabed

The last use of the word kabed, to glory, in this account of Pharaoh’s resistance to Yahweh’s command is found in Exodus 14:17-18:

And I, behold Me making the heart of the Egyptians steadfast that they may enter after them; for I shall be glorified over Pharaoh and over his army, over his chariots and over his horsemen. Then the Egyptians will know that I am Yahweh when I am glorified over Pharaoh, over his chariots and over his horsemen. (CV)

The sons of Israel are trapped with their backs to the sea. The army of Pharaoh is preparing to attack. As Pharaoh has caused his heart to glory, so now Yahweh will terminate that impudent and imprudent glory by His glorying over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen. The elohim of the Egyptians will be shown to be powerless to rescue Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen out of the mighty hand of Yahweh. The name (Page 134)of Yahweh will be glorified among the nations. His reemergence into the historical arena of the nations is a sign of His intention to redeem the nations and the race. A new eon had begun. At its termination the nations would be restored to their proper place before Yahweh Elohim. The ancient world of the gods would become obsolete and vanish from the heavens and the earth of man’s habitation.

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The Bolstering of Pharaoh’s Heart and the Theme of Election

However, on the basis of the foregoing conclusion, the theme of Pharaoh’s bolstering must now be analyzed from the point of view of the theme of election. The bolstering of Pharaoh’s heart is not meant to convey the personal destiny of Pharaoh for eternity. The text is not concerned with Pharaoh’s personal salvation or damnation. Pharaoh’s hardening is to be understood in the context of Yahweh’s elective purpose. Neither Pharaoh nor his people are chosen ones. The elect of Yahweh are those related to the promised seed of Abraham. To apply the salvation of Yahweh’s elect ones to the human race as a whole is to ignore the limited context of election. The elect seed is chosen by Yahweh to be an instrument by which Yahweh is to bless the nations and channel justification of life (Rom. 5:18), immortality (1 Tim. 6:16) into the human race. To be a member of the elect seed of promise does not guarantee salvation, nor does being a member of the non-elect guarantee destruction. Salvation and destruction apply only to the elect seed. It is impossible for a non-elect person to partake of either covenantal salvation or covenantal destruction.

Israel is the elect nation of Yahweh Elohim. All members of the twelve tribes are elect individuals. This is not the result of choice or behavior on the part of the sons of Israel . It is the result of biological birth, geographic location, chronological contemporaneousness, and religious affiliation. These categories are all related to Israel . But the Law and the Prophets make clear the fact that the majority of the elect is rejected by Yahweh and given over to covenantal destruction. Yahweh is pleased only with the faithful remnant.

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Paul’s Treatment of the Theme of Election—Romans Chapter 9

This election of Israel is the background upon which Paul paints his picture in Romans, chapter 9. Israel as a nation is the enemy of Jesus the Christ. She wishes to be anathema from the Christ ( Rom. 9:3), like Saul/Paul had in his past. Has Yahweh’s word failed? Has His promise been nullified? Has Israel failed to receive her King and Kinsman Redeemer? Paul answers, No! He argues that not all Israel is Israel ; not all the elect are counted as acceptable. He points out that not all Abraham’s seed are accounted as his children. Only Isaac is accounted his seed. All Abraham’s children born naturally (children of the flesh) are not to be accounted his children. Only Isaac, born as a result of Yahweh’s intervention in the natural process, is accounted Abraham’s elect seed. Isaac was the only promised elect seed of Abraham. Ishmael and Abraham’s sons by Keturah were not counted among the elect children of Abraham.

Not only was Isaac Abraham’s elect seed, he, in addition, walked faithfully to the end in the faithful footsteps of Abraham his biological and covenantal father. Isaac, thus, is accounted by Yahweh as a qualified child of Abraham. The unfaithful biologically-elect children are disqualified, and, thus, not accounted by Yahweh as children of the Promise.

Isaac, however, had two sons (twins) by Rebecca. But before either was born and before either could put into practice anything good or bad, Yahweh chose Jacob as the promised seed while rejecting Esau. Why? “that the purpose of God may be remaining as a choice, not out of acts, but of Him Who is calling, . . .” (Rom. 9:11 CV). Esau is rejected not because of anything he did, or did not do, or will. He was not rejected because he was evil or inferior in some way. On the other hand, Jacob was chosen, favored, loved not because of anything he did or did not do or will. He was not chosen because he was good or superior to Esau.

Yahweh’s elective purpose is based solely on His choice. Though Esau is excluded from Yahweh’s elect promise, he is not destroyed or cursed. In fact, he is blessed by Yahweh with great wealth:

And taking is Esau his wives and his sons and his daughters and all the souls of his household, and all his cattle and all his beasts and all his acquisitions, and all that he got in the land of Canaan, and going is he from the land of Canaan, from the face of Jacob, his brother, for their possession had become too great for them to dwell together, and the land of their sojourning could not sustain them, in view of the multitude of their cattle. (Genesis 36:6-7 CV modified)

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Esau removes himself from Canaan since this is the land promised to Jacob as Abraham’s seed. He begins to dwell on Mount Seir. He becomes the father of the Edomites. However, he is excluded from having any part in the promise given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Paul then quotes in Romans 9:13 the prophet Malachi, “Jacob I love, yet Esau I hate” (cf. Mal. 1:2-3). This is referring to the elective purpose of Yahweh. Jacob is favored by Yahweh, yet Esau is unfavored. This is Yahweh’s sovereign choice. Paul then anticipates an objection, “What, then, shall we be declaring? Not that there is injustice with God? May it not be coming to that!” (Rom. 9:14 CV). Is Yahweh unjust? Does He not reward the good and punish the evil? How can He love Jacob yet hate Esau even before either is born or either performs good or evil? Paul’s answer can only be understood against the background of the theme of election. The issue here is not the eternal destiny of each individual human being. The issue is the choice of Yahweh in determining who should be used as the instruments implementing His purposes.

Paul firmly declares that Yahweh is just. He confirms this by quoting Yahweh’s words to Moses after the nation had broken the covenant by worshiping the golden calf. Moses had intervened on behalf of the nation. Yahweh had accepted this intervention. He would not destroy the nation, though the nation warranted such destruction from the point of view of the covenantal stipulations. Yahweh declares, “I shall be merciful to whomever I may be merciful, and I shall be pitying whomever I may be pitying” (Rom. 9:15 CV). In this situation, He chose to be merciful to the nation as a collective whole, but He chose to destroy in the wilderness over a period of 40 years the first generation of those 20 and above. The only exceptions were Joshua and Caleb.

Even Moses, who found grace in Yahweh’s eyes, was not shown mercy in his request to be allowed entrance into the Promised Land. Moses was to die in the wilderness outside the Promised Land along with the first generation destroyed during the 40-year wandering. Yahweh identified Moses with that first generation. He was held responsible for the behavior of the nation. He and the nation were one. He, like Adam, ate the forbidden fruit that the first generation had partaken of earlier. His mediation saved, delivered the nation from immediate destruction, but was unable to save the first generation. Thus, he, like Adam, though not deceived, out of love for that generation also tasted the bitterness of the forbidden fruit which that generation had already digested (cf. Deut. 32:48-51; Ps. 106:32-33; Num. 20:10-12; Deut. 4:21; 1:37).

The first generation was not shown mercy. They died in the wilderness. Moses was not shown mercy. He died in the wilderness. The first generation forfeited the promise of the land. Moses, having been identified with the people of Yahweh, was denied entrance into the Promised Land.

But Moses was shown mercy after his death outside the land when his body was resurrected, and he was allowed entrance into the Celestial Realm (Jude vs. 9-10). Later, in the first century, he, along with Elijah, enters the Promised Land (the terrestrial realm) to confer with Jesus concerning His impending exodus (Lk. 9:30-31 CV). Moses had been denied an allotment in the Promised Land, but he was shown mercy in relation to the hope of the Celestial Allotment (Heb. 11:39-40). He was accounted by Yahweh a child of the Celestial Promise. He was accounted a member of the faithful seed of Abraham. He was accounted faithful. He was accounted as one walking in the faithfulness of Abraham. Therefore, though he, like many others, was called to participate in Yahweh’s election, he lost the terrestrial promise. He was a member of the elect according to Yahweh’s calling. But election does not guarantee participation in the promise; it does not guarantee salvation. Reception of the promised allotment comes by faithfulness to the end. Salvation from the Mosaic Covenant and to the New Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant is achieved by faithfulness to the end. However, if not called into the election, there is no possibility of participating in the promised allotment, the salvation provided by Yahweh. Such is the case of Ishmael and Esau. Neither one is called by Yahweh. Therefore, neither one could be faithful or unfaithful. Neither one could participate in salvation and neither one could be cut off from salvation. Neither one is called into the election of Yahweh.

Paul therefore concludes, “Consequently, then, it is not of him who is willing, nor of him who is racing, but of God, the Merciful” (Rom. 9:16 CV). He next illustrates this principle by pointing to Pharaoh during the time of the exodus out of Egypt . Pharaoh had not been called into Yahweh’s election. He had no choice in the matter. Even so, Pharaoh could have been shown mercy. He could have been shown pity or compassion. But the text declares that Yahweh did not show him either mercy or pity. He did not soften or melt Pharaoh’s heart. Pharaoh chose to harden his heart and causes his heart to glory. Yahweh merely confirmed this decision, so that he would continue to resist Yahweh’s command. Yahweh could have melted his heart. He could have opened his eyes and ears, but he chose not to do so because “For this selfsame thing I rouse you up, so that I should be displaying in you My power, and so that My name should (Page 136)be published in the entire earth [the entire land of the Egyptian Empire] (Rom. 9:17 CV). Pharaoh, once committed to resistance, is disabled by Yahweh from acting in any other way. Yahweh has roused him for this very purpose.

Paul uses the Greek word egeiro, meaning to awake from sleep or drowsiness. The writer of Exodus explains this by informing the reader that “a new king rose over Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph” (Ex. 1:8 CV). This was Yahweh’s doing! This is the precise qualification of the king necessary for the displaying of Yahweh’s power and great name. This king knows nothing about Joseph and thus is free to act harshly against Joseph’s people. He is under no obligation, no agreement, no covenant governing relation to this people. He perceives this people as a threat to his people. He has to eliminate this threat for the welfare of his people. The very fact that he knows nothing about Joseph rouses, awakens him, makes him aware of the danger this people poses for his people. Yahweh rouses this specific king to occupy the throne in Egypt for this specific time. It is the time of Israel ’s redemption out of Egyptian bondage. It is the time of Israel ’s salvation from the power of the evil hand of her enemy. The time is ripe for Yahweh’s intervention as Kinsman Redeemer. He had prepared the very season conducive to His purpose.

Again, Paul draws a conclusion, “Consequently, then, to whom He will, He is merciful, yet whom He will, he is hardening” (Rom. 9:18 CV). Yahweh is not unjust. He is the Creator and is working out His purpose which has as its goal the welfare of His entire creation. What man has the wisdom and understanding to be qualified to question God?! “That which is molded, will not protest to the molder, ‘Why do you make me thus?’ Or has not the potter the right over the clay, out of the same kneading to make one vessel, indeed, for honor, yet one for dishonor?” ( Rom. 9:20b-21 CV).

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“The Same Kneading” and the Theme of Romans 5:12-21

To understand Paul’s argument, one needs to properly grasp the implication of his reference to “the same kneading” (Rom. 9:21). This reference alludes to the theme expounded in Romans, chapter 5:12-21. In this chapter, Paul treats the subject of the common death of all humanity and its relation to the sin of the one man Adam.

Therefore, even as through one man the sin entered into the world, and through this sin the death, and thus this death passed through into all mankind, upon which all sinned . . . (Romans 5:12 my translation)

Paul draws his understanding of “the death” from Moses,

Should these die the common death of all humanity and should the visitation of all humanity be visited on them, then Yahweh has not sent me. (Numbers 16:29 CV)

Moses is referring to Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. These men had challenged the authority of Moses and Yahweh. Moses declares that if they die the death common to all men, Yahweh had not sent him. This death is the death brought into the world of humanity by Adam. The three men who have spurned Yahweh are destroyed, being swallowed up alive by the ground upon which they stood. Thus, their death is not the death common to all humanity. Through Adam’s sin, the death common to all humanity comes into the world. The Law of Death is thus genetically passed on to all those generated by Adam through Eve. From that point in time, every individual born is born to die the common death. It is upon this death principle, activated in each person from birth, that all men sinned, that is, missed the mark of life. All are condemned to die, not because of any sin each may commit, but because of that law of death, operating within each person, which has been activated in the very process of birth. The race is thus contaminated with death.

This is the meaning of Paul’s phrase “the same kneading” (Rom. 9:21). All humanity, the race, is viewed as one contaminated lump of clay. Since the whole lump or kneading of clay is contaminated, marred by death, Yahweh is not unjust in making one vessel to honor and another to dishonor. For all vessels formed from this lump of clay are marred, contaminated. The molding of some vessels for honor and some for dishonor is designed by Yahweh to bring about the purification of the whole lump, the whole kneading, the whole race.

The purification demands the removal of the contamination—death. It also demands the addition of a new and superior life—immortal life. This is precisely what Paul had already declared to have been accomplished by Christ: “So then as through one deviation into all men into condemnation, so also through one righteous alignment into all men into justification of life” (Rom. 5:18 my translation).

These two verdicts are the verdicts of God in relation to the acts of two individual men, Adam and Christ. The verdict in relation to Adam’s act activated death affecting all men. The verdict in relation to (Page 137)Christ’s act activated life affecting all men. The verdict of death and life is independent of the choice or act of any individual other than these two men—Adam and Christ.

Thus, Paul understood God’s verdict in relation to each of these two men to be one of HIS elective choice. He chose to condemn all men to death through the one deviation of Adam, even as He chose to justify all men into life through the one righteous alignment of Christ (Jesus, crucified, had aligned His will with the will of the Father, see Jn. 10:17-18). These two verdicts were elective. God elected all men, apart from each one’s willing or racing (Rom. 9:16 CV), to be affected by the verdict handed down in each of the two cases.

However, the LIFE activated by Christ on behalf of all men is immortal life. Through Christ’s righteous alignment with His Father’s will, mankind, including every individual member of the race, is in the process of transcending the first humanity represented by Adam, the soulish man, by becoming after death (the common death of all humanity) a member of the second (deuteros), new humanity represented by Christ, the spiritual man (see 1 Cor. 15:45-49 CV). Paul continues his argument in defense of God’s justness by stating,

Now if God, wanting to display His indignation and to make His powerful doings known, carried, with much patience, the vessels of indignation, adapted for destruction, it is that He should also be making known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He makes ready before for glory—us, whom He calls also, not only out of the Jews, but out of the nations also. (Romans 9:22-24 CV)

On the basis of this passage, many have concluded that God predestined the vessels of indignation to destruction and predestined the vessels of mercy to glory. This conclusion is based on translating the word “adapted” in the passive voice. However, this need not be the case. The passive and middle voice form of the word katartismena (adapted or having been prepared) is the same. If translated in the middle voice, perfect tense, this participle (a verb form used as an adjective) would be translated having adapted or prepared themselves. God, then, would not be the one having adapted or prepared these vessels for destruction.

The middle voice indicates that the vessels were the ones having adapted or prepared themselves. The action of the participle is not achieved by God but by the vessels themselves. The vessels of indignation have prepared or adapted themselves for destruction on the basis of their rejection of the New Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant and continued reliance on the old covenant, which no longer could provide covenantal life. The old covenant was in the process of destruction. Those who continued to put their trust in that covenant (unbelieving Jews) had adapted or prepared themselves for destruction. They had made a choice for themselves, and that choice identified them with the old covenant. The destruction of the old covenant meant their own destruction, that is, covenantal death, loss of the Celestial Promise given to Abraham and those accounted as his children.

In verse 22, the infinitive “to display” is another example of a verbal having the same form for the passive and middle voice. However, in this case, the translators have identified the verb form as being in the middle voice. They understand the infinitive to be modifying the noun God and that God acted on His own behalf. Thus, God, wanting to display on His own behalf, wanting to display His indignation for His own glory, “carried” or endured with much patience or longsuffering these vessels of indignation.

But the time had now arrived for the manifestation of His judgment on these vessels. The vessels referred to are the unfaithful children of Abraham, his children according to the flesh, who had been opposing God from the beginning of the Mosaic Eon. Yahweh Elohim had not destroyed the nation, had not annulled the covenant, due to the intercession of Moses. Even after the Babylonian captivity, Yahweh had restored the Temple and covenantal worship and service. Now, however, the Mosaic Covenant was in the process of being destroyed and replaced or superseded by the New Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant established through Jesus the Christ.

Why had Yahweh “carried” or endured with much patience or longsuffering these vessels of indignation? In order “that He should also be making known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, . . .” (Rom. 9:23a CV). Who are these vessels of mercy? “us, whom He calls also, not only out of the Jews, but out of the nations also” (Rom. 9:24 CV). Yahweh endured with much longsuffering the vessels of indignation in order to maintain the existence of the nation in His faithfulness to the intercession of Moses. This nation had been identified with Yahweh and His glory. The nation needed to survive in order for Yahweh to fulfill all the promises He made in the Law and the Prophets. These promises would be received and manifested by a holy nation, a kingdom of priests reflecting Yahweh’s glory (Ex. 19:5-6).

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Such a nation was being called out, formed, built, generated, created by Yahweh through Jesus the Christ and His Apostles. It consisted of all those at that time being called by Yahweh through the Gospel of Christ. But it necessitated faithfulness to the end. Thus, the vessels of indignation had adapted themselves to destruction by their own choice. However, the vessels of mercy, having been mercifully called by Yahweh to glory, were in the process of adapting themselves, through the resurrection power of the spirit of God and Christ, to this glory. It was their own choice or decision to faithfully follow and serve Christ to the end of the age according to the stipulations of the New Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant. The end of the Mosaic Eon was near. It was promised to occur in the lifetime of that generation. This promise did not fail fulfillment.

Yahweh’s elective purpose required both calling and faithfulness. If one was not called, one had no opportunity of being faithful. Many were called, few chosen. The chosen few are those among the called who remain faithful to the end. The holy writings never declare all are called. There is a distinction between the “many” and the “all” (Rom. 5:12-19). This distinction is based on Yahweh Elohim’s elective purpose for the seed of the Woman, the seed of Abraham, the seed of Isaac, the seed of Jacob, the nation Israel . Romans 5:12-21 expounds the relationship and the purpose of the many to and for the all of the human race, the seed of Adam as distinguished from the seed of the Woman.

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Yahweh’s Redemption of Israel:
Passover and the Death of the Firstborn Ones

Returning to the text of Exodus, Pharaoh’s hardened (glorified, exalted) and steadfast heart continues to resist Yahweh’s command through nine mighty plagues. However, after the tenth and final plague, the death of the firstborn males, Pharaoh completely capitulates: “Hence Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron by night and said: Rise! Go forth from the midst of my people, you indeed and the sons of Israel ! Go, serve Yahweh as you spoke. Moreover, your flocks, even your herds, take just as you have spoken, and go! However you will bless me” (Ex. 12:31-32 CV). The sons of Israel are driven out: “Also the Egyptians were steadfast over the people to hasten to dismiss them from the land, for they said: All of us are dying” (Ex. 12:33 CV). Pharaoh even seeks a blessing from Moses which serves to underline Moses’ complete triumph. According to Exodus 11:3a, “Moreover, the man Moses was very great in the eyes of the Egyptians, in the eyes of the servants of Pharaoh and in the eyes of the people” (CV). The reputation of Moses throughout Egypt is one producing awe, a reverence associated only with a rare breed of men understood to possess an exceptional relationship with the gods. In this case, Moses is venerated due to his intimate association with the powerful, overwhelming, awe-inspiring Elohim of the sons of Israel .

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The Death of the Firstborn Ones

The death of the firstborn ones in Egypt was to distinguish, make eminent beyond question the authority and power and glory of Yahweh, Elohim of the sons of Israel . This Elohim has established Himself as greater than all the elohim of the nations. As a result, His people are to be distinguished with honor above the Egyptian people. The death of the firstborn ones would not affect the sons of Israel . The means of distinction would be the blood of the Passover lamb smeared on the two jambs and on the lintel of the door of the house in which the sons of Israel would be eating the Passover lamb with unleavened cakes.

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The Ransom of Israel ’s Firstborn Ones

The instruction concerning the Passover feast is given to Moses by Yahweh. Israel is required to keep the feast of Passover in a state of readiness to travel. Yahweh assures Israel , “For I will pass through the land of Egypt in this night and smite every firstborn in the land of Egypt, . . . Then, the blood will become a sign for you on the houses where you are. When I see the blood I will pass over you” (Ex. 12:12- 13a CV). Israel is to be protected from the death of the firstborn ones only within the houses having the sign of the blood. Only the firstborn ones needed protection. Therefore, the blood of the Passover lamb delivered only the firstborn ones from death. This explains Yahweh’s later command to Moses regarding the firstborn ones having been passed over in that dreadful night of disaster for Egypt : “Hallow to Me every firstborn male, opening up every womb, . . . every firstborn of a human among your sons shall you ransom” (Ex. 13:2-13b CV). The firstborn ones needed to be ransomed, since they belonged (Page 139)to Yahweh. They should have died but were passed over. The ransom is necessary because Yahweh had determined at that time to separate for Himself the tribe of Levi and the house of Aaron instead of the firstborn males.

The Mosaic Covenant appointed the tribe of Levi and the house of Aaron in the place of the firstborn ones. The firstborn ones are set aside at this time to await the establishment of the New Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant by Jesus the Christ. Under this New Covenant, the firstborn ones would be set apart for Yahweh. They would make up the Israel of Yahweh, the ecclesia Jesus came to build. They would share in the blessings of Jesus the Christ as firstborn ones, becoming metaphorical members of His Body, and thus being designated “the ecclesia of the firstborn ones” (Heb. 12:23 CV). Christ calls all the faithful ones to share in His firstborn privileges and responsibilities. This is why they needed to be washed in His blood, the blood of Jesus as their Passover lamb, separating them to Yahweh’s service. They became the holy ones under the jurisdiction of the New Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant, a kingdom of priests, a holy nation, the ecclesia of the firstborn ones: “For our Passover also, Christ, was sacrificed for our sakes so that we may be keeping the festival, not with old leaven, nor yet with the leaven of evil and wickedness, but with unleavened sincerity and truth” (1 Cor. 5:7b-8 CV).

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The Judgment Against Egypt ’s Firstborn Ones

The judgment against the firstborn males in Egypt is understood to be a convincing refutation of all the gods of Egypt . Yahweh’s defeat of the gods of Egypt became the pragmatic experience of all the Egyptians and the sons of Israel: “For I will pass through the land of Egypt in this night and smite every firstborn in the land of Egypt . . . and on all the elohim of Egypt I shall execute judgments; I am Yahweh” (Ex. 12:12 CV). The judgment against the firstborn male was a devastating blow to the Egyptian idea of royal succession. The ancient Egyptians, like many other ancient nations, believed the eldest son of the king to be a god. Succession to the throne by the oldest son was considered a sacred gift of the gods. The glory, honor, and devotion attributed to the Egyptian king and his eldest son, heir to the throne, had now been diverted to Moses. Such was a sure sign of the complete defeat of all the Egyptian gods. For if they could not sustain their own sacred son through whom they reigned, they demonstrated themselves inferior to the Elohim destroying such a son.

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Yahweh as Kinsman Redeemer

This Passover ceremony is the first statute given to Israel by Yahweh. The word statute is first used in the Book of Exodus in chapter 12, verse 43: “This is the statute of the Passover: . . .” (CV). Its status as the first statute is due to the fact that Israel is redeemed out of Egyptian bondage by virtue of Yahweh’s act as Kinsman Redeemer.

The Passover death of the firstborn males in Egypt is the price paid to Egypt for Israel ’s release from bondage. Yahweh had declared to Moses,

Wherefore say to the sons of Israel : I am Yahweh: hence I will bring you forth from beneath the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rescue you from their service. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. I will take you to Me as a people. I will become to you as Elohim, and you will realize that I am Yahweh your Elohim, Who brought you forth from beneath the burdens of the Egyptians. I will bring you to the land which I lifted up My hand in swearing to give it to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a tenancy. I am Yahweh. (Exodus 6:6-8 CV)

Yahweh is acting as Kinsman Redeemer to the promised seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He bought back the freedom of the sons of Israel with the only redemption price capable of negotiating their release from Pharaoh and the gods of the Egyptians. For Pharaoh and the gods of the Egyptians had acted arrogantly against the sons of Israel and their Elohim. This is the conclusion drawn by Jethro after he had heard the story by the mouth of Moses: “Now I know that Yahweh is greater than all the elohim, yea in the matter in which they [the elohim of the Egyptians] were arrogant against them [the sons of Israel ] (Ex. 18:11 CV).

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Redemption

Redemption is by means of a Kinsman Redeemer. In this case, Yahweh is the Kinsman Redeemer, and the redemption is related to the death of the firstborn males and the blood of the Passover lamb. The only negotiable price acceptable to Pharaoh and the gods of the Egyptians is the death of the firstborn (Page 140)males. Yahweh pays this price. Pharaoh and the Egyptian elohim release the sons of Israel . The nation immediately responds by departing in haste, having beforehand asked and received of the Egyptians articles of silver and articles of gold, which Yahweh had directed them to do.

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Ransom

However, the blood of the Passover lamb is a sign shielding the firstborn males of the sons of Israel from the judgment of death. Therefore, the sons of Israel must pay Yahweh a ransom for these firstborn ones. Consequently, these firstborn ones become holy (separated) to Yahweh; they thus belong to Yahweh. In order for these firstborn ones to be released from Yahweh’s service to the service of their families, the sons of Israel had to pay a ransom price demanded by Yahweh. For Yahweh chose to separate to Himself for special service the tribe of Levi and the house of Aaron in place of the firstborn ones.

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Jesus as Kinsman Redeemer

Thus, Israel ’s redemption from Egyptian bondage is accomplished by Yahweh’s paying the redemption price inadvertently demanded by Pharaoh and the Egyptian gods. The ransom is paid by the sons of Israel to Yahweh on behalf of the firstborn males. This distinction is important for a proper understanding of the work of Jesus the Christ. Jesus, as Kinsman Redeemer, redeems His people Israel from the curse of the law—covenantal death, covenantal destruction as a nation by paying the redemption price—death (Passover lamb) and shedding of blood (blood of Passover lamb). The death of Christ on behalf of Israel released the nation from the bondage of the Mosaic Covenant: “Christ reclaimed [exagorazo, out-buy, buy back] us from the curse of the law, becoming a curse for our sakes, for it is written, Accursed is everyone hanging on a pole . . .” (Gal. 3:13 CV). This refers to Christ’s crucifixion death. This redemption is on behalf of Israel only. The nations were not under the curse of the law. Unless Israel is redeemed from the curse of the law, the blessings of Abraham cannot come upon the nations (see Gal. 3:14a).

This redemption price is paid to Yahweh, Elohim of the Mosaic Covenant. All those sons of Israel identified with the death of Jesus the Christ are redeemed, released, reclaimed from the service of the Mosaic Covenant in order to serve Yahweh, Elohim of the New Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant established and mediated by Jesus the Christ, even as Yahweh had redeemed, released, reclaimed the sons of Israel from the service of Pharaoh and the Egyptian gods in order for them to serve Him under the Mosaic Covenant.

These sons of Israel now identified with the death of Christ are covenantally dead, like the firstborn males of Egypt ; that is, they are dead in relation to the Mosaic Covenant (the old man). But these sons of Israel now identified also with the resurrection of Christ are covenantally alive, like the firstborn males of the sons of Israel, that is, alive to serve Yahweh, Elohim of the New Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant (the new man, see Rom. 7:1-6; 2 Cor. 5:16-17). Such is the effect of the death and resurrection life of Christ on the faithful sons of Israel .

However, since these faithful ones are still in the realm or world of the existing, though decrepit with old age, Mosaic Covenant (now the enemy, like Pharaoh and the Egyptian gods), they need the cleansing, protective power of the blood of their Passover lamb, Christ Jesus, in order to cleanse them from their sins. This would only be necessary until the death, the termination of the Mosaic Covenant, the end of the Mosaic Age. For though these faithful sons of Israel are not under the law, they are in a proper relation to the law, meaning, they faithfully are to fulfill the spirit of the law in their behavior toward men and Yahweh (cf. Rom. 7:6; 3:31). By doing so, they will manifest the glory of Yahweh, vindicating His great name by fulfilling Exodus 19:5-6a: “Now, if you shall hearken, yea hearken to My voice and observe My covenant then you will become Mine, a special possession, above all of the peoples, for Mine is all the earth. As for you, you shall become Mine, a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (CV).

Thus, these firstborn ones do not need to be ransomed. For they are chosen to serve Yahweh under the reign of Jesus Christ, son of David. No longer would the tribe of Levi and the house of Aaron be sanctified to serve Yahweh. Their service had been annulled, terminated by the establishment of the New Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant.

The faithful firstborn ones identified with Christ’s death and resurrection are counted as holy and sanctioned to serve Yahweh according to the stipulations of the New Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant. This meant they were to discharge the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ. This they would do until the end of the Mosaic Eon , which would occur in their own generation. During that period, they would complete their (Page 141)mission, their service, at which time they would enter their Celestial hope. Their salvation will have been completed.

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Yahweh’s Salvation of Israel

Having established that Yahweh first redeemed the sons of Israel from the service of Egyptian bondage, and that the sons of Israel afterward ransomed the firstborn males passed over by the messenger of death, it is now necessary to establish an understanding of Yahweh’s salvation. The word salvation is first used in the Book of Exodus in chapter 14, verse 13. Israel is encamped before the sea and the army of Pharaoh has her trapped and ready for destruction. The enemy from whom Israel had been redeemed reneges on its dismissal of the sons of Israel and attempts to destroy this people. Pharaoh and his army are confident that vengeance is near at hand. Moses then commands the people, “Do not fear! Station yourselves and see the salvation of Yahweh which He shall work for you today . . .” (CV my emphasis).

Yahweh’s salvation is to be distinguished from His redemption. Redemption buys back Israel ’s freedom. Salvation follows redemption, delivering the people from the persecution of the jealous and vindictive enemy by destroying the enemy. It is important to maintain this distinction, because it will cast much light on the meaning of “salvation” as used by the writers of the Greek Scriptures. This is exemplified by the first use of the word “salvation” in the Greek Scriptures:

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,

For He visits and makes a redemption for His people,

And rouses a horn of salvation for us

In the house of David, . . .

Salvation from our enemies . . . (Luke 1:68-71a CV my emphasis).

Note, redemption is provided first for Israel and then salvation from her enemies.

On the whole, salvation, as used in the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures, is associated with the elect purpose of Yahweh for Israel , not with the eternal destiny of each member of the Adamic race. As Yahweh destroyed the Egyptian army after His people had crossed safely through the parted sea, so also Yahweh would destroy the Judean state of the Jewish religious and political leaders after His people had crossed safely through the sea of Jewish persecution. The Mosaic Covenant would be terminated by the catastrophic judgment upon the Temple and the city of Jerusalem in 70 a.d.

The Israel of Yahweh experienced the salvation of Yahweh during the course of her faithful walk in obedience to the command of Yahweh stipulated in the New Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant. This course took place during the 40 years of trial beginning with the ministry of John the Baptist and the ministry of Jesus, culminating in the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 a.d. This destruction was analogous to the destruction of Pharaoh’s army in the sea. The Israel of the Adversary (Apostate, Cainish Israel) refuses Yahweh’s redemption. She tenaciously holds on to the Mosaic Covenant as a guarantee of covenantal life. She jealously persecutes the people of the New Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant, forbidding them to worship and serve Yahweh in accord with the New Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant of Yahweh. Thus, the Israel of the Adversary metaphorically drowns in the blazing sea of fire disintegrating the city of Jerusalem and the Herodian Temple.

The New Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant people of Yahweh had not feared the army of the enemy. This people stood firm and beheld the salvation of Yahweh. During the 40 years of trial, the power of the enemy of Yahweh’s people was in the process of being disabled. The faithful ones, having been redeemed, were participating in Yahweh’s salvation by faithfully walking in the overwhelming power of Yahweh in Christ. The enemy at every turn was being disabled by the work of Yahweh’s spirit on behalf of Yahweh’s people.

Thus, the Church (Ecclesia) of Christ, His Body, His Bride, stood still in faithfulness and beheld the salvation of Yahweh empowering her to carry out His service to His glory and praise. The reward for such faithful service was entrance into the celestial city promised to Abraham and his faithful seed. This salvation and reward belonged only to the faithful elect, beginning with Abel and concluding with the faithful ones of the last generation of the first century, those experiencing the end of the Mosaic Eon , the end, termination, goal of the Mosaic Covenant.

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Eonian Statutes and the Phrase Throughout Your Generations

This termination of the Mosaic Age and Covenant is substantiated by the description of the Passover as an eonian statute, “When I see the blood I will pass over you. . . . Hence this day will become for you a memorial day, and you will celebrate it as a celebration to Yahweh. Throughout your generations shall you celebrate it as an eonian statute” (Ex. 12:13b-14 CV). This is repeated in 12:17b, “And you will observe this day throughout your generations as an eonian statute” (CV). The Passover is understood to be an eonian statute, that is, a statute in effect only for the duration of the Mosaic Eon (age).

“Throughout your generations” indicates a limited number of generations, each one followed by another until the last generation is reached. This last generation would be alive to experience the end of the Mosaic Eon , the termination of the Mosaic Covenant, which would mean the time of the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. Israel is instructed, “Now you will observe this word as a statute for you and for your sons unto the eon (Ex. 12:24 CV). The Passover is a statute to be observed for the entire length or duration of “the eon,” meaning the Mosaic Eon, the age in which the Mosaic Covenant would be binding on the sons of Israel .

The phrase “throughout your generations” is used many times in the Book of Exodus. That Aaron and his sons were to serve in the tabernacle is described as “an eonian statute throughout your generations . . .” (Ex. 27:21 CV). That they were to wash their hands and feet whenever they entered the tabernacle is said to be “an eonian statute, for him and his seed throughout their generations” (Ex. 30:21 CV). The holy oil used to anoint Aaron and his sons is to be effective “throughout your generations” (Ex. 30:31 CV).

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The Sabbath as a Sign for the Eon

The Sabbath is “a sign between Me and you throughout your generations . . . an eonian covenant throughout their generations, . . . a sign for the eon , . . .” (Ex. 31:12, 16-17 CV). The Sabbath is not an eternal covenant. It is a temporal covenant limited to the Mosaic Age during which the Mosaic Covenant is in effect. The Sabbath is given to Israel as a “sign” indicating her separation (holiness) to Yahweh and Yahweh’s separation (holiness) to her (Ex. 31:13). This holy position of Israel would be in effect for the eon. Thus, it also is temporal. It would endure until the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, the establishment of the New Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant. Thus, the Sabbath is associated with the Mosaic Covenant. When the Mosaic Covenant would reach its conclusion, the Sabbath as a covenant and sign would end.

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The Creation at Sinai and The Creation of Genesis Chapter One

As a sign, the Sabbath is associated with the seven-day creation of Genesis, chapter 1 (Ex. 31:15). That creation is described as “In a beginning Elohim created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1 CV modified). The eonian covenant established at Mount Sinai is a metaphoric new creation of the heavens and the earth. Israel is drawn near to Yahweh Elohim in the heavens, while the nations are stationed metaphorically beneath her on the earth, thus, at a distance from Yahweh Elohim, the Elohim of the sons of Israel . Therefore, “Hence the sons of Israel will keep the sabbath so as to make the sabbath an eonian covenant throughout their generations” (Ex. 31:16 CV).

That the creation of Israel is analogous to the creation of Genesis, chapter 1, is further evidenced by the ascension of Moses to Yahweh on the heights of Mount Sinai to receive the stone tablets of the covenant:

When Moses ascended to the mountain, the cloud covered the mountain, and the glory of Yahweh tabernacled over Mount Sinai. The cloud covered it six days. Then Yahweh called to Moses on the seventh day from the midst of the cloud. . . . Moses came to be on the mountain forty days and forty nights. (Exodus 24:15-18b CV)

The reference to “six days” and “the seventh day” indicates a new creation, a new eon in which Yahweh is to be only Israel ’s Elohim, and Israel is to be His only holy nation, His only holy people, His only holy portion. Thus, Israel is metaphorically set in the heavens over the nations which are residing metaphorically on a new earth. This would later be referred to in the Greek Scriptures as the world-order into which Jesus came as “the lamb of God Which is taking away the sin of the world [cosmos = order, world-order]!(Jn. 1:29 CV).

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The Eonian Priesthood

Even the Aaronic priesthood is designated an eonian priesthood: “Then you will gird them with sashes, Aaron and his sons, . . . that the priesthood comes to be theirs for an eonian statute . . .” (Ex. 29:9 CV). Aaron and his sons were to be anointed to serve as priests: “their anointing is to bestow on them an eonian priesthood throughout their generations” (Ex. 40:15b CV). Thus, eonian priesthood is also associated with the phrase “throughout their generations.” This, again, is referring to the generations extending over the duration of the Mosaic Age. The writer of the letter to the Hebrews in the Greek Scriptures makes it clear that at the time of his writing, the Aaronic/Levitical priesthood was no longer effectual, beneficial (Heb. 7:11-19 CV). This would indicate at that time the nearness of the end of the Mosaic Eon and that the present generation of the writer is the last generation of the procession of the generations making up the “throughout their generations.”

The Eonian Faith

Finally, the word eon is associated with the ministry of Moses. After the nation hears the voice of Yahweh speaking the Ten Words of the covenant and the instructions Yahweh gives to Moses, the people as a corporate man respond, “All that Yahweh speaks we shall do” (Ex. 19:8 CV). Upon receiving Moses’ report of the response of the people, Yahweh declares to Moses, “Behold, I am coming to you in a thick cloud in order that the people shall hear when I speak with you, and, moreover, in you shall they believe for the eon” (Ex. 19:9 CV). The people are identified with Moses. The nation is to believe in Moses.

The words of Moses have divine authority. When Moses speaks, the people hear the word of Yahweh. They are to obey the words of Moses. For the words of Moses are the words of Yahweh. Moses is given a divine ministry, and it is to last for the eon. If the nation desires covenantal life, it will have to obey, hear, believe the words of Moses. But before one can obey the words of Moses, one must believe in Moses the one appointed by Yahweh, sent by Yahweh, and the one authorized by Yahweh to speak His word. Thus, the Mosaic Covenant requires faith in Moses. Justification under the law is by faith. To believe in Moses is to keep his word, his instructions. For he received his word, his instructions, directly from Yahweh. For Yahweh spoke to Moses “face to face” (Ex. 33:11).

The Ministry of Moses and The Ministry of Jesus

The writer of the Book of Hebrews alludes to this authority and identity of Moses when comparing and contrasting the ministry of Moses and the ministry of Jesus the Messiah.

Whence, holy brethren, partners of a celestial calling, consider the Apostle and Chief Priest of our advocation, Jesus, the One Who is faithful to Him [Yahweh] the One Who appointed Him [Jesus], as Moses also was appointed in His [Yahweh’s] whole house. (Hebrews 3:1-2 my translation)

The writer continues by stating that Jesus is worthy of more glory than Moses since Moses was faithful in Yahweh’s whole house ( Israel ) as an attendant. However, Christ is faithful in Yahweh’s whole house as a Son over Yahweh’s house.

As the people belonging to Yahweh’s house during the Mosaic Eon had to believe in Moses, so also the people belonging to Yahweh’s contemporary house during the last years of the Mosaic Eon (the Ecclesia, the new Born-From-Above Israel of Yahweh) had to believe in Jesus the Christ (Heb. 3:3-6). The author then identifies the current members of the house of Yahweh ruled over by Christ, the Son, “Whose house we are, that is, if we should be retaining the boldness and the glorying of the expectation confirmed unto the consummation” (Heb. 3:6b CV). The “we” refers to all the ones (Jew first, Gentiles also) then believing in Christ and attempting to remain faithful to Him to the end, the consummation of the Mosaic Eon and the Mosaic Covenant.

Jesus declares, “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who is beholding the Son and believing into Him may have life eonian, and I shall be raising it [His Body, the Church, the Israel of Yahweh] in the last day” (Jn. 6:40 CV modified). The Apostle John again quotes Jesus as declaring, “Believe in God and believe in Me” (Jn. 14:1 CV). Jesus also compares Himself with Moses, “For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he writes concerning Me. Now if you are not believing his writings, how shall you be believing My declarations?” (Jn. 5:46-47 CV). Israel is required to believe in Moses, his words, his writings; and Israel is required to believe in Jesus, His words, His proclamations, His Gospel.

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Jesus, in His answer to the question, “What may we be doing that we may be working the works of God?” proclaims that His authority and ministry superseding that of Moses comes from God (Jn. 6:28 CV). He declares, “This is the work of God, in order that you may be believing in that One Whom He commissions” (Jn. 6:29 my translation). As Yahweh called and prepared Moses for his ministry, so also Jesus is called and prepared by Yahweh. Jesus is the manifestation of Yahweh’s work in the midst of His people. Jesus has been commissioned by Yahweh. He has been assigned a ministry in which the people are to believe in Him as they had believed in Moses.

Under the Mosaic Covenant, the people were to be identified with Moses. Under the New Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant, the people are to be identified with Jesus. That Jesus’ ministry and covenant were to supersede the Mosaic ministry and covenant is confirmed by the fact that to believe Moses necessitated the believing in Jesus the Christ. For Moses wrote concerning the Christ to come:

A Prophet shall I raise up to them from among their brothers, like you [Moses], and I will put My words in His mouth, and He will speak to them all that I shall instruct Him. Yet it will come to be that the man who should not hearken to My words that the Prophet shall speak in My name, I Myself shall require his blood from him. (Deuteronomy 18:18-19 CV)

This is precisely how this text is interpreted when, after Jesus multiplies the bread and fish, the men participating in this event conclude, “This truly is the Prophet Who is coming into this world-order” (Jn. 6:14 my translation). The “world-order” referred to is the Hebraic world-order, the order established at Sinai; thus, the Mosaic world-order in which Israel is given supremacy over the nations (the new heavens and the new earth created at Sinai) by virtue of her close relationship to Yahweh (the Mosaic Covenant, including Yahweh’s statutes and judgments, His gift only to Israel).

To believe Moses is covenantal life. To disbelieve Moses is covenantal death (Deut. 30:19-20). To believe Jesus is covenantal life (Jn. 6:40, 47, 51; 8:12; 11:24-26). To disbelieve Jesus is covenantal death (see Jn. 8:24; 3:36). Jesus Himself is the work of Yahweh. The goal of that work is the redemption of His people, the deliverance of His people from the curse of the law (the Second Death—the death, termination, goal of the Mosaic Covenant) to the life of the New Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant (the resurrection, the life, the fulfilling of the Law and the Prophets, the initiation of this New Covenant). Yahweh, thus, is requiring the people to believe Jesus and to faithfully keep His words to the end of the Mosaic Eon . Such faithfulness meant life in the age to come, entrance into the celestial hope of all the elect faithful ones beginning with Abel (see Hebrews, chapter 11).

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The Salvation at the Sea and the Song to Yahweh

After the Egyptian army is destroyed in the sea, the text concludes, “Thus Yahweh saved Israel on that day from the hand of Egypt . Then Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the shore of the sea; and Israel discerned the great hand with which Yahweh had done this to Egypt . So the people feared Yahweh and believed in Yahweh and in Moses His servant” (Ex. 14:30-31 CV). Though the people believed in Yahweh and in Moses as a result of Yahweh’s great redemptive acts and His miraculous act of salvation at the sea, this faith is to prove fickle during their trek through the wilderness to the border of the Promised Land. Many would not remain faithful to the end, in spite of experiencing the awesome salvation of Yahweh at the sea. However, having been saved from the wicked hand of the enemy, Moses and the sons of Israel sing a song to Yahweh.

In this song, the people praise Yahweh. He is described as “august,” thus, a great king, manifestly majestic (Ex. 15:1). He is exalted as a “Man of war” (Ex. 15:2-3). The enemy is presented as seeking Israel ’s total destruction (Ex. 15:9). As Yahweh had redeemed them out of Egyptian bondage, so He had saved them at the sea. They acknowledge that Yahweh has acquired them (Ex. 15:16). They now belong to Yahweh. They are His possession by virtue of His acts as Kinsman Redeemer. Such faith expressed through exuberant song would soon prove fickle for many of these sons of Israel .

They sing confidently of Yahweh’s planting them “in the mount of Your allotment” (Ex. 15:17 CV), referring to the Land of Promise, metaphorically exalted above the lands of the surrounding nations. This land is then described as “the site for Your dwelling . . . The Sanctuary . . . which Your hands have established” (Ex. 15:17 CV). Thus, they conceive the land as Yahweh’s sanctuary, His holy place, His holy dwelling, a holy land in the midst of the non-sacred lands of the nations. Yet many would soon forget the faithfulness of Yahweh their Elohim.

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This conception of the land as Yahweh’s sanctuary implies Israel ’s status as “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Ex. 19:6), a holy priestly nation serving as mediator between Yahweh and the non-sacred nations. The metaphoric description of the land as “the mount of Your allotment” is another picture of a new heavens and a new earth. The holy land as a mountain exalted into the heavens above the lands of the surrounding non-sacred nations residing at its feet (its footstool) is a picture of Israel metaphorically exalted over the nations as a king over his subjects.

The song concludes with a crescendo glorifying Yahweh as the Elohim Who “shall reign for the eon and further” (Ex. 15:18 CV). A new age had begun. Yahweh would reign over Israel and the nations during this age as the Elohim of Israel. Israel would enjoy an exalted supremacy over the nations in order to manifest the light of Yahweh’s glory to the nations residing in the darkness of their ignorant, distorted, disapproved minds. But this text also foreshadows the end of the Mosaic Eon and the continued reign of Yahweh as the Elohim of the nations and all humanity. This comes about as the result of the accomplishment of the New Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant established through Jesus, thus, as a result of the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. Yahweh is to reign, not only for the eon, but “further.” The concept of eternal is foreign to the Hebrew and Greek holy scriptures of Israel . The word “further” foreshadows Daniel’s “and His kingdom . . . shall not be destroyed” (Dan. 7:14 KJV), Luke’s “of this kingdom there shall be no end” (Lk. 1:33 KJV), and Paul’s “whenever He may be giving up the kingdom to His God and Father” (1 Cor. 15:24 CV).

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The Capricious Character of the Sons of Israel :

Immediately following the journey from the sea to the wilderness of Shur, the text records, “Then the people grumbled” (Ex. 15:24 CV). The waters of Marah are bitter. The people are unable to drink the water. They grumble against Moses. Yahweh instructs Moses as to how to rectify the problem. The waters are sweetened. The author of Exodus explains that this event occurred in order for Yahweh to probe the sons of Israel . Their grumbling is not a good sign.

Yahweh corrects the problem and issues a warning: “If you shall hearken, . . . to the voice of Yahweh your Elohim and do what is upright in His eyes, and give ear to His instructions and observe all His statutes, then all the illnesses which I placed on the Egyptians I shall not place on you, for I am Yahweh your Healer” (Ex. 15:26 CV). This promise to Israel is unique and is to be taken literally. No other nation has been offered such a promise. This promise is to be reiterated and expanded at Sinai. If Israel did that which is right in the eyes of Yahweh, she would escape the illnesses experienced by Egypt and the nations.

But already the capricious character of the sons of Israel is revealed. She is much like Pharaoh. She has been infected with the attitude of the Egyptians toward their gods. These gods were capricious in their demands and in their responses to the requests of the Egyptians. The people of Egypt , therefore, learned to accommodate themselves to the capriciousness of the gods.

During their extended residence in Egypt , the sons of Israel learned the ways of the gods of Egypt . As a result, they responded to Yahweh their Elohim in the same manner. All gods seemed capricious. One never could be sure of their faithfulness. Lack of drinkable water was interpreted as a change of mind on the part of Yahweh their Elohim. Grumbling was a corresponding capricious act on their part to cause a positive reaction from their Elohim. They still had not learned that Yahweh their Elohim is not like the elohim of the nations. Yahweh is well aware of this deficiency. He probes them in order to provide opportunities for them to come to know Him and His ways.

The character of the sons of Israel is first revealed in Exodus 4:30-31. Aaron spoke all the words of Yahweh and performed signs in the sight of the people: “Hence the people believed; when they heard that Yahweh notices the sons of Israel and that He sees their humiliation, then they bowed their heads and bowed themselves down” (Ex. 4:31 CV). However, when Pharaoh increases their burden, they blame Moses and Aaron for causing “our scent to stink in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of his servants, giving a sword into their hands to kill us” (Ex. 5:21b CV). Instead of doing what is right in the eyes of Yahweh, they respond to what they see as right in the eyes of Pharaoh.

With their backs to the sea and the army of Pharaoh facing them, the sons of Israel “become exceedingly fearful” (Ex. 14:10 CV). They complain to Moses, “Is it for lack of tombs in Egypt that you have taken us to die in the wilderness? . . . Is not this the word which we spoke to you in Egypt, saying: Leave off from us and let us serve the Egyptians, for it is better for us to serve the Egyptians than for us to die in the wilderness?” (Ex. 14:11b-12 CV). This response comes after the ten plagues. Yahweh had (Page 146)redeemed them with a mighty hand, yet they quickly turned away from Him when trapped by Pharaoh’s army. From their perception, Yahweh could not be trusted from one moment to another. He had redeemed them by His mighty hand, but now He seemed to be delivering them up to death in the wilderness at the very hands of the Egyptians from whom He had redeemed them. How could one trust such a god? Like all the gods, He was capricious.

At the sea, Yahweh had once again revealed His mighty hand against the Egyptians on behalf of His people. The enemy had been destroyed miraculously. Yet, shortly after this incredible demonstration, the whole congregation grumbled against Moses and Aaron, complaining of a lack of food, “you have brought us forth to this wilderness to put this entire assembly to death with famine” (Ex. 16:3b CV). Moses responds to this accusation by declaring, “Not against us are your grumblings, but rather against Yahweh” (Ex. 16:8b CV). The glory of Yahweh then appears to Moses. Yahweh announces, “I have heard the grumblings of the sons of Israel . Speak to them saying, Between the evening hours you shall eat flesh, and in the morning you shall be satisfied with bread” (Ex. 16:12a CV). The sons of Israel are promptly provided quail and manna from heaven, a special bread from heaven miraculously provided by Yahweh their Elohim. This bread would then continue to be provided throughout the years of their wilderness wandering.

In all this, the sons of Israel continue to disbelieve and rebel against Yahweh. This first generation coming out from Egypt will fail. But Yahweh is not taken by surprise. He had known its character from the beginning. At Moab , in preparation for crossing the Jordan into the Land of Promise, Yahweh warns the sons of Israel ,

Do not say in your heart when Yahweh your Elohim thrusts them out from before you, saying: Because of my own righteousness Yahweh brings me in to tenant this land. Rather it is because of the wickedness of these nations . . . Know then that it is not because of your own righteousness that Yahweh your Elohim is giving to you this good land to tenant it, for you are a stiff-necked people. (Deuteronomy 9:4-6 CV)

Later, during this same period, Yahweh commands Moses,

And now, write down for yourselves this song and teach it to the sons of Israel . . . . so that this song may come to be for Me as a testimony against the sons of Israel . When I shall bring them to the ground gushing with milk and honey about which I had sworn to their fathers, when they eat and are satisfied and are sleek so that they turn around to other elohim and serve them, when they thus spurn Me and annul My covenant, . . . then this song will answer as a testimony before them . . . that I know the bent of their heart which they are forming today ere I bring them to the land about which I had sworn. (Deuteronomy 31:19-21 CV)

The first generation of the sons of Israel coming out of Egypt fails and dies in the wilderness. However, Yahweh reveals that future generations shall also fail. They will spurn Yahweh and annul His covenant, turning from Yahweh to serve other elohim. Yahweh had not chosen these people because of their righteousness. They were and continued to be a stiff-necked and rebellious people. Yahweh graciously showed them mercy. He would judge their rebelliousness but would not abandon them or His purpose in choosing them. He would be faithful. Though this nation continued to form for itself a stiff-necked and rebellious heart of stone, He would preserve the nation and form a faithful remnant throughout their generations into a kingdom of priests and a holy nation, a nation having a heart upon which He would write His law. Through this faithful, holy nation, Yahweh would bless the nations and fulfill His Celestial Promise to the faithful ones from Abel to those who would be faithful to the end during the last generation, the generation of Jesus and His Apostles. This would be accomplished through Jesus the Christ and the New Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant consecrated with the blood of Jesus the Christ.

Therefore, Israel is perceived as a common block of stone being artistically chiseled by Yahweh into His preconceived image of beauty and utility. But this sculpture of stone (the Mosaic Covenant, the born-from-below Israel ) upon completion would be invigorated with spirit causing the stony sculpture to crumble into powder thereby unveiling a beautiful and loyal bride of flesh (the New Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant, the Born-From-Above Israel ). The stiff-necked and rebellious nation would crumble to dust (the old covenant) leaving only the loving and obedient nation (the New Covenant) in whom would be unveiled the epiphany (brilliant manifestation) of Yahweh’s glory and faithfulness. Yahweh knows the bent of this people with whom He entered into covenantal marriage at Sinai. He knows her heart of stone. He has chosen to show mercy. He has picked up His hammer and chisel and begun to create, to form from this common block a nation, a people to bear His name and manifest His glory.

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The Covenant At Sinai

The shaping of this common block of stone begins at Mount Sinai. Yahweh commands Moses to gather the people at the foot of the mountain. As Yahweh descends to the summit of the mountain, smoke as of a limekiln ascends over the summit. Sounds are heard, flashes seen. The people behold a heavy cloud and hear an exceedingly loud sound of a trumpet. The mountain is “consuming with fire unto the heart of the heavens, with darkness, cloud and murkiness” (Deut. 4:11 CV). Then Yahweh speaks the Ten Words from the midst of the fire. Moses later refers to this speaking as “He told you His covenant which He instructed you to keep, the Ten Words” (Deut. 4:13 CV my emphasis). Thus, Yahweh contracts “a covenant with us at Horeb” (Deut. 5:2 CV).

The Ten Words are the stipulations of the contract made between Yahweh and the sons of Israel . The heads of the tribes and the elders enter into this covenantal relationship by declaring, “all that Yahweh our Elohim shall speak to you [Moses], . . . we will hearken and obey” (Deut. 5:27b CV). These leaders of the people now understand that the nation collectively stands before Yahweh as one human, one man, and that this man now lives in the presence of Yahweh. Their Elohim had breathed the breath, the words, of covenantal life into their collective nostrils, and they became collectively a covenantally living man, living nation. Yahweh had created them and invigorated them collectively as He had created and invigorated Adam individually. This nation alone had been created directly by Yahweh Elohim, “For ask now about the former days which came before you, from the day that Elohim created humanity on the earth, . . . Has there occurred anything like this great thing, or has anything been heard like it? Has a people ever heard the voice of the living Elohim speaking from the midst of the fire just as you heard it, and lived?” (Deut. 4:32-33 CV). The nation stands metaphorically as a man before Yahweh, a new man, a new nation in the midst of the nations, having metaphorically breathed in the Ten Words of covenantal life.

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The Mortal Condition of Israel Before Yahweh

However, these representatives of the new man, the new nation, understood their mortal condition before the living Elohim. For all humanity participated in the common death activated by Adam. Therefore, individual members of the nation could not remain too long in the holy presence of Yahweh Elohim because of this mortal condition. Death was operating in each of them, the common death of all humanity, biological death, “for soil you are, and to soil are you returning” (Gen. 3:19 CV).

Thus, these leaders request that Moses become the mediator of this covenant between Yahweh and the national man:

This day WE have seen that Elohim speaks to the interest of THE MAN and HE lives. Yet now, why should WE die? For this great fire shall devour us. If we are continuing to hear the voice of Yahweh our Elohim any further, then we will die. . . . As for you, go near and hear all that Yahweh our Elohim says. Then you shall speak to us all that Yahweh our Elohim shall speak to you, and we will hearken and obey. (Deuteronomy 5:24b-27 my translation)

Yahweh responds to these conclusions:

I have heard the sound of the words of this people that they have spoken to you. They have done well in all they have spoken. O that their heart might become this way with them: to fear Me and to observe all My instructions all the days, that it might be well with them and with their sons for the eon . (Deuteronomy 5:28b- 29 CV)

Yahweh endorses the conclusions drawn by these representative leaders, conclusions drawn from the experience of the nation at the footstool of Yahweh’s throne residing on the summit of Mount Sinai. Therefore, this people understands the holiness of its relationship with Yahweh implied by its analogous relationship to the creation of Adam. The common block of stone had begun to take the shape of the covenantal likeness and image of Yahweh its Elohim. It had been given covenantal life, imaging Yahweh’s statutes and judgments and covenantal supremacy over the nations, acting in the likeness of Yahweh’s authority.

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Israel as a Collective Man

These leaders spoke of “THE man,” “HE lives,” referring to the nation as a collective man. They also spoke of “why should WE die?” “This great fire shall devour US” (my emphasis), “If WE are (Page 148)continuing to hear the voice of Yahweh . . . any further, . . . WE will die” (my emphasis), referring to the individual members of the collective man, members properly fearing, respecting the holiness of Yahweh in relation to their unclean bodies polluted by death, mortality. Such physical, biological mortality could not long endure the holy fire of Yahweh’s presence. This judgment was confirmed by Yahweh. The sons of Israel were allowed to draw near to Yahweh, but not too near. His direct presence would destroy their mortal bodies. Even Moses had to be protected from the direct presence of Yahweh’s holy glory. It is due to the active operation of death in man’s biological body that Yahweh’s holy presence results in destruction for Adamic humanity. This was not the case before Adam’s sin.

As a result, Yahweh’s appointment of Moses as mediator of the covenant is affirmed by Israel ’s request that Moses mediate between Yahweh and herself. In this request, Israel manifests her proper respectful fear of Yahweh’s numinous, awesome presence. After Moses mediates all the words of Yahweh’s statutes and judgments, the people confirm the commitment of the heads of the tribes and the elders: “Then all the people responded with one voice and said: All the words which Yahweh has spoken we shall do” (Ex. 24:3b CV). The covenant thus becomes binding on both parties. The people, having consented to the covenant, now ratify it by means of a covenant ceremony. Moses builds an altar below the mountain and sets up twelve stone monuments representing the twelve tribes of Israel . He then sacrifices young bulls, sprinkling some of the blood on the altar. This completed, he takes the scroll of the covenant and reads it aloud to the people. Again, the people affirm the covenant, “All that Yahweh has spoken we shall do and hearken to” (Ex. 24:7b CV). Thereupon, Moses takes the blood and sprinkles it on the people, saying, “Behold the blood of the covenant which Yahweh contracts with you concerning all these matters” (Ex. 24:8b CV).

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Moses and the Selectmen of Israel

The covenant is thereby ratified by the sprinkling of the blood of the sacrificed bulls upon the people. The New Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant mediated by Jesus the Christ is also ratified by a sprinkling of blood, a metaphorical sprinkling of the blood of Jesus the Christ upon the ratifying community (Heb. 12:24; Rev. 7:14). After completing this blood ritual, Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and 70 of the elders of Israel ascend the mountain. There the writer records “they saw the Elohim of Israel and beneath His feet as it were a work of sapphire tiling, as the very heavens for purity” (Ex. 24:10 CV). The people did not see their Elohim. But these specially selected men did: “To the selectmen of the sons of Israel He put not forth His hand, yet they perceived the One, Elohim, and ate and drank” (Ex. 24:11 CV). They see with their eyes and perceive what they see. They recognize the fact, the reality that they are literally seeing Yahweh Elohim.

Some have interpreted this to mean they saw Elohim in a vision. But the text does not describe the scene as such. There is nothing here to indicate this is to be understood in any other way than literally. They see and they perceive, and He, Yahweh Elohim, “put not forth His hand” to destroy them. This text indicates that in spite of the fact the people at Sinai “were not seeing a physical representation . . .” (Deut. 4:12 CV), the Elohim of Israel could be seen. He did have an image, a form. That image revealed feet and hands.

This could be interpreted metaphorically. But Genesis, chapter 1, describes man as being created in the image of Elohim. Therefore, it can be concluded that Yahweh Elohim has a physical form which became the model used in the creation of man. Though the nation as a whole is not allowed to see and perceive that physical form, a select group is favored with this physical audience. The fact that the text declares Yahweh’s hand is not put forth or raised with the intention of destroying them because of this intimate audience, indicates this seeing and perceiving is not a vision.

The testimony of John 1:18 does not contradict a literal understanding of this text. As a matter of fact, it corroborates such an understanding, “God no one has ever seen” (Jn. 1:18a CV). The Greek word translated “seen” is horeo, meaning to stare at intently, to discern clearly. It conveys the idea of seeing through the surface to the depth of something. It is contrasted with the Greek word blepo, meaning to see the exterior, the outward form or appearance.

The writer of the Gospel of John chose not to use the word blepo. If he wished to convey the mere seeing of an outward, exterior form or appearance, this word was available to him. He chose horeo because it conveyed his intended meaning. John 1:18 closes with the following words: “The only-begotten God, Who is in the bosom of the Father, He unfolds Him” (Jn. 1:18b CV). The writer is referring to Jesus the Son Who is said to unfold, unveil, reveal the inward, interior character of God the Father. The words and (Page 149)activities of Jesus unfold the exterior (the surface) in order to give access to the interior (the depth) of God’s character. Jesus exposed the depth of Yahweh Elohim’s love, mercy, and faithfulness to humanity. No one up to that time had penetrated into the depth of God’s character. What God had revealed in the past had been merely surface compared to the depth He was revealing in and through Jesus.

Thus, these selectmen of the Book of Exodus see and perceive the Elohim of Israel. They do not “stare intently into the depth of Yahweh Elohim.” They see and perceive His outward form, even as Moses is later to see and perceive Yahweh’s literal backside through which Yahweh chooses to reveal His glory to Moses. In the scene with the selectmen, Yahweh does not reveal His glory. He is still hidden. Yet, in Yahweh’s presence, they “ate and drank.” This is alluded to in the gospels. Jesus assembles His disciples. It is the evening before the Passover. They, like the selectmen of Exodus, chapter 24:9-11, also “eat and drink” in the presence of Jesus. They also participate in a ritual ratification of a covenant:

Now at their eating, Jesus, taking the bread, and, blessing, breaks it, and, giving to the disciples, said, “Take, eat. This is My body.” And taking the cup and giving thanks, He gives it to them, saying, “Drink of it all, for this is My blood of the new covenant, that is shed for many for the pardon of sins. . . .” (Matthew 26:26-28 CV)

In this New Covenant, Yahweh, the Elohim of the sons of Israel , was about to reveal the depths of His heart. Jesus was about to unfold the last sheath veiling Yahweh’s depth, exposing, for all to see, the suffering heart of the God of Israel. Yahweh’s ultimate act as Kinsman Redeemer was about to be played out on the stage of human history. This act would become the vortex inverting the course of human destiny.

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Israel and Adam

With the establishment of the Mosaic Covenant, Israel as a nation is created. The process is analogous to the creation of Adam. As Yahweh Elohim formed Adam from the soil of the ground, so He forms Israel from the soil of Egypt . As Yahweh Elohim breathed the breath of life into the nostrils of Adam making him a living soul, so He breathes into the metaphorical nostrils of Israel the breath of covenantal life—the Ten Words, making Israel a covenantally living man, a covenantally living nation.

As Yahweh Elohim placed Adam in the Garden of Eden, giving him His instruction, so He gives Israel His statutes and judgments, giving Israel access to Yahweh’s covenantal Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil—that which is right in the eyes of Yahweh. No other nation had been so gifted. Israel is to conform to Yahweh’s distinctions between Good and Evil. Yahweh’s Law, His testimonies, His statutes and judgments, His instructions became for Israel a metaphorical Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

Thus, covenantally, metaphorically, Yahweh restores to Israel the Tree of Life (the Ten Words) and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (His statutes and judgments, testimonies, and instructions) which had been removed from the domain of humanity. If Israel obeys, hearkens to Yahweh’s determination of Good and Evil, he will be blessed above the nations and will be a light to the nations, directing the nations away from their own life-deteriorating determination of good and evil to the life-enhancing Good and Evil of Yahweh’s determination. These covenantal trees would be planted in the Promised Land in which Yahweh would shortly place Israel . Thus, Israel is a new Adam, a national Adam. Israel ’s creation is a new creation, a new covenantal heavens and earth, the beginning of a new age—the Mosaic Age.

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The Abrahamic Covenant and the Mosaic Covenant

As a result of this covenant relationship, Yahweh is contractually bound to bless Israel with economic abundance, social and political stability, physical and psychological health, national security, international supremacy, and religious access to His living presence. Israel is contractually bound to obey Yahweh’s words, statutes and judgments, testimonies, instructions—that is, to hearken to all that the voice of Yahweh speaks. This meant the possibility of terrestrial prosperity in every aspect of human life.

Yahweh entered into no such covenant with any nation before or after His entrance into this covenant at Mount Sinai. Israel and the Mosaic Covenant are unique in the history of nations:

Yahweh our Elohim, He contracted a covenant with us at Horeb. Not with our fathers did Yahweh contract this covenant, but with us, us, these here today, all of us who are alive. Face to face Yahweh spoke with you at the mount from the midst of the fire . . . (Deuteronomy 5:2-4 CV)

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The Mosaic Covenant was not made with Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob. These three fathers were never under the stipulations of the Sinatic Covenant. Only the sons of Israel exiting Egypt under Moses and their future progeny (Deut. 29:14) come under this covenant. The covenant made with Abraham, however, has precedence over the Mosaic Covenant.

Thus, the Mosaic Covenant is temporary. It of necessity would have to be terminated in order to be completely fulfilled. In response to the request of the heads and elders of the tribes of Israel that Moses mediate the stipulations of the covenant, Yahweh declares, “O that their heart might become this way with them: to fear Me and to observe all My instructions all the days, that it might be well with them and with their sons for the eon (Deut. 5:29 CV). The covenant is to last “for the eon.” At the end of the Mosaic Eon , the Law and the Prophets would be fulfilled. The covenants made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, each of whom was not under the Mosaic Covenant, would remain valid after the termination of the Mosaic Covenant.

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Face-To-Face Encounter and Righteousness for Us

In the contracting of the Sinatic Covenant, Yahweh spoke to Israel “Face to face” (Deut. 5:4 CV). This, again, Yahweh had never done before or after with any other nation. Thus, the Mosaic Covenant possessed a unique righteousness that belonged exclusively to the sons of Israel : “Then Yahweh instructed us to obey all these statutes, to fear Yahweh our Elohim for our good all the days so as to keep us alive, as it is this day. So it shall come to be RIGHTEOUSNESS FOR US when we observe to do all this instruction before Yahweh our Elohim, just as He had enjoined on us” (Deut. 6:24-25 CV my emphasis). This righteousness guaranteed covenantal blessing. This righteousness obligated Yahweh to fulfill His side of the covenantal agreement. It guaranteed Israel ’s covenantal life in the presence of Yahweh, even as Adam’s obedience in relation to Yahweh Elohim’s commands became his righteousness and guaranteed his life in the presence of Yahweh.

This is the righteousness referred to by Paul in his letter to the Philippians. He repudiated this righteousness which is based on the faithfulness of Moses in favor of the New Covenant righteousness which was from God and based upon the faithfulness of Christ. Paul counted as refuse the righteousness of the Mosaic Covenant in order to gain Christ and be found “in Him, not having MY righteousness [the righteousness of the Sinatic Covenant], which is out of law, but that which is through the faithfulness of Christ, . . . conforming to His death, . . .” (Phil. 3:9-10 CV modified). The crucifixion death of Christ was the termination, the death of the Mosaic Covenant as a means of covenantal life and covenantal righteousness.

Under the New Covenant established by Christ’s death and resurrection, Yahweh wrote His law upon the fleshly hearts of His covenanted partners. Under the Mosaic Covenant, Yahweh wrote His law upon two stone tablets. His covenantal partners were required to transfer that law from the stone tablets to their own hearts, causing the law to come alive and inspire obedience.

But under the New Covenant in Christ, the two stone tablets were superseded by the faithfulness of Christ Whose spirit wrote the Law of Yahweh “on the fleshly tablets of the heart” (2 Cor. 3:3 CV). The members of the New Covenant Community were not required to write Yahweh’s Law on their hearts, since this was done for them by Yahweh’s spirit poured out upon them. This distinguished the old covenant from the New Covenant, fulfilling the words of the prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel, “I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; . . .” (Jer. 31:33 KJV); “And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh” (Ezk. 11:19 KJV).

As Yahweh spoke “face to face” (metaphorically) with Moses, so He spoke “face to face” (metaphorically, covenantally) at Mount Sinai with the man Israel . He spoke the Ten Words of the covenant from the midst of the fire which mediated His glory, His presence. Thus, His glory, though partially revealed, remained hidden behind the fiery veil hung over the heart of the heavens (Deut. 5:4; 4:11-12). The fire was not Yahweh. It was not even a representation of Yahweh. But it was a veiled manifestation of Yahweh’s glory (Ex. 24:17). By this, Israel was to understand that he was never to forge any image depicting Yahweh. All such images were idols, “you were not seeing a physical representation, nothing except a voice” (Deut. 4:12b CV). It was the voice of Yahweh conveying the Ten Words of life that Israel was to identify as his Elohim. Worship of Yahweh was never to be by means of physical representations. All such representations were considered idols. The worship of Yahweh was to be equivalent to obeying His voice, hearkening to His words.

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The Breaking of the Covenant

The people had entered into a covenant relation with Yahweh. Moses had read the scroll of the covenant for all to hear. The people had agreed, “All that Yahweh has spoken we shall do and hearken to” (Ex. 24:7b CV). Moses is then commanded to ascend the mountain to Yahweh, Who declares, “I shall give to you the stone tablets, the law and the instructions which I wrote to direct them” (Ex. 24:12b CV). Moses ascends the mountain. The cloud covers the mountain and the glory of Yahweh tabernacles over Mount Sinai. The people behold this phenomenon for 40 days and 40 nights. Yahweh’s glory continues to appear as a devouring fire on the summit of the mountain for the entire time Moses dwells within the midst of the cloud, 40 days and 40 nights (Ex. 24:12-18).

However, when Moses fails to descend the mountain within their conception of a reasonable time, the people assemble against Aaron and demand that he make them “elohim who shall go before us, for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we know not what has become of him” (Ex. 32:1b CV). Moses had mediated Yahweh’s guidance among the people. His presence represented a tangible sign of Yahweh’s presence in the midst of the people. His absence causes the people to seek an image representing Yahweh as a replacement of Moses.

The people fear their mediator has been destroyed by Yahweh. If this be the case, it is deduced that Yahweh is displeased with such a human mediator. Yahweh, thus, like the gods of the nations, must desire a more appropriate image, such as a golden calf. The people do not attempt to replace Yahweh as their Elohim; they seek to replace Moses with an image more acceptable to their Elohim.

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The Misconception of the Role of Moses

The people demand that Aaron make them a golden calf. This golden calf is to take the place of Moses as a concrete embodiment of Yahweh’s presence around which the people can assemble. Thus, the people have misconceived the role of Moses. They have made of Moses an idol, an image representing Yahweh. The absence and assumed destruction of this image, this idol, demanded a new approach, a more conventional image. Consequently, the first two words of the covenant are disobeyed, revealing the inclination of the people to worship through the medium of idols. Before Moses can return with the two stone tablets of the covenant, the people have broken the covenant.

This covenant, which had been a covenant of life, had become a covenant of death. The Ten Words of this covenant which had breathed into the nation’s nostrils the breath of covenantal life becomes the instrument through which covenantal death would descend upon the nation. Yahweh’s giving of covenantal life has now been forfeited. The covenantal terms demand covenantal death. Yahweh declares to Moses,

Go! Go down, for your people whom you brought up from the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. They have withdrawn quickly from the way which I instructed them. They have made for themselves a molten calf and bowed themselves down to it. (Exodus 32:7-8a CV)

Yahweh’s anger is hot against the nation. He seeks to destroy her and offers to make Moses into a great nation in her place (Ex. 32:10).

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The First Intercession of Moses

Moses immediately intercedes on behalf of the nation. He correctly perceives (as a result of Yahweh’s recent instructions) his relation to the nation as analogous to Adam’s relation to Eve. Adam had been given headship over Eve. He was responsible for her welfare. She was bone of his bones, flesh of his flesh. She was named woman, for she had been taken out of man, out of Adam.

Yahweh, speaking to Moses, calls the nation “your people.” He identifies Moses as the one who brought this nation up from the land of Egypt. The nation is identified with Moses as Eve is identified with Adam, “the woman whom Thou gavest, . . .” (Gen. 3:12). As Yahweh gave Eve to Adam, so He gave Israel to Moses. As Adam and Eve are described as “the man” whom Elohim created in His image and whom He created “male and female” (Gen. 1:27 CV), so Moses and Israel are described, metaphorically, as “the man” (Deut. 5:24 CV modified) whom Yahweh has created in His image and whom He created “male and female”—Moses representing metaphorically the male and Israel metaphorically the female, the two together becoming a national man.

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Moses, like Adam, is held responsible for his complement. However, unlike Adam, Moses intercedes on behalf of his complement. Moses, like Adam, is not seduced by his complement (1 Tim. 2:14 CV). Moses does not join his complement in breaking the covenant. Adam, unlike Moses, participates in his complement’s breaking of the covenant, though he is not seduced as she is. Adam does not perceive the possibility of interceding on behalf of Eve. He simply understands she must die. He perceives no other alternative but to join her.

Moses understands better. He is aware of the failure of Adam. He has an understanding of Yahweh’s character and Yahweh’s faithfulness. He has had access to Yahweh’s promises to the fathers. Moses, therefore, intercedes on behalf of Israel :

Why should the Egyptians speak, saying: For evil He brings them forth to kill them in the mountains and to finish them off the surface of the ground? Turn back from the heat of Your anger and show mercy concerning the evil to Your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac and Israel , Your servants to whom You swore . . . all this land, . . . I shall give it to your seed . . . as an allotment for the eon . (Exodus 32:12-13 CV)

Moses grasps the full reality of both his relationship to Israel and Yahweh’s relationship to Israel .

Yahweh has declared Israel to be Moses’ people, Moses’ complement. Moses accepts this relationship and responsibility. However, he also understands that Yahweh is the Creator of the man Israel , the man created male and female. Therefore, Yahweh has a relationship and responsibility to Israel far greater than his own. Yahweh’s name and glory are at stake in this situation. Therefore, Moses calls upon Yahweh to be faithful to His character and His word, “show mercy . . . Remember Abraham, Isaac and Israel . . .” Moses advocates that which Yahweh advocates. Moses speaks the same words that Yahweh speaks.

Consequently, Moses succeeds in his intercession on behalf of Israel , while at the same time avoiding participation in the failure of the nation to obey the covenant. Adam participates in Eve’s failure, bringing death into the entire race. Moses remains loyal to Yahweh’s covenant while at the same time remaining loyal to his unloyal people, ultimately bringing about a temporary restoration of the covenant.

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The Restoration of the Covenant and the Verdict of Death

This restoration brought about the restoration of covenantal life for the nation. The nation is not destroyed. The verdict of death is to be extended over a period of time. That time is designated as the Mosaic Eon . As the verdict over Adam activated the Law of Death as a process operating through a period of time and terminating in the grave, so also the verdict over Israel’s covenantal failure activated the law of covenantal death as a process operating through the history of Israel and terminating in the covenantal grave of the nation—the death and burial of Jesus the Christ.

Thus, the Sinatic Covenant entered into at Sinai, which had been a ministry of life, became, as a result of the nation’s worship of the golden calf, the Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant, a ministry of death. The nation remains covenantally alive before Yahweh, but the operation of death has already begun. Its termination, its goal—the covenantal death of the nation—became a foregone conclusion. Thus, the Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant would not simply be superseded. It would be terminated through the experience of death—a national, covenantal, religious death. This death would be attributed to the just judgment of Yahweh.

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The Judgment Initiated by Moses

Moses descends the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant. These tablets are described as “the handiwork of Elohim; . . . the writing of Elohim, chiseled on the tablets” (Ex. 32:16 CV), another indication that this covenant is understood to be a new creation analogous to the creation of Genesis, chapter 1. When Moses beholds the calf and hears the choruses, he responds as Yahweh had responded. His anger grows hot. He flings the tablets from his hands, breaking them on the rocks below. The covenant has been broken. The people stand under the judgment of Yahweh. As Aaron had “flung” the gold into the fire, thereby producing the golden calf (Ex. 32:24), so also Moses “flung” the tablets, thereby officially annulling the covenant (Ex. 32:19 CV). The people have sinned against Yahweh their Elohim. Moses immediately burns the golden calf, pulverizing and casting it on the surface of the water, which he makes the sons of Israel drink (Ex. 32:20). Though Yahweh had agreed to spare the nation by administering mercy, he had not agreed to forego punishment of the primary instigators of rebellion. For these instigators were members of the seed of the Serpent. They were Cain’s kindred. They must be judged. Moses, then, stands in the gate of the camp and cries, “Whoever is for Yahweh come to me!” (Ex. 32:26). All the sons of (Page 153)Levi have remained loyal to Yahweh. They gather themselves to Moses. He instructs them, “Thus says Yahweh Elohim of Israel : Each man place his sword on his thigh, cross over and return from gate to gate in the camp. Each man kill his brother . . . his associate . . . his nearest” (Ex. 32:27). The sons of Levi execute judgment. About 3,000 men were sentenced to death that day.

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The Tribe of Levi Replaces the Firstborn Males

Due to the breaking of the covenant and the loyal execution of the sons of the Serpent (the kindred of Cain) by the sons of Levi, Yahweh sets aside the priestly function of the firstborn males, replacing them with the tribe of Levi. Thus, the priestly function of the tribe of Levi is associated with the broken covenant. The priesthood of the firstborn ones is set aside until the establishment of a New Covenant by Jesus the Christ.

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The Second Intercession of Moses

Moses, before returning to Yahweh, says to the people, “You have sinned a great sin, and now I am going up to Yahweh. Perhaps I may make a propitiatory shelter about your sin” (Ex. 32:30). Yahweh had already agreed to spare the nation from total physical destruction. But He had not indicated a renewal or restoration of the covenant. This second intercession of Moses deals with the sin of the people. The sons of the Serpent have been executed. Many of the people who had been deceived by these enemies within the camp had sinned, but in ignorance. They had been deceived or seduced. In spite of this, the nation had broken the covenant and had lost its covenantal relationship with Yahweh. Moses understands the necessity of restoring this covenantal relationship. He now proceeds to intercede on the nation’s behalf a second time.

In the presence of Yahweh, Moses intercedes, “this people has sinned a great sin, and they made for themselves an elohim of gold. And now, if You should bear their sin, bear it. Yet if not, wipe me, I pray, from Your scroll which You have written” (Ex. 32:31-32 CV). Moses acknowledges the sin of the people. On their own merit they do not deserve Yahweh’s bearing of their sin. Moses requests that Yahweh bear the sin of the people. He is not asking Yahweh to wipe the slate clean, to simply forget their sin. He is requesting that Yahweh withhold immediate punishment, carry the debit on the books, refrain from immediate foreclosure. The nation is clearly without excuse. But the verdict of death can be spread out over a period of time on the basis of the loyal remnant, of which Moses himself is a representative.

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The Analogy with Adam and Eve

This situation is analogous to that of Adam and Eve. Adam had remained faithful to Yahweh. Eve had been deceived and had become unfaithful. She ate of the forbidden fruit. The verdict over her was death. This she deserved. But she had not been in rebellion against Yahweh. She had been seduced into believing a lie. Adam should have interceded on her behalf. But he perceived no way out. He simply believed Yahweh’s word. So, in love, he also ate, taking upon himself the very death which she had already brought upon herself.

Moses has remained faithful. Unlike Adam, however, he understands the mercy and compassion of Yahweh. He perceives the possibility of intercession. He requests the withholding of immediate, total punishment. If this is not acceptable to Yahweh, he is willing to give up his right to the allotment of the land and even his life in exchange for this mercy on behalf of the nation. This is similar to Adam’s attitude. Adam was willing to share in the death that Eve brought upon herself, though he could not perceive a way to accomplish this without becoming unfaithful himself. So he ate and became unfaithful.

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The Love of Moses for Israel

Moses remains faithful and is willing to be wiped from Yahweh’s scroll. This scroll is not associated with Moses’ eternal destiny. It is a scroll upon which is recorded the names of Yahweh’s covenanted people. So long as each person is faithful, his or her name will remain on the scroll. Those individuals whose names are written on the scroll maintain their right to the promised allotment of the land and the blessings of Yahweh promised in the covenant made at Sinai. Each unfaithful one will have his name removed, erased, wiped from the scroll. Thus, Moses is willing to forfeit his covenantal rights in order to provide Yahweh with a means of propitiatory-shelter, that is, a covering of the sins of the people resulting in the restoration of the broken covenant.

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Yahweh rejects the plea of Moses to remove his name from the scroll. Yahweh will only remove the names of those who sin against Him. He agrees to postpone punishment. The nation will be allowed to enter the land. He will send His messenger before them and will drive out the nations in the land. But He promises a day of visitation in which He will punish those deserving such judgment (Ex. 32:34). He gives the people a reprieve, during which time they will be given an opportunity to prove themselves genuinely repentant and, thus, faithful. For those who are found continuously unfaithful, He will exact their lives. For they will have manifested their true character as kinsmen of Cain. In all this, however, Yahweh has not agreed to restore the covenant. A reprieve has been granted, but not an absolution. Yahweh will winnow the wheat from the chaff. The chaff will be destroyed.

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Israel Despoils Herself

Though a reprieve has been granted, Yahweh tells Moses, “For I shall not go up among you, for you are a stiff-necked people, lest I should finish you on the way” (Ex. 33:3b CV). Hearing this evil word, the people mourn. Yahweh had also instructed Moses saying, “take down your ornaments off you that I may know what I should do to you” (Ex. 33:5b CV). The text then records, “So the sons of Israel despoiled themselves of their ornaments from Mount Horeb onward” (Ex. 33:6 CV). The people mourn and show their repentance by obeying Yahweh’s command to despoil themselves. On the basis of this, Yahweh will ponder what to do with the people. The question of covenantal restoration remains.

Thereupon, Moses removes his tent of office from the midst of the camp. He sets it up outside the camp and calls it the tent of appointment. Yahweh is no longer in the midst of the people. The camp has been polluted. The people could only seek Yahweh outside the camp. “It came to be as Moses entered the tent that the cloud column descended and stood at the portal of the tent, and He spoke with Moses. When all the people saw the cloud column standing at the portal of the tent, all the people rose and bowed themselves down, each man at the portal of his tent. So Yahweh spoke to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his associate” (Ex. 33:9-11a CV).

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The Third Intercession of Moses

Moses proceeds to intercede once again. At stake is the presence of Yahweh. Yahweh has declared He will not go up among the people. Moses is going to loyally question this decision. Yahweh has declared He knows Moses by name and that Moses has found grace in His eyes. If so, argues Moses, “Let me know your way” (Ex. 33:13 CV). Yahweh’s “way” is the way of the covenant and the way of His presence. His honor and glory are bound up with His covenantal relationship to the fathers and to the sons of Israel . Moses reminds Yahweh, “see that this nation is Your people” (Ex. 33:13b CV). He continues, “Whereby shall it be known, indeed, that I find grace in Your eyes, I and Your people? Is it not by Your going with us that we may be distinguished, I and Your people, from all the peoples who are on the surface of the ground?” (Ex. 33:15b CV). If Yahweh does not go up in the midst of His people, Moses exclaims, “do not bring us up hence!” (Ex. 33:15b CV).

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The Way of Yahweh

Yahweh’s “way” consists of His presence and His covenant relationship. It is in reference to this passage that Jesus declares, “I am the way and the truth and the life” (Jn. 14:6 CV). Jesus is not speaking philosophically or theologically. He is speaking the language of election, the language of covenant, the language of Yahweh’s presence. He is speaking covenantally! For Jesus is proclaiming that Yahweh’s glory, Yahweh’s presence is tabernacling in Him. Yahweh’s covenant with Israel is identified with Jesus as the prophet like Moses. Jesus is the only prophet to supersede the following testimony: “No prophet arose again in Israel like Moses, whom Yahweh knew face to face” (Deut. 34:10 CV). The word of Yahweh, the Ten Words which gave covenantal life to the nation at Sinai, “became flesh and tabernacled among us” (Jn. 1:14 CV).

Moses, having advocated only what Yahweh had declared, succeeds in his intercession. In response, Yahweh does not imply, but declares, “this matter of which you have spoken I shall do, . . .” (Ex. 33:17 CV). Moses then requests that Yahweh show him His glory. Yahweh answers in the affirmative, “I shall pass all My goodness before you and proclaim My name, Yahweh, before you; I will be gracious to whom I am being gracious and will have compassion for whom I am having compassion” (Ex. 33:19b CV). Yahweh’s glory is identified with His goodness and associated with His name, Yahweh, which means I shall become what I shall become. Yahweh cannot be manipulated. He is sovereign. What He shall become(Page 155) and what He shall do are determined by His will alone. His goodness alludes to Genesis, chapter 1. That which Yahweh Elohim created was declared “good.” It was good in terms of Elohim’s purpose for that which was created. Here, Yahweh’s “goodness” is the manifestation of His glory as related to the purpose of His created nation, the human, the national man, who is declared good.

“Goodness” associated with Yahweh’s name is demonstrated in His determination as to whom He will be gracious and as to whom He will have compassion. His grace and His compassion will be directed at His elect, His covenant partners in accord with His purpose to manifest His glory and His honor—His faithfulness to His word. Thus, He chooses to be gracious to the people of His covenant who are characterized as a stiff-necked people, and He chooses to have compassion on the nation which has sinned against Him by breaking His covenant.

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The Identification of Moses with Israel and the Verdict of Death

However, before manifesting the goodness of His glory to Moses, Yahweh warns, “You cannot see My face, for the human shall not see me and live” (Ex. 33:20 my translation). Yahweh is here referring to the nation, the human, the man created and vivified at Sinai by the covenantal breath of life—the Ten Words. Death has contaminated the nation because of the worship of the golden calf. This death affects Moses, as a member of the collective whole, for the nation consists of Moses, its head, and the people—his complement. Yahweh created the nation male and female, calling him Israel . Moses is identified with his people, his complement, even as Yahweh is identified with His people and must bear her sin as covenantal Husband. Extended exposure to the manifestation of the glory, since the breaking of the covenant, results in national covenantal destruction. Thus, the manifestation of Yahweh’s covenant glory exposes and enhances the operation of the Adamic Law of Sin and Death corresponding now to the activation of the covenantal law of sin and death in Israel as a national corporate man.

Earlier, Moses, Aaron and his sons, and the 70 elders, saw Yahweh and did not die. This is another illustration of Yahweh’s graciousness and compassion. He does make exceptions to His rules. All humans are contaminated by the death Adam brought into the race and are thus subject to the destruction which follows extended exposure to Yahweh’s glory. But Yahweh makes exceptions (for example, the nation at Sinai). Enoch is an exception to the rule “for soil you are and to soil are you returning” (Gen. 3:19 CV). Moses will later become an exception to the rule of death. He dies, is returned to the soil, but is resurrected before the eon of resurrection arrives (Jude v. 9; Matt. 17:3; Lk. 9:28-36).

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The Restoration of the Covenant

After beholding the veiled glory of Yahweh while residing in the fissure of the rock and shielded by Yahweh’s palm from the passing of His full glory, Moses is commanded to “Carve for yourself two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write on the tablets the words which came to be on the first tablets which you broke” (Ex. 34:1 CV). The covenant is about to be reestablished, restored. Yahweh’s presence would once again reside, dwell in the midst of the people, in the midst of the camp. Israel is the object of Yahweh’s graciousness and compassion, and this on the basis of His own glory and honor. However, this restoration now necessitated the construction of the tabernacle with its inmost chamber, the Holy of Holies, to veil the glory of Yahweh’s presence, preventing the premature destruction of the nation.

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The Restored Covenant as a Ministry of Death and the Future Covenantal Resurrection: Jesus and Nicodemus

Thus, the Mosaic Covenant had become a ministry of death. It necessitated the covenantal death of the nation. But this covenantal death necessitated a covenantal resurrection of the nation if the promises to the fathers were to be fulfilled. This is what Jesus referred to when He said to Nicodemus, “If anyone should not be begotten anew, he can not perceive the kingdom of God” (Jn. 3:3 CV). Nicodemus is bewildered by this statement. Jesus responds,

You are a teacher of Israel , and these things you do not know? Verily, verily, I am saying . . . our testimony [John the Baptist and Jesus] all of you [the present teachers of Israel ] are not receiving. If I told you of the terrestrial [epigeia] and you are not believing, how shall you be believing if I should be telling you of the celestial [epourania]? (John 3:10b-12 my translation)

Nicodemus and the teachers of Israel should have understood the necessity of covenantal death and resurrection. The Law and the Prophets spoke openly of these things. Jesus referred to those things as “terrestrial,” (Page 156)meaning fully revealed in the Hebrew Scriptures. He had not yet spoken to Israel concerning “celestial” things, meaning, those things not fully revealed in the Hebrew Scriptures, those things remaining concealed in the Hebrew Scriptures, but soon to be revealed.

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The Significance of the Veil of Moses

Paul takes up the theme of the veil of Moses in his second letter to the Corinthians, chapter 3. In this chapter, Paul alludes to the breaking of the Sinatic Covenant, referring to its restoration as a result of the intercession of Moses as “the ministry of this death” (v. 7 my translation), “the ministry of this condemnation” (v. 9 my translation). The sign of this restoration is the necessity of the veil over Moses’ face.

The glory of Yahweh had been revealed on the heights of Mount Sinai. The nation had beheld that glory directly and had properly feared Yahweh. From the midst of Yahweh’s glory the Ten Words had been spoken, breathing into the nation’s nostrils the breath of covenantal life. The nation’s idolatry had forfeited Yahweh’s presence. The presence of Yahweh’s glory now meant the destruction of the people.

The first intercession of Moses succeeded in avoiding Yahweh’s hot anger. It succeeded in sparing the seduced people while judging the rebellious kindred of Cain, the instigators of the forbidden idolatry. The second intercession of Moses succeeded in regaining the promise of the land and Yahweh’s pledge to drive out its inhabitants. The third and final intercession of Moses succeeded in restoring the covenant and securing Yahweh’s presence among the people.

However, this presence would no longer be continuous and open. It would be veiled in the Tabernacle and come periodically as a theophany within or at the opening of the Tabernacle. However, during the interval in which the Tabernacle was being constructed, the glory of Yahweh’s presence would be mediated on the face of Moses.

The restored nation had been despoiled of her glory by Yahweh just as Egypt had previously been despoiled by Israel (Ex. 3:20-22; 12:36). The nation would now leave Mount Sinai stripped of her former glory consisting of both the open glory of Yahweh’s presence and the glories of her previous triumph as Yahweh’s people over the Egyptians. The nation would now be under the judgment of Yahweh—the judgment of covenantal death. The Sinatic Covenant had become a ministry of death. Its end, its telos, its termination would now be covenantal death and the destruction of the pseudo, idolatrous nation of the flesh, the nation of the seed of the Serpent, the seed of rebellious Cain.

After Moses’ third intercession, Yahweh instructs him to carve two stone tablets. Moses is then instructed to return to the summit of Mount Sinai. There Yahweh would “write on the tablets the words which came to be on the first tablets which you broke” (Ex. 34:1 CV). Moses obeys Yahweh and ascends to the summit.

Yahweh descends in a cloud and stations Himself with Moses. Moses then calls out the name of Yahweh. Yahweh, passing by before the face of Moses, responds with the following proclamation:

Yahweh, Yahweh El, Who is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and with much kindness and truth, preserving kindness to thousands, bearing with depravity, transgression and sin, yet He is not immediately making innocent in order to make innocent, but visiting the depravity of the fathers on the sons and on the son’s sons, on the third and on the fourth generation. (Exodus 34:6-7 CV)

This proclamation of Yahweh reveals His mercy and His compassion, but also His just judgment upon those who refuse to repent and submit to His rule. This proclamation indicates that Yahweh’s mercy and compassion will be limited. His mercy and compassion allow for a period of repentance during which the nation will have the opportunity to turn back to serving Him.

However, after three or four generations of continued depravity (see also Ex. 20:5), Yahweh will visit the nation in judgment, ending the period of His extended mercy and compassion. Yahweh will not account the depraved, the ungodly, the lawless, the unfaithful ones as justified ones. Justification before Yahweh is always on the basis of faith/faithfulness. He will make or declare innocent only those who submit to His rule, only those who love Him with all their heart, soul, and strength, only those who love His law and seek to obey it.

Thus, Yahweh in His mercy and compassion restores His covenant with Israel : “Behold, I am contracting a covenant; in front of all your people shall I do marvels which have not been created on the entire earth, or among any of the nations” (Ex. 34:10a CV). This He declares referring to His active intervention on behalf of Israel during and after Israel ’s conquest of the land under Joshua. He instructs (Page 157)Moses concerning the destruction of the religious systems of the nations which He will drive out of the land, concerning the ransom of the firstborn, the seventh-day Sabbath, the three annual festivals, and the tithe of the firstfruits. The words of this instruction are then written down by Moses: “Write for yourself these words, . . .” (Ex. 34:27a). Yahweh then declares again, “I contract with you a covenant and with Israel (Ex. 34:27b CV).

Moses remains on the summit with Yahweh for 40 days and 40 nights, during which time he writes down the instruction of Yahweh for His restored people. At the end of this period, Moses descends having the two tablets of stone which he had earlier carved out of the base of Mount Sinai. These two stone tablets now contained the Ten Words of the covenant engraved by Yahweh Himself. Moses descends having also the instructions of Yahweh he had written down (probably on a papyrus scroll) at Yahweh’s command.

Upon Moses’ return to the people, however, “the skin of his face gleamed because of His [Yahweh’s] speaking to him” (Ex. 34:29b CV). At this time, Moses becomes the mediator of the restored covenant and the mediator of the glory of Yahweh associated with this restored covenant. This glory needed to be mediated because of the idolatry of the people. No longer were the people able to bear the revelation of Yahweh’s glory directly. For this glory, unmediated, would destroy them because of the national transgression.

Again, the text reveals Yahweh’s mercy and compassion. He will bear for the eon this transgression, this sin, at the end of which the restored covenant would be terminated in the covenantal death of the faithful nation (in Christ’s death) and the covenantal destruction of the holy city, the Temple, and the unfaithful nation according to the flesh, the children of the Adversary, the kinsmen of Cain. Though Israel no longer can bear a direct relation to the glory of Yahweh’s presence, she is still permitted an indirect relation to the glory of Yahweh’s presence in the face of Moses, temporarily, and in the Tabernacle about to be constructed as the place for Yahweh’s meeting with His people. Only Moses can endure the glory of Yahweh. He becomes both the mediator of the covenant and the mediator of Yahweh’s covenantal presence. Thus, Yahweh will remain in the midst of His people and will go up before them against the nations in the land Yahweh is about to allot His holy (covenantally separated from the nations for the worship and service of Yahweh) nation.

It is important to emphasize that the restoration of the covenant, the restoration of the glory of Yahweh’s presence in the midst of His people is based upon Yahweh’s identification with Moses who has been chosen to receive Yahweh’s favor as Moses testifies, “Yet You have said: I know you by name, and moreover you have found grace in My eyes” (Ex. 33:12 CV). This same Moses is innocent of the sin of idolatry. He remains faithful and remains graced, favored of Yahweh.

On the basis of his faithfulness and his favored position before Yahweh, Moses prayerfully requests that Yahweh remember that “this nation is your people” (Ex. 33:13 CV). He requests that the presence of Yahweh’s glory continue to lead the people. If this presence is denied, Moses declares, “do not bring us up hence” (Ex. 33:15 CV).

When Yahweh agrees to restore the covenant, He declares to Moses, “I contract with YOU a covenant and with Israel (Ex. 34:27b CV my emphasis). The restored covenant is contracted with Moses on behalf of Israel . Thus, Israel now becomes bound to the Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant, the contract, the law of the man Moses, even as Eve became bound to the law of the man Adam.

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Paul’s Allusion in Romans 7:1-3

Paul alludes to Eve being bound to the law of the man Adam in Romans 7:1-3. This passage is an example of double entendre. Paul declares, “The law is exercising lordship over the man for as long a time as he is living” (Rom. 7:1 my translation). The definite article is used with the word “man.” Paul is alluding to a specific man. In relation to the race, he alludes to Adam and The Law of Sin and Death associated with Adam ( Rom. 8:2). In relation to Israel , he alludes to Moses and the law of sin and death associated with Moses, the restored covenant contracted with Moses on behalf of Israel . As long as Adam and Moses covenantally, metaphorically, live, that is, as long as the race (humanity) is associated or identified with the headship of Adam and as long as the nation Israel is associated or identified with the headship of Moses, the race (humanity) and the nation (Israel) are bound to the law of the man each is identified with.

Paul continues, “For the under-man woman to the interest of the living man is bound, and continues bound, to the interest of law. But if might die the man, she is fully released, and continues (Page 158)released, from the law of the man” (Rom. 7:2 my translation). Here Paul refers to the “under-man woman.” He is alluding to Eve under the authority and headship of Adam and the race generated through Eve by Adam, which race is bound to The Law of Sin and Death passed through to all members of the race by the generative process of conception and birth. This is first stated by Paul in Romans 5:12, “as through one man the sin into the world-order entered, and through the sin the death, and thus into all men the death came through, upon the interest of which all sinned” (Rom. 5:12 my translation).

Paul also is alluding to Israel under the authority and headship of Moses. With the restoration of the covenant, Israel becomes bound to the Law of Moses which also is a law of sin and death—the sin being that of idolatry at Mount Sinai and the death being the termination of the covenant, the covenantal death of the nation at the end of the Mosaic Eon .

According to Paul in Romans 5:13-14, “for until law sin was being produced in the world-order, but sin is not put to account there not being law. But reigned the death from Adam to Moses, even upon the ones sinning not upon the likeness of the transgression of Adam . . .” (my translation). From Adam to Moses death reigned and continued to reign over humanity. All men die, each returns to the soil. But at the coming of Moses with his law, sin begins to reign, because the law counts up transgressions. Only those under the Mosaic Law could sin upon the likeness of Adam’s transgression, for, “where no law is, neither is there transgression” (Rom. 4:15b CV).

Thus, as long as Moses is covenantally/metaphorically alive, Israel is under the reign of sin. As long as Adam is covenantally/metaphorically alive, humanity is under the reign of death. If both Adam and Moses were to die, humanity would no longer be bound to the law of Adam and Israel would no longer be bound to the Law of Moses. This is precisely what Paul declares has happened in the death of Jesus the Christ:

Consequently, then, the man [Adam/Moses] being alive, an adulteress she [Eve/Israel] shall be designated [by the law of the man, Adam/Moses] if she might be to the interest of another man of a different kind [Christ Jesus]. But if might die the man [Adam/Moses], she [Eve/Israel] is free from the law [of the man, Adam/Moses]. So that [the man Adam/Moses, being dead and the law of the man Adam/Moses, not exercising lordship] she [Eve/Israel] is not to be an adulteress though she is being to the interest of another man of a different kind [Christ Jesus]. So that, my brethren, [because of the law of another man of a different kind, Christ Jesus] you also were put to death to the interest of the law [of the man Adam/Moses], through the body of the Christ into your becoming to the interest of another of a different kind [the Christ], Who out from among dead ones was roused in order that we now might bring forth fruit to the interest of God [Yahweh]. (Romans 7:3-4 my translation)

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The Glory of Yahweh Reflected on The Face of Moses

Returning to the theme of Exodus, chapter 34, Moses descends the mountain with the restored tablets of the covenant and with the glory of the presence and the covenant of Yahweh reflected on his face. The text records the response upon beholding Moses: “Then Aaron and all the sons of Israel saw Moses, and behold, the skin of his face gleamed. So they feared to come close to him” (Ex. 34:30 CV). This response is the very same response the sons of Israel had after seeing Yahweh’s glory on the summit of Mount Sinai and hearing His voice utter the Ten Words of covenantal life. They feared getting too close to Yahweh’s glory and requested that Moses represent them by drawing close to Yahweh while they remained at a distance. Of this response Yahweh had declared, “They have done well in all they have spoken. O that their heart might become this way with them: to fear Me and to observe all My instructions . . . for the eon (Deut. 5:28b-29 CV).

Once again, their fear is a sign of the proper fear before the glory of Yahweh’s presence. Moses mediates that glory. Israel is to believe in Moses for the eon (Ex. 19:9 CV). Israel is to be bound to Moses in covenantal marriage. She is to submit to his authority, his headship, his interpretation of Yahweh’s Law. As long as the Mosaic Covenant is alive, Israel is legally bound to keep its commandments, its statutes and judgments, and its instructions.

Thus, as long as the Mosaic Covenant remains in effect, Israel remains a slave to the reign of Sin and a victim of Yahweh’s verdict of covenantal death. Israel , therefore, is in need of redemption from covenantal death and salvation from Sin’s reign. For as long as the Mosaic Covenant remains alive, sin will continue to be counted up, and Israel will continue to be a slave to Sin. Though she be heir of the promises made to Abraham, as long as she remains a minor under the guardianship and administration of the Mosaic Covenant, she remains no different than a slave in the household (Gal. 4:1-3).

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Whereas, under the original covenant at Sinai, Yahweh spoke to Israel face to face (Deut. 5:4), now, under the restored covenant, Yahweh speaks only to Moses face to face. In Moses the nation receives Yahweh’s grace, Yahweh’s favor, Yahweh’s restored covenant, Yahweh’s presence. Because of the faithfulness of Moses, the nation participates with Moses in the grace, the favor, extended to him by Yahweh. As Yahweh exalts Moses, so in Moses He exalts Israel . As Yahweh declares Moses as belonging to Him, so in Moses He declares Israel His people. As Yahweh dwells with Moses, in Moses He dwells in the midst of Israel . Though the nation is placed at a distance from Yahweh, in Moses she draws near to Yahweh and so remains different from all other nations. It is Yahweh’s presence in the midst of His people which marks out Israel as a holy people, different from all other peoples who are considered common by Yahweh. It is Yahweh’s grace, His election, His presence set apart for only Israel which marks her as the only holy nation, the only holy people of Yahweh.

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The Restoration of the Stone Tablets

When Moses descends the mountain, the skin of his face gleaming with the glory of Yahweh, he returns to the people bearing the two new stone tablets engraved with the Ten Words of the covenant. The original stone tablets had been flung down by Moses and broken. These stone tablets were “the handiwork of Elohim” (Ex. 32:16 CV). Yahweh had carved them out of the mountain and chiseled into them, with His own finger, the Ten Words of the covenant (Ex. 31:18; 32:16 CV). But the restored stone tablets had not been the “handiwork” of Yahweh. Moses had been commanded, “Carve for yourself two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write on the tablets the words which came to be on the first tablets which you broke” (Ex. 34:1 CV).

The first stone tablets represented a covenantal ministry of life. The national man had encountered Yahweh “face to face” (Deut. 5:4) and he lived (Deut. 5:24). He had been directly favored, graced by Yahweh. He had been graciously granted the privilege of beholding with his eyes and hearing with his ears the glory of Yahweh. The stone tablets were heavenly. They were carved out of the mountainous height of Mount Sinai. They originated from above. The restored stone tablets represent a covenantal ministry of death. The nation could no longer encounter Yahweh “face to face.” Such an encounter would now result in her destruction. Thus, Yahweh’s glorious presence could only be encountered indirectly through the mediation of the face of Moses. The restored covenant would continue to grant covenantal life for the eon . It would continue to provide covenantal blessing for covenantal obedience and covenantal cursing for covenantal disobedience.

However, due to the transgression of idolatry caused by the worship of the golden calf, the curse of covenantal death had already come upon the nation. Covenantal death had been activated. The nation had been taken and formed out of the nations and would be returned to the nations at the end of the eon . As the verdict regarding Adam’s transgression had been “for soil you are, and to soil are you returning” (Gen. 3:19 CV), so also the verdict regarding Israel ’s transgression is by analogy, For from the nations you are, and to the nations are you returning. This is Yahweh’s verdict over the nation according to the flesh. Thus, Nicodemus should have understood that the hope of Israel required a national/covenantal resurrection, a need to be “begotten anew” (Jn. 3:3). This requirement had been revealed in the Law and the Prophets.

The restored tablets of stone, in contrast to the original stone tablets, are earthly. They are carved by Moses out of rock located at the foot of Mount Sinai. Their origination is thus from below, indicating the taint of death upon the restored nation. The original stone tablets graciously overlooked the taint of the common death brought by Adam upon each of the sons of Israel . This explains the fact that although the original stone tablets were heavenly, from above, they represented a covenant made with Adamic humanity, a humanity under the reign of death. The original covenant at Sinai was therefore an objective covenant engraved in stone, not upon the heart. It was never intended to provide a justification of life capable of triumphing over the condemnation of death brought about by Adam. It only made possible a relative drawing near to Yahweh of a nation made up of descendants of Adam, bearing within themselves The Law of Sin and Death activated and passed on to the race by Adam (see Rom. 5:12-21; 8:1-3).

Thus, the original Sinatic Covenant was not meant to deal with the death Adam brought into the world of humanity. It was a covenant that graciously allowed a nation of sinners to enjoy what was denied to all other nations—a relatively close relationship with Yahweh. This relationship granted Israel alone special access to Yahweh’s presence and the gift of Yahweh’s Law (the Ten Words) and His statutes and judgments making up His instructions.

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The Hebrew word for law, torah, comes from the root yara, meaning, figuratively, to point out as if aiming the finger, thus, to teach (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, compact ed., S.V. 8451 . . . torah; 3384 . . . yara). The Ten Words of Yahweh’s covenant with Israel were engraved with the “finger” of Yahweh, thus, pointing out to Israel what was right in the eyes of Yahweh. The Ten Words were the way of Yahweh initiating Israel ’s covenantal life in the presence of Yahweh and continually generating this covenantal life as Jacob/Israel continued to faithfully breathe these words in and out in his daily life in the presence of Yahweh.

Thus, this covenant never necessitated perfection, sinlessness. It was made with and for sinners. It was meant to be obeyed and it could be obeyed (Deut. 30:11-18). The vital requirement was “love Yahweh your Elohim with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your intensity” (Deut. 6:5 CV), “For the word is exceedingly near to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to obey it. . . . to love Yahweh your Elohim, to walk in his ways and to observe His instructions, His statutes and His judgments, . . .” (Deut. 30:14-16 CV).

The faithful Israelite believed in Moses and in his heart loved Yahweh’s Law. To love Yahweh’s Law was to be lawful. To hate Yahweh’s Law was to be lawless. David broke Yahweh’s Law, but David was not lawless. He was always a lawful Israelite. He always acknowledged Yahweh’s Law, especially when it confronted him with his sins. On such occasions, David manifested his lawfulness, his love of Yahweh by submitting to the judgment of Yahweh’s Law: “Thus saith the Lord God of Israel , . . . Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in His sight? thou hast killed Uriah . . . and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, . . . And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. . . .” (2 Sam. 12:7-13 KJV).

Yahweh distinguishes between lawfulness and lawlessness by looking at the heart, “for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart” (1 Sam. 16:7 KJV), “The decadent one says in his heart, There is no Elohim . . . Have they no knowledge, all those contrivers of lawlessness, Who are devouring My people as they would devour bread? They do not call upon Yahweh” (Ps. 14:1-4 CV). The Israelite according to the flesh, the one not accounted Abraham’s child, is the one who says in his heart, “There is no Elohim.” This one is accounted lawless. His trust is not in Yahweh. He does not believe in Moses. He is disloyal, even though in outward appearance and confession he acts and talks like one who is lawful, one who loves Yahweh’s Law.

The faithful, lawful ones write Yahweh’s words on their hearts. They lovingly seek to keep, obey, hearken to Yahweh’s voice, even though they may fail to keep the words due to unavoidable circumstances or due to temporary subjection to the distorted desires of the flesh. Keeping the whole law did not mean perfection, sinlessness. It meant loving Yahweh with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your intensity, which meant writing Yahweh’s Law on your heart. The disposition resulting from such a heart sought to keep the whole law. Such is its goal. Thus, the faithful ones are characterized by lawful behavior generated out of Yahweh’s Law written on their hearts. The unfaithful ones are characterized by lawlessness, lawless behavior generated out of a heart which declares “There is no Elohim,” a heart upon which Yahweh’s Law has not been written. Thus, the law could be fulfilled and was fulfilled by many in Israel who thus achieved the righteousness of the law (Ezk. 18:1-32).

However, such righteousness could neither provide the justification of life to triumph over the condemnation of death brought in by Adam’s sin, nor provide the justification by faith required to receive the Celestial Allotment promised to the children of Abraham. Faith in Moses meant obedience to Yahweh’s Law, which righteousness brought the terrestrial blessings of the Mosaic Covenant. The faithfulness of Moses achieved the restoration of the Sinatic Covenant.

But, the faithfulness of Jesus the Christ achieved the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, the telos, end or goal of the law (covenantal/natural death), and the establishment of a new covenant which triumphed over both the condemnation of death brought in by Adam and the condemnation of death brought in by Israel’s idolatrous transgression. The faithfulness of Jesus the Christ provided the believer in Jesus the Christ the required righteousness of the New Covenant necessary to attain the Celestial Allotment promised to the children of Abraham. Those faithful ones under the Mosaic Covenant before the ministry of Jesus who were accounted Abraham’s children were accounted in Christ even as Abraham was accounted in Christ. The members of the faithful, elect seed of the Woman prior to Abraham and the covenant of circumcision (Abel through Abram) also were accounted in Christ even as Abram.

Faith in Christ meant freedom from the Mosaic Covenant (contract), thus, freedom from the curse of the law, but not freedom from the keeping of the law. In Christ, the law was written on the hearts of the Messianic faithful ones by the spirit of Christ, the spirit of Yahweh (according to Jeremiah 31:31-34), thus (Page 161)empowering those in Christ to keep the law in an era of great affliction and persecution on behalf of the righteousness of the kingdom. These faithful ones kept the law, not as those under the law, but as those under the grace of Yahweh established by the New Covenant ( Rom. 8:1-14). No longer under law, they were now in the sphere of the interest of law: “The law is speaking to those in [not under] the sphere of the interest of the law” (Rom. 3:19 NGEINT). Those under the law remained under the curse and remained in bondage to the reign of Sin.

Slavery under the reign of Sin was not a negative feature of the law (see pages 900-902, “The Reign of Sin”). It was a positive feature because it provided both a knowledge of sin and the means of dealing with such sin so as to remain in faithful covenantal fellowship with Yahweh. It was an advantage the Israelites had over the nations. It was one aspect of having been drawn near to Yahweh. However, it implied the status of a minor, not adult son (see Gal. 4:1-7, especially CV, NGEINT).

As long as Israel remained under the Mosaic Covenant, the nation remained a minor, though being heir to the celestial blessings promised to Abraham. As a minor, the nation was under guardians and administrators. She worshiped Yahweh under the elements of the world-order, that is, she worshiped Yahweh by means of water rituals, fire rituals, earth rituals, and air rituals. Such worship belonged to minorhood. It belonged to the world-order of Adam, the world-order of the old creation, the world-order of the old humanity, the soulish humanity (see Gal. 4:1-7; 1 Cor. 15:45-49 NGEINT, CV; Rom. 6:1-14).

The establishment of the New Covenant declared Israel no longer a minor but a son. Sonship raised the worship of Yahweh up from the realm of the soulish into the realm of the spiritual. Worship and service under the New Covenant was in spirit. The ritual worship and service under the elements of the world-order were no longer vital or necessary to the righteousness in Christ. The circumcised Messianics kept these rituals to fulfill Yahweh’s honor and glory, but these rituals were no longer required to attain the righteousness in Christ. They were not required to attain the Celestial Allotment. They were in the process of being abolished. The primary requirement was to fulfill the essence of the law—the love of Yahweh and the love of neighbor as yourself. This required the transcendence of Good and Evil, the mastery over the deciphering and applying of good and evil. The law would be kept according to the interpretation of Jesus the Christ continued by His Apostles and extended to all in Christ by the indwelling spirit of Yahweh, making it possible for all in Christ to transcend Good and Evil, that is, keep the law according to the spirit. Those worshiping and serving Yahweh under the New Covenant were in the process of transcending all religious worship and transcending the world-order of Good and Evil as exemplified in all oral and written codes (including the Mosaic system of law) attempting to designate good and evil (right and wrong) in static laws not capable of dealing with all the nuances of circumstances. They would achieve these two goals for themselves at the conclusion of the Mosaic Eon .

Under the New Covenant, the faithful believers in Christ were no longer slaves under the reign of Sin. Under the New Covenant sin was not being counted up. Thus, Sin could no longer reign. Instead, grace reigned through righteousness—the righteousness of Christ (Rom. 5:21). But this was the case only if one remained under grace. If a circumcised Messianic turned back to the Mosaic Covenant for life, he would once again be under law and, thus, under the curse of the law. His sins would be counted up, and he would die in his sins. Sin would once again reign in his mortal body. The righteousness of the law could not deliver him from the curse of the law. If an uncircumcised Messianic turned to the law by undergoing circumcision, he would be cut off from Christ and the righteousness of Christ and come under the curse of the law. His sins also would be counted up, and Sin would begin to reign in his mortal body. He would no longer be under grace but under law. In Christ there was no condemnation; outside Christ there was only condemnation. Any member of the elect community outside Christ was in Adam, therefore under the curse of the law brought about by the transgression of Israel at Sinai. Only Israel and Israelites could sin after the likeness of Adam’s transgression, because only Israel was placed under law, and “where no law is, neither is there transgression” (Rom. 4:15 CV).

At the restoration of the covenant entered into at Sinai, Yahweh declares to Moses that He is “compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and with much kindness and truth, preserving kindness to thousands, bearing with depravity, transgression and sin, . . .” (Ex. 34:6b-7a CV). This He demonstrates by bearing with Israel ’s “depravity,” that is, her crooked character. By bearing with Israel ’s transgression, that is, her stepping aside from the first and second commandments, Yahweh bears Israel ’s sin, her missing the mark of the covenant. The mark of the covenant is covenantal life. The breaking of the covenant means missing the mark. The result is covenantal death. However, Yahweh graciously restores the covenant, though the verdict of death remains. Yahweh graciously preserves the nation for the duration of the Mosaic Eon.

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The nation transgressed by worshiping the golden calf. But the nation is made up of many individual members. Each member participating either directly or indirectly in the worship of the golden calf transgressed the covenant. From this perspective, the one transgression of the nation consists of many individual transgressions, each being after the likeness of Adam’s transgression. As such, each member of the nation is identified with Adam typologically (Rom. 5:14b). Each is therefore considered by Paul “in Adam”: “For even as, in Adam, all are dying, thus also, in Christ, shall all be vivified” (1 Cor. 15:22 CV). All those under the Mosaic Law are considered “in Adam.” As such, they are dying covenantally due to the curse of the law. But here again is a case of double entendre. Not only are they dying under the covenantal death brought about by the transgression of the nation at Sinai, but they are also dying the common death of humanity brought about by the transgression of Adam in Eden. However, Paul’s use of the phrase “in Adam” does not designate all humanity. It refers only to the elect nation Israel in the flesh under law, in contrast with those “in Christ,” the elect nation in the spirit and under grace.

Under the Mosaic Covenant the law was engraved in stone tablets. The faithful Israelite was required to write that law upon the tablet of his heart. When this was done, his heart was accounted by Yahweh as circumcised. Moses directs each Israelite to “place these my words upon your heart and upon your soul, . . .” (Deut. 11:18a CV). The prophet Ezekiel, instructing the sons of Israel in Babylonian captivity, declares Yahweh to be just. Yahweh does not punish the sons for the sins of the fathers:

The soul that is sinning, it shall die.

The son shall not bear the depravity of the father,

And the father shall not bear the depravity of the son. (Ezk. 18:20a CV).

The sons of Israel had been claiming that Yahweh was unjust. He was condemning the innocent sons for the sins of the fathers. This implied that Yahweh, counting all as wicked, delighted in the death of the wicked. Yahweh declares through Ezekiel, “Am I really delighting in the death of the wicked . . . And not rather in his return from his evil way so that he will live?” (Ezk. 18:23 CV). The life referred to here is covenantal life, a righteous relationship to Yahweh under the stipulations of the Mosaic Covenant.

The sons of Israel had failed to hearken to the voice of Yahweh and had been judged. They were themselves guilty and, so, were given over to Babylonian captivity. In spite of this guilt and judgment, Yahweh declares He desires their return:

Return and turn away from all your transgressions,

And your depravity shall not become a stumbling block to you.

Fling off from you all your transgressions in which you transgress,

And make for yourself a new heart and a new spirit.

Why then will you die, house of Israel ?

For I am not delighting in the death of him who dies . . .

Hence reverse yourselves and live! (Ezekiel 18:30b-32 CV)

This plea is legitimate. Yahweh indicates that these disobedient sons of Israel can reverse their situation by making themselves a new heart and a new spirit. This means repentance, a turning back to Yahweh’s Law, Yahweh’s word. This is accomplished by writing Yahweh’s Law upon one’s heart (a new heart in exchange for the old heart which had said, “There is no Elohim”), resulting in a new spirit motivated and committed to loving Yahweh with all one’s heart, soul, and intensity. Under the Mosaic Covenant this could be accomplished by each Israelite. It called for a return to faith in Moses and Yahweh. Thus, under the Mosaic Covenant there was a justification by faith—faith in Moses, which meant faith in Yahweh. Such faith would then commit the faithful one to loyal obedience to Yahweh’s Law, the whole law.

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Paul’s Argument in 2 Corinthians 3:1-18

Since Yahweh had written the law, the Ten Words, on tablets of stone, the individual Israelite had the responsibility of transferring those words to his own heart. Thus, the Mosaic Covenant implied a distance between Yahweh and His people. The covenant stood objectively over Israel . After the transgression at Sinai, the restored covenant (the Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant) increased that distance, because this covenant was a ministry of death. Though it continued to provide covenantal life for the duration of the (Page 163) Mosaic Eon, its telos was death, covenantal/national death. With the establishment of the New Covenant, the telos of the old covenant was at hand.

In 2 Cor. 3:1-18, Paul argues that the old covenant is a ministry of death in contrast to the New Covenant which is a ministry of life. The old covenant had been written on stone tablets, but the New Covenant is written on the fleshly tablets of the heart. The spirit of Yahweh sent by His Son writes the law on the hearts of the believers in Jesus the Christ in contrast to the metaphoric finger of Yahweh writing His Law on stone tablets. The New Covenant is subjective. It transforms the believer internally. The spirit of Yahweh vivifies, makes alive, both covenantally and bodily. The community of faithful Messianics itself becomes the living covenant. The distance between Yahweh and His people has now been reduced and would be eliminated altogether when the ministry of the New Covenant was completed.

The Mosaic Covenant had also been written down in ink on scrolls. These scrolls became the holy scriptures. The New Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant is written in spirit on the hearts of human beings, turning the members of the covenantal community into living scrolls of holy scripture.

In accord with Exodus chapters 32-34, Paul declares the letter of the Mosaic Covenant is killing. The old covenant is in its last days. It is decrepit and dying and, so, can no longer give covenantal life. The curse of the law is presently coming upon Israel . Redemption, deliverance, can only be found in Christ and the New Covenant. Those maintaining their identity with and confidence in the old covenant are under the curse and are in the process of destroying themselves, ruining themselves because the telos of the law is death (covenantal/national/biological).

Paul then contrasts the glory of the old covenant with the glory of the New Covenant. The old covenant still manifests the glory of Yahweh. That glory has not been either abolished or decreased. It is still operating, but its operative manifestation is killing, bringing about the death of the covenant; and with that death, the covenantal life of the nation is nullified. The curse of the law is about to destroy the nation and its system of worship centered in Jerusalem and the Temple.

The telos of the glory of Yahweh associated with the Mosaic Covenant is death. In contrast, the glory of Yahweh associated with the New Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant is bringing life, and its telos is covenantal/national/biological life. When Moses descended the mountain, his face reflected the glory of Yahweh. The people could not look intently into his face for any great length of time because Yahweh’s glory would destroy them due to the transgression of idolatry (2 Cor. 3:13). Therefore, Moses placed a veil over his face so the telos of the glory of Yahweh associated with the Mosaic Covenant would not be prematurely reached. When he spoke Yahweh’s words to the people, the veil significantly reduced the manifestation of Yahweh’s glory, thereby protecting the people from its potential destruction and implying its ultimate telos, death. The glory hidden by the veil of Moses would diminish and would no longer be reflected on the face of Moses when that glory of Yahweh would later enter the newly constructed Tabernacle, to be veiled behind the curtain of the Holy of Holies.

The ministers of the New Covenant established by Jesus the Christ have no need to veil their faces. The glory of Yahweh associated with this New Covenant delivers life, not death. Thus, this glory exceeds the glory of the old covenant. Paul declares, however, that Israel when reading the words of Moses continues to read as a stiff-necked and hardened people, as characterized by Yahweh through Moses and as characterized by her behavior throughout her history.

Israel ’s mind is, therefore, blinded and thus cannot understand the telos, the goal of the Mosaic Covenant. A veil remains over the reading of Moses which makes it impossible for the nation to grasp the fact that the telos of the Mosaic Covenant is death. Thus, a deliverance, a salvation, is necessitated in order to escape the telos, the curse of the law—death. That salvation is found only in Christ. Therefore, until the nation turns back to Yahweh by receiving Jesus as the Christ, she will not be able to read Moses free of this veil.

However, once turning back to Yahweh by receiving Jesus as the Christ, the veil will be lifted. She will be able to read intelligently the words of Moses and come into a spiritual understanding of the Gospel of Christ as the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. Only the spirit of Christ can accomplish this transformation.

It is therefore no surprise, according to Paul, that the glory of Yahweh revealed in the Gospel of Christ is hidden from the blinded minds of Israel . But the time will shortly come when the eyes of the remaining members of the Israel of Yahweh will be opened, as Saul’s eyes had been opened on the road to Damascus, and all the remaining members of the Israel of Yahweh will turn back to Him by believing in Jesus as the Christ (Rom. 11:26-28). At that time, the spirit of Yahweh will write the law on their hearts (Page 164)and open their minds to an understanding of the glory of Yahweh associated with the New Covenant and the Gospel of Christ proclaiming the power and hope of this New Covenant. (This occurred around 66 a.d.)

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The Blessing Of Moses at Sinai: Yahweh’s Glory Fills the Tabernacle

When Yahweh’s instruction concerning the Aaronic Priesthood and the Tabernacle had been carried out by the sons of Israel , “Moses saw all the work, behold, they had done it just as Yahweh had instructed; so had they done. And Moses blessed them” (Ex. 39:43 CV). The sons of Israel had completed all this service, “According to all that Yahweh had instructed Moses” (Ex. 39:42a CV). Thus, the sons of Israel demonstrated their trust in Moses which indicated their trust in Yahweh. This is a clear demonstration of faith-obedience. The covenant has been restored. The nation has demonstrated her repentance, and Moses has blessed her. All that remains to be accomplished is the return (apart from the mediating veil over Moses’ face) of Yahweh’s presence (His Shekinah glory) in the midst of the people.

In order for this to take place, the tabernacle had to be set up. Yahweh commands Moses, “On the first day of the month, in month one, you shall set up the tabernacle of the tent of appointment” (Ex. 40:2 CV). This included the anointing of the Tabernacle and all that was in it with the special anointing oil. Having completed the service of the Tabernacle, Aaron and his sons are brought near to the portal of the tent of appointment where they are washed, clothed with the holy garments tailored specifically for only them, and anointed with the holy oil. They are to serve as priests for the duration of the Mosaic Eon : “their anointing is to bestow on them an eonian priesthood throughout their generations” (Ex. 40:15b CV).

In the first month of the second year since the people had gone forth from Egypt , on the first day of this month, the Tabernacle is set up (Ex. 40:17). All is now ready for the return of Yahweh’s presence.

When Moses had finished all the work and the cloud covered the tent of appointment, then the glory of Yahweh filled the tabernacle, so that Moses was unable to enter into the tent of appointment, for the cloud tabernacled on it, and the glory of Yahweh filled the tabernacle. (Exodus 40:33b-35 CV)

The glory of Yahweh now fills the Tabernacle. No longer would Yahweh’s glory be reflected on the face of Moses. No longer would Moses have to veil his face while speaking to the people. No longer would the tent of appointment be needed as the place for Yahweh’s presence. Yahweh’s glory is now in the midst of His people, veiled behind the curtain of the Holy of Holies.

The Aaronic Priesthood would now begin its service to Yahweh in association with the Tabernacle. Moses’ priestly service is now to be shared with Aaron. The covenant has been restored, and only Aaron the High Priest is permitted ritual entrance into the Holy of Holies, and this only once a year during the Day of Propitiatory-Shelter.

The nation is now covenantally ready to journey from Sinai to Canaan. All that remains is Yahweh’s sign instructing the people to decamp. However, before this sign would be given, a variety of ceremonial rituals would take place as described in the books of Leviticus and Numbers.


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CHAPTER 6

IN THE WILDERNESS: A HOLY NATION

A GENERATION LOST AND A GENERATION FOUND

LEVITICUS AND NUMBERS

Leviticus

The restoration of the covenant and the return of Yahweh’s glory into the midst of the people reestablishes the holiness of the nation. The Book of Leviticus takes up this theme of holiness. It is the central theme of Leviticus, “Holy shall you become, for I am holy, Yahweh your Elohim” (Lev. 19:2 CV). The nation, as a result of its covenantal relationship to Yahweh, is already holy, that is, separated from the nations for the purpose of being Yahweh’s peculiar, special people. As Yahweh is holy, that is, having separated Himself apart from the nations in order to be the Elohim only of Israel , so Israel is holy, separated to the worship and service of Yahweh.

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Holiness

Holiness is not to be equated with moral purity or perfection. It is essentially being separated. Separation for the worship and service of Yahweh meant separation away from the idolatrous worship and service of the gods of the nations and separation to the Law of Yahweh, separation to obey that which is right in the eyes of Yahweh.

Israel , being separated to Yahweh, is given access to Yahweh’s determination of Good and Evil. Israel ’s behavior is thus to conform to the standard revealed in Yahweh’s Ten Words, Yahweh’s judgments and statutes, and His instructions given through His oracles, His words spoken through the ordained prophets. Thus, Israel is to be continually in the process of being holy by continually conforming herself to the Law of Yahweh her Elohim. As a result, she would be a light to the nations. For the nations had been given up to their disqualified minds and were walking in the darkness of their idolatrous worship and service of the gods. They had been given over to astrological worship: “Guard yourselves lest you should lift up your eyes toward the heavens, and you see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of the heavens, and be induced to bow yourself down to them and serve them, which Yahweh your Elohim has apportioned to all other peoples beneath the entire heavens” (Deut. 4:19 CV).

Israel is set apart, made holy, even though a stiff-necked people. She is then to make herself holy, separated to the worship and service of Yahweh her Elohim, by obeying His voice, keeping the terms of the mutually agreed upon covenant. Israel chose to enter into a contract with Yahweh. Yahweh initiated the proposal, but Israel voluntarily agreed to perform the terms of the contract, the covenant. Thus, because she is holy, separated unto Yahweh, she is bound to conform herself to Yahweh’s Law.

As Yahweh loves Israel , “For you are a people holy to Yahweh your Elohim; Yahweh your Elohim has chosen you to become His, a special people from all the peoples who are on the surface of the ground. It was not because your multitude was more than all the other peoples that Yahweh was attached to you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all the peoples. But it was because of the love of Yahweh . . .” (Deut. 7:6-8a CV), so also Israel is to love Yahweh, Hear, Israel ! Yahweh is our Elohim; Yahweh the only One. So you will love Yahweh your Elohim with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your intensity” (Deut. 6:4-5 CV). It was Yahweh’s love of Israel that motivated Him to become “holy, Yahweh your Elohim,” that is, to set Himself apart as the Elohim only of Israel . Israel , having been set apart by Yahweh for Himself, that is, having been made holy, should have motivated this nation to worship and serve Yahweh out of love, “with all your heart.”

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Yahweh’s Instruction Manual

Leviticus is, thus, Yahweh’s instruction manual for attaining the goal of Exodus 19:5-6a: “Now, if you shall hearken, yea hearken to My voice and observe My covenant then you will become Mine, a special possession, above all the peoples, for Mine is all the earth. As for you, you shall become Mine, a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (CV). As Yahweh’s holy nation, Israel is to function as a priest between Yahweh and the nations. Israel is to manifest the light of Yahweh’s Law and Yahweh’s glory among the (Page 166)nations walking in the darkness of their own distorted thinking. The grace shown Israel is, indirectly, grace to the nations. The purpose for making Israel holy unto Yahweh is to use this elect nation as an instrument by which Yahweh will rescue the nations from their disqualified mind. The nations would be delivered out of the darkness of their ignorant ways. Thus, the ultimate goal of Israel ’s holiness is the deliverance of the nations from the worship and service of the gods and the redemption of humanity from the death brought into the race by Adam’s sin.

Israel ’s government is a theocracy. The nation’s religious system, consisting of laws, statutes and judgments, and instructions composed and organized by Yahweh, imposed its rule over the people’s religious life, economic life, social life, and political life. Yahweh, as a result of the covenant entered into by both parties, became King in Israel : “So He became King in Yeshurun . . .” (Deut. 33:5a CV). His augustness became the nation’s augustness:

There is none like the El of Yeshurun:

Riding the heavens as your Helper

And in His augustness,

The skies,

The habitation of Elohim aforetime. . . .

Happy are you, Israel !

Who is like you?

A people saved by Yahweh,

The Shield of your Helper,

Who is also the Sword of your augustness!” (Deuteronomy 33:26-29a CV).

As Yahweh Elohim had “aforetime” rode the heavens in relation to the nations, now He rode the heavens as Israel ’s exclusive helper. Israel is thus royally exalted over the nations. As such, this nation is to reflect the light of Yahweh’s Law upon the nations. This, however, does not mean the nations were under the law or were held accountable to the law. The nations could benefit from this gracious light, but no legal requirement is made of them.

But such benefit to the nations is only possible if Israel remains faithful to Yahweh. The blessing of the nations is dependent upon the blessing of Israel . Ultimately, Israel would have to be redeemed from the curse of the law in order for the nations to receive the blessings promised them in the covenant made with Abram.

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The Tabernacle as the Center of Worship and Service

All worship and service in Israel is centered in the Tabernacle where Yahweh meets with His people. The Aaronic and Levitical priesthoods serve as the heart and blood of the Mosaic system of worship and service. The Aaronic Priesthood draws closest to Yahweh, since its service is directly concerned with the Tabernacle and the Holy of Holies. As the heart pumps blood and the blood delivers the nutrients of life to the members of the body, so the Aaronic Priesthood mediates the nutrients of covenantal life through the service of the Levitical Priesthood on behalf of the individual members of the nation.

The covenantal health of the nation depended upon the faithful support of the Aaronic and Levitical priesthoods by the other tribes. The breakdown of the proper worship rituals associated with the Tabernacle would directly affect the covenantal health of the nation. The corruption of the Aaronic Priesthood would lead to the corruption of the Levitical Priesthood which would lead to the corruption of the nation’s covenantal status.

As the lungs of the body breathe the oxygen of life, so the nation breathes the oxygen of the Ten Words of covenantal life. In these Ten Words reside the vital breath of Israel ’s covenantal life. As contaminated air breathed in by the lungs deteriorates the health of the body, so also the contamination of the Ten Words breathed in by the nation results in the deterioration of the worship and service of the Aaronic and Levitical priesthoods and the breakdown of the nation’s covenantal health. Thus, though the nation continues to be holy, such covenantal corruption can result in the profanation of the holy, which then will necessitate the purifying of the holy by means of the implementation of curse in place of blessing. In the Mosaic system the profanation of the holy makes the holy unclean and in need of purification in order to become holy once again. This would become the fate of the nation throughout its history.

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Worship and Service Under the Elements of the World

Leviticus describes worship and service “under the elements of the world” (Gal. 4:3 CV). It describes a system designed by Yahweh Elohim for Israel residing in the ancient world. Such a system could be understood by the nations. It is intended to graciously affect the nations. For the nations worshiped and served their gods under the elements of the world. These elements consisted of air, water, earth, and fire. Israel ’s system is designed to be free from the misconceptions of the nations. The nations understood the gods, the spirits, to inhabit the elements. The elements became objects of worship. The elements were alive and powerful. They were to be feared and appeased. Thus, the nations had corrupted their original relationship to the One True and Living Elohim. They worshiped and served the creation (the elements of the world) rather than the Creator (Rom. 1:25).

Israel is to worship and serve the Creator, Yahweh Elohim, using the elements of the world, but demythifying those elements. The elements are understood to be created by Yahweh Elohim. They are not understood to be inhabited by gods, spirits, powers wielding animosity against humans and thus needing to be appeased. Israel had to be weaned away from the ancient perceptions of the nations concerning the elements of the world. She had to be liberated from this mythopoeic perception of the world.

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The Sacrifices

Leviticus begins this process of liberation by revealing Yahweh’s sacrificial requirements. These sacrifices are not intended to appease the wrath or disfavor of Yahweh. For Yahweh, according to the stipulations of the covenant contract, is committed to bless Israel if she obeys His voice, keeps His laws, His judgments and statutes. He has initiated the relationship, and His motive is love, concern, care. He has revealed Himself as a compassionate, merciful, patient Elohim. He, unlike the gods of the nations, is not capricious. His word, His law is consistent and faithful. He is a just Elohim. Israel can trust Yahweh her Elohim. He will not prove unfaithful. He will always keep His word, His promises.

The author of Leviticus describes five kinds of sacrifices. The first three are common to the nations who offered these sacrifices to appease the anger of their gods or to gain favors from their gods. Israel ’s offering of these sacrifices is not intended to appease Yahweh’s anger or gain special favors. For Yahweh’s anger comes only as a result of her abandoning His law as a whole system. Infractions of various laws are provided for within the system of sacrifices and judgments. Such infractions did not result in Yahweh’s anger. It is the total attitude of lawlessness which angers Yahweh.

The first three sacrifices described in Leviticus are the burnt offering, the grain offering, and the peace offering. These three offerings allowed access to Yahweh’s presence in the Tabernacle. They were not concerned with sins but with the contaminated or polluted condition of all humanity due to the death Adam brought into the race. This contamination or pollution is labeled “The Law of Sin and Death” by Paul ( Rom. 8:1-3). This law operates in the members of each individual human body. Thus, the body is referred to as the flesh.

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The Law of Sin and Death

Paul describes this law as follows:

For, when we were in the flesh, the passions of sins, which were through this law [the law of Adam and the law of Moses], operated in our members to be bearing fruit to the death [the death that Adam brought in, Rom. 5:12]. . . . For we are aware that the law [Mosaic Law] is spiritual, yet I am fleshly, having been disposed of under the sin [the sin of Adam which brought in death]. . . . Yet now it is no longer I who am effecting it [the death that Adam brought in], but The Sin [The Law of Sin and Death (Page 168)brought in by Adam] making its home in me. . . . For I am gratified with the law of God [the Mosaic Law] as to the man within [the mind, the heart, the spirit], yet I am observing a different law in my members [The Law of Sin and Death, Rom. 8:2], warring with the law of my mind [the Mosaic Law, the Law of Yahweh], and leading me into captivity to The Law of Sin [which Adam brought in] which is in my members. What will rescue me out of this body of this Death?! Grace! I thank God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Consequently, then, I myself with the mind, indeed, am slaving for Yahweh’s law, yet with the flesh for Sin’s law [The Law of Sin and Death brought in by Adam]. Nothing, consequently, is now condemnation to those in Christ Jesus. Not according to flesh are they walking, but according to spirit, for the spirit’s Law of Life in Christ Jesus frees you from The Law of Sin and Death. For without power [disabled] is this law [The Law of Sin and Death]. In the sphere of the interest of this: It began to be weak through the flesh; Yahweh His own Son sending, in the likeness of sinful flesh, and concerning sin, condemned The Sin [The Law of The Sin and The Death brought in by Adam] in the sphere of the flesh, in order that the just requirement [life] of The Law [the spirit’s Law of Life in Christ Jesus] may be fulfilled in us, the ones who are not walking in accord with flesh, but in accord with spirit. (Romans 7:5, 14, 17; 7:22-8:4 my translation)

The flesh refers to the body under the influence of an alien power, force, law—The Law of Sin and Death which is the source of the inclination, the propensity to produce sins, the distortion of the five senses of the soul. Thus, the origination of man’s problem is traced back to Adam, not Moses. The Mosaic Law makes Israel aware of The Law of Sin and Death; for The Law of Sin becomes stimulated by the Mosaic Law, agitating The Law of Sin so as to make its presence and character known.

He who loves Yahweh’s Law and writes it in his heart serves Yahweh and His law with his mind, actively choosing to suppress the inclination, the propensity of the alien law within his members, while committing the members of his body to the Law of Yahweh. Thus, a war between two laws, The Law of Sin and Death and the Law of Yahweh, results. Only Israel profoundly experiences this war, since only Israel has access to The Law of Yahweh (the Law of Moses). Only Israel is placed under the Law of Yahweh (the Sinatic Covenant). Only Israelites are constituted sinners, because only within Israelites is The Law of Sin agitated in the members of the body by the Law of Yahweh, thus revealing the culprit’s alien influence and encouraging Israelites to suppress its distorted activity. Only Israel has her sins counted up. The accounting of sins by Yahweh constitutes Israelites sinners (see Rom. 5:13, 19).

This, however, does not mean the nations could not have a similar experience. As the nations codified laws of proper moral behavior for themselves, it became possible to experience a similar struggle. But the nations did not have their sins counted up by Yahweh, since they were not placed under the Law of Yahweh. Only under the Law of Yahweh could a person commit transgression and become accountable to Yahweh for that transgression. Since Yahweh had not placed the nations under His law (the Mosaic Covenant, the Mosaic contract between Yahweh and Israel ), the nations were not capable of committing transgressions against Yahweh. Thus, only Israelites were covenantally capable of sinning after the likeness of Adam’s transgression (Rom. 5:14). Only Israelites were constituted sinners by Yahweh, since only Israelites could commit sins designated as transgressions (Rom. 5:19, the many are constituted sinners, not the all).

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The Sin and Guilt Offerings

Because of this awareness of The Law of Sin by Israelites and the counting up of sin as transgression, the Mosaic Covenant, the Mosaic system, adds two original sacrificial offerings—the Sin Offering and the Guilt Offering. The purpose of the Sin Offering is to make a propitiatory-shelter for unintentional sins against the commandments, the statutes, the judgments, the instructions, and the testimonies of Yahweh (Lev. 4:1-31). The purpose of the Guilt Offering is to make reparation or restitution for an intentional or unintentional sin against man or Yahweh. This offering also requires a Sin Offering to provide a propitiatory-shelter for the sin committed. Reparation is based upon a determination of proper value plus an added fifth of the proper value. Thus, the Sin Offering and the Guilt Offering are clearly related. Both are provisions for dealing with transgressions which must continually be accounted for.

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The Potency of Repentance

Under the Mosaic system, Yahweh’s compassion, mercy, and kindness are revealed in the potency attributed to repentance. Yahweh continually calls for Israel to repent: “Return and turn away from all your transgressions, And your depravity shall not become a stumbling block to you” (Ezk. 18:30b CV). The word “depravity” makes clear these transgressions are intentional. The Sin and Guilt offerings provide for unintentional sins. What, however, provided a propitiatory shelter for intentional sin? The doctrine of repentance answers this question. Jacob Milgram (1991) writes, “A resolution of this question is now possible. I submit that the repentance of the sinner, through his remorse (asam) and confession (hitwadda), reduces his intentional sin to an inadvertence, thereby rendering it eligible for sacrificial expiation” (p. 373).

Yahweh declares of the wicked,

And when the wicked turns back from

his wickedness which he does

And is executing judgment and justice,

He [the wicked one] shall be keeping alive his soul.

(Page 169)And he is seeing and turning back from all his

transgressions which he did,

Verily he shall live. He shall not die. (Ezekiel 18:27-28 CV)

Repentance has the potency to deliver the wicked, the lawless, from covenantal death, covenantal curse. Repentance, consisting of turning back from one’s wickedness (remorse and confession) and executing judgment and justice (lawful behavior, making restitution), restores the lawless one to covenantal life, covenantal blessing, covenantal righteousness before Yahweh.

But the righteous one is also in danger. Yahweh declares,

Yet when the righteous turns back from his righteousness

And does iniquity according to all the abhorrences

which the wicked does,

Shall he do so and live?

All his righteous acts which he did

                shall not be remembered;

In his offense with which he offends,

And in his sin with which he sins,

In them shall he die. (Ezekiel 18:24 CV)

This is what it means to keep the whole law! To keep the whole law one must be committed to lawfulness with all one’s heart, all one’s soul, and all one’s intensity, to the end. Keeping the whole law means being faithful to the end. It is not a matter of weighing one’s righteous acts against one’s wicked acts. One can fall short at any time, even at the end of one’s life or just prior to a warning of judgment and call to repentance by a prophet.

If one turns to lawless acts intentionally, one’s covenant relationship to Yahweh is threatened. Repentance with the whole heart, soul, and intensity is required to receive restoration to covenantal righteousness. Those whose hearts are circumcised will repent when confronted by Yahweh’s Law in the mouth of Yahweh’s priests, prophets, and faithful sons of Israel . The righteous can turn away and harden their hearts, becoming lawless and wicked. The wicked can turn from their wickedness by changing, renewing, their hearts and spirits and returning to Yahweh’s covenant, to lawful behavior, thereby glorifying Yahweh’s name and honor. For Yahweh declares, “I am not delighting in the death of him who dies . . . Hence reverse yourselves and live!” (Ezk. 18:32 CV).

Keeping the law is not only possible, but also expectable. It could and should be kept! Yahweh’s compassion, mercy, and kindness through the potency of repentance make it most probable! There is no excuse for failure! To fail to keep the law is to have chosen to fail, to have hardened one’s heart to Yahweh’s compassionate, merciful, kind pleadings. Failure to keep the law is hatred of Yahweh, disrespect toward His love, His honor, and His glory.

Milgram (1991) further states,

I now have discovered that this principle was already known by the rabbis. ‘R. Simeon b. Lakish said: Great is repentance, which converts intentional sins into unintentional ones’ (B. Yoma 86b). The early rabbis show awareness of this principle in another context: the ritual of the Day of Atonement. They raise the question of how the high priest’s bull is capable of atoning for his deliberate sins, and they reply, ‘Because he has confessed his brazen and rebellious deeds it is as if they became as unintentional ones before him’ (Sipra, Ahare par. 2:4,6; cf. t. Yoma 2:1). Thus it is clear that the Tannaites attribute to repentance—strikingly, in a sacrificial ritual—the power to transform a presumptuous sin against God, punishable by death, into an act of inadvertence, expiable by sacrifice. (p. 373)

An example of the potency of repentance to transform an intentional sin against Yahweh, punishable by death, into an act of inadvertence is found in 2 Samuel 12:1-13. David has sinned intentionally against Yahweh by committing adultery with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, and by murdering Uriah. Nathan the prophet confronts David with these sins. David remorsefully repents, confessing, “I have sinned against Yahweh” (2 Sam. 12:13a CV). Nathan then reveals Yahweh’s judgment, “Now Yahweh, He has remitted your sin, you shall not die” (2 Sam. 12:13b CV).

In this case, Yahweh does not even require the Guilt Offering. It thus takes the potency of repentance one notch higher. This is later referred to as “the sure mercies of David” (Isa. 55:3; 2 Chr. 6:42; Ps. 89:24; Acts 13:34; Rom. 4:5-8; Ps. 32:1-2; 2 Sam. 7:15; 1 Chr. 17:13). John the Baptist is commissioned to proclaim that the basis of the sure mercies of David is “a baptism of repentance for the (Page 170)pardon of sins” (Lk. 3:3 CV) which gave those sons of Israel who received his baptism “the authority to be making themselves children of Yahweh . . .” (Jn. 1:12b my translation), that is, to be restoring themselves to covenantal life by turning back to Yahweh and their covenantal obligations. Those repenting “were baptized in the Jordan River by him [John the Baptist], confessing their sins” (Matt. 3:6 CV). Thus, the potency of repentance transformed intentional sin against Yahweh, punishable by the covenantal death about to be exacted by “the impending indignation” (Matt. 3:7; Lk. 3:7), into unintentional sin pardonable by repentant confession.

The Guilt Offering would be made by Jesus on behalf of all those believing in Him. He would become their Guilt Offering. As a result, the Apostles of Jesus would be authorized to proclaim, “Repent and be baptized each of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the pardon of your sins, and you shall be obtaining the gratuity of the holy spirit” (Acts 2:38 CV).

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The Mosaic Law and the Impossibility of Not Sinning

This sacrificial system is necessary since the Mosaic system of law made it impossible not to sin. This is the meaning of Paul’s statement concerning the law in Gal. 3:19: “On behalf of the transgressions was it added, . . .” (CV). The law was added to the promise with the precise function of providing a knowledge of sin. It was to agitate The Law of Sin and Death brought in by Adam, thus revealing the contaminated condition of humanity and making the sons of Israel aware of its distortions. Thus, the obscured operation of The Law of Sin and Death necessitated the accounting of sin, thereby revealing the deceptive operation of The Law of Sin and compelling The Law of Sin to reign (see pages 900-902, “The Reign of Sin”) unobscured as a servant of Yahweh’s Law. The Mosaic Law as a system organizing the society of Israel set up regulations which caused even certain natural circumstances to constitute Israelites unclean, thereby making them sinners, missing the mark of cleanness. Such sin is counted up. As a result, The Law of Sin reigns. It can no longer deceive, since its character and activity, its presence, are perceived and accurately indicated as alien, as an enemy within.

Any Israelite coming in contact with the carcass of those animals designated unclean becomes defiled: “Also you are defiling yourselves with these: (Everyone touching their carcass shall be unclean until the evening; everyone carrying some of their carcass shall rinse his garments and will be unclean until the evening.)” (Lev. 11:24-25 CV). Touching the carcass of a clean animal also makes one unclean (Lev. 11:39). To become unclean is sin, missing the mark of cleanness. Cleansing is thus necessitated, even if the contact is accidental. However, though sin is counted up, the law provides a way to deal with it so that one’s covenantal relationship with Yahweh is not broken. In the cases here mentioned, cleansing with water becomes the remedy for such uncleanness.

All such uncleanness excluded the unclean one from the worshiping community, since anyone unclean is restricted from worship, being denied access to the Tabernacle. Impurity, however, is not understood as mystic taboo. It is meant to make clear the contaminated condition of humanity (the operation of death within each person) before Yahweh. By restricting the participation of the unclean from worship of Yahweh in the community assembly, Israel is humbly reminded of her contaminated condition as children of Adam.

This is Yahweh’s doing. Yahweh constitutes this nation a nation of sinners. The Law of Sin is increased (Rom. 5:20), multiplied by the law. But the law not only constitutes, makes, appoints the “many” sinners, it is a guardian garrisoning the “many” sinners within the beneficial confines of Yahweh’s covenant, guiding the “many” in the art of doing what is right in the eyes of Yahweh, thereby becoming, in the long run, Yahweh’s escort to the Christ (Gal. 3:23-24). In the short run, the “many” are taught what it means to be holy; they are taught to walk in the righteous way of Yahweh. Yahweh’s commandments, statutes, and judgments provide Israel access to Yahweh’s knowledge of Good and Evil. As such, the law gives access to Yahweh’s terrestrial blessings, denied to the nations.

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Impurity in Childbirth

That the foregoing is the case with impurity is illustrated by the next example of impurity—purification relating to childbirth (Lev. 12:1-8). When a woman gives birth to a child, she becomes unclean:

When a woman conceives seed and bears a male then she will become unclean seven days; as the days of her menstrual period shall she be unclean. On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. Then she shall dwell thirty-three days more in her cleansing bloodflows. She shall not touch anything holy, and she shall not come to the sanctuary until the days of her cleansing be full. And if she should bear a female, then (Page 171)she will be unclean two weeks, as during her period, and she shall dwell sixty-six days more in her cleansing bloodflows. (Leviticus 12:1b-5 CV)

Thus, a woman after bearing a child is automatically contagiously unclean for one or two weeks. Anyone or anything she touches during this period becomes unclean as well. After this initial period, the woman remains unclean in herself, but no longer an agent of pollution to other people. However, she continues to be contagious in relation to holy things. As such, she has to refrain from touching anything holy. Thus, for example, she cannot partake of meat from a peace offering, and she is restricted from participating in an assembly gathered for worship.

Even a woman’s menstrual blood makes her unclean seven days, and anyone touching her is unclean until the evening. Everything upon which she lies or sits during this period is unclean, and anyone who touches these unclean items becomes unclean until evening and must go through the cleansing ritual (Lev. 15:19-24).

Such uncleanness is sin, missing the mark. It becomes counted up, one becomes accountable for it, responsible for it, and so must go through the cleansing ritual to remain a faithful member of the covenantal community. Refusal to obey the required cleansing process is to become cut off from the community of faithful ones, one’s people. This meant being cut off from the promises, including the promises made to Abraham.

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Impurity and Skin Diseases

Skin diseases blotching the skin make the victim unclean. The defining factor is wholeness. If a skin disease covers the skin completely, resulting in no blotches, no mixture, the disease is not considered unclean. Clothes coming to have a mold become contagiously unclean. The same is true for houses. The Mosaic Law provided no means for curing or cleansing skin diseases. If one became unclean as a result of skin disease, one was placed outside the camp or apart from the clean until the skin disease either cleared up or was healed by Yahweh. Community exclusion in these cases did not cut one off from the future Abrahamic promise related to the Celestial Realm associated with the Celestial Jerusalem.

All such sin associated with uncleanness, pollution, contamination, and mixture is a continual reminder to the sons of Israel of the contamination of the human race brought about by the entrance of death as a result of Adam’s sin. It thus implies clearly the necessity of another covenant which would be able to solve the Adamic problem. The Sinatic Covenant was not designed to solve the contamination of the death brought in by Adam. It was designed to increase sin by taking account of it and to discipline, guide, guard the sons of Israel by means of instruction and correction, maintaining behavior which is acceptable in the eyes of Yahweh.

Covenantal exclusion due to skin disease is not to be associated with the victim’s ultimate destiny. Such misfortune is not to be understood as the result of personal sin. It is not to be explained in terms of moral guilt. Such uncleanness is sin, but not moral guilt. Such a person is charged with cultic guilt due to the fact that he/she is responsible for bringing pollution within the covenant community. When the skin disease is removed, a Guilt Offering is required.

Such uncleanness results in loss of social and religious covenantal relationship and blessing, but does not lead to being cut off from one’s people. Such a person becomes unclean and removed from intimate community relationship, but is not excluded from community care. Such people become the required responsibility of the clean on behalf of the unclean. Here is an opportunity to manifest one’s love for one’s neighbor suffering innocent misfortune.

However, it must be emphasized that contact with the unclean causes contamination to the clean person making the contact. Such is sin, but not moral sin. Such sin did not cause exclusion from the covenant. One remains a member in righteous standing, as long as one remains obedient to the instructions of the law.

These samples establish the fact that the Mosaic Law increased sin, taking it into account, and holding the sons of Israel responsible for such sin, thereby initiating the reign of Sin. The Law, therefore, is the power of The Law of Sin which had been activated by Adam’s initial sin (1 Cor. 15:56). The Law of Sin and Death brought in by Adam is enabled to reign because its activity is perceived, accounted, and judged. Judgment, however, includes the means to deal with it—obtain pardon for it or achieve cleansing from it. So, where Sin reigns, Grace abounds. Thus, Israel lives daily with a very conscious awareness of sin. But this conscious awareness of sin is not detrimental or overbearing, due to Yahweh’s grace. It is a blessing (Page 172)which enables every Israelite to have a close relationship with Yahweh his/her Elohim and with his/her neighbor.

In Leviticus, chapter 15, uncleanness due to various discharges of the body is described with instructions concerning the ritual process for cleansing. Genital diseases cause long-term uncleanness, while emission of semen by the male or menstrual flow by the female cause short-term uncleanness. The Hebrew word for body in this text is basar, meaning flesh. Discharges of the flesh cause uncleanness, impurity. Paul’s use of the term flesh to describe the body under the influence of the alien Law of Sin and Death most likely has its source in this Leviticus text.

Uncleanness, impurity comes from the discharges of the flesh. Such uncleanness defiles the Tabernacle of Yahweh: “You will warn the sons of Israel against their uncleanness so that they may not die in their uncleanness when they defile My tabernacle which is in their midst” (Lev. 15:31 CV). To defile the abode of Yahweh in the midst of Israel and disregard the necessity of the cleansing process is to expose oneself to death by the hand of Yahweh. Even those types of uncleanness requiring only a short period of waiting and a simple washing are given solemn warning concerning the consequences of ignoring the required ritual: “Yet if he should not rinse his garments and not bathe his flesh then he will bear his depravity” (Lev. 17:16 CV). Thus, it is vital that Israelites know when they are unclean. The severity of the penalty for failure to perform the vital cleansing ritual affects not only the individual, but also the entire nation.

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The Day of Propitiatory-Shelter

Chapter 16 of Leviticus connects the theme of defilement, uncleanness, impurity with the instructions concerning the Day of Propitiatory-Shelter by first making reference to the uncommon deaths of Aaron’s two sons (Nadab and Abihu). These two sons attempted to approach Yahweh with alien fire, that is, unauthorized fire, thereby defiling themselves as well as the Sanctuary of Yahweh. The judgment of Yahweh was instantaneous: “Hence fire came forth from before Yahweh and devoured them, and they died before Yahweh” (Lev. 10:2 CV). Their burnt bodies were taken from the presence of the Holy Place and placed outside the camp. Aaron and his remaining two sons were forbidden to mourn for them. This reference at the beginning of chapter 16 is meant to be a vivid reminder of the importance of maintaining one’s cleanness, one’s purity before Yahweh. The intentional, presumptuous sin of Nadab and Abihu contaminated the Sanctuary and the whole nation. This necessitated the cleansing made possible by the ceremonial Day of Propitiatory-Shelter.

Once a year, on the tenth day of the seventh month, a sabbath is proclaimed and a propitiatory-shelter is made for the sins of the nation as a collective whole. This propitiatory-shelter provided cleansing for the Holy Place made unclean by the people’s sins of uncleanness and their transgressions. This annual ceremony made possible Yahweh’s continued presence in the midst of His people for another year.

Only the Chief or High Priest (in this case, Aaron) could enter the Holy of Holies with the cleansing blood of the Sin Offering. The High Priest first makes a propitiatory-shelter for himself and his house. This meant a Sin Offering of a young bull. He then casts lots to determine which of the two goats would be sacrificed as a Sin Offering for the covenantal community and which would be sent into the wilderness, symbolically carrying the sins of the nation away from the presence of Yahweh. The blood of the Sin Offering is then sprinkled on and before the mercy seat (the seat of propitiatory-shelter covering the Ark of the Covenant within the Holy of Holies), on the tent of appointment, and the altar of burnt offering in the main courtyard. Finally,

When he has finished making a propitiatory shelter for the holy place and the tent of appointment and the altar, he will bring near the live hairy goat. Aaron will support his two hands on the head of the live hairy goat, confess over it all the depravities of the sons of Israel and all their transgressions in all their sins and put them on the head of the hairy goat and send it away by the hand of a ready man to the wilderness. Thus the hairy goat will bear on it all their depravities to an inaccessible land, and he will send the hairy goat free into the wilderness. (Leviticus 16:20-22 CV)

Again, the purpose of these blood rituals is stated clearly in verse 16: “Thus he will make a propitiatory-shelter over the holy place because of the uncleannesses of the sons of Israel and because of their transgressions, for all their sins” (Lev. 16:16 CV). Uncleanness and transgression are categorized as sin. Thus, it is inevitable that the sons of Israel will sin, the Sanctuary will be polluted, and the Day of Propitiatory-Shelter implemented for the cleansing of the Sanctuary and the people as a collective whole.

The Day of Propitiatory-Shelter is declared to be

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an eonian statute: in the seventh month on the tenth day of the month you shall humble your souls, and no work at all shall you do . . . For on this day shall one make a propitiatory shelter over you to cleanse you from all your sins. Before Yahweh shall you be clean . . . This will come to be for you as an eonian statute to make a propitiatory shelter over the sons of Israel because of all their sins, once a year. (Leviticus 16:29a, 30, 34 CV)

The duration of this statute is limited to the Mosaic Eon . The day is to be a solemn day in which the people “humble” their souls. This assembly of the nation will not be a joyous occasion. It will be an annual reminder of the contamination of both the nation and the human race as a result of the death brought in by Adam, upon which death all sinned, all missed the mark of uncontaminated life, all biologically inherited the alien Law of Sin and Death encoded in the members of the body of flesh.

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The Tabernacle as the Only Place for Sacrificial Offerings

In chapter 17 of Leviticus, Yahweh speaks to Moses concerning the one place for sacrificial offerings. Yahweh instructs Moses to speak to Aaron, his sons, and to all the sons of Israel about the slaughtering of sacrificial animals. All sacrificial animals will be slaughtered and sacrificed in the Tabernacle: “Any man from the house of Israel who slays a bull or a sheep or a goat in the camp, or who slays it outside the camp, and does not bring it to the opening of the tent of appointment so as to bring it near as an approach present to Yahweh before the tabernacle of Yahweh, bloodshed shall be accounted to that man. He has shed blood; hence that man will be cut off from among his people” (Lev. 17:3-4 CV).

The purpose of this statute is to avoid any possible sacrifice to other elohim, other gods, “hairy goat demons.” The sons of Israel had been guilty of such prostitution:

This is in order that the sons of Israel may bring their sacrifices which they have been sacrificing on the surface of the field—that they bring them before Yahweh, to the priest at the opening of the tent of appointment, and sacrifice them as sacrifices of peace offerings to Yahweh. . . . No longer shall they sacrifice their sacrifices to hairy goat-demons after whom they have been prostituting. An eonian statute shall this become for them throughout their generations. (Leviticus 17:5-7 CV)

The wilderness had been associated with demons, and sacrifices made in the wilderness had been made to these “hairy goat-demons.” Israel now worships and serves only Yahweh her Elohim. Therefore, all sacrifices will be brought to His dwelling place in the midst of His people and will be received and sacrificed at the hands of Yahweh’s chosen priests and in the presence of Yahweh Himself.

This statute is declared to be an “eonian statute” throughout their generations. It is not limited to Israel ’s sojourn in the wilderness prior to entering the Promised Land. It is to be in effect for the entire duration of the Mosaic Eon . However, as Israel ’s history will soon reveal, the nation takes relatively little time in abandoning this statute. For by the time of the judges and kings, sacrifice is being made away from the Tabernacle, eventually being conducted in the high places associated with the worship of other gods. This is precisely why Yahweh establishes this eonian statute. Thus, it is vital that all sacrifices take place in the Tabernacle if Israel is to avoid worshiping and serving other elohim. The importance of this statute is affirmed by Yahweh’s stating the penalty twice: “that man will be cut off from among his people” (Lev. 17:4), “that man will be cut off from his kinsmen” (Lev. 17:9).

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Prohibition Against Eating Blood

Closely related to the theme of sacrifice in relation to the worship and service of other elohim is the statute prohibiting the eating of blood. Again, the penalty for disobedience is being “cut off” (Lev. 17:14). Yahweh declares, “I will set My face against the soul eating blood, and I will cut him off from among his people, for the soul of the flesh, it is in the blood, and I Myself have assigned it to you to make a propitiatory shelter over your souls on the altar; for the blood, in the soul it makes a propitiatory shelter” (Lev. 17:10b-11 CV). Blood becomes holy because Yahweh assigns it the role of covering over sin.

The Hebrew text uses the word nephesh, meaning soul, to refer to the life of each Israelite. The author of Leviticus quotes Yahweh as stating the soul is in the blood. The word nephesh in Hebrew is always associated with the five senses. A concordant study of the usage of this word throughout the Hebrew Scriptures will support this conclusion.

In Genesis 2:7, Yahweh breathes into Adam’s nostrils the breath of life, and the Hebrew text concludes Adam became “a living soul [nephesh].” In 1 Corinthians 15:45, Paul declares, “The first man, Adam, became a living soul” (CV), quoting from Genesis 2:7 and using the Greek word psuche, soul, as (Page 174)the equivalent of the Hebrew nephesh. In the very next verse (1 Cor. 15:46), Paul refers to the first humanity associated with Adam as soulish in contrast with the second humanity associated with Christ, which he designates as spiritual.

Adam at his creation, his formation, becomes soulish. The breath, the spirit breathed into his nostrils makes him a living soul. He now becomes a sentient being, the blood delivering the spirit to the members of his body making them sentient—see, hear, touch, taste, smell. The soulish man can die. For the soul is in the blood. The shedding of blood can result in death.

After Adam sins, The Law of Death is activated within him. He can now die without the shedding of his blood. Yahweh declares of Adam after his sin, “soil you are, and to soil are you returning” (Gen. 3:19 CV). In Leviticus 17:13b, Yahweh commands the hunter of game to “pour out its blood and cover it with soil” (CV), a reminder of the Sin and Death brought in by Adam.

The Law of Death operates within humans and results in a return to the soil out of which Adam was formed. The Law of Sin operates within the members of the body of humans, inciting the senses to commit sin (pushing the senses beyond their healthy application), including the taking of another person’s life (soul) by the shedding of that person’s blood. Thus, in the world in which The Law of Sin and Death operates, the threat of murder by means of the shedding of blood is in the hands of each individual human.

The Levitical law reminds all Israelites of the holiness of life by assigning the blood as the means of providing a propitiatory-shelter (a covering) over sin. It is thus a constant reminder of man’s contamination by death and by sin. Man cannot affect The Law of Death, but he can affect, control, repress, war against the input of the operation of The Law of Sin. This is precisely the function of the Law of Yahweh given to Israel .

Thus, the blood is associated with both life and death. Within the living body it is life. Outside the body it is death. As a result, the blood outside the body can be contaminating when contact is made with it, as indicated in the case of menstrual blood. But it can also be an agent of cleansing, as indicated in the usage of blood to ratify the Sinatic Covenant as well as its usage to ceremonially cleanse the Tabernacle, the land, and the people of Israel from sin as defined by the Mosaic Law.

The blood of a sacrificed animal also provides a propitiatory-shelter, a covering, over the sin or sins of the offerer. The animal is not a substitute for the offerer. The offerer, by laying his hands on the animal, identifies with the animal in order for the blood of the animal to be identified by Yahweh as on behalf of the offerer. The offerer remains under the verdict of death (that is, he is still dying as a result of The Law of Death operating in him), and his sin or sins are not removed, but covered, so that Yahweh can maintain a close relationship with the sinner; for sin (as well as death) makes one an enemy of Yahweh. As long as sin is covered over by sacrificial blood, the offerer is not counted, and, thus, not treated as an enemy, but a covenantal friend of Yahweh.

This applies to the sacrificial death of Jesus. His shed blood provides forgiveness of sins, but does not eradicate sins. His death is not substitutionary, for those believing in Him still die the death that they received from Adam. If Christ is their substitute, they would not have to die. Christ is not a substitute. He was the last (eschatos, 1 Cor. 15:45) Adam because His death satisfied the verdict of Yahweh over Adam’s sin, and, becoming the second Adam (1 Cor. 15:47), His life initiated a superseding verdict on behalf of all human beings—Death is no longer the last word; justification of Life is Yahweh’s new verdict on behalf of all human beings; all human beings will be raised out of the Death Adam brought in, into the Life Jesus Christ brought in (Rom. 5:12, 18); The Law of Sin and Death is in the process of being eradicated, replaced by The Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus. This new law has already rejuvenated the Ecclesia of Christ residing in the Celestial Realm with her Lord for the past 2,000 years and has been and will be rejuvenating the rest of humanity, excluding none, by the end of this (our own) present age.

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The Central Theme of Holiness

As shown in Structure 10, which forms a simple introversion, the central member of the structure of the Book of Leviticus consists of chapters 18 to 20. The theme and the title can be set forth as “Yahweh’s Covenant—The Central Theme of Holiness: Be Ye holy For I Am Holy.”


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Structure 10: Yahweh’s Covenant—The Central Theme of Holiness: Be Ye holy For I Am Holy (Leviticus 18:1-20:27)

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The A members direct instruction to the sons of Israel . These sons refer to the high officials ruling over the higher courts in the land. The sons of Israel represent all individual Israelites and are responsible to maintain Yahweh’s statutes and judgments in their own lives as well as the lives of the people. They are instructed to walk according to Yahweh’s statutes and judgments and not walk according to the statutes of the nations. Thus, they are to maintain their distinction from the nations. They have been made separate, and such separation will be manifest in behavior conforming to Yahweh’s statutes and judgments.

They are specifically instructed, “According to the deeds of the land of Egypt in which you dwelt, you shall not behave. And according to the deeds of the land of Canaan where I am bringing you, you shall not behave; and by their statutes you shall not walk” (Lev. 18:3 CV). The nations have been rejected by Yahweh as a result of decadent behavior based upon decadent statutes. Thus, these nations are walking in the darkness of their own ways, their own determination of good and evil. Israel has been made holy, separated from the nations, and has been given Yahweh’s statutes and judgments based upon Yahweh’s determination of Good and Evil. Israel , thus, has been given access to Yahweh’s Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. No other nation has been given this advantage.

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The Nation as One Man

Those high officials responsible for the monitoring of Israel ’s behavior are further instructed, “You will observe My statutes and My judgments, for the human who does them will also live by them: I am Yahweh” (Lev. 18:5 CV my emphasis). The term “the human” refers to the nation metaphorically as a man. The nation is thus related covenantally to Yahweh as a collective whole, a collective man. Each individual Israelite is a member of the metaphorical national body. This analogy will also be applied to the Ecclesia, Christ’s body. The nation will live covenantally in the presence of Yahweh and be blessed with terrestrial success socially, politically, economically, agriculturally, hygienically, and religiously by doing, keeping Yahweh’s statutes and judgments.

This is why the faithfulness of the sons of Israel (the High Officials) is vital. The nation, as one man, must obey, must walk in conformity to Yahweh’s statutes and judgments. We have already observed the failure of the nation as one man at Sinai when he (Jacob/Israel) worshiped the golden calf. Though many individual Israelites were innocent in this affair, they still were affected by the verdict of Yahweh—covenantal death was activated in the nation as one man and predetermined its ultimate telos, the death of the Mosaic Covenant, and thus, the covenantal death of the nation.

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Justice in the Higher and Lower Courts

The central member of the structure of chapters 18-20 (Structure 10, B 19:1-37) is directed to “the whole congregation of the sons of Israel (v. 1). The whole congregation refers to the lower officials responsible for the carrying out of Yahweh’s justice in the lower courts of the land. These rulers are under the jurisdiction of the higher officials (the sons of Israel ). Again, what applies to these individuals applies to all Israelites. They, like the higher officials, are to lead by setting the example. Thus, they are Yahweh’s servants attending the welfare of the nation. They are to administer Yahweh’s judgments in order to maintain the covenantal health, life of the nation.

It is vital that these officials remain holy by faithfully observing all Yahweh’s statutes and judgments. For if their personal faithfulness is jeopardized, their judicial role is jeopardized. Personal unfaithfulness results in administrational unfaithfulness—judicial injustice. Such injustice will lead to national sickness, national disobedience leading to Yahweh’s implementation of covenantal curse, national judgment.

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Thus, the importance of judicial justice in the higher and lower courts in the land can be appreciated. Chapter 18 takes up the theme of judicial justice in the higher courts, emphasizing Yahweh’s statutes. Chapter 20 takes up the theme of judicial justice in the higher courts, emphasizing Yahweh’s judgments. Chapter 19 treats the theme of judicial justice in the lower courts, emphasizing the essence of holiness: separation and wholeness.

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Justice in the Higher Courts: A Holy Land and a Holy People

Chapters 18 and 20 can be divided into three corresponding sections as presented in Structure 11.

Structure 11: Instructions and Purpose of Statutes and Judgments Concerning Sexual Unions and Resulting Seed (Leviticus 18:1-30; 20:1-27)

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Both chapters are directed to the sons of Israel , the high judicial officials (C1 and C2). The second section of chapter 18 (D1) consists of Yahweh’s statutes concerning unacceptable sexual unions and the resulting seed from acceptable unions. Such seed will not be sacrificed to Moloch, for such sacrifice would be idolatry, a profanation of the name of Yahweh, and a breaking of the first of the Ten Words spoken by Yahweh at Sinai. It would also be a refutation of the holiness of life. The corresponding second section of chapter 20 (D2) consists of Yahweh’s judgments (penalties) concerning unacceptable sexual unions and His judgment of death upon any man who sacrifices his seed to Moloch.

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The Purpose of Yahweh’s Statutes: A Holy Land

The third section of Leviticus, chapter 18 (E1 of Structure 11), establishes the purpose of Yahweh’s statutes. His statutes make possible a holy land. The statutes of the nations polluted the land. Yahweh plans to remove these nations from the land. The text describes this as the land vomiting the people out due to their defilement ( 18:28). Keeping Yahweh’s statutes results in a clean land. A clean land is a holy land, a land separated from the unclean, unholy lands of the nations, a land suitable for the dwelling of the presence of Yahweh.

The corresponding third section of Leviticus, chapter 20 (E2 of Structure 11), establishes the purpose of Yahweh’s judgments. His judgments make possible a holy people. The judgments of the nations, based upon their own statutes, polluted the people, making them unclean in Yahweh’s eyes and causing them to become an irritation to Him (20:23 CV). A holy land is dependent on a holy people. A holy people is dependent on holy statutes and holy judgments.

Thus, Leviticus 18:26 consists of a command directed to Israelites and sojourners. The positive side of the command is to “observe My statutes and My judgments.” The negative side of the command is not to do “any of these abhorrences” of the men of the land. Chapter 18, verses 27-28, declare the purpose of the command: purification of the land. The men of the land, soon to be vomited out, committed abhorrences and made the land unclean. By observing Yahweh’s statutes and judgments, the sons of Israel are to avoid defilement of the land so that the land shall not vomit them out. Yahweh’s judgment on those Israelites who commit such abhorrences is stated in 18:29b: “the souls doing them will be cut off from among their people.” These lawless offenders will be excluded from the covenant. They will no longer have access to Yahweh or His people. They will forfeit any right to the Abrahamic promise concerning the age to come—the celestial citizenship. Thus, they are ostracized, ex-communicated, alienated religiously, socially, economically, and politically.

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The command of Leviticus 18:26 is then restated in 18:30. Again, it consists of a positive and a negative side. The sons of Israel are to “Keep My charge.” The charge refers to the covenant terms and, thus, the central theme of this central section and the book as a whole—“Be ye holy for I am holy” (Lev. 11:44). Yahweh has separated Himself from the nations and has become the exclusive Elohim of Israel. As a result, Israel has been separated from the nations to become exclusively Yahweh’s people, Yahweh’s nation. Israel is to be distinguished from the nations by observing only the statutes and judgments designed by Yahweh for Israel . By obeying Yahweh’s statutes and judgments, Israel will maintain her holiness, her distinction among the nations. Under these conditions, Israel is to be a light to the nations. Negatively, Israel is not to practice the abhorrent statutes practiced by the people of the land Israel is to inhabit shortly. The chapter closes with a reference to Yahweh’s holiness on behalf of Israel : “I, Yahweh, am your Elohim” (18:30b CV).

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The Purpose of Yahweh’s Judgments: A Holy People

Returning to the corresponding third section of chapter 20 (E2 of Structure 11, 20:23-27), a presentation of its literary structure (Structure 12) will prove beneficial to its exegesis.

Structure 12: Purpose of the Judgments—A Holy People (Expansion of the E2 Member of Structure 11, Leviticus 20:23-27)

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Structure 12 begins with a command and ends with a judgment. The sons of Israel are not to walk by the statutes of the nations Yahweh is about to cast out of the land of Canaan. They are not to base their behavior (religious worship, social, political, and economic customs) on the statutes developed by the nations. For these statutes are related to the worship and service of their gods. Israel is to worship and serve only Yahweh her Elohim. Thus, the judgment of Leviticus 20:27 against sorcery is to maintain Israel ’s separation from the worship and service of other gods, elohim. Mediums and wizards were associated with the worship and service of the gods of the nations. Any medium or wizard is to be put to death by stoning. Such occupation in Israel is religious adultery, religious prostitution, and would lead to defilement of Israel and pollution of the land. They would signify a return to myth and superstition, a return to the mythopoeic conception of the natural world.

Yahweh then promises Israel the tenancy of the land of Canaan (Lev. 20:24). The land belongs to Yahweh. Israel is to be given the right, the privilege, and the responsibility to tenant, occupy, utilize this rich land, paying Yahweh His due as land owner. The land is a gift from Yahweh to Israel . This is one feature of Israel ’s holiness. Yahweh declares this feature of holiness by His authorization for tenancy: “I, Yahweh, am your Elohim, Who separates you from the peoples.” Such separation is an act of making this nation holy. This corresponds to the promise of verse 26. As Yahweh has made the nation holy by authorizing its tenancy of the land, so also is Israel to become holy to Yahweh by dwelling in the land and observing all His statutes and judgments. Yahweh promised that, in spite of her failures, Israel “will become holy to Me.” This is both a command and a promise. Yahweh’s purpose for separating Israel from (Page 178)the peoples will not fail to be fulfilled. Israel will become Yahweh’s holy people. She will become faithfully holy to Yahweh.

The central member, e 20:25 of Structure 12, presents Israel ’s obligation (which is to become holy), by means of an example representing the principle of holiness. The nation is to obey Yahweh’s statutes concerning clean and unclean animals. The text states, “You will make a separation . . .” The essence of the principle of holiness is separation. By Israel honoring Yahweh’s statutes of separation, clean and unclean, she will become holy to Yahweh, thus, a holy people dwelling in a holy land.

The Essence of Holiness: Separation and Wholeness

The center of the entire Book of Leviticus has now been reached. Structure 13 presents the literary structure of chapter 19, emphasizing judicial justice in the lower courts:

Structure 13: Judicial Justice in the Lower Courts (Leviticus 19:1-37)

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Leviticus, chapter 19, as presented in Structure 13, is addressed to the whole congregation of the sons of Israel , all those men appointed to judgeships in the lower courts throughout the land. All these would be under the jurisdiction of the sons of Israel , those men appointed to judgeships in the higher courts throughout the land. The Aaronic Priesthood represented the Supreme Court of the land. The Levitical Priesthood was responsible for religious instruction and guidance throughout the land.

The whole congregation is to become holy, separated, and committed to observing the laws of Elohim in its conduct and official judgments (f1 19:1-2, Structure 13). This is confirmed and emphasized in the corresponding closing member of Structure 13: “Hence you will observe all My statutes and all My judgments and do them: I am Yahweh” (f2 19:37 CV). Thus, they are to be holy because “I am holy, Yahweh your Elohim” (19:2 CV), and they are to observe faithfully all Yahweh’s statutes and judgments because Yahweh is supreme Ruler, King. Yahweh is sovereign. His statutes and judgments are the absolute standard by which justice shall prevail throughout the whole land.

The next member (g1 19:3-10) of Structure 13 reiterates the royal law: Love Yahweh your Elohim and your neighbor as yourself. These judges are to exemplify in their conduct and legal judgments the love of Yahweh and love of their neighbor, their fellow men. Thus, each is to fear, respect, honor his mother and father (v. 3), which is the fifth commandment of the Ten Words spoken to all Israel at Mount Sinai. Each is to observe Yahweh’s sabbaths (v. 3), commandment number four. Each is to refrain from idolatry (v. 4). Each is to follow the prescribed procedure for a peace offering offered on his own behalf to Yahweh (vs. 5- 8). Each will follow the procedure prescribed for the reaping of the field and vineyard (vs. 9-10). The prescribed procedure is meant to generate just treatment and concern for the poor and the sojourner in the land who have been humbled by unfortunate circumstances. These judges are to uphold these statutes and judgments in their legal decisions. They are to penalize justly those disregarding these laws of Yahweh. By doing so, they will be assuring the nation of Yahweh’s promised blessings in the land.

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The corresponding member (g2 19:32-36) of Structure 13 concerns itself with this same royal law, emphasizing the just treatment of the sojourner in the land. He also is to be considered a neighbor and, so, extended the same love as granted to an Israelite. These judges and the nation are called upon to remember their own experience as sojourners in the land of Egypt. They are not to tyrannize over the sojourner as the Egyptians had tyrannized over Israel . All this will be obeyed out of fear, respect, love of Yahweh their righteous Elohim. Not to be forgotten, and thus mistreated, are the aged in the land. The aged are to be respected, honored, revered. This means proper, dignified physical, psychological, social, economic, and religious care of the elderly. Yahweh their Elohim is concerned with the welfare of all the people in the land: the weak, the strong; the poor, the rich; the good, the evil; the lawful, the lawless; the wise, the foolish; the beautiful, the ugly; the healthy, the sick. Love, and thus justice, must be extended to all.

The third member (h1 19:11-18) of Structure 13 provides examples of loving Yahweh and neighbor. Members of the whole congregation of the sons of Israel are not to steal, commandment number 8. They are to respect the property of others and render just decisions in relation to those who violate this respect for the property of others. These judges are to abhor lying. They are not to deceive themselves or others to the detriment of themselves or others. They are to be concerned with the detection of such deception in judging cases brought before them. Such deceptions could be inflicted upon the people by the taking of false oaths. This would be a breaking of the third commandment.

Another example of loving Yahweh and neighbor is the refraining from extortion and pillage. Immediate payment of wages for work contracted also exemplifies love of Yahweh and neighbor. Wages withheld would be an injustice against the welfare of the laborer. It could be used to tyrannize, to enslave, to humble, to dishonor the worker. The blind and the deaf are not to be abused by taking advantage of their defect. Love of neighbor means honest, just treatment of those whose defects make them vulnerable to mistreatment and abuse. All judges are to render fair judgments. They are not to show favor to the rich and powerful, to those of reputation or high standing in the community: “In righteousness shall you judge your companion” (Lev. 19:15b CV). This also means not favoring unjustly the poor, the weak, the humble because of pity on the part of the judge. Slander against his neighbor leading to an unwarranted sentence of death (thus, murder, commandment number 6) is a sign of hatred of the neighbor. Thus, the opposite of loving one’s neighbor with all your heart, mind, and soul is hating “your brother in your heart” (19:17). Hence, this section concludes with the royal law, “You will love your associate as yourself: I am Yahweh” (19:18 CV). To be holy means to act, think, behave, judge in conformity with the character of Yahweh, which His statutes and judgments reveal.

The corresponding member (h2 19:20-31) of Structure 13 provides examples emphasizing the love of Yahweh. In this section Yahweh prohibits divination (eating on the mountain), sorcery (consulting clouds), worship of other elohim (body grooming, laceration, or tattooing connected with false worship), the prostituting of one’s daughter (cult prostitution). Against these idolatrous acts, Yahweh commands, “My sabbaths shall you observe, and My sanctuary shall you fear: I am Yahweh” (Num. 19:30 CV). Yahweh and only Yahweh will be worshiped and served. Only Yahweh’s sabbaths shall be observed. Only Yahweh’s sanctuary, the Tabernacle, will be the place where Yahweh will dwell in the midst of the people and where the people will offer sacrifices to Yahweh.

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The Heart of the Book of Leviticus: No Mixture

At the very heart of the Book of Leviticus, the central literary member (19:19, Structure 13) of the central literary member (19:1-37, Structure 10) of the central literary member of the book as a whole (18:1- 20:27, Structure 10) is verse 19 of chapter 19.

My statutes shall you observe: your beast you shall not cause to copulate dissimilarly; your field you shall not sow dissimilarly, and a garment dissimilarly made of lindsey-woolsey shall not come up on you. (CV)

This single verse contains and illustrates the essence of holiness: Separation and Wholeness. Only Israel has been given Yahweh’s statutes. This distinguishes Israel from all other nations. By observing these statutes, Israel will actualize her separation from all other nations and from the worship and service of all other elohim, gods. As such, she will be a light to the nations, a beacon in the night pointing the way back to the correct demythified conception of the natural world, to the only living and true Elohim, the haven of rest for all nations.

The second part of Leviticus 19:19 illustrates what Yahweh means by separation, holiness. To be holy is to be separated to the worship and service of only Yahweh. Such separation demands wholeness, no mixture, thus purity. This is illustrated in verse 19 by the prohibiting of mixed breeding, mixed sowing, and(Page 180) mixed weaving. Israel is not to become mixed with the nations. She is not to mix Yahweh’s statutes and judgments, Yahweh’s Ten Words with the statutes, judgments, and words of the nations. She is to walk in wholeness, purity, observing unmixed, observing uncontaminatedly the stipulations of the covenant entered into at Sinai through the mediation of Moses. This does not imply perfection in terms of carrying out Yahweh’s Laws flawlessly. Israel would miss the mark (sin) often. However, holiness is accounted on the basis of Israel ’s intention of aiming for Yahweh’s target. The intention of the heart and mind must be unmixed, pure, uncontaminated, singularly committed to Yahweh and His statutes and judgments, and His Ten Words. Such wholeness, purity, singularity, accounts the nation lawful, obedient, lover of Yahweh and neighbor (all other nations). Such is also applicable to all individual Israelites.

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Numbers

The first generation coming out of Egypt fails to become holy. As a holy people this generation contaminates itself, behaving as the nations, walking according to what is right in its own eyes rather than walking faithfully in accord with what is right in the eyes of Yahweh. As a result, this evil generation defiling its holiness is sentenced by Yahweh to die in the wilderness. Thus, the Book of Numbers is a record of two numberings of the nation. The first numbering provides an account of the failure of the first generation after journeying from Sinai. The second numbering is an account of the success of the second generation. This is clearly set forth in the literary structure of the book as a whole as presented in Structure 14.

Structure 14: The Book of Numbers (Numbers 1:1-36:13)

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As presented in Structure 14, the introduction of the Book of Numbers (A1 1:1-19) records Yahweh’s command to Moses to number the whole congregation of the sons of Israel. This command is given to Moses in the tent of appointment (the Tabernacle) in the wilderness of Sinai on the first day of the second month of the second year of the departure of the people from Egypt . Those to be numbered consisted of all males from the age of 20 and up. The second section of the book (B1 1:20-25:18) gives an accounting of the first numbering and preparation of the nation for the journey to the Promised Land. It then records the various rebellions and judgments of this first generation in the course of its journey to the Promised Land, stressing the rebellious failure to enter the land and the 40 years of wandering, during which the judgment of Yahweh against this generation is carried out—death in the wilderness.

As shown in Structure 14, the third section of the Book of Numbers (B2 26:1-36:12), in literary correspondence to the second section, gives an accounting of the second numbering and preparation of the (Page 181)nation for entrance into the Promised Land. The journeying is over. The first generation is dead. The second generation is camped in Moab along the Jordan River across from Jericho, a city within the boundaries of the Promised Land. This generation is not rebellious. This generation eagerly awaits the command of Yahweh to cross over the Jordan into the Land of Promise. The conclusion of the Book of Numbers as shown in Structure 14 (A2 36:13) confirms Yahweh’s instructions and judgments given to Moses on behalf of the second generation camped in the plains of Moab . The nation is now prepared to enter the Land of Promise.

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The Rebellion at Taberah and Kibroth Hattaavah

The journey from Mount Sinai begins as the cloud of Yahweh signals the people to follow in accord with Yahweh’s design (see Numbers, chapter 2). As the cloud rises above the Tabernacle and begins to move, the tribes in predesignated order follow the cloud. The Ark of the Covenant goes before the people. Before long, the people begin to complain, “The people became like complainers, evil in the ears of Yahweh” (Num. 11:1a CV).

Yahweh’s anger is aroused, and He sends fire among them in judgment. The text indicates this fire “consumed some among them and devoured the outmost part of the camp” (Num. 11:1b CV). The “outmost part of the camp” consisted of the mixed multitude described in Exodus 12:38: “Moreover a mixed multitude ascended with them [ Israel ] . . .” (CV). The essence of holiness, as defined and illustrated in Leviticus 19:1-37, is separation and wholeness. The threat to wholeness is mixture. Thus, the first rebellion is instigated by this mixed multitude residing at the outskirts of the camp. It takes place at Taberah (Heb. = the burning place) and contaminates some of the Israelites, causing them to complain. Yahweh’s judgment consumes some among the Israelites (the contaminated ones) but devours the outmost part of the camp described in Leviticus 11:4 as “the rabble which was among them . . .” (CV). This rabble, mixed multitude, is also described as “your sojourner who is within your camps, from the chopper of your timbers to the bailer of your waters” (Deut. 29:11b CV, cf. Josh. 8:35). The people then cry to Moses who intercedes on their behalf. Yahweh cuts short the judgment.

Other members of this mixed multitude, this rabble residing in the midst of the people, “lusted after yearning; and again the sons of Israel lamented also and said: Who shall give us flesh to eat?” (Num. 11:4b CV). The complaint is against the manna of Yahweh. Some of the sons of Israel follow the example of those rebellious members of the mixed multitude and become mixed with the attitude of the rabble. These lose their wholeness, their separation. Thus, these holy ones become contaminated, polluted, and as such, contagious, making their destruction necessary for the welfare of the nation.

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The Desperation of Moses

It is in the midst of this situation that Moses in desperation cries out to Yahweh,

Why have You dealt evil to your servant? And why have I not found grace in Your eyes that You placed the load of all this people on me? Was I myself pregnant with all this people, or did I generate it, that You should say to me: Carry it in your bosom just as a foster-father carries a suckling child, to the ground about which You had sworn to their fathers? From where would I find flesh to give to all this people? For they are lamenting to me, saying: Do give us flesh and let us eat. I am not able, by myself alone, to bear all this people, for it is too heavy for me. So if thus You are doing to me, kill me, I pray, yea kill me. If I have found grace in Your eyes then do not let me see Your evil. (Numbers 11:11-15 CV)

Just prior to this outcry, in verse 10, “Moses heard the people lamenting . . . And the anger of Yahweh grew exceedingly hot, and in the eyes of Moses it was evil” (CV). Moses understood Yahweh’s anger meant the application of evil. Those contaminated by this rebellious lust must be destroyed. The people as a whole were affected by this disloyal attitude. They began to lament their departure from Egypt , “Who shall give us flesh to eat? We remember the fish which we ate in Egypt gratuitously, the cucumbers and the melons, the leeks, the onions and the garlic!” (Num. 11:4b CV). This typical nostalgic remembrance of the past deceitfully ignores the harshness of the nation’s enslavement to Egyptian cruelty. Moses is overwhelmed with the impossibility of providing this people with substantial food in the midst of a wilderness. The only way to accomplish this would be to slaughter the herds of the people. But this meant destroying the very purpose of the exodus.

Thus, Moses concludes he is a failure as a leader. The burden is too heavy to be borne by one man. He requests that Yahweh kill him rather than that he should see Yahweh’s evil against the people. In his (Page 182)distress, Moses fails to consider Yahweh’s capacity to provide and Yahweh’s compassionate and merciful use of evil.

Moses is fully aware of the injustice and ingratitude of the people’s lament. On the other hand, he can understand their desire for meat. The desire is not evil. The evil is their lustful attitude issuing into a lament revealing a lack of trust in Yahweh’s faithfulness and a lack of confidence in Yahweh’s love for them. Again, Yahweh is indirectly being accused of capriciousness, the essential characteristic of the gods of the nations.

However, the solution to the problem is essentially understood by Moses. The overwhelming stress of the situation has clouded his perception and conception due to his false, and thus evil, conclusion that he is to blame. Moses has not failed. He is not to be blamed for the people’s lament. Within his complaint to Yahweh, he reveals a knowledge which should have avoided the response emanating from his great distress. He declares, “Was I myself pregnant with all this people, or did I generate it . . .?” (Num. 11:12a CV). The obvious answer is No. Yahweh is responsible for this nation. This is no secret to Moses. He took upon himself that which belonged only to Yahweh—ultimate responsibility for the success of the mission. Having perceived the impossibility of one man bearing the overwhelming burden of the nation, Moses should have consulted with Yahweh, making the necessary request for help.

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The Diverting of the Spirit of Moses

As it turns out, Yahweh’s response to Moses’ distressful complaint provides the necessary relief to his overwhelming burden. Yahweh commands Moses to choose 70 elders of Israel upon whom “I will divert some of the spirit which is on you and place it on them. They will bear the load of the people with you so that you are not bearing it by yourself alone” (Num. 11:17 CV). Moses then gathers 70 men of the elders, and Yahweh descends in a cloud, causing some of the spirit on Moses to be placed upon these 70 elders. As the spirit rested on each man, each prophesied, signifying the shared reception of the spirit upon Moses. Each was never to experience such prophetic utterance again.

Two men of the 70, however, had remained in the camp. Yet, upon them also the spirit came to rest, and they also prophesied. Joshua challenges the right of these two men to share in the authority of Moses, supposedly because they had not appeared at the tent of appointment as the other 68 had obediently done. The response of Moses is most significant: “Art thou jealous for me? Oh would that all the people of Yahweh were prophets! Yea, let Yahweh put his spirit upon them!” (Num. 11:29 EB). He now realizes the full implication of Yahweh’s solution to the present problem. Truly, Yahweh alone is ultimately responsible for the nation and its purpose. The covenant made at Sinai (and its reestablishment after the failure committed with the golden calf) is temporary. It is not the ultimate means of fulfilling the promises made to Abram. It is a penultimate means.

The later prophets of Israel perceived this truth. Jeremiah speaks of a new covenant which Yahweh will make with the house of Israel and the house of Judah (Jer. 31:31); he declares Yahweh will put His law within them and write it upon their hearts (Jer. 31:33); Ezekiel declares Yahweh will give Israel a new heart and a new spirit (Ezk. 36:26); Joel prophesied Yahweh would pour out His spirit upon Israel and her sons and daughters would prophesy (Joel 2:28). Peter, speaking to Israel in Acts, chapter 2, quotes this very same prophecy of Joel, claiming its fulfillment at that present time with the pouring out of the spirit at Pentecost. He proclaims that Jesus has been resurrected from the dead and is presently seated on the throne of David having obtained and poured out the promise of the holy spirit as predicted by the Law and the Prophets. Thus, the diverting of the spirit of Yahweh on Moses to the 70 elders is a type of the diverting of Yahweh’s spirit on Christ to all those believing into Him. The diverting of the spirit on Moses is penultimate in contrast to the pouring out of the spirit on Christ which is the ultimate fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. Moses’ response to Joshua’s zealousness on his behalf is a prophetic utterance pointing to Jesus the Christ.

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The Judgment of Yahweh

Yahweh’s application of evil in judgment of the people is not without compassion and mercy. He does provide food. A wind (Heb. = ruah, spirit, breath) from Yahweh drives an exceedingly large number of quails from the sea to the wilderness and deposits them at a distance around two sides of the camp. As the people have lamented contrary to the spirit (ruah) of Yahweh on Moses, so the wind (ruah) of Yahweh supplies the quails which will both destroy the evil ones (the one’s lusting after yearning, Num. 11:4), and mercifully compensate the ones deceptively seduced by the rabble and the ones who had remained faithful.

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Gatherers are appointed to collect and prepare the quails for consumption. Yahweh had declared, “Unto a month of days shall you eat until it comes forth from your nostrils and becomes odious to you because you rejected Yahweh Who is among you and lamented before Him, . . .” (Num. 11:20 CV). The preparers spread the quails out to dry. However, those described as lusting after yearning (11:4), that is, craving impatiently, probably could not and did not take the time to preserve the quails by salting. These are the ones destroyed, killed by Yahweh, most likely as a result of food poisoning. These are the ones after whom the place is named, Kibroth Hattaavah, the grave of the craving, “for there they entombed the people, the lusters” (Num. 11:34 CV). The remainder of the people continued eating quail for a month, during which time quail became odious in their nostrils. Yahweh’s merciful judgment in their case is intended to correct and discipline.

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The Unique Stature of Moses

Following the rebellion at Kibroth Hattaavah, Miriam and Aaron challenge the authority of Moses, saying, “Is it but only through Moses that Yahweh speaks? Does He not also speak through us?” (Num. 12:2a CV). After all, Yahweh had just recently diverted the spirit of Moses to be shared by the 70 elders. Has this not diminished his status? The answer is an emphatic No! The text immediately records, “And Yahweh heard” (Num. 12:2b). Yahweh Himself comes to the defense of Moses.

The writer then comments, “Now the man Moses was exceedingly humble, more than any human who was on the surface of the ground” (Num. 12:3 CV). The word “humble” in Hebrew refers to one who has achieved a mastery over himself. One who has harnessed his soul, his spirit, and his body. Moses had achieved this discipline, this meekness, “exceedingly,” more than any other living human being at that time. This mastery, this self-discipline, and control had been harnessed in the worship and service of Yahweh.

Moses is unique. His stature is unequaled in Israel until the coming of Jesus the Christ. He alone is the mediator of the Sinatic Covenant. This covenant came to be known as the Covenant of Moses, the Mosaic Covenant, the Law of Moses. His name was often used as a synonym for the Law of Yahweh. Yahweh had declared, concerning him, “in you shall they believe for the eon (Ex. 19:9b CV).

As a result of the audacity of Miriam and Aaron, Yahweh orders, “Come forth, you three, to the tent of appointment” (Num. 12:4 CV). There, Yahweh humiliated them, castigatingly proclaiming,

If there were a prophet among you, I, Yahweh, in an appearance shall make Myself known to Him; in a dream shall I speak to him. Not so with My servant Moses. In My whole house he is faithful. Mouth to mouth am I speaking with him, and manifestly, not in enigmas, so that he looks at a representation of Yahweh. (Numbers 12:6-8a CV)

Yahweh speaks to Moses “mouth to mouth,” personally, not in enigmas, that is, not in puzzles, not cryptically, not in riddles, not obscurely, not ambiguously, not in dreams and visions. This allows Moses to speak authoritatively and intelligibly. Thus, the law is communicable. It can be taught and passed on from one generation to another. It is intelligible and obeyable.

The greatness of Moses is exceeded only by Jesus the Christ, as the writer of the Book of Hebrews contends. This writer, alluding to Numbers 12:7, argues that Jesus the Christ is worthy of more glory than Moses because a faithful son is greater than a faithful servant. Moses as an attendant was faithful in Yahweh’s house, but Jesus as a son was in the process of faithfully building, constructing the House of Yahweh (Heb. 3:1-6). Moses mediates Yahweh’s covenant with the blood of animals; Christ consecrates Yahweh’s New Covenant with His own blood. To believe into Moses for the eon unequivocably meant believing into Jesus the Christ. To believe Moses one must properly understand the teachings of Moses. To properly understand the teachings of Moses is to believe into Jesus. This is what John meant when he declared, “Because the law through Moses was given, the grace and the truth came through Jesus Christ” (Jn. 1:17 my translation). The Mosaic Covenant necessitated the New Covenant established by Jesus Christ. Therefore, to believe Moses is to understand the necessity of a new covenant and, at the appointed time, to recognize Jesus as the Christ. The Mosaic Law was to become an escort to Christ (Gal. 3:24).

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Rebellion in the Wilderness of Paran

As the nation is encamped in the wilderness of Paran, Yahweh commands Moses, “Send some men [enosh = mortals = men of renown] ahead of you that they may explore the land of Canaan . . . One man, one each for the stock of his fathers, shall you send and everyone a prince among them” (Page 184)(Num. 13:2 CV). When the twelve chosen princes, one from each of the twelve tribes, return from this exploration, they report, “We came to the land to which you sent us, and indeed it is gushing with milk and honey, . . . Only that the people dwelling in the land are strong and the cities are defended and exceedingly great” (Num. 13:27-28 CV). Hearing this report, the people begin muttering against Moses. Caleb, one of the twelve princes sent out, then “quelled the muttering of the people against Moses and said: We should go up, yea up and tenant it, for we are able to prevail against it” (Num. 13:30 CV). Joshua, another of the twelve princes sent out, agrees with Caleb. However, the remaining ten princes disagree, arguing, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are more courageous than we. . . . the land through which we passed to explore it, it is a land that is devouring its dwellers; it and all the people whom we saw in its midst were men [enosh = mortals = men of renown] of great measure. . . . And we became, in our eyes, like grasshoppers; so we became in their eyes” (Num. 13:31-33 CV).

This disparaging interpretation is the conclusion drawn by ten faithless men of renown, princes, and leaders among the sons of Israel . To these ten, the men of renown among the inhabitants of the land are by far superior to the men of Israel . Their recommendation causes the people to lament and the sons of Israel (the leaders) to grumble against Moses and Aaron. The whole congregation of leaders complains to Moses and Aaron, “O that we had died in the land of Egypt or in this wilderness! O that we had died! Why is Yahweh bringing us to this land to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones shall be taken as plunder. Is it not better for us to return to Egypt ?” (Num. 14:2b-3 CV).

In response, Moses and Aaron prostrate themselves to Yahweh before the whole assembly of the congregation of the sons of Israel . Both realize the seriousness of the present offense against Yahweh. The verdict of death is not far off. The sword of Yahweh is being drawn from its sheath. Joshua and Caleb immediately tear their garments, in ancient times a mark of distress, and together testify, “The land through which we passed to explore it is a very, very good land. If Yahweh delights in us then He will bring us into this land, and He will give it to us. . . . Only against Yahweh do not revolt, and you, do not fear the people of the land, for they are our bread. Their protective shadow has withdrawn from over them, and Yahweh is with us. Do not fear them” (Num. 14:7b-9 CV).

They exhort the whole congregation to trust Yahweh. He is not capricious. What He began doing on their behalf in Egypt , He will continue to do in the land of Canaan. As He testified, the land is very fertile, very rich. As Yahweh defeated the Egyptians, He would defeat the enemy in Canaan. Their gods are powerless to help them. Yahweh Himself has been protecting the Canaanites from destruction. He has now withdrawn His protective shadow from over them. To return to Egypt is to revolt against Yahweh. To fear the Canaanites is to worship and serve their inferior gods, thus dishonoring Yahweh the Only Living Elohim.

Yahweh will delight in Israel if Israel remains faithful, if Israel delights in His voice, His word, His law. Trust Yahweh! He will deliver the enemy into Israel ’s hands. Yahweh will cause the men of renown among the Canaanites to perceive themselves as grasshoppers in contrast to Yahweh’s holy host of warriors. Israel need not fear these foreign men of renown, for Yahweh will put the fear of Israel into their hearts. As Yahweh has removed the shadow of protection from over the Canaanites, so might He remove the protective shadow from over those within Israel who rebel against Him. In response to this testimony, the whole congregation with one voice cries out “pelt them with stones” (Num. 14:10 CV).

Yahweh responds, “How long shall this people spurn Me? And how long shall you not believe in Me despite all the signs which I have done among them? I shall smite them with the plague and evict them, and I shall make you [Moses] into a greater and more substantial nation than they” (Num. 14:11-12 CV). Here is the same response Moses had heard on Mount Sinai in relation to Israel ’s worship of the golden calf. Once again Moses intercedes on behalf of the nation. Once again he reminds Yahweh of His honor and glory. He advocates Yahweh’s own declaration concerning Himself. This very advocation demonstrates the exceeding humbleness, meekness of Moses recorded earlier in Numbers 12:3. Moses has harnessed all his faculties in the worship and service of Yahweh. He is a faithful servant in Yahweh’s house. He argues,

The Egyptians have heard that You brought up this people by Your vigor, from among them; and they have spoken to the dwellers of this land; . . . If You put this people to death as one man, then the nations who heard the report of You will say, saying: Because Yahweh was unable to bring this people to the land which He had sworn to them, He slew them in the wilderness. So now let, I pray, the vigor of Yahweh be great just as You have spoken, saying: Yahweh, slow to anger and with much kindness and truth, bearing with depravity and transgression and sin, yet He is not immediately making innocent in order to make innocent, but is visiting the depravity of the fathers on the sons, on the third and on the fourth generation. Pardon, I pray, the (Page 185)depravity of this people according to the greatness of Your kindness just as You bore with this people from Egypt and hitherto. (Numbers 14:13-19 CV)

As Pharaoh and the Egyptians had spurned Yahweh’s signs, so, Yahweh declares, Israel has been spurning His signs. Moses acknowledges the depravity of the people. However, he points out how Yahweh is slow to anger, showing kindness and acting in accord with truth and justice. He will visit His anger only after three or four generations have continued to behave unfaithfully. The present generation consisting of those 20 years of age or older represents such a third or fourth generation residing in Egypt, conforming themselves to the ways of the Egyptians. The people as one corporate man, one nation, should not be put to death. This would bring dishonor to Yahweh. Only the guilty should be put to death.

This wise counsel given by Moses as advisor to Yahweh, King of Israel, is proudly honored. And again Moses has been put to the test by Yahweh the King, and his faithful counsel highly esteemed in the eyes of Yahweh. Is it any wonder that Yahweh would confidently, proudly declare of His servant Moses, “In my whole house he is faithful. Mouth to mouth am I speaking with him, and manifestly, not in enigmas, so that he looks at a representation of Yahweh” (Num. 12:7b-8a)?!

Yahweh announces to Moses, “I have pardoned them according to your word. Howbeit, as I am the living One, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of Yahweh, all the men [enosh = mortals = men of renown] who were seeing My glory and My signs which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, . . . and they did not hearken to My voice, they assuredly shall not see the land about which I had sworn to their fathers! All who are spurning Me shall not see it” (Num. 14:20-23 CV). Caleb and Joshua are declared exceptions (Num. 14:38). Yahweh characterizes Caleb as possessing “another spirit . . . he is following fully after Me” (Num. 14:24 CV). Thus, Caleb demonstrates what it means to walk in spirit, walk in obedience—to love Yahweh with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your intensity (Deut. 6:5 CV). To Moses and Aaron, Yahweh further declares, “How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, . . .? Say to them: As I am the living One . . . just as you have spoken into My ears so shall I assuredly do to you. In this wilderness your corpses shall fall: all your mustered ones, all of your number, from twenty years old and upward, you who have murmured against Me, . . . save Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. As for your little ones of whom you have said: They shall be taken as plunder, I will also bring them in, and they will know the land which you have rejected. As for you, your corpses shall fall in this wilderness, and your sons shall be shepherds in the wilderness for forty years, and they will bear your prostitutions until your corpses are spent in the wilderness” (Num. 14:26-33 CV). This evil congregation consisted of all those counted up under the first numbering, all those 20 years old and upward, all those who murmured against Yahweh. Rejecting the land, they rejected Yahweh. Rejecting Yahweh, they rejected the promise sworn to their fathers. They would die in the wilderness over a period of 40 years.

As they had concluded Yahweh unable to protect the lives of their little ones, Yahweh announces these same little ones would triumphantly enter the land. However, because of the prostitutions (the various acts of unholiness) of the fathers, the sons would not enter the land until the end of the 40 years of judgment. During this period, their sons would occupy themselves as shepherds under the harsh conditions of the wilderness. Though the sons are not held responsible for the acts of their fathers, they will not escape the affect of the behavior of their fathers. The consequence of sin (missing the mark) affects the guilty and the innocent. Thus, the text alludes to Cain and Abel, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” The Mosaic Law responds with an emphatic YES!

The failure of the first generation coming out of Egypt to remain faithful to Yahweh in the wilderness of Paran and during the 40 years of wandering becomes a typological warning for the members of the last generation of the Mosaic Age. This last generation also will begin an exodus, under Jesus the Christ, the mediator of a new covenant, a deliverer of His people. They, too, will come under a similar testimony to that of Joshua and Caleb—a testimony of encouragement and warning.

Such is the testimony of the Apostle Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians. In chapter 10, verse 11, Paul warns, “Now all these things befell them typically. Yet it was written for our admonition, to whom the consummations of the ages have attained” (my translation). If one is not faithful to the end, he will be disqualified to participate in the promise to Abraham concerning citizenship in the Celestial Jerusalem.

Paul testifies, “Now all am I doing because of the evangel, that I may be becoming a joint participant of it. Are you not aware that those racing in a stadium are, indeed, all racing, yet one is obtaining the prize? Thus be racing that you may be grasping it. . . . thus I am racing, . . . not as punching the air, but I am belaboring my body and leading it unto slavery, lest somehow, when heralding to others, I myself may become disqualified” (1 Cor. 9:23-27 CV). All these faithful ones are journeying as participants in an exodus out of the old covenant into the new covenant—out of the Jerusalem below into the (Page 186)Jerusalem Above. Typically, they are in the wilderness between Egypt and the land of Canaan. As all Israel has been baptized into Moses, so all the present faithful ones are baptized into Christ.

However, “But not in the majority of them does God [Yahweh] delight, for they were strewn along in the wilderness. Now these things became types of us, for us not to be lusters after evil things, according as they also lusted” (1 Cor. 10:5-6 CV). Not all entered the Promised Land. Not all were faithful to the end. Failure to remain faithful to the end would result in failure to enter into the promised Celestial City above. The Gospel of Christ demanded walking in spirit, as exemplified by Caleb and Joshua. Yahweh had destroyed the ten explorers who had delivered the disparaging report. Their “evil mutterings” (Num. 14:37 CV) manifested their unfaithfulness, their revolt against Yahweh Who executed them by means of a divine stroke. They became disqualified, as did also the majority of those included in the first census, the first numbering commanded by Yahweh.

Paul and all the faithful saints (Messianic Jews) of the first century were members of the last generation of the string of generations living through the Mosaic Eon . This is why Paul could refer to members of his generation as those “to whom the consummations of the eons have attained” (1 Cor. 10:11 CV). The Law and the Prophets find their fulfillment, their completion, their telos in the generation of Jesus. This includes the consummation, end, telos (goal) of each of the ages prior to Moses, that is, the age of Adam, the age of Noah, the age of the Patriarchs.

Paul’s warning was to be taken seriously, because the time for faithfulness and the opportunity for repentance were limited. This is typified in the reaction of all the sons of Israel to Yahweh’s verdict against “this evil congregation” (Num. 14:27 CV). The people mourned and vowed, “now we will go up to the place of which Yahweh spoke, for we have sinned” (Num. 14:41b-42a CV). Moses responds, “You are trespassing the bidding [oracle] of Yahweh, so this shall not prosper. Do not go up since Yahweh is not among you . . .” (Num. 14:41 CV). But the people refuse to obey Moses’ voice. They presumptuously proceed against the warriors of the land of Canaan without Yahweh or the Ark of the Covenant going before them. The text concludes, “The Amalekite and the Canaanite . . . smote them and pounded them as far as Hormah” (Num. 14:45 CV).

Thus, Paul in his second letter to the Corinthians, quoting Isaiah 49:8, “In a season acceptable I reply to you, And in a day of salvation I help you,” concludes, “Lo! Now is a most acceptable era! Lo! Now is a day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2 CV). The Mosaic Eon was ending. Its consummation was near. The faithful ones were very close to entering into the Celestial Jerusalem above. Their salvation was drawing near: “This, also, do, being aware of the era, that it is already the hour for us to be roused out of sleep, for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night progresses, yet the day is near” (Rom. 13:11-12a CV). What Jesus had begun was nearing its fulfillment, its telos, its goal: “And handed to Him [Jesus] was a scroll of the prophet Isaiah, and, opening the scroll, He found the place where it was written, ‘The spirit of the Lord is on Me, . . . He anoints Me to bring the evangel to the poor. . . . To herald an acceptable year of the Lord . . .’ And furling the scroll, . . . He is seated. . . . Now He begins to be saying to them that ‘Today this scripture is fulfilled in your ears’” (Lk. 4:17-21 CV).

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The Rebellion of Korah

The character of the people of the first generation coming out of Egypt as rebellious, proud, obstinate, and foolish continues to manifest itself to the amazement of both the editor of the Book of Numbers and the modern day reader. Korah, a son of Kohath, a son of Levi, being fully aware of the rebellion at Paran and its outcome, organizes an insurrection against the authority of Moses and Aaron. He succeeds in gaining the allegiance of three princes of the tribe of Reuben: Dathan, Abiram, and On. As a result of their enticement, 250 princes from among the twelve tribes of Israel are persuaded to commit themselves to this opposing camp.

It appears that On, son of Peleth, soon withdraws from this evil coalition. It may be due to the erection of a competing tabernacle. Korah appears to be seeking the High Priesthood of Aaron (Num. 16:10). The erection of another tabernacle directly confronting the Tabernacle designed and constructed under the instruction of Moses is a physical representation signifying the seriousness of the challenge. This group represents an alternative cultic community. The text of chapter 16 refers to the “tabernacle of Korah, Dathan and Abiram” (Num. 16:24, Heb. Text = tabernacle, singular, not tent). On is no longer mentioned. Dathan and Abiram associate themselves with the challenging high priest and the challenging tabernacle. They seek the civil authority represented by Moses.

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Korah, Dathan, Abiram, On, and the 250 princes initiate a confrontation with Moses and Aaron. They argue that Yahweh is in the midst of the whole congregation; therefore, all the members of the congregation are holy. They accuse Moses and Aaron of exalting themselves over the assembly of Yahweh. The people have had enough of their leadership. A change is warranted. Moses instructs Korah and his whole congregation to prepare firepans with incense on them and be ready to present them before Yahweh on the following day. This was a basic and an exclusive prerogative of priests. If Korah’s congregation is holy, its offerings will be accepted. They will not experience the destruction that came upon Aaron’s two evil sons. Aaron also is instructed to provide from Yahweh’s Tabernacle a firepan to be set before Yahweh. The challenge would be settled by Yahweh. The outcome is already implied in the final words of Moses to Korah and his congregation, “Enough of you,” throwing in their faces the very charge they made against Moses and Aaron (Num. 16:7 CV).

Moses then rebukes Korah and his plan to obtain more privileges for the Levites. He reminds Korah, a Levite, of the honor given to the Levites by Yahweh. Yahweh separated them (made them holy) from the congregation of Israel in order for them to serve the Tabernacle of Yahweh and to minister to the entire congregation of Israel . He accuses Korah of being greedy on behalf of himself and the Levites, “Yet now you seek even the priesthood!” (Num. 16:10 CV). He refers here to the Aaronic Priesthood. Such greed sets Korah and his entire congregation against Yahweh.

Later, Moses summons Dathan and Abiram to appear before him at the tent of appointment. Both men refuse to obey Moses. They accuse Moses of being a tyrant and a failure: “Is it a little thing that you brought us up from a land gushing with milk and honey to put us to death in the wilderness, and that you are making yourself a chief, yea a chief over us? Indeed, into a land gushing with milk and honey you did not bring us that you might give to us an allotment of field and vineyard. Are you picking out the eyes of these men? We shall not come up!” (Num. 16:13-14 CV). The accusation is that Moses made himself chief and had been successful in maintaining his position of power by blinding the people to his deceptive activities which have resulted in the ruin of the people. No longer would this be tolerated.

Moses becomes exceedingly angry. He knows he has not deceived the people; he has not personally prospered by indulging in bribes; he has not committed any evil against any man. He requests that Yahweh reject any approach present Dathan and Abiram may attempt to offer Yahweh. In effect, he is requesting they be cut off from among Yahweh’s people.

Following this refusal of the summons of Moses, Korah, Dathan, and Abiram erect an opposing tabernacle directly confronting the Mosaic Tabernacle. This will allow the opposing cult to meet Moses and Aaron at the tent of appointment without submitting to the authority of Moses and Aaron. In the morning, the two cultic assemblies gather before the tent of appointment as Moses had ordered, with an additional group supporting Korah, Dathan, and Abiram and representing other revolutionaries from among the tribes. The glory of Yahweh appears to this whole congregation. Yahweh commands Moses and Aaron saying, “Separate yourselves from the midst of this congregation so that I may finish them in a moment” (Num. 16:21 CV).

Moses and Aaron immediately fall on their faces, pleading with Yahweh, “El, Elohim of the spirits for all flesh, as for the one man [enosh = mortal = man of renown], he is sinning; but shall You be wrathful over the whole congregation?” (Num. 16:22 CV). Moses and Aaron address Yahweh as “El, Elohim of the spirits for all flesh,” acknowledging Yahweh as El, the Elohim responsible for the spirit of life energizing all human beings. He gives life (spirit), and He has the sovereign right of life and death over each human being. Thus, to walk in spirit is to walk in accord with El’s universal laws of life. This is possible and beneficial for all human beings. In this text, the word “flesh,” representing mankind, indicates the condition of all men as a result of Adam’s sin—the activation of The Law of Death now operating in all men. In verse 29 of this chapter, Moses refers to the operation of this law as “the common death of all humanity.”

Moses and Aaron acknowledge the right of Yahweh to take away life as He pleases. However, they request that He take only the life of the one man who is the originator of the sin which has deceived others into jeopardizing their own spirits. They intercede on behalf of those who have been seduced by those men whose hearts are in rebellion against Yahweh. Again, Yahweh harkens to Moses, “Speak to the congregation, saying: Move away from around the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan and Abiram” (Num. 16:23 CV).

Notice the word “tabernacle,” singular, is used, not tent. This tabernacle is designated as belonging to Korah, Dathan, and Abiram—the chief revolutionaries. Korah stands before this tabernacle, for he is challenging Aaron for the High Priesthood. Dathan and Abiram have removed their tents (along (Page 188)with their families) from the camp of the Reubenites, located south of the Mosaic Tabernacle, to the east side of the Mosaic Tabernacle (as is suitable for civic chiefs) directly behind the alternate cultic tabernacle before which Korah now stands. Behind the tents of Dathan and Abiram stand the additional supporting group, completing the number of this congregation. In front of Korah, at a short distance, are the 250 men prepared to offer incense to Yahweh in opposition to Moses and Aaron.

Moses and the 70 elders of Israel , on behalf of the majority of the revolutionary congregation of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, go to Dathan and Abiram, each standing before his tent, and proclaim to the congregation, “Withdraw, I pray, from the tents of these wicked men! Do not touch anything which belongs to them lest you be swept up in all their sins” (Num. 16:26 CV). The congregation, obeying the warning of Moses, “moved away from the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan and Abiram, away from around them” (Num. 16:27 CV modified). Moses then declares, “By this shall you know that Yahweh has sent me to perform all these deeds, that they are not from my own heart. Should these die the common death of all humanity, and should the visitation of all humanity be visited on them, then Yahweh has not sent me. Yet should Yahweh create an unprecedented creation so that the ground opens wide its mouth, swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they descend alive to the unseen [sheol], then you will know that these mortals [enosh = men of renown] have spurned Yahweh” (Num. 16:28-30 CV). At the completion of this declaration, Moses is immediately vindicated. A quake opens wide the mouth of the earth. Korah, his tabernacle, Dathan, Abiram, and their tents and families are swallowed alive. Immediately following this quake, fire descends from Yahweh devouring the 250 men attempting to offer incense to Yahweh.

The intercession of Moses and Aaron on behalf of the majority of the rebellious congregation of Korah had avoided Yahweh’s intention of destroying them all. Yahweh, however, knows the character of this evil generation of faithless ones. He has known its character from the beginning. They are a stiffed-necked and rebellious people (Deut. 9:6-7). They had adapted themselves to many of the ways of the Egyptians. They had come to fear the capriciousness of the gods. As a result, they continually doubted the sincerity of Yahweh’s intentions and the integrity and meekness of Moses. This doubt, this stiff-neckedness, this rebellious character coiled up snake-like the following day in preparation for a second strike at Moses and Aaron.

The whole congregation of the sons of Israel , void of gratitude toward Moses and Aaron for their intercession, grumbled against the two intercessors, charging, “You yourselves put the people of Yahweh to death” (Num. 16:41b CV). Moses and Aaron are accused of being sorcerers. Before the snake is able to strike, the glory of Yahweh appears covering the tent of appointment. Yahweh orders Moses, “Get away from the midst of this congregation so that I may finish them in a moment” (Num. 16:45 CV). Yahweh’s death verdict against this generation due to their rebellion inspired by the ten explorers was to occur over a period of years. The present threat is immediate destruction after the fashion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Yahweh immediately initiates a stroke among the people. Before Aaron is able to make a propitiatory-shelter over the people in order to restrain the progress of the stroke, 14,700 people are struck down dead.

Yahweh once again manifests His compassion, kindness, mercy, and the patience of His justified anger against a stiffed-necked, rebellious, unbelieving, evil generation of ingrates. This people clearly has not been chosen by Yahweh because of its own righteousness or merit. It has continually demonstrated a character no better than the nation from which it had been graciously delivered. In spite of this, Yahweh has a purpose, and that purpose will be fulfilled in the history of this nation.

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The Significance of Balak and Balaam

Though Yahweh has rejected the first generation of the nation Israel and has implemented a curse (this first generation shall not enter the land, it shall die in the wilderness), He has not placed the nation under this curse. The nation will be blessed in accordance with the promise made to Abraham. In fact, no person, no people, no nation will be allowed to cast a curse upon Israel : “and I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee” (Gen. 12:3a KJV). The narratives revolving around the activities of Balak and Balaam confirm the faithfulness of Yahweh in maintaining this promise given to Abram. Though the first generation has rejected Yahweh, He has not rejected the nation. Though He has cursed (as a result of the golden calf) this nation, He will not allow another nation to curse His people, the elect seed of Abraham.

Balak, dreading the evil potential of this people, attempts to hire Balaam to curse it. Israel is now encamped in the plains of Moab along the Jordan River across from Jericho. The nation has already (Page 189)defeated Sihon king of the Amorites and Og king of Bashan. It is preparing to enter the land of Canaan. Thus, the nation is now encamped in the place which becomes their location throughout the Book of Deuteronomy.

Balaam is a renowned seer famous for his gift of blessing and cursing: “I know that whomever you bless is being blessed and whomever you curse is accursed” (Num. 22:6b CV), acknowledges Balak. Thus, he first sends a group consisting of elders from both Moab and Midian. They offer Balaam payment for his services. Balaam seeks the word of Yahweh. That night, Elohim comes to him and announces, “You shall not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for it is blessed” (Num. 22:12 CV).

Balaam claims to have a working relationship with Yahweh. This should not be a surprise, for Melchizedek is said to be a priest of the Supreme El owner of the heavens and the earth (Gen. 14:18-19). Abram equates this Supreme El with Yahweh in his response to Melchizedek (Gen. 14:22 CV). Thus, the name, Yahweh, has been known in the ancient world of Abram.

The name, however, has not been associated with a covenant relationship by any nation other than Israel . At one time all the nations were familiar with Yahweh the Supreme El owner of the heavens and earth. But their knowledge of Him had been corrupted, and He had given them up to a disqualified mind. They, thus, began worshiping and serving the creation rather than the Creator (Rom. 1:24-25).

Yahweh had then turned to Abram and promised to bless the nations through his seed. Israel is that seed. Yahweh chose Jacob as His people. He has entered into a covenant with this people and only this people. As a result, Yahweh has become the Elohim of Israel and only Israel until the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. His success with Israel would restore the nations to the worship and service of the One Living Elohim. The ancient world of the gods would be terminated. Animal and human sacrifices would be eliminated. As one today can readily see, Yahweh has been successful with Israel !

Balak sends another group more numerous and illustrious than the first to persuade Balaam to curse Israel . Balaam answers, “If Balak were giving to me the fullness of his house in silver and gold I could not cross the bidding [oracle] of Yahweh my Elohim to do what is small or great” (Num. 22:18b CV). The text is clear concerning the claim of Balaam. His Elohim is Yahweh. However, when Yahweh visits Balaam in the night, the text consistently reads that Elohim speaks to him. This second group, however, is invited to spend the night. Balaam will seek the counsel of Yahweh, for He might have changed His mind. This time Elohim counsels him to go with the emissaries from Balak. He is to speak only the words Elohim gives him to speak.

Apparently, Balaam’s heart is wavering in his commitment to speak only Yahweh’s words. For as he journeys upon his donkey to Moab , a messenger of Yahweh is sent to kill him. Three times the donkey, seeing the messenger with his drawn sword, turns aside to avoid the death blow. Three times Balaam smites the donkey. This third time the text records, “Balaam’s anger grew hot, and he smote the jenny with a stick. Then Yahweh opened the mouth of the Jenny, and she said to Balaam: What have I done to you that you have smitten me these three times? And Balaam said to the jenny: Because you abused me! O that there were sword in my hand, for I would kill you right now. The jenny said to Balaam: Am I not your jenny on which you have ridden from your youth until this day? Have I been accustomed, yea accustomed to do this to you? And he said: No” (Num. 22:27b-30 CV). When Balaam had risen that morning to go with the chiefs of Moab , the text records, “Elohim’s anger grew hot” (Num. 22:22 CV). Thus, Balaam’s anger in relation to the erratic behavior of his donkey is contrasted with Elohim’s anger in relation to Balaam’s behavior.

Balaam’s eyes are opened, and he sees the messenger of Yahweh with his drawn sword. The messenger asks Balaam, “On what grounds did you smite your jenny these three times?” (Num. 22:32a CV). He learns from the messenger how his donkey has acted on his behalf. In his ignorance, his blindness, he has unjustly mistreated his loyal servant. The heat of his anger had been unjustified, unlike the heat of Yahweh’s anger against Balaam. Yahweh, unlike Balaam, is neither ignorant nor blind. Yahweh sees through outward appearance into the heart. Balaam would have attempted to disobey Yahweh his Elohim, unlike his own donkey servant. He would have attempted disloyal behavior (see Isaiah 1:3).

Having now understood the behavior of his donkey, Balaam admits he is at fault in relation to the donkey and asks to be allowed to return home. At this point, he still has not understood the significance of the situation. He believes the thoughts of his heart have not been detected. He acts as though the only problem has been his going to Balak. He concludes that Yahweh must once again have changed His mind.

But the messenger of Yahweh commands, “Go with the men, yet only the word which I speak to you may you speak to him” (Num. 22:35a CV). The problem is not that Yahweh has changed His mind. The problem is the intent of Balaam’s heart! As Yahweh’s servant, he has to remain loyal to Yahweh’s (Page 190)voice. He is to obey Yahweh in executing His counsel. To disobey is to be slain by the sword of Yahweh. Balaam will not be allowed to curse this nation under any circumstances.

Balak will attempt to apply the stick to his back, but Balaam will faithfully bless Israel in obedience to his Master, Yahweh his Elohim. Balaam is not the beast of burden, the servant of Balak. Balaam will be caught between Yahweh his Elohim and Balak king of Moab . He faces Yahweh’s sword or Balak’s stick. He chooses to obey Yahweh and bear the anger of Balak.

For Israel , this becomes a warning. The nation encamped on the plains of Moab perceives this account as instruction. The nation, like Balaam, is the servant of Yahweh Elohim. It is to obey His voice at all times and in all situations. The nation is to be a blessing to all the nations precisely by remaining loyal to Yahweh. The nation, in spite of its evil heart (its stiffed-necked character), will not be allowed to be a cursing to all nations. The nation will accomplish Yahweh’s purpose, even if that means coming under the blow of Yahweh’s sword. The first generation representing the nation was in the process of being slain in the wilderness by Yahweh’s sword. The nation as a whole at Sinai had come under the verdict of death. That death would be consummated in the days of the last generation of the Mosaic Age. That last generation would come under the final death-stroke of Yahweh. But it would not fail to fulfill Yahweh’s purpose.

Over the centuries of the Mosaic Age, Israel would outwardly serve Yahweh out of fear. But like Balaam (see Num. 31:8), in the end, it would come under the drawn sword of Yahweh. Though Balaam blesses Israel three times, incurring the anger of Balak, he nevertheless, in the end, becomes the mastermind of a plan to bring Israel under a curse from Yahweh. He never does pronounce a curse over Israel . But he does advise Moab and Midian of a strategy whereby they can destroy Israel: “Behold, they, by the word of Balaam, came to be for the sons of Israel the reason for a withdrawal from and an offense against Yahweh in the matter of Peor, so that the stroke came to be in the congregation of Yahweh” (Num. 31:16 CV).

Balaam’s plan calls for the seductive use of the Midianite women. The women are to seduce the men of Israel , thereby inducing them to sacrifice to the gods of Moab and Midian. Acting upon this plan, the seduction does take place. While Israel is dwelling in the land of Moab, a short time after the blessings pronounced by Balaam, the text records, “The people started to commit prostitution with the daughters of Moab , who called the people to the sacrifices of their elohim. The people ate their sacrifices and bowed themselves down to their elohim. Thus Israel was paired with Baal-Peor, and the anger of Yahweh grew hot against Israel (Num. 25:1-3-CV). Yahweh commands Moses to hang the ringleaders in the sun before Him in order to cut short the heat of His anger. This carried out, Moses then commands each of the judges to execute each man under his jurisdiction who had offered sacrifice to the foreign elohim.

While the whole congregation at the opening of the tent of appointment is still lamenting this rebellious act of prostitution, and while Yahweh’s stroke continues (though less heatedly), a man of renown from among the sons of Israel brings near to this holy assembly a Midianite woman. Phineas, son of Eleazar chief priest, upon seeing this pollution of the holy assembly and this potential threat to the Tabernacle itself, without hesitation takes up a spear and slays the offending couple, making a propitiatory-shelter over the sins of Israel . This act terminates the stroke which began with the prostitution and sacrifice to alien gods.

Phineas had acted jealously in accord with the charge placed upon the Levites shortly after the rebellion of Korah: “Yahweh said to Aaron: You and your sons and your father’s house with you shall bear any depravity committed against the sanctuary, . . .” (Num. 18:1a CV). After Phineas’ faithful act, Yahweh declares to Moses, “Phineas . . . reversed My fury from the sons of Israel in his zeal for My jealousy in their midst, so I did not finish the sons of Israel in My jealousy” (Num. 25:10-11 CV). Phineas had defended the holy presence of Yahweh in the midst of the people by maintaining the sanctity of the Tabernacle. Its pollution had been avoided and Yahweh’s glory and honor zealously defended on behalf of the nation. As a reward for such faithfulness, Yahweh grants Phineas and his seed after him “the covenant of an eonian priesthood” (Num. 25:13 CV). Note once again the limitation of this priesthood. It is to last through the duration of the Mosaic Eon .

Twenty-four thousand people had been struck down by this stroke sent by Yahweh. Shortly thereafter, the population of the first generation still living had dwindled down to one, Moses. Miriam and Aaron had already died. The chief priesthood had been transferred to Aaron’s son Eleazer. The transference of the authority and position of Moses and his death are now on the horizon.

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The Second Numbering of the People

The reversal of Yahweh’s fury by Phineas’ propitiatory-shelter over the nation and the death of 24,000 people are immediately followed by the account of Yahweh’s command for a second numbering of the people. This second generation is old enough to remember the events in Egypt and to have learned from the events occurring over the 40-year wilderness period. It has been weaned away from the influence of Egyptian culture and has perceived the rebellious character and the consequences borne of such rebellion by their elders. This second generation is prepared to enter the land. It will not cower before the mighty warriors inhabiting the land. Under Moses, Yahweh commands these Israelite warriors, “Avenge the sons of Israel with vengeance on the Midianites; . . .” (Num. 31:2a CV). This is in response to the Midianite involvement in the seduction of Israel advised by Balaam. Yahweh instructs them to slay all the males in battle, including, for his rebellion against Yahweh, Balaam.

These warriors of Yahweh “rallied against Midian just as Yahweh had instructed Moses, and they killed every male. . . . Also Balaam son of Beor they killed with the sword” (Num. 31:7-8 CV). However, among the loot they bring back to Moses and Eleazar are the women and their children. When Moses beholds these captives, his wrath is directed at the officers of the army. He reprimands them saying, “You have kept every female alive? Behold, they, by the word of Balaam, came to be for the sons of Israel the reason for a withdrawal from and an offense against Yahweh in the matter of Peor, so that the stroke came to be in the congregation of Yahweh” (Num. 31:15-16 CV). These women, in effect, had cursed Abraham’s seed. Yahweh’s curse is thus upon them. These officers, unlike their predecessors among the first generation, immediately respond to Moses’ rebuke by obeying his order. They had made a mistake, but not in rebellion against Yahweh. It was not a presumptuous mistake, but one due to ignorance. In response to the command of Moses, all the women having had intercourse with men are slain. All the male children are slain. The remaining females are kept as slaves. The second generation has been tried and proven faithful to Yahweh.

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The Last Acts of Moses

Towards the end of the fortieth year of wandering in the wilderness, Moses is the last of his generation to remain alive. He and Aaron had been disqualified from entering into the Land of Promise. In the fifth month of this fortieth year, Aaron had died and had been buried on Mount Hor (Num. 33:38). The disqualification of Moses and Aaron occurred shortly after the death of Miriam in the first month of this fortieth year, at what came to be known as “The waters of Meribah” (Num. 20:13). Again, the people contend with Moses over the lack of water (Num. 20:2-5). They complain, “O that we had expired when our brothers expired before Yahweh! Why did you bring the assembly of Yahweh to this wilderness to die . . .?” (Num. 20:4 CV).

Moses is told by Yahweh to take the budding rod of Aaron which is in the Tabernacle and within the Ark of the Covenant. This rod represented the authority of the Levites. After the rebellion of Korah, Yahweh had instructed Moses to take twelve rods, one from each tribe. They had then been placed before Yahweh who had declared, “So it will come to be that the man whom I choose, his rod shall bud. Thus I will cause the grumblings of the sons of Israel to subside from over Me which they were grumbling against you [plural, Moses and Aaron] (Num. 17:5 CV). On the following day, the rod of Aaron had budded.

Having taken the budding rod of Aaron, Moses is commanded to “Take the rod and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother; speak to the crag [cliff, not rock] before their eyes, and it will give its water” (Num. 20:8a CV). Moses and Aaron assemble the people, but the spirit of Moses is provoked. He cries out, “Hear, I pray, you rebels! From this crag shall we bring forth water for you?” (Num. 20:10b CV). The extent of the obstinacy of his generation causes the meekest of men to lose his self-control, his mastery over himself. His patience has been exhausted. Forgetting the instruction of Yahweh, he smites the crag twice with the holy rod of Aaron. Water bursts forth, but Yahweh is displeased with both Moses and Aaron. Yahweh declares, “Because you did not believe in Me to sanctify Me before the eyes of the sons of Israel , therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I will give to them” (Num. 20:12 CV).

The nation has been identified with Moses. Because of its sin against Yahweh’s covenant as a result of its worshiping the golden calf, it had been sentenced to death. The Sinatic Covenant, now becoming the Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant, then became a ministry of death for all the generations that were to follow. Moses, having interceded successfully on its behalf, is then identified with the destiny of this nation (Page 192)as represented by this first stiff-necked and rebellious generation. His spirit had been constantly tried by this generation. Through it all, he had remained faithful to Yahweh and the nation, interceding numerous times on its behalf and personally bearing the brunt of its rebellion on many occasions.

While encamped on the plains of Moab in the fortieth year of wandering, Moses testifies concerning this first evil generation: “When Yahweh heard the sound of your words, He was wrathful; and He swore saying: Assuredly no one among these mortals [men of renown], this evil generation, shall see the good land about which I had sworn to give to your fathers, . . . Moreover Yahweh showed Himself angered with me owing to you [this evil generation], saying: Not even you shall enter there” (Deut. 1:34-37 CV). Prior to the death of Moses, Yahweh explains, “you rebelled against My bidding [oracle] in the wilderness of Zin to sanctify Me at the waters before their eyes” (Num. 27:14b CV). The Psalmist declares concerning this failure of Moses,

They prompted wrath at the waters of Meribah,

And it was evil for Moses for their sake

Because they provoked his spirit,

And he talked rashly with his lips. (Psalms 106:32-33 CV)

Though Moses is faithful in all Yahweh’s house, this single failure is held against him by Yahweh, a failure provoked, caused, brought on, induced, produced, effected by the very people he has loved with all his heart, all his soul, all his intensity. It is this very love for his people which frustrates Moses into committing this failure. Moses (in accordance with Yahweh’s design) is to be a type of Christ as the obedient servant of Yahweh Who loves His Elohim and His people by bearing on His own shoulders the sin of His people and leading their exodus out from the old covenant into the new. Joshua is to be a type of Christ the faithful servant leading his people into the promised Celestial Jerusalem after conquering the enemy.

Prior to his ordered departure, Moses pleads with Yahweh to allow him to enter the Land of Promise. He supplicates, “My Lord Yahweh, You Yourself have started to show Your servant Your greatness and Your steadfast hand, and Your outstanding arm. For what el is in the heavens or on the earth who could do according to Your deeds and according to Your mastery? Let me cross over, I pray so I may see the good land that is across the Jordan , . . . Yet Yahweh was enraged with me on account of you and did not hearken to me. Yahweh said to me: Let it be enough for you! Do not continue to speak to Me further on this matter. Ascend to the summit of the Pisgah ridge, and lift up your eyes westward and northward and southward and eastward and see with your eyes, for you shall not cross over this Jordan” (Deut. 3:24-27 CV). In all Moses’ intercessions on behalf of the people, Yahweh had hearkened to him. The one time he attempts to intercede on his own behalf, Yahweh refuses to hearken. Moses testifies that Yahweh was “enraged” with him on account of the people. Moses has come to be identified with this sinful, evil, rebellious, stiff-necked generation. So also Jesus would come to be identified with this sinful, evil, rebellious, stiff-necked nation as represented by all the generations contributing to its lamentable history. Under no circumstances is Moses to be allowed entrance into the Promised Land. Moses, as a national symbol, is to be associated with a ministry of death, the failure of Israel as a nation, and the need of the nation for redemption.

As an individual, however, no greater prophet than Moses arose in Israel , and no Israelite was more faithful in all Yahweh’s house until the arrival of Jesus. Though Moses cannot enter the land, Joshua and Caleb, representing the elect of the first generation, will cross over into the Land of Promise, allowing each generation coming out of Egypt and the generation born in the wilderness to participate in the faithfulness of Yahweh’s promise to the entire nation.

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The Appointment of Joshua

The ineligibility of Moses to enter the land necessitates the appointment of someone to replace him. Moses approaches Yahweh concerning the choice of such a replacement: “May Yahweh Elohim of the spirits for all flesh give supervision over the congregation to a man who may go forth before them and enter before them, and who may bring them forth and bring them in so that the congregation of Yahweh shall not become like a flock for whom there is no shepherd” (Num. 27:16-17 CV). Yahweh answers Moses’ concern by choosing Joshua “a man in whom there is spirit” (Num. 27:18 CV), indicating Joshua is a man whose heart is committed to the laws of Yahweh. He will continue to walk in spirit, faithfully obeying the voice of Yahweh from his heart to the end of his days. Moses is commanded to “support your (Page 193)hands on him” (Num. 27:18 CV) in the presence of Eleazar the Chief Priest and the whole congregation. This symbolic act transferred the prestige and authority of Moses to Joshua, sanctifying his leadership and requiring the obedience of the whole congregation. As Moses placed his hands upon Joshua, the spirit of wisdom filled Joshua (Deut. 34:9). Yahweh had established His choice of Joshua. The whole congregation of the sons of Israel understood they were to obey Joshua as they had obeyed Moses. As obeying Moses meant obeying Yahweh, so obeying Joshua meant obeying Yahweh.

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The Final Instructions—Blessings and Cursings

The final instructions of Moses at Moab to the second generation about to enter the Land of Promise concern blessings and cursings. If Israel obeys the voice of Yahweh, He will give her supremacy over all the nations (Deut. 28:1). He will make Israel the head and not the tail. Israel will be placed above the nations, not below them (Deut. 28:13). He will increase abundantly her population. He will bless Israel ’s cities and her agricultural endeavors. He will bless her herds and her flocks. He will secure her safety at home and abroad. Her enemies will fear her and be defeated in battle if they attack. He will provide the nation with a surplus of goods to be sold at a profit to other nations. Israel will not be a debtor nation but a creditor nation. He will send rain to irrigate her crops in the proper season (Deut. 28:1-14). In summation, “all the peoples of the earth will see that the name of Yahweh is proclaimed over you, and they will fear you” (Deut. 28:10 CV).

However, if Israel does not obey the voice of Yahweh, He will give the nations supremacy over her. He will make Israel the tail rather than the head. He will send her into foreign captivity and her land will be ruled by a foreign nation. He will curse her cities and her agricultural endeavors. He will decrease her population and curse her herds and flocks. He will remove His protective cloud securing her safety from enemies within and without. Her enemies will no longer fear her and will defeat her in warfare. Instead of a surplus of goods, she will experience famine. Instead of a creditor nation, she will become a debtor nation. Her heavens will become like copper and her soil will become like iron (Deut. 28:15-48). In summation, “He will put an iron yoke on your neck until He has exterminated you” (Deut. 28:48b CV). No other nation before or since has been guaranteed such fortunate treatment for so little in return.

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The Final Prophetic Declarations: Latter Days

Having reminded Israel of the potential blessings or cursings dependent upon obedience or disobedience to the voice of Yahweh, Moses is instructed by Yahweh to contract another covenant with the sons of Israel encamped in the country of Moab . This covenant is in addition to the covenant made at Sinai which had been broken and, through the intercession of Moses, had been renewed. The covenant now being entered into at Moab is made with the present generation encamped in Moab and with all the generations to follow (Deut. 29:10-15). This covenant is added, along with the renewed covenant at Sinai, because of the transgressions committed at Sinai and in the wilderness during the preceding 40 years (Gal. 3:19).

Moses first addresses the members of those generations who personally saw the great trials, signs, and miracles performed by Yahweh in Egypt . These Israelites are witnesses of the great redemptive activities of Yahweh on behalf of His people. These Israelites will be responsible for the instruction of those Israelites either born in the wilderness or too young while in Egypt to remember the significant events. Moses declares, “Yet until this day Yahweh has not given to you a heart to realize and eyes to see and ears to hear” (Deut. 29:4 CV). Yahweh has not given them His spirit, as He has given that spirit to Moses and the 70 elders. Therefore, they do not have access to the things Yahweh has concealed. They are even ignorant of the full significance of the breaking of the original covenant at Sinai and the renewing of that covenant. These covenants are terrestrial covenants and belong to a terrestrial people possessing promises: both blessings and cursings. The contents of these covenants are revealed, understandable, and obeyable:

The things being concealed are Yahweh our Elohim’s, yet the things being revealed are ours and our sons’ until the eon , so that we might keep all the words of this law. (Deuteronomy 29:29 CV)

For this instruction that I am enjoining on you today, it is neither too difficult for you, nor is it too far off. . . . For the word is exceedingly near to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to obey it. (Deuteronomy 30:11-14 CV)

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What has been concealed from the unfaithful and weak is the telos, the goal of the Mosaic Law as a ministry of death. A mature understanding of the Law and the Prophets would reveal this secret. Those possessing the spirit of Yahweh have access to this concealed truth. For the nation as a whole, the Law of Moses, the covenant at Sinai, and the covenant contracted in Moab are covenants of life (terrestrial life, blessing) if obeyed. Due to the rebellious and stiff-necked character of the nation, a veil conceals the essence of the Mosaic Law as a ministration of death necessitating the death of a coming prophet in the likeness of Moses. This veil also conceals the necessity of a new, celestial covenant necessary to create a celestial people qualified to receive the celestial promise of celestial life consisting of celestial promises and blessings.

During the course of Israel ’s history, Yahweh reveals more to His people through His judges and prophets. The nation is only held responsible for that which is revealed. In the first century, with the arrival of John the Baptist and Jesus, Yahweh reveals even more. With the commissioning of Paul, Yahweh reveals the last of the secrets concealed during the previous ages.

Moses proceeds to prophetically warn the nation, “Beware lest there may be among you a man or woman or family or tribe whose heart today is turning around from being with Yahweh our Elohim to go to serve the elohim of those nations; beware lest there may be among you a root, being fruitful with poison and wormwood” (Deut. 29:18 CV). Though such individuals or groups be few in number, their potential for spreading disastrous contamination is great. These individuals and groups must be eliminated as early as possible. The metaphor “a root being fruitful with poison” conveys the rapid permeation of contaminating evil throughout the covenantal body of Israel . The nation is a covenanted community. Yahweh deals with it corporately, as well as individually. Thus, since Yahweh will bless the nation as a corporate whole, an individual or group believing he or they can disregard Yahweh’s Laws to his or their advantage is a threat to the nation. For such an individual or group can become a devastating cancer spreading death throughout the members of the covenantal body of Israel if not dealt with swiftly.

Moses declares, “Yahweh shall not be willing to pardon him, because then Yahweh’s anger and His jealousy shall smoke against that man, . . . Yahweh will wipe out his name from under the heavens; . . .” (Deut. 29:20 CV). Yahweh’s judgment against such an individual or group is to remove from the covenant the name of such individuals, depriving them of the celestial life promised to Abraham and to those faithful to the end. This meant being cut off from the people, cut off from the hope of Israel —national resurrection. In the long run, such individuals will reap the consequences of their evil hearts. But the nation will be held responsible for removing such individuals before they can contaminate the holy community.

Thus, the covenantal health and spiritual vitality of the nation is dependent on the health and vitality of each individual; “the satiated may be swept up with the thirsty” (Deut. 29:19b CV) is a metaphor meaning the green tree (the faithful members of the community as a whole) is in immediate danger of Yahweh’s judgment as a result of the evil heart and activity of the dry or parched tree (the unfaithful, rebellious individual or group).

This principle had been demonstrated during the 40 years in the wilderness. The rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram threatened the entire covenantal community. The rebellious act of a leading member of the nation (the bringing of a Midianite woman into the vicinity of a holy assembly) increased the devastating stroke of Yahweh against the people. The stroke coming upon the nation had been caused by a group of men among the nation committing prostitution with Moabite women and sacrificing to their gods. The covenantal community as a whole is responsible to perform the necessary act or actions to remove the evil individual or individuals and his or their effect upon the community before the judgment of Yahweh destroys the whole nation.

It is this principle and metaphor that Jesus alludes to on his way to crucifixion. Following Him is a multitude of people, including a group of grieving women wailing over Him. Hearing them, Jesus turns toward them, forewarning, “Daughters of Jerusalem! Do not lament over Me! However, over yourselves lament, and over your children, for lo! coming are days in which they will be declaring, ‘Happy are the barren, and the wombs which bear not, and the breasts which do not nourish!’ Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us!’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us!’ For if they are doing these things in the wet wood, what may be occurring in the withered?” (Lk. 23:28b-31 CV). Jesus is the wet wood. The chief priests and the elders of the people (Matt. 26:3) are the withered wood. The evil heart of these withered ones had sought His death. They succeeded in forcing the hand of Pilate the Roman governor of Judea to execute Him by means of crucifixion.

If these withered ones did this to a green, moist, healthy tree, what will they be bringing upon themselves and the nation as a result of their rebellious hearts?! Surely, Jesus foresaw the destruction of the (Page 195) city, the temple, and the nation by the Romans as a result of the poisonous hearts of these evil shepherds of Yahweh’s people. These withered branches would defy the foreign Roman Empire in the name of Yahweh, only to bring upon themselves and the people the judgment of Yahweh carried out by this foreign power. As such, Rome acted as a servant of Yahweh while the Jewish nation acted as Yahweh’s enemy.

Moses also foresaw the unfaithfulness of a latter generation of Israel . This latter generation would experience Yahweh’s judgment against the people and the land as a consequence of its forsaking “the covenant of Yahweh Elohim of their fathers, . . . for they went off and served other elohim and bowed themselves down to them, elohim whom they had neither known, nor had He apportioned for them” (Deut. 29:25b-26 CV). This prophetic statement concludes with the following holy principle already referred to:

The things being concealed are Yahweh our Elohim’s, yet the things being revealed are ours and our sons’ until the eon , so that we might keep all the words of this law. (Deuteronomy 29:29 CV)

The failure of a latter generation is revealed to Israel . The nation is not to delude itself into believing it is superior to the nations. Those whose hearts are faithful will be encouraged to continually obey Yahweh’s Law as a result of this revelation. They will represent the faithful remnant throughout the unfaithful generations of the nation.

Moses immediately follows this prophetic revelation with words of hope: “It will come to be, when all these things come on you, . . . which I put before you, that you will recall them to your heart among all the nations where Yahweh your Elohim will have expelled you and that you will return again to Yahweh your Elohim and hearken to His voice . . . Then Yahweh your Elohim will turn back your captivity and show compassion to you; . . .” (Deut. 30:1-3a CV). He has foreseen the captivity of Israel at the hands of the Assyrians and the captivity of Judah at the hands of the Babylonians. Yahweh also reveals to him the return of the nation to the land “from all the peoples where Yahweh your Elohim will have scattered you” (Deut. 30:3b CV) as a result of Yahweh’s compassion for Israel . The character of the nation as rebellious and stiff-necked will continue throughout its history. But there will always be a faithful remnant whom Yahweh will protect and bless. Through this faithful remnant will come the seed who will bring about the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets.

Moses, continuing his prophetic address to the nation, calls the heavens and the earth to testify against her. This metaphor of the heavens and earth is meant to convey the covenantal commitment between Yahweh and Israel . It is an allusion to the covenant entered into at Sinai when Yahweh spoke from the heavens and Israel heard on the earth. Moses reminds Israel of her contractual obligation to obey Yahweh’s voice, His Ten Words, and His statutes and judgments. Israel ’s obedience is to spring from her love of Yahweh. To lovingly obey Yahweh guarantees covenantal life, terrestrial blessings in the land flowing with milk and honey. To turn her heart away from obeying Yahweh guarantees covenantal judgment, terrestrial cursings in a devastated land. Refusal of repentance over a gracious period of time will culminate in expulsion from the land and captivity among the nations (Deut. 30:15-20). This expulsion, as Moses has already revealed, will happen.

After assuring the nation that Yahweh, going before her, will exterminate the nations in the land, he encourages all Israel to “Be steadfast, and be resolute! Do not fear, and do not be terrified because of their presence, for Yahweh your Elohim, He is the One going with you; He shall neither neglect you nor forsake you” (Deut. 31:6 CV). Calling Joshua to his side before the eyes of Israel, Moses confirmingly exalts him as Yahweh’s designated shepherd of the flock and commander of the army, exhorting him to “Be steadfast and be resolute, for you shall bring this people into the land about which Yahweh had sworn to their fathers to give to them, and you shall allot it to them. As for Yahweh, He is the one going before you; He Himself shall come to be with you. He shall neither neglect you nor forsake you. You shall neither fear nor be dismayed” (Deut. 31:7b-8-CV).

Having encouraged his people and having confirmed the leadership of Joshua, Moses “wrote this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi, the carriers of the coffer of the covenant of Yahweh, and to all the elders of Israel (Deut. 31:9 CV). The Levitical priests and the elders are to be responsible for teaching the law to the people. Thus, a written record of the Law is provided by the hand of Moses himself. Moses instructs the Levitical priests and the elders to publicly read this Law once every seven years in the sabbatical year, during the Feast of Tabernacles. They are, at this reading, to assemble “the people, the men, the women, the little ones and your sojourner who is within your gates” (Deut. 31:12a CV). The purpose is “that they may hear and that they may learn: they must fear Yahweh your Elohim and must observe to keep all the words of this law” (Deut. 31:12b CV).

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Yahweh Himself then confirms the prophetic declarations of Moses. He informs Moses that the day of his death is near and instructs him to call Joshua to the tent of appointment in order for Yahweh to instruct Joshua concerning his imminent role as shepherd and commander. At the tent of appointment, Yahweh testifies to Moses in the presence of Joshua, “Behold, you are about to lie with your fathers. Yet this people will rise and prostitute after the elohim of the foreigners of the land where they are entering to be among them; and they will forsake me and annul My covenant that I contracted with them. . . . I will forsake them and conceal My face from them, then they will come to be devoured, and many evils and distresses will find them. . . . for they will have turned around to other elohim” (Deut. 31:16-18 CV).

Moses, just prior to this testimony, had assured the people and Joshua that Yahweh would not forsake or neglect them. Thus, Yahweh’s testimony is against a latter day generation, just as Moses had already proclaimed. This is no secret. It is clearly revealed. It is meant to highlight the importance of freely choosing to obey the Law of Yahweh from the heart. For the nation as a whole would never make that choice until the coming of the seed of Abraham, Jesus, Who would build Yahweh a New House, a New Nation. Upon every member of that New Nation, Yahweh would pour out His spirit, as Moses had previously requested in response to Joshua’s concern over the two elders who had received Yahweh’s spirit while remaining in the camp (Num. 11:26-29).

The failure of the nation, throughout its history, to keep Yahweh’s covenant is a foregone conclusion. This failure is not a result of its inability to keep Yahweh’s Law. It is due to the nation’s rebellious and stiff-necked heart. This is confirmed by the fact that there would be a faithful remnant throughout the nation’s history of disobedience. This faithful remnant keeps Yahweh’s Law and obeys Him from the heart. This faithful remnant, like David, is not perfect, but its heart is faithful to the end. As Yahweh is later to declare David a man after His own heart, so He could make the same declaration concerning the faithful remnant suffering on His behalf throughout the generations of Israel. The fact of this failure necessitated Yahweh’s compassion, mercy, forgiveness, patience, and long-suffering. It necessitated the secret concealed from the nation until revealed in the last generation.

However, Israel is not held responsible for that which is concealed, but for that which is revealed and which could have and should have been obeyed. For this reason, Yahweh commands Moses and Joshua to write down the song He would dictate to them. This song is to be taught to the sons of Israel : “Put it in their mouths so that this song may come to be for Me as a testimony against the sons of Israel (Deut. 31:19b CV). This song is necessary because “when they thus spurn Me and annul My covenant, and it comes to be that many evils and distresses find them, then this song will answer as a testimony before them (for it shall not be forgotten from the mouths of their seed) that I know the bent of their heart which they are forming today ere I bring them to the land about which I have sworn” (Deut. 31:20b-21 CV). Already this second generation harbored a seed of rebellion within its heart! How potent, how contagious had been the affect of Egyptian civic and cultic culture on the seed of Jacob. The removal of this debilitating affect of the disqualified mind of the ancient world of the gods would be slow and only finalized after Israel would be expelled from the land by Yahweh. All this, Yahweh has been in the process of revealing to this second generation about to faithfully enter the Land of Promise.

Prior to writing Yahweh’s song to Israel , Moses had written down the Law of Yahweh and had handed it over to the Levitical priests and elders. The text now records that at the conclusion of that writing project, Moses had instructed the Levites, “You are to take this scroll of the law, and you must place it by the side of the coffer [ark] of the covenant of Yahweh your Elohim, and it will come to be there as a testimony against you, . . .” (Deut. 31:26 CV). This written scroll of the Law (Torah) is to be placed alongside the Ark of the Covenant. It is to be a testimony against the nation, a standard measurement to which Israel must be committed in her heart.

This testimony is Yahweh’s confirmation of the inexcusability of the nation. The nation has been given every advantage over the nations. In spite of these advantages, Israel behaves like the nations. Having these advantages, Yahweh holds this people more responsible than the nations. Though more responsible, Israel still fails to meet her responsibilities. In spite of her irresponsibility, Yahweh remains faithful. This is significant. For if Yahweh remains faithful to the more responsible nation (even after her failure), how will he not remain faithful to the less responsible nations!

Israel had broken the original covenant at Sinai. The tablets of stone carved out by Yahweh and inscribed by His finger had been “flung” down and broken by Moses (Ex. 32:19). The intercession of Moses successfully had renewed the covenant. Moses then had carried two tablets to the heights of Mount Sinai, and Yahweh had inscribed on these tablets the Ten Words of the original covenant. These tablets are placed within the Ark of the Covenant.

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The concealed significance indicates the covenant mediated by Moses’ intercession is a ministry of death. At the heart of the nation is the law of sin and death which had been activated as a result of the idolatrous worship at the foot of Sinai. It would culminate with the covenantal death of the nation at the end of the graciously extended life-span of the Mosaic Eon .

The scroll of the Law (Torah) written down by Moses is placed alongside the Ark of the Covenant. Its significance, unlike the stone tablets within the ark, is revealed, indicating directly to the nation, once again, its failure to keep Yahweh’s covenant. For the words written on this scroll had already been transgressed by the first generation, and the seed of disobedience had already been planted in the heart of the second generation as a result of its ancestral immersion in the ancient world of the gods.

Moses, upon this occasion, now testifies, “for I know your rebellion and your scruff of obstinacy. Behold in my day, while I am still with you alive, you have been rebellious against Yahweh, indeed how much more so after my death!” (Deut. 31:29). Here he is referring to the nation as a corporate whole. For even the innocent or righteous are affected by the guilty or unrighteous. The faithful also will suffer under the evil generated by the unlawful. The attitude and behavior of the first generation is accounted to the nation as a whole. Moses knows the rebellion and obstinacy displayed by the first generation will be even greater in the generations which follow after his death.

Moses continues, “For I know that after my death you shall bring ruin, yea ruin on yourselves; you will withdraw from the way that I enjoined on you, and the evil visitation will befall you in the latter days, for you shall do the thing that is evil in the eyes of Yahweh so as to provoke Him to vexation by the work of your hands” (Deut. 31:29-30 CV). While Moses is alive, his presence is beneficial in curbing the rebellious character of the nation, especially through his intercession. However, even with such curbing, the first generation continued to rebel and eventually died in the wilderness. The prestige, power, and authority of Moses could not completely contain the evil propensity of this generation.

Under Joshua’s leadership, the nation will, on the whole, remain faithful. But after Moses dies, he is aware that his influence will dwindle, and the nation will bring ruin upon itself in the “latter days.” Moses prophetically describes the nation as withdrawing from “the way.” He is referring to the law as Yahweh’s way of covenantal life for the nation. Those who walk in “the way” obey Yahweh’s Law from the heart. They are the faithful ones.

When Jesus refers to Himself as “The Way,” He is alluding to this statement of Moses (see Jn. 14:1-7). He is the personification of the law; He is the incarnation of the law; He is the law tabernacling in the midst of Yahweh’s holy nation. He is the Ark of the Covenant, for in Him are the tablets of the Ten Words. In Him are the life and the death of the Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant. Those who believe in Yahweh and believe in Him, by following Him are walking in The Way of covenantal life. The Way to the life of the New Covenant will lead through the death of the old covenant, meaning the death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ.

For Christ is the telos, the goal of the Law through which comes the new life, the righteousness of the New Covenant made available for all those believing into Him. To believe into Jesus the Christ is to be identified with both His death and His resurrection. In Christ, the believing one dies with Christ in the death of the old covenant, symbolically represented by the stone tablets within the Ark of the Covenant. The believing one, following Christ as “The Way,” lives with Christ in the life of the New Covenant, symbolically represented by the writing of the Law upon the fleshy tablet of the heart by the spirit of Yahweh/Christ.

The Law, the Ten Words, is no longer objectified on tablets of stone, but subjectified on the living tablet of the heart. Thus, the believing one, after the resurrection, knows intimately the meaning of the words of Jesus to His disciples shortly before His crucifixion: “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one is coming to the Father except through Me” (Jn. 14:6 CV). This is not a philosophical statement. It is a covenantal statement understandable only within the context of the covenantal relationship of Yahweh with Israel .

After the death of Moses, the nation is to bring ruin upon itself in “the latter days” by withdrawing from “the Way.” From the perspective of Moses, the “latter days” refer to the expulsion of the Northern Kingdom ( Israel ) at the hands of the Assyrians and the expulsion of the Southern Kingdom (Judah) at the hands of the Babylonians. When the writing prophets speak of the latter or last days, they are referring to a time in their own future. In the words of Moses, however, the reader is to discover the use of prophetic double entendre.

The writing prophets call the nation to repentance condemning the nation for being actively involved in doing what Moses had described as “evil in the eyes of Yahweh.” These prophets prophetically (Page 198)declare the fulfillment of “the evil visitation” which Moses announced would “befall you in the latter days.” This is confirmed by the fact that Moses knew the nation would be guilty of worshiping and serving foreign elohim. He had predicted the nation would provoke Yahweh’s anger “by the work of your hands” (Deut. 31:29b CV), a metaphor indicating the making and worshiping of idols. This would be true of Israel only before her expulsion into captivity under the Assyrians and the Babylonians. When Israel would return under Ezra and Nehemiah, she would never again worship and serve foreign elohim.

The Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant is a terrestrial covenant. During the course of its term, Israel as a nation will be characterized as rebellious, stubborn, stiff-necked, obstinate. Yahweh has not given the nation, nor would He give the nation until its last generation, “a heart to realize and eyes to see and ears to hear” (Deut. 29:4b CV). This meant He would not give the nation His spirit as He had given it to Moses and the 70 elders. This would characterize the nation “until the eon (Deut. 29:29b CV), until the end of the Mosaic Eon , at the end of which the last generation would experience the curse of national, covenantal death. At the end of the Mosaic Eon, to those believing into Jesus the Christ, Yahweh would give a heart to realize, eyes to see, and ears to hear, as Paul wrote to the Corinthians,

Yet wisdom are we speaking among the mature, yet a wisdom not of this eon , neither of the chief men of this eon, who are being discarded, but we are speaking God’s wisdom in a secret, wisdom which has been concealed, which God designates before—before the eons, for our glory, . . . But, according as it is written, That which the eye did not perceive, and the ear did not hear, and to which the heart of man did not ascend—whatever God makes ready for those who are loving Him. Yet to us God reveals them through His spirit, for the spirit is searching all, even the depths of God. (1 Corinthians 2:6-10 CV)

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The Song of Yahweh

Yahweh had commanded Moses in the presence of Joshua to “write down for yourselves this song and teach it to the sons of Israel (Deut. 31:19 CV). Moses is not commanded to compose the song. The song is composed by Yahweh. Moses is not told to write “a” song. He is instructed to write down “this” song. “This” refers to the song Yahweh has composed which Moses must write down as a scribe recording what is dictated. This song is to be Yahweh’s “testimony against the sons of Israel (Deut. 31:19b CV).

Yahweh’s purpose is to make clear to this elect people that He has chosen them with a complete awareness of their unworthiness and of their unwillingness to obey His voice from their hearts and with their minds. They are a foolish people who proceed unintelligently in spite of the advantages Yahweh has graciously given them: “See! I have taught you statutes and judgments . . . And you must observe and obey them, for that is your wisdom and your understanding in the eyes of all the peoples who shall hear of all these statutes and will say: Surely this great nation is a people wise and understanding” (Deut. 4:5-6 CV).

Within the song, Yahweh lamentingly sings,

For they are a nation whose counsel is destructive,

And There is no understanding in them.

O that they were wise;

They would proceed intelligently in this . . .” (Deuteronomy 32:28-29a CV).

They are given access to wisdom and understanding and fail to actualize it as a nation in their behavior until after they are expelled from the land and sent into captivity among the nations. But even then they fall short of their potential!

Having written down the words of Yahweh’s song, Moses “spoke in the ears of the whole assembly of Israel the words of this song until they were finished” (Deut. 31:30 CV). The people are to learn the song so as to sing it corporately. Yahweh has composed the song incorporating Moses as a voice of personal testimony and as a voice interjecting the personal testimony of Yahweh. The song conveys Yahweh’s future vindication and vengeance. Yahweh has computed Israel ’s failure, sin, iniquity, rebellion, obstinacy, and foolishness into His universal purpose: blessing the race, the nation, and the nations.

Yahweh is the Master over Good and Evil. Evil is not to be equated with sin, and good is not to be equated with righteousness. Good and evil are tools to be used effectively in accomplishing a designed goal or purpose. When Adam ate of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, the problem was not “good and evil.” His sin was disobedience, and that sin activated death. Good and evil became a problem for Adam and the race because both were incapable of effectively using, applying good and evil as effective means for producing righteousness. As a result, man’s determination and application of good and evil distorted his mind and his culture. Too often man’s determination and application of good destroys instead of builds, and his determination and application of evil destroys that which should not be destroyed. (Page 199)Thus, good and evil operate haphazardly in man’s constructions of morality and religion. Man continues to be unable to master, to transcend, good and evil.

Good is designed to build, edify, order. Evil is designed to demolish, subvert, disorder. Each has its place, its purpose, its usefulness. To transcend good and evil is to be able to master good and evil. Yahweh masters good and evil and, in so doing, applies the use of both in the accomplishment of His purposes. Out of Israel ’s failure, Yahweh will produce success. Yahweh will redeem and glorify that which has been lost and abased. Yahweh’s contrivance (see Structure 18, stanza 4, The Rock, Deut. 32:4 CV) is flawless.

Structure 15 is a poetic structure of the song of Yahweh, which consists of a simple introversion:

Structure 15: The Song of Yahweh (Deuteronomy 32:1-43)

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The song opens with a metaphor. The advantage of metaphors is that they increase our reach, steering us toward knowledge we do not yet have in our grasp. Metaphors overshoot the mark, giving the mark and our understanding of it room to move and grow. Thus, metaphors are able to convey more and richer cargo than definitive descriptions and definitions.

The song begins by treating “heavens” and “earth” metaphorically. Earlier, “heavens” and “earth” were used as metaphors for Yahweh speaking on Mount Sinai and Israel hearing at the foot of the mountain, thus a pictorial reference to the Sinatic Covenant. In the opening of this song, “heavens” is a metaphor representing Israel and “earth” is a metaphor representing the nations. The “heavens” metaphorically place Israel in a position of supremacy over the subjugated nations placed metaphorically on the “earth.”

The two metaphors, heavens and earth, can be poetically demonstrated by setting out the literary structural correspondence between 32:1, 43a, and 43c as set forth in Structure 16:

 
Structure 16: Song of Yahweh: Heavens and Earth (Poetic Structure of Deuteronomy 32:1, 32:43a, 43c CV Modified)

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In “a1” of Structure 16, the heavens are called upon to hear the sayings of Moses. In “a2”, the heavens are called upon to jubilate together with Yahweh. In “a1”, the earth is called upon to hear the sayings of Moses. (Page 200)However, in “a3” the nations, corresponding to the earth in “a1”, are called upon to jubilate with Yahweh’s people, Israel . The heavens metaphorically represent Israel , Yahweh’s people raised to a position of supremacy as the result of the Sinatic Covenant. The earth metaphorically represents the nations, placed in a position of subjugation under Israel . The nations, responding to the glory and honor given to Israel , are to jubilate together with Israel over the One Living Elohim. For the Elohim of Israel will bless the nations through Yahweh’s elect nation, Israel .

The introductory verses of the Song of Yahweh (vs. 1-4) form a perfect literary alternation with the concluding verse (v. 43) as set forth in Structure 17.

Structure 17: Song of Yahweh: The Heavens and Earth Called to Jubilate (Literary Relationship of Deuteronomy 32:1-4 and 32:43)

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In “b1” 32:2-4 of Structure 17, Moses issues a monition (a legal summons). This monition corresponds to “My Saying” which corresponds to “For The Name of Yahweh I Am Proclaiming” which corresponds to “The Rock” which corresponds to “The El.” Therefore, Moses’ legal summons consists of his saying (v. 2) concerning the name of Yahweh (v. 3) Who is metaphorically described as The Rock flawless in His contrivance (v. 4a) and definitively defined as the El of faithfulness without iniquity (v. 4b). Here is presented the Elohim of Israel Who is concerned with the welfare of the nations, indicated by the use of the title “El of Faithfulness.” He is the Rock of Israel’s confidence. His flawless contrivance on their behalf will succeed in blessing both Israel and the nations, overcoming the flaws of Israel as well as the flaws of the nations. Structure 18 (see next page) is a poetic structure of the monition of Moses in Deuteronomy, chapter 32, verses 2-4 (CV modified).

Structure 18 shows the legal summons of Moses (monition) as a refreshing message (saying) of encouragement to both Israel and the nations. The agricultural imagery used to describe this message equates it with an atmosphere of plush vegetation nurtured by a trickling rain yielding a light, fragrant mist producing drizzling showers of fertility. The imagery conjures up a paradisiacal garden of peace and bountifulness. The source of this blessing being proclaimed by Moses is Yahweh. This legal summons calls Israel to “Grant Greatness to our Elohim!” For Israel ’s Elohim is the Rock upon which her confidence is founded. For His creative contrivance flawlessly adapts her failures, her flaws, to fit His preconceived design for blessing. Thus, all His ways are the products of right decisions revealing His successful contrivance. Yahweh, Israel ’s Elohim, is Israel ’s Rock and the nations’ El of Faithfulness Who is “without iniquity,” that is, the El of balanced weights. His judgments are just and upright in relation to both Israel and the nations. Yahweh’s contrivances are successful because of His perfect application of both good and evil.

Therefore, the concluding monition (legal summons) of Moses calls for Israel (the heavens) to jubilate together with Yahweh. For Yahweh’s jubilation is over His successful blessing of Israel and the nations. The monition of Moses then calls for the messengers of Elohim to worship Yahweh (Deut. 32:43b). The messengers here referred to are faithful Israelites, faithful servants of Yahweh reflecting His glory upon the nations. This interpretation is confirmed by the corresponding literary member of the concluding verse (32:43d), as displayed in Structure 19 (see next page).

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Structure 18: Song of Yahweh: Poetic Structure of Monition of Moses (Deuteronomy 32:2-4 Modified)

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Structure 19: Song of Yahweh: Monition of Moses (Relationship Between Deuteronomy 32:43b and 32:43d of Structure 17)

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Yahweh shall avenge the shed blood of His faithful servants, His messengers. He will return vengeance on His enemies who had shed the blood of His messenger servants. Yahweh would, in the last days, the days of the last generation, provide a propitiatory-shelter (atonement) for the land of His people. That propitiatory-shelter would be provided by Jesus the Christ, the Son of David , the Son of Yahweh (see Matt. 23:33-36). It would secure the reception of the Abrahamic promise to all his faithful seed, both Israel and the nations.

The lament of the Song of Yahweh begins with verse 5 and concludes with verse 42 of Deuteronomy, chapter 32 (see Structure 15). This central member of the poetic structure presents its own internal poetical structure (see Structure 20). Its pattern is termed an extended alternation, five “c” members followed by five “d” members. Each of the “c” members deals with the contamination of the holy nation Israel , presenting the various blemishes of the nation. The only exception is the “c5” member which (Page 202)presents the blemish of Israel ’s enemies, demanding Yahweh’s just judgment of vengeance. Each of the “d” members presents Yahweh’s response to the blemishes of Israel and the blemish of her enemies. Structure 20 is a presentation of this internal poetical structure:

Structure 20: Song of Yahweh: Yahweh’s Lamentation (Expansion of B Member of Structure 15, Deuteronomy 32:5-42)

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                In the first “c” member of Structure 20, Yahweh places Moses in the midst of the future generation. In this position, Moses prophetically envisions the state of the nation. He now sees through the eyes of Yahweh. He laments, “They have become corrupt . . . No longer are they His sons . . .” (Deut. 32:5a CV). He characterizes the nation as “A generation perverse and twisted” (Deut. 32:5b CV). Yahweh’s response (d1 32:6-14) is placed in the mouth of Moses (Structure 21):

Structure 21: Song of Yahweh: Yahweh’s Response (Expansion of Verse 6 d1Member of Structure 20, Deuteronomy 32:6)

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Yahweh, in His vexation with Israel , compares the nation to Cain. The word “acquired” in Hebrew comes from the root word for Cain. Like Cain, Israel from its inception has been a decadent and unwise people. Like Yahweh’s instruction warning Cain, Yahweh has instructed and warned this nation. Like Cain, the (Page 203)nation has rebelled against Yahweh, questioning His authority, His righteousness, His judgment. Like Cain, the nation has defiantly announced, Am I my brother’s keeper?

At the birth of Cain, Eve had declared she had acquired a man from Yahweh. Moses declares that Yahweh is the father of Israel whom He has “acquired.” Yahweh, at Sinai, has “acquired” a man, a nation, a Cain. Thus, the nation from the very beginning has been Cainish. But as Cain had a brother, so the Cainish nation has a brother. The Cainish nation has a rebellious and defiant heart and seeks to murder, destroy his faithful and submissive brother, the Abelite remnant.

This animosity within the nation is recognized in the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures as animosity between the seed of the Serpent/Adversary and the seed of the Woman. Yahweh, from the very beginning in Egypt , has chosen and become a father to a Cainish nation. Within the history of this nation the Hebrew Scriptures present the operation of Good and Evil. Both Cain and Abel are loved by Yahweh Elohim. Cain will not be abandoned. The Good and the Evil will both contribute to Yahweh’s end purpose, His ultimate goal for the nation and the race. Through the mind and behavior of the Abelites and through the mind and behavior of the Cainites will come the exaltation of the human race.

From Adam’s sin through Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension, the Abelites had been Yahweh’s elect instrument. From Christ’s Parousia to the present, the Cainites have been Yahweh’s elect instrument. The Abelites have been operating in the Celestial Realm in cooperation with the Cainites who have been operating in the terrestrial realm.

In the end, the celestial and the terrestrial realms will be reconciled into one new whole. Cainite freedom, individuality, creativity, independence, determination, and ironic defiance and rebellion shall culminate in the transcendence of Good and Evil, the transcendence of all religion, and the final exaltation of humanity to the ultimate spiritual dimension intended by Yahweh Elohim from humanity’s inception in Genesis, chapter 1.

Moses, continuing to speak in response to his vision of this future generation, calls his own present generation to “Remember the days of the eon ; Understand the years of generation after generation” (Deut. 32:7a CV). He refers his generation of Israelites to the past (from Adam to their own time) information and understanding available to them in the oral tradition of the past and in their Hebrew Scriptures revealed to Moses during the 40 years in the wilderness. The “days of the eon” refers to the pre-Mosaic Age. Moses suggests that the people of his generation ask their fathers and their elders about the time “When the Supreme [Elyon, Most High] gave the nations allotments” (Deut. 32:8a CV). They shall inform them that this occurred “When He parted the sons of Adam” (Deut. 32:8b CV). This, of course, is a reference to the post-flood era, the time of Noah and his three sons. During this period, Yahweh confuses the tongues of the race and divides the people into nations.

At this division, Yahweh “stationed the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the sons of El” (Deut. 32:8c CV). He divides the peoples into nations and assigns each nation a territory and a celestial El to monitor its development. An example of such an El is given in the Book of Daniel when a celestial messenger is hindered from visiting Daniel in the terrestrial realm of Persia . The text records the celestial chief of the Kingdom of Persia withstood this messenger for 21 days. The matter is resolved when Michael, one of the highest of the celestial chiefs, intervenes on behalf of the messenger.

More important for Israel is the fact that at the very same time of the assignment of Els to monitor the nations, Yahweh chose Jacob for His Own portion. Jacob becomes Yahweh’s allotment before his existence as a person or a nation. Yahweh had predetermined His rule over this people. He had predetermined Jacob’s holiness. Jacob had been set apart even as Yahweh had set Himself apart for Jacob.

This is meant to remind this future decadent and unwise generation of the privileged position given to it by Yahweh Himself. Moses expands this privileged position by reviewing the nation’s experience in Egypt , the wilderness, Moab , and Canaan. He reminds this generation that Yahweh “found him in a wilderness country, . . . in a chaos, a howling desolation. He surrounded him; . . . made him understand; . . . preserved him as the apple of His eye” (Deut. 32:10-11 CV). Yahweh alone, apart from any foreign El, clothed and fed the people in the wilderness (32:12-14). How ungrateful had become the nation’s response to this love of Yahweh.

The c2 member of Structure 20, 32:15-18, describes another blemish contaminating the nation in the latter generation. It is when this future nation had become satiated with wealth and had enjoyed great peace and security that it “abandoned Eloah who had made him . . . disgraced the Rock of his salvation” (Deut. 32:15 CV), making Yahweh jealous by sacrificing to alien gods, to demons (32:16-17). This future generation will have forgotten the El travailing over it (32:18).

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Moses reveals Yahweh’s response to this abandonment (d2 32:19-20a of Structure 20). He describes Yahweh’s lamenting vexation:

Yahweh saw and spurned them

Because of the vexation caused by His sons and daughters. (Deuteronomy 32:19 CV)

Moses then quotes Yahweh, “Let Me conceal My face from them; I shall examine what their latter days are to be” 32:20a CV). By concealing His face from them, He is removing His sheltering cloud of protection over them. He is closing His eyes to the operations of Israel ’s enemies.

The d3 member of Structure 20, 32:21-27, records Yahweh’s judgment of this future nation in the first person: “As for Me, I shall make them jealous with a non-people” (Deut. 32:21b CV). As Israel made Yahweh jealous with a non-El, so Yahweh would give them up to defeat at the hands of a non-people, a people not covenantally related to Yahweh, a people ignorant and unwise, a people worshiping and serving non-elohim, foreign gods.

I shall cause evils

                to sweep over them;

I shall exhaust My arrows

                among them . . . (Deut. 32:23 CV)

Concealed from the generations of Israel encamped on the plains of Moab is the future division of the nation into two kingdoms, two nations. Yahweh’s judgment expressed above is to be executed against both the northern kingdom ( Israel ) and the southern kingdom ( Judah ). The northern kingdom would be defeated militarily by the Assyrians and scattered among the nations. Hosea would declare them Lo-Ammi, not My people. Yahweh would not go with them into their captivity among the nations. The southern kingdom ( Judah ) would be defeated militarily by the Babylonians, and the people would be taken to Babylon as captives of war. However, they would not be designated Lo-Ammi, not My people, as the northern kingdom would be designated. And most importantly, Yahweh would go with them into their Babylonian captivity.

In spite of this judgment, Yahweh refuses to abandon completely His people. He refuses to “eradicate their remembrance from mortals [men of renown] (Deut. 32:26b CV). His justice will not allow Him to forget or overlook the character, the condition, and the conduct of the enemy He used to execute judgment on Israel , lest the enemy say, “Our hand is high, . . . it was not Yahweh Who contrived all this” (Deut. 32:27b CV). Thus, Israel ’s judgment would be mitigated as a result of Yahweh’s elective mercy, compassion, and justice.

Though the northern kingdom ( Israel ) is accounted Lo-Ammi and not called Ammi (My people), until the revelation of the secret deposited with Paul, the southern kingdom ( Judah ) maintains its relationship with Yahweh, though devoid of the heart of its cultic worship and service, the Temple. Due to this unique circumstance, Israel adapts itself to living in covenant relationship with Yahweh by developing a practical religion as strangers in a strange land—Judaism.

During the Babylonian captivity, Israel is stripped of her idolatrous propensity. When Yahweh sees the power of her hand has departed (Deut. 32:36), He prepares to return her to her own land. Israel had provoked Yahweh’s anger by the work of her hands in making idols and thus worshiping and serving other elohim. She had placed her confidence in false and foreign gods (Deut. 31:29).

In Babylon, the nation had come to understand the powerlessness of these gods. The power of her hand to make idols had departed, because she no longer placed her confidence in these impotent gods. These elohim had been proven to be lifeless rocks (32:37-38). Israel ’s humiliation had turned her back to the living Rock—Yahweh Elohim. When He had seen the genuine repentance of the nation, He began to “adjudicate His people” (Deut. 32:36a CV) and “show Himself merciful over His servants” (32:36b CV). The southern Davidic Kingdom, under Ezra and Nehemiah, is restored. Jerusalem is reconstructed and inhabited by the people of the covenant. The Temple is rebuilt and cultic worship and service are restored.

The song of Yahweh is nearing its conclusion. Yahweh’s voice is raised in triumph, “I, I am He, And there is no other Elohim besides Me” (Deut. 32:39a CV). He alone puts to death and He alone keeps alive. Metaphorically, Israel had been covenantally put to death, necessitating the development of Judaism, and had been covenantally raised to life, leading to her return to the land of the covenant. “I am the life for the eon ,” Yahweh roars (32:40b CV). Israel is not to forget this covenantal reality. She would never again worship and serve idols representing impotent, foreign gods. The next time she would hear the roar of these (Page 205)words (“I am the life for the eon”) would be when the word of Yahweh would become flesh and tabernacle among them (Jn. 1:14 CV) and proclaim, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one is coming to the Father except through Me” (Jn. 14:6 CV my emphasis).

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The Powerful Torah

Moses had made it clear to the people that the Torah is accessible. It is what Yahweh has revealed, and it is meant to be kept. The people are capable of obeying Yahweh’s Law and are being held responsible for its being kept. They are without excuse if they fail to obey Yahweh’s voice (Deut. 30:11-20). Now Moses makes it clear to the people that the Torah is also powerful. He declares that all the words of Yahweh’s Law are not an empty word for them. These words are Yahweh’s word of life. These words release and impart the life of the covenant when obeyed. Within the capsules of these words is the word, the energy of covenantal life. Moses states, concerning the power of this word, “it means your life, and by this word you may prolong your days on the ground where you are crossing over the Jordan to tenant it” (Deut. 32:47b CV). Therefore, he encourages Israel to “Set your heart on all the words which I am testifying among you today, so that you may enjoin them on your sons to observe to obey all the words of this law” (Deut. 32:46 CV). Yahweh’s Law is the word of life.

This is what the writer of the Gospel of John alludes to in verses 1-5 of chapter 1:

In a beginning [covenant at Sinai] was the word [the word of covenantal life spoken from the heights of Mount Sinai by the voice of Yahweh], and this word was toward God [it reflected Yahweh’s character, Yahweh’s will], and God [Yahweh] was the word [it revealed Yahweh to His people]. This [word of covenantal life] was in this beginning toward God. All [neuter plural] the words of this word [the Ten Words, the statutes and judgments] came into being [were generated, spoken, revealed] through it [the word, the law], and apart from it [the word of the law, the word of covenantal life] not even one word came into being [was generated, spoken, revealed] which has come into being [which has been generated, spoken, revealed]. In it [the word, the law] was life [covenantal life] and this life was the light of the men [all Israelites, members of the covenantal community]. And this light is appearing in the darkness, and the darkness grasped [overcame] it not. (John 1:1-5 my translation)

The word of the Mosaic Law is Yahweh’s word of covenantal life. This word, this life, is the light of the nation Israel which it is to reflect upon the nations. The light continues to shine even when Israel , because of disobedience, does not reflect it in her behavior.

When John the Baptist and Jesus arrive and manifest themselves to Israel, the light of Yahweh’s Law is shining, even though the nation is sitting in darkness: “The people sitting in darkness perceived a great light, And to those sitting in the province and shadow of death, light arises for them” (Matt. 4:16 CV, quoting Isa. 9:1-2). John the Baptist redirects this people, sitting in the darkness and death of their disobedience, to the Law of Moses, Yahweh’s word of life. The light is shining. The people cannot see this light because they are sitting in the shadow of darkness cast by The Adversary who has seduced the shepherds into distorting the law of covenantal life into the lie of covenantal death. Jesus is the word become flesh, the light manifesting perfectly the essence of the Law of the Mosaic Covenant and soon to be the light manifesting perfectly the essence of Yahweh revealed in the New Covenant releasing and imparting immortal life.

Israel , after the Babylonian captivity, never again worships and serves foreign elohim. However, the nation did become blind in its obstinate commitment to political and religious activity which placed its confidence in man rather than Yahweh. The law became an instrument by which the leaders enslaved and disenfranchised the poor and needy. Thus, the words of the law no longer released and implanted covenantal life. The word of covenantal life was no longer being observed. The corrupt and distorted covenantal word of the chief priests, scribes, and Pharisees was an empty word. It was a word of death.

John the Baptist, whose name in Hebrew means Yahweh is gracious, is commissioned by Yahweh to redirect the nation to the legitimate Law of Yahweh, giving John the authority to restore the repentant ones to their covenantal rights and obligations as children of Yahweh: “There came to be a man commissioned by God, his name was John . . . to his own he came, and those who are his own accepted him not. Yet whoever obtained him, to them he gave the right to be making themselves children of God, to the ones believing into his name . . .” (Jn. 1:6-12 my translation). The name into which one is to believe in order to be restored to the life of the covenant is John, meaning Yahweh is gracious. This name was given to him by Yahweh Who instructed his father to name him John.

Such is the importance and significance of the ministry of John. He is to return the people to the light of the Mosaic Law in order that they might be prepared for the arrival of the Messiah, the anointed (Page 206)Son of David, who would begin to build David a new house promised by Yahweh to David in 2 Samuel 7:10-17. John is to encourage the people, as Moses is presently doing in Moab just before his death, to set their hearts on all the words of Yahweh’s Law of life (Deut. 32:46-47). John is to restore the people to their proper, living relationship to Yahweh their Elohim in order that they might be properly prepared to receive and follow the coming Messiah.

Jesus the Messiah, like John the Baptist, has the authority and the power to resurrect the covenantally dead Israelites to covenantal life. This is the meaning of His declarations in John, chapter 5: “I am saying to you that he who is hearing My word and believing Him Who sends Me, has life eonian and is not coming into judging, but has proceeded out of death into life. Verily, verily, I am saying to you that coming is an hour, and now is, when the dead shall be hearing the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear shall be living. For even as the Father has life in Himself, thus to the Son also He gives to have life in Himself” (Jn. 5:24-26 CV). Jesus is speaking in the present tense. Those hearing His words and believing Yahweh Who sends Him have at that very moment “life eonian,” that is, the covenantal life of the Mosaic Covenant. Those remaining faithful to the words of Jesus to the end are escaping the impending judgment of Yahweh already proclaimed by John the Baptist. Those hearing the words of Jesus are covenantally dead, but, upon hearing and believing these words, then and there, proceed out of covenantal death into covenantal life.

Jesus cannot be referring here to the New Covenant He will establish after His death and resurrection. He can only be referring to the Mosaic Covenant. This is the context in which His words must be understood. “I am the Resurrection and the Life” is spoken in the present tense (Jn. 11:25). Lazarus is dead. Jesus tells Martha her brother will be rising. She answers that she is aware that her brother will be rising in the resurrection in the last day. To this He responds, “I am the Resurrection and the Life.” He is presently the resurrection and the life. He is presently raising the covenantally dead to covenantal life. He physically raises Lazarus from the dead in order to establish His present authority and power to raise the covenantally dead to covenantal life. Lazarus is not raised from the dead to immortal life. The life restored to him is his present mortal life.

In John 8:12 Jesus declares, “I am the Light of the world. He who is following Me should under no circumstances be walking in darkness, but will be having the light of life” (CV). He is here proclaiming Himself the light of the world-order of Israel established at Sinai when the nation entered into a covenantal relationship with Yahweh. Jesus is not referring to the whole world of humans. The word cosmos in Greek means order, system. In this present context, Jesus is speaking of the order or system of the Mosaic Covenant.

The light of this world had always been intended to be reflected upon all nations. Israel as the seed of Abraham is the instrument through which Yahweh has intended to accomplish this. Jesus is “the” seed of Abraham. This light, after His resurrection, will be directed into the world of the nations.

Those then presently following Jesus are no longer walking in the darkness of disobedient Israel , but are presently walking in the light of the life of the Mosaic Covenant. Thus, the metaphor light is equivalent to the metaphor life. Both metaphors convey information about the Mosaic Covenant. Until the Mosaic Covenant reaches its consummation, it means life to Israel ; it is the light which enables the nation to walk along Yahweh’s path of the righteousness of Yahweh’s Law.

The word of Jesus to His contemporaries is covenantal life. The covenantally dead, hearing and believing the voice of Jesus the Son of Yahweh, are at that moment, that hour resurrected to covenantal life, even as the nation had been brought to covenantal life at Sinai by the hearing of the voice of Yahweh. The Father has given the Son authority and power to raise the covenantally dead to covenantal life, preparing these people to go through the death of Jesus the Son into the resurrection life of the New Covenant. In this is the hope of Israel . In this is the metamorphosis of Yahweh’s people into a spiritual nation consisting of individuals not only enabled to keep Yahweh’s Law, but who also will obey His voice, His law to the end with all the heart, with all the soul, with all the mind.

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The Farewell Blessing of Moses

Moses knows his death is near. It is time to bless the sons of Israel , even as Jacob blessed his sons just prior to his death. The specific blessings to each of the tribes are not important to the present theme being traced through the Hebrew Scriptures. What is significant is to be found in the introductory and closing verses.

In verses 1-5 of Deuteronomy, chapter 33, Moses reviews the significant events of Israel ’s recent history, beginning with Yahweh’s journey from Mount Sinai and Mount Paran to Egypt and concluding (Page 207)with Yahweh’s inauguration as King over Israel in Moab . Moses first poetically describes Yahweh’s redemptive activity in Egypt . Yahweh is described as coming from Sinai, arising from Seir ( Edom ) on behalf of the sons of Israel in Egypt . Thus, Yahweh is Israel ’s benefactor. He arises from Seir, His glory shining from Mount Paran to Egypt . He arrives in Egypt as Israel ’s kinsmen redeemer. He is not alone. With Him are a multitude of celestial holy ones. At His right hand is a fiery edict. This edict alludes to Exodus 6:6, “I am Yahweh . . . I will bring you forth from beneath the burdens of the Egyptians,” . . . and Exodus 7:16, “dismiss My people” (CV). The demand of this fiery edict is secured by a demonstration of Yahweh’s power over Egypt and her gods by the manifestation of plagues produced by the army of celestial holy ones, celestial warriors. As a result, Israel is redeemed out of Egyptian bondage.

Moses next describes poetically Yahweh’s covenantal activity at Mount Sinai. He first declares Yahweh’s motive in redeeming Israel . Yahweh “is cherishing peoples” (Deut. 33:3a my translation, see also Gen. 28:3, 35:11, 48:4). He is concerned with the welfare of the nations. Israel is chosen as His instrument through which He will bless the nations.

Israel is thus the first beneficiary of Yahweh’s love, mercy, and compassion,

All the holy ones [saints]

                are in Your hand

And they

                are huddled at Your feet.

Each

                obtains something

                from Your words

                About the law Moses enjoined on us, . . .

                The tenancy [heritage] of the assembly of Jacob.

(Deuteronomy 33:3-4 CV)

The “holy ones” in this context are the sons of Israel who now belong to Yahweh as a result of His redemptive activity on their behalf. They are metaphorically described as being in Yahweh’s hand, the very hand that has redeemed them. At Sinai, they are “huddled” at Yahweh’s feet in covenantal subjection, in covenantal worship and adoration. At the hearing of the voice of Yahweh speaking the Ten Words, each member of the nation “obtains something.” Each obtains covenantal life from the words of Yahweh’s Torah, His law later mediated by Moses. Thus, the “holy ones” are the sons of Israel , “the assembly of Jacob.”

Finally, Moses recounts the inaugural activity of Yahweh in Moab : “So He became King in Yeshurun” (Deut. 33:5a CV). Yahweh’s inauguration as King of Israel had taken place in the renewal of the covenant on the plains of Moab recorded in Deuteronomy 29:1-15. Here Moses refers to this inaugural renewing of the covenant as “When the heads of the people gathered themselves together with the tribes of Israel (Deut. 33:5b CV).

The name “Yeshurun,” referring to Israel , is used because it is a term conveying endearment. Israel is drawn endearingly close to Yahweh because He cherishes the peoples (Deut. 33:3a). Through this seed of Abraham, the peoples (the nations) will be blessed. Note the poetic parallelism of verses 2b-5: “Yahweh came from Sinai, And He arose from Seir” is equated with “He shone from Mount Paran, And He arrived with some from myriads of the holy ones. At His right hand a fiery edict [ Heb. MT],” which in turn is equated with “Indeed, he is cherishing peoples” (Deut. 33:3a CV modified), which finally is equated with “So He became King in Yeshurun” (Deut. 33:5a CV).

Yahweh has not forsaken the peoples, the nations. In His election of Israel is revealed His loving remembrance of the nations. Israel is separated to Yahweh as an elect nation on behalf of the non-elect nations. However, Israel as a Cainish nation, possessing a rebellious heart, was to continually exalt himself at the expense of his brother nations. But the members of the faithful remnant of Abelites were to continually take to heart the humbling instrumentality and serious responsibility of their election.

In the concluding verses of the farewell blessing given by Moses (Deut. 33:26-29), he relates the connection between Yahweh’s inauguration to kingship and His exaltation to augustness. Using poetic metaphor, Moses boasts,

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There is none like the El of Yeshurun:

Riding the heavens as your helper

And in His augustness, the skies,

The habitation of Elohim aforetime. (Deuteronomy 33:26-27a CV)

Yahweh had ruled over the race as the one riding the clouds of the skies. Since His inauguration as King in Yeshurun, He is the Supreme El over the appointed Els of the nations. There is none like Him. The augustness of His majestic grandeur is incomparable, unparalleled, unmatched, and peerless in contrast to His appointed Els given authorization to supervise over the nations.

As the august El of Yeshurun, He rides the “heavens” as Israel ’s “helper,” rather than the “skies.” The metaphoric “heavens” conveys greatness, exaltation, superiority in contrast to the metaphoric “skies” conveying ordinariness, common place, humiliation, inferiority. In the past, “aforetime,” the habitation of the august Elohim was the “skies.” He had a distant relationship, a more ordinary, more impersonal relationship with the race (the nations representing humanity). Now, as August El of Yeshurun, He has a close, extraordinary, personal relationship with this elect, holy nation drawn near to His heavenly augustness. He reveals Himself as He had very rarely revealed Himself in the past. He imparts to this people alone His statutes and judgments. He dwells in their midst only, as He had dwelt in the midst of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden.

As this elect, holy nation prepares to enter the land of promise, Moses poetically describes the arms of the El of Yeshurun as spread out underneath the nation as she spreads her new-born wings for flight against the enemy (Deut. 33:27 CV). The implied imagery describes Yahweh as a mother eagle spreading out her wings below the initial flight of her young one, protecting her young one from possible catastrophic accidents due to navigational inexperience. These spread-out protective arms are defined as “eonian,” indicating that such protective activity on the part of Yahweh would continue to be available through the entire duration of the Mosaic Eon .

Yahweh “shall drive out the enemy from your presence” (Deut. 33:27b CV). He orders Israel to exterminate the enemy. As Yahweh is august, so His people are august. If the nation obeys Yahweh, it will “tabernacle in trust” (Deut. 33:28 CV). She will remain august as long as she trusts the augustness of her King. She will tabernacle, dwell in safety only as she trusts the augustness, the superiority, the faithfulness of Yahweh her King.

Moses joyously exclaims, “Happy are you Israel ! Who is like you?” (Deut. 33:29a CV). What other nation has been saved by Yahweh? What other people can claim Yahweh as their shield, their sword? As long as Israel follows obediently her King Who leads into battle, sword in hand, Israel shall be victorious over her enemies. She shall remain supreme, august, metaphorically dwelling in the heavens at the feet of her El and King, reigning over the nations metaphorically dwelling on the earth beneath the feet of this majestic, wise, and intelligent nation which reflects the august majesty of Yahweh her Elohim, her King. What an honor! What a privilege! What august glory!

As Israel defeats her enemies militarily, she shall also defeat her enemies religiously. Though her enemies shall pretend to submit to her, she shall not be deceived. Moses confidently declares, “Yet you, you shall tread on their fane heights” (Deut. 33:29b CV). Israel will destroy the enemy’s cultic objects, places, and gods. She shall humiliate the cultic worship system of the enemy. She shall humiliate the impotent gods of her enemy in the name of her Supreme, August, Living, Potent El. As Yahweh Elohim, King of Yeshurun, is exalted and magnified, so also is Israel exalted and magnified.

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The Covenantal Graduation of Israel and the Epitaph Concerning Moses

Israel has now been instructed and informed concerning her identity, her purpose, her destiny. She has been informed about “the former days” (Deut. 4:32 CV). She has been made aware of the significance of Yahweh’s activity on her behalf while in Egypt . She is aware of her destiny and her responsibility. She has been given the knowledge of what is right in the eyes of Yahweh. Yahweh’s statutes and judgments have provided her with civil, social, economic, and religious structures necessary for abundant terrestrial life among the nations. The nation, encamped on the plains of Moab , having matriculated through her Mosaic education and having been pronounced by Moses a successful graduate, awaits the command of Yahweh to enter the land under the leadership of Joshua.

Moses is entombed by Yahweh in a ravine in the country of Moab . The place of his entombment remains unknown. His death is not due to old age: “Moses was a hundred and twenty years old at his(Page 209) death. Neither had his eye dimmed nor had his vitality fled” (Deut. 34:7 CV). He had been allowed to view the land of promise from the heights of Mount Nebo.

The record of Deuteronomy concludes with a literary epitaph concerning Moses,

No prophet arose again in Israel like Moses, whom Yahweh knew face to face; there was none like him in all the signs and the miracles which Yahweh sent him to do in the country of Egypt to Pharaoh, to all his servants and to all his country, and none like him in all the steadfast hand and in all the great and fear-inspiring deeds which Moses had done before the eyes of all Israel. (Deuteronomy 34:10-12 CV)

This would remain true until the coming of Jesus the Messiah. As Moses is entombed by Yahweh on behalf of Israel , so Jesus would be entombed by Yahweh on behalf of Israel . The tomb of Moses is unknown (Yahweh’s concealment); the tomb of Jesus is empty (Yahweh’s revelation). The entombment of Moses typifies the telos of the Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant; the entombment of Jesus typifies the death of the old covenant and the birth of the New Covenant.


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CHAPTER 7

ONE NATION UNDER YAHWEH: THE REJECTION OF YAHWEH AS KING

(JOSHUA—SOLOMON)


Joshua

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With the death of Moses, the command is given by Yahweh to cross over the Jordan River into the land He had promised to give to the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Joshua is told by Yahweh, “Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel” (Josh. 1:2 KJV). The authority and power of Joshua comes from Yahweh. As Yahweh had been with Moses, so He would be with Joshua, “There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee” (Josh. 1:5 KJV). This authority and power would not be challenged by any Israelite, as the authority and power of Moses had been challenged. Joshua will triumph over his enemies, but will experience no opposition to his authority and power from within the covenant community. Yahweh encourages him, “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success” (Josh. 1:8 KJV). Joshua would be faithful to the end:“As Yahweh commanded Moses His servant so Moses commanded Joshua, and so Joshua did, he set aside nothing of all that Yahweh commanded Moses” (Josh. 11:15 EB).

With the entrance of the people into the land, the record of the view from Mount Sinai is completed. The nation has been instructed as to the past out of which it had been generated and now has a knowledge concerning the significance of its own contemporary experience (in Egypt and in the wilderness) and its ultimate purpose. The record provided by the Book of Joshua is an interpretation of past events for the benefit of a generation of readers that came after the events described in this structured, theological account of the conquering of the land. This book does not provide a detailed account of all that occurred during this period. It consists of literary selections organized according to a literary purpose.

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The Primary Message

The primary message of the Book of Joshua concerns Yahweh’s faithful provision of both possession of and rest in the Land of Promise for the sons of Israel , as promised to the forefathers and Moses. To miss this message is to misunderstand the continuing historical purpose of the nation. The text records, “Joshua took all this land . . .” (11:16a EB); “So Joshua took the whole land according to all that Yahweh had spoken to Moses . . .” (11:23a EB); “And Yahweh gave them rest round about, according to all that he had sworn unto their fathers,─and there stood not a man before them of all their enemies, all their enemies did Yahweh deliver into their hand. There failed not a thing, out of all the good things, whereof Yahweh had spoken unto the house of Israel ,—the whole came to pass” (Josh. 21:44-45 EB). Prior to Joshua’s death, he testifies, “But lo! I am going to-day, in the way of all the earth,─ye must acknowledge, therefore with all your heart and with all your soul that there hath not failed a single thing out of all the good things which Yahweh your Elohim spake concerning you, the whole hath come to pass to you, there hath not failed thereof a single thing” (Josh. 23:14 EB). The nation possesses the land and is said to experience rest in the land. The promise to Abraham, concerning his seed becoming a nation and possessing the land Abraham would walk through but not possess is fulfilled.

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The Dethronement of the Powers

However, this does not mean Israel has driven out all her enemies in the land. For the text also states that the Jebusites could not be driven out (Josh. 15:63), the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh could not drive out the Canaanites but put them under tributary service (Josh. 16:10; 17:12). Yahweh had previously declared, “I shall not drive them out from before you in one year lest the land should become desolate, and the field animal be many against you. Little by little shall I drive them out from before you until you are fruitful and you are allotted the land” (Ex. 23:29-30 CV). This had been written in the Book of Deuteronomy: “Yahweh your Elohim will ease these nations out before your face, little by little. You (Page 212)shall not be able to finish them quickly, lest the land become a wilderness and the animals of the field multiply against you” ( 7:22 CV).

The initial conquest is sudden and overwhelming. The powers in the land are dethroned. The political, military, and religious aristocracies are denied dominance. The political, military, and religious systems of Israel hold sway over the land as a whole. The powers of the Canaanite nations, though dethroned, remain in existence. Thus, the enemy is not to be removed completely, since that would cause the wild beasts to multiply profusely and threaten human settlement. Rapid removal of the Canaanite inhabitants would result in a return to a primitive state of the dominance of nature, wild growth of trees and plants and overpopulation of animal life. Both posed a threat to Israelite occupation and settlement of the land.

When Israel crosses the Jordan into the land, the nation finds itself in opposition to numerous city-states ruled by kings in cooperation with a noble aristocracy. These elite people maintain their wealth and position by oppressing the members of the lower castes. Thus, the inhabitants of the land are not united. All are not satisfied with the condition of their lives. Many perceive the invading army as possible liberation from the tyranny of their kings and nobles. Canaan is, thus, in a state of social turmoil.

Added to this is the disastrous effect of Canaanite religion. Yahweh had waited to judge the social and religious structures of Canaan until these structures had produced iniquities, injustices, and moral depravity necessitating divine judgment (Gen. 15:16). The time had become ripe for the overthrow of the wicked powers of Canaanite society. Such powers would be replaced by Yahweh’s powers: High Priest, Aaronic Priesthood, Levitical Priesthood, judges, elders, and princes of the sons of Israel . All these powers are to be subjected to the statutes and judgments of Yahweh, all are to carry out that which is right in the eyes of Yahweh. This meant justice, mercy, and compassion to the weak as well as the strong, to the sojourner as well as the citizen, to the servant or slave as well as the master.

The occupation and settlement of this land by Israel meant liberation, freedom, security, and opportunity for the oppressed of the land. Many of the oppressed were victims of Canaanite religion. Those committed to this religious system would resist Israel . These were in the majority. But a minority perceived themselves as victims of this religious system. Such people eagerly awaited the deliverance which Israel would bring.

Israel’s dominance over the land of Canaan and its various institutions meant the rule of the One and Only Living Elohim, Yahweh our Elohim, instead of the many crude and capricious gods (elohim) of Canaan; it meant the unity of one nation, one people instead of a conglomeration of city-states ruled by various kings at times in competition with one another and at times in allegiance with one another when facing a common superior enemy. Israel represented a society based upon the idea of might for right in contrast to Canaanite society based upon the idea of might makes right. Israel ’s law was based upon the justice of Yahweh in contrast with Canaanite law which was based upon the capricious justice of privileged men seeking their own benefit and welfare, dishonorably justifying the oppression of others.

Israelite religion was free from the worship of astrological bodies and the myth and superstition connected with the gods of the Canaanites. Israelite religion was centered in the one Tabernacle of Yahweh in contrast to the multiple Canaanite places of worship which were spread throughout the land and which demanded human sacrifice in addition to animal sacrifice.

Israel ’s priesthood had no national allotment. It was not permitted secular occupation as a means of livelihood. The Aaronic and Levitical priesthoods were Yahweh’s allotment, and they shared in Yahweh’s sacrificial allotment (gifts, tithes, sacrifices) coming from the secular tribes. The Aaronic Priesthood represented the Supreme Court of the land. The Levitical Priesthood spread throughout the twelve tribes was responsible for administering education in the Law of Yahweh and administering Yahweh’s justice in the tribal territories throughout the land.

The Canaanite priesthood belonged to the aristocracy and was subservient to the king and powerful nobles. Its wealth and power were dependent upon the wealth and power of the king and nobles. These priests and priestesses were members of the elite society of oppressors. They sought the status quo, and thus opposed change. The Aaronic and Levitical priesthoods were responsible to bring about change whenever discovering unjust, illegal activities among the various institutions and classes within society. These priesthoods were directly responsible to Yahweh and His justice, mercy, and compassion. Their interest and welfare were based upon the interest and welfare of all the people. If the nation failed to provide for the priesthoods, it was failing to obey Yahweh. Such failure would be a sign of covenantal corruption. The actuality of such corruption would eventually lead to the rise of the prophets.

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Thus, when Israel enters the land, she attracts the discontented, oppressed, persecuted, enslaved, disenfranchised, and honorable just men and women of the land who assist Israel in the overthrow, the dethronement of the powers ruling the land. It should be understood that these powers reside in the cities and the suburbs of the city. They are, on the whole, urbanites, rather than ruralites. This is why the success of conquering the land is dependent upon the defeat and destruction of the city-states wherein lie the powers, the intricate, central web of organizational authority.

Yahweh had liberated Israel from the bondage and oppression of Egypt . Now He will extend that liberation to the honorable just men and women of Canaan who also have been enslaved and oppressed by an evil system of gods, kings, priests, and nobles. Such a person is described in the second chapter of Joshua. Rahab is discovered as anxiously awaiting her liberation as a result of Israel ’s triumphant defeat of the powers ruling in the city of Jericho. She has rejected the gods of Canaan and has placed her trust in the Elohim of Israel. She is ready to assist the people of this mighty Elohim Who is so different from the gods of Canaan.

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The Fulfillment of Possession and Rest

Immediately after the command to cross over the Jordan and just prior to the attack against Jericho, Joshua confronts the tribes of Ruben, Gad, and Half Manasseh. He reminds them of the “rest” that Yahweh has already accomplished for them on the east side of the Jordan . These tribes will cross over the Jordan and fight alongside their brothers until Yahweh has given “rest” to them also. Thus, as “rest” had already been provided the eastern tribes, so this is to assure the western tribes of the rest” to be accomplished on their behalf.

That “rest” is fulfilled during the days of Joshua is clearly evident when Joshua honorably dismisses the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Half Manasseh, “As for you, you have kept all that Moses the servant of Yahweh enjoined on you, and have hearkened to my voice in all that I enjoined on you. You have not forsaken your brothers these many days, until this day, and you have kept the charge of the instruction of Yahweh your Elohim. Now Yahweh has given rest to your brothers, just as He promised them. So now, turn around and go; . . . to the land of your holding . . .” (Josh. 22:2-4a CV). This occurs in the text immediately after the writer declares, “Thus Yahweh gave to Israel the entire land which He had sworn to give their fathers; and they took it over and dwelt in it. Yahweh gave rest to them round about, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers” (Josh. 21:43-44a CV). The text unequivocally states that Yahweh’s promise to Abraham concerning possession of the land and rest in the land had been completely fulfilled by the time Joshua and Eleazar the priest had surveyed the land, distributed the allotments designated for each tribe, and by the time each tribe had conquered and dwelt in a portion of its allotment. This is as Yahweh intended.

The task remaining to each tribe is the increasing occupation of its allotted territory. This is to test their faithfulness. As each tribe increases in population and wealth, it is to extend its occupation and power over its allotted territory and the Canaanite inhabitants remaining unconquered or free from tributary service. Faithful obedience to Yahweh’s voice, Yahweh’s oracles, Yahweh’s Ten Words, and His statutes and judgments would result in complete occupation and rule over the entire allotted land and people. Yahweh’s justice and peace would be extended to all inhabitants. The worship of foreign gods would be eliminated, thereby manifesting Yahweh’s glory and greatness.

Israel would then be honorably reflecting the light of Yahweh’s word upon all the nations round about them. This, however, is not to ideally come about until the last generation living during the course of the Mosaic Eon under the Mosaic Covenant. For Yahweh knows the bent of the nation’s heart. He knows its rebellious, stubborn, and stiffed-necked character. He knows it is a Cainish nation within which is an Abelite remnant of faithful ones. All the warnings and encouragements addressed to the nation will only be received and acted upon by the members of this faithful remnant continuing through each generation to the glory and vindication of Yahweh their Elohim.

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The Faith and Assistance of Rahab

Israel is given the task (a privilege) to possess the land. Yahweh is the owner of all land. He has given each nation its own designated portion. Thus, each nation tenants its given land and each is and remains responsible for its development, its cultivation. The people of the land also require social structure, the proper ordering of society. When such order becomes corrupt and destructive, Yahweh’s judgment (Page 214)becomes a threat. Thus, to possess, to tenant, to keep, to cultivate land and society includes the obligation to control and properly order society.

The nations in Canaan had failed to perform their responsibility. Yahweh’s threatened judgment now becomes a reality. Israel is sent to dispossess, take control of the land in order to set up an order designed by Yahweh. Canaanite society had become corrupt and wicked. Thus, Israel is to bring about a change in the power structure of society in the land of Canaan.

This did not call for the wiping out of entire populations. It did necessitate the destruction of the corrupt and wicked rulers and the infrastructure of their power used to implement injustice and moral depravity. This meant dethroning these powers and those populations contributing to and supporting these powers and their organizational infrastructures.

Israel is to possess the nations inhabiting Canaan by implementing a new social order which transforms the population by instituting Yahweh’s Law (Torah), instructions, and justice. All inhabitants are to equally come under the rights and responsibilities of Yahweh’s covenant relationship with Israel .

This did not require the non-Israelite to become a member of the covenantal people. It did require their obedience to Yahweh’s laws pertaining to them. This meant the prohibition of the worship and service of other elohim. Such ignorant worship and service is based upon myth, superstition, and a disqualified, distorted mind. The nations in Canaan are to be delivered, liberated from such false and destructive illusions.

When Israel implements this stewardship over the land, she receives rest, security from internal disruption or external attack. This “rest” becomes a reality during the lifetime of Joshua, Eleazar, and all the elders who served under the leadership of Joshua and Eleazar. This does not imply that Israel at this time conquered every part of the territory allotted to each tribe. It does mean Israel broke, destroyed the infrastructure of power and the rulers wielding this power. Israel became the dominant cultural and religious power in the land. She organized a new infrastructure of power, setting up a new social and religious order. Her task from this point in time would be to extend and increase that infrastructure of power. This would incorporate the effective operation of the new social and religious order into all the territories allotted to the tribes by Yahweh and all the populations inhabiting the territories.

With this task firmly in mind, Joshua sends two men to secretly explore Jericho and its surrounding suburbs. These men, seeking to remain unobtrusive, find lodging in the house of a harlot named Rahab. Here is a member of Canaanite society living at the circumference of social life. She has learned to play the game by the rules of the power-elite. By this means, she maintains a relatively acceptable place in society and an economic means for providing an acceptable living.

But Rahab perceives herself as oppressed. She seeks liberation from the Canaanite power structure. She comes to the assistance of these two Israelites when the king of Jericho learns of their presence. She hides them and then confesses, “I know that Yahweh has given the land to you and that the dread of you has fallen on us, and that all the dwellers of the area are dissolved because of your presence; for we have heard how Yahweh dried up the waters of the Sea of Weeds before your face when you came forth from Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorite who were in Transjordan, to Sihon and to Og, whom you doomed. When we heard, our heart was melted, and no more spirit arose in anyone because of your presence, for Yahweh your Elohim, He is Elohim in the heavens above and on the earth beneath” (Josh. 2:9-11 CV). Here is the confession of some inhabitants of Canaan, but not all. These, Yahweh will liberate.

This woman represents a discontent portion of Canaanite society. These people have become disillusioned with the gods of Canaan. Thus, she is not alone in her disillusionment. She seeks the preservation, the deliverance, the liberation of her father’s house and all those associated with that house. Since she has shown these Israelites kindness, she seeks kindness in return, a reliable sign that Israel will “rescue our souls from death [social death as well as physical death] (Josh. 2:13 CV).

The two men take an oath agreeing to her request: “Our souls are to die instead of you and yours! If you do not tell of this matter of ours, then it will come to be, when Yahweh gives this land to us, that we will deal with you in kindness and truth” (Josh. 2:14 CV modified). Israel will show her entire family, not only kindness, but also, more importantly, Israel will deal with them in accord with the truth of Yahweh’s Law.

The requirement is that Rahab and her family remain faithful to the cause of Yahweh against Jericho and its aristocratic power-elite as well as those supporting this system with mind and heart. The new order is to be based upon Yahweh’s truth. Rahab and her family are assured her request on the basis of her faith in Yahweh, the Elohim of Israel, Who is the Elohim of truth and justice. Yahweh is not capricious (Page 215)like the gods of Canaan. He gives His word and keeps His word. He is interested in the welfare of all those committed to truth, honor, and justice. He calls upon every individual to act as his brother’s keeper.

Instead of giving Rahab a sign of assurance, the men command that she provide Israel a sign by which Yahweh’s army will be enabled to keep Yahweh’s oath. This she agrees to do. The sign is agreed upon and during the destruction of the city the sign is recognized and the oath kept. Rahab and her family are liberated. Yahweh deals with such inhabitants of Canaan in kindness and truth.

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The Transgression of Achan

As Yahweh is a merciful Elohim, He is also a just Elohim. Rahab and her family are shown mercy on the basis of faithfulness to Yahweh’s cause. Achan and his family are confronted with the anger of Yahweh’s justness. In the victorious battle against Jericho, Achan had taken for himself from the spoils consecrated to Yahweh. It had been declared, “keep yourselves from the accursed [devoted] thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse [accursed], and trouble it” (Josh. 6:18 KJV).

In the battle against Ai, Israel is chased by the warriors of Ai. Joshua is stunned! He concludes Yahweh has failed Israel . In despair, he goes before Yahweh Who rebukes him, “Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed [devoted] thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff. Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, . . . because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you” (Josh. 7:10-12 KJV). Achan’s transgression is accounted as Israel ’s transgression. The sin of the one man has affected the nation as a whole. Both Achan and the nation are held accountable. His transgression has made the entire camp of Israel accursed. His individual act has troubled the entire people. Israel ’s warriors had been humiliated in battle; Yahweh’s honor shamed.

Yahweh orders the use of the holy lot by which He would designate the guilty party. He informs Joshua, “he that is taken with the accursed thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath: because he hath transgressed the covenant of the Lord[Yahweh], and because he hath wrought folly in Israel (Josh. 7:15 KJV). Each individual Israelite can contribute to the destruction of the corporate whole. The nation is held accountable for the acts of its members. Therefore, it behooves the nation to be alert to any individual activity which transgresses Yahweh’s covenant. The nation will be as strong as its weakest link. The institutions of justice throughout the nation are responsible for acquitting the innocent and indicting the guilty, swiftly executing just judgment against such threats to the welfare of the nation.

Achan is revealed to be the guilty party. He had buried the holy loot in the midst of his tent. He had transgressed the tenth word (commandment) of Yahweh’s covenant, “Thou shall not covet.” The text records, “And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the Lord[Yahweh] shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones” (Josh. 7:25 KJV). Achan is stoned to death and then burned. The “them” also stoned to death and burned included Achan’s sons, daughters, oxen, asses, and sheep (Josh. 7:24). His tent and “all that he had” are also burned with fire. To be a member of the covenant community has great advantages as well as great responsibility and accountability. Achan’s irresponsible act brings death upon his children and animals. Covenant loyalty is first and foremost to Yahweh, and then to the community. The individual is responsible to report any transgression or injustice that will bring down Yahweh’s judgment upon the nation. In Achan’s case, the nation has eradicated the evil from its midst. Ai is, then, again attacked, but this time is defeated handily. In obedience to Yahweh’s laws of battle (Deut. 20:11-18), “Joshua drew not his hand back, wherewith he stretched out the spear, until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai” (Josh. 8:26 KJV).

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The Ingenuity of the Gibeonites

While Israel is encamped in Gilgal, a coalition of kings ruling over city-states in the southern portion of the land of Canaan gathers together to fight against Joshua and Israel. However, the Gibeonites, hearing of Joshua’s triumph over Jericho and Ai, refrain from joining this coalition. These people choose to act cunningly, craftily. Later, from the perspective of Israel , this cunning is understood negatively. But from the perspective of the Gibeonites, this cunning is a sign of their intelligence, ingenuity, wise counsel in resolving a difficult problem.

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For these people believe the report concerning the greatness of the Elohim of Israel. They had heard that Yahweh Elohim of Israel had commanded Moses to give the entire land of Canaan to Israel and to destroy all the inhabitants. This, they believe, Yahweh will do.

Yahweh had instructed Israel through Moses to offer peace to those cities at a great distance from them, but to destroy completely the inhabitants of those cities nearby (Deut. 20:10-18), those cities within the territory allotted to the twelve tribes. The Gibeonites devise a scheme whereby they appear to be from a city at a great distance from Israel ’s allotment. The princes of Israel accept their word without consulting Yahweh their King. Israel thus enters into a covenant with the Gibeonites, finding out three days later that these people are their neighbors.

Israel is, however, bound by oath to the Gibeonites. Joshua declares, “Wherefore have ye beguiled us . . .? Now therefore ye are cursed, . . .” (Josh. 9:22-23a KJV). From Israel ’s perspective, the cunning of the Gibeonites is evil. They had deceived Israel . But such cunning results in life and liberation for the Gibeonites. Joshua curses them to become bondmen, hewers of wood, and drawers of water for the house of Yahweh. What to Joshua represents curse, to the Gibeonites represents blessing.

This is analogous to Saul’s judgment upon David’s “cunning” (1 Sam. 23:22 NASB). Saul perceives it as evil while Yahweh perceives it as good. In the case of the Gibeonites, Yahweh uses the disobedience of Israel ’s princes in neglecting to consult Him in order to bless the faith of the Gibeonites, thereby using the evil flaw of the princes in order to sovereignly initiate an exception to the rule of the applicable law, bringing good out of evil. For the Gibeonites are content to eat from the crumbs falling from Israel ’s table, thus acknowledging Israel ’s supremacy over them. The Gibeonites answer Joshua, “It had been told, yea told to your servants how Yahweh your Elohim had instructed Moses His servant, to give to you the entire land and to exterminate all the dwellers of the land from before you. So we feared exceedingly for our souls in view of you and did this thing. And now behold, we are in your hand. Do as it is good and upright in your eyes to do to us” (Josh. 9:24-25 CV).

The Gibeonite power-elite are wise enough to understand it is better to be cursed and come under what is good and upright in the eyes of Yahweh’s people than to come under the judgment of total destruction demanded by the war ban. This indicates they believe it is futile to attempt to wage war against Israel , Yahweh’s people. The account concludes, “On that day Joshua made them wood choppers and water bailers for the congregation and for the altar of Yahweh until this day, to serve the place which He [Yahweh] would choose” (Josh. 9:27 CV). This will become significant in relation to Israel ’s future failure to properly maintain, secure, and worship Yahweh at the Tabernacle built by Moses and at the place designated by Yahweh for the Tabernacle. The last place in which the Tabernacle is set up is Gibeon (1 Chr. 21:29; 2 Chr. 1:3).

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The Southern Campaign of Joshua and Israel

After hearing that the Gibeonites had made peace with Israel , the coalition of southern kings gathering together to wage war against Israel turns its attention to the Gibeonites. The stated reason is “they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty” (Josh. 10:2 KJV). The five kings of the Amorites, therefore, decide to first wage war against Gibeon. This strategy assumes Israel will not interfere, since the warring parties are all inhabitants of the land. To first defeat the Gibeonites is essential in order to avoid the Gibeonites joining forces with the Israelites.

The Gibeonites, now servants of Joshua and Israel , petition Joshua to come to their rescue, invoking their covenantal rights. Israel , under Joshua’s command, surprise the Amorite kings, destroying them on the battlefield at Gibeon and hunting them down on the chase.

Joshua’s southern campaign continues as he moves south to destroy Makkedah. He then proceeds to destroy Libnah, Lachish, Eglon, Hebron, and Debir. All these cities, together with their kings and surrounding villages, Joshua and Israel destroy. The text sums up this triumphant campaign as follows: “Thus Joshua smote the whole area, the hill country, the Neger, the low foothills, the slopes and all their kings; he let no survivor remain. He doomed all who had breath, just as Yahweh Elohim of Israel had given instructions. Joshua smote them from Kadesh-Barnea as far as Gaza, all the area of Goshen as far as Gibeon. Joshua seized all these kings and their land at one time; for Yahweh Elohim of Israel was fighting for Israel . Then Joshua and all Israel with him returned to the camp at Gilgal” (Josh. 10:40-43 CV).

Joshua destroys all their cities and their kings, leaving not one soul alive. He also captures, takes control of, the surrounding unwalled villages. He does not destroy the villages, nor does he kill all the (Page 217)inhabitants. The central city-state is to be completely burned and all the residents killed. This destroys, dethrones the power-elite (king and aristocratic nobles) and completely wipes out its military force.

However, it must be noted that some of this territory is regained by the Anakites left residing in the villages of the Philistines (Josh. 11:21-22). Later, Caleb, after Judah receives its allotment, drives out the three sons of Anak from Debir (Josh. 15:14-15) which had been conquered and destroyed by Joshua in his southern campaign. Thus, during the coming northern campaign, some of the conquered cities are rebuilt and reinhabited by the inhabitants of the land and, so, need to be reconquered by the tribes allotted these cities. But the power-elite and its military arm have been sufficiently depleted so as to eliminate them as competitors with Israel for control of the land. The southern campaign of Joshua establishes Israel ’s enthronement over this territory.

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The Northern Campaign of Joshua and Israel

When Jabin king of Hazor, a northern city within the allotment of the tribe of Naphtali, hears of Israel ’s victories in the south, he organizes a coalition of kings in the north. Their numbers are “as the sand that is upon the seashore in multitude, with horses and chariots very many” (Josh. 11:4b KJV). They gather together at the waters of Merom to fight against Israel . Again, Joshua attacks suddenly, surprising the enemy forces. The northern coalition is defeated as mightily as had been the southern coalition: “Then Yahweh delivered them into the hand of Israel , and they smote them. They pursued them as far as Great Sidon and Misrephoth-maim and as far as the valley of Mizpeh eastward. They smote them until no survivor at all remained for them. Joshua did to them just as Yahweh had told him; he hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots with fire” (Josh. 11:8-9 CV).

Joshua then marches north to the city-state of Hazor which ruled over all the kingdoms of that territory. He completely destroys the city with fire and kills all the inhabitants. The remaining cities under the rule of Hazor are not destroyed by fire. Joshua smites these cities with the edge of the sword. He has already defeated their kings and warriors in battle.

Apparently, Joshua perceives no reason to burn the cities. The power-elite may have previously abandoned these cities having heard of the defeat of its warriors. Thus, the powers have already been destroyed, scattered, their infrastructure of implementation abolished. Joshua’s decision must be understood to be in accord with Yahweh’s will, since the text concludes, “As Yahweh commanded Moses his servant, so, Moses commanded Joshua, and, so, Joshua, did, he set aside nothing of all that Yahweh commanded Moses” (Josh. 11:15 EB). The text sums up this northern campaign as follows: “So Joshua took all this land—the hill country, and all the south, and all the land of Goshen, and the lowland, and the waste plain,—and the hill country of Israel, and the lowland thereof: from Mount Halak, that goeth up to Seir, even as far as Baal-gad, in the valley of the Lebanon, under Mount Hermon,—and, all their kings, he captured, and smote them, and put them to death” (Josh. 11:16-17 EB).

According to the text, “Joshua made war a long time with those kings” (Josh. 11:18 KJV). During this period of conquest, the only city to make peace with Israel is Gibeon. Yahweh had emboldened the hearts of all other cities (Josh. 11:20 EB). The iniquities of the Amorites had become full (Gen. 15:16). The time for showing favor is over. The time for executing judgment has arrived. They had hardened their hearts, and Yahweh no longer would give them time to melt their hearts and repent from their evil ways.

The exception is the people of Gibeon. For they had melted their own hearts, repented of their evil ways, and submitted themselves to the rule of Yahweh, Elohim of righteous Israel . According to the law of warfare in the land (Deut. 20:10-18), no city within the allotted land of promise is to be offered peace. The cunning of the Gibeonites avoids the willful breaking of this law by Israel . For Israel does not initiate an offer of peace. The Gibeonites deceptively initiate a request for peace.

The flaw, the weakness, the negligence, the self-assurance, the assumption of the princes of Israel is utilized by Yahweh to make an exception of the Gibeonites. Their importunity awakens His compassion. This very compassion shown to the Gibeonites stimulates the kings of the south to harden themselves even further against both the Gibeonites and Israel . This is an illustration of how Yahweh contributes to the fortification of the attitude or disposition (Josh. 11:20 CV) of the power-elite ruling in the land of Canaan. The Gibeonite power-elite are perceived by their neighboring power-elite kings as traitors, heating up their anger against Israel and Yahweh her Elohim.

During this same period of time, the biblical writer notes that Joshua destroys and drives out the Anakim, a physically tall and strong people occupying the mountain regions around Hebron, Debir, Anab, and the mountain regions of Judah and Israel . Yahweh had promised to destroy them (Deut. 9:1-3). These (Page 218)mighty men had filled the hearts of the ten spies with fear, causing them to give an evil report to Moses and the people, resulting in the 40-year wilderness wandering. The writer records, “There was none of the Anakims left in the land of the children of Israel : only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod, there remained” (Josh. 11:22 KJV). Thus, the Anakim are driven out, but those remaining retreat to the land of the Philistines. By the time Joshua and Eleazar allot Judah its allotment in the land, the Anakim have returned and are then driven out again by Caleb (Josh. 15:14). The inhabitants of the land had also rebuilt the city of Debir, and Othniel, the brother of Caleb, took it in battle. This time it is not burned, but becomes part of the allotment of the tribe of Judah .

The text then sums up and confirms the conquest of the whole land of promise under the leadership of Joshua:

So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that Yahweh had spoken unto Moses, and Joshua gave it for an inheritance unto Israel, according to their portions by their tribes,—and, the land, had rest from war. (Joshua 11:23 EB)

The promise to Abraham concerning the land is fulfilled. The faithfulness of each of the tribes of Israel will determine how much of each tribe’s allotment will be conquered, settled, and ruled. Their tenancy is determined by their faithfulness to Yahweh and His law. The covenantal lease is for the duration of the Mosaic Eon . Any tenancy beyond this period is to be based upon, not the Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant, but Yahweh’s covenant made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; Yahweh’s creation of the nation out of the soil of Egypt; Yahweh’s generation of the nation out of the womb of Egypt; Yahweh’s election of Jacob as His portion when distributing territorial allotments to the nations (Lev. 26:42; Deut. 32:7-10 CV). Yahweh’s promise to give all Israel rest (Deut. 3:20) is fulfilled. Joshua conquered the whole land and “the land rested from war.”

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The Allotment of the Land

Chapters 13-19, forming the central member of the literary structure of the book, provides an account of Yahweh’s allotment of the land after the land as a whole has been subdued before Israel . The time had arrived to assign each tribe its promised allotment: “When Joshua was old and was advanced in days, Yahweh said to him: You are old and are advanced in days, and very much of the land still remains for enjoying its tenancy. . . . And now apportion this land by allotment to the nine tribes and the half-tribe of Manasseh” (Josh. 13:1-7 CV). The tribe of Judah is the first to receive his allotment. As successful as Judah is in settling and controlling his allotted territory, the text records, “As for the Jebusites the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the children of Judah could not drive them out” (Josh. 15:63a KJV). Ephraim then receives his allotment. He successfully settles and rules his allotted territory but is not able to drive out the Canaanites dwelling in Gezer. These Canaanites continue to dwell among the Ephraimites, serving under tribute (Josh. 16:10). The third tribe to receive his allotment is West Manasseh. He settles in his allotment and dominates the territory, but the Canaanites continue to dwell within the land. The biblical writer, however, testifies that when the nation as a whole became strong, it put the Canaanites under tribute, “but did not utterly drive them out” (Josh. 17:13 KJV).

Before the distribution of allotments is completed, Yahweh instructs the sons of Israel to remove the camp from Gilgal and encamp at Shiloh. In Hebrew, Shiloh means rest, peace. The land has been conquered and is at rest. This qualifies Shiloh as a suitable resting-place for the Tabernacle of Yahweh which is now set up in Shiloh. The Tabernacle would remain at Shiloh until the time of Samuel when it would be abandoned by Yahweh (Ps. 78:60 CV), being robbed of its soul (the glory of Yahweh being departed) and becoming a mere shadow of a sanctuary.

Shiloh is also located in the center of the land. It had just been allotted to the tribe of Ephraim. Worship of Yahweh is now centrally located in the land. Gilgal had been the location of the Tabernacle and the encampment of the nation for the duration of the conquest. The conquest, now being completed, demands the withdrawal from Gilgal, associated with war and conquest of the land, and encampment at Shiloh, associated with rest, peace, possession of the land by the nation. From Shiloh the peoples of the tribes would enter into, occupy, settle, and, thus, take possession of their allotments in the conquered land.

The distribution of allotments continues and is completed in Shiloh. Of the remaining seven tribes, each receives his allotment as determined by Yahweh and distributed by Joshua and Eleazar the High Priest before Yahweh. Joshua is then assigned his allotment in the territory of Ephraim. The writer then concludes,

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Those are the allotments which Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the patriarchal heads of the stocks of the sons of Israel allotted by lot at Shiloh before Yahweh at the opening of the tent of appointment. So they finished apportioning the land. (Joshua 19:51 CV)

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Appointment of Cities of Refuge and Levitical Cities

The tribes now settled in their territories, the Tabernacle now set up for the worship and service of Yahweh in the Promised Land, Yahweh reminds Joshua of the need to appoint cities of refuge to protect from the avenger of blood the person accidentally killing a neighbor. The sons of Israel appoint six cities of refuge. On the west side of the Jordan , Kedesh in Naphtali, Schechem in Ephraim, and Hebron in Judah are chosen. On the east side of the Jordan , Beza in Reuben, Ramoth in Gad, and Golan in east Manasseh are chosen. It is vital that the land remain unpolluted from blood-guilt.

The welfare of the land and the people is dependent on the Aaronic Priesthood and the Levitical Priesthood. Religious education in the Torah and civil and economic justice are founded upon the holy service of these priests. The Levites must dwell in cities throughout the land. The tribe of Levi is not allotted a territory in the land. The Levites are Yahweh’s portion, Yahweh’s allotment. They are to remain as free as possible from conflict of interest. Thus, economically, the Levites seek not secular endeavors aimed at securing economic needs. They serve Yahweh by rendering service to the people. Their economic needs are provided by the sacrifices to Yahweh and the various tithes mandated upon the people by the law. If and when Yahweh is abandoned, the treatment of the Levites will usually reflect this abandonment. The Levites, therefore, need to be assigned cities in which to dwell throughout the land.

Now the patriarchal heads of the Levites came close to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua son of Nun, and to the patriarchal heads of the stocks of the sons of Israel . They spoke to them at Shiloh, in the land of Canaan, saying, Yahweh has given instructions by means of Moses to give to us cities to dwell in, along with their common pasture lands for our domestic beasts. (Joshua 21:1-2 CV)

The sons of Israel give to the Levites 48 cities within the possessions or holdings of the twelve tribes, including the surrounding common pastures for domestic animals (Josh. 21:41-42). Yahweh has fulfilled the word of His promise. He has led them in battle, destroying the enemy and giving the sons of Israel their land. The text sums up Yahweh’s faithfulness as follows:

Thus Yahweh gave to Israel the entire land which He had sworn to give to their fathers; and they took it over and dwelt in it. Yahweh gave rest to them round about, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers. And not one man of all their enemies withstood their presence: Yahweh delivered all their enemies into their hand. Not one thing fell out of all the good things that Yahweh had promised to the house of Israel . All came to pass. (Joshua 21:43-45 CV)

Though enemies remain in the land dwelling among the Israelites, not a single enemy is able to withstand or effectively challenge the rule, the power, the order, the law, the Elohim of Israel. Israel has been given supremacy over the nations. She is the head, they are the tail. Israels continued faithfulness to Yahweh will determine the further expansion, extension, occupation, settlement, rule of the land, territory by territory, allotment by allotment. As Yahweh blesses Israel with increased numbers making up her population, the tribes, clans, families will need to more completely inhabit their allotments. Yahweh had shown each tribe what territory each could expect to control under His Kingship.

However, each tribe is made aware of the fact that the full allotment is not a guaranteed gift. Implementation of Yahweh’s Law in all its details is mandatory for further occupation and control of the allotted territory of each tribe. Obedience to Yahweh’s voice in all matters and trust in Yahweh’s faithfulness and power to defeat the enemy in the land are a must. The whole of Yahweh’s Law must determine life in the land and among the tribes. The nation must always implement what is right in the eyes of Yahweh her King.

At the death of Joshua, there shall be no successor. Yahweh alone is King in Yeshurun. Israel is to be unique among the nations. She shall not have a king after the order (fashion, scheme) of the nations. Yahweh her Elohim is her King. His presence will be at their head against the enemy as the nation proceeds to increase and spreads out through Yahweh’s allotted land of tenancy.

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The Honorable Discharge

The confirmation of Yahweh’s faithfulness is now enhanced as the literary craftsman of the Book of Joshua relates the story of Joshua’s honorable discharge of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh from holy duty. These tribes had already received their allotment on the east side of the Jordan River. They had been given rest. They had crossed over the Jordan to contribute to the warfare necessary to conquer the allotments of the land promised to the remaining tribes. They had been promised an honorable discharge from this covenantal duty when Yahweh’s promise of rest for the remaining tribes was fulfilled.

That time had now arrived. Joshua calls the Reubenites, the Gadites, and East Manassehites. He declares,

As for you, you have kept all that Moses the servant of Yahweh enjoined on you, and have hearkened to my voice in all that I enjoined on you. You have not forsaken your brothers these many days, until this day, and you have kept the charge of the instruction of Yahweh your Elohim. Now Yahweh your Elohim has given rest to your brothers, just as He promised them. So now turn around and go; get yourselves to your tents, to the land of your holding that Moses the servant of Yahweh gave to you in Transjordan. (Joshua 22:2-4 CV)

Yahweh had now given the remaining tribes rest in the land. Conquest of the land had been achieved. The enemy had been placed beneath the feet of this exalted nation. These tribes had fulfilled their covenantal obligations to the nation. They had fought Yahweh’s wars on the west side of the Jordan River. They had fought alongside the warriors of Yahweh from among all the tribes of the sons of Israel . Thus, the nation is not considered to be a loose alliance among twelve independent tribes. The tribes are in essence one covenantally organic whole people. Each is an intricate member of the covenantal body of Yahweh. The people is one. The nation is one. Yahweh is the One Living Elohim of the one living nation having been given covenantal breath of life at Sinai.

Joshua then charges these tribes, “But observe meticulously to keep the instruction and the law that Moses the servant of Yahweh enjoined on you: to love Yahweh your Elohim and to walk in all His ways, to observe His instructions, to cling to Him and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul” (Josh. 22:5 CV). This charge is the obligation of all Israel . It is to be carried out from a heart loving Yahweh. It is not meant to be obeyed grudgingly, hesitantly, as though forced as a result of objective necessity due to one’s arm being twisted.

“Then Joshua blessed them and dismissed them, and they went to their tents” (Josh. 22:6 CV). These tribes return to their allotment fully understanding that there is One Elohim, one covenant, one nation, one people, one law, one love—the love of Yahweh designed to burn hot within the hearts of His covenantally living people. Such is the magnificent, awe-inspiring, gracious potential made accessible to this one people, to this singularly distinct nation of nations. Yahweh has exalted Israel . He has given this holy nation supremacy over the nations of the land of Canaan.

Continued faithfulness guarantees continued supremacy. Unfaithfulness will result in defeat, prostration at the feet of the nations, debasement, humiliation before Yahweh and the nations. Moses has already predicted such unfaithfulness and failure. This awe-inspiring potentially gracious gift will not be actualized by the nation until the coming of THE ONE like unto Moses (Deut. 18:18), “until Shiloh come” (Gen. 49:10 KJV).

Yet, through this unfaithful Cainish nation, Yahweh will contrive His intended purpose. Though Cain will continue to strive against Abel, Yahweh will reconcile the two through the transcendence of Good and Evil. Out of evil will come good and out of the good will come evil. That which is good in the eyes of Yahweh will generate evil, and that which is evil in the eyes of Yahweh will generate good. Out of death will come life; out of life will come death. Out of Cain will come Abel; out of Abel will come Cain. Out of Cain came the death of Abel; out of the death of Abel comes the life of Cain. Out of Cain will come the death of Jesus; out of the death of Jesus will come the life of Cain. Out of the failure of Israel will come the death of Jesus; out of the death of Jesus will come the life of Israel; out of the sin of Adam will come the death of Jesus; out of the death of Jesus will come the life of Adam; out of the sin of Adam will come the death of humanity; out of the righteous act of Jesus will come the life of humanity; out of the sin of Israel comes the death of the nation; out of the death of the nation will come the life of the nations; out of the failure of the nations comes the promises to Abram; out of the promises to Abram will come the blessing of the nations.

What was yet future for triumphant Israel under Joshua is present for us today. For the (Page 221)Law and the Prophets have been fulfilled, completed. We in the present are beneficiaries of the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. Yahweh the Elohim of the nations has been creatively contriving on behalf of the nations for over 2,000 years. Yahweh the Elohim of humanity is now in the process of creatively contriving to exalt humanity as a race to the higher dimension designed for him from the beginning.

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The Construction of a Memorial Altar

To stress once again the faithfulness of Yahweh and the faithfulness of Israel under Joshua, the text provides an account of trouble in the camp. The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh construct a towering altar on the border of the Jordan River. The tribes residing on the west side of the Jordan, hearing of this altar, become troubled, construing this altar as a sign of the worship and service of a foreign el. The whole congregation of the sons of Israel gathers at Shiloh in preparation for holy war. The only sanctioned altar of Yahweh is that at Shiloh located in the court of the one and only Tabernacle of Yahweh.

Before engaging too hastily in battle, the sons of Israel appoint Phinehas and ten princes of the western tribes of Israel to enquire concerning the meaning of this altar. Such arbitration of disputes is in accord with the Law of Yahweh. The eastern tribes are given an opportunity to explain their actions. The issue at stake is the breaking of the first and second words (commandments) of the Ten Words of covenantal life (Ex. 20:3-5). The unity of the nation and the purity of the worship and service of Yahweh are threatened. Phinehas reminds the eastern tribes that the nation as a whole is threatened with destruction as a result of rebellion by even one person or group.

The eastern tribes explain that the altar has been constructed as a memorial establishing the unity of the eastern and western tribes. The altar is to remind the present and future generations that the eastern tribes are one with the western tribes. The eastern tribes worship and serve only Yahweh Elohim of Israel. The altar constructed is a memorial, not an altar upon which to burn sacrifices. There is only one sacrificial altar in Israel, the altar associated with the holy Tabernacle of Yahweh: “Far be it from us that we should revolt against Yahweh to turn back today from following Yahweh to build an altar for ascent offerings, for approach presents and for sacrifices aside from the altar of Yahweh our Elohim that is before His Tabernacle” (Josh. 22:29 CV).

The eastern tribes desire to make clear their identification with the corporate entity of the nation Israel . These eastern tribes are members of the covenantally organic body of Yahweh. This testimony is a conclusive illustration of the faithfulness and unity of Israel as a twelve-tribe people of Yahweh—twelve tribes forming one corporate, covenantal body, entity, nation, people, under one life-giving law and the One Living Elohim. Such is the message conveyed by the inclusion of this incident in the literary content of the Book of Joshua.

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Joshua’s Final Exhortation to Israel

After many days since the conquering of the land, Joshua calls together all Israel (her elders, heads, judges, and clerks; Josh. 23:2 CV). He is old and nearing his death. He reminds them that he has allotted to each of the tribes the areas in which the nations still remain and those areas from which he, in battle, had evicted the nations. Concerning those nations still exerting power in the land, he assures them, “Yahweh your Elohim Himself shall thrust them from your face; He will evict them from before you, and you will tenant their land, just as Yahweh your Elohim promised you” (Josh. 23:5 CV), if they “observe and . . . do everything written in the scroll of the law of Moses” (Josh. 23:6a CV).

They are not to become entangled with the nations remaining in the land. They are not to worship and serve the gods of these nations. Within the areas of actual settlement, the nations had been defeated, evicted, and their places of worship destroyed. This must be Israel ’s continual policy. The people of Israel are to “cleave unto Yahweh your Elohim” (Josh. 23:8 KJV modified) and “love Yahweh your Elohim” (Deut. 30:16).

Intermarriage with the nations is prohibited. Mixture is contaminating to the holy. The holy must not be mixed with the unholy. If the people of Israel fail to remain faithful to Yahweh, “know, yea know, that Yahweh your Elohim shall not continue to evict these nations from before you. So they will become a snare to you and a trap, and a scourge against your sides, and pricks in your eyes until you perish off this good ground that Yahweh your Elohim has given you” (Josh. 23:13 CV). Further conquest, settlement, and supremacy are dependent on faithfulness to Yahweh’s Law and Yahweh’s voice. Yahweh’s Law must be implemented in all aspects of life. Justice must be practiced in all social, economic, political, and religious relationships. I am my brother’s keeper must be the attitude of all Israelites.

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Joshua reminds the representatives of the people that all Yahweh’s promises had been fulfilled: “not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the LORD your God [Yahweh your Elohim] spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof” (Josh. 23:14b KJV). As Yahweh is faithful in bringing good, He will be just as faithful in bringing evil. Yahweh is a jealous Elohim. The elohim of the Canaanites are jealous among themselves. They are not jealous of those who worship them. Yahweh is unique in that He is jealous in relation to His people. He will not share them with any other elohim. His anger will be directed at His people, not their foreign elohim. As He is loyal to His elect people, so He expects His elect people to be loyal to Him.

When they go after other elohim, Yahweh will, in love, faithfully bring upon them “all evil things” (Josh. 23:15 KJV) until they are removed from the land. Joshua does not use the word “if.” He intentionally uses the word “When” (Josh. 23:16). For Israel will turn to other elohim, and Israel will be removed from the land. Yahweh knows the bent of her heart. She has much to learn before her time of metamorphosis. She shall freely spin her cocoon of entombment before bursting forth from her coffin to new life.

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The Renewal of the Covenant

As Joshua’s death draws nearer, he assembles the representatives of all the twelve tribes of Israel at Shechem. It was at Shechem that Yahweh first appeared to Abram after his entrance into the land of Canaan. It is there that He promised to give Abram’s seed the land. Abram there built an altar to Yahweh and called on His name (Gen. 12:6-8). It was in Shechem that Jacob purified his house from the foreign elohim among them. There he gathered and buried all their idols under the oak (Terebinth) at Shechem (Gen. 35:1-4). Thus, Shechem had been consecrated by both Abram and Jacob as a sanctuary (a holy place) where Yahweh Elohim’s presence had been experienced, and they had called on His name. Here in Shechem, Joshua is to renew the covenant with Israel , preparing them to follow Yahweh alone after he has died. For there is to be no successor of Joshua.

In this holy place associated with the promise of the land and the burying of all idols, the sons of Israel station themselves before the One Elohim. Joshua reminds them that their fathers in a distant eon (age, eon of old) dwelt in an unenlightened culture among people worshiping and serving foreign elohim. Abram was called by Yahweh to remove himself from this contaminated culture and proceed to a land Yahweh would show him. The sons of Israel are Abraham’s seed, and they now possess the land into which Abram had been called by Yahweh.

Israel is an enlightened people. She has in her possession the light of Yahweh’s Law, His Ten Words, His statutes and judgments, and His instruction. She has been given access to His presence. She does not worship and serve a god of wood or stone, a capricious god acting capriciously among many other capricious gods. She does not worship and serve an illusion. She has seen with her own eyes the mighty activity of Yahweh Elohim on her behalf. She has heard with her own ears the sound, the words of His voice. It is this Living Elohim Who has given His people “a land for which ye did not labor, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; of the vineyards and oliveyards which ye planted not do ye eat” (Josh. 24:13 KJV). Yahweh has given Israel the cities which the Canaanites had built, the vineyards and olive trees which they had planted. The Canaanites have been evicted, leaving behind the possessions of their own diligent labor. Israel has moved in, taking possession of all this wealth left behind. Such is Yahweh’s love; such is Yahweh’s faithfulness; such is Yahweh’s gift!

Therefore, declares Joshua, “Now fear Yahweh and serve Him in sincerity and in truth. Put away the elohim that your fathers had served across the Stream and in Egypt , and serve Yahweh” (Josh. 24:14 CV). The fathers of Terah’s ancestry had indulged in the worship of many gods, among whom was the Living and True Elohim. Again, it is a mixture which has darkened the intelligence of the nations. Nevertheless, many knew, remembered, and worshiped the One True and Living Elohim. But even among Terah’s sons was to be found the superstitious worship of idols. This led Jacob to gather and burn all such idols which had crept in through the household of Laban, his uncle.

Joshua testifies, “yet I and my house, we shall serve Yahweh” (Josh. 24:15b CV). The people respond, “Far be it from us to forsake Yahweh to serve other elohim” (Josh. 24:16a CV). Astonishingly, Joshua answers this commitment with the unexpected: “You shall not be able to serve Yahweh, for He is a holy Elohim, He is a jealous El. He shall not bear with your transgressions and with your sins” (Josh. 24:19 CV). As a jealous El, Yahweh will righteously discipline for correction and destroy from among the people that which and those who contaminate, pollute the nation. Yahweh has separated Himself to Israel (Page 223)His people—He is holy. He will remain loyal, and His anger will come upon His own people. He will not allow any other elohim to possess His people, His allotment.

Israel will turn to worship and serve other elohim. She will break her oath of allegiance. She will contaminate her holy status before Yahweh her Elohim. Though longsuffering and compassionate, Yahweh will bring down judgment upon an unfaithful covenantal partner. The faithful remnant will take heed to Joshua’s words. They will take seriously the implication of his declarative statement. They will carefully guard themselves, full well knowing their weakness and their proneness to depart from the truth, the wisdom, the knowledge, the understanding conveyed by Yahweh’s Law. They will guard themselves against presumptuous oaths and behavior.

In contrast, the people overconfidently respond to Joshua’s warning prediction, “Not so, for we shall serve Yahweh” (Josh. 24:21 CV). Joshua replies, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen Yahweh for yourselves to serve Him” (Josh. 24:22a CV). Yahweh has not tyrannized them into covenantal commitment. They are free to choose not to serve Yahweh. However, once freely choosing to serve Yahweh and with an oath entering into covenantal relationship with Yahweh, they will be held responsible for any departure from the covenantal agreement. The people boldly acknowledge the responsibility and the consequences for disloyalty, “We are witnesses” (Josh. 24:22b CV).

Joshua then commands, “put away the foreign elohim that you have among you, and stretch out your heart to Yahweh Elohim of Israel (Josh. 24:23 CV). Any foreign elohim found among the foreigners dwelling within their allotments must be destroyed, any places of worship, any idolatrous images. More importantly, they must destroy any inclination in the heart to worship and serve other elohim. They are to enlarge their heart for Yahweh’s progressive occupation and indwelling. Joshua demands that there be no room made for idols in the hearts of the people. Yahweh, and Yahweh alone, has the right of occupancy in the hearts of the sons of Israel . The elders, heads, judges, and officials answer Joshua’s command by repeating their oath of allegiance, “We shall serve Yahweh our Elohim and hearken to His voice” (Josh. 24:24 CV). The text concludes that on that day at Shechem Joshua “contracted a covenant with the people” (Josh. 24:25a CV). Israel , once again, renews her allegiance and loyalty to Yahweh her Elohim. All well and good. But apart from an attitude of caution, care, discretion, circumspection, prudence, and especially vigilance, such avowals become empty, hollow, lifeless words, words powerless to achieve acts of corresponding obedience. Such will shortly become these advocations of Israel as a corporate entity.

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The Death and Entombment of Joshua

Joshua dies at the age of 110. This is the same age as that of Joseph his forefather (Gen. 50:26) whose bones had been carried from Egypt and entombed at Shechem in the field purchased by Jacob (Joshua 24:32). Again, the text exemplifies the faithfulness of Yahweh and Israel . A promise had been made to Joseph who had requested that his bones be removed from Egypt and buried in the Land of Promise. Joseph had believed Yahweh’s promise concerning the land of Canaan. As a result of Yahweh’s faithfulness in giving Israel the land, Israel is able to fulfill her promise to Joseph.

Joshua, echoing Moses, had earlier referred to his death as “going . . . the way of all the earth” (Josh. 23:14 CV). By so doing, he also confirms the nature of the death brought into the race by Adam. Moses had referred to this same death as “the common death of all humanity” (Num. 16:20 CV). Biological death is the death that came into the world as a result of Adam’s sin. Paul assumes this understanding of death in Romans 5:12. He is well aware of the meaning of the metaphors used by Moses and Joshua to refer to physical, biological death.

As the Book of Deuteronomy concludes with a reference to the entombment of Moses (Deut. 34:6), so also the Book of Joshua concludes with a reference to the entombment of Joshua, Joseph, and Eleazar. In both books, entombment symbolically points to the nature of the Mosaic Covenant. It is a covenant whose telos (end, goal) is death. It is a ministry of death pointing to the death and entombment of Jesus necessitated by the nature of this covenant necessitating a new covenant. Entombment signifies the faithful awaiting of the hope of Israel —resurrection out from the tomb of death. This is the theme of the writings of the Greek Scriptures.

Contemplating the account recorded in the following Book of Judges, the literary craftsman of the Book of Joshua provides a crucial transition. He informs his readers that Israel served Yahweh all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua . . .” (Josh. 24:31a CV). The implication is clear. Israel ’s departure from Yahweh does not take long. The overconfident, bold, imprudent, presumptuous avowals of allegiance, upon being tested, prove empty and hollow.

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Judges

The Book of Judges continues the covenantal history of Israel in the land as it develops after the death of Joshua. The reader has already been informed in the previous book that the sons of Israel remained faithful to Yahweh during the days of Joshua and the elders that served with him. However, the reader is prepared for the failure of the following generation by the development of the events occurring after the death of Joshua. With the death of Joshua come the seeds of covenantal departure.

The sons of Israel inquire of Yahweh concerning the continuing warfare necessary to spread out in the land (Judg. 1:1). Each of the tribes has been allotted a territory. The people of each tribe have occupied and settled in specific cities and villages. They have possessed and enjoyed the fruits of the enemy’s vineyards, olive groves, and other agricultural crops: “Thus I gave you a land on which you had not labored and cities that you had not built, and you are dwelling in them; you are eating from vineyards and olive trees that you had not planted” (Josh. 24:13 CV). The manna had long since ceased.

As the population of the sons of Israel increases, the necessity to expand occupation and settlement of the allotted territories demands further warfare and eviction of the inhabitants of the land. Israel had conquered the land militarily. The nation had defeated the military forces of the nations in the land and thus had attained military control. The enemy could not stand before Israel militarily.

In the cities, villages, and farm lands they had actually taken as a possession, the sons of Israel had conquered religiously, politically, socially, and economically. But there were many cities, villages, farms and uninhabitable land not yet conquered. The nations would be evicted slowly, as Israel increased her population, strengthened her national unity and military forces, and established the administration of her legal and religious institutions.

Her first and foremost obligation is to destroy completely the worship places and the idols of the nations. Yahweh alone is to be worshiped. All the elohim of the nations are to be annihilated. All the religious statutes, judgments, and practices of these nations are to be prohibited. Yahweh alone is to reign over Israel , and Yahweh’s statutes, judgments, and cultic practices are to administer Yahweh’s justice to all the inhabitants of the land.

Thus, Israel has much work cut out for her. This holy nation has much to conquer religiously, politically, socially, and economically. Such dominance meant further military endeavor. After consulting Yahweh, Judah is chosen to continue the eviction of the nations still in the land (Jug. 1:2). Judah bids Simeon to join him in the battle to expand their allotments. Yahweh delivers the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hands. Judah is successful.

Othniel conquers the city of Kirjathsepher. Caleb then gives Achsah his daughter to Othniel for wife. Thus, Israel is depicted as obeying Yahweh’s voice concerning the prohibition of marriage with the Canaanites. Marriage is not to be a mixture of holy and common. Israel is holy. The nations of the land are common. Those like Rahab who repudiate the elohim of the land of Canaan and give their allegiance to Yahweh the One Living Elohim of Israel become citizens of the commonwealth of Israel. Males converting their allegiance from the elohim of the land to Yahweh must submit to the covenantal rite of circumcision.

Though Yahweh is stated to be with Judah , she is unable to evict the dwellers of the coastal plain, for these inhabitants “had chariots of iron” (Judg. 1:19 CV). Thus, Judah is not yet ready, not yet strong enough, to take this area. She is not yet in need of this area. Her insufficient increase in population makes settlement of this area impractical.

In battle, Judah had taken Jerusalem and set this city on fire. Later, Jerusalem is rebuilt by the Jebusites, and the sons of Benjamin “did not evict them, so the Jebusite dwell with the sons of Benjamin in Jerusalem until this day” (Judg. 1:21b CV). The sons of Benjamin, though not evicting the Jebusites, maintain control over the area within which the Jebusites reside, for the Jebusites dwell “with” the Benjaminites. Success continues, but much work remains in order to complete the conquest and settlement of the allotted territories.

The house of Joseph is chosen next by Yahweh to enter into further warfare. The text declares, “Yahweh was with them” (Judg. 1:22 CV). Then follows an account of the conquest of the city of Bethel, which at that time was named Luz. Within the house of Joseph, consisting of the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, the text foreshadows the coming failure of Israel . Upon exploring the city of Bethel, the spies encounter a man of the city. They enter into an agreement with the man. In return for his aid in procuring entrance into the city, the house of Joseph promises to show the man and his family mercy. The man is not described as one who repudiates the elohim of the land. He does not enter into an allegiance with Yahweh the Elohim of Israel. Upon keeping his end of the agreement and Joseph’s conquest of the city, the man and (Page 225)his family are shown mercy. He and his family are not slain. They are allowed to go into the land of the Hittites, which is within the allotted land given to Israel by Yahweh, where the man builds a city and names it Luz.

Such an agreement amounts to a covenant with a group of local inhabitants of the land. This is prohibited. The text records, “they smote the city with the edge of the sword; but they let the man go with his whole family” (Judg. 1:25b CV). The conjunction “but” implies an act of disobedience. These people should have been slain. But they are spared.

This act of disobedience by the house of Joseph is associated with the name Luz. Originally, the Canaanite city of Luz had been renamed Bethel by Jacob. It was there that Yahweh revealed Himself to Jacob. He blessed Jacob and renewed His promise of the land to Jacob’s descendants (Gen. 28:10-19). Jacob erected there a holy pillar and worshiped Yahweh Elohim Who had there revealed to him the ladder binding the earth to the heaven. For upon this ladder he had seen celestial messengers ascending and descending. Thus, he renamed the city Bethel, the house of El, for in this place, in this house was “the gate of heaven” (Gen. 28:16-19). This gate or ladder would join the terrestrial realm to the celestial, bringing blessing to all the families of the terrestrial realm, and ultimately bringing blessing to the entire terrestrial race of humanity, making it one with the celestial family.

The seed of departure from Yahweh is thereby presented as being planted by the house of Joseph. Bethel, the house of El, the gateway to heaven becomes the locale within which the house of Joseph plants the seed of covenantal transgression. For it is at Bethel that Jeroboam is to lead the northern tribes into the worship of Yahweh at the foreign altars erected first in Bethel and then in Dan (1 Kings 12:26-29).

Yahweh is with the house of Joseph. Bethel is destroyed. Manasseh is unable to evict the Canaanites from many of her cities, but in time becomes strong enough to make them serve as tributaries. Ephraim also places the Canaanites under her power, for “Neither did Ephraim evict the Canaanite dwelling in Geser; so the Canaanite dwelt among them in Geser” (Judg. 1:29 CV). The same is said of Zebulon. Asher and Naphtali are not able to evict the Canaanites and are said to dwell among the Canaanites, indicating the dominance of the Canaanites. But in time, they also come to make the Canaanites serve as tributaries (Judg. 1:31-33). The Amorites force the sons of Dan into the mountain terrain, but “the hand of the house of Joseph was heavy, and they came under tributary service” (Judg. 1:35 CV). Of all the tribes, Dan is the weakest, reflecting his spiritual lethargy. Conquest is based upon faith in Yahweh, Israel ’s conquering King. Dan refuses to follow faithfully and courageously the leadership of Yahweh. This covenantal lethargy foreshadows the dishonorable and rebellious activity of the tribe of Dan described in chapters 17-18 of Judges, depicting specific faithless deeds of a nation immersed in covenantal contamination. How quickly Israel forgets Yahweh her Elohim.

Thus, chapter 1 of Judges describes the general faithfulness of Israel after the death of Joshua but before the death of all the elders who served under Joshua. During this period, the seeds of unfaithfulness are planted by the house of Joseph and the tribe of Dan, foreshadowing the failure of the nation to follow Yahweh her King and obey His law in the land He gave her. Yahweh is shown faithful, while Israel ’s faithless character is anticipated. Israel is presented as covenantally successful under Joshua and the elders serving with him.

Chapter 2, verses 1-5 of Judges, carry the reader forward to the generation following the death of Joshua and the elders outliving him. This generation is described as not knowing “Yahweh or the deeds that He had done for Israel (Judg. 2:10 CV). A messenger of Yahweh rebukes the nation for breaking Yahweh’s eonian covenant. In spite of Israel ’s covenantal lethargy, Yahweh declares, “I shall not annul My covenant with you for the eon (Judg. 2:1b CV). Israel is accused of making a covenant with the inhabitants of the land and failing to destroy their altars (2:2). Thus, Israel has contaminated her holy status by intermingling socially and culticly with the enemy. Yahweh chides the nation, “What is this you have done?” (Judg. 2:2b CV). Then He judges, “So I now say: I shall not drive them out from before you, and they will become a scourge against your sides. As for their elohim, they shall be a trap to you” (Judg. 2:3 CV). In response, the people lift up their voice and weep. A deaf ear to the voice of Yahweh results in a voice of weeping. This weeping, however, is short lived. The Cainish character of the nation prevails. The Abelites remain a faithful remnant, struggling against the rebellious heart of the Cainite nation.

Chapter 2, verses 6-10 of Judges, return the reader to the generation of Joshua and the elders. Verse 7 repeats the testimony of Joshua 24:31: the people served Yahweh all the days of Joshua and the elders who had outlived him. But this section ends with a very different testimony: “However, when that whole generation was gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them, who did not know Yahweh or the deeds that He had done for Israel (Judg. 2:10 CV).

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The remainder of the Book of Judges is a covenantal history depicting the outcome of the verdict of chapter 2, verse 11: “Then the sons of Israel did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh and served the Baalim” (CV). Israel deviates from the way of Yahweh revealed in His law. The nation turns from the knowledge and wisdom contained in Yahweh’s statutes and judgments, turning from the path illuminated by His word to the path of darkness hacked out by the nations in their midst. Israel “forsook Yahweh Elohim of their fathers, . . . went after other elohim, from among the elohim of the peoples round about them, and they bowed themselves down to them and provoked Yahweh to vexation” (Judg. 2:12 CV).

The anger of Yahweh becomes hot against Israel . He sells them into the hands of their enemies, delivering them up to evil. To do what is evil in the eyes of Yahweh is to receive evil from the hand of Yahweh. Yahweh faithfully acts in accord with His word to this holy nation: “no longer were they able to withstand before their enemies. Wherever they went forth, the hand of Yahweh was against them for their evil, just as Yahweh had spoken and just as Yahweh has sworn to them; and it was exceedingly distressing to them” (Judg. 2:14b-15 CV).

Yet, Yahweh continues to extend gracious mercy to this ungracious people. “Nevertheless the LORD [Yahweh] raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them” (Judg. 2:16 KJV). But the inspired writer adds, “Yet even to their judges they did not hearken, for they prostituted after other elohim and bowed down to them. They withdrew quickly from the way in which their fathers had walked who had hearkened to the instructions of Yahweh” (Judg. 2:17 CV). They do not walk along the way of the Torah, the path illuminated by Yahweh’s word of covenantal life. They alone had been given access to this “way,” this path illuminated by Yahweh’s Ten Words, His statutes and judgments, His instructions. They turn from the path of light to the path of darkness.

The pattern of their covenantal history during this era of the judges is succinctly set forth: “When Yahweh raised up judges for them, then Yahweh was with the judge and saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge, for Yahweh would be merciful on their moaning at the presence of their oppressors and their jostlers. Yet at the death of the judge it occurred that they backslid and became even more corrupt than their fathers, going after other elohim, serving them, and bowing down to them; they did not discard any of their practices or their obstinate ways” (Judg. 2:18-19 CV). Because the nation transgresses Yahweh’s covenant, refusing to hearken to His voice, Yahweh refuses to evict the remaining nations in the land. These nations are to be Yahweh’s means of probing Israel , testing to see whether or not the covenantal nation will observe the way of His covenant. But the holy text again reveals Yahweh’s foreknowledge concerning the character of this people. Yahweh had not delivered all the nations into the hand of Joshua for this very reason—He knew the bent of their heart: “Yahweh left those nations so as not to evict them quickly, and had not delivered them into the hand of Joshua” (Judg. 2:23 CV).

When Israel turns away from Yahweh to serve other elohim, Yahweh gives her up to oppression at the hands of her enemies. When the sons of Israel cry out to Yahweh, He delivers them by sending them a judge who leads them in military victory over the enemy, thereby liberating them from the oppressor. The judge continues as military commander and carries out executive justice against domestic lawlessness and foreign intrigue. Upon the death of the commissioned judge, the people return exceedingly to their corrupt ways. Once again, Yahweh delivers them up to their enemies, and the cycle begins anew.

When Israel commits herself to intermarriage with the inhabitants of the land (her enemies) and to serve the elohim of these inhabitants, the holy text describes the sons of Israel as dwelling “among” the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite (Judg. 3:5-6), instead of these peoples dwelling among Israel. Israel loses her headship, her supremacy, when she conforms to the ways of the nations around her, thereby becoming the tail rather than her intended status as head.

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The Judgeship of Othniel

After the death of the elders outliving Joshua, the sons of Israel are described as dwelling “among” the inhabitants of the land (Judg. 3:5). They take the daughters of the land of Canaan as wives and give their daughters in marriage to the sons of the land. Consequently, the sons of Israel begin serving the elohim (gods) of these peoples (Judg. 3:6). This is evil in the eyes of Yahweh. The holy nation is given into the hands of the Mesopotamians for a period of eight years. When the sons of Israel cry out to Yahweh for relief, He commissions, raises up, “a savior for the sons of Israel who brought them salvation: . . .” (Judg. 3:9 CV). The first of these savior judges is Othniel, the conqueror of the city of Debir (Judg. 1:12- 13).

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In the covenantal history of Israel salvation and savior are to be understood covenantally within the context of the corporate condition of Israel . These words very rarely refer to the salvation, the deliverance of individuals apart from their relationship to the corporate whole. They never refer to the individual’s eternal destiny. This understanding of these words must be applied to their use in the Greek Scriptures. This is especially true of Jesus Who before His death is described to Joseph as the one who “shall be saving His people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21b CV). These sins are associated with the nation’s covenantal relationship with Yahweh.

Othniel delivers, saves the sons of Israel from the oppression of the Mesopotamians: “The spirit of Yahweh came to be upon him; and he judged Israel . When he went forth to war, Yahweh delivered Cushan-rishathaim king of Aram into his hand; and his hand prevailed over Cushan-rishathaim. So the land had quietness for forty years, until Othniel son of Kenaz died” (Judg. 3:10-11 CV). The sealing with the spirit of Yahweh is the sign of Yahweh’s commission, Yahweh’s authorization, His empowerment. This spiritual anointment empowers the hand of Othniel to prevail over the foreign hand of the Mesopotamians. As a result, the land is once again under the rule of Israel and experiences rest for 40 years. However, after the death of Othniel, the sons of Israel “did again what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh” (Judg. 3:12 CV). The cycle begins again: apostasy, oppression under the hand of the enemy, a groaning cry for relief, Yahweh’s compassion, the commissioning of a savior-judge, and a period of rest.

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The Judgeship of Deborah and Barak

The judgeship of Deborah and Barak is significant for two reasons. First, this is the only time in this book that Yahweh uses a woman to judge Israel . Second, the enemy who has oppressed Israel for 20 years is described as possessing “nine hundred chariots of iron” (Judg. 4:3 CV). Earlier ( 1:19), Judah is described as being unable to evict the inhabitants of the coastal plain because they “had chariots of iron.” Such chariots are no obstacle for Yahweh, as the story of Deborah and Barak clearly reveals. Judah could not evict the inhabitants of the coastal plain because it was not Yahweh’s will to evict them at that time. However, there were other tribes unable to evict the enemy because of their fear of the enemy’s iron chariots. This indicates a lack of trust in Yahweh. If Yahweh wills eviction, iron chariots are no excuse for disobeying His will.

The judgeship of Deborah is unusual in that the text does not state that Yahweh raised her up as a judge in Israel . The text simply records, “There was a woman, Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth; she was judging Israel at that time. . . . in the hill country of Ephraim; and the sons of Israel would come up to her for judgment” (Judg. 4:4-5 CV). From this account, Deborah is apparently designated a judge by the sons of Israel due to her gift and role as prophetess. She is not raised up and commissioned by Yahweh. She is appointed by the sons of Israel after the death of the previous judge Ehud, and during a period in which Israel once again begins doing that which is evil in the eyes of Yahweh.

Deborah has been judging Israel during the time “Yahweh sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan who reigned in Hazor” (Judg. 4:2 CV). The implication is that Israel ’s legal apparatus as designed by the Mosaic Law is ineffectual due to unrighteousness. Civil, judicial, and economic injustice lead to the abandonment of Levitical rights, resulting in cultic and national prostitution as depicted in chapters 17-21. Yahweh chooses to honor her appointment by the sons of Israel in order to humble this disobedient people and remind them of their dishonorable behavior.

Thus, Yahweh instructs Deborah to appoint Barak, son of Abinoam of Kedesh in Naphtali, commander over ten thousand men from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulon. Yahweh declares, “I will draw Sisera, Jabin’s chief of the military host with his chariots and throng toward you to the Wadi Kishon. And I will deliver him into your hand” (Judg. 4:7 CV). Barak accepts the appointment, but only if Deborah joins him. Deborah agrees, but warns him, “Only know that there shall be no beauteous glory for you on the road you follow, for Yahweh shall dispose of Sisera by the hand of a woman” (Judg. 4:9 CV). Not only does Yahweh honor a woman as judge, but He will also honor a woman with the glory associated with killing the enemy’s military commander.

Barak does defeat Jabin’s army of iron chariots, just as Yahweh promised. Sisera flees on foot and enters the tent of Jael, wife of Heber the Kenite. The Kenites, as a result of Israel ’s departure from the Mosaic Covenant, deserted their association with Israel through Moses’ father-in-law, seeking the protection and security offered by Jabin. However, Heber remained faithful to Yahweh “having parted from the Kenite” (Judg. 4:11 CV). Thus, Jael is a covenant loyalist committed to Yahweh’s people. Sisera, believing her to be a political friend, accepts her invitation to hide within her tent. Having drugged the milk (Page 228)she offers him, “while he was stupefied” (Judg. 4:21 CV), while asleep, she executes him by hammering a peg through his temple (Judg. 4:21).

So Yahweh delivers Israel from her oppressor possessing 900 iron chariots by means of two faithfully honorable women—to the shame of the sons of Israel . The land had rest for the next 40 years. But once again, Israel did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh, and, once again, Yahweh delivers the sons of Israel into the hands of another oppressor—Midian.

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The Judgeship of Gideon

The text continues, Israel was exceedingly impoverished because of Midian, and the sons of Israel cried out to Yahweh” (Judg. 6:6 CV). Yahweh responds by sending a prophet to the sons of Israel . This prophet reminds them of Yahweh’s mighty deeds in delivering them out of Egyptian bondage and in defeating the inhabitants of the land of Canaan so that Israel could receive her allotment of the land from the hand of Yahweh her Elohim (Judg. 6:7-9). This prophet, speaking on behalf of Yahweh, declares, “I, Yahweh, am your Elohim. You should not fear the elohim of the Amorite in whose land you are dwelling. Yet you did not hearken to My voice” (Judg. 6:10 CV). Israel ’s impoverishment is due to her unfaithfulness. She has not hearkened to Yahweh’s voice!

In spite of this, Yahweh has not abandoned His unfaithful people, as Gideon is to claim when a messenger of Yahweh is sent to him declaring, “Yahweh is with you, master of valor” (Judg. 6:12 CV). Gideon, like Israel , is still in denial concerning his abandonment of trust in Yahweh. For Yahweh has not abandoned Gideon/Israel; it is Gideon/Israel who has abandoned Yahweh. Gideon is commanded by Yahweh to “save Israel from the clutches of Midian! Have I not sent you?” (Judg. 6:14b CV). Gideon responds with a series of excuses. Yahweh responds, “But I shall come to be with you, and you will smite Midian as one man” (Judg. 6:16 CV). Gideon then proceeds to request a series of signs from Yahweh. In all this, Yahweh remains patient, granting Gideon his requests.

Finally, Gideon yields to Yahweh’s commission. He gathers an army. But Yahweh, knowing the bent of Israel ’s heart, is determined to avoid Jacob/Israel’s taking credit for the victory over Midian. Speaking to Gideon, He commands, “The people with you are too many for Me to deliver Midian into their hand, lest Israel might vaunt himself against Me, saying, My own hand has saved me. So now call out into the ears of the people, saying, Anyone fearful and trembling may return and scurry from Mount Gilead” (Judg. 7:2-3a CV). In the end, Yahweh reduces Gideon’s militia to 300 men. Israel must learn his success is not dependent upon his own strength after the likeness of the nations, but on the strength of Yahweh alone. His responsibility is to keep Yahweh’s Law and continually hearken to His voice. Yahweh’s responsibility is to deliver Israel from his enemies even though his enemies outnumber him and possess superior weapons of war.

With a mere 300 men, Yahweh defeats the outnumbering Midian army which possesses superior weapons of war. But what is Israel ’s response? Does she turn back from covenantal prostitution and glorify Yahweh her Elohim, graciously thanking and praising Him for this great deliverance?! Not so! “Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, Rule over us, both you and your son, and your son’s son, for you have saved us from the hand of Midian” (Judg. 8:22 CV).

To Gideon’s credit, he quickly replies, “I shall not rule over you myself, nor shall my son rule over you; Yahweh alone, He shall rule over you” (Judg. 8:23 CV). Gideon has learned Who rules over Israel —Yahweh alone rules over Israel , an allusion back to Deuteronomy 33:5: “So He [Yahweh] became King in Yeshurun [ Israel ].” But to his discredit, he makes an ephod after which “all Israel prostituted themselves” (Judg. 8:27 CV).

But again, Yahweh’s mercy, compassion, patience, and longsuffering toward this stiff-necked and rebellious people is revealed in the fact that “the land had quietness for forty years in the days of Gideon” (Judg. 8:28b CV). In spite of Israel ’s continued prostitution and disloyalty to Yahweh her King, Yahweh remains faithful, granting the rebellious nation a 40-year period of rest. This account is a foreshadowing of the future official rejection of Yahweh as King over Yeshurun.

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The Judgeship of Samson

Samson is the only judge chosen by Yahweh from his mother’s womb. He is a solitary figure providing sporadic relief from Philistine dominion over Israel . He confounds and frustrates the Philistines as a single man having no military following. He is called by Yahweh to live as a Nazarite. He does not (Page 229)choose this for himself. Since his dedication to Yahweh is imposed upon him from his mother’s womb, the power of Yahweh’s spirit will remain with him as long as he remains faithful to this Nazarite vow imposed upon him by Yahweh.

Samson does not deliver Israel from the Philistines: “He shall start off with saving Israel from the hand of the Philistines” (Judg. 13:5 CV). Samson prepares the way for Samuel, Saul, and David. During his judgeship, Israel is not recorded as experiencing rest. In fact, Samson causes unrest and is perceived by his own people as a threat to their welfare while under the rule of the Philistines.

Thus, Samson is not a typical judge as presented in the Book of Judges. He is the last of the judges and is perceived as a wild and rebellious prodigal son. He does not lead an army; he does not gain the favor of the people; he does not win the affection of the nation; he does not set a moral or cultic example for Israel . Samson is a man shaped and affected by the Israelite culture of his time—the era of the generations after Joshua—the age in which Israel did that which is evil in the eyes of Yahweh. Though he is wild, rebellious, and unconventional, he typifies the faithful remnant in its struggle to remain faithful to Yahweh’s voice in the midst of religious, economic, social, and political corruption, in the midst of the collapse of the theocratic rule of Yahweh as encoded in the Mosaic Law.

During this era, Yahweh graciously makes concessions in His dealings with His people. He extends His mercy, compassion, and longsuffering; understanding the disastrous situation in which the faithful must attempt to both survive and remain obedient to His law. In such societal chaos (from the perspective of Yahweh’s Law), it is most difficult to remain unaffected, untouched by the deluge of covenantal pollution. Corrupt times impose corrupt values, corrupt morals, corrupt traditions, corrupt laws, corrupt situations, all of which contribute to compromised choices. Israel had contaminated her worship of Yahweh by mixing it with the worship practices of Baal and Astarte, thereby culticly prostituting herself. This had resulted in a corruption of Mosaic justice and a splintering of the unity of the tribes as one covenantal congregation. Each of the tribes had followed its own separate, selfish interests to the detriment of the nation as a corporate, covenantal whole. The lower and higher courts throughout the tribes had become dissolute. The Aaronic and Levitical priesthoods had defiled their Mosaic functions due to lack of covenantal support. This led to bribery, licentious practices, retrogressive instruction, and greed, characteristics of the spirit of this age in the then short history of Israel .

The record of Samson’s judgeship begins, “Again the sons of Israel did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh; so Yahweh delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years” (Judg. 13:1 CV). The nation has sunk to its all-time low, as the writer will exemplify in chapters 17-21. The Philistines now rule over Israel . Samson is uniquely qualified to judge Israel during this transitional period. The nation has hit bottom. Samson mirrors, reflects, the characteristics of this defiled generation.

In his prodigalness is reflected the natural Cainish character of the nation—her consistent rebellious disposition to fraternize with the disqualified nations around her. Samson’s intrigues with the daughters of the Philistines typify Israel ’s covenantal prostitution with the gods of the nations. He thus reflects the flaws of his nation, short of abandoning Yahweh completely. Samson will pay a price for his arrogant, neglectful, prodigal ways, but he will learn the error of his ways and faithfully achieve the will and goal of Yahweh his Elohim, as also will be true of the faithful remnant of Israel. Thus, Samson, like the faithful remnant throughout the history of Israel , is faithful to Yahweh’s election and commission in accord with his own personal choice.

But the text records that Yahweh delivered the nation into the hand of the Philistines for a period of 40 years, making Samson a contemporary of Samuel who will reflect the integrity of Yahweh’s election of Israel . Samson judges Israel for 20 years. This means Samson’s activities overlap the early years of Samuel who is a mirror image of Samson. Samuel is the reverse side of the same coin. Together, they reflect the elective essence of Israel . They complement one another.

Samson portrays the unclean faithful ones; Samuel portrays the clean faithful ones. Samson is immersed in the defilement of the law; Samuel is immersed in the purity of the law. The accomplishment of Samson makes possible the accomplishment of Samuel. Samson is the strong one, the daring one, the devastating one; Samuel is the hearing one, the heeding one, the building one. Samson is the wild one, a prodigal son; Samuel is the harnessed one, a like-minded son. Samson is the man of the flesh; Samuel is the man of the spirit. The flesh must be harnessed before the spirit can become master. Samson endures the consequences of his wildness, but through these consequences he learns to discipline, harness, master himself, cleansing himself from covenantal defilement and fulfilling his elective obligation to Yahweh his Elohim.

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Yahweh’s election of Samson is intended to display His power which Israel should have been experiencing if she had obeyed Yahweh’s Law. Samson represents Yahweh’s mercy, compassion, and longsuffering toward a disobedient, ungrateful, arrogant, and prodigal nation. The display of this power through Samson is designed to encourage Israel to repent and turn back to her Elohim by perceiving her condition mirrored in Samson and to warn the Philistines against attributing their subjugation of Yahweh’s people to the power of their gods. Thus, Samson does not deliver Israel from the oppression of the Philistines, nor does he bring rest to the land. He brings a sword which divides his people, immersing them in the unrest, the disturbance caused by his brash intrigues with the daughters of the Philistines.

In spite of Samson’s unruly character, “the lad grew up and Yahweh blessed him” (Judg. 13:24 CV). Yahweh remains graciously faithful to Israel as demonstrated in His blessing of Samson. Yahweh’s spirit “started to agitate him in the encampment of Dan, . . .” (Judg. 13:25 CV). Immediately following this statement, the text takes up the selected significant account of Samson’s relationship to the Philistines. He sees a woman among the daughters of the Philistines. He commands his parents, “Take her for me as my wife” (Judg. 14:2b CV). They attempt to persuade him to choose from one of the daughters of Israel . He refuses; declaring, “she is upright in my eyes” (Judg. 14:3b CV). Samson seeks that which is upright in his own eyes instead of seeking that which is upright in the eyes of Yahweh.

This ungratefully arrogant attitude is precisely what Yahweh has chosen to use in order to disturb both Israel and the Philistines. Yahweh’s spirit has agitated Samson, compelling him to engage the Philistines. Yahweh uses the very flaws of Samson to display His power against the Philistines. What is upright to Samson’s eyes is contrary to what is upright in the eyes of Yahweh. Nevertheless, Yahweh uses this shallow insubordination, this blindness to covenantal righteousness to prepare His people for the deliverance from the dark age of the judges He shall mercifully provide. Yahweh will not surrender His elect people to darkness and destruction. He will patiently endure their ignorance and rebellion, always maintaining and protecting the faithful remnant from the rebellious practices of the Cainish nation.

As Samson is covenantally blind, so is the nation. For the writer, in relation to what is upright in the eyes of Samson, twice declares, “Each man did what was upright in his own eyes” (Judg. 17:6b; 21:25 CV). The writer also testifies, “As for his father and his mother, they did not realize that this [the demand of a Philistine bride, what is upright in Samson’s eyes] was from Yahweh: He was seeking a pretext against the Philistines, for at that time the Philistines were ruling over Israel (Judg. 14:4 CV). Israel must learn to do what is right in the eyes of Yahweh, while the Philistines must learn to fear Yahweh Elohim of Israel.

This marriage leads to a Philistine savage threat to a family of their own (“Entice your husband [Samson] to unravel for us the enigma; otherwise we shall burn you and your father’s house with fire,” 14:15 CV); the disloyalty of Samson’s Philistine bride (“she unraveled the enigma for the sons of her people,” 14:17); Samson’s slaying of 30 rich Philistines to provide payment for his lost bet, and the giving of Samson’s bride to another man (“Her father said, I thought, yea thought that you disliked, yea disliked her, so I gave her to your associate,” 15:2 CV). Upon hearing that his wife has been given to another, Samson declares, “This time I will be blameless regarding the Philistines, though I am dealing out evil to them” (Judg. 15:3 CV).

Samson was certainly not blameless in the slaying of 30 Philistines. This is murder, a breaking of the sixth commandment of the Mosaic Covenant. Yet it is a reflection of Yahweh’s judgment against the unjust and savage ways of the Philistines. Samson sins against Yahweh’s Law and will not be able to escape its consequences. Though he is not blameless for the murder of 30 Philistines, he declares himself blameless for the evil he is about to perform against the Philistines for violating the marriage contract. Such violation is indicative of Philistine lawlessness and dishonor.

Samson sets their fields on fire. The Philistines, in retaliation, burn the house of Samson’s father-in-law, most likely including all the occupants, an act of barbarity and cruelty characterizing the Philistine nation. Yahweh uses Samson’s evil as judgment against the Philistines, but Samson is not blameless in the eyes of Yahweh’s Law. In an age of such evil, Yahweh uses the evil of men to accomplish His purpose. However, the consequences of committing such evil cannot be escaped. Many innocent, as well as the guilty, suffer the consequences of such evil.

In the present case, the welfare of the sons of Judah is threatened by the Philistines as a result of Samson’s activities. In order to avoid Philistine wrath, the sons of Judah agree to deliver Samson into the hands of the Philistines. Their own judge, elected by Yahweh from his mother’s womb and upon whom the spirit of Yahweh worked mightily on their behalf, is to their dishonor and shame to be delivered up to the enemy of Israel and Yahweh.

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Such behavior characterizes the nation’s lack of trust in Yahweh their King. The nation does not believe in the word of Yahweh concerning His promise to lead them in victory against their enemies. The people have lost confidence in the power of Yahweh to overcome the overwhelming strength of the enemy. Yahweh is King, but the nation thinks and acts as though she has no King. Thus, the writer of the Book of Judges repeatedly declares, “In those days there was no king in Israel . Each man did what was upright in his own eyes” (Judg. 17:6b; 21:25 CV). From the writer’s historical point of view, there had been no king in Israel during the days of the Judges as there is in his own time. But, more importantly, from his covenantally theological point of view, there has been no king in Israel during the age of the Judges because Israel denied the rule and power of her reigning King. Israel had forsaken her King by forsaking His covenantal law.

Yahweh had been King in Yeshurun from the inception of the covenant entered into at Sinai. Yahweh her King had often displayed His power and authority through the judges He raised up to deliver them from the oppression of the enemy. But the people continually abandoned Yahweh their King, thinking and acting disloyally. And now, for the first time, they have become so low as to deliver up to the Philistines the very deliverer raised up by Yahweh to deliver them out of the hands of the Philistines. In delivering up Samson, they indirectly deny the Kingship of Yahweh. Later, when before the face of Samuel they request a king like the nations, the sons of Israel reject outright the Kingship of Yahweh.

The text reports the deliverance of Samson into the hands of the Philistines by the sons of Israel as follows:

Do you not know that the Philistines are ruling over us? What then is this you have done to us? He replied to them, Just as they did to me, so I did to them. They told him, we have come down to bind you and to deliver you into the hand of the Philistines. Then Samson said to them, Swear fealty to me, lest you too come upon me. They replied to him, saying, we will not, for we shall only bind, yea bind you, and we will give you into their hand; yet to death, we shall not put you to death. (Judg. 15:11b-13a CV)

The sons of Israel rebuke Samson for bringing the threatening wrath of the ruling Philistines against them. After all, Samson has not acted as the previous judges. He has not led a militia against the Philistines, defeating them in battle and bringing honor to Israel . He has acted against the Philistines only in relation to his own grievances. He has acted only privately, not publicly. His actions, his triumphs have not brought Israel deliverance or honor.

Thus, Israel is not able to perceive her own characteristics in the intrigues of Samson. Israel is covenantally blind to her own condition and the mercy, compassion, and longsuffering of Yahweh displayed through the actions of Samson. The judgeship of Samson is designed to end the dark age of the Judges. Samson is not commissioned to do as the previous Judges had done. He is the end of the line. He represents the end of an era. His death will not lead to another time described as “Again, the sons of Israel did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh” (Judg. 13:1 CV).

Such was the judgment after the death of each of the major Judges. During the rule of each Judge, the people had been delivered from the oppression of the enemy and the land had rest. After the death of each Judge, the people had returned to doing what is evil in the eyes of Yahweh. During the judgeship of Samson, the people are not delivered from Philistine oppression, and the land is not given rest. After the death of Samson, a new era would begin. Israel would be given a king like the nations. No more would it be said of Israel , “Each man did what was upright in his own eyes.” For Israel would be placed under the authority of a human king, like the nations, and she would be made to do what is upright in the eyes of the king.

In answer to the rebuke of the sons of Israel , Samson explains that what the Philistines did to him, he did to them. This is the essence of Israel ’s attitude. Like Samson, she is selfish and unconcerned about covenantal faithfulness to Yahweh. She is merely concerned with her own demand for personal justice in relation to her oppressor. If she could, as a nation she would do to the Philistines as Samson had been doing. This is precisely why Samson’s judgeship is not to be like the judgeship of the previous Judges. The victories of the previous Judges all ended in the descent into further evil after the death of the Judge. The chastisement and deliverance of Israel by Yahweh had not culminated in covenantal correction. It merely hardened her to commit more grievous evil: “Yet at the death of the judge it occurred that they backslid and became even more corrupt than their fathers, . . .” (Judg. 2:19a CV).

Like Samson, Israel is covenantally blind, possessing a heart of stone. Like Samson, Israel ’s eyes would have to be put out by the oppressor before being restored to covenantal sight. As Samson’s sight would be destroyed by the Philistines, so also Israel ’s evil sight would be destroyed by the Philistines when (Page 232)they would capture and defile the Ark of the Covenant. Covenantal sight for Israel would be restored by the life and activities of Samuel, the complement of Samson.

To Samson’s credit, he yields to the sons of Israel . He agrees to allow them to bind him. He asks only that they swear as brothers and fellow-citizens of the commonwealth of Israel that they will not shed his blood. Samson is aware of the fact that he is his brother’s keeper. He understands the covenantal relationship of all Israelites. He is concerned that his blood will not be on their hands. They are concerned, not with his blood, but with their own safety. There is no need for them to kill Samson. The Philistines will accomplish that. They need not get their hands dirty. The Philistines will perform the dirty work. This would appease the Philistine rulers, while at the same time ridding Israel of a thorn in her flesh.

Samson is bound and delivered to the Philistines. As they triumphantly raise their voices over their prize, the spirit of Yahweh comes upon Samson empowering him to destroy his bonds. He proceeds to slay a thousand Philistines with a jawbone of a donkey. Both the Philistines and the sons of Israel are reminded of the power of Yahweh, Elohim of Israel. Yahweh is still King in Yeshurun, though Yeshurun continues to deny Him His due worship and service. The reader, of course, is to take account of the Cainish character of Israel and the faithfulness of Yahweh in accomplishing His intended purpose for Israel , in spite of her shameful character.

The final episode in the account of Samson’s judgeship describes how he falls in love with another Philistine woman, Delilah. Again, the law is clear about intimate involvement with the daughters of those peoples worshiping and serving other elohim. Israel is not to pollute herself through intermarriage with the daughters and sons of the Canaanites. Samson disregards this prohibition for the third and final time. He reveals to Delilah the secret of his great strength. She then betrays him to the Philistine chieftains for a price, having the hair of his head shaved while he sleeps.

His Nazarite condition now defiled, Samson’s great strength withdraws from him. He had told Delilah, “If I were shaved, then my vigor would withdraw from me; I would become powerless; I would become like any other man” (Judg. 16:17b CV). When his hair is shaved, the text records, “Yahweh had withdrawn from him” (Judg. 16:20b CV). Samson’s great strength did not reside in his unshaven hair, but with his being dedicated to Yahweh, which the unshaven hair had represented. When the sign of his dedication to Yahweh is destroyed by removal, Yahweh withdraws from him, reducing him to the likeness of any other man. He becomes powerless because Yahweh, his great strength, has withdrawn His special elective presence.

Samson had maintained his unshaven hair to the honor of Yahweh his Elohim. As long as he had maintained his Nazarite condition imposed on him by Yahweh, he had displayed his faithfulness, his obedience to Yahweh. He had remained Yahweh’s faithful servant and had been the beneficiary of Yahweh’s blessing. Yahweh, thus, graciously had elected to overlook Samson’s sins, his flaws, his foolishness, his juvenile behavior, because Yahweh sees into a man’s heart; He does not merely look at his outward appearance or behavior (1 Sam. 16:7 CV).

Samson’s heart is upright with Yahweh. He is a man affected and influenced by the corrupt conditions of his time. His prodigal behavior and juvenile attitude are the product of an evil age, an evil and ungrateful people, a degraded culture. But his heart belongs to Yahweh. He freely chooses to be obedient to the Nazarite condition imposed upon him. He could have denied this calling. He could have renounced it, arguing he was not obligated to follow the path of a Nazarite because it was unjustly imposed upon him without his consent. But Samson obeys his Nazarite calling voluntarily. He does not despise it, but rather values it as a privileged gift of Yahweh his Elohim. He honors Yahweh by honoring his dedication to Yahweh as a Nazarite.

Having dishonored his Nazarite dedication, Samson becomes like other men. He no longer has power over his enemies. The Philistine chieftains bind him and gouge out his eyes (Judg. 16:21 CV). He is brought down to Gaza and sentenced to grind corn in the house of the prisoners. His eyes now blind to the world of appearances, Samson begins to perceive the error of his ways. His covenantal eyes are opened to the ways of Yahweh. He has sinned against Yahweh, and Yahweh has delivered him into the hand of his enemy.

However, though Yahweh has withdrawn from Samson, He has not abandoned him. For now Samson’s outward appearance and behavior are prepared to complement his upright heart. His hair begins to grow back; the sign of his Nazarite condition is restored. In solemn obedience to Yahweh his Elohim, Samson readies himself for the death which will restore Yahweh’s honor in the eyes of the Philistines and in the eyes of His people Israel .

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The captivity and humiliation of this famed and dreaded Israelite opponent is regarded by the Philistine chieftains as an enormous triumph for themselves and their gods over the Israelites and their Elohim, Yahweh. To celebrate this victory, the Philistines prepare a great and joyous sacrificial festival in honor of their god Dagon. In the course of this festival, the chieftains, seeking to further humiliate and make sport of Samson and his Elohim, have Samson brought into the temple and placed between the pillars upon which the temple structure is supported.

Samson, calling upon Yahweh, makes a last request, “My Lord Yahweh, remember me, I pray, and fortify me now, only this once. O You, the One Elohim! Let me avenge myself on the Philistines with one vengeance for my two eyes” (Judg. 16:28 CV). Having thus prayed, Samson “thrust against the two middle columns on which the house was established and by which it was supported, one at his right and one at his left. Then Samson said, May my soul die with the Philistines! And he stretched out with vigor, and the house fell on the chieftains and on all the people who were in it. So the dead whom he put to death at his death were more than those whom he had put to death in his life” (Judg. 16:29-30 CV). Samson had been Yahweh’s executioner of the tried and sentenced Philistines. In his death, he is Yahweh’s instrument of judgment against the Philistines. Through his death, Samson executes more Philistines than he had executed through his life. Yahweh’s honor is restored, and the people of Dagon, god of the Philistines, are destroyed, and Dagon is shamed, humiliated, and demonstrated powerless before Yahweh, the Elohim of Israel.

Samson the man of the flesh, typifying the nation Israel during the dark, evil era of the Judges, must be blinded physically before he is enabled to see covenantally. It is Yahweh who gouges out Samson’s eyes. He executes judgment through the hands of the Philistines. This execution is necessitated due to Samson’s complacent, presumptuous disregard for Yahweh’s Law and the defiling of his Nazarite condition.

Such chastisement is administered by Yahweh against His own sons in order to bring about correction. Samson represents the faithful remnant. Yahweh’s chastisement results in his correction. Samson’s external eyes are blinded in order to direct him to the use of his internal eyes, resulting in covenantal sight. Obtaining this new sight, Samson dedicates himself to Yahweh as a voluntary Nazarite. No longer is this imposed upon him from his mother’s womb. He wills it in accord with the will of Yahweh his Elohim in order to remove his personal shame and the shame he brought on Yahweh. He becomes one with Yahweh Elohim—like Father, like son.

As Samson’s eyes are gouged out making him blind and aware of his loss of power, so also Israel ’s eyes are gouged out making her blind and aware of her loss of power. This will lead to Israel ’s correction through the ministry of Samuel. The shock brought about by the Philistine capture of the Ark of the Covenant gouges out Israel ’s presumptuous eyes, leaving her powerless due to Yahweh’s withdrawal. But, like Samson, Yahweh does not abandon Israel . He sends her Samuel who teaches her to see with covenantal sight: “The things being concealed are Yahweh our Elohim’s, yet the things being revealed are ours and our sons’ until the eon , so that we might keep all the words of this law” (Deut. 29:29 CV). Samuel restores to Israel the sight of the fathers under Joshua. However, her vision is not twenty-twenty, as a consequence of her sins. She is delivered out of the dark age of the Judges, but is still a lengthy distance from the future age of total enlightenment spoken of by Moses: “Yet until this day Yahweh has not given to you a heart to realize and eyes to see and ears to hear” (Deut. 29:4 CV).

As well as being a type of faithful Israel , Samson is also a type of Jesus the Christ. As Samson is dedicated to Yahweh from his mother’s womb, so is Jesus. As Samson is to begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines, so Jesus is to begin to deliver Israel from her enemies (Lk. 1:71). As Samson is commissioned a Judge over Israel , so is Jesus. As the spirit of Yahweh comes upon Samson to agitate him against the Philistines, so the spirit of Yahweh comes upon Jesus, driving, ejecting him into the wilderness to be tried by The Adversary so as to prepare Him for the destruction of the enemy of Israel (see Matt. 4:1; Mk. 1:12; Lk. 4:1-2 CV). As Samson judges as a solitary individual apart from leading a militia in battle against the enemy, so Jesus judges as a solitary individual apart from military or political activity. As Samson demonstrates acts of great strength beyond the normal, so Jesus demonstrates great strength in the performance of miracles. As Samson upsets, disturbs, and alienates the sons of Israel , so Jesus upsets, disturbs, and alienates the rulers of Israel . As Samson is delivered up to the Philistines by the sons of Israel , so Jesus is delivered up to the Romans by the rulers of Israel . As the death of Samson effectively destroys a great number of the Philistines and leads to the deliverance of Israel , so the death of Jesus effectively triumphs over His enemies and leads to the deliverance of the Israel of Yahweh. As the death of Samson begins to close the age of the Judges, so the death of Jesus begins to close the age of Moses.

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Samson’s sacrifice of himself is an act of a faithful servant of Yahweh. He perceives the necessity of his being given over to his enemies so that in their midst, through the inevitable certainty of his death, he could effect their defeat and the deliverance of his people. Though the blindness of his eyes is a mark of his unfaithfulness, his sacrificial death (his obedience unto death) removes the shame of his unfaithfulness and the triumph of the Philistines over him, his people, and his Elohim. In the moment of his own death, Samson gains the greatest victory over his enemies to the glory of Yahweh his Elohim. Though he is a terror to the Philistines while living, while dying he becomes a destroyer of their temple and their idolatrous god. In his death, he vindicates the honor and glory of Yahweh the Elohim of Israel. Dagon, the idol of the Philistines, is dishonored and humiliated.

The destruction of the Philistine temple and the worship of Dagon made a powerful impression upon the Philistines. The death of their chieftains and so many of their fellow-worshipers resulted in deep mourning. The destruction of the temple of Dagon by one Israelite slave filled them with fear and terror of the power of the Living Elohim. Yet, Yahweh was not through using them as instruments to discipline Israel through corrective chastisement, as Eli the High Priest and his sons were to shortly experience.

Samson’s judgeship begins the deliverance of Israel out of the evil age of the Judges through the necessary means of blindness and death. Samuel’s judgeship concludes the deliverance of Israel out of the evil age of the Judges through the necessary means of restored covenantal sight with its accompanying resurrection to covenantal life.

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Micah, the Danites, and the Inhabitants of Gibeah: The Extreme Decadence of the Evil Age of the Judges

The concluding chapters (17-21) of the Book of Judges paint a detailed portrait of the decadence of Israelite society which provides the background upon which the previous accounts of the Judges are to be understood. In the first account of Micah and the Danites, the writer portrays the decadent condition of both the Aaronic and Levitical priesthoods. The worship of Yahweh has been distorted by the introduction of molten images, private houses of elohim, and private production of ephods (a cultic vestment) and teraphim (images of household gods). The Mosaic Law prohibits the making of images, sanctions only one central house or Tabernacle of Yahweh, authorizes only the Aaronic Priesthood to serve the Tabernacle and the Levitical Priesthood to serve both the Aaronic Priesthood and the instructional needs of the people throughout the tribes, and legitimizes only one ephod worn and used only by the High Priest chosen only from the family of Aaron.

All sacrifice to Yahweh is to take place in the Tabernacle and conducted by the Aaronic Priesthood. Only the Levitical priests geographically located throughout the territories of the tribes are to guide and instruct the people of Israel in the teaching of Yahweh’s Law. This is the purpose for excluding the tribe of Levi from receiving an allotment in the land. The Aaronic and Levitical priesthoods are to be supported from the sacrifices and tithes offered to Yahweh. In this way, a conflict of interest is avoided and the priesthoods can remain neutral in relation to tribal interests and faithful in relation to cultic, civil, and instructional responsibilities as Yahweh’s holy ones, separated ones, sanctified ones.

Micah, an Ephraimite, admits to having stolen the eleven hundred shekels of silver from his mother. Thus, he has broken the fifth as well as the eighth commandment of the Mosaic Covenant. Both he and his mother worship Yahweh. His mother takes the returned shekels of silver saying, “I will sanctify, yea sanctify the silver to Yahweh from my hand for my son to make a carving and molten image” (Judg. 17:3b CV). She then takes 200 silver shekels and has a refiner mold them into a molten image for worship of Yahweh. This molten elohim came to be placed in Micah’s house, making his house “a house of elohim,” a place of worship, a sanctuary in competition with the one Tabernacle of Yahweh designated for the worship of Yahweh.

In addition to this unauthorized sanctuary and forbidden image, Micah had made for himself an ephod and teraphim and had consecrated one of his sons to officiate at this sanctuary as a priest. This implies a national departure from and corruption of the function intended only for the Aaronic Priesthood. With this departure from central worship at the one Tabernacle of Yahweh came the disintegration of the covenantal unity of the tribes. Decentralization weakened the nation in its task to evict the nations. With the establishment of individual and local sanctuaries and priests ordained from among the twelve common tribes, the statutes and judgments of Yahweh given only to Israel were distorted and corrupted, transformed into conformity with the statutes and judgments of the disqualified nations around them. Thus, cultic, civil, social, political, economic, and moral integrity and justice evaporated, making genuine cultic and moral life difficult for those remaining faithful to Yahweh’s Law.

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Having presented the deviance of Micah and his family, the writer comments, “In those days there was no king in Israel . Each man did what was upright in his own eyes” (Judg. 17:6 CV). This is his covenantal evaluation of this dark, evil age of the Judges. There is no king in Israel , during this era, as existed among the nations. However, there is a King in Israel during this era. Yahweh is King in Yeshurun. The sons of Israel have ignored, forgotten, dishonored, and rebelled against His rule. The central authority of Yahweh represented by the Aaronic High Priest and located in the Tabernacle of Yahweh residing in Shiloh had been forsaken, favoring instead the god of pseudo-freedom (chaos), the god of lawlessness: each man did what was upright in his own eyes. The integrity and corporate covenantal unity of Israel as one unified nation and brotherhood under the kingship of Yahweh had disintegrated.

The story of Micah continues by introducing a wandering Levite. The Levitical Priesthood tradition still existed, but in a lawless fashion. This young Levite had departed from the city of Bethlehem in the territory of Judah. He is seeking a place of service. Micah invites him to dwell in his household and take on the duties of a priest. Having a Levitical priest to serve in his house of elohim is a cultural honor, though not a necessity, adding cultic prestige to his household. Micah agrees to pay the Levite for his service. The Levite accepts the offer, becoming like one of his sons, ordained by Micah to his private priesthood. Micah concludes, “Now I know that Yahweh shall bring good to me, for the Levite has become a priest for me” (Judg. 17:13 CV). The worship of Yahweh has been converted into myth and superstition in conformity with the worship of the gods of the nations. Yahweh is to be bought, manipulated, appeased, fawned upon, flattered in order to obtain favor.

According to the Mosaic Law, the Levitical priests are not to receive wages as personal employees. They are holy, belonging to Yahweh and are to be supported from the sacrifices and the tithes offered to Yahweh. In this case, not only is the Levitical priest hired as a household priest for agreed-upon wages, but he is ordained by an unauthorized, common Israelite to serve in his private sanctuary before a molten image and teraphim, each of which is a defilement of the Levite’s own priestly calling as well as a defilement of Yahweh Himself. Such is the contaminated state of the Levitical Priesthood during this evil era. Yahweh has been reduced to merely one of the many gods in the land. This is one aspect of the environment in which Samson carried out his Nazarite calling, his cultic, civic, economic, and moral obligations, and his judgeship.

The 18th chapter, which introduces the Danites, begins with the author’s repetition of his commentary concerning the lack of a king in Israel . The purpose is to remind the reader, once again, of the dark, evil condition of this era in Israelite history. It is a warning later forgotten by the generation following that of the writer. For Israel would yet again descend into such degradation.

The sons of Dan, according to this account, seek more territory. They appoint five men of valor to spy out and investigate an allotment located in the far north, just beyond the allotment of the tribe of Naphtali. This became a necessity for the tribe of Dan because it had failed to drive out the Canaanites from the allotment assigned to it by Joshua and Eleazar the High Priest. The Danites feared the inhabitants of the land. They mistrusted the word and mighty leadership of Yahweh. The very land within which they had settled had been conquered by the tribe of Ephraim. As a result of the tribe of Dan’s faithlessness, the Danites resolve to seek an allotment elsewhere. Thus, they reject the allotment assigned them by Yahweh. As a tribe, they do what is upright in their own eyes.

In the course of their journey, the five men of valor come to the hill country of Ephraim where Micah’s house is located. They decide to lodge in the area. Coming upon Micah’s Levite priest, they enquire concerning his present location and service. The Levite informs them of his encounter with Micah and the agreement entered into. The five explorers request that the Levite inquire of Yahweh concerning their mission. Using the ephod of Micah, the Levite assures them of Yahweh’s prosperity.

Having reached their destination, the men proceed to investigate the chief city in the area and the territory surrounding it. Returning to the conquered portion of Dan’s allotment, the five men report, “Do arise and let us go up against them for we have seen the land, and behold, it is very good. And you are hesitant! Do not be slothful! . . . you shall come to an unsuspecting people; and the land is wide in expanse. Yea, Elohim has delivered it into your hand, a place where there is no lack of anything on earth” (Judg. 18:9-10 CV). The land is worthy of their occupation and settlement. The inhabitants can be easily defeated. There is much territory available for future expansion. But again, the Danites are hesitant. However, when informed that Elohim has guaranteed their success, this group of Danites removes itself “from the family seat of the Danite” (Judg. 18:11 CV) which had been allotted by Yahweh. They had refused to follow Yahweh into war against the inhabitants of the land allotted them, but now they choose to follow the word (Page 236)of a prostituted Yahweh worshiped through an imitation ephod, a molten image, teraphim, and a compromised Levitical priest.

On their journey to make war against Laish and the surrounding territory, these sons of Dan become thieves, tyrannically stealing Micah’s ephod, molten image, teraphim, and Levitical priest. When the priest questions the action of these Danites, he is told, “Keep silent! Put your hand on your mouth! Come with us and become a father and a priest for us! Is it better for you to be priest for one man’s household, or for you to become priest for a tribe and a family in Israel ?” (Judg. 18:19 CV). The writer informs the reader, “The heart of the priest felt good, so he took the ephod, the teraphim and the carving and came to be among the people” (Judg. 18:20 CV). The Levitical priest is merely a hireling, selling his services to the highest bidder. “The heart of the priest felt good” is another way of saying he does what is upright in his own eyes. In all this, the kingship of Yahweh, the Law of Yahweh, and the glory of Yahweh have been disregarded, having been exchanged for the idolatrous worship of a denigrated Yahweh, making these Israelites worshipers of a foreign elohim.

After these Danites destroy the people of Laish by the sword, denying them an offer of peace according to the Law of Moses recorded in Deuteronomy 20:10-12, they burn the city with fire. The city is thereafter rebuilt, inhabited, and renamed Dan. The name is to be associated from that time on with idolatry and injustice. The writer then adds in confirmation, “The sons of Dan set up the carving for themselves, and Jonathan son of Gershon, son of Moses, he and his sons, they became priests for the tribe of the Danite until the day of deportation from the land. They kept the carving of Micah, that he had made, set up for themselves all the days while the House of the One, Elohim, was in Shiloh” (Judg. 18:30-31 CV). This Jonathan son of Gershon son of Moses must refer to the Levitical priest taken away from Micah. He and his sons served as priests for the tribe of Dan in the north until the deportation executed by Assyria in 722 BC. However, the use of the carving of Micah (including the ephod, the molten image, and the teraphim) ceased sometime after the Tabernacle of Yahweh was removed from Shiloh. This most likely means during the latter part of Samuel’s ministry under the reign of king Saul, for in Saul’s time the holy Hebrew text locates the Tabernacle of Yahweh in Nob (cf. 1 Sam. 21:1-9).

The final episode in the Book of Judges begins, again, with the covenantal judgment: “It came to be in those days when there was no king in Israel , . . .” (Judg. 19:1a CV). Again, a Levite is a central character in the degrading events about to be reported. It should be noted, also, that this final episode (together with the previous episode concerning Micah and Dan) takes the reader back to the generation immediately following the death of the elders who served with Joshua and Eleazar. In chapter 2, the writer had described this generation as “another generation arose after them, who did not know Yahweh or the deeds that He had done for Israel . Then the sons of Israel did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh and served the Baalim” (Judg. 2:10b-11 CV). This generation initiated the evil ways of Israel which were to characterize the nation for the duration of the age of the Judges. From the writer’s covenantal evaluation of this era, doing what is evil in the eyes of Yahweh is equivalent to each man doing what is upright in his own eyes.

The sons of Israel begin to do that which is evil in the eyes of Yahweh, not during a time of oppression, but during a period of prosperity. Yahweh has blessed the nation in the land, and this prosperity and security causes the nation as one man to become overconfident, complacent, forgetful, taking for granted what has become ordinary, daily expectation. Yahweh had predicted this in His song dictated to Moses:

When Yeshurun grew stout and kicked

(You will be stout, thick and burly),

Then he abandoned Eloah Who had made him

And disgraced the Rock of his salvation. (Deuteronomy 32:15 CV).

Thus, Yahweh spurns (Deut. 32:19 CV) His people, concealing His face from them (Deut. 32:20 CV) until they cry out to Him for deliverance. But their evil ways would continually worsen. As one man, Israel contaminates himself by incorporating the evil ways of the inhabitants of the land into his own cultic, social, political, economic, and moral practices.

This generation imitating these evil ways had been sent a messenger of Yahweh who had declared, “But you have not harkened to My voice. What is this you have done? So I now say: I shall not drive them out from before you, and they will become a scourge against your sides. As for their elohim, they shall be a trap to you” (Judg. 2:2b-3 CV). In response, the sons of Israel had lifted up their voices in lamentation and (Page 237)sacrificed to Yahweh. But they continued their evil ways: “The sons of Israel did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh” (Judg. 3:7a CV).

Such lamentation and sacrifice are displayed again in this final episode reported in chapters 19-21. Concerning the abomination of the Benjaminites, the sons of Israel lament before Yahweh, having just been defeated twice in battle by the sons of Benjamin. They inquire as to whether they should go into battle against Benjamin a third time. The High Priest at this time is Phinehas the son of Eleazar (Judg. 20:27-28), indicating the identity of this generation as that generation following the death of Joshua, Eleazar, and the elders serving with them.

Thus, the generation represented in this final episode ending the Book of Judges is the generation initiating the evil ways of Israel as one man. It is the same generation addressed in chapter 2, verses 1-5 and 10-15, and chapter 3, verses 1-7. This final episode depicts the lowest moral point in the history of Israel up to that time. Its implication is that as shocking as is this moral depravity, conditions (as already described in the body of this book presently in the process of being concluded) were to become continually worse.

Though the text here describes this generation as lamenting before Yahweh, worse lamenting is still to come. After the tribe of Benjamin is wiped out completely, with the exception of 600 warriors, the people “lifted up their voice and lamented with a great lamentation; and they said, Why, O Yahweh Elohim of Israel , has this happened in Israel , that one tribe is missing today from Israel ?” (Judg. 21:2b-3 CV). In spite of the fact that they then offer up ascent and peace offerings to Yahweh (as in the earlier account of lamentation in chapter 2:1-5), their question implies that Yahweh is at fault when, in fact, the cause of these tragic events is their own evil ways, as the writer confirms in his concluding words to the entire book: “In those days there was no king in Israel; each man did what was upright in his own eyes” (Judg. 21:25 CV).

The Levite presented in this final episode is a man of considerable wealth. He journeys to Bethlehem in Judah having a team of saddled donkeys, a servant, and abundant provisions for the duration of the round trip (Judg. 19:3-4, 19). He is from the hill country of Ephraim and apparently is serving his term at the House of Yahweh in Shiloh (Judg. 19:18). Upon arriving at the house of his father-in-law, he is welcomed and treated with great respect and honor. He is a priest of Yahweh. The priest has knowledge of the rules for intercourse with Yahweh. He has access to Yahweh and His law and can be a means of obtaining favor from Yahweh, as previously depicted in the relation between Micah and his hired Levitical priest.

Thus, this Levite typifies the role and prestige of the priest who is the guardian of covenantal knowledge. He alone is recognized as a master, a scholar of the legal code which he exercises on behalf of the members of the holy community. He exerts enormous influence on the practice of law, politics, art, economics, and morality. In this evil era, however, the covenantal teachings of Yahweh have been distorted and compromised, being conformed to the worship and service of the foreign gods of the nations amongst them: “As for you, you shall not contract a covenant with the dwellers of this land; and you will break down their altars. But you have not hearkened to My voice. . . . As for their elohim, they shall be a trap to you” (Judg. 2:2-3 CV).

This man, a Levite, has journeyed from Shiloh in Ephraim to Bethlehem in Judah in order to restore to himself his concubine who has “prostituted against him,” returning to her father’s house (Judg. 19:2 CV). The text records, “Then her husband got up and went after her, to speak to her heart and to bring her back” (Judg. 19:3a CV). This Levite’s reputation is presented as questionable. The writer implies he has abused his concubine/wife. She, in response, has “prostituted against him” by leaving him illegally, returning to her father’s house. Under the Mosaic Law women had legal rights. They were not to be abused or mistreated as objects or possessions. However, they did not have the right to initiate a divorce. Justice for them must be mediated by righteous men (husbands, fathers, brothers), civil courts, and the Levitical Priesthood. If these sources of justice become corrupt, an abused woman had no other recourse than to endure the unjust treatment or escape to her father’s house. The Levite in the present account seeks her return by speaking “to her heart,” indicating he is the offender, not the one offended.

Returning to Shiloh with his reconciled wife and his servant, the Levite chooses to lodge in the city of Gibeah inhabited by the sons of Benjamin, rather than Jebus, inhabited by foreigners. The writer in the introductory chapters has already provided the reader with information foreshadowing the significance of this choice: “As for the Jebusite dwelling in Jerusalem, the sons of Benjamin did not evict them, so the Jebusite dwell with the sons of Benjamin in Jerusalem until this day” (Judg. 1:21 CV). This implies a condition which endured prior to David’s defeat of the city of Jerusalem (formerly Jebus). It also foreshadows the debased condition of the sons of Benjamin due to their mingling with the Jebusites.

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It seems the sons of Benjamin dwelling in Gibeah, just a few miles northeast of Jebus, had descended further into depravity than the Jebusites. The servant of the Levite recommends lodging in Jebus. But the Levite arrogantly protests, “We shall not withdraw to a city of foreigners who are not sons of Israel ; but we will pass on to Gibeah” (Judg. 19:12 CV). In this arrogant protest is a denial of the decadent condition of Israel, a condition confirmed later by the people of Israel gathered at Bethel, after the extermination of the tribe of Benjamin, when they ask, “Why, O Yahweh Elohim of Israel, has this happened in Israel?” (Judg. 21:3 CV). What an arrogant, ignorant, and insulting question to put before Yahweh Elohim, King in Yeshurun! Israel ’s vision of Yahweh, His law, and His society had been quickly perverted by the unwarranted presence of the Canaanites and their evil worship and service of idolatrous elohim.

Entering the city square of Gibeah, these sojourners, rightfully expecting the honorable offer of hospitality, are ignored by the Benjaminite inhabitants. Hospitality is finally offered by an old man, also from the hill country of Ephraim and also a sojourner in Gibeah. Ominously warning them not to spend the night in the city square, he invites them to spend the night in his house at his expense, even though the Levite explains he has his own sufficient provisions. Yahweh still maintains a faithful remnant in Israel .

During the night, a group of decadent men from the city surround the house demanding the Levite be delivered up to them. These Israelites are the extreme examples of the people described as a “wayward generation, Sons with no faithfulness in them” (Deut. 32:20b CV). The present text refers to them as “sons of decadence” surrounding the house and “shoving themselves against the door” (Judg. 19:22 CV). Deuteronomy, chapter 13, foretold of such men: “In case you hear it said of one of your cities which Yahweh your Elohim is giving to you to dwell there, that men, sons of decadence, have gone forth from among you and induced the dwellers of the city, saying: Let us go, and let us serve other elohim . . . then you will inquire, . . . And behold, if the truth of the matter is being established that this abhorrence was done among you, then you shall smite . . . the dwellers of that city with the edge of the sword” (Deut. 13:12-15a CV). These men seek to sexually abuse the Levite. Their intention is both evil (Judg. 19:23a) and decadent (19:23b), violating the holy state of the Levite as belonging to Yahweh (Num. 3:11-13), violating Yahweh’s Law concerning the just treatment of strangers and sojourners (Lev. 19:33-34), and violating Yahweh’s Law against homosexuality (Lev. 20:13).

The host refuses to deliver the Levite into their hands, and eventually the decadent mob accepts the Levite’s concubine/wife. This woman is taken away and is sexually abused throughout the night. She is abandoned just before dawn and manages to struggle back to the house of her host. She collapses at the entrance of the house. In the morning, after her husband woke up from a night’s rest, leaving the house of his host to continue his journey, he discovers her lying at the entrance. He orders her to get up and accompany him on the journey home, assuming she had been sleeping. Such is the care, concern, and love of this Levite man for his concubine/wife whom he had just recently wooed with tender, compassionate words of kindness and affection. Did he really believe she was sleeping?! How callous can this man be?! Receiving no response from the terribly abused woman, he discovers she is dead.

Outraged, he returns home, “took a knife, took fast hold of his concubine and cut her in pieces, according to her bones, into twelve pieces” (Judg. 19:29 CV). He sends one piece to each of the twelve tribes. The nation as one man responds, “Then all the sons of Israel marched forth, from Dan to Beer-sheba and the land of Gilead; and the congregation was assembled as one man before Yahweh at Mizpah” (Judg. 20:1 CV). Inquiring of the Levite in order to determine the truth of his charges, he describes the horror in detail, concluding, “for they had committed lewdness and decadence in Israel . Now all of you are sons of Israel ; grant your plan and counsel here” (Judg. 20:6b-7 CV).

All the tribes had convened at Mizpah except Benjamin who had heard of the assembling, but neglected to participate. Again the text records, “Now all the people arose as one man, . . .” (Judg. 20:8 CV). They call upon the tribe of Benjamin to deliver up the sons of decadence in Gibeah in order to put them to death according to the Law of Yahweh. Benjamin refuses to “hearken to the voice of their brothers, the sons of Israel (Judg. 20:13b CV). Israel is now faced with civil war, brother against brother; however, not Abel against Cain or Cain against Abel, but rather Cain against Cain! The entire nation as one man is guilty before Yahweh. The entire nation as one man is immersed in that which is evil in the eyes of Yahweh. As one man, Israel does what is upright in his own eyes.

The confederation of tribes now proceeds to Bethel in order to inquire of Elohim. The Ark of the Covenant had been brought down to Bethel from Shiloh under the officiation of Phineas (the son of Eleazar who had been the High Priest under Joshua) who was now the High Priest of the Aaronic Priesthood. Phineas is a faithful servant of Yahweh destined to serve as High Priest on behalf of a generation not (Page 239)knowing Yahweh or His deeds on its behalf and a generation committed to doing what is evil in the eyes of Yahweh. This generation inquires of Elohim at Bethel, presumptuously assuming its innocence and righteousness before Yahweh. This generation offers no ascent or peace offering. This generation does not humble itself before Yahweh. It merely asks, “Who shall go up for us at the start to the battle with the sons of Benjamin?” (Judg. 20:18 CV). Yahweh replies, Judah at the start.” The confederation of Israel neglects to inquire whether Yahweh will lead them to victory. Yahweh answers their inquiry, strictly limiting His response to their specific question. The confederation is soundly defeated in battle by the sons of Benjamin.

Humiliated and bewildered, Israel returns to Bethel lamenting before Yahweh. Again the confederation inquires of Yahweh, and, again, they ask should they go against Benjamin their brother a second time. Yahweh replies, “Go up against him” (Judg. 20:23b CV). A second time Benjamin handily defeats his confederate brothers. Humiliated, bewildered, and discouraged, confederate Israel , for the third time, goes to Bethel. However, this time “all the sons of Israel , the whole force” (Judg. 20:26 CV) gathers at Bethel, not just a group of commanders.

The entire Israelite militia sits before Yahweh lamenting and fasting. No longer are they assured of victory due to superior numbers or weapons. Though their cause is just, Yahweh has chastised them. Finally, they present to Yahweh ascent offerings and peace offerings. Now their lamenting, fasting, and offerings display a sincere and legitimate humiliation before Yahweh. Their presumptuousness and overconfidence gone, they inquire of Yahweh a third time. Yahweh replies, “Go up, for tomorrow I shall deliver him into your hand” (Judg. 20:28b CV). This time Yahweh promises victory.

The Israelite confederacy overwhelmingly destroys the militia of the sons of Benjamin. The text makes clear who is responsible: “Yahweh struck down Benjamin before Israel (Judg. 20:35a CV). Yahweh judges Benjamin, but spares 600 warriors. Israel , in contrast, seeks personal vengeance for the two previous defeats: “The Israelite men then turned about against the sons of Benjamin and smote them with the edge of the sword, from everything in the city to domestic beasts, to all that was found. Moreover, all the cities they came upon, they sent up in fire” (Judg. 20:48 CV). In addition, the men of Israel , while at Mizpah, had vowed not to give any daughter of Israel to a Benjaminite. This now comes back to haunt them, for they had just put to death, in the heat of personal vengeance, all the women belonging to the tribe of Benjamin. In essence, their rash vow had now consigned the entire tribe of Benjamin to annihilation. The people of the confederacy “came to Bethel and sat there until evening before the One, Elohim, they lifted up their voice and lamented with a great lamentation; and they said, Why, O Yahweh Elohim of Israel, has this happened in Israel, that one tribe is missing today from Israel?” (Judg. 21:2-3 CV).

The cause of this tragic situation cannot be attributed to Yahweh. Yet these people still refuse to acknowledge their rebellious character and their evil ways in the eyes of Yahweh. They mourn the consequence of their own undisciplined action and seek to place the responsibility for this disaster on the faithlessness of Yahweh their Elohim. Their evil hearts immerse them in a bath of self-pity, bemoaning their unjustified calamity, “The people were feeling regret about Benjamin, for Yahweh had made a breach in the tribes of Israel (Judg. 21:15 CV). This breach is the result of their own behavior. Yahweh had not dictated the severity of Israel ’s vengeance on Benjamin. Only the guilty were to be put to death. The hands of all Israel are covered with blood. The nation is unclean before Yahweh.

The potential disaster is resolved, not by inquiring of Yahweh, but by inquiring among themselves whether any city in Israel had not come to Mizpah. It is discovered that Jabesh-gilead had not come to the assembly. The verdict is to treat this city as an ally of Benjamin and destroy it and all its inhabitants, except those women who have not had sexual relations with men. This is carried out. Four hundred virgins are spared and given to the surviving 600 warriors of Benjamin for wives.

They are still short 200 women. This is resolved by a crafty, deceptive scheme. The remaining sons of Benjamin are told to kidnap from the daughters of Shiloh wives for themselves at the next annual festival of Yahweh. When the father and brothers of these women make complaint, the elders of Israel will persuade them to overlook the loss on behalf of Israel . Since the women were kidnapped, the men of Shiloh would not be guilty of breaking their vow. In this way all Israel would obtain peace.

The problem is resolved, but certainly not in an honorable manner. The nation continues to do that which is evil in the eyes of Yahweh. It continues in its uncleanness. The writer concludes the book with a final announcement of his covenantal evaluation of this evil age: “In those days there was no king in Israel ; each man did what was upright in his own eyes” (Judg. 21:25 CV). With the judgeship of Samson, the evil and uncleanness of this age has reached its climax. Samson has paved the way for the cleansing ministry of Samuel. Yahweh mercifully and compassionately begins to deliver His people from the (Page 240)darkness and terror of this evil age. Jacob/Israel does not warrant such a deliverance on the basis of his own actions. Yahweh’s gracious purpose and intent for the election of Jacob/Israel will continue in spite of the rebellious character of the nation. Samuel will begin the cleansing process. The age of the Judges will give way to the age of the Kings. Jacob/Israel will continue his rebellious ways. The faithful remnant will survive to Yahweh’s glory and will carry forward His purpose to the era of its fulfillment.

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Samuel

Samuel and Samson are covenantal complements. Both are born to women who had been barren. This theme has already been played out in the barrenness of Sarah, Rebecca, and Rachel. In each case, Yahweh is responsible for the woman’s barrenness and her conception, indicating Yahweh’s power over life and death.

The sons concerned, after long years of barrenness, are Yahweh’s gifts, associated with His elective purpose. Each of these sons is significant to the progressive development of Yahweh’s elective design. Yahweh’s election overrides the consequences of human failure.

The birth of Isaac overrides the failure of the nations after the flood. Isaac is the seed through whom the nations would be blessed. The birth of Joseph overrides the failure of his brothers, the ten sons of Jacob. Joseph is the son through whom the sons of Israel are preserved and blessed, in spite of their failure to become their brother’s keeper. They fail both Joseph, their brother, and Yahweh, their gracious Elohim. Their failure should have led to the failure of Jacob as the seed through whom the nations would be blessed. But the conception, birth, and special character of Joseph override the failure of the sons of Israel . Yahweh’s word will not return to Him void.

Samson’s conception, birth, and untamed, fierce, intemperate and impetuous character reflect and override the rebellious character of his people, his brothers; mercifully cutting short the evil era of the Judges by paving the way for Samuel, his complement. Samuel’s conception, birth, and harnessed, pious, temperate, and patient character reflect Yahweh’s ideal (what is upright in the eyes of Yahweh) and override the failure of Samson and the sons of Israel , building upon the final faithful act of Samson culminating in his death and the death of a vast number of Philistines.

The death of Samson is the death of the evil era of the Judges. Samuel’s rise complements Samson’s downfall, culminating in Israel ’s deliverance from the rule of the Philistines. Samson’s death symbolically marks the departure of the glory of Yahweh from the Mosaic Tabernacle. Israel had failed to worship and serve Yahweh, King in Yeshurun, as He reigned upon His throne located in the Tabernacle. Yahweh is about to initiate a new era within the Mosaic Eon . The era of the rule of the king is about to begin. Once again, however, it is Yahweh’s elective override which preserves the nation and the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

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The Birth of Samuel: A Woman Pressed in Spirit

The Book of Samuel begins with the introduction of Elkanah, a Levite from the hill country of Ephraim. He has two wives, Hannah his beloved and Peninnah. The text declares, “And Penninah came to have children; but Hannah had no children” (1 Sam. 1:2b CV). In spite of Elkanah’s love for Hannah, “Yahweh had closed her womb” (1 Sam. 1:5b CV). This is no accident. It is part of Yahweh’s design. Hannah is made to endure the ridicule and abuse of Peninnah who continually vexes Hannah because of her barrenness.

Thus, Hannah becomes a type of faithful Israel enduring the consequences of unfaithful Israel . The faithful remnant is deprived of justice. Eli, the High Priest, is compelled to struggle sorrowfully in the midst of a rebellious people. In an era in which the nation does what is upright in her own eyes, the faithful remnant, striving to do what is upright in the eyes of Yahweh, bears the burden of the evil around it.

These faithful ones are persecuted, ridiculed, and estranged from their brethren. They become aliens in a strange land. Their sorrow weighs heavily upon them. Like Hannah, this faithful remnant figuratively “lamented and would not eat” (1 Sam. 1:7b CV) the sacrificial meal. As Hannah could not be consoled, so also the faithful in Israel could not be consoled.

In bitterness of soul, Hannah stands before Yahweh at the Tabernacle in Shiloh and prays for relief from her humiliation. The continual gloating of her adversary because “Yahweh had tightly closed up her womb” (1 Sam. 6b CV) had cruelly disheartened Hannah. Appearance seems to indicate Yahweh’s (Page 241)displeasure with Hannah in contrast to His pleasure with Peninnah. This certainly seems to be the conclusion the author, by way of implication, attributes to Peninnah.

The rebellious nation has continued to delude herself into believing that Yahweh is pleased with her ways, as depicted in the closing chapters of the Book of Judges. Yahweh is not pleased with sacrifices and burnt offerings when not accompanied by obedience to His voice: “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams” (1 Sam. 15:22b KJV). However, the Book of Samuel will make clear the deceptive nature of appearance.

Though in appearance Yahweh seems to be displeased with Hannah, in reality, she is favored of Yahweh. For Hannah’s heart seeks to do what is upright in the eyes of Yahweh. In the evil age of the Judges, Hannah is persecuted for her righteousness. In the eyes of the unfaithful ones, she appears cursed, being barren. But in the eyes of Yahweh, she is blessed and will be made fruitful, bearing a child divinely prepared to cleanse the nation from her iniquity and deliver the nation from her enemies.

Hannah’s personal humiliation, lamentation, and request of Yahweh reflect her love of Yahweh and her love of Yahweh’s people. She vows, saying, “O Yahweh of hosts, if You will look, yea look upon the humiliation of Your maidservant and will remember me and not forget Your maidservant, and if You will grant Your maidservant a male descendant, then I will dedicate him to Yahweh for all the days of his life; he shall not drink wine or intoxicant, and no razor-blade shall come upon his head” (1 Sam. 1:11 CV). Hannah vows to dedicate her son to Yahweh as a Nazarite on behalf of her people. She asks to be remembered.

The Levites have forgotten to carry out their responsibilities to the nation. The Aaronic Priesthood has forgotten to mediate on behalf of the nation. The nation herself has forgotten Yahweh, committing cultic prostitution by the worship of other elohim. Hannah cries out to Yahweh on behalf of the nation unable to cry out on its own behalf.

As she prays to Yahweh in her heart, Eli the High Priest observes the movement of her lips, but hears no sounds. He concludes she is drunk and a daughter of worthlessness. Such, in fact, had become the condition of the Sanctuary under the administration of Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phinehas. The expression “daughters of worthlessness” (1 Sam. 1:16) refers to Israelite women who had become cultic prostitutes, having sacred sexual relations with the priests in a cultic attempt to manipulate Yahweh into granting national fertility and success against national enemies.

Hannah responds by declaring she is “a woman who is hard pressed in spirit” (1 Sam. 1:15a CV). This typifies all those making up the faithful remnant. She tells Eli she has been pouring out her soul before Yahweh. She is not a daughter of worthlessness. She has spoken to Yahweh “out of the magnitude of my concern and my vexation” (1 Sam. 1:16b CV). Here is a worthy woman, in the midst of an unworthy nation. Eli, realizing his hasty and unjustified judgment and speaking as Yahweh’s anointed High Priest, answers, “Go in peace! May the Elohim of Israel grant your request that you have asked of Him” (1 Sam. 1:17 CV). Hannah has “asked” Yahweh for a male descendant, a son whom she has vowed to dedicate to Yahweh King in Yeshurun. She has “asked” for that which is upright in the eyes of Yahweh. This is soon to be contrasted with the nation’s request for a king like the nations, a request reflecting that which is upright in the nation’s own eyes.

Hannah “went her way and came to her booth where she ate and drank with her husband; and her face was no longer sad for herself” (1 Sam. 1:18b CV). No longer does Hannah lament. She is consoled, hope being restored to her. She now partakes of the sacrificial meal. Early the next morning, Hannah and her husband “worshiped before Yahweh, . . . and Yahweh remembered her” (1 Sam. 1:19 CV). Hannah gives birth to a son. She names him Samuel, “for it was of Yahweh Elohim of hosts that I have asked for him” (1 Sam. 1:20b CV).

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The Dedication of Samuel: A Son Sauled of El

In Hebrew, Samuel means asked of El. The Hebrew word for asked is sauled. Samuel is sauled of El. Yahweh views this request (saul) as honorable. His granting of this request results in the consolation and salvation of Hannah/Israel.

Later, when the sons of Israel request of Yahweh a king like the nations, Yahweh views the request as dishonorable. His granting of this request results in the discomfort and affliction of Israel under a psychologically/spiritually sick Saul. Yahweh gives the nation the king the sons of Israel desire. He gives them Saul. By playing on the word “saul” in the naming of Samuel and the appointing of a king, the (Page 242)inspired author makes clear the essence of the nation’s request for a king. The nation has offended the honor of Yahweh.

In asking for a king, the sons of Israel reject the kingship of Yahweh. In granting this dishonorable request, Yahweh graciously bears this insult, incorporating the evil act of the sons of Israel into His elective design, thereby producing out of their evil His good. He gives the nation up to her disqualified mind. He gives the nation what she desires—Saul the Benjaminite (alluding to the last episode in the Book of Judges, the abhorrent act of the tribe of Benjamin and the defilement of all Israel ).

Saul will reflect this disqualified mind, causing Israel discomfort and affliction, though defeating the Philistines on the battlefield under the ministry of Samuel. As Israel’s disqualified mind rejects Yahweh as King, proving herself dissatisfied with Yahweh’s choice of Samuel as His instrument of salvation, so also Yahweh rejects Saul as king, revealing His dissatisfaction with the nation’s and Saul’s choice of a disqualified mind.

Samuel is Yahweh’s gracious replacement of Eli and his sons. Samuel is a Levite, but not an Aaronite. He does not become the High Priest. Though as a child he is associated with the Sanctuary, his ministry will not be associated with the Tabernacle. He will serve Yahweh and Israel as a Levitical priest, a prophet, and a judge. His ministry will represent the transition from Judgeship to Kingship. His ministry will end the eon /age of the Judges and will encompass the appointment of Saul as king, Saul’s failure and rejection, and the anointing of David, Yahweh’s choice as king.

Hannah had dedicated Samuel to Yahweh for “all the days of his life” (1 Sam. 1:11 CV). After weaning him, she declares, “I will bring him; for he must appear before the face of Yahweh and abide there for the eon (1 Sam. 1:22 CV). Samuel will serve before the face of Yahweh all the days of his life, which is equivalent to the termination of the eon of the Judges. During his ministry, serving “before the face of Yahweh” will no longer be primarily associated with the Tabernacle. As will be seen, the glory of Yahweh will depart from the Mosaic Tabernacle and will not return until the completed construction of the Solomonic Temple.

When Hannah delivers Samuel to Eli at the Tabernacle in Shiloh, she explains, “For this lad I had prayed, and Yahweh has granted to me my request that I had asked of Him. Therefore I have given him as a loan to Yahweh. All the days that he lives, he is one requested for Yahweh” (1 Sam. 1:27-28a CV). Hannah’s prayer request had been acceptable in the eyes of Yahweh. Her request (saul) had been granted and blessed, in contrast to the nation’s request (Saul), which had been granted but cursed. In return, Hannah keeps her vow, giving Samuel in loan to Yahweh for the duration of his life.

Hannah had asked for a son (not a king) and had requested this son for Yahweh. A son had been requested from Yahweh for Yahweh’s service. A son to serve Yahweh King in Yeshurun is upright in the eyes of Yahweh and a gesture granting Yahweh the honor due Him. Hannah’s request displays her faithfulness to Yahweh. The request soon to be asked of Yahweh by the sons of Israel displays their unfaithfulness to Yahweh. Such a request will be tantamount to rejecting the royal reign of Yahweh as King in Yeshurun.

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The Purpose of Yahweh

Yahweh’s purpose for closing Hannah’s womb is now clear. The sons of Israel had done that which is evil in the eyes of Yahweh. Israel was then delivered into the hands of the Philistines for 40 years (Judg. 13:1 CV). The womb of Samson’s mother (Manoah’s wife) had been closed. Now her womb is opened, and she bears a son, Samson. He is to begin delivering the sons of Israel . This occurs during the 40 years of Philistine rule, under which Eli is High Priest (1 Sam. 4:18 CV). During this time, Eli becomes too old to perform the duties of the High Priest. His sons take up his duties, profaning the Tabernacle of Yahweh by their abominable conduct.

Samson commences his activities which are used by Yahweh against the Philistines. Contemporaneously, Samuel, consecrated, like Samson, as a Nazarite from his mother’s womb, begins his apprenticeship before Yahweh in the Sanctuary at Shiloh under the tutelage of Eli. Yahweh gives Samuel to Israel at the request of Hannah. Samuel is Yahweh’s choice to guide Israel under Yahweh’s kingship. Samuel will complete what Samson initiates, the deliverance of the sons of Israel from the rule of the Philistines. However, he will accomplish this not by physical might, but by the covenantal power of his word and prayer. Samuel obeys the voice of Yahweh. In contrast to Hannah’s request and Yahweh’s choice, the sons of Israel will request a king “to judge us like all the other nations” (1 Sam. 8:5 CV), and Yahweh will give them a man characterizing their choice.

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Thus, Samuel remains “in the ministry to Yahweh in the presence of Eli the priest” (1 Sam. 2:11 CV), in contrast with the sons of Eli who “were sons of worthlessness, who did not acknowledge Yahweh . . .” (1 Sam. 2:12 CV). Eli, aware of the activities of his sons, reprimands them, but they refuse to obey his voice. But Samuel “was going on and growing greater in goodness both with Yahweh and with men” (1 Sam. 2:26 CV).

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Eli and His Sons: Depravity of the Aaronic Priesthood

However, Eli is not innocent. Yahweh, accusing him, asks, “Why are you showing disrespect for My sacrifice and for My approach present that I have determined for My habitation? Why are you glorifying your sons more than Me, to make yourselves plump with the first portion of every approach present by My people Israel ?” (1 Sam. 2:29 CV). Judgment is issued against Eli and his house, “I said, . . . Your house and your father’s house shall walk about before Me for the eon . Yet now, . . . Far be it from Me! For those glorifying Me shall I glorify, yet those despising Me shall be dishonored. Behold the days are coming . . . when I will hack down your seed and the seed of your father’s house, to keep them from becoming old in your house. . . . all the increase of your house shall die by the sword of men. And this is the sign for you that shall befall your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas: On the same day shall both of them die” (1 Sam. 2:30-34 CV).

This is confirmed by Yahweh in His first appearance to Samuel, who “had not yet come to know Yahweh” (1 Sam. 3:7 CV). The writer earlier records, “In those days the word of Yahweh had become rare; there was no vision being unfolded” (1 Samuel 3:1b CV), thus indicating a significant change is about to occur. Eli instructs Samuel as to how to respond to Yahweh’s call. “Then Yahweh came and stood by and called out as He had done the times before: Samuel! Samuel! And Samuel answered, Speak, for Your servant is hearing” (1 Sam. 3:10 CV). Yahweh declares of Eli, “I told him that I shall judge his house for the eon for the depravity, because he knew that his sons were dishonoring Elohim, and he did not remonstrate with them” (1 Sam. 3:13 CV). Eli and his sons would be sentenced to death during the last days of the eon of the Judges. Having despised Yahweh by not glorifying Him, they would now be dishonorably removed. Samuel would occupy their place, for Samuel’s response to Yahweh’s first call would remain true of him all the days of his life, “Your servant is hearing.”

The writer, before going on to provide an account of the fulfillment of Yahweh’s judgment against the house of Eli, states, “As Samuel grew up, Yahweh was with him, and He let none of all His promises fall to the earth. From Dan to Beersheba, all Israel realized that Samuel was authenticated as a prophet of Yahweh” (1 Sam. 3:19-20 CV). Thus, Yahweh is to be with Samuel as He had not been with any Israelite since Moses and Joshua. He would leave no word unfulfilled which He spoke through Samuel. The authority of Samuel is recognized and acknowledged by all Israel throughout the territories of the land. Yahweh is to continue to appear at Shiloh, revealing Himself to Samuel and speaking His word for Israel through Samuel, “And the word of Samuel came to all Israel (1 Sam. 4:1a CV).

It is during these days, the last days of the eon of the Judges, that the Philistines convene for war against Israel . The first engagement between the two forces is devastating for Israel . The elders decide the defeat is due to the lack of Yahweh’s presence. The nation had not consulted Yahweh, nor had she requested His presence associated with the Ark of the Covenant. The sons of Eli are charged to carry up the Ark of the Covenant to the camp of the militia.

As the Ark of the Covenant enters the midst of the camp, “all Israel shouted with a loud shouting, so that the earth rumbled” (1 Sam. 4:5b CV). The Philistines became fearful, concluding, “Woe to us! Who shall rescue us from the hand of these noble elohim? These are those elohim who smote the Egyptians with all kinds of smiting and disease! Show yourselves steadfast and arise like men, . . . and you must fight” (1 Sam. 4:8-9 CV). Though the Philistines are fearful because of what they conceive as Israel ’s elohim (gods), they know they must fight or become the slaves of these Hebrews.

Apparently, the Philistines had heard the reports concerning the powerful gods of Israel which had delivered Israel from Egyptian bondage through mighty deeds and the affliction of disease. The Philistine attribution of that past deliverance to elohim (gods) is indicative of Israel ’s turning from Yahweh her Elohim to the worship and service of alien elohim/gods. This false conception of the One Living Elohim of Israel is soon to be corrected as a result of the Philistine capture of the Ark of the Covenant.

The second and final engagement between the two armies results in an even greater humiliation of Israel . The sons of Israel not only endure the death of 20,000 warriors, but also the death of their most prestigious priests, Hophni and Phinehas, and, even more devastating, the loss of the most holy Ark of the (Page 244)Covenant. Upon hearing of the capture of the Ark of the Covenant and the death of his two sons, Eli falls off his judgment seat and, breaking his neck, dies.

Eli had lived into his 98th year and had become blind. His blindness is typical of the nation as a whole. Samson’s blindness had led to his covenantal sight, leading to obedient performance of the task Yahweh had destined for him. Eli’s blindness ends in his death, typologically representing the continued blindness of Israel and her covenantal death at the conclusion of the eon of the kings, the eon about to be entered. Samson’s blindness leading to covenantal sight and obedient performance of the task destined by Yahweh for Israel will have to wait for its future typological fulfillment by the Israel of Yahweh, the Abelite, faithful remnant under the authority and rule of the son of David, the son of Yahweh, the Davidic King through Whom Yahweh would resume His face-to-face Kingship in Yeshurun.

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The Departure of the Shekinah Glory

About to give birth, Eli’s daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, hearing of the loss of the Ark of the Covenant and the death of her father-in-law and husband, gives birth to a son, naming him Ichabod, meaning the glory has departed from Israel . Nearing her own death through childbearing, she realizes that the loss of the holy ark signifies the departure of the glory of Yahweh from the midst of His people: “As she was now about to die, the woman standing by over her said, do not fear, for you have borne a son. But she did not respond and did not set her heart on it. Yet she called the lad Ichabod, meaning, The glory has departed from Israel , because of the coffer [ark] of Elohim being taken and because of the death of her husband’s father and her husband. So she said, The glory has departed from Israel , for the coffer of Elohim was taken” (1 Sam. 4:20-22 CV).

The writer in recording the deaths of Eli and his daughter-in-law significantly mentions the loss of the Ark of the Covenant first. He also ends the account with a reference to the loss of the ark. This loss marks a momentous change in the covenantal history of Israel , foreshadowing the fateful transition into the era of the kings.

This is highlighted by the writer in his explanation of the response of Eli’s daughter-in-law. The glory has departed from Israel, first, because the Ark of the Covenant has been taken; second, because of the death of her father-in-law Eli, High Priest over the Aaronic Priesthood; and finally, because of the death of her husband. The Mosaic order of rule and government had already been abandoned by Israel through cultic and moral contamination. The nation has now forfeited the covenantal right to Yahweh’s glory in her midst, which had been a privilege given to her alone among the nations.

Though His glory is removed, Yahweh does not abandon His people. He graciously gives them Samuel. The function of the Tabernacle as the central and only sanctuary (Deut. 12:13-14; Josh. 9:27) in which the glory of Yahweh dwelt in the midst of His people is terminated. In her heart, Israel has already rejected Yahweh as her King. The nation has failed to implement the Mosaic order (see Deut. 12:19; Num. 18:21-24). Yahweh proceeds to adapt the system to the current reality. Samuel will provide a transition into the modified mode of rule and order. Yahweh will graciously elect to tolerate activities which, under the Mosaic order, had been unacceptable.

Thus, Samuel will offer sacrifices at a variety of places other than the Sanctuary, and Israel will worship at various places. The system of worship centered around and associated with the Tabernacle will no longer dominate Israelite culture. It will continue to exist, but on the periphery of Israelite life. The rule and service of the High Priesthood (the Aaronic Priesthood) and Levitical Priesthood will become subordinate to the rule of the king. Distribution of the priestly rights (tithes, land grants, victuals, payments, etc.) would now depend on the supervision of the king and his administration. The order dictated by the Mosaic Law had become compromised. It would now be modified to accommodate monarchy and would be conditionally applied within the altered cultic, social, political, economic, and judicial structures.

In contrast to Hannah the mother of Samuel, the daughter-in-law of Eli, upon hearing that she has given birth to a son, does not rejoice. Her heart cannot be consoled. The birth of Samuel signifies the deliverance of Israel ; the birth of Ichabod signifies the depravation of Israel . The birth of Samuel foreshadows the temporary covenantal health of Israel ; the birth of Ichabod foreshadows the long-term covenantal sickness of Israel . Eli’s daughter-in-law perceives clearly the significance of the present event. It appears she also is an innocent victim of the depravity of her husband, her brother-in-law, and her people. She mournfully grieves the loss of the Ark of the Covenant, recognizing the great evil this event would unleash upon the nation.

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The Loss of the Ark of the Covenant

Although the glory of Yahweh departs from Israel , the presence of the Ark of the Covenant among the Philistines results in much evil against this enemy of Yahweh and His people. The ark is taken to the city of Ashdod where it is placed in the house of the Philistine god, Dagon. In the morning, the Ashdodites discover the image of Dagon lying on its face before the ark of Yahweh. The image is restored to its place. The next morning, the image of Dagon is discovered prostrated before the ark of Yahweh, its head and hands severed from its body. The Ashdodites were also smitten with piles. The men of Ashdod conclude, “The coffer of Israel ’s Elohim should not remain with us; for His hand is harsh against us and against Dagon, our elohim” (1 Sam. 5:7 CV).

Earlier, the Philistines had referred to the elohim, the gods of Israel . Now they recognize the One Living Elohim of Israel. His (singular) hand is “harsh against us.” Dagon is no match for Yahweh Elohim of Israel. The Philistines cannot boast in their victory over Israel . Yahweh has delivered His people into the hands of the Philistines. The victory can no longer be attributed to Dagon, for their god has been seen and perceived as inferior to Yahweh Elohim of Israel. Thus, the Philistines begin to fear Yahweh the Elohim of Israel, Yahweh of hosts (see 1 Sam. 6:6, 20). This title is first used in the Book of Samuel. It indicates that Yahweh the Elohim of Israel is also the Elohim of the hosts in both the celestial and terrestrial realms. He is the Elohim over all nations.

The ark of Yahweh remains in the midst of the Philistines seven months, during which time Yahweh plagues them with evil. Finally, the priests, diviners, and sacred scribes advise the Philistines, “You must make images of your piles and images of the mice which bring the land down to ruin. Thus you will give glory to Israel ’s Elohim; perhaps He may lighten His hand from upon you and from upon your elohim and from upon your land. Why should you harden your heart, just as the Egyptians and Pharaoh had hardened their heart? Was it not when He dealt severely with them that they sent them away, and they departed?” (1 Sam. 6:5-6 CV). The Philistines devise a scheme to return the ark to Israel . This scheme will determine whether the evil that comes upon them is the work of Yahweh Elohim of Israel or merely a work of chance. The test establishes the evil as coming from the hand of Yahweh Elohim of Israel. The Philistines give glory to Yahweh, Israel ’s Elohim, while the glory of Yahweh departs from Israel . Yahweh begins to distance Himself from His people, though He does not abandon them.

The return of the ark to Israel is due to the operation of Yahweh among the Philistines. It is Yahweh who directs the cows to Bethshemesh. The people of Bethshemesh rejoice at the sight of the returning ark. They split the wood of the cart and offer up the cows as an ascent offering, the Ark of the Covenant being placed upon the stone beside which the cows drawing the ark had stopped. The Levites had removed the ark from the cart and administered the sacrifice before the presence of Yahweh represented by the Ark of the Covenant. The Tabernacle would no longer have the prominence authorized by the Mosaic Law. This would also be true of the Ark of the Covenant.

As the ark had brought evil upon the Philistines, so it brings evil upon the sons of Jeconiah. Seventy of these priests, looking upon, staring at, the ark in such a manner as to treat it as a common object, rather than as the holy object of Yahweh’s holy presence, are slain by Yahweh. The priests had stood before the ark of Yahweh’s presence without the proper fear and regard for Yahweh’s presence. Each man’s eyes had scanned the holy ark through the lens of a covenantal heart turned to stone. These unholy priests had audaciously thought they could stand before the ark of Yahweh’s presence with unprostrated hearts. Disregarding Yahweh’s holiness, distinguishing themselves, on the basis of their holy lineage, as superior to the uncircumcised and unholy Philistines, these Levitical priests conceived themselves as immune from Yahweh’s castigation of those inappropriately associated with the holy ark of Israel (1 Sam. 6:19-21).

The men of Bethshemesh, responding to this destructive manifestation of Yahweh’s holy presence against even His own holy priests, trembling, ask rhetorically, “Who is able to stand before Yahweh, this holy Elohim?” (1 Sam. 6:20a CV). They then seriously ask, “And to whom shall the coffer [ark] of Yahweh go up from us?” (1 Sam. 6:20b CV). The ark represents the holy presence of Yahweh. It is a dangerous thing for this ark to remain in the midst of an unholy, unworthy covenantal people. Israel must be taught to remember Yahweh’s holiness and to remember her obligation to keep His law, to obey His voice in all things and to remember the consequences associated with failure to do so.

The ark is then taken by the men of Kirjath-jearim who bring it to the house of the priest Abinadab. His son Eleazar is hallowed to take charge of the ark of Yahweh. The ark is meant to reside in the Tabernacle within the holy of holies. But the Sanctuary had been desecrated by the abominable conduct (Page 246)of the sons of Eli. Thus, the Tabernacle is not to function as it had been intended to function according to the Mosaic instruction (Deut. 12:4-14). The covenant had been broken once again. The glory of Yahweh had been withdrawn. The tolerance of Yahweh is now to be displayed throughout the era of Saul and David. Not until the construction of the Temple by Solomon does the glory of Yahweh return.

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The Judgeship of Samuel

The glory of Yahweh has departed. The Ark of the Covenant is not returned to the Sanctuary at Shiloh. The writer notes, “It came to be, from the day the coffer [ark] had its seat at Kirjath-jearim, after many days had passed, that they amounted to twenty years; and all the house of Israel were plaintive after Yahweh” (1 Sam. 7:2 CV). Twenty years pass from the time the ark is moved to Kirjath-jearim. During this time, the house of Israel mourns sorrowfully after Yahweh. Under the instructional ministry and judgeship of Samuel, the people lament the consequences of their faithlessness. The Tabernacle is eventually removed from Shiloh and placed in Nob (1 Sam. 21:1-6). A turning point has been reached. The ministry of Samuel has been effective. The people have been properly prepared for Yahweh’s mercy.

The people, as a result of their 20-year earnest solicitations after Yahweh, finally gain Yahweh’s attentive assent. Yahweh turns His face back to His people. He instructs Samuel, who says, “If it is with all your heart that you are returning to Yahweh, then put away the foreign elohim and the Ashtaroth from your midst and prepare your heart for Yahweh and serve Him, Him alone. Then He shall rescue you from the hand of the Philistines” (1 Sam. 7:3 CV). For 20 years Samuel had been working on the hearts of his people. His efforts had not been in vain. The people must now outwardly manifest the inward change that had been developing over this 20-year period. Yahweh is now prepared to deliver them from the Philistines. Samuel calls for them to put away the foreign elohim in their midst and prepare their hearts to serve only Yahweh. The nation obeys, “And the sons of Israel put away the Baalim and the Ashtaroth and served Yahweh, Him alone” (1 Sam. 7:4 CV).

The time for turning the tables has arrived. Samuel convenes all Israel at Mizpah. There, he prays to Yahweh on their behalf. There, they confess they have sinned against Yahweh. There, Samuel judges the sons of Israel . As the Philistines march against Israel , Samuel offers up an ascent sacrifice to Yahweh. He cries out to Yahweh on behalf of the nation. Yahweh answers him.

As Samuel is offering up the sacrifice, the Philistine’s militia approaches the camp at Mizpah. The Philistines draw close for battle. But Yahweh arises on behalf of His people. He “thundered with a loud thunderclap over the Philistines on that day and discomfited them, so that they were struck down before Israel (1 Sam. 7:10b CV). Yahweh acts on His people’s behalf, destroying the Philistine militia by directing the elements of nature against them. The prayer and sacrificial ministry of Samuel awakens Yahweh to the deliverance of His people. Victory is achieved, not by might, numbers, or sophisticated weapons, but by the mighty intervention of Yahweh, the Living Elohim of Israel.

Obedience to and trust in Yahweh alone assures Israel victory over her enemies, in spite of her conventional disadvantages. How slow Israel had been and would be in remembering this truth. Covenantal obedience and trust guarantees the victorious intervention of Yahweh on behalf of His covenantal partner. Yahweh has bound Himself by covenantal contract to act on Israel ’s behalf if the sons of Israel remain faithful to their covenantal agreement.

The extent of this present victorious intervention by Yahweh is recorded as follows: “Thus the Philistines were made submissive, and they did not come anymore into Israel ’s territory; for the hand of Yahweh was on the Philistines all the days of Samuel. The cities between Ekron and Gath, that the Philistines had taken from Israel , returned to Israel ; and Israel reclaimed their territory from the hand of the Philistines. And then was peace between Israel and the Amorite” (1 Sam. 7:13-14 CV). This condition prevails during the days of Samuel’s sole judgeship. It would terminate at the installation of Saul as king. This is another indication that the request for a king like the nations is an act of unfaithfulness, a lack of trust in Yahweh as King.

Samuel judges Israel all the days of his life (1 Sam. 7:15). But only during his sole judgeship prior to the installation of Saul as king are the Philistine submissive and the Amorite at peace with Israel . The Tabernacle, no longer functioning as the one central Sanctuary at which Israel is to worship Yahweh through sacrificial offerings, is overshadowed by the legal and priestly ministries of Samuel at Ramah, at Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah, which become “holy places” (1 Sam. 7:16). Samuel establishes a circuit between these holy places at which he renders legal judgments and priestly service.

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Sacrifices are also offered at various high places in the land, indicating Yahweh’s tolerant indulgence of such places prohibited by Mosaic legislation. The intended model, being altered by Israel ’s weakness, is now tolerated by Yahweh in accord with His mercy and compassion. This tolerance would last until the dedication of the Solomonic Temple. Disobedience after the dedication of the Temple and the return of the glory of Yahweh would lead to national judgment resulting in removal from the land. That Yahweh temporarily accepts this alteration is affirmed when the writer notes, “Then his [Samuel’s] return would be to Ramah, for there was his house; there he would judge Israel , and there he built an altar to Yahweh” (1 Sam. 7:17 CV).

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Saul


The Rejection of Yahweh as King in Yeshurun

In Samuel’s old age, he appoints his sons as judges. He assigns them to Beer-sheba. However, his sons do not walk in his ways: “they stretched their hands out after gain, took bribes, and turned right judgment aside” (1 Sam. 8:3 CV). The elders of Israel exploit the situation, complaining to Samuel, “Behold, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now do appoint for us a king, to judge us like all the other nations” (1 Sam. 8:5 CV). The elders do not request Samuel to seek out Yahweh’s solution. The sinful activities of Samuel’s sons are merely an excuse to seek a king to judge the nation in imitation of the nations around them.

The matter is “displeasing in the eyes of Samuel” (1 Sam. 8:6 CV). The “eyes of Samuel” is equivalent to the eyes of Yahweh. Samuel has continually acted in accord with what is right in the eyes of Yahweh. His faithfulness recognizes immediately the unfaithfulness of the request. He prays to Yahweh Who answers, “Hearken to the voice of the people, to all that they are saying to you; for it is not you they have rejected; it is Me Whom they have rejected from being King over them” (1 Sam. 8:7 CV).

The request of the elders amounts to a rejection of Yahweh as King in Yeshurun. Yahweh declares the nation has been characteristically disobedient from the very first day He brought them up from Egypt . He testifies, “they have forsaken Me and have served other elohim, so also they are doing to you” (1 Sam. 8:8b CV). The request for a king like the nations is equivalent to the worship and service of foreign elohim. Whereas Israel is to worship and serve Yahweh alone, she is now adding to His worship and service the worship and service of foreign kings, as she had previously added to the worship and service of Yahweh the worship and service of foreign gods.

He commands Samuel to hearken to their request. However, in doing so, Samuel is to testify concerning the rights of such a king. Samuel warns the people of the bondage they will incur under the rule of such a king: he will draft their sons and daughters for all manner of royal service; he will appoint officers and ministers of state; he will select some to plan and reap royal harvests; he will conscript workers to forge implements of war; he will assign their daughters to serve as cooks and bakers; he will confiscate their fields, vineyards, and groves and give them to his courtiers; he will take a tenth of their flock, and, as a result, they will become his slaves (1 Sam. 8:11-17). Samuel then concludes, “You will cry out on that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves; yet Yahweh shall not answer you on that day” (1 Sam. 8:18 CV).

He makes it clear that the choice of a king like the nations is not Yahweh’s choice, but their own. This choice is not right in the eyes of Yahweh. They are choosing what is right in their own eyes. The ultimate consequence of this choice is revealed in advance: (1) They will become slaves of the king; (2) they will cry out for deliverance from this king, but Yahweh shall close His ears as they have closed their ears to Yahweh’s voice in this matter of requesting a king.

In spite of this calamitous prophetic analysis, the people refuse to hearken to the voice of Samuel. They respond, “No, for there should be a king over us, that we too would become like all the other nations. Our king will judge us and go forth before us and fight our battles” (1 Sam. 8:19b-20 CV). Clearly, the people reject Yahweh as Judge and King. How quickly they forget Yahweh their King thundering against the Philistines as He leads His warriors into battle.

The prayer of Samuel and the thundering elements under the control of Yahweh are not satisfactory for Israel . She would rather be led by a finite and flawed human king after the likeness of the nations. She rejects the security and success guaranteed by Yahweh in exchange for the insecurity and failure guaranteed under a king like the nations. She rejects the voice and testimony of Yahweh in exchange for the voice and testimony of the nations around her. Yahweh gives Israel the desire of her heart. (Page 248)He gives her up to her disqualified mind, though He does not give her up covenantally. He refuses to abandon her for the sake of His great name and the elective purpose associated with that name. He orders Samuel to “Hearken to their voice, and give them a king to reign for them” (1 Sam. 8:22 CV).

Yahweh’s kingship is rejected. The Kingdom of Yahweh is officially abandoned, lost. In its place is the Saulite kingdom. This is the key to understanding the proclamation of John the Baptist and Jesus: “Repent! for near is the kingdom of the heavens!” (Matt. 3:2 CV); “Jesus came into Galilee, heralding the evangel of the kingdom of God, saying that ‘Fulfilled is the era, and near is the kingdom of God! Repent, and believe in the evangel!” (Mk. 1:14-15 CV).

The Kingdom of Yahweh is abandoned when the nation requests a king like the nations. John the Baptist and Jesus announce the need to repent of the sin committed by the nation in asking for a king like the nations. Jesus is the son of Yahweh, the son of David Who will ascend the throne of David in order to defeat Yahweh’s enemies (those who seek to worship and serve a foreign king, and serve a king like the nations) and restore the kingship to Yahweh on behalf of the faithful remnant, the Israel of Yahweh (those who seek to worship and serve Yahweh alone, those who seek first the Kingdom of God, Matt. 6:33 KJV).

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The Selection and Transformation of Saul by Yahweh

Having granted the nation the desire of her heart, Yahweh selects a man bearing the attributes of a foreign king. The sons of Israel asked (Heb. = sauled) for a king like the nations. Yahweh gives them the king they ask for, Saul the Benjaminite. Saul’s qualifications consist of his handsomeness and his physical size. Saul is described as “a choice youth and good looking; there was no man of the sons of Israel better looking than he; from his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people” (1 Sam. 9:2 CV).

Israel , like the nations around her, gives much credence to outward appearance. Whereas Yahweh sees into the heart, the nations and the sons of Israel see the outward appearance, admiring and exalting facial handsomeness and great physical stature. Saul suits such an objective taste. He will be a king like the nations. Yahweh selects a man after Israel ’s heart. Saul is that man. He is not Yahweh’s choice. He is Israel ’s choice. Yahweh will elect a man after His own heart.

The selection of Saul is in accord with Israel ’s standard and expectation. She asks for a king like the nations, Yahweh gives her a handsome man of gigantic physical proportion. He gives her a Benjaminite from the city of Gibeah, the very tribe and city guilty of gross immorality and lawlessness resulting in civil war. First, He gives Israel her choice: a king like the nations. Later, He will give Israel His choice: a king after His own heart.

Saul is anointed king by Samuel. He pours oil on his head and kisses him saying, “Has not Yahweh anointed you as governor over His people, over Israel ?” (1 Sam. 10:1a CV). Saul is the first king to be made a christ (an anointed one). However, being the choice of Israel , not Yahweh, Saul is also the first king to be made a type of antichrist. He is anointed king over Israel in opposition to the ideal intention of Yahweh’s covenant. He fulfills the desire of the nation whose heart is set on a king like the nations, resulting in the nation’s rejection of Yahweh as her King. This attitude is antichrist.

As anointed king, Yahweh also pours out His spirit upon Saul who prophesies in the midst of a group of prophets. The people, hearing Saul prophesy in the midst of the prophets, recognize and acknowledge this change in outward appearance, giving Saul even more credence as a suitable and acceptable king in the eyes of the nation. Elohim transforms his heart into another man, equipping him with the necessary power to rule. All Saul now needs in order to succeed is obedience to Yahweh’s voice. He has been anointed with oil, anointed with the spirit of Yahweh, and supplied with the power of a changed heart to become another man, a man empowered to rule successfully.

Yahweh, however, has selected Saul precisely because he is a man after the heart of the nations. He possesses a tragic flaw referred to by the Greeks as hubris, excessive pride, insolence, or arrogance resulting from too much prosperity from the gods. The very favor of Yahweh bestowed on Saul, which should have been a blessing, is turned into a curse by Saul’s development of excessive pride and arrogance causing insolent disobedience to Yahweh’s voice.

Saul, at first, is a king like the nations only in outward appearance. He is handsome and taller than any other man in Israel . This impresses Israel . But in temperament and character, Saul is not suited for kingship. Therefore, Yahweh endows him with His spirit, transforming him into another man. Saul had been a timid man, as demonstrated when he had been chosen by lot. He had been hiding. He trembled at the thought of being king. He had been a weak man.

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Yahweh favors him by gifting him with His spirit. Saul is “transformed into another man” (1 Sam. 10:6 CV). At first, he is confused and fearful. He hides, seeking to avoid kingship. But once found, seized by the sons of Israel and made king, Saul begins to change. Yahweh’s favor has endowed him with power and strength to act as a king.

Saul will act as a king, a king like the nations. This is foreshadowed in the use of the lot to select him. Samuel had said to Israel , “You have today rejected your Elohim” (1 Sam. 10:19a CV). He then proceeds to select the appropriate man by the use of the lot. In the Hebrew Scriptures, there are only two other passages depicting the use of the lot in relation to an individual man. In both cases the lot is used to single out some kind of covenantal transgression. In Joshua, chapter 7, Joshua uses the lot to uncover the transgression of Achan who had stolen some of the devoted things of Jericho. In 1 Samuel, chapter 14, Saul’s evil oath leads to the use of the lot to discover Jonathan’s innocent transgression of the oath. In the end, it is Saul who is revealed to be the real transgressor against Yahweh and His people.

Thus, the use of the lot to select Saul as king in the presence of the people is Yahweh’s means to point out the covenantal transgression of Israel in requesting a king like the nations. He gives them a king after their own hearts. He gives them a king who acts like the kings of the nations. Samuel ironically declares, “Do you see whom Yahweh has chosen? Indeed, there is no one like him among all the people” (1 Sam. 10:24a CV). The people respond by shouting as one man, “Long live the king!” (1 Sam. 10:24b).

Long live the king of their choice, Saul, a king like the nations. They choose to worship and serve Saul, preferring Saul to Yahweh. But Saul and his dynasty will not live long. Yahweh, the True King, however, will live long! The anointed nation speaks prophetically. Though Israel is Yahweh’s anointed nation, she acts as antichrist, anti-anointed. Yahweh gives her up to her antichrist ways by giving her up to her antichrist king, but He will not abandon His people! Saul and his dynasty will be rejected in favor of the man after Yahweh’s own heart, the true anointed one of Yahweh, David and the ultimate son of his dynasty.

Under the rule of Samuel, the Philistines were made submissive, no longer coming into the territory of Israel, and there was peace between Israel and the Amorite. This condition changes with the anointing of Saul as king. When Samuel summons the people to Yahweh at Mizpah, he declares, “Yet you have today rejected your Elohim Who has been bringing salvation to you from all your evils and your distresses” (1 Sam. 10:19a CV). At this convening of the people, Yahweh, by lot, selects Saul as the king they requested, “Now Samuel said to all the people, Do you see whom Yahweh has chosen? Indeed, there is no one like him among all the people. At that all the people shouted, saying, Long live the king!” (1 Sam. 10:24 CV).

After Samuel reminds the people about the customary rights of the kingship, writing these in a scroll, he places the scroll before Yahweh, and dismisses the people. These “customary rights of kingship” (1 Sam. 8:11 CV) are to be distinguished from the “rights of the king” listed in Deuteronomy 17:14-20. The customary rights of the king describe the prerogatives of a despotic king, a king like the nations. The rights of kingship listed in Deuteronomy 17:14-20 regulate the attitude of the terrestrial king over Israel , restricting him from operating in accord with the customary rights practiced by the kings of the nations. The “rights of kingship” are the regulations provided by Moses in Deuteronomy 17:14-20. Kingship in Israel is to be modified by Yahweh’s restrictions hindering all excesses of despotic kingship.

After Samuel dismisses the people, a group of sons of worthlessness refuse to submit to Saul’s kingship, signaling trouble at the very outset of Saul’s kingship. This threat is followed in the text by an act of aggression at the hand of Nahash, king of the Ammonites. Saul, being prospered by the spirit of Yahweh, defeats the Ammonites in battle, terminating the aggression. The people, impressed with such success, call for the death of the rebellious sons of worthlessness. Saul, however, wisely counsels, “No man shall be put to death on this day! For today Yahweh has given a victory in Israel (1 Sam. 11:13 CV).

Samuel, calling for a renewal of the kingship, gathers the people at Gilgal where Saul is confirmed as king before Yahweh. Samuel reminds the people that he has hearkened to their request for a king. He reminds them to “give thought and see that your evil deed which you have done, is too great in the eyes of Yahweh, when you requested a king for yourselves” (1 Sam. 12:17b CV). Thus, it is clearly the intent of the text to affirm as evil the request for a king. This is supported by the response of the people, “Pray about your servants to Yahweh your Elohim that we must not die, for we have added to all our sins the evil deed of requesting a king for ourselves” (1 Sam. 12:19 CV). In Israel ’s heart, Yahweh is no longer King in Yeshurun. Samuel’s rule is over, though he continues to judge Israel in moral and cultic matters.

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The Kingship of Saul

The Philistines now prepare to enter the territory of Israel, and the peace between Israel and the Amorites is on the verge of being broken. Saul is king and will be used by Yahweh to defeat the resurrecting enemies of Israel . Samuel declares, “Do not fear! You yourselves have done all this evil; only do not withdraw from following Yahweh; rather you must serve Yahweh with all your heart . . . For the sake of His great Name, Yahweh shall not abandon His people; for Yahweh is disposed to make you His people” (1 Sam. 12:20-22 CV).

Though Israel has sinned in requesting a king, rejecting the kingship of Yahweh, He will not abandon His people. Samuel will continue to pray for the people and direct them in the good and upright way (1 Sam. 12:23). Yahweh will prosper their king and bless the nation if she serves Him faithfully with all her heart. However, if they “do evil, yea evil, both you and your king shall be swept away” (1 Sam. 12:25 CV). Yahweh has given the nation up to her disqualified mind, yielding to her request for a king like the nations, but He has promised to bless them if they obey His voice and worship and serve Him alone. Both Saul and the nation will fail in spite of the favorable gifts and prosperity coming from Yahweh.

Saul, the anointed one, the Christ of Yahweh, will manifest the true color of his heart and mind, becoming in his disobedience an antichrist. Though equipped by Yahweh to succeed as the anointed king, Saul turns against Yahweh’s instruction and, later, against Yahweh’s election of David as His personal choice for the role of anointed king (Yahweh’s Christ). Saul neglects his access to the spirit of Yahweh, thus quenching Yahweh’s spirit while becoming enslaved to his own warped, debilitated spirit. In order to rightly understand the spirit of antichrist in the Greek Scriptures, one must read closely the accounts of Saul in the Hebrew Scriptures.

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Saul’s First Victory Over the Philistines: Hubristic Faithlessness

Saul’s first victory over the Philistines is revealing. In contrast to Samuel’s victory over the Philistines recorded in chapter 7, Saul’s victory is ominous. It sets the tone for the entire kingship of Saul. Jonathan, his son, commanding 1,000 warriors, smites a garrison of the Philistines at Geba. At the head of 2,000 warriors, Saul smites another Philistine garrison. The anger of the Philistines is aroused. They gather to make war with Israel . The text describes their implements of war as consisting of “three thousand chariots and 6,000 horsemen, and soldiers as numerous as the sand on the seashore” (1 Sam. 13:5b CV).

This display of power installs fear in the people of Israel . They proceed to hide in caves, in holes, in crags, in tunnels, and in cisterns. Saul remains at Gilgal, and his militia of 2,000 warriors are “trembling behind him” (1 Sam. 13:7b CV). He is awaiting the arrival of Samuel who had set the appointed time of his arrival at seven days. On the seventh day, Samuel had not yet arrived. The militia becomes disheartened. Saul fears he is losing sway over his army. His troops are on the verge of scattering. Waiting no longer for Samuel, Saul takes it upon himself to offer the ascent and the peace offerings. He had no sooner completed the ascent offering, when Samuel arrives.

Samuel rebukes Saul, “What have you done?” (1 Sam. 13:11a CV). Saul explains he feared the attack of the Philistines would occur before he had “beseeched the face of Yahweh” (1 Sam. 13:12b CV). Saul as king had no right to take upon himself the charge of the priest Samuel. His fear overcame his trust in Yahweh and Samuel, Yahweh’s prophet/priest.

Samuel replies, “You acted unwisely! O that you had observed the instruction of Yahweh your Elohim that He enjoined on you! Then Yahweh would now have established your dynasty over Israel for the eon . Yet now your dynasty shall not be confirmed. Yahweh has sought out for Himself a man in accord with His own heart; and Yahweh shall commission him as governor over His people, for you have not observed what Yahweh enjoined on you” (1 Sam. 13:13-14 CV). Saul is weighed in the balances and found wanting. His heart is not right with Yahweh. His actions reveal his faithless heart. His trust in Yahweh comes up short. He allows his fears to overrule his faith in Yahweh’s faithfulness.

Thus, he arrogantly exalts his kingship, believing the people and the kingdom are his. His concern for the people is assumed greater than the concern of Yahweh Who had appointed him king. He had acted unwisely. He had acted after the likeness of the kings of the nations. He had acted as a foreign king and, thus, had been responsible for the scattering of the majority of his militia. Yahweh rejects him and his dynasty.

In spite of being the choice of a disobedient and faithless people, Yahweh had equipped Saul with the means to reign successfully. Although outwardly appearing to be a suitable king, Yahweh’s internal gaze detected the weakness of Saul’s heart. Saul is not a wicked or evil man. He is merely a weak man, a (Page 251)flawed man. The very means given him by Yahweh to succeed feed his pride, producing his personal hubris. His hubris is not predetermined by Yahweh. It is the product of Saul’s character, Saul’s personal choices.

Yahweh, however, gazing into his heart, understands his weakness. He chooses Saul specifically because of his weakness. It is this weakness that makes him the very candidate desired by the people. They had requested a king like the nations. Yahweh had given them precisely that.

However, in spite of his weakness, if Saul would have remained faithful, if he would have subjected his heart to what his mind understood to be the truth, Yahweh would have established his dynasty for the eon , that is, the age of the Kings. For Jonathan, son of Saul, heir to Saul’s dynasty, is a man after Yahweh’s heart. It is through Jonathan’s faithfulness to Yahweh that the overwhelmingly powerful Philistine war-machine is defeated.

Saul instills fear and faithlessness. Jonathan instills courage and faithfulness. While Saul is encamped in Gibeah with his remaining 600 warriors, Jonathan and his armor-bearer are approaching a garrison of Philistines. While Saul is encamped with the priests of the lineage of Eli (Samuel having gone his own way and these priests having been rejected by Yahweh), Jonathan is declaring to his armor-bearer, “Do come, let us cross over to the detachment of those uncircumcised. Perhaps Yahweh shall act for us, for there is not restraint to Yahweh to save by many or by a few” (1 Sam. 14:6 CV).

Jonathan trusts in Yahweh the Elohim of Israel, the Elohim of the covenant. He refers to the Philistines as “uncircumcised,” alluding to Yahweh’s covenant with Israel . The sign of the covenant is circumcision. The Philistines have no access to Yahweh’s intervention on their behalf. Only the sons of Israel , the circumcised ones, have a covenant relationship with Yahweh, obligating Yahweh to come to their rescue.

Jonathan is committed to worship and serve only Yahweh. He trusts Yahweh to be faithful to the word of His covenant. Later, he will reveal how committed he is to only Yahweh his King, his sovereign, when he disobeys his father the king in order to remain, first and foremost, faithful to Yahweh. He will neither worship and serve foreign gods, nor foreign kings, as his father, king Saul, has already done.

Jonathan is one of the greatest heroes of the Hebrew Scriptures. He is to be ranked with Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, David, and Daniel. There is no stronger bond between two men in the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures than that between Jonathan and David. What a testimony to and model of the righteousness of the principle represented by the words I am my brother’s keeper. The bond binding the hearts of Jonathan and David is each man’s total commitment to the worship and service of Yahweh alone.

Amazingly, Jonathan’s attitude is matched by his armor-bearer: “Do all, whatever is in your heart, what you intend to do! For I am with you; my heart is like your heart!” (1 Sam. 14:7 CV). There is a faithful remnant in Israel ! Such men and women are rare and precious! Oh, that there were more of such men and women in our time! Oh, how blessed the day when all humanity shall consist of such men and women!

As a result of the faithfulness of Jonathan and his armor-bearer, Yahweh arises on behalf of Israel . Jonathan and his armor-bearer smite 20 Philistine warriors. This causes trembling in the Philistine camp. Earlier, under Saul, there was trembling in the Israelite camp. Now that Yahweh has come forth to deliver Israel , under Jonathan trembling spreads like a plague throughout the military forces of the Philistines.

The text states further, “The earth was disturbed, and it became a trembling from Elohim” (1 Sam. 14:15b CV), reflecting the similar activity of Yahweh manifested under Samuel. Yahweh’s arousal is not due to the activity of Saul, but rather to the activity of his son Jonathan. The text describes this sudden reversal in favor of Israel as follows: “And those Hebrews who had been with the Philistines . . . turned back; they too came to be with Israel , with Saul and Jonathan. When all the men of Israel , who were hiding themselves in the hill country of Ephraim, heard that the Philistines had fled, then they too followed hard after them in the fighting. Thus, Yahweh saved Israel on that day” (1 Sam. 14:21-23a CV).

Saul is depicted in the text as antichrist. As a result of this turn of events, Saul “erred in a great error on that day, when Saul invoked the people, saying, Cursed be the man who eats nourishment before the evening, before I am avenged on my enemies” (1 Sam. 14:24 CV). He issues an oath revealing his hubris, his excessive and unwarranted arrogance. He is concerned not with Yahweh’s glory, but with his own glory. It is he who is to be avenged of his enemies.

On behalf of his cause, the warriors are not to nourish themselves with any kind of food for the remainder of the day. This rash, selfish oath becomes a threat to faithful Jonathan, the one who obeys from an anointed (christ, messiah) heart, the initiator of the turn of events. Not having heard the oath of his (Page 252)father, Jonathan partakes of some honey dripping from a honeycomb, thus, coming under the curse of his father’s oath.

Upon learning of the oath, Jonathan announces, “My father has brought trouble on the land. See now how my eyes had lit up when I tasted a little of this honey. How much more so the soldiers; O that they would have eaten, yea eaten today of the loot of their enemies when they found it! For now the smiting among the Philistines would have been greater” (1 Sam. 14:29-30 CV). In these words is reflected the judgment of Yahweh. Saul’s actions have consistently hindered the work of Yahweh on behalf of His people.

When Saul discovers the act of Jonathan, he issues his judgment, “You shall surely die, yea die today” (1 Sam. 14:44b CV). But the troops intervene on Jonathan’s behalf, questioning the anointed king of Yahweh, “Should Jonathan die today who has brought this great victory to Israel ? Far be it, as Yahweh lives, that even a hair from his head should fall to the earth, for he has acted with Elohim this day” (1 Sam. 14:45a CV). Thus, the militia ransoms Jonathan, judging the action of the king as antichrist, as against the will and intention of Yahweh Elohim as uncontrovertibly evidenced by the actual events of Yahweh’s activity. Saul himself cannot fail to recognize, in the face of such evidence, that it is not Jonathan who has sinned, but he himself. Through his arbitrary and despotic command, he had brought guilt and an unnecessary burden. Saul is, thus, again depicted by the writer of the text as antichrist. Though he is the anointed of Yahweh, he is Israel ’s sinful choice, the product of “the evil deed of requesting a king for ourselves” (1 Sam. 12:19b CV).

In all this, Jonathan remains righteous, faithfully honoring Yahweh and Yahweh’s Law. He is characterized by the text as being the authentic anointed one (christ) of Yahweh, for Yahweh sees into the heart as well as upon the outward appearance. Jonathan’s anointed heart and behavior display before the eyes of all Israel the authentic anointed one of Yahweh.

Unlike the rule of Samuel, during which the Philistines were made submissive and did not come anymore into the territory of Israel due to the hand of Yahweh against the Philistines (1 Sam. 7:13), during the entire reign of Saul, “The war against the Philistines was unyielding . . .” (1 Sam. 14:52a CV). Saul’s disobedience hinders the activity of Yahweh on behalf of His people. The sons of Israel would have to bear the burden of the error of their evil request throughout the 40-year reign of Saul. The only relief from this burden would come from the activity of Jonathan. The only hope for deliverance from this burden would come from the activity of David.

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Saul’s Rejection as King

Shortly into his reign, Saul had failed to obey Yahweh’s voice. Samuel at that time had announced Yahweh’s rejection of Saul’s dynasty: “Yet now your dynasty shall not be confirmed. Yahweh has sought out for Himself a man in accord with His own heart; and Yahweh shall commission him as governor over His people, for you have not observed what Yahweh enjoined on you” (1 Sam. 13:14 CV). Samuel then “arose . . . and went his own way” (1 Sam. 13:15 CV). From that time on, Saul’s activity as king becomes increasingly antichrist. His failure to obey Yahweh’s instructions in regard to the Amalekites results in a further judgment. Previously, disobedience had cost him the continuance of his dynasty. Now, his disobedience results in his rejection as king.

After his victory over the Amalakites, Saul declares to Samuel, “I have carried out the command of Yahweh” (1 Sam. 15:13b CV). Samuel reveals the falsehood of this claim by pointing out the bleating of the flock and the lowing of the herd. These animals should have been destroyed. Saul explains that the best of the flock and herd have been spared in order to sacrifice to Yahweh. He reveals his rebellious heart by referring to Yahweh as Samuel’s Elohim (1 Sam. 15:15).

Samuel then announces Yahweh’s judgment:

Does Yahweh have as much delight

        in ascent offerings and sacrifices

As in hearkening to the voice of Yahweh?

Behold to hearken is better than sacrifice,

To pay attention than the fat of rams.

For rebellion is like the sin of divination,

Insubordination, like the lawlessness of teraphim.

Because you rejected the command of Yahweh,

He has also rejected you from being king over Israel . (1 Samuel 15:22-23 CV)

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Saul is charged with rebellion and insubordination. In his foolish pride, he had claimed the glory of victory for himself, “he erected a monument as a signpost to himself” (1 Sam. 15:12 CV). In the presence of Samuel, he seeks to cover up the vain glory of his heart. But Yahweh who sees into the heart had already spoken to Samuel concerning Saul’s real motive for not dooming the king of the Amalekites and all the loot. Thus, Saul’s attempt to repent is rejected by Yahweh. His repentance is insincere, temporary, reflecting his rebellious heart.

In desperation, Saul reaches out to grab the hem of Samuel’s robe, tearing it. Samuel pronounces Yahweh’s final verdict, “Yahweh has torn the kingship over Israel away from you today and has given it to an associate of yours who is better than you” (1 Sam. 15:28 CV). From that day on, Saul is antichrist. As for Samuel, he “did not come again to see Saul until the day of his death, . . .” (1 Sam. 15:35a CV).

Samuel does not come to see Saul again until Saul, unable to receive a word from Yahweh, in desperation seeks out a medium through whom Samuel is conjured up from the dead. Samuel, for the last time, pronounces Yahweh’s verdict: “Why are you asking me when Yahweh has withdrawn from you and is with your associate? Yahweh is doing to you just as He spoke by means of me. Yahweh is tearing the kingship from your hand and is giving it to your associate, to David, . . . Yahweh shall also give Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines. Tomorrow you and your sons with you shall fall” (1 Sam. 28:16-19 CV).

As the Book of 1 Samuel opens with the deaths of Eli and his sons, so it ends with the deaths of Saul and his sons. The deaths of Eli and his sons signify the pollution of the Tabernacle and the departure of the glory of Yahweh. The deaths of Saul and his sons signify the pollution of kingship and its inevitable failure in its continuing history. The request of a king like the nations is judged by the holy writer as “evil in the eyes of Yahweh.” Israel would bear the consequences of this evil act until the coming of the ultimate Anointed One of Yahweh.

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Saul’s Enmity Against Yahweh’s Messiah

In the meantime, Yahweh sends Samuel to the household of Jesse and chooses for Himself a king after His own heart: “I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have selected among his sons a king for Myself” (1 Sam. 16:1b CV). The youngest son of Jesse, David the shepherd, is selected. Samuel anoints David with oil while in the midst of his brothers, and the spirit of Yahweh comes upon David from that day onward (1 Sam. 16:13). David is now the favored anointed one of Yahweh. Saul continues as the unfavored, rejected anointed one of Yahweh.

As the spirit of Yahweh comes upon David, the spirit of Yahweh withdraws from Saul. In its place, Yahweh anoints Saul with an evil spirit. Thus, Yahweh gives Saul up to his rebellious heart. He impels him, empowers him, to manifest the evil of his heart in antichrist deeds. From this time to the day of his death, Saul persecutes David, continually seeking his death. He opposes Yahweh and Yahweh’s anointed-one. He becomes the adversary of David who is the elected messiah of Yahweh. He becomes an antichrist. His mental processes and behavior become increasingly deranged. He becomes psychologically/spiritually/covenantally demented.

As a result of the affect of this evil spirit sent from Yahweh, David is conscripted to become Saul’s personal musician, relieving Saul’s disordered mind with the soothing sounds from his harp. The anointed one of Yahweh is now placed in close proximity to the anti-anointed one of Yahweh. David now becomes the protagonist of the story line, while Saul becomes his antagonist.

David is described by one of Saul’s attendants as one who “knows how to play [on the harp]. He is master of valor, a man of war, proficient in speech, a handsome man, and Yahweh is with him” (1 Sam. 16:18 CV). He later would become Saul’s armor-bearer in addition to being his personal musician. He finds favor in Saul’s eyes. “Whenever it occurred that an evil spirit from Elohim came over Saul then David took the harp and played with his hand. It inspirited Saul, and it was well with him. Then the evil spirit would withdraw from him” (1 Sam. 16:23 CV).

Saul’s declining mental state begins to reveal itself when Goliath, the Philistine champion, challenges any Israelite champion to a fight. The loser and his people would become slaves to the winner and his people. The text states, “When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistines, they were dismayed and exceedingly fearful” (1 Sam. 17:11 CV).

During these days, David “would go and return from attendance on Saul to graze the flock of his father at Bethlehem” (1 Sam. 17:15 CV). Jesse sends him to the military encampment with supplies for his brothers. David hears the challenge. He is embarrassed when “All the men of Israel . . . fled before him [Goliath] and were exceedingly fearful” (1 Sam. 17:24 CV). In his zeal for Yahweh, he declares, “For who (Page 254)is this uncircumcised Philistine that he challenges the arrays [ranks] of the living Elohim?” (1 Sam. 17:26b CV).

This word is reported to Saul who sends for David. The youthful David encourages Saul, declaring, “The heart of my lord must not fall because of him [Goliath]. Your servant, he shall go, and he will fight with this Philistine” (1 Sam. 17:32 CV). David is told he is not qualified to fight this mighty warrior of much battle experience. In David’s response, the holy writer makes clear why David is a man after Yahweh’s heart in contrast to Saul: “Your servant has smitten both lion and bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will become like one of them, for he has reproached the arrays of the living Elohim . . . Yahweh Who rescued me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He shall rescue me from the hand of this Philistine” (1 Sam. 17:36-37 CV). Echoed in this declaration are the words of Jonathan to his armor-bearer, “for there is not restraint to Yahweh to save by many or by few” (1 Sam. 14:6b CV). Here are two men each of whom loves Yahweh his Elohim with all his heart. Such are the anointed ones of Yahweh.

Saul seems impressed. He consents to David’s offer, supplying him with the armaments of battle. David concludes these armaments are not suitable for him. He sets them aside and proceeds to the battlefield. As David goes forth to meet the Philistine, Saul ironically asks Abner, “Whose son is this lad, Abner?” (1 Sam. 17:55a CV). Saul very well knows whose son David is. He ironically concludes David a mad man.

Saul, whose mental state is declining steadily as a result of his rejection of Yahweh due to his evil heart, perceives the heart of David, which reflects the glory of Yahweh, as deranged. David the mad man goes forth and slays the tall, gigantic son of the Philistines, while Saul the tallest of the sons of the Israelites cowers before the uncircumcised Philistine. David is the son of circumcised Isaac; Saul is a son of uncircumcised Israel . David trusts in Yahweh; Saul mistrusts Yahweh. David is the king Yahweh chose for Himself; Saul is the king Yahweh chose for uncircumcised Israel . Saul’s repetitious question to Abner, and later to David himself, is meant to reveal his attitude of derision toward the faithful servant of Yahweh. In this derision is reflected the jealousy that will haunt Saul to his death.

Abner’s reply to Saul’s question, “As your soul lives, O king, how should I know?” (1 Sam. 17:55b CV), also indicates the derogatory tone of Saul’s question. Abner responds in like manner. His answer “How should I know?” indicates his agreement with the king. He knows who David is. As the king’s right-hand man and warrior of valor, he sides with the king. The king is not to be contradicted. Abner, therefore, confirms the king’s mockery of this naïve, arrogant youth.

However, after David slays the Philistine champion, standing before Saul with Goliath’s head hanging from his hand, Saul again asks, “Whose son are you, young man?” (1 Sam. 17:58 CV). To conclude that Saul still does not recognize David is to insult the integrity of the holy author who has meticulously arranged the material of his text. As Saul had mocked this naïve young man by asking Abner whose son he was, so now, after David’s triumph, Saul asks the same question of David, expressing his genuine amazement. The question now takes on new significance.

David had been dividing his time between his father’s flock and Saul’s court. Now Saul calls upon David to give him his full allegiance by renouncing the paternal rights of his father. Saul is calling for the youth to devote himself completely to the king’s service as a loyal son of the king, even as Saul is later to call David “my son David” (1 Sam. 24:16 CV). David’s innocent reply to Saul’s ironically reversed question quoted above seems to deny Saul’s implied request, “The son of your servant Jesse, the Bethlehemite” (1 Sam. 17:58b CV). But the king modeled after the likeness of the nations will not be denied. Samuel had warned the sons of Israel , “He shall take your sons for himself . . .” (1 Sam. 8:11 CV). To confirm this warning, the holy author further records, “On that day Saul took him and would not allow him to return to his father’s house” (1 Sam. 18:2 CV).

The guileless righteousness of David’s faithful trust in Yahweh binds him irrevocably to Jonathan, Saul’s son. For after David’s courageous act on behalf of Yahweh’s honor and his unaffected interview with Saul, “Jonathan’s soul was tied [knit] to David’s soul; and Jonathan loved him as his own soul” (1 Sam. 18:1 CV). David’s righteousness, like Jonathan’s, will endanger his life in relation to Saul. As Jonathan’s righteous behavior jeopardized his life in relation to Saul’s unwise oath, barely being delivered from death by the militia; so also, David’s righteous behavior in the service of the king, the anointed of Yahweh, will endanger his life in relation to Saul, barely being delivered from death by the intervention of Jonathan on his behalf.

Saul, though Yahweh’s anointed king, seeks the life of David, Yahweh’s anointed man after His own heart, Yahweh’s choice of a king for Himself. Thus, Saul becomes the chief adversary of David; his policy, administration, decision-making, and activity take on the character of an antichrist. Though he is (Page 255)Yahweh’s anointed king, he is such only after the fashion of the nations and only as the choice of the sons of Israel . As such, Saul opposes Yahweh, bringing death and destruction to his innocent and righteous son, Jonathan, and to his people, both the righteous and the unrighteous. He is rejected by Yahweh, but allowed to reign for a period of forty years, during which David, Yahweh’s faithful anointed one, is a persecuted outcast, continually running from the evil hand of Saul, Yahweh’s antichrist.

In the end, Saul sinks so low as to seek the service of a forbidden medium in order to receive advice from a dead Samuel. He is defeated by the Philistines, taking his own life after being wounded in battle. David is then anointed king over the house of Judah in Hebron. He reigns over Judah for a period of seven years and six months.

Thereupon, the elders of Israel (representing the northern tribes) anoint David king over Israel as well, fulfilling Yahweh’s promise to David, “You shall shepherd My people Israel , and you shall become governor over Israel (2 Sam. 5:2b CV). Israel is now unified under one king, the king chosen by Yahweh for Himself, the anointed one of Yahweh, the man after Yahweh’s own heart. The antichrist (Saul) has been destroyed by Yahweh; the christ (messiah David) has been rescued from the persecution of his enemy, raised to be seated upon the throne of Israel, and readied to deliver his people from their enemies in fulfillment of the promises made by Yahweh.

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David

As king over Israel , David conquers Jerusalem and establishes it as his capital, “Thus David went on getting greater, and Yahweh Elohim of hosts was with him” (2 Sam. 5:10 CV). When Hiram, king of Tyre, in recognition of David’s kingship, sends David materials and skilled labor to construct a palace worthy of this great king, David realizes, “Yahweh had established him as king over Israel and had uplifted his kingship for the sake of His people Israel” (2 Sam. 5:12 CV). Unlike Saul, David acknowledges that his kingship is secured by Yahweh for the sake of Israel His people. David is not to glory in himself, but is to glory in Yahweh. He is Yahweh’s servant king. He worships and serves Yahweh on behalf of the welfare of Yahweh’s holy nation. He loves Yahweh with all his heart, soul, and intensity (Deut. 6:5). Having his heart right with Yahweh, David seeks to reign in accord with Yahweh’s instructions, recorded in Deuteronomy 17:14-20, regulating the rights of the king.

Having heard of David’s anointing as king over Israel , the Philistines gather to make war against David, realizing the potential threat to their rule. David inquires of Yahweh, Who declares, “Go up, for I will give, yea give the Philistines into your hand” (2 Sam. 5:19b CV). David obeys Yahweh and defeats the Philistines. Later, the Philistines gather again for war against David. Again, David inquires of Yahweh, and again David obeys Yahweh, placing his confidence, not in horses, chariots, armor, weapons, or number of warriors (Deut. 17:16), but in the mighty arm of Yahweh’s intervention.

The text records, “Let it come to be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the aspens, then make your decisive move, for by then Yahweh will have gone forth before you to smite the army camp of the Philistines” (2 Sam. 5:24 CV). David waits for the initial blow of Yahweh against the Philistines and then proceeds to mount his attack. For a second time, the Philistines are defeated. Israel triumphs over her enemy as Yahweh, at the head of His militia, leads His personally chosen king and David’s committed warriors into battle.

David’s kingship, however, though superior to Saul’s, is still flawed. It, also, testifies to the evil of Israel ’s request for a king. Appended to the account of the construction of a palace for David’s kingly abode is the record of David’s multiplication of wives and concubines (2 Sam. 5:13-16). In this, David flagrantly disregarded the instruction of Deuteronomy 17:17, “He [the king] shall neither increase wives for himself, that his heart may not withdraw, . . .” (CV). David succumbed to the traditional oriental court custom of possessing a large harem. He would painfully suffer the consequences of this sin in both his private and public life. In spite of this offense, Yahweh tolerated David’s deviation in this matter, for David’s heart belonged to Yahweh.

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The Restoration of the Mosaic System of Worship and Service

With the establishment of David’s kingdom and Jerusalem as the capital city of David, the time had come to begin the restoration of the Mosaic system of worship and service which had been eroded since the departure of the glory of Yahweh, the death of Eli, the removal of the ark from the Sanctuary at Shiloh, and the reign of Saul. This meant the return of the Ark of the Covenant to the center of covenantal (Page 256)worship and service. Jerusalem would become the central place of worship. Worship would be carried out in accordance with the instructions of the Mosaic Law.

Thus, David determines to fetch the Ark of the Covenant from Kirjath-jearim where it had been residing for the past 70 years (20 years to the victory at Ebenezer, 1 Samuel 7:1; 40 years under Samuel and Saul; and about 10 years under David). In transporting the ark, a new cart is provided. A short distance from Jerusalem, the oxen stumble, causing the ark to tip. Uzzah reaches out with his hands, keeping the ark from falling over. Yahweh’s anger is kindled against Uzzah, slaying him instantly. David becomes greatly distressed in relation to this calamity. He becomes fearful of Yahweh, tracing the cause of Uzzah’s death to some flaw in his plan to bring the ark to Jerusalem. David now fears bringing the ark up to Jerusalem. He leaves the ark in the house of Obed-edom.

In the course of the next three months, the house of Obed-edom is blessed by Yahweh. David is now confident in bringing the ark into Jerusalem. This time, however, he proceeds according to the instruction in the Mosaic Law (Ex. 25:13-15; Num. chap. 4). The ark is moved only by Levites, and it is to be carried on the shoulders, not in a cart. The disregard of these instructions in the law led to the death of Uzzah, “the sons of Kohath shall come to carry it. Yet they shall not touch the holy things, lest they die” (Num. 4:15 CV).

The ark is placed in a tent prepared by David. The Mosaic Tabernacle, which had been residing in Nob until Saul put to death all the priests except Abiathar, is now residing in Gibeon (1 Chr. 16:39). The Mosaic Sanctuary is no longer the focus of cultic worship and service. The glory of Yahweh had departed from it. Israel had failed to faithfully worship and serve Yahweh in the presence of His glory residing in the Mosaic Tabernacle. During the entire reign of Saul, worship and service in relation to the Ark of the Covenant and the Mosaic Tabernacle had been neglected. Saul’s daughter Michal even possessed teraphim (1 Sam. 19:13 CV). Worship and service during Saul’s reign had been primarily carried out under the ministry of Samuel as Yahweh’s priest, prophet, and judge.

David restores the Ark of the Covenant to its central place in cultic worship and service, but apart from the Mosaic Tabernacle. He “appointed certain of the Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord[Yahweh], and to record [celebrate, NASB; commemorate, CV], and to thank and praise the Lord God [Yahweh Elohim] of Israel (1 Chr. 16:4 KJV). He “left there before the ark of the covenant of the Lord[Yahweh] Asaph and his brethren, to minister before the ark continually, as every day's work required” (1 Chr. 16:37 KJV). At the same time, he left “Zadok the priest, and his brethren the priests, before the Tabernacle of the Lord[Yahweh] in the high place that was at Gibeon, to offer burnt offerings unto the Lord upon the altar of the burnt offering continually morning and evening, and to do according to all that is written in the law of the Lord, which he commanded Israel” (1 Chr. 16:39-40 KJV). Thus, David also restores, temporarily and fragmentarily, the function of the Mosaic Tabernacle. The glory of Yahweh had not yet returned, either to the Mosaic Tabernacle (lacking the Ark of the Covenant) or to the tent of David housing the Ark of the Covenant (separated from the Mosaic Tabernacle). That return would await the construction of a temple for the living Elohim of Israel.

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David’s Desire to Build a House for Yahweh

Aware of this deficiency, David seeks to build Yahweh a house. The inspired author writes, “It came to be when the king was settled in his palace, and Yahweh Himself had granted him rest from all his enemies round about, that the king said to Nathan the prophet, See now, I am dwelling in a palace of cedars, while the coffer [ark] of the One, Elohim, is dwelling inside a sheet-tent” (2 Sam. 7:1-2 CV). David, realizing Yahweh is the one responsible for his success against his foreign and domestic enemies, desires to build Yahweh a suitable house for such a great Elohim. David now dwells in a palace of cedars, how shall Yahweh remain dwelling in a tent! If the inferior one dwells in a palace, the Superior One should dwell in an even greater palace. In this, David reveals his humble and appreciative heart. He seeks to grant Yahweh the exaltation due His glory and His graciousness bestowed upon both himself and Israel .

At first, Nathan encourages David in this endeavor. However, Yahweh reveals to Nathan the prophet that David is not to build Him a house to dwell in. Yahweh had never asked for such a house. He chose to dwell in the Tabernacle and move from place to place in the midst of His people. His people have rejected Him as King. Yet He has mercifully granted them their request. He has given Israel His permission to have a king like the nations, but in accordance with His words to Moses (Deut. 17:14-20). Saul failed to obey these words. David succeeds, in spite of his flaws. His heart is right with Yahweh.

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As a result, Yahweh promises to make David a great name, alluding to the same promise made to Abraham. He declares He will provide a place for His people. He will plant them so that they can dwell undisturbed by either foreign enemies or domestic enemies: “I will provide . . . I will plant them so that they can tabernacle by themselves and should no longer be disturbed; the sons of iniquity shall not continue to humiliate them just as at the first, ever since the day when I commissioned judges over My people Israel” (2 Sam. 7:10-11a CV).

Yahweh had given David rest from his enemies and would continue to give him rest from his enemies as David continued to obey His voice. David has desired to build Yahweh a house, but Yahweh intends to build a house for David: “Yahweh shall establish a royal house for you: . . . I will raise up a seed after you that shall come forth from your internal parts; and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a House for My Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for the eon . I Myself shall become for him like a father; and he shall become for Me like a son” (2 Sam. 7:11b-14a CV). Yahweh’s initial place and planting for Israel had been in Canaan, the Land of Promise. David would plant Israel in her place in the land by means of his military victories over the nations still dwelling in the land. Solomon his son would nurture the planted people to fruitful growth.

The kingdom of David would flourish in peace and security under the benevolent rule of Solomon. But Solomon’s “sins out of depravity” would result in Yahweh’s judgment upon his kingdom: “When he sins out of depravity, then I will correct him with the club of men and with the contagions of the sons of humanity” (2 Sam. 7:14b CV). In spite of Solomon’s failure, Yahweh assures David He “shall not withdraw from him [Solomon and the continuing line of royal sons] as I withdrew it [His kindness] from Saul . . . Your house and your kingship will be authenticated before Me for the eon ; your throne, it shall become established for the [Mosaic] eon” (2 Sam. 7:15-16 CV). Yahweh’s mercy would not depart from David. His kingdom would be established for the eon.

Solomon would build Yahweh a terrestrial house made by human hands. He would also extend the greatness of David’s name. But his kingdom would become divided and his people taken into foreign captivity. The house built for Yahweh with the hands of men would be destroyed by the hands of other men. Yet, in the latter days, before the end of the Mosaic Eon , a son of David would ascend the throne of David. This faithful son would build Yahweh a Celestial House not made with the hands of men. He would “rebuild the tabernacle of David” (Acts 15:16 CV; Amos 9:11), that is, He would unify the divided kingdom and gather together the scattered sheep of David’s flock.

This covenantal promise given to David by Yahweh is initially fulfilled by Solomon in the terrestrial realm. But the ultimate fulfillment is accomplished by Jesus the Anointed One, the son of David, in the Celestial Realm (Jn. 3:12 CV). His kingdom would not be of the Mosaic order (world, see Jn. 18:36). He would prepare a “place” for His sheep in the Celestial Realm: “In My Father’s house are many abodes; . . . I am going to make ready a place for you [plural]. And if I should be going and making ready a place for you [plural], I am coming again and I will be taking you [plural] along to Myself, that where I am, you [plural] also may be” (Jn. 14:2-3 CV). The appointed place for Yahweh’s people would be in His Celestial House. They would occupy a place in this Celestial House as a result of becoming “planted together in the likeness of His [Christ’s] death” (Rom. 6:5 CV). Being “planted” in the likeness of Christ’s death meant sharing in the likeness of Christ’s resurrection. In Christ, the people of Yahweh would occupy a place in Yahweh’s Celestial House where they would “dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness affect them anymore, as beforetime” (2 Sam. 7:10 KJV).

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The Ultimate Fulfillment of Yahweh’s Promise to David

For the past 2,000 years, Christ has been in the Celestial House of Yahweh. With Him have been His sheep gathered together in the last days of the Mosaic Eon , approximately around 70 a.d. He has been faithful to His promise: “I am coming again and I will be taking you along to Myself, that where I am, you [plural] also may be” (Jn. 14:3b CV). He who denies this makes Jesus Christ a liar and a false prophet.

Jesus the Anointed One, the son of David, declared He would be building His Ecclesia, His called out ones (Matt. 16:18). These called out ones would make up the Celestial House of Yahweh not made with hands (Heb. 9:11). This is the ultimate fulfillment of Yahweh’s promise made in 2 Sam. 7:13: “He shall build a House for My Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for the eon (CV). Jesus the Anointed One, the son of David, also declared that His Father has covenanted Him a kingdom. That kingdom was the kingdom of David: “I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom” (2 Sam. 7:12b KJV). Jesus declares to His apostles, 'Now you are (Page 258)those who have continued with Me in My trials. And I am covenanting a covenant with you, according as My Father covenanted a kingdom to Me, that you may be eating and drinking at My table in My kingdom. And you will be seated on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel ' (Lk. 22:28-30 CV).

The kingdom covenanted Him by His Father is the kingdom of David. He ascends the throne of David after His resurrection and ascension to His Father. At Pentecost, He begins to build His ecclesia, the fallen house, tabernacle of David, the House of Yahweh not made with hands. Each of His Apostles metaphorically ascends a judgment throne giving each one authority to judge the twelve tribes of Israel .

Yahweh’s son, the son of David, with Yahweh’s authority, ascends David’s throne and appoints twelve judges to assist Him in His rule over Israel . The duration of this rule of Christ as the son of David spans approximately 40 years, accomplishing its purpose and achieving its consummation around 70 a.d. Having defeated Yahweh’s enemies and completed the building of Yahweh’s Celestial House, Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, gives up the kingdom to His God and Father, Yahweh Elohim, Who is restored as King over Israel . Israel will have fulfilled her task on behalf of the nations and enters the Celestial Realm as Christ’s complement. Yahweh once again becomes the Elohim of the nations, no longer making a distinction between Israel , the circumcised, and the nations, the uncircumcised. The Law and the Prophets will then have been fulfilled (see 1 Cor. 15:22-28). This is the significance of the covenantal promise given to David by Yahweh at the time David sought to build a house for Yahweh. Solomon initially fulfills this promise of Yahweh to David, but he in no way could establish its ultimate intended fulfillment which would remain concealed until the coming of Jesus the Messiah, the final and ultimate Son of David .

David understands the implication of Yahweh’s covenantal promise. The promise speaks of David’s house over an extended period of time: “yet You are speaking also about Your servant’s house for the far future; . . .” (2 Sam. 7:19b CV). Solomon represents the near future. He will be David’s first heir to the throne. He will build a terrestrial house in which Yahweh will dwell in the midst of His people. Solomon will be “like” a son to Yahweh, and Yahweh will be “like” a father to Solomon (2 Sam. 7:14).

In contrast, the last son of David, the last heir to the throne will literally be a “son” to Yahweh, and Yahweh will literally be a “Father” to this man. David declares, “and this is the law of that man” (2 Sam. 7:19c my translation of the literal Hebrew). The “law of that man” refers to the last son and heir of David who will carry out Yahweh’s promise to the letter, for he shall also be The Son and The Heir of Yahweh. In the eyes of that man, Yahweh’s promise to David will be his law, that is, will be to him the law that directs his life and service to Yahweh. “That man” will treat as legally binding the obligation to make David a great name, to establish a royal house for David, and to build a House for Yahweh in accord with Yahweh’s celestial purpose.

“That man” would begin his work as a soulish man, but would complete his work as the spiritual man, the Celestial Man. Adam began his work as a soulish man and became a soilish man when he sinned by eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Jesus began His work as a soulish man and became the spiritual man when he obeyed the command of His Father to endure a crucifixion death (see 1 Cor. 15:45-49 CV).

Later, David confirms that Yahweh’s promise concerning his seed cannot ultimately refer to Solomon and must be associated with a new covenant. In chapter 23 of 2 Samuel, the inspired writer, referring to David’s last words, records,

Now these are the last words of David:

The averring of David son of Jesse,

The averring of the master whom El raised up,

The anointed of the Elohim of Jacob,

And the pleasant one of the psalms of Israel . (v. 1)

The spirit of Yahweh has spoken by me,

And His declarations have been on my tongue. (v. 2)

The Elohim of Israel has said,

To me the Rock of Israel has spoken:

When the one ruling over humanity is righteous

And is ruling in the fear of Elohim, (v. 3)

Then it is like the light of the morning,

When the sun rises,

A morning without thick clouds,

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Like the brightness after rain

Bringing verdure [green growth] from the earth. (v. 4)

Indeed, is not my house thus with El?

For He has made an eonian covenant with me,

Arranged forth in every respect and safeguarded.

Indeed, shall He not cause all my salvation

And my every desire to sprout? (v. 5)

Yet the worthless, they are like thorns,

All of them isolated away,

For they should not be taken by hand. (v. 6)

When a man touched them, he must be fully armed

With iron and the shaft of a spear.

And with fire shall they be burned,

        yea burned in their shame. (v. 7 CV)

The last words of David, inspired by the spirit of Yahweh, refer to the future time (“You are speaking also about Your servant’s house for the far future,” 2 Sam. 7:19 CV) when the righteous seed of David arrives bringing salvation and the ultimate fulfillment of the promise made by Yahweh to David recorded in 2 Samuel 7:12-13. The time of His arrival is described as the shining forth of the light of dawn after a night of rain. The new morning is cloudless and reveals the fresh growth of green life. The sun has not yet risen. Its brightness and full warmth have not yet been felt. But the sun’s appearance is guaranteed to follow shortly.

Such is the assurance of Yahweh’s eonian covenant made with David. The future righteous seed of David, He who fears Elohim and has no flaws, He will build a House for Yahweh. He will accomplish the salvation of Israel and the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets:

Indeed, shall He not cause all my salvation

And my every desire to sprout? (2 Samuel 23:5b CV).

When this son of David arrives on the horizon, he will begin His work of salvation and judgment. The worthless, like thorns, will be gathered not with the bare hands of men, but by those messengers provided with protective tools safeguarding them from the sharpness of the thorns. These worthless ones, the ungodly, the unfaithful ones, will be burned with fire, that is, burned in their shame.

The writers of the Greek Scriptures understood these inspired words of David to refer to John the Baptist and Jesus. The Baptist arrives at the first light of dawn. He directs Israel to the light of the law currently being manifested in the dawn of this new day and about to be fully manifested in the soon arrival of the promised son of David, Jesus, “The Ruler Who shall shepherd My people Israel” (Matt. 2:6b CV); “you shall be calling His name Jesus, for He shall be saving His people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21b CV); “He shall be great, and Son of the Most High shall He be called. And the Lord God shall be giving Him the throne of David, His father, . . .” (Lk. 1:32 CV).

The Baptist precedes the arrival of the promised son of David. He arrives proclaiming “a baptism of repentance for the pardon of sins” (Lk. 3:3 CV) and an “impending indignation” (Lk. 3:7 CV). He declares, “coming is the One stronger than I, . . . He will be baptizing you in holy spirit and fire, . . . He will be scouring His threshingfloor and be gathering the grain into His barn, yet the chaff shall He burn up with unextinguished fire” (Lk. 3:16b-17 CV).

Concerning the Baptist, the writer of the Gospel of John declares, “There came to be a man, commissioned by God. His name was John. This one came for a testimony, that he should be testifying concerning the light, . . .” (Jn. 1:6-7 CV). The Baptist has a commission. He is to be

The voice of one imploring:

“In the wilderness make ready the road of the Lord!

Straight . . . be making the highways” of Him! (Matthew 3:3 CV).

In preparing the way for the arrival of the promised son of David, the Baptist is authorized to remit the sins of his people Israel, allowing them to return to their rightful place as Yahweh’s covenantal children: “Whoever received him [John], to them he gave the right to be making themselves children of (Page 260)Yahweh, to the ones believing into his name [John, Hebrew = Yahweh is gracious] (Jn. 1:12 my translation). The Baptist directs his people Israel back to the light of the law, back to their covenantal relationship to Yahweh, by forgiving their sins, thus reinstating them to their rightful place under Yahweh’s Law. Having their covenantal relationship restored, they are once again called upon to begin afresh the keeping of Yahweh’s Law in anticipation of the arrival of the son of David, the Messiah, the Anointed One.

The writer of the Gospel of John, referring to the arrival of Jesus the promised son of David, records, “And the word became flesh and tabernacled among us, . . .” (Jn. 1:14a CV). Thereupon, this same author has the Baptist testify that this Jesus is “He of Whom I said, He Who is coming after me, has come to be in front of me” (Jn. 1:15a CV). As such, this Jesus, the word of the Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant made flesh, will baptize in holy spirit (salvation) and in fire (judgment, the impending indignation). He will gather His grain, His faithful ones, into His barn and burn the chaff, the worthless ones, in their shame.

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Solomon


The Election of Solomon

When David was told by Nathan the prophet that he was not to build a house for Yahweh, he learns that this task would be accomplished by his son Solomon. According to the record in 1 Chronicles 22:9, Solomon is revealed to be the seed Yahweh promises to raise up for David. This seed is to build a house for Yahweh. Thus, Solomon is chosen by Yahweh to be heir to David’s throne: “Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about: for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his days” (1 Chr. 22:9 KJV).

At this time, according to the record in Chronicles, David is informed, by a word from Yahweh, “Thou hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars: thou shalt not build an house unto my name, because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in my sight” (1 Chr. 22:8 KJV). David is a man of war, having shed much blood. A man of war with blood on his hands is not to build Yahweh a house. It would be a man of peace, a philosopher king, a sage, not a warrior, who would build a house for Yahweh. Solomon is declared to be that man, even before his birth. David later declares,

I had in mine heart to build an house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the Lord [Yahweh], and for the footstool of our God [Elohim], . . . but God [Elohim] said unto me, Thou shalt not build an house for my name, because thou hast been a man of war, and hast shed blood. . . . and of all my sons, (for the Lord [Yahweh] hath given me many sons,) he hath chosen Solomon my son to sit upon the throne of the kingdom of the Lord [Yahweh] over Israel . And he said unto me, Solomon thy son, he shall build my house and my courts: for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father. Moreover I will establish his kingdom for ever [for the eon ], if he be constant to do my commandments and my judgments, . . . (1 Chronicles 28:2b-7 KJV)

Solomon would be covenanted David’s kingdom. Solomon would build a house of rest for the Ark of the Covenant, thus indicating Yahweh could not be limited to any one house or place. The house built for Yahweh would house the Ark of the Covenant (not Yahweh Himself), representing His covenantal presence and commitment to Israel . The Ark of the Covenant metaphorically represents the footstool of Yahweh’s throne, before which His people obediently submit themselves in service. It is therefore clear that Solomon is to ascend the throne of David, for Yahweh establishes this before his birth, names him, and personally chooses him from among the many sons He gives to David.

But where is this house to be built? The answer to this question comes as a result of David’s decision to number Israel . According to 2 Sam. 24:1, “the anger of the LORD [Yahweh] was kindled against Israel , and he moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah (KJV). However, the record in 1 Chronicles 21:1 declares, “And Satan stood up against Israel , and provoked David to number Israel (KJV). Yahweh’s anger against Israel results in His moving David to number the people. Satan, The Adversary, is assigned to carry out Yahweh’s decision against Israel . Satan provokes David to issue the command to number the people. Numbering the people is an act revealing a lack of trust in Yahweh. This displeases Yahweh, justly bringing about His judgment: “So the Lord sent pestilence upon Israel : and there fell of Israel seventy thousand men” (1 Chr. 21:14 KJV).

This plague is carried out by a celestial messenger of Yahweh. This messenger of Yahweh administers the plague throughout the land, stopping at the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite in Jerusalem: “And God [Elohim] sent an angel unto Jerusalem to destroy it: and as he was destroying, the Lord[Yahweh] beheld, and he repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed, It is enough, (Page 261)stay now thine hand” (1 Chr. 21:15 KJV). David is then instructed by Yahweh to set up an altar at the threshingfloor of Ornan, “And David built there an altar unto the Lord[Yahweh], and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called upon the Lord[Yahweh]; and he answered him from heaven by fire upon the altar of burnt offering” (1 Chr. 21:26 KJV). When David beholds the devouring fire of Yahweh, he realizes that Yahweh has chosen this location for His altar and the future house that Solomon would construct to house the Ark of the Covenant and the glory of Yahweh:“Then David said, This is the house of the Lord God, and this is the altar of the burnt offering for Israel” (1 Chr. 22:1 KJV). This house would replace the Mosaic Tabernacle which at that time was located at Gibeon. The Ark of the Covenant, which had been brought up to Jerusalem and housed in a tent David had constructed for its dwelling place, would be relocated to the house Solomon would build. This would mark a new beginning for Israel . The Mosaic system would be fully restored, and the glory of Yahweh that had departed the Tabernacle would return to fill the new dedicated Temple.

In David’s old age, he appoints Solomon king over Israel . He exhorts Solomon, “Now, my son, the Lord be with thee; and prosper thou, and build the house of the Lord thy God, as he hath said of thee. Only the Lord give thee wisdom and understanding, and give thee charge concerning Israel , that thou mayest keep the law of the Lord thy God” (1 Chr. 22:11-12 KJV). The writer of 1 Kings records, “And Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David his father: only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places” (1 Kings 3:3 KJV). Solomon loves Yahweh and walks in His statutes. His only fault at this time is his sacrificing in high places. But this is before the building of the Temple. This fault is also true of the people, a practice which had begun developing after the death of Samuel. Such sacrificial worship is displeasing to Yahweh, contradicting His command recorded in Deuteronomy 12:1-14. After the completion of the Temple, such sacrificial worship is discontinued, though resumed at a later time.

Though David is not to build the Temple, he does make preparations for the building of the Temple. He begins the gathering of materials necessary for the construction of an awe-inspiring house for the Ark of the Covenant and the glory of Yahweh (1 Chr. 22:1-5; 29:1-9). Solomon is to use this material when he begins construction of the Temple. However, prior to his taking up this task, while sacrificing to Yahweh at the Tabernacle of Moses located at Gibeon, Yahweh appears to Solomon in a dream at night. He says, “Ask what I shall give to you” (1 Kings 3:5 CV). Solomon replies, “Will You give to Your servant a hearkening heart to judge Your people, to discern between good and evil; for who can judge this burdensome people of Yours?” (1 Kings 3:9 CV). His request is pleasing in the eyes of Yahweh. It reveals Solomon’s righteous concern for the welfare of the people. Solomon is well aware of the “burdensome” character of this rebellious people. Yahweh declares He will give Solomon a wise and discerning heart. He adds, “Moreover, what you have not asked, I will give you: both riches and glory all your days, so that there will be no man like you among kings” (1 Kings 3:13 CV).

Yahweh faithfully keeps His word. Solomon is given a wise and discerning heart by which he judges Israel for 40 years. During his reign, he accumulates great wealth and glory: “As for Solomon, he came to be ruler over all the kingdoms from the Stream [the Euphrates River] as far as the land of the Philistines unto the boundary of Egypt; they brought close approach presents and were serving Solomon all the days of his life” (1 Kings 4:21 CV), thus, also fulfilling Yahweh’s promise to Abram recorded in Genesis 15:18, “Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates” (KJV).

Solomon builds the House for Yahweh. At its completion, the Ark of the Covenant is set in its proper place in the Holy of Holies of Yahweh’s House, the Temple Solomon has constructed in fulfillment of Yahweh’s word. This setting up of the Holy Place is accomplished by the Aaronic priests, thus, according to Yahweh’s instructions. As these priests exit the Holy Place, the glory of Yahweh which had earlier departed the Mosaic Tabernacle returns to fill the House of Yahweh: “It came to be when the priests came forth from the holy place, that the glory itself filled the House of Yahweh. . . . for the glory of Yahweh filled the House of Yahweh” (1 Kings 8:10-11 CV). Once again, Israel is restored to her covenantal relationship with Yahweh. The nation is given a fresh start to obey Yahweh’s Law. Yahweh is once again in the midst of His people. The glory of His presence has returned under the administration of Solomon. The Mosaic Law is restored under the righteous and wise rule of Solomon, son of David. Worship in the high places is terminated. All cultic worship henceforth takes place in the Temple in Jerusalem.

After the completion of the House of Yahweh and the house of King Solomon, Yahweh appears a second time to Solomon. He declares, “I have heard your prayer and your supplication with which you supplicated before Me. I have done for you according to all your prayer. I have sanctified this House that you have built by placing My Name there unto the eon ; and My eyes and My heart will be there all the (Page 262)days” (1 Kings 9:3 CV). This is contingent upon Israel ’s obeying Yahweh’s statutes and judgments. If Solomon or his sons should ever depart from Yahweh’s instructions and statutes and serve other elohim, “then I will cut Israel off the surface of the ground that I have given to them, and I shall cast out from My face this House that I have sanctified for My Name; and Israel will become a proverb and a byword among all the peoples. This House, it shall become rubbish heaps” (1 Kings 9:7-8a CV). Yahweh here reiterates the words of Moses recorded in Deuteronomy, chapters 28-30.

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The Failure of Solomon

In spite of all Solomon’s advantages, he fails to honor Yahweh as his father David had honored Him. The decline and disintegration of Solomon and Israel is gradual. The “burdensome” character of the nation becomes the characteristic of Solomon. He begins by loving Yahweh and walking in His statutes. He requests and receives of Yahweh the wisdom to govern this difficult people. He builds the Temple and understands its significance for both Israel and the nations:

Behold, the heavens and the heavens of the heavens themselves cannot contain You; how much less, indeed, this House that I have built! . . . O that your eyes be open toward this House night and day, toward the place of which You promised: My Name shall be there, to hearken to the prayer that Your servant is praying toward this place. You will hearken to the supplication of Your servant and of Your people Israel , when they pray toward this place; and You Yourself shall hearken from Your dwelling place from the heavens; and when You hearken, You will pardon. . . . And also to the foreigner who is not of Your people Israel, he who came from a far country on account of Your Name—for they shall hear of Your great Name and Your steadfast hand and Your outstretched arm—when he comes and prays toward this House, to him may You Yourself hearken from the heavens, the site of Your dwelling, and You will act according to all for which the foreigner calls to You; in order that all the peoples of the earth may know Your Name so as to fear You as do Your own people Israel, and know that Your Name has been called over this House that I have built. (1 Kings 8:27-30, 41-43 CV)

But in his old age he turns aside from Yahweh. The inspired writer records, “As for king Solomon, he loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian and Hittite women, from the nations of which Yahweh had said to the sons of Israel, You shall not enter among them, and they shall not enter among you. Surely they will turn aside your heart after their elohim. To those women Solomon clung in love” (1 Kings 11:1-2 CV). Over time, in Solomon’s old age, his foreign wives turn his heart aside after other elohim: “and he was not as wholehearted with Yahweh his Elohim as his father David had been in his heart” (1 Kings 11:4b CV). Whereas Solomon should have clung in love only to Yahweh his Elohim according to the instructions of Moses, “Yet you who were clinging to Yahweh your Elohim, all of you are alive today” (Deut. 4:4 CV); “Now choose life that you may live, you and your seed, by loving Yahweh your Elohim, hearkening to His voice and clinging to Him . . .” (Deut. 30:19b-20a CV), he chose to cling in love to his foreign wives. This love for these women opened the gate which eventually would inundate Jerusalem and the land with idolatry.

As a result, Yahweh becomes angry with Solomon. For Solomon should have known better. He had been instructed personally by Yahweh “Who had appeared twice to him, and had instructed him in this matter, so as not to go after other elohim, . . .” (1 Kings 11:9b-10a CV). Instead, “Solomon went after Ashtoreth, elohim of the Sidonians, and after Milcom, the abomination of the Ammonites. Thus Solomon did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh and did not fully follow after Yahweh like his father David” (1 Kings 11:5-6 CV). He built high places for all his foreign wives. Upon these high places they offered sacrifices to their elohim, polluting Jerusalem and the land.

Thus, Solomon reintroduces cultic worship on high places, dishonoring the Name and Presence of Yahweh dwelling in the only sanctioned place of cultic worship, the Temple in Jerusalem. Solomon is not faithful to the end. His former righteousness is negated. He has shown himself ungrateful for the advantages and privileges granted him by Yahweh his Elohim. This tragic flaw, this hubris, due to excessive prosperity breeding arrogance, results in Solomon’s rejection by Yahweh and forfeiture of covenantal life and blessing. He falls under the judgment of Ezekiel 18:23-24:

Am I really delighting in the death of the wicked

        (averring is my Lord Ieue [Yahweh])

And not rather in his return from his evil way

        so that he will live?

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Yet when the righteous turns back from

        his righteousness

And does iniquity according to all the abhorrences

        which the wicked does,

Shall he do so and live?

All his righteous acts which he did

        shall not be remembered;

In his offense with which he offends,

And in his sin which he sins,

In them shall he die. (CV)

Yahweh declares to Solomon,

Because this has occurred with you, and you have not kept My covenant and My statutes that I enjoined on you, I shall tear, yea tear the kingdom away from your hand and will give it to your servant. However, I shall not do it in your days on account of your father David. I shall tear it away from the hand of your son. But I shall not tear away the entire kingdom; I shall give one tribe to your son on account of David My servant and on account of Jerusalem that I have chosen. (1 Kings 11:11-13 CV)

David had sinned against Yahweh, but had never worshiped other elohim in his heart. David loved and clung to Yahweh wholeheartedly from beginning to end. Thus, Yahweh remembers David and remains faithful to His covenant made with David. Solomon is not to be remembered. Yahweh’s covenant is not extended to Solomon. For David’s sake, Yahweh will not tear the kingdom from Solomon in his lifetime. He will tear it from the hand of Solomon’s son, but again, for the sake of David and Yahweh’s eonian covenant with David, one tribe will be given to Solomon’s son. The kingdom of Judah will remain and be acknowledged by Yahweh. For Yahweh’s presence will remain in the Temple in His chosen city Jerusalem. All cultic worship will take place only in the Temple in Jerusalem.

Yahweh then begins to raise up adversaries against Solomon. The united, exalted, blessed, and enlarged kingdom of Solomon begins to gradually degenerate. The “burdensome” people again turn away from Yahweh as Solomon fails to rule righteously in his old age. His failure to uphold the exclusive worship of Yahweh and to uphold His law in the administration of justice and mercy will culminate in the division of the kingdom and the worship and service of other elohim. A new era is about to begin. An era in which the divided nation will bear the burden of the prophetic cry of alarm, the era of Yahweh’s commissioning of the foreboding prophets. Yahweh’s patience and longsuffering will be incredibly tried for an extended period, during which He will compassionately, lovingly, mercifully seek to draw His people back to His covenantal blessings.


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CHAPTER 8

ONE NATION DIVIDED: THE VOICE OF THE FOREBODING PROPHETS

(Rehoboam—Zedekiah)

When Yahweh declared the kingdom would be torn from Solomon, He raised up an adversary from within the nation. Jeroboam of the tribe of Ephraim, a mighty man of valor, had been appointed, with Solomon’s approval, supervisor over the labor force drafted from the house of Joseph. Solomon had observed Jeroboam’s competent leadership and industriousness. Jeroboam, however, being also observant, noticed how Solomon exalted the tribe of Judah by exempting it from conscripted labor and taxes. This was viewed as an insult against Ephraim and the northern tribes. During Solomon’s reign this injustice was repressed. It would become expressed and a major point of contention between Judah and the ten northern tribes after the death of Solomon.

However, while Solomon remained alive and ruled over Israel, Yahweh sent the prophet Ahijah to Jeroboam declaring, “I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee” (1 Kings 11:31b KJV). The reason Ahijah gives for this judgment against Solomon is that Judah and Jerusalem have forsaken Yahweh and worshiped foreign elohim. Thus is revealed the full affect of Solomon’s defection. His failure had polluted, infected, spread throughout Jerusalem and Judah .

When word of this prophetic prediction reached the ears of Solomon, he sought to kill Jeroboam who fled to Egypt . He remained under the protective custody of Egypt until the death of Solomon. Jeroboam had been chosen by Yahweh to rule over Israel , the ten northern tribes. The united kingdom would be divided into two kingdoms: Judah , representing the Southern Kingdom; and Israel (Ephraim), representing the ten tribes of the Northern Kingdom. Yahweh has promised to bless Jeroboam and build him a sure house even as He has promised to build David a sure house. This Yahweh will do if Jeroboam “shall hearken to all that I instruct you, and you will walk in My ways and do what is upright in My eyes so as to keep My statutes and My instructions just as David My servant did, then I will be with you” (1 Kings 11:38 CV).

This requirement included that all cultic worship of Yahweh be performed only in the Temple at Jerusalem under the administration of the Aaronite and Levitical priesthoods. This instruction given to Jeroboam, based upon the instruction recorded in the Book of Deuteronomy, the legacy of Moses himself, would reveal the essence of Jeroboam’s heart. Though Yahweh has promised to build him a sure house as He has promised to build for David, Yahweh knows Jeroboam’s heart. Like Saul, Jeroboam, in spite of Yahweh’s gracious elective promises, will fail to attain the promised blessings because of unbelief, unfaithfulness, a rebellious heart.

Jeroboam’s failure to worship Yahweh in the Temple in Jerusalem will prove fatal to the future of the Northern Kingdom in the land. Jeroboam, unlike David, will fail to keep Yahweh’s covenant. As a result, his house, his kingdom will not be sure. It will not be eonian. It will be destroyed, terminated, scattered among the nations, and its people will be declared Lo-Ammi, not My people. Their covenantal relationship with Yahweh based upon His covenant made with Jeroboam will become null and void—terminated. They will become identified with the nations, a wild olive tree. Their only hope will be the Davidic Covenant and the Davidic Son who will build a Celestial House for Yahweh by rebuilding, reuniting the fallen house of David.

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Rehoboam and Jeroboam

After the death of Solomon, his son Rehoboam takes the throne. He travels to Shechem, the ancient center of covenant renewal under Joshua, where all Israel gathers to make him king (1 Kings 12:1). When he arrives, he discovers the assembly of Israel had sent for Jeroboam who now speaks on its behalf. The coronation becomes a negotiating session. Jeroboam declares that Israel will serve Rehoboam only if he will lighten the grievous and unjust yoke of service placed upon them by Solomon. Rehoboam consults first with the elders who had served as Solomon’s advisers. They advise him saying, “Should you become a servant to this people today and serve them, and speak good words to them when you answer them, then they will become your servants all their days” (1 Kings 12:7 CV).

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These elders are aware of the harshness of Solomon’s yoke upon the northern tribes. Solomon had apparently disregarded their warnings against his injustice. From their point of view, Solomon had not served the people as was his obligation according to Yahweh’s Law. He had arrogantly abused his power, doing what was right in his own eyes, rather than implementing what was right in the eyes of Yahweh his Elohim and King. As a result of his allowing the worship and service of foreign elohim in Jerusalem, he had turned his face away from Yahweh’s Law and Yahweh’s gracious gift of wisdom. His toleration of these foreign elohim had “turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord [Yahweh] his God [Elohim], as was the heart of David his father” (1 Kings 11:4b KJV).

Unfortunately, Rehoboam’s heart proves to be fashioned after that of his father Solomon. Having consulted the elder advisers of his father, he seeks the advice of the young men who had grown up with him. They counsel him saying,

Thus you should speak to them, My small finger, it is thicker than my father’s waist. And now my father, he laded a heavy yoke on you; yet I, I shall add to your yoke. My father; he flogged you with whips; yet I, I shall flog you with scorpions. (1 Kings 12:10b-11 CV)

These young men have grown up in the court of Solomon and have learned well the ways of Solomon. They have become accustomed to special favor and advantage. They perceive statesmen as belonging to a superior social class. Statesmanship to them means ruling with an iron fist. Subjects of the king must learn to fear the power wielded by his hand. This is a generation weaned away from Yahweh’s Law. Like Solomon, this generation is arrogant, placing its confidence in its own wisdom, political ingenuity, and royal clout. In the eyes of this generation, the king is not a shepherd serving the welfare of the sheep. The sheep serve the welfare of the whims of the king. Once again, Israel finds herself under the ways of a king and a nobility after the likeness of the nations. Justice and mercy give way to injustice and severity.

Rehoboam, continuing the policy of his father, follows the advice of the young men of his own generation. He determines to be even stronger than his father. Israel has no right to challenge or question the authority of the king chosen by Yahweh. These ungrateful tribes need to be disciplined. Thus, the seeds of Solomon’s sins sprout up as wild weeds in the administration of his son and the nobility of his son’s generation.

The inspired writer explains, “The king did not hearken to the people, for the circumstance had come from Yahweh, that he might carry out His word that Yahweh had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat by means of Ahijah the Shilonite” (1 Kings 12:15 CV). The ten tribes of the north secede and crown Jeroboam king. The house of David is now divided. Israel is broken into two kingdoms, the Southern Kingdom of Judah and the Northern Kingdom of Israel.

Rehoboam returns to Jerusalem determined to gather an army to fight against Israel in an attempt to restore his rule over the northern tribes. Yahweh, however, intervenes by sending Shemaiah to Rehoboam, forbidding the king to make war with his brothers: “You shall neither go up nor fight against your brothers, the sons of Israel . . . . for it was from Me that this thing has come about” (1 Kings 12:24a CV). Rehoboam hearkens to the word of Yahweh. All the people of Judah and Benjamin, who had gathered for war, disperse and return to their homes. Rehoboam and his people know that war against Jeroboam and his people without the approval of Yahweh means sure defeat and destruction. This much has not been forgotten nor disregarded. Both kingdoms still cling to the belief that going to war without the ratification and presence of Yahweh their Elohim is foolhardy.

Jeroboam is now established as king over the ten northern tribes, as promised by Yahweh. If he remains faithful to Yahweh, keeping His statutes, judgments, and instruction, his house and kingdom will remain secure throughout the Mosaic Eon . Jeroboam’s success depends on his trust in Yahweh’s covenantal word of promise. He need only love Yahweh his Elohim with all his heart, soul, and intensity (Deut. 6:5). But Jeroboam’s heart is not committed to Yahweh. It harbors within it disastrous suspicions of Yahweh’s trustworthiness:

Jeroboam said in his heart, Now the kingdom may well return to the house of David. If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the House of Yahweh in Jerusalem, the heart of this people will return to their lord, to Rehoboam king of Judah . Then they will kill me and will return to Rehoboam king of Judah . (1 Kings 12:26- 27 CV)

In his heart, Jeroboam fears the very presence of Yahweh indwelling the Solomonic Temple.

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Yahweh has declared all cultic worship and service will take place only at this Temple located in only one city of Israel Jerusalem. In this Temple is the presence of Yahweh’s glory. To abandon cultic worship and service of Yahweh at this Temple is to abandon Yahweh. Jeroboam’s unbelieving heart drives him to set up two golden calves in two cities located in the Northern Kingdom— Bethel and Dan:

So the king took counsel and made two calves of gold and said to the people, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your elohim, Israel , who brought you up from the land of Egypt. And he placed the one in Bethel and the other he set up in Dan. (1 Kings 12:28-29 CV)

The verdict against this action of Jeroboam is clear and devastating: “This matter came to be a sin; the people went before the one as far as Dan” (1 Kings 12:30 CV). The sin refers to the breaking of the second word of the Sinatic Covenant: “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image . . . Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them . . .” (Ex. 20:4-5a KJV). Jeroboam does not introduce new gods. He manufactures images meant to represent Yahweh Elohim of Israel, thereby introducing unauthorized ways to worship Yahweh.

The sin of Jeroboam is only the beginning of his rebellious activity. He had directed his people away from the worship and service of Yahweh at the divinely designated Temple in Jerusalem, building alternative sanctuaries at Bethel and Dan. In addition, he rejects the Levitical Priesthood, appointing priests from among the ten tribes making up his kingdom. He also institutes a feast to be celebrated in the eighth month on the fifteenth day, thereby causing the people to forsake Yahweh’s legitimate Feast of Tabernacles celebrated in the seventh month on the fifteenth day (Lev. 23:34). This arbitrary alteration of the Law of Yahweh reflects Jeroboam’s rebellious heart. He refuses to trust Yahweh’s word of promise. He places his trust in his own ingenuity, abandoning the statutes, judgments, and instructions Yahweh, through Moses, had graciously given to Israel alone.

In response to these alterations, the Aaronic and Levitical priests flee the Northern Kingdom of Jeroboam, leaving their suburbs and possessions and taking up residence in the Southern Kingdom of Judah, “for Jeroboam and his sons had cast them off from executing the priest's office unto the Lord[Yahweh] (2 Chr. 11:14b KJV). Following their example, many in the Northern Kingdom whose hearts belong to Yahweh leave Israel with its illegal institutions in order to take up residence in Judah with its sanctified institutions (2 Chr. 11:16) so as to worship and serve Yahweh according to His law.

Rehoboam’s kingdom is strengthened. For three years Judah walks in the way of David and the way of Solomon before Rehoboam introduces foreign elohim (2 Chr. 11:17). Afterward, Rehoboam “forsook the law of the Lord . . .” (2 Chr. 12:1b KJV), leading all Judah astray. The inspired writer, summing up Rehoboam’s reign, declares, “And he did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord [Yahweh] (2 Chr. 12:14 KJV).

This lawless condition is corrected under the reign of his grandson Asa who “did that which was good and right in the eyes of the Lord [Yahweh] his God [Elohim] (2 Chr. 14:2 KJV). The faithfulness of Asa not only delivers the people of Judah from the worship of idols, but also, once again, delivers many of the people in the Northern Kingdom of Israel:

And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and the strangers with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Simeon: for they fell to him out of Israel in abundance, when they saw that the Lord [Yahweh] his God [Elohim] was with him. (2 Chronicles 15:9 KJV)

As the Northern Kingdom sank deeper into faithlessness, many who sought after Yahweh migrated to the kingdom of Judah where Yahweh dwelt in the midst of His people.

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The Destruction of the Northern Kingdom:
Lo-Ammi—Not My People

The climactic turning point in the history of the Northern Kingdom takes place when Ahab ascends the throne. From Jeroboam to Omri, Israel had only perpetuated the sin of Jeroboam. She had not turned to worship and serve foreign elohim. This changes abruptly when Ahab takes as his wife Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians. Jezebel is a dedicated worshiper of Baal, a Canaanite god. At this time, the worship and service of Baal is introduced:

Ahab son of Omri did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh, worse than all who had been before him. So it came to pass (as if it was lightly esteemed by him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat) that he took (Page 268)as wife Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians. Then he went to serve Baal and worshiped him. (1 Kings 16:30-31 CV)

Ahab then proceeds to build a sanctuary for Baal in Samaria: “Thus Ahab proceeded to do more to provoke Yahweh Elohim of Israel to vexation than all the kings of Israel who had been before him” (1 Kings 16:33 CV).

Jezebel takes it upon herself to persecute the prophets of Israel . The people begin to worship and serve both Yahweh and Baal. Yahweh judges the Northern Kingdom. He shuts up the heavens, causing a draught lasting three years. The judgment ends when Yahweh sends His prophet Elijah to challenge the prophets of Baal. When Baal fails to devour with fire the sacrifice of his prophets as they call upon his name from morning until noon, Elijah calls upon Yahweh the Elohim of Israel to devour with fire his sacrifice which had been drenched with water. Lifting up his voice, he bellows,

O Yahweh Elohim of Abraham, Isaac and Israel , let it be known today that You are Elohim in Israel and I am your servant and that by Your words I have done all these things. Answer me, O Yahweh, answer me! Thus this people may know that You, Yahweh, are the One, Elohim, and that You Yourself will turn their heart around back again. (1 Kings 18:36b-37 CV)

Thereupon, the fire of Yahweh falls from heaven upon the sacrifice, devouring it and everything around it. For the present, the people turn back to Yahweh, falling on their faces while declaring, “Yahweh, He is the One Elohim” (1 Kings 18:39b CV). The prophets of Baal are then slain at the command of Elijah.

In spite of this mighty manifestation of the powerful hand of Yahweh, the people of Israel continue to descend into the contamination of idolatry with its accompanying abominations. Discouraged, Elijah flees to Mount Sinai. “He begged for his soul to die and said, It is enough now! O Yahweh, take my soul from me, for I am no better than my fathers” (1 Kings 19:4b CV). Elijah is dejected and depressed as a result of his failure to achieve Israel ’s return to Yahweh and His law. In spite of Elijah’s demonstration of the power of Yahweh the Living Elohim of Israel and the temporary victory over Baal and his prophets, the nation continues in its evil ways.

Elijah the prophet of Yahweh is discouraged to the point of seeking death, but Yahweh the Elohim of Elijah and Israel is patient, compassionate, and merciful. Yahweh asks Elijah, “What have you to do here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:9b CV). Elijah’s mission is in the land of Israel, not Mount Sinai. He must learn that Yahweh’s word and purposes can never fail, in spite of the obstacles achieved by Israel ’s unfaithfulness.

Elijah’s problem is revealed in his response:

I have been zealous, yea zealous for Yahweh Elohim of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant; they have demolished Your altars, and they have killed Your prophets with the sword, so that I am left, I by myself alone. And they are seeking for my soul to take it. (1 Kings 19:10 CV)

Elijah does not fear the threat of death at the hands of those seeking his life. He has already begged Yahweh to take his life. It is the unfaithfulness of Israel his people that has overwhelmed and exhausted his efforts on their behalf. He has given up in defeat.

Elijah is told to go forth and stand before Yahweh on the mount of the cave. “And behold, Yahweh was passing by, and a great and steadfast wind was ripping apart the mountains and was breaking up the crags before Yahweh; yet Yahweh was not in the wind” (1 Kings 19:11b CV). This is followed by a great earthquake, yet Yahweh is not in the earthquake. After the earthquake is a blazing fire, yet again, Yahweh is not to be found in the fire. Finally, there is “the sound of a gentle stillness” (1 Kings 19:12b CV). As Elijah hears this stillness, Yahweh again asks Elijah what he is doing in Mount Sinai. Again, Elijah responds as he had first responded.

Thereupon, Yahweh assigns him a new task, sending him back to the land of Israel. Yahweh will destroy the rebellious, those actively cultivating the characteristics of Cain. However, Yahweh will preserve for Himself the remnant of faithful ones, through whom He will achieve His purposes. Though the nation as a whole is stiff-necked, unfaithful, disobedient; Yahweh’s faithfulness shall not fail. He will protect and secure the lives of those faithful to him. Elijah is not alone. Yahweh has not been defeated: “Yet I will let remain in Israel 7,000, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him” (1 Kings 19:18 CV).

There is a faithful remnant of Abelites actively cultivating the characteristics of Abel. There will always be a faithful remnant through whom Yahweh will fulfill His promises to Israel , the nations, and the entire human race. This is precisely the principle Paul refers to when he argues, “Do you not know what the (Page 269)scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel ? . . . ‘I have kept for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.’ So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace” (Rom. 11:2b, 4b-5 RSV).

The Northern Kingdom of Israel continues in the ways of Jeroboam and Ahab. Yahweh continues to send His prophets. Finally, Yahweh sends the prophets Amos and Hosea with a message of judgment. Israel , the Northern Kingdom, would be removed from the land. The covenant with Jeroboam had been broken earlier by Jeroboam. His kingdom and house would not be secured, as would the kingdom and house of David.

Hosea declares the Northern Kingdom will become Lo-Ammi, not My people (Hos. 1:9). The people of the Northern Kingdom would be scattered among the nations. They would not be pitied (Hos. 1:6), ending their existence as a kingdom. Yahweh would not go with them into exile, ending their relationship with Yahweh based upon the covenant made with Jeroboam. Their future hope would be based upon the covenant made with David which had ties with the covenant made with the twelve sons of Jacob at Sinai. Their future hope, therefore, would be dependent upon the future of Judah , the Southern Kingdom, the kingdom of the house of David.

Hosea, however, promises that although these people will become “not My people,” that is, gentiles, Yahweh would not forget or completely abandon them. The impending separation from the land, suspension of cultic life, and termination of covenantal relationship will be used to prepare these people for restoration. Though Israel has forgotten Yahweh and the conditions of the Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant, Yahweh will not forget His people. He will cause them to remember Him. He will initiate the repairing of the broken relationship. He will provide the salvation making possible a new exodus out from among the nations. He will create a new covenant (Hos. 2:18). A new marriage shall be entered into:

And I will betroth you to Me for the eon ,

And I will betroth you to Me in righteousness,

And in judgment, and in kindness, and in compassions.

And I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness;

Then you shall know that I am Ieue [Yahweh]. (Hosea 2:19-20 CV)

Whereas they will be called Lo-Ammi, not My people (gentiles), Yahweh would once again call them Ammi, My people. Alluding to the Abrahamic Covenant, Hosea declares,

Yet the number of the sons of Israel shall become as the sand of the sea, Which is not being measured nor numbered. And it comes to be in the place in which it was being said to them, Not My people are you, There shall it be said to them, Sons of the living El. And the sons of Judah and the sons of Israel shall be convened together. And they shall place one head over them, And they shall go up from the land, For great is the day of Jezreel [Heb. = sowing]. (Hosea 1:10-11 CV)

Israel had sowed to itself condemnation; Yahweh would sow, on their behalf, justification. Referring to the same future sowing of salvation, Amos declares,

In that day will I raise up the fallen booth [tabernacle, house] of David,

And I will dike with stones its breaches,

And its demolished places will I raise,

And I will build it as in the days of the eon [the days of the reign of David and Solomon],

That they may tenant the remnant of Edom ,

And all the nations over whom My name is called, (averring is Ieue [Yahweh], the Doer of this).

(Amos 9:11-12 CV)

James quotes this passage from Amos to justify Yahweh’s visitation of the nations to obtain for Himself a people for His name (Acts 15:13-18). The Northern Kingdom was to become not My people. They would lose their identification as the people of Yahweh as signified (designated) by the Sinatic Covenant and the covenant of circumcision. They would be absorbed into the nations, no longer worshiping Yahweh according to the advantages of the Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant (Yahweh’s statutes and judgments, Yahweh’s priests, and Yahweh’s Temple). Their only hope of restoration would come from the hope of Judah and the promise of the Davidic Covenant.

This is why Jesus declares to the Samaritan woman, “salvation is of the Jews” (Jn. 4:22b CV). The designation Jew refers to the kingdom of Judah, which, though later also sent into captivity among the nations, is not to be absorbed into the nations, is not to be called not My people, is not to lose its identity as (Page 270)the people of Yahweh. The kingdom of Judah would be restored to its land and would worship Yahweh in a restored Temple and a restored Jerusalem (Hos. 1:7). It would be to this kingdom Yahweh would send His son, the son of David, the Anointed One, the prophet like Moses, the Savior of His people.

James understood Yahweh’s acceptance of the nations to be demonstrated in the visions given to Cornelius and Peter. In the vision given to Cornelius, he is told, “Your prayers and your alms ascended for a memorial in front of God” (Acts 10:4b CV). In the vision given to Peter, after he is commanded to sacrifice and eat unclean animals, he is told, “What God cleanses, do not you count contaminating!” (Acts 10:15b CV). James, then, supports this recent revelation from Yahweh by quoting from Amos. The acceptance of the nations as clean rather than unclean is interpreted as the fulfillment of Yahweh’s promise to the Northern Kingdom that He would restore it to covenantal fellowship when He would rebuild the fallen tabernacle of David. The salvation of Cornelius and the salvation of the nations through the proclamation of Paul were revealed to be Yahweh’s uniting of the Southern Kingdom of Judah and the Northern Kingdom of Israel, which kingdom, until that time, had been Lo-Ammi, not My people.

This interpretation of James is confirmed by Paul when he quotes, in chapter 9 of his Letter to the Romans, from Hosea 1:10-11 to establish Yahweh’s prior intention of calling and saving “not only out of the Jews [the Southern Kingdom of Judah], but out of the nations [the Northern Kingdom] also” (Rom. 9:24 CV). The Gospel of the Uncircumcision committed to Paul was rooted in Yahweh’s covenant made with Abram before he was circumcised. The hope of the people of the Northern Kingdom was not to be rooted in the covenant of circumcision made with Abraham, nor in the covenant made with the sons of Jacob at Sinai, both of which had been forfeited as a result of Israel ’s (the Northern Kingdom) disobedience. It was to be rooted in the seed of Abram and in the seed of David.

The hope of the Northern Kingdom of Israel was to be rooted in the promise made to Abram: “And make you will I into a great nation, and bless you will I and make your name great, and become must you a blessing. . . . And blest in you and in your seed are all the families of the ground” (Gen. 12:2-3 CV). The nation referred to here is the nation Israel formed by the faithful ones called out of the Jews (Judah) and the faithful ones called out of the nations ( Israel ). All these are said to be in Christ THE SEED of Abraham, according to the writers of the Greek Scriptures (see Gal. 3:16).

The hope of the people of the Northern Kingdom was also to be rooted in the promise made to David:

I will make for you a great name, . . . And I will provide a place for My people Israel; . . . Moreover Yahweh tells you [David] that Yahweh shall establish a royal house for you: When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, then I will raise up your seed after you that shall come forth from your internal parts; and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for the eon . (2 Samuel 7:9b-13 CV)

The place referred to here is that spoken of by Jesus: “I am going to make ready a place for you” (Jn. 14:2b CV). That place was to be located in the Celestial Realm (Heb. 11:13-16 NGEINT, CV).

The house built by the son of David was to be the Ecclesia, the called-out faithful ones, “on this rock will I be building My ecclesia, . . .” (Matt. 16:18b CV). Peter referred to this house as “living stones . . . a spiritual house” (1 Pe. 2:5 CV). The writer of Hebrews referred to the house as the “more perfect tabernacle not made by hands, that is, not of this creation” (Heb. 9:11 CV). Paul referred to this house when he wrote, “So that, if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: the primitive passed by. Lo! there has come new!” (2 Cor. 5:17 CV). In his Letter to the Ephesians, he referred to this house as a “building, being connected together, . . . growing into a holy temple in the Lord” (Eph. 2:21 CV). This Temple consists of those far off (the nations, Israel , the Northern Kingdom) and those near (the Jews, Judah, the Southern Kingdom), as designated by Paul in Ephesians 2:17-18.

The kingdom referred to in 2 Samuel, chapter 7, is that spoken of by Jesus: “And I am covenanting a covenant with you, according as My Father covenanted a kingdom to Me, . . . And you will be seated on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Lk. 22:29-30 CV). Paul referred to the then present reality of this kingdom when he characterized the faithful ones as having already been transported “into the kingdom of the Son of His love” (Col. 1:13 CV).

Beginning in 734 BC and reaching its climax in 722 BC, Assyria gained control of Israel , implementing its custom of deporting conquered peoples to other parts of its empire:

Then the king of Assyria marched up against the whole land; he came up to Samaria and besieged it for three years. In the ninth year Hoshea, the king of Assyria seized Samaria and deported Israel to Assyria. He made (Page 271)them dwell in Halah, and at the Habor, the stream of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes. (2 Kings 17:5-6 CV)

The people of the Northern Kingdom were scattered among the nations (as predicted by Moses in Deuteronomy 28:43-48) under the control of the Assyrians. They were resettled in the north and north-western sections of the Assyrian empire. This included the area presently assigned to Turkey .

Over the years, these Lo-Ammi people multiplied and continued to migrate, introducing the inhabitants of these geographical locations to the One Living Elohim. Through trade, war, and travel, the Greeks became acquainted with the one living God of these scattered people, eventually influencing the great Greek philosophers who began questioning the viability of the pantheon gods of Greek culture and contributing to the rise of Greek science. The influence of these scattered members of the Northern Kingdom of Israel (along with the Jews of the diaspora) was to prepare the nations for the Gospel of the Uncircumcision committed to and proclaimed by the Apostle Paul.

The reign of Hoshea over the Northern Kingdom of Israel (732-722 B.C.) was to mark the last decade of the history of the Northern Kingdom in the Hebrew Scriptures. As the prophet Isaiah had predicted, the deportations would be spread over a period of 65 years (Isa. 7:8), running from 734 B.C. through 669 B.C. Moses also had prophesied concerning the fate of these people:

For I know that after my death you shall bring ruin, yea ruin on yourselves; you will withdraw from the way that I enjoined on you, and the evil visitation will befall you in the latter days, for you shall do the thing that is evil in the eyes of Yahweh so as to provoke Him to vexation by the work of your hands. (Deuteronomy 31:29 CV)

The writer of Second Kings explains this evil visitation as due to Israel ’s having sinned against Yahweh their Elohim. These favored people had

feared other elohim . . . walked in the statutes of the nations . . . built for themselves high-places in all their cities, . . . serving the idol clods of which Yahweh had said to them, You must not do this thing. (2 Kings 17:7- 12 CV)

They had rejected the overtures of Yahweh’s prophets sent to plead with them to return to Yahweh (2 Kings 17:13-14).

The inspired writer, summarizing their history, states regrettably,

They forsook all instructions of Yahweh their Elohim; they made molten images for themselves—two calves—and made an Asherah pole, and they bowed themselves down to all the host of the heavens, and they served Baal. They caused their sons and their daughters to pass through fire and divined by divinations; they practiced augury and sold themselves to do what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh to provoke Him to vexation. So Yahweh showed Himself exceedingly angered with Israel and put them away, out of His presence. None remained but the tribe of Judah by itself alone. (2 Kings 17:16-18 CV)

This writer then concludes, “So Israel was deported from its own ground to Assyria until this day” (2 Kings 17:23b CV). The Northern Kingdom of Israel never recovered from this judgment. It would not be restored as a kingdom nor be restored to its place in the land. The covenant made with Jeroboam had been terminated and his kingdom abolished, never to be revived. The people of his kingdom and his covenant became Lo-Ammi, not My people.

Judah shortly would also come under Yahweh’s evil visitation. But Judah would not become Lo-Ammi. The covenant made with David would not be terminated, and his kingdom would not be abolished. The Southern Kingdom of Judah would be restored to its place in the land, patiently awaiting the promised Son of David , the Savior of His people. Hosea confirms this: “For I will not continue further to have compassion on THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL [my emphasis], . . . Yet on the house of Judah will I have compassion, And I will save them by Ieue [Yahweh], their Alueim [Elohim] (Hos. 1:6b-7a CV).

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The Fall and Exile of Judah : Ruhamah—I Will Have Compassion

Aside from Hezekiah and Josiah, the kings of Judah were no better than the kings of Israel . Judah had been following in the ways of Israel . When Hezekiah became king of Judah ,

He did what was upright in the eyes of Yahweh according to all that his father David had done. It was he who took away the high-places and broke down the monuments; he also cut down the Asherah pole and pounded to pieces the serpent of copper that Moses had made; for until those days the sons of Israel had been fuming (Page 272)incense to it, . . . In Yahweh Elohim of Israel he trusted; and after him there was none like him among all the kings of Judah , nor was there among those before him. (2 Kings 18:3-5 CV)

With his death in 686 B.C., the final decline of Judah ’s national life begins. The seeds of deterioration continue for about a century. In spite of the reformation under King Josiah, the nation continues to depart from the covenant of Yahweh, culminating in the Babylonian captivity of 586 B.C. To Judah , also, Yahweh sends His prophets. Like her sister Israel , Judah fails to respond to Yahweh’s gracious overtures. The call to repentance proclaimed by the prophets is repeatedly rejected. The prophets then declare Yahweh’s judgment—the nation will be exiled. However, unlike the kingdom of Israel, Yahweh is not to abandon Judah among the nations. He will not declare her Lo-Ammi, not My people. He will remember His covenant with David. Yahweh declares His compassion. He will remain with His people and return them to their land.

But Yahweh will do more! He promises a greater salvation! This salvation becomes the dominant theme of the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Joel, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, and the writer of the Book of Daniel. It is this theme which now becomes the subject of analysis. It is this theme which points to and necessitates the Greek Scriptures. The purpose of the Greek Scriptures is to record the fulfillment of this greater salvation. Thus, the Greek Scriptures complete the Hebrew Scriptures, forming one complete literary work. In accord with this purpose, the prologue of the Gospel of John builds a bridge connecting the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures. The logos, the word in the beginning, is the covenantal word of Yahweh heard at Mount Sinai. That logos, that word, is declared by John to be at that time presently heard and seen tabernacling in Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham, the son of Adam, the son of God. As Yahweh spoke to Israel at Sinai, so John declares to his generation that Yahweh is presently speaking to Israel in Jesus, the logos, the word tabernacling in flesh.

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The Message of Isaiah and the Greek Scriptures

Having made it clear in Isaiah, chapters 1-39, that the kingdom of Judah would be judged by Yahweh and sent into exile, Isaiah concludes this section as follows:

Then said Isaiah to Hezekiah, Hear the word of the Lord [Yahweh] of hosts: Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store until this day, shall be carried to Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the Lord. And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon. (Isaiah 39:5-7 KJV)

Jerusalem and the Temple would be destroyed by the Babylonians. This is Yahweh’s judgment against His disobedient people.

Isaiah then opens the 40th chapter with Yahweh’s declaration of future hope: “Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God [Elohim]. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity [depravity] is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord's [Yahweh’s] hand double for all her sins” (Isa. 40:1-2 KJV). Judah will be exiled. Captivity in a foreign land is certain. But Yahweh will not abandon his covenanted nation nor forsake His covenant with David. The comfort now proclaimed by Yahweh goes beyond the promise to return the nation to its land, to rebuild the terrestrial city of Jerusalem, and to rebuild the terrestrial Temple.

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Isaiah 40:3-5 The Voice in the Wilderness

Isaiah continues Yahweh’s word of comfort:

The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord [Yahweh], make straight in the desert a highway for our God [Elohim]. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: And the glory of the Lord [Yahweh] shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord [Yahweh] hath spoken it. (Isaiah 40:3-5 KJV)

This prophecy is declared fulfilled by John the Baptist according to the Greek Scriptures: “In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, . . . For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying, The voice of one (Page 273)crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight” (Matt. 3:1, 3 KJV); “the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. . . . as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight” (Lk. 3:2, 4 KJV). However, not only does the writer of the Gospel of John declare the Baptist as the fulfiller of this prophecy, “He [John the Baptist] said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said by the prophet Isaiah” (Jn. 1:23 KJV). He (John) also declares Jesus to be the fulfillment of Isaiah’s words concerning the revelation of the glory of Yahweh (Isa. 40:5): “And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us, and we gazed at His glory, a glory as of an only-begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (Jn. 1:14 CV). Isaiah’s prophecy was not fulfilled by the events recorded in the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah.

Thus, this prophecy points beyond the return of the Judean captives from Babylon to Judea. It points to a period of time beyond the rebuilding of both Jerusalem and the Temple. It is Yahweh’s much more. It refers to the greater salvation, the ultimate fulfillment of Yahweh’s purpose for Israel .

According to Isaiah, it refers to the new Jerusalem of Yahweh’s new heavens and new earth (Isa. 65:17-25); it refers to the birth of a new nation (Isa. 66:5-13). This new Jerusalem is contrasted with the Jerusalem described in the opening chapter of the book. This new Jerusalem is to become a celestial Jerusalem in contrast to the terrestrial Jerusalem. It is to be a city not made with hands in contradistinction to the terrestrial Jerusalem made with hands. The restoration of Jerusalem under Ezra and Nehemiah is accomplished by the hands of man. Thus, even this restored Jerusalem cannot be the ultimate Jerusalem described by the prophets.

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Isaiah 40:10 The Strong Arm of Yahweh

Isaiah continues his word of comfort by describing Yahweh as coming “with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold his reward is with him, and his WORK before him” (Isa. 40:10 KJV my emphasis). The writer of the Gospel of John quotes Jesus as declaring, “My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his WORK” (Jn. 4:34 KJV my emphasis); “My Father worketh hitherto, and I WORK” (Jn. 5:17 KJV); “I must WORK the works of him that sent me, while it is day” (Jn. 9:4 KJV my emphasis). The writer’s last reference to works has Jesus testifying, “I have glorified thee [the Father, Yahweh] on the earth: I have finished the WORK which thou gavest me to do” (Jn. 17:4 KJV my emphasis). This writer clearly understands Jesus as the strong arm of Yahweh Who rules for Him, carrying out the work assigned Him by His Father, Yahweh. The same writer has Jesus say, “Now I have a testimony greater than John's [the Baptist]. For the works which the Father has given Me that I should be perfecting them, the works themselves which I am doing are testifying concerning Me that the Father has commissioned Me” (Jn. 5:36 CV). Yahweh has assigned, commissioned, His son Jesus to finish His work.

The writer of the Gospel of Matthew understands Jesus to be the shepherd of Yahweh’s flock, “But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd” (Matt. 9:36 KJV). Jesus knew He was the true and ultimate shepherd of Israel, as the writer of the Gospel of Matthew makes clear, “Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad” (Matt. 26:31 KJV). Here Jesus quotes Zechariah 13:7 as referring to Himself. Jesus as Yahweh’s chosen shepherd feeds Yahweh’s flock, and after His resurrection, He commissions His disciples to carry on His shepherd duty as He commands Peter to “Feed my sheep” (Jn. 21:16 KJV).

The writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews calls Jesus “that great shepherd of the sheep” (Heb. 13:20 KJV). After His resurrection, Jesus continues as Yahweh’s chosen shepherd. He carries on this role from His position at the right hand of the Father. He would complete His work at His promised appearing at the end of the then present Mosaic Eon . At this appearing, He would come with His reward (Isa. 40:10), as Peter attributes to Jesus the role of the rewarder of Isaiah 40:10: “And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away” (1 Pe. 5:4 KJV). Earlier in this epistle, Peter indicates this appearing as being near at hand: “But the end of all things is at hand” (1 Pe. 4:7 KJV). The “all things” refers to the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. Peter, as well as all the other writers contributing to the Greek Scriptures, understands he is living in the last days, and, in agreement with all the other writers, suggests at no time a delay or postponement of this ultimate appearing which will consummate all that is written in the Law and the Prophets.

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Isaiah 42:1, 6-7 Behold My Servant

In chapter 42, Isaiah continues his word of comfort, the much more of Yahweh:

Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my Spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. . . . I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house. (Isaiah 42:1, 6-7 KJV)

Once again, the writers of the Greek Scriptures clearly identify this “servant” as Jesus. Matthew records, “Now, being baptized, Jesus straightway stepped up from the water, and lo! opened up to Him were the heavens, and He perceived the spirit of God descending as if a dove, and coming on Him. And lo! a voice out of the heavens, saying, ‘This is My Son, the Beloved, in Whom I delight’” (Matt. 3:16-17 CV; see also Mk. 1:10-11; Lk. 3:21-22; Jn. 1:32-33). Luke writes concerning the covenant of Isaiah 42:6, “And I [Jesus] am covenanting a covenant with you, according as My Father covenanted a kingdom to Me” (Lk. 22:29 CV). The Greek writers, thus, attribute the comfort of Isaiah 42:1-7 as occurring in their own time. From their point of view, Isaiah is writing concerning the first 70 years of the first century a.d. (approximately from the birth of Jesus to the year 70 a.d.).

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Isaiah 42:9 New Things I Do Declare

In verse 9 of chapter 42, Isaiah declares, “Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them” (KJV). Paul alludes to this passage in 2 Corinthians 5:17: “So that, if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: the primitive things passed by. Lo! There has come new things!” (my translation). Paul interpreted Isaiah 42:9 as being presently fulfilled in his own present time. “In Christ” refers to the new community, the new Israel :

Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child. Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children. (Isaiah 66:7-8 KJV)

The writer of the Book of Revelation symbolically expounds on this prophecy:

And a great sign was seen in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon underneath her feet, and on her head a wreath of twelve stars. And, being pregnant, she is crying, travailing and tormented to be bringing forth. . . . And she brought forth a son, a male, who is about to be shepherding all the nations with an iron club. And her child is snatched away to God and to His throne. (Revelation 12:1-2, 5 CV)

The male child is not only referring to Jesus Himself, but to His Church, His Body, consisting of all those in Christ making up the new creation, the new nation, the new Israel of God, the Israel of the new covenant. The Israel of the old covenant, first described in the heavens metaphorically, flees from her metaphoric place in the heavens to her metaphoric place in the earthly wilderness. Her male son is metaphorically snatched up to God and His throne, replacing the fleeing Woman representing the old covenant. It is the church Christ’s Body—THE CHRIST—who now is metaphorically clothed with the sun reflecting the light of Yahweh’s Honor, Glory, and Mercy revealed in the New Covenant to those metaphorically on the earth (Jew first, also Greek).

During that present time, the time of the Apostles of Christ, this New Man is shepherding the nations with an iron club. The image of the iron club is positive. It represents Christ’s discipline of members of His Body coming out of the nations into His light and life. This is the role of Christ’s Ecclesia until the appearing of Christ with His reward at the consummation of the Mosaic Eon when the elect, holy Israel of Yahweh would be removed from the terrestrial realm to the Celestial Realm promised by Jesus: “for I am going to make ready a place for all of you. And if I should be going and making ready a place for all of you, I am coming again, and I will be taking all of you along to Myself, that where I am, all of you also may be” (Jn. 14:2b-3 my translation). Jesus did not fail to fulfill this promise (to His faithful followers of His generation) before the end of the first century a.d.

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Isaiah 51:6 The Heavens Shall Vanish Like Smoke: The Use of Metaphoric Language

How can this be?! The language of Isaiah, as well as all the prophets, is metaphorical. Isaiah 51:6 declares,

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Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth as a garment shall decay, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner. Yet My salvation for the eon shall come, and My righteousness shall not be abolished. (my translation)

Isaiah is not contemplating the physical destruction of the physical heavens and earth. He is not contemplating the physical decay or death of humanity. The heavens and the earth refer metaphorically to Yahweh’s covenant with Israel established at Sinai by which Israel is drawn near to Yahweh, possessing a privileged position over the nations. Metaphorically, Israel is seen as positioned in the heavens, while metaphorically the nations are seen positioned upon the earth.

The establishment of Yahweh’s New Covenant through Jesus the Messiah does away with, puts an end to, the arrangement of the Mosaic Covenant. Thus, all Israelites remaining under the old covenant are metaphorically decaying, dying, even as the old covenant is metaphorically decaying, being abolished. Yahweh’s salvation provided by the New Covenant comes for the remainder of the Mosaic Eon . It offers the life of the New Covenant and a place in the Celestial Realm at the end of the Mosaic Eon. From about 30 a.d. to 70 a.d. the Gospel of Christ proclaimed a new heavens and new earth, a new arrangement with Yahweh and His elect people, a new life based upon the New Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant rather than the old Mosaic Covenant. It called for faith in Jesus the Christ and faithfulness to the end of the Mosaic Eon.

With the destruction of the Temple in 70 a.d., the Mosaic Eon ended. This is the subject of 2 Peter 3:10-13, the writer utilizing the metaphoric language of the prophets in his prophetic description of the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, which at the time of his writing had not yet taken place. The righteousness of this New Covenant would not be abolished as the righteousness of the Mosaic Covenant would be. For Jesus the Son is greater than Moses the servant (see Heb. 3:1-6).

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Isaiah 1:1; 2:2; 4:2 Judah , Jerusalem, and The Branch in the Last Days

In order to understand the prophecies of Isaiah, it is important to keep in mind that he writes “concerning Judah and Jerusalem” (Isa. 1:1). He writes concerning what is to come to pass “in the last days” (Isa. 2:2). These last days are characterized by the appearance, the arrival of the branch of Yahweh (Isa. 4:2): “A rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots” (Isa. 11:1 KJV). The spirit of Yahweh is to rest upon this Branch, “the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord [Yahweh] (Isa. 11:2b KJV). This Branch is to judge in the interest of righteousness. He is to smite the land with the rod of his mouth. With the breath of his lips he is to slay the wicked (Isa. 11:4).

The writers of the Greek Scriptures make clear this Branch is Jesus the Christ. Therefore, Isaiah writes concerning the generation dwelling in Judah and Jerusalem in the time of Jesus. Luke exemplifies this Branch slaying the wicked with the breath of his lips and defines the time of which the prophets wrote, “And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him. And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God [Yahweh] knoweth your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God. The law and the prophets were until John . . .” (Lk. 16:14-16a KJV). The writers of the Law and the Prophets wrote concerning the time of John the Baptist and Jesus.

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The Contemporary Generation of Jesus

This testimony of Jesus confirms the timeframe spoken of by the prophets—that period of time represented by the contemporary generation of Jesus the Messiah. The Hebrew Scriptures do not concern themselves with what occurs beyond this historical period in time. When Jesus testifies, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil” (Matt. 5:17 KJV), He is confirming the record of Luke 16:16a. The testimony of the Law and the Prophets concludes with the work of John the Baptist and Jesus. The Hebrew Scriptures do not depict events which follow the consummation of the Parousia of the Christ. The Law and the Prophets are fulfilled by Jesus the Christ and His Apostles, His Ecclesia, His Body, during the 70 years of the generation Jesus refers to four times in the Gospel of Matthew as “this generation” (see Matt. 11:16; 12:42; 23:36; 24:34). This conclusion is firmly established as legitimate, scriptural, with the following judgment of Jesus:

Serpents! Progeny [generation] of vipers! How may you be fleeing from the judging of Gehenna? Therefore, lo! I am dispatching to you prophets and wise men and scribes. Of them, some you will be killing and crucifying, and of them, some you will be scourging in your synagogues and persecuting from city to city, so (Page 276)that on you should be coming all the just blood shed on the earth, from the blood of just Abel until the blood of Zechariah, . . . Verily, I am saying to you: All these things will be arriving on this generation. (Matthew 23:33-36 CV)

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The Mountain of Yahweh’s House Exalted

In Isaiah 2:2-5, the prophet writes about the future exaltation of Jerusalem. The Jerusalem he describes is not the terrestrial Jerusalem, but “the Jerusalem above” (Gal. 4:26), the Celestial Jerusalem of Hebrews 12:22, “But you have come to mount Zion, and the city of the living God, celestial Jerusalem” (CV, see also Heb. 11:10, 16 CV). Isaiah writes,

And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's [Yahweh’s] house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. (Isaiah 2:2 KJV)

This is metaphoric language describing the Celestial Jerusalem Paul designates as “mother of us all” (Gal. 4:26 CV). Paul is referring to Jews and, also, gentiles, those called out of the nations and, by faith in Christ, entering into the new, Celestial Jerusalem established by the New Covenant of the Christ, thereby fulfilling the last line of Isaiah 2:2. Isaiah elaborates on this theme:

And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord [Yahweh], to the house of the God [Elohim] of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord [Yahweh] from Jerusalem. (Isaiah 2:3 KJV)

The mountain of Yahweh, the house of the Elohim of Jacob, metaphorically refers to the Ecclesia Christ’s Body, the Israel of Yahweh, the community of Saints (Messianic Jews). The central geographical location of this community would be Jerusalem. Out from this community went forth the law, the word, the Gospel of Yahweh concerning Jesus the Christ. This community empowered by the spirit of Yahweh was authorized to teach the ways of Yahweh, the new things of the New Covenant which superseded the passing of the former things, the primitive things associated with the old covenant. All this is described in the Book of Acts of the Greek Scriptures. Isaiah continues,

And he [Yahweh] shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they [those believing the Gospel] shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation [believers from among the nations, including Israel ], neither shall they learn war any more. (Isaiah 2:4 KJV)

The word of the Gospel of Christ went forth first to the Jews in the land, then to gentiles in the land, then to Jews outside the land among the nations, and finally to non-Jews among the nations. This faithful community marched in a spiritual exodus, engaging in a spiritual warfare (swords into plowshares, to plant the seed of the Gospel; spears into pruninghooks, to prune the new Israel ) in contradistinction to Israel ’s exodus out of Egypt and her military campaigns in the course of her conquest of the Promised Land.

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A New Exodus

The new exodus led Yahweh’s people out of the old Mosaic Covenant into the new requirements of the way of Yahweh revealed in the New Covenant. The spiritual warfare consisted of the wielding of the sword of the word. The enemy consisted of those terrestrial Jews opposed to the word of Yahweh revealed through Christ and His faithful community. These Jews loved the terrestrial by clinging to the way of the Mosaic Covenant which Yahweh was in the process of abolishing through the fulfillment of all that the Law and the Prophets proclaimed. The conquering of the enemy would result in the entrance into the Celestial Realm and, therein into the Celestial Jerusalem, the place Jesus had prepared for His faithful community, His faithful nation.

The faithful ones out of the nations together with the faithful ones out of the Judean nation waged a war apart from the sword. They conquered in the name and power of their God. They conquered by fulfilling the requirements of Yahweh’s Law through the power of the spirit of Yahweh poured out upon them through Jesus the Christ, the Only-Begotten Son of Yahweh. This is the exposition of Isaiah revealed to and recorded by the writers of the Greek Scriptures.

Isaiah continues to prophesy concerning the future Jerusalem. In chapter 4, verses 2 to 6, he takes up the subject of the future restoration of Jerusalem. Again, this is not referring to the earthly Jerusalem, but the heavenly Jerusalem of Yahweh’s new creation of the heavens and the earth. Isaiah begins by (Page 277)referring to the day of the Branch of Yahweh. According to the Greek writers, the Branch of Yahweh refers to Jesus. This Branch is said to be beautiful and glorious. The fruit of the land, as a result of the work of the Branch, is said to be excellent and comely for those described as the “escaped of Israel (Isa. 4:2 KJV). This fruit is spiritual fruit and is the product of the word of Yahweh proclaimed by Jesus the Anointed of Yahweh. As shall be seen, the “escaped of Israel consist of those who escape the curse of the law, the old, primitive administration of Moses.

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A New Judgment

In chapter 4, verses 3-4 Isaiah states,

And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy [saint], even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem: When the Lord [Yahweh] shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning. (KJV)

At the beginning of the ministry of John the Baptist, he announces, “Now already the ax also is lying at the root of the trees. Every tree, then, which is not producing ideal fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire” (Lk. 3:9 CV). The day of Yahweh was at hand. In the ministry of the Baptist, Yahweh had already begun laying the ax to the root of those trees not producing ideal fruit. Judgment was a certainty. It had already come upon their generation. The Baptist was calling Israel (the trees) to repentance in order to escape the present judgment of Yahweh.

The ministry of Jesus would continue to reveal the already begun process of Yahweh’s judgment. Jesus, also, calls the nation to repentance. Yahweh’s judgment would be meted out through Jesus His Only-Begotten Son. The curse of the law—covenantal death—would be executed.

Only those identified in the Christ would be able to endure the coming washing, purging of the covenantal filth accrued by Israel from the worship of the Golden Calf to the present disobedience of this last generation of the Mosaic Eon. Only the faithful ones identified in the death and the resurrection of the Christ would be protected from the act of Yahweh’s purging of the shed blood of the prophets in Jerusalem: Jerusalem! Jerusalem! killing the prophets and pelting with stones those who have been dispatched to her!” (Lk. 13:34a CV); “Serpents! Progeny [generation] of vipers! How may you be fleeing from the judging of Gehenna? . . . so that on you should be coming all the just blood shed on the earth, from the blood of just Abel until the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah . . .” (Matt. 23:33, 35 CV, see also Rev. 16:6; 17:6; 18:24).

These faithful ones are designated saints, holy ones, a designation used by the writers of the Greek Scriptures (on the basis of their understanding of Isaiah 4:3-4 and Daniel 7:18, 21, 25, 27) to refer to circumcised, Jewish faithful ones. These saints, holy ones, have their names written in the Lamb’s book of new covenantal life, “they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Rev. 21:27c KJV). Isaiah writes of those future, faithful, circumcised Jews, identified with the Branch of Yahweh, who escape the judgment of Yahweh proclaimed by John the Baptist and Jesus as having already begun.

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A New Salvation

Isaiah continues his theme of the restoration and glory of the future ultimate Jerusalem by using an analogy drawn from the Mosaic exodus:

And the Lord [Yahweh] will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defense [a spread covering]. (Isaiah 4:5 KJV)

As Yahweh protected, delivered, and guided Israel to the Promised Land under Moses, so also Yahweh would protect, deliver, and guide the new Israel under the Branch, Jesus the Christ, to the new Celestial Jerusalem, the place prepared by Jesus the Christ in the Celestial Realm for His newly formed Ecclesia, His newly created Celestial people, His newly built Celestial Jerusalem. Moses, during a period of 40 years, beginning from the Passover in Egypt , led his people to the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jesus the Christ, during a period of 40 years (beginning from His death and resurrection in Jerusalem), would lead His people to the Celestial possession promised to Abraham and his faithful seed.

However, unlike Moses whose death prevented him from leading his people into the land, Jesus would lead His people into the actual possession of the promised allotment in the Celestial Realm, having gone ahead into the Celestial Realm (after His death, resurrection, and ascension) to prepare that place for (Page 278)His people. At the end of that 40-year period, during which He and His Ecclesia would engage in spiritual warfare with and final conquest over His enemies, He would return to physically transport them into their reward, their Celestial Allotment. Isaiah understood the time of the Branch, the Messiah, the Christ, the suffering Servant of Yahweh (a period which would later be revealed to consist of 70 years) to be the final days of the Mosaic Eon , the last generation of the Mosaic Age, the last days during which all in the Law and the Prophets would be fulfilled.

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A New Tabernacle

Isaiah concludes this prophecy presently under analysis by declaring,

And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain. (Isaiah 4:6 KJV)

According to the writer of the Gospel of John, that tabernacle is the word made flesh, Jesus the Christ, “And the word became flesh and tabernacles among us” (Jn. 1:14 CV). The glory of Yahweh tabernacled in Jesus the Christ. That Tabernacle, according to the Greek Scriptures, through the obedience unto death, a crucifixion death, became transformed into a Celestial Temple. Jesus the Christ became the foundation and corner stone, His faithful Apostles and saints becoming the stones in the construction of Yahweh’s living Temple, a House not made by hands (see 1 Cor. 3:16-17; 2 Cor. 6:16-18; 1 Pe. 2:5; Heb. 9:11-12). That House, that Temple, has been completed, and, for the past 2,000 years, has occupied its predesignated place in the Celestial Realm.

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Isaiah 9:6-7 A Son and Dominion Given

Concerning the glory of this Tabernacle, the Branch, Isaiah writes,

For A Child hath been born to us, A Son, hath been given to us, And the dominion [government] is upon his shoulder,—And his Name hath been called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God [EL], Father of Futurity [progress], Prince of Prosperity [Peace]. Of the increase of dominion [government] and of prosperity, There shall be no end—Upon the throne of David and Upon his kingdom, By establishing it and By sustaining it, With justice and With righteousness—From henceforth, Even unto times age-abiding [eonian]: The jealousy of Yahweh of hosts will perform this! (Isaiah 9:6-7 EB)

The Branch is said to be a “Son” of Israel , of David’s seed. He is to be a prince, governing His people upon the throne of David. Thus, the kingdom of David is to be once again established and sustained, implying the necessity of conquering its enemies. His reign on David’s seat is to restore covenantal prosperity. He is to be the Father of Futurity, Chief of the future, Chief of the progression of time, Chief of the progression of human history. His kingdom and rule is to have no end. Once He ascends the throne of David, His kingship and kingdom begins and has no end. He is to be a Mighty El, one having authority to subject others under His rule. All this is to be brought about by Yahweh.

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The Testimony of Peter, Paul, and Jesus

According to the Book of Acts, Peter, quoting Psalms 16:8-11 and attributing it to David, claims the resurrected Jesus the Nazarene, the Messiah, has ascended the throne of David: “Being, then, inherently, a prophet, and having perceived that God [Yahweh] swears to him [David] with an oath, out of the fruit of his loin to seat One on his throne, perceiving this before, he [David] speaks concerning the resurrection of the Christ, . . .” (Acts 2:30-31a CV). Peter testifies that Jesus has been resurrected by Yahweh in order to ascend to the seat of David. Thus, Jesus, roused by Yahweh His Father, ascends to the right hand of Yahweh His Father and proceeds to sit upon the throne of David His father in accord with the intended authorization of Yahweh His Elohim, His Father.

Paul agrees with Peter when he writes, “at the same time giving thanks to the Father, Who makes you competent for a part of the allotment of the saints, in light, Who rescues us out of the jurisdiction of Darkness, and transported us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, . . .” (Col. 1:12-13 CV). This is the same kingdom Jesus refers to when He declares to His Apostles, “And I am covenanting a covenant with you, according as My Father covenanted a kingdom to Me, that you may be eating and drinking at My table in My kingdom. And you will be seated on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Lk. 22:29-30 CV). When Jesus ascended the throne of David, the Apostles were seated with Him upon thrones, giving them authority to judge the twelve tribes of Israel . Such was the authority given them when the spirit was (Page 279)poured out upon them at the Pentecost of Acts, chapter 2, verses 1-4, allowing them to be spiritually eating and drinking at their Lord’s, or His majesty’s, kingly table.

Speaking in different languages, Peter explains the meaning of this to those in the Temple who were hearing the word of Yahweh in their own languages: “But this is that which has been declared through the prophet Joel” (Acts 2:16 CV). Peter announced to that generation of Israelites that they were in the last days spoken of by the prophet Joel. He concluded, “This Jesus God [Yahweh] raised, of Whom we all are witnesses. Being, then, to the right hand of God [Yahweh] exalted, besides obtaining the promise of the holy spirit from the Father, He pours out this which you are observing and hearing” (Acts 2:32-33 CV). The son of David (Jesus) promised in 2 Samuel 7:12-13 had ascended His father’s throne (David’s) and had begun to reign, initiating the restoration of David’s kingdom and the building for Yahweh of a House not made with hands, a spiritual house (1 Pe. 2:5) among the celestials (Eph. 1:3 CV).

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The Testimony of the Book of Revelation

The writer of the Book of Revelation affirms this perception of Jesus Christ as the son of David then presently reigning and initiating the reestablishment of David’s kingdom by engaging in spiritual warfare against His enemies. Writing to the saints of his generation, before the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 a.d., the writer of Revelation indicates the time of the Parousia of Jesus is near, “Blessed is he who is reading and those who are hearing the word of this prophecy, and who are keeping that which is written in it, for the era is near” (Rev. 1:3 my translation). He refers to his writing as “this prophecy.” It concerns the faithful followers of the Christ in their participation in the sufferings of the Christ necessary to establish His kingdom. The addressees are said to be “made a kingdom and priests to His [Jesus’] God and Father” (Rev. 1:6 CV). The writer is a “joint-participant in the affliction and kingdom and endurance in Jesus Christ” (Rev. 1:9 CV).

Thus, this prophecy, the Book of Revelation, is not still future from our point in time. Its concern is the near future of the Ecclesia of Christ being then built and the Ecclesia’s involvement in establishing Christ’s kingdom in His spiritual warfare against the enemies of His kingdom. This prophecy, therefore, had to be written a short time after the outpouring of the spirit at the Pentecost of Acts, chapter 2. The prophecy is meant to encourage the faithful ones to be faithful to the end of the age, during which, Jesus the Christ, like His father David, is assigned the role of kingly conqueror over the enemies of Yahweh together with His people who are in the process of completing the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets.

John, the writer of Revelation, symbolically describes this role as follows:

And I perceived heaven open, and lo! a white horse. And He Who is sitting on it is called “Faithful and True,” and in righteousness is He judging and battling. . . . He is clothed in a cloak dipped in blood, and His name is called “The Word of God.” And the armies in heaven, dressed in cambric, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. And out of His mouth a sharp blade is issuing, that with it He should be smiting the nations. And He will be shepherding them with an iron club. . . . He has a name written: “King of kings and Lord of lords.” (Revelation 19:11-16 CV)

Heaven is metaphorically the place of Christ and His Ecclesia (Rev. 12:1-5) in contrast to Israel according to the flesh and the nations who are metaphorically located on the earth. Thus, “heaven” symbolically represents the favored elect people of Yahweh who manifest the light of the Gospel of Christ upon Judah and the nations. Jesus the Christ is seated on David’s throne and goes forth to conquer His enemies and deliver the remainder of His people still held captive by adversarial Jews (enemies of the only legitimate Son of David and His kingdom), loyal minions of the reigning Adversary (Satan) and his kingdom. Thus, the enemies of the Christ are not the nations, but the nation of Judah according to the flesh, the nation of Jews clinging to the Mosaic Covenant for covenantal life and blessings at the very time the Mosaic Covenant is administering, executing, covenantal death in accord with the judgment of Yahweh made at Sinai after the breaking of the covenant represented by the worship of the Golden Calf.

Christ as King of kings and Lord of lords goes forth judging and battling. He is followed by his army of faithful ones. This army and its king all ride white horses, symbolic of the cleansing brought about as a result of being washed in the shed blood of Christ (see Rev. 7:14). The weapons are twofold: a sharp sword out of Christ’s mouth and an iron club. The sharp sword of Christ is the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ which judges or redeems those struck down by its blow. The iron club is the discipline of the Gospel of Christ in its instruction in righteousness and truth which leads the redeemed sheep in the way of Yahweh. The conquering of the enemy is described in chapter 19, verse 15b: “And He is treading the wine trough of the fury of the indignation of God, the Almighty.” Thus, Christ and His saints, the circumcised (Page 280)faithful Jews, shepherd the nations, those uncircumcised faithful non-Jews: “And to the one who is conquering and keeping My acts until the consummation, to him will I be giving authority over the nations; and he shall be shepherding them with an iron club, . . .” (Rev. 2:26-27a CV).

This is also the testimony of Paul who distinguishes the saints (circumcised faithful Jews) from the faithful non-Jews (see Eph. 1:1-12 which addresses first the saints, circumcised faithful Jews [saints, faithful ones, our, us, we, those in the heavens], and, finally, after presenting the advantages of the saints, verse 13 addresses the faithful non-Jews, the nations [you also, those on the earth]). In Ephesians 1:10 (CV), Paul speaks of “the administration of the complement of the eras,” the purpose of which is to “head up the all in the Christ.” This specific “all,” designated as “the all” in the Greek text, is then identified metaphorically by Paul as both “the ones in the heavens” (the saints, the circumcised faithful Jews) and “the ones upon the earth” (faithful non-Jews, the nations).

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Isaiah 11:6-9 They Shall Not Destroy in All My Holy Mountain

Isaiah again takes up the theme of the Son, the Branch in chapter 11. Metaphor after metaphor flows from the pen of Isaiah, like a swiftly flowing river, in order to depict the righteousness and faithfulness of the ministry, the rule, of the Branch out of the root of Jesse. In the day of this son of David, the wolf will feed with the lamb, the leopard will rest with the goat; the calf and the young lion and the yearling will dwell peacefully together while being led by a little child; the cow and bear will feed together while their young relax together; a lion will eat straw like an ox; a weaning child will play with a cobra (Isa. 11:6-8). All these pictures are metaphoric images of the harmony, peace, and unity characterizing the wide variety of human beings making up the members of the Christ’s Body, the Christ’s Ecclesia, the Christ’s righteous community, the Born-From-Above Israel of Yahweh.

Isaiah declares, “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord [Yahweh], as the waters cover the sea” (Isa. 11:9 KJV). Only in Yahweh’s mountain, Mount Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem, the Body of the Christ, will no one hurt or destroy. The proclamation of the Gospel of Christ, the Gospel of the Kingdom of God (by the Apostles and saints of Yahweh’s Anointed One), and the manifestation of the righteousness of the Christ (by the community of faithful ones dwelling throughout the earth) fill the earth with the knowledge of Yahweh’s offer of salvation to all who call upon His name, faithfully trusting in the faithfulness of Jesus the Christ, the Son of the Living God.

The Apostles were commissioned by Jesus the Messiah to preach the Gospel to the entire creation (Mk. 16:15); to all the nations (Lk. 24:47); before the nations, kings, and the sons of Israel (Acts 9:15). Jesus assured them, “I am with you all the days till the conclusion of the eon!” (Matt. 28:20 CV). This commission, then, had to be fulfilled, completed, by the end of the Mosaic Eon , which meant, according to the writers of the Greek Scriptures, during the course of their own generation, the contemporary generation of Jesus.

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Isaiah 55:11 My Word Shall Not Return to Me Void

In chapter 55 of Isaiah, writing about the eonian covenant and the sure mercies of David which Yahweh would provide His people in the day of the Branch, the Holy One of Israel, he quotes Yahweh as saying,

so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. (Isaiah 55:11 KJV)

The Gospel of God, the Gospel of the Kingdom, the Gospel of Christ, the Gospel of the Circumcision, the Gospel of the Uncircumcision are the word of Yahweh. That word was given to the Apostles of Christ to proclaim to the world (the whole inhabited household of Israel scattered throughout the territories of the Roman Empire). They were to complete this proclamation by the conclusion of the Mosaic Eon , during which time Christ guaranteed He would be with them.

Yahweh’s word did not return to Him void. It accomplished His purpose, prospering in the process. Jesus testified after His resurrection,

These are My words, which I speak to you, still being with you, for all must be fulfilled that is written in the law of Moses and the prophets and psalms concerning Me. (Luke 24:44 CV)

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The Apostles, Saints, and faithful Gentiles were faithful to the end of that age and were not disappointed as to the Parousia of Christ their faithful and righteous King.

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Isaiah 11:10-12 The Standard of the People

Isaiah goes on to declare that in the day of the Branch,

there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign [standard] of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek . . . the Lord [Yahweh] shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, . . . (Isaiah 11:10-11a KJV)

Again, Isaiah composes in metaphoric pictures the salvation of Yahweh in the day of the Branch, the Root of Jesse, the Messiah, Jesus the Christ. Yahweh will set up a standard by which He will guide the nations back toward Him. This ensign, or standard, in the Greek Scriptures becomes Jesus the Christ and the Gospel sent out to Israel and the nations.

As a result of this standard, Yahweh will assemble the outcasts (Lo-Ammi) of Israel (the Northern Kingdom) and reunite them with the dispersed (diaspora) of Judah (the Southern Kingdom), thus, rebuilding the fallen tabernacle of David (Isa. 11:12). In that day, Ephraim (the Northern Kingdom) will no longer envy Judah (the Southern Kingdom), and Judah will no longer vex Ephraim. The strife and schism of Israel ’s past history will be healed. The kingdom of David will be whole once again.

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The Sign of The Son of Man in Heaven

Metaphorically, Isaiah describes this gathering of Yahweh as coming from “the four corners of the earth” (Isa. 11:12), referring to the four corners of a garment to indicate the whole, complete garment. Isaiah knows very well the earth does not have four corners in a literal sense. According to the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus alludes to this text in Isaiah when, speaking metaphorically, He prophesies,

Now immediately after the affliction of those days the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not be giving her beams, and the stars shall be falling from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. And then shall appear the sign of the Son of Mankind in heaven, and then all the tribes of the land shall grieve, and they shall see the Son of Mankind coming on the clouds of heaven with power and much glory. And He shall be dispatching His messengers with a loud sounding trumpet, and they shall be assembling His chosen from the four winds, from the extremities of the heavens to their extremities [referring to the boundaries of the Roman Empire]. (Matthew 24:29-31 CV)

Jesus is speaking metaphorically of the last events culminating in the consummation of His Parousia.

The darkening of the sun metaphorically refers to Israel ’s loss of the garment representing her covenant with Yahweh at Sinai. Thus, the figurative moon upon which she had stood becomes incapable of reflecting the light of this covenant to the nations placed metaphorically upon the earth. The stars falling from the heaven figuratively represent the Jewish authorities whose position and power are taken from them (see Rev. 12:1-6). This shaking of the powers of the heavens indicates Yahweh’s judgment upon the Israel according to the flesh, the Israel that Jesus had accused of worshiping her father the illegitimate Adversary (Cain).

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The Wheat and the Weeds

Israel ’s revealed dethronement is to be seen over against the revealed enthronement of the Israel of Yahweh, the Ecclesia of Christ, the Saints, the appearing of “the sign of the Son of Mankind in the heaven.” Jesus refers to this appearing in Matthew 13:36-43 when He explains the parable of the tares or weeds of the field. These weeds sown in the field of the new world-order of the New Covenant are sown by The Adversary (Satan, by means of his minions, the sons of the illegitimate Adversary, Cain). They grow together with the legitimate seed sown by Christ and His Apostles. At the conclusion of the eon , the Son of Man will cull out the illegitimate weeds, revealing clearly, for all Jews to see, the distinction between the false and the true members of Christ’s Kingdom.

The metaphor of the weeds being cast into a furnace of fire refers to those unfaithful Jews who reject the good news of the New Covenant and remain loyal to the old Mosaic Covenant. Being cast into this metaphorical furnace of fire occurs at the conclusion of the Mosaic Eon when Yahweh executes the judicial sentence of the Mosaic Covenant and the curse of the law against the disloyal subjects of Yahweh who rebel against Him in their rebellion against Rome. Their destruction in 70 a.d. ends, consummates, the (Page 282)Mosaic Eon. When Christ culls out the weeds, revealing their true identity which had been hidden, He correspondingly reveals, glorifies, the authentic wheat, revealing their true identity which had been hidden from the unfaithful Jews: “Then shall the just be shining out as the sun in the kingdom of their Father ” (Matt. 13:43a CV). Paul refers to these teachings of Jesus in Romans 8:18-25. He writes, “For I am reckoning that the sufferings of the current era do not deserve the glory about to be revealed for us” (Rom. 8:18 CV). He understood this revelation of glory to be imminent. The faithful addressees of this letter would soon experience for themselves this glory.

It is at this revelation of the true sons of the Kingdom of Yahweh that the remaining members of the remnant of calloused Israel, represented by the blind and calloused Saul of Tarsus, will have their eyes opened and their callousness removed, resulting in the salvation of “all Israel” (Rom. 11:25-28 CV). This is the significance of the meaning of Paul’s words in 1 Timothy 1:12-16:

Grateful am I to Him Who invigorates me, Christ Jesus, our Lord, for He deems me faithful, assigning me a service, I, who formerly was a calumniator and a persecutor and an outrager: but I was shown mercy, seeing that I did it being ignorant, in unbelief. Yet the grace of our Lord overwhelmed, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Faithful is the saying, and worthy of all welcome, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, foremost of whom am I. But therefore was I shown mercy, that in me, the foremost, Jesus Christ should be displaying all His patience, for a pattern of those who are about to be believing on Him for life eonian. (CV)

The salvation of Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus is a pattern of the salvation of the remaining Jews in Judea being counted by Yahweh as among “the children of the promise” (Rom. 9:8). Like Saul, their hearts belong to Yahweh. Like Saul, they had been blind, calloused, blasphemers, and persecutors, acting in ignorance and unbelief. But Yahweh looks at the heart, not on the outward appearance. Like Saul, Yahweh would open their eyes and melt their callousness at the revelation of the Christ as manifested in His Saints, His Holy Ones.

As Jesus spoke metaphorically in His depiction of the assembling of His chosen ones from the four winds, so also Paul wrote metaphorically in describing this same historical event which would occur at the conclusion of the, then, present eon ,

for the Lord Himself will be descending from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of the Chief Messenger, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ shall be rising first. Thereupon we, the living who are surviving, shall at the same time be snatched away together with them in clouds, to meet the Lord in the air. And thus shall we always be together with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 CV)

Paul clearly understood this event as occurring in the lifetime of the, then, present saints. This, he could, with certainty, conclude on the basis of the conclusion drawn by Jesus after specifically elaborating on the various signs preceding the consummation of His Parousia and the consummation of that present age as recorded in Matthew: “Verily, I am saying to you that by no means may this generation be passing by till all these things should be occurring” (Matt. 24:34 CV).

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Isaiah 11: 15-16 A Highway for the Remnant of His People

In the days of the Branch, Isaiah prophesied a second exodus (Isa. 11:11). Yahweh would recover the remnant of His people. Isaiah prophesies Yahweh will “destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea” (Isa. 11:15 KJV). This is metaphoric language meaning Yahweh will provide an accessible way for His people to return to Him from the regions of Egypt . This accessible way, according to the Greek Scriptures, is the way of the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ, as exemplified by Paul’s quotation of Isaiah 52:9 to confirm the commissioning of Christ’s Apostles: “According as it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those bringing an evangel of good!” ( Rom. 10:15b CV).

The evangel, the Gospel, is Yahweh’s means of creating a “highway for the remnant of his people” (Isa. 11:16a KJV). The Gospel removes all obstacles from the path leading to the New Jerusalem, the New Zion of Yahweh, paving a wide highway for easy access to Yahweh’s covenantal presence. As well as paving a new highway from Egypt , Yahweh will also pave a new highway from Assyria and Babylon, “and . . . He shall shake His hand over the river Euphrates and shall smite it into seven streams allowing men to cross it on foot” (Isa. 11:15b my translation). These new highways are likened to the path Yahweh cleared for His people coming out of Egypt under Moses (Isa. 11:16b). The preaching of the Gospel of Christ the Branch clears a new highway by which Yahweh leads His people in a second and final exodus.

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Isaiah Chapter 13 The Destruction of Babylon in Metaphoric Language

Before proceeding to Isaiah chapter 49, Isaiah’s oracle concerning the future destruction of Babylon needs mentioning. Isaiah, chapter 13, begins the second major section of his book. This unit deals with oracles against the nations. The first oracle is against Babylon. Isaiah received this oracle in a vision (13:1). The vision reveals the fall of Babylon after its ascendancy to the status of world empire. The Babylonian Empire would defeat Judah and lead her into captivity in 586 B.C. This empire, however, would be judged by Yahweh and destroyed by the Medes ( 13:17).

The Medes are called Yahweh’s “sanctified ones . . . my mighty ones for mine anger” in verse 3 of chapter 13. Yahweh has appointed and consecrated the Medes to execute His judgment against Babylon. This empire is instructed to “Howl ye; for the day of the Lord [Yahweh] is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty” (13:6 KJV). The day of Yahweh is a day of wrath. In this case, His wrath is directed against Babylon.

What is interesting is the metaphoric language used by Isaiah to describe the destruction of Babylon by the Medes:

For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. . . . Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the Lord [Yahweh] of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger. (Isaiah 13:10, 13 KJV)

This description is not literal. It is not to be understood as referring to the objective behavior of these physical bodies. The stars, the sun, and the moon are metaphoric references to great political, military, and religious authorities. Such language is used to describe great political, military, religious, and economic upheaval in society. To “shake the heavens” and remove the earth out of her place describe cataclysmic upheavals in the organization of society, during which authorities fall from power and prestige and those who had been in subjection rise up to take their place.

In the present case, the Medes would rise up against the Babylonians and remove them from political power and prestige. The Babylonian Empire would be destroyed and replaced by the Medo-Persian Empire. The political, religious, and economic “heavens and earth,” order, would be created anew, thus, creating a new heavens and earth, metaphorically speaking.

In verse 19 of chapter 13 of Isaiah, the overthrow of Babylon is likened to the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah. However, this does not mean Babylon would be destroyed by a physical, natural disaster as Sodom and Gomorrah had been destroyed. For historical and biblical records reveal how Babylon fell to the Medes as a result of military espionage, intrigue, and surprise, not by upheavals in nature. The destruction of Babylon is likened to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in that both destructions are commissioned and engineered by Yahweh.

The metaphoric language used by Isaiah in verses 10 and 13 is also used by Joel: “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord[Yahweh] come” (Joel 2:31 KJV). Peter quotes this passage in Acts, chapter 2, when explaining the meaning of the pouring out of Yahweh’s spirit during the Feast of Pentecost following the death and resurrection of Jesus. He, also, understands this language to be metaphoric, rather than natural upheaval.

When Jesus uses this same metaphoric language of the prophets (Matt. 24:29-31), the Greek Scriptures emphatically confirm the interpretation of this language as referring to cataclysmic covenantal reorganization, the creation of a new covenant, the creation of a new heavens and earth. The Israel of Yahweh—the Christ and His Ecclesia—replaces the conquered and judged Israel of The Adversary in the metaphoric new heavens of Yahweh’s commissioning and engineering, while the Israel according to the flesh, the nation of Judah, is subjugated under Christ’s footstool upon the metaphoric earth of Yahweh’s commissioning and engineering, making this nation covenantally no different than any other nation in the eon following the Mosaic Eon , which happens to be our own present age.

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Isaiah 14:12-20 How Are You Fallen From Heaven O Day Star, Son of Dawn

One last divergence is necessary. The passage of Isaiah 14, verses 12-20, has been mistakenly interpreted as referring to Satan. The Hebrew text more accurately reads, “How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn!” (v. 12, RSV). Isaiah is referring to the king of Babylon, a human being (see v. 4), not Satan, The Adversary, a celestial being. The same is true for “the king of Tyre” in Ezekiel 28:12-19, (Page 284)who also is a human being (see v. 12), not a celestial being. To read Satan into these passages is eisegesis rather than exegesis.

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Isaiah 44:28; 45:1; and 49:6 Two Shepherd Servants of Yahweh

According to Isaiah 44:28 and 45:1, Cyrus, the king of the Medo-Persian Empire, is declared to be Yahweh’s shepherd, Yahweh’s anointed one, in order for him to become Yahweh’s instrument in returning the Judean captives in Babylon to their homeland. In 49:6, Isaiah takes up the subject of a servant far greater than Cyrus. The task of this greater servant exceeds, both in scope and purpose, the ultimate salvation of Israel . The text reads, “And he [Yahweh] said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel : I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth” (KJV). This servant, the Branch, the Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed One of Yahweh, not only is commissioned to achieve the ultimate salvation of the Israel of Yahweh, but also to achieve the salvation of the nations. He is to be a light to Israel as well as a light to the nations, achieving a salvation extending to the end of the earth.

This commission, according to the Greek Scriptures, is achieved by Christ through His commissioned Apostles, especially the Apostle Paul, as Luke records in Acts 13:44-47, wherein Paul applies the text of Isaiah 49:6 to both himself and Barnabas:

Now on the coming sabbath almost the entire city was gathered to hear the word of the Lord. Yet the Jews, perceiving the throngs, are filled with jealousy, and they contradicted the things spoken by Paul, blaspheming. Being bold, both Paul and Barnabas said, “To you first was it necessary that the word of God be spoken. Yet, since, in fact, you are thrusting it away, and are judging yourselves not worthy of eonian life, lo! we are turning to the nations. For thus the Lord has directed us: I have appointed Thee for a light of the nations; for Thee to be for salvation as far as the limits of the earth.” (Acts 13:44-47 CV)

Paul and Barnabas are in Christ, and, so, members of His Body. They are members of The Christ (see 1 Cor. 12:12; 2 Cor. 1:21) and, as such, are, together, the commissioned servant of Isaiah 49:6. This Servant, The Christ, the Anointed Body, would carry this salvation to the ends of the earth during that last generation of the Mosaic Eon. All that which is written in the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms concerning the Christ would be fulfilled by the faithful members of Christ’s Ecclesia (Lk. 24:44-49 CV) in the period during which Christ promised, “I am with you all the days till the conclusion of the eon ! Amen!” (Matt. 28:20b CV). The word of Yahweh did not return to Him void. It accomplished its goal in its allotted time.

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Isaiah 50:1-3 The Metaphor of Mother and Children

The 50th chapter of Isaiah begins with a very significant metaphor. Israel (the Kingdom of Judah) is depicted as a mother, and Yahweh is addressing her children. Yahweh asks, “Where is the bill of your mother's divorcement, whom I have put away?” (50:1a KJV). The question is ironical. Yahweh has not divorced Israel (the Southern Kingdom of Judah). The separation of Israel from her husband has been due to her sins, her faithlessness, her prostitution.

Yahweh asks, “or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you?” (50:1b KJV). Again, the question is ironical. Yahweh has never been in debt to anyone. He has never had any need to sell what is His because of lack of wealth or power. Israel had sold herself into slavery because of her own transgressions, and her children remain slaves because of their iniquities (50:1c). Yahweh is perfectly capable and willing to redeem His wife and children. Their lack of faith and trust in Him had made them deaf and blind to His calls:

Wherefore, when I came, was there no man? when I called, was there none to answer? Is my hand shortened at all, that it cannot redeem? or have I no power to deliver? behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness: their fish stinketh, because there is no water, and dieth for thirst. I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering. (Isaiah 50:2-3 KJV)

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The Mother and Children of Revelation 12

Yahweh can and will redeem His people consisting, metaphorically, of mother and children. The figurative mother represents an earlier generation, and the figurative children represent a later or younger generation. Thus, prophetically and metaphorically, the mother and children are to be conceived as one whole entity, one whole people, one whole nation, the elect of Yahweh. This is precisely the image taken (Page 285)up and used by John in the Book of Revelation, chapter 12. He sees a great sign in the heaven of his vision, “a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon underneath her feet, and on her head a wreath of twelve stars” (Rev. 12:1 CV). The Woman is pregnant and about to give birth. A great dragon is seen waiting to devour her child (vs. 3-4). The Woman is figuratively the Israel of the generation of Jesus, as historically illustrated in Nicodemus and Saul of Tarsus, who, though opposing the Gospel in ignorance and unbelief, possess a circumcised heart.

At the coming of John the Baptist and Jesus, the Woman becomes pregnant, being inseminated with the Gospel of the Kingdom. After the death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ, she gives birth to a male child, a son (Rev. 12:5 CV; see also Isa. 66:8). The child is snatched away to Yahweh and His throne (Rev. 12:5). Historically, this took place at the Feast of Pentecost of Acts, chapter 2. The Woman, mother Israel (the Southern Kingdom of Judah), the elect of Yahweh, though still ignorant and blind in unbelief, as illustrated in the person of Saul of Tarsus, flees into the wilderness where she is protected by Yahweh until the time set by Him to open her eyes and deliver her from unbelief, according to the pattern revealed in the salvation of Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus (1 Tim. 1:12-16). This would take place during the process of Christ’s Approach/Arrival Parousia (approximately 64-70 a.d.) as described in Matthew 13:36- 43 and Romans 8:18-28.

The Woman, Israel , had been clothed with the sun, a metaphor for the light, the glory, and the life of the Mosaic Covenant. The moon had been underneath her feet while she was metaphorically located in heaven reflecting the light of the Mosaic Covenant upon the nations located metaphorically on the earth. After she flees into the wilderness, she is then located metaphorically on the earth, no longer capable of reflecting Yahweh’s light to the nations.

Replacing the Woman is her male child, her son, who is snatched up to the throne of Yahweh in heaven. The son, the Ecclesia of the Christ, is now clothed with the sun of the New Covenant established by Jesus the Christ. The light, the glory, the life of the Mosaic Covenant is now superseded by the light, the glory, the life of the New Covenant.

The Mosaic Covenant now begins to function as an administration of death. It begins to execute Yahweh’s judgment of covenantal death upon Israel . The only escape from this execution of death is through a turning back to Yahweh by trusting the faithfulness of Jesus the Messiah, thereby receiving the light, the glory, the life of the New Covenant (see 2 Corinthians, chapter 3).

The Woman’s son, Christ and His Body, His Ecclesia, now located metaphorically in heaven, manifests the light, the glory, and the life of Yahweh’s New Covenant upon Israel and the nations, metaphorically located on the earth. This manifestation of light takes place as a result of the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ. The Dragon, The Adversary, metaphorically referring to the covenantal father of the authorities and powers of the Israel according to the flesh (the uncircumcised-in-heart Pharisees, scribes, and priests committed wholeheartedly to the Mosaic Law, the old covenant), being angry with the Woman (blind, ignorant, and unbelieving Israel according to the spirit in contrast to the flesh, the Israel of promise represented by Saul of Tarsus before his experience on the road to Damascus), turns from her to do battle with her newborn son: “the rest of her seed, who are keeping the precepts of God and who have the testimony of Jesus” (Rev. 12:17b CV).

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The Mother and Children of Cain

Thus, the enemy of the Christ is the Israel according to the flesh, the Israel that Paul declares as those not accounted children of the promise:

For they are not all Israel , which are of Israel : neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. (Romans 9:6b-8 KJV)

Jesus refers to these enemies (who though descended biologically from Abraham are spiritually, covenantally, not his seed, not his children) when He declares, “You are of your father, the Adversary, and the desires of your father you are wanting to do” (Jn. 8:44a CV). What did these children of the Adversary (Cain) desire to do that characterized them as not being children of Abraham? Jesus answers this question, “Yet now you are seeking to kill Me, a Man Who has spoken to you the truth which I heard from God. This Abraham does not do. Yet you are doing the works of your father” (Jn. 8:40-41a CV). This characterizes them as children of Cain, the one who sought and achieved the murder of his innocent brother Abel.

Satan, appointed by Yahweh as Accuser, Prosecutor of Yahweh’s people (Yahweh’s elect) and defense attorney representing Yahweh’s enemies, is first associated in the Hebrew Scriptures with Cain, his (Page 286)first client. As such, Satan is referred to as The Adversary, and Cain is metaphorically designated as his seed. All those of the seed of Adam choosing to oppose Yahweh with full knowledge of the significance of this act are characterized as the sons of Cain, sons of the wicked one (1 Jn. 5:18-19 CV; Matt. 13:19 CV), sons of The Adversary. When Jesus refers to the Adversary as “a man-killer from the beginning” (Jn. 8:44b CV), He is referring to Cain the metaphorical son of both The Adversary (Satan) and the serpent of Genesis 3. Knowing the truth of Yahweh Elohim, Cain defiantly shed the blood of his innocent brother.

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The Two Mothers in the Wilderness

When Yahweh comes to redeem, He clothes the heavens with blackness, and makes sackcloth their covering (Isa. 50:3 KJV). He removes the Israel of the spirit (the Woman of Revelation 12:1, the Israel of promise, who is given two wings to fly into the wilderness where she would be protected, Rev. 12:14) from heaven. He strips her of her covenantal garment, the Sinatic Covenant. Yahweh then begins executing the curse of the law. The death ministry of the Mosaic Covenant begins. The administration of this covenant covers the land with the dark judgment of Yahweh. The Israel of the flesh (Apostate Israel, the second mother in the covenantal wilderness of Judea) is given up completely to the Adversary (Cain) and his ways. This is the meaning of Revelation 12:4: “And its [the Dragon’s] tail is dragging a third of the stars of heaven, and casts them into the earth” (CV). These stars come from the crown upon the head of the Woman (the first mother, the Israel of the spirit). They symbolically represent that portion of Israel characterized as the Israel according to the flesh (the second mother, the Israel of the flesh), the children of the Adversary, the sons of Cain, located geographically in the land assigned by Joshua to the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, Simeon, and Dan, one third of the stars representing the twelve tribes of Israel .

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The Lake of Fire

The nation of Judah thus becomes symbolically the Lake of Fire (Rev. 19:20; 20:10, 14-15; 21:8) characterized as the Second Death (Rev. 20:14-15; 21:8; 20:6), also referred to as “the submerged chaos” (CV) or “the bottomless pit” (KJV). The kingdom of the Adversary and his children is located in the Province of Judea, symbolically represented as the Lake of Fire, the submerged chaos:

And I perceived a star fallen out of heaven into the earth. And to him was given the key of the well of the submerged chaos. And he opens the well of the submerged chaos, and fumes ascended out of the well as the smoke of a large furnace, and the sun and the air are darkened by the fumes of the well. (Revelation 9:1-2 CV)

This kingdom is a kingdom of covenantal darkness, death, and pollution. It is the object of Yahweh’s wrath. It is the enemy of Yahweh and His Christ.

Cain and his sons assemble under the banner of The Adversary (Satan) for open warfare against Abel and his sons under the banner of Jesus the Christ. Yahweh abandons this corrupt nation, giving it over to the power and authority of The Adversary commissioned by Yahweh Himself to lead the sons of Cain into destruction and death, primarily covenantal death, but also, for many, physical death. The role of The Adversary is to defend, equip, and lead these malignant ones into the destruction and death prepared for them by Yahweh. The Adversary faithfully carries out his assignment.

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A Highway of Redemption

As Yahweh sets this corrupt nation free to go its own way, to do that which is good in its own eyes, to do what is evil in the eyes of Yahweh, so also does He provide a highway of redemption for those accounted as the seed of Abraham, the children of the promise: “have I no power to deliver? behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness” (Isa. 50:2b KJV). Jesus the Christ manifests His power through the proclamation of the Gospel which paves a highway made accessible to the entire inhabited world of the Roman Empire. This highway makes possible a return to Yahweh and a participation in His salvation: “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!” (Isa. 52:7 KJV). Paul declares this passage is fulfilled by the tidings of “a declaration of Christ” (see Rom. 10:14-17 CV) heralded by himself and the other Apostles of Christ and by His Ecclesia.

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Isaiah 61:1-9 The Spirit of Yahweh Elohim is Upon Me

Closing in on the final chapters of Isaiah, we read in chapter 61,

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The Spirit of the Lord [Yahweh] God [Elohim] is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, . . . (Isaiah 61:1-2a KJV)

When Jesus comes to Nazareth and enters the synagogue on the day of the sabbaths (the first day of the Feast of Firstfruits culminating in the day of Pentecost), He rises to read. Opening the scroll of Isaiah to chapter 61, He reads the passage quoted above. Returning the scroll to the deputy, He sits down and announces, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your ears” (Lk. 4:21b CV). Jesus understood that the prophecies of Isaiah concerned Him and His generation. The time of their ultimate fulfillment had begun.

The passage in Isaiah 61 goes on to read,

and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called Trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified. (Isaiah 61:2b-3 KJV)

This passage was later incorporated into Jesus’ sermon on the Mount recorded in Matthew, chapters 5-7. In Nazareth, Jesus terminated His reading precisely before the next line which concerns the day of Yahweh’s vengeance. His purpose was to emphasize the gracious salvation presently being provided by Yahweh. He was announcing good tidings. He was paving the highway that would lead through the New Covenant to the new salvation and the new life of Yahweh’s new creation.

Isaiah 61:4-9 describes metaphorically the accomplishments of the Gospel of Christ after His death and resurrection. The wastes of a bygone age will be rebuilt, the desolations of former times will be raised up, ruined cities will be repaired, strangers will stand and shepherd the flocks of Israel , sons of foreigners will be Israel ’s ploughmen and vinedressers. This elect, redeemed Israel will be named the priests of Yahweh (see Rev. 1:5-6; Rom. 15:16) and will be addressed by other men as Ministers of Elohim. They will eat the riches of the nations and will make the glory of the nations their own. The nations will acknowledge them as Yahweh’s blessed seed. Yahweh will make an eonian covenant with them.

All these things were fulfilled spiritually (see Isa. 55:1-2) according to the terms of the New Covenant (see Isa. 55:3b). There was a literal fulfillment, but not in the terrestrial terms of the terrestrial promises concerned with the terrestrial land and the terrestrial kingdom. An example of such a unique literal fulfillment is found in Revelation 1:5-6 where John affirms that Christ has made His faithful ones “a kingdom and priests to His God and Father” (CV). The literal fulfillment had to do with celestial terms of celestial promises concerned with a literal celestial place, celestial city, celestial temple not made with hands; thus, a literal celestial allotment in a literal celestial kingdom that would have no end. All the writings of the Greek Scriptures record nuances of this unique, literal, celestial fulfillment.

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Isaiah 55:3 A New Eonian Covenant and the Sure Mercies of David

Another indication of the prophets having been fulfilled in the first century is Isaiah’s prophecy concerning a new eonian covenant and the sure mercies of David: “and I [Yahweh] will make an everlasting [Heb. = Olam, eonian] covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David” (Isa. 55:3b KJV). Paul, entering the synagogue in Antioch of Pisidia, stood up and testified,

Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, give audience . . . we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David. (Acts 13:16b, 32-34 KJV)

Paul confirms the fulfillment of Isaiah 55:3 by the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ. The promise that Yahweh made to the fathers of Israel was at that present time in the process of being fulfilled. They were living in the last days of the Mosaic Eon. The Law and the Prophets would be fulfilled in their generation: “This, also, do, being aware of the era, that it is already the hour for us to be roused out of sleep, for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night progresses, yet the day is near” (Rom. 13:11-12a CV).

Speaking of the Branch, the Christ, the Son of David, Isaiah writes,

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Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people. Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee, because of the Lord [Yahweh] thy God [Elohim], and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee. (Isaiah 55:4-5 KJV)

The Branch, the Messiah, the Son of David , the beneficiary of the sure mercies of David, is given for a witness to the people (the Kingdom of Judah). He is to be their leader (governmental prince) and commander (military chief). He will call to Himself and Yahweh a nation He and Yahweh do not acknowledge as their own (the Kingdom of Israel which had been made Lo-Ammi, not My people, the wild olive of Romans, chapter 11). And He will call to Himself and Yahweh nations which knew not Yahweh or Himself (those nations having not a covenantal relationship with Yahweh and David). These nations will respond to His call, though they had been excluded in the past from a covenantal relationship with Him. This is precisely that which Paul describes as having been fulfilled by the obedience of Jesus the Christ and as then being experienced by Israel and the nations:

Yet now, in Christ Jesus, you, who once were far off, are become near by the blood of Christ. For He is our Peace, Who makes both one, and razes the central wall of the barrier (the enmity in His flesh), nullifying the law of precepts in decrees, that He should be creating the two, in Himself, into one new humanity [corporate, national man], making peace; and should be reconciling both in one body to God through the cross, killing the enmity in it. And, coming, He brings the evangel of peace to you, those afar, and peace to those near, for through Him we both have had the access, in one spirit, to the Father. (Ephesians 2:13-18 CV modified)

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Isaiah 60:14 The City of Yahweh

Isaiah, next, enthusiastically exclaims,

The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee, The city of the Lord [Yahweh], The Zion of the Holy One of Israel. (Isaiah 60:14 KJV)

The new Israel , the Israel of Yahweh, the Ecclesia of Christ, the Saints will metaphorically be called The city of Yahweh. In the Greek Scriptures this holy nation is metaphorically presented as “the holy city, new Jerusalem” (Rev. 21:2 CV).

This city descends out of the metaphoric, new covenantal heaven from God. It is not presented as future for us today. It is depicted as already present for the Saints who had been recently endowed with power from above, that is, the metaphoric heaven where Christ is at that time on the seat of David at the right hand of His Father Yahweh.

The Apostle John, shortly after experiencing the outpouring of Yahweh’s spirit at Pentecost, came to be in spirit in the island of Patmos in the Lord’s Day because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ (Rev. 1:9). There, in spirit, he receives in visions the prophecy (Rev. 1:3) written down in the Book of Revelation. This prophecy was for the Saints of the first century, his contemporaries. It concerned those things which would shortly come about for them. It was to be a guide encouraging them to be faithful to the end of the age, to the consummation of the Parousia of Christ.

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The Saints as the New Holy City of Jerusalem

These Saints are presented in prophetic image as the new holy city of Jerusalem. Metaphorically, the city is a heavenly city. It descends out of the metaphoric heaven to rule over the metaphoric earth. Jesus the Christ metaphorically reigns within this city, this people. This city, these people (the Saints), is made ready “as a bride adorned for her husband” (Rev. 21:2). Within this city resides “the tabernacle of God,” Jesus the Christ (Rev. 21:3). This tabernacle is said to be with “the men” (Rev. 21:3 NGEINT), that is, the Saints (circumcised faithful Jews) and the faithful ones from among the nations (uncircumcised faithful ones), who enter and reside in the city as a result of their faithful response to the Gospel of Christ. These uncircumcised faithful ones, thus, become “fellow-citizens of the saints and belong to God’s family” (Eph. 2:19 CV). Yahweh is to be tabernacling with all these faithful men (see Rev. 21:3b, “they will be His peoples” CV).

Being “His peoples” began to occur at the Pentecost of Acts, chapter 2. At that time, as a result of the pouring out of Yahweh’s spirit according to the authority given to Jesus the Christ by Yahweh His Father, the holy city, the new Jerusalem descended out of the heaven, this spirit anointing the faithful community. This anointing made this community a spiritual community, the new Israel of Yahweh! It (Page 289)became THE CHRIST, “For even as the body is one and has many members, yet all the members of the one body, being many, are one body, thus also is the Christ” (1 Cor. 12:12 CV). It became the new spiritual, heavenly Jerusalem, the Bride of Jesus the Christ. It became “the Jerusalem above . . . mother of us all” (Gal. 4:26 CV) in contrast to the earthly Jerusalem below (Gal. 4:25). This new, heavenly Jerusalem was the city of the New Covenant, while the old, earthly Jerusalem was the city of the old covenant (Gal. 4:24).

In the new, heavenly Jerusalem, Yahweh would be “brushing away every tear from their eyes. And death will be no more, nor mourning, nor clamor, nor misery; they will be no more, for the former things passed away” (Rev. 21:4 CV). This is metaphorical language. The tears which are brushed away are the tears of covenantal sorrow blurring the vision of the old covenant Saints (see Rev. 7:17). The Saints, under the New Covenant, experience no covenantal tears. The vision of their eyes is clear, seeing perfectly the implementation of the spiritual blessings of the Abrahamic promises. The death referred to in this passage is covenantal death, the death being administered by the Mosaic Covenant (see 2 Cor. 3:7), the death designated in the Book of Revelation as the Second Death (Rev. 2:11; 20:6, 14; 21:8). The mourning, the clamor, and the misery under the old Mosaic Covenant, the ministry of covenantal death, are no longer to be experienced by the Saints under the terms of the New Covenant. The faithful, conquering ones under no present circumstances can be “injured by the second death” (Rev. 2:11 CV).

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 The Former Things Passed Away

As for “the former things” which have “passed away,” Paul makes clear that these things refer to the old, Mosaic Covenant, the creation at Sinai:

So that, if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation. The primitive things passed away. Behold! New things have come! (2 Corinthians 5:17 my translation)

This passage alludes to Isaiah, chapter 42. Isaiah, prophesying concerning the time of the Branch, the Messiah, the Christ, writes,

I the Lord [Yahweh] . . . will . . . give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; . . . Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: . . . (Isaiah 42:6-9 KJV)

Isaiah understands the former things to refer to the conditions of the Mosaic Covenant in contrast to the new covenant Yahweh will make with His people through the Christ. Paul seals this interpretation when he testifies that Yahweh, through Christ, has made His Apostles “competent dispensers of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the spirit, for the letter is killing, yet the spirit is vivifying” (2 Cor. 3:6 CV). The letter refers to the old, Mosaic Covenant (the former or primitive things). The spirit refers to the New Covenant of Christ (the new things).

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Isaiah 60:1-2 The Glory of Yahweh is Risen Upon You

Continuing his description of the future restoration of Israel , Isaiah writes,

Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord [Yahweh] is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. (Isaiah 60:1-2 KJV)

When Jesus arrives to publicly present Himself before His people, which occurs at His presentation before John the Baptist to participate in John’s baptism, He immediately departs into the wilderness where He triumphantly overcomes the strategies of The Adversary acting as the prosecuting attorney for the sons of Cain. After the execution of the Baptist, upon the initiation of the ministry of Jesus, the writer of the Gospel of Matthew quotes Isaiah 9:1-2, which also alludes to the passage quoted above: “The people sitting in darkness perceived a great light, And to those sitting in the province and shadow of death, light arises for them” (Matt. 4:16 CV).

Thus, the Greek Scriptures understand Jesus to be the light and glory of Yahweh to arise and shine upon Israel . This light, as well as the accompanying gross darkness, is not to be taken literally, but figuratively, metaphorically; for, at the arrival of Jesus, there was neither unusual illuminating light nor darkness covering the land of Judah. The light refers to the heralding ministry of Jesus: “Thenceforth began Jesus to be heralding and saying, ‘Repent! for near is the kingdom of the heavens!’” (Matt. 4:17 CV). The darkness refers to the covenantal condition of Israel necessitating an offer of repentance, since the ax was (Page 290)already lying at the root of the trees not producing ideal fruit (Lk. 3:9); the judgment of Yahweh’s indignation was impending (Lk. 3:7).

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Isaiah 60:18-22 Violence Shall No More Be Heard in the Land

Returning to the 60th chapter of Isaiah, the text continues its metaphorical description of Zion, the city of Yahweh, the new heavenly Jerusalem, while it is located and functioning literally in the terrestrial realm of the literal heavens and earth. Verse 18 informs the reader that violence “shall no more be heard in thy land.” The land refers to Judah as seen by Yahweh’s eyes viewing through Christ. The Saints are viewed as spiritually ruling the land of Judah in accord with the law of the New Covenant. The Twelve Apostles sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel under the kingship of the Son of David , Jesus the Christ. Yahweh does not recognize the authorities and powers governing the Israel according to the flesh, the Cainish Israel. Only in the new Jerusalem of Christ’s community, Christ’s nation, Christ’s people, is violence unheard of. In Christ only is peace and joy and righteousness. Thus, metaphorically, spiritually, righteousness reigns through the land because of the presence of the new Jerusalem, the New Covenant people of Yahweh.

The prophet Isaiah is therefore providing the reader with a view of the land as seen through the eyes of Yahweh. In the past, Yahweh had viewed the land and the people through the spectacles of the Mosaic Covenant. In the present time of the kingship of Jesus the Christ, the Son of David , Yahweh views the land and the people through the spectacles of the New Covenant associated with Jesus the Christ.

Verse 18b of Isaiah 60 informs the reader that the walls of the new Jerusalem are to be called “Salvation.” Only within the walls of the new Jerusalem is there to be experienced Yahweh’s salvation. Thus, only in Christ is there salvation—peace, security, righteousness, life.

Verse 19 of Isaiah 60 adds, “The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the Lord[Yahweh] shall be unto thee an everlasting [eonian] light, and thy God [Elohim] thy glory” (KJV). The light of the sun and the light of the moon are metaphors depicting the function of the Mosaic Law. In Christ, in the new Jerusalem, the Mosaic Law, the old covenant will no longer be a source of light for the New Israel of Yahweh. The New Covenant would be the new source of light.

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The New Covenant

The New Covenant is a spiritual covenant not made by hands, but created by Yahweh through and in Jesus the Christ. Its light is the very spirit of Yahweh and His Christ. This light would serve to illuminate and instruct the people of Yahweh during the last days of the Mosaic Eon. This is the reason for characterizing it as “an eonian light.” This characterization reveals (highlights) only its function during the last days of the Mosaic Eon, as Christ and His army of righteous ones engage in spiritual warfare against the enemies of Yahweh and Christ (see 1 Cor. 15:20-28). The age would end when the victory of Yahweh’s Christ was completed. Yahweh’s glory would be manifested in this holy city, in this holy people, the Saints of the Most High (see Daniel 7:18, 27 KJV).

In verse 20 of Isaiah 60, the prophecy takes up the subject of the new covenant which it had implied in verse 19. The text now refers to “thy” sun and “thy” moon. The sun and moon of verse 19 no longer provide light for the new community of Saints, rather, “Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the Lord[Yahweh] shall be thine everlasting [eonian] light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended” (KJV). This new sun and moon refers to the new light of the New Covenant manifested by the spirit of Yahweh and His Christ dwelling within the Saints and illuminating out from and over them:

For we are not heralding ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, . . . for the God Who says that, out of darkness light shall be shining, is He Who shines in our hearts, with a view to the illumination of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:5-6 CV)

Under the light of the Mosaic Covenant, the people of Yahweh bore the mourning caused by the continual counting up of their sins by the law. Under the light of the New Covenant, the blood of Christ is continually available for the cleansing of the Saints from their sins. The Saints of the New Covenant had the pardon of sins and the justification from all which they could not be justified in the Law of Moses (see Acts 13:39 CV). Under the light of the New Covenant, sin was no longer being counted up, the light of the Mosaic Covenant no longer having authority to focus its beam over the New Jerusalem, the New Israel of (Page 291)Yahweh, the New People of Yahweh, the Saints of the Most High, the Ecclesia of Christ. Thus, the days of mourning were over for the faithful ones under the New Covenant.

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The Righteous People

Verses 21-22 of Isaiah 60 conclude,

Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit [tenant, CV; possess, EB] the land for ever [for the eon , Heb. = olam], the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified. A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation. (KJV)

Isaiah here refers to the New People, the New Nation, the New Israel of Yahweh. They are all to be righteous, and, as such, Saints of the Most High. They are righteous ones because they are in Christ. They are the ones “planted together in the likeness of His [Christ’s] death” (Rom. 6:5 CV). They are the ones “entombed together with Him [the Branch, the Christ] through baptism into death, that, even as Christ was roused from among the dead through the glory of the Father, thus we also should be walking in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4 CV).

Yahweh has planted them; they are the spiritual House, the Temple not made with hands, for they are the work of the hands of Yahweh bringing about His glorification. Each little or humbled one shall become a thousand, and a small or inferior people shall become a strong, mighty, or staunch nation. Isaiah prophesies that each humble faithful one will have a host of descendants. Beginning few in number and inferior in reputation and honor, these people will become a strong, mighty, staunch nation bearing Yahweh’s name and Yahweh’s glory.

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Isaiah 66:8 A Nation Born at Once

Yahweh will hasten this work during the era or season He has predetermined. He will hasten this work, for it will be marvelously achieved in a relatively short period of time:

Who hath heard such a thing? . . . Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children. (Isaiah 66:8 KJV)

When would be the era or season of this work, and who would be the humble faithful ones?

When Jesus informs His disciples how difficult it will be for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God, they are “awe-struck at His words” (Mk. 10:24a CV), “tremendously astonished” (Matt. 19:25 CV). They then ask, “Who, consequently, can be saved?” (Matt. 19:25b CV). Jesus answers, “With men this is impossible, yet with God all is possible” (Matt. 19:26 CV). Peter responds, “Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?” (Matt. 19:27 KJV).

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In the Regeneration

The answer Jesus gives to this question is prophetically significant; for it interprets the time and people of Isaiah 60:21-22.

Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel . And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life [shall be enjoying the allotment of eonian life, CV]. (Matthew 19:28-29 KJV)

The “regeneration” begins with the outpouring of the spirit of Yahweh at Pentecost upon the small band of about one hundred twenty people (see Acts 1:15) who had followed Jesus. At this time, Jesus had ascended to His Father and had sat down upon the throne of David, the throne of “His glory” (Matt. 19:28), from which throne He was given the authority to pour out the spirit of Yahweh in fulfillment of Joel 2:28-32a (see Acts 2:12-33).

At this time, the Twelve Apostles of Jesus the Christ, the Son of David , the promised King of Israel, are anointed princes over the twelve tribes of Israel, authorizing them to judge the people of Yahweh, giving these princes jurisdiction in all practical questions of covenantal law. James, the brother of Jesus, is given authority to preside as Regent over the official assemblies of the people during the physical absence of Jesus. In exchange for having forsaken houses, brothers, sisters, father, mother, wife, children, or lands for the sake of the name of Jesus, thus, for the sake of the Davidic Kingdom now being (Page 292)reestablished, these faithful ones of Jesus the Christ, the Son of David, are promised, first, in the then present last days of the Mosaic Eon , the power (a taste of, Heb. 6:4-5) of the life of the New Covenant which would be perfected, completed, in the age to come. Second, they are promised the reception of a hundred times such earthly possessions and relationships as a result of their association with the spiritual possessions and relationships of the New Jerusalem, the New Covenant, the New Israel of Yahweh having just begun to be marvelously brought about, hastened, by the hands of Yahweh.

This framework of time is verified by Mark’s account of Jesus’ response. According to Mark, Jesus answers that anyone forsaking all “on My account and on account of the evangel” would be getting back “a hundredfold now, in this era, . . . with persecutions, and in the coming eon , life eonian” (Mk. 10:30 CV). Note the immediate fulfillment of Isaiah 60:22a (KJV), “A little one shall become a thousand,” as recorded in Acts 2:41, “Those indeed, then, who welcomed his [Peter’s] word, were baptized, and there were added in that day about three thousand souls” (CV). The account continues,

Now on every soul came fear, yet many miracles and signs occurred through the apostles in Jerusalem. Besides, great fear was on all. Now all those who believed also were in the same place and had all things in common. And they disposed of the acquisitions and the properties, and divided them to all, forasmuch as some would have had need. . . . Now the Lord [Yahweh, through His Anointed One] added those being saved day by day in the same place [the Temple in Jerusalem, see Acts 2:1]. (Acts 2:43-47 CV)

All things are possible with Yahweh. The time, the season, the era of Isaiah 60:21-22 had come.

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The Progression Recorded in Acts

Yahweh had begun hastening the prophesied work of His hands. All would be completed within a period of about 40 years. Notice the progression recorded in Acts: “Now many of those who heard the word, believed, and the number of men became about five thousand” (4:4 CV); “there were added of those believing the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, . . .” (5:14 CV); “Now in these days, the disciples multiplying, . . .” (6:1 CV); “And the word of God grew, and the number of the disciples in Jerusalem multiplied tremendously. Besides, a vast throng of the priests obeyed the faith” (6:7 CV); “And a considerable throng was added to the Lord” (11:24b CV). As a result of the assassination of Stephen, a persecution arose scattering many of the faithful Jews. Upon arriving at Antioch in Syria , they proclaimed the Gospel to Greeks (uncircumcised men). The hand of Yahweh continued to hasten His work: “And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord” (11:21 KJV). So, the original few multiplied into the thousands, spiritually generating a host of descendants, and, so, a small or inferior people miraculously became a superior nation in one generation.

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Isaiah 65:17-23 A New Heavens and a New Earth

During this most holy era or season, Yahweh’s hands began the work of constructing a new creation:

For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be ye glad and rejoice for ever [perpetually] in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. (Isaiah 65:17-18 KJV)

Yahweh is not going to physically recreate the old heavens and earth. The language is metaphorical. It is an allusion to Deuteronomy 4:32-40. There, Yahweh distinguished between the “former days” (Deut. 4:32 CV) and the present day at Sinai where Yahweh had begun a new work, a new creation, a new heavens and earth in which Israel was covenantally placed above the nations. Israel was drawn near to Yahweh. She was metaphorically placed in the new heavens, drawn nearer to Yahweh than the nations placed metaphorically on the new earth at a greater distance from Yahweh. At that time, Yahweh had taken for Himself a nation (Israel) out of a nation (Egypt) by trials, by signs, by miracles, by war, by great fear-inspiring deeds (Deut. 4:34 CV).

During the era or season of the Branch, Yahweh is again creating a new heavens and earth. He is again establishing a covenant with Israel , a new covenant in contrast with the former, old, Sinatic Covenant. He is again taking a nation (the Born-From-Above Israel of Yahweh) out of a nation (the Israel of The Adversary, Apostate Israel). His hands are accomplishing this new creation by trials, by signs and miracles, by spiritual warfare, by fear-inspiring spiritual deeds. The former Sinatic Covenant is no longer remembered by Yahweh; it is being nullified (2 Cor. 3:11, 13 CV). According to the writer of Hebrews, “In (Page 293)saying ‘new,’ He has made the former [the Mosaic Covenant made at Sinai] old. Now that which is growing old and decrepit is near its disappearance” (Heb. 8:13 CV).

After Christ’s resurrection from the dead, Yahweh no longer minded, recognized, acknowledged, the Mosaic Covenant as a covenant offering life. The Mosaic Covenant was in the process of administering its telos, its end, its goal—the covenantal death of Israel as a national second Adam. This Second Death is in contrast to the first death associated with Adam and the first heavens and earth. The first metaphoric heavens and earth function from the time of Adam’s transgression to the time of Moses’ commission and the analogical creation of national, corporate Israel as a second man, a second Adam (the man . . . lives, Deut. 5:24 Heb. MT).

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The Heavenly Jerusalem

This new creation, according to verse 18 of Isaiah 65, is associated with Jerusalem, that is, the new heavenly Jerusalem, identified as the Bride of the Lamb (Rev. 21:9-10). Jerusalem and her people are to be taken synonymously. The city and the people are one and the same, the city metaphorically standing for the new people of Yahweh. This new Jerusalem, this new people, is associated with joy in contrast to the old Jerusalem which had become associated with mourning. The old Jerusalem (made with hands) consisted of stones and the elements of the world-order, that is, cultic worship through the use of fire, water, air, and earth. The new Jerusalem (made without hands) is spiritually organic, consisting of living stones worshiping in spirit and truth (Jn. 4:23).

In this new Jerusalem, metaphorically occupying a place in the metaphoric new heavens, “There shall be thenceforward, no more, A suckling [child] of a few days, or an elder Who filleth not up his days,—But, a youth a hundred years old, may die, Yea a sinner a hundred years old, shall be accursed” (Isa. 65:20 EB). Once again, this language is metaphorical. In this new heavenly city, covenantal death will have been abolished. The New Covenant is a covenant of life. Its end, its telos, in contrast to the old Mosaic Covenant, is life. All those participating in it have covenantal life and power in the midst of the covenantal death of the Mosaic Covenant. The only possibility of death comes from removing oneself from under the New Covenant (exiting the New Jerusalem in order to reenter the old Jerusalem, abandoning Jesus the Messiah in order to return to Moses, Heb. 6:4-6) in order to return to the domain of the Mosaic Covenant. Such an act is apostasy, the unpardonable sin, and identifies the sinner as accursed. Returning to the Mosaic Covenant places the sinner under the curse of the law—covenantal and/or physical death—which the Mosaic Covenant was then presently in the process of undergoing.

The people of this new Jerusalem “shall not labor in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord[Yahweh], and their offspring with them” (Isa. 65:23 KJV). Paul declares in 1 Cor. 15:10 that Yahweh’s grace bestowed upon him for the ministry “was not in vain” (KJV); in 15:14 he announces that if Christ has not risen from the dead, the preaching of the Gospel and the faith in that Gospel is in “vain” (KJV); he concludes this chapter, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (15:58 KJV). This profitable labor is the labor of Isaiah 65:23. It would not return to Yahweh void. It would not be vain labor. It would accomplish its task and be rewarded.

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Abraham’s Seed

These people are the people of Yahweh; those people who Yahweh is accounting as Abraham’s seed: “not all those out of Israel , these are Israel ; . . . but ‘In Isaac shall your seed be called’ . . . but the children of the promise is He [Yahweh] reckoning [accounting] for the seed” (Rom. 9:7-8 CV). Paul refers to these people in Galatians 3:29: “Now if you are Christ's, consequently you are of Abraham's seed, enjoyers of the allotment according to the promise” (CV).

The offspring referred to by Isaiah are the spiritual offspring of the Saints (the circumcised faithful Jews) who proclaim the Gospel of Christ. Those believing this Gospel are their offspring, as described by Paul: “For if you should be having ten thousand escorts in Christ, nevertheless not many fathers, for in Christ Jesus, through the evangel, I begot you” (1 Cor. 4:15 CV). Paul actually understood the intention of Isaiah 65:23 as referring to the likes of himself and the faithful ones of his own contemporary generation, a seed like no other seed before it, a blessed seed of Yahweh, the promised seed of Abraham, the seed of Christ Jesus Who is THE SEED of Abraham: “Now to Abraham the promises were declared, and to his Seed. He is not saying ‘And to seeds,’ as of many, but as of One: And to ‘your Seed,’ which is Christ” (Page 294)(Gal. 3:16 CV). That Seed (Christ together with those in Him), that offspring, was completed and rewarded its allotment in the Celestial Realm before the end of the first century a.d.

No generation thereafter has had the possibility of becoming Abraham’s seed. That seed was an elect seed blessed with Yahweh’s offer of salvation, the promises made to Abraham, through the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ. That Gospel has been preached by those authorized to proclaim it. That proclamation fulfilled its purpose. It did not return to Yahweh void. Jesus the Christ remained with His Apostles to the end of that eon , the Mosaic Eon , guaranteeing the successful fulfillment of their proclamation to that elect generation.

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Isaiah 66:15-16 Judgment and Dishonor, Salvation and Glory

The Book of Isaiah ends with a last word concerning judgment and dishonor for the sons of Cain, the nation of the Adversary, and salvation and glory for the sons of Abel, the nation of Yahweh:

For, behold, the Lord [Yahweh] will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire and by his sword will the Lord plead with all flesh: and the slain of the Lord shall be many. (Isaiah 66:15-16 KJV)

Of this judgment, John the Baptist declares, “Yet already the ax is lying at the root of the trees” (Matt. 3:10a CV). Yahweh had already begun to judge His people in accord with Isaiah 66:15-16. The Baptist, speaking of the Branch who was to come after him, adds, “For I, indeed, am baptizing you in water for repentance, yet He Who is coming after me is stronger than I, . . . He will be baptizing you in holy spirit and fire, . . . He will be scouring His threshing floor, and will be gathering His grain into His barn, yet the chaff will He be burning up with unextinguished fire” (Matt. 3:11-12 CV). Both Isaiah and John the Baptist speak metaphorically. Fire signifies judgment, primarily covenantal judgment, but also, in relation to the Jerusalem below and the Temple made with hands, literal death and destruction by famine, murder, and conflagration.

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The Heavenly Jerusalem Becomes the Celestial Jerusalem

Jesus gathering His grain into His barn refers to His gathering them together in order for them to enter into the Celestial Jerusalem. Christ’s Ecclesia during the time of its construction, its spiritual growth and spiritual warfare, is figuratively represented as the new heavenly Jerusalem (Rev. 21:1-2). At the time of its spiritual maturity and spiritual victory over its enemies, it is figuratively represented as the Celestial Jerusalem.

The writer of Hebrews informs his readers that Abraham “waited for the city having foundations, whose Artificer and Architect is God” (Heb. 11:10 CV). Abraham and the faithful elect before Jesus Christ all died in faith not being requited with the promises (Heb. 11:13a). They were strangers and expatriates on the earth (Heb. 11:13b) “seeking for a country of their own. And, if, indeed, they remembered that from which they came out, they might have had occasion to go back. Yet now they are craving a better [country], that is, a celestial [Greek, epouraniou]; wherefore God is not ashamed of them, to be invoked as their God, for He makes ready for them a city” (Heb. 11:14b-16 CV). The city Yahweh makes ready is the Celestial Jerusalem which the new Jerusalem descending out of the new heaven (Greek, ouranou, see Rev. 21:2) is to become at its completion, its maturity; at the conclusion of its assigned work as Yahweh’s instrument by which He is to accomplish the salvation prophesied in the Law and the Prophets.

At that time, all the faithful ones would receive the promise of Yahweh together: “And these all [Abraham and the faithful ones who had lived prior to Jesus Christ], being testified to through faith, are not requited with the promise of God concerning us (the looking forward is to something better), that, apart from us, they may not be perfected” (Heb. 11:39-40 CV). The Celestial City is to be better than the new heavenly Jerusalem. The Ecclesia of Christ, the Ecclesia of the firstborn ones (Heb. 12:22-23), was still looking forward to the promise of the Celestial Jerusalem when the writer of Hebrews wrote his treatise.

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The Manifestation of the Glory of Christ

At the end of the Mosaic Eon , Jesus the Christ would gather together the Born-From-Above Israel of Yahweh and openly manifest His glory through them. Having accomplished this, the remaining circumcised-in-heart Jews (represented by Saul of Tarsus), having their eyes opened to Christ’s glory, flee the Israel of The Adversary, turning to Jesus the Messiah, the True and Living Son of David , Son of Yahweh. This will leave the rebellious sons of Cain in Judea and Jerusalem to suffer the judgment of (Page 295)Yahweh administered through the Roman military force of Titus (the chaff burning up with unextinguished [unquenchable, NASB] fire, Matt. 3:12b CV). This incineration of the Temple made with hands marks the telos, the end, the goal of the Mosaic Covenant.

Peter describes the significance of this event:

Now the day of the Lord will be arriving as a thief, in which the heavens shall be passing by with a booming noise, yet the elements shall be dissolved by combustion, and the earth and the works in it shall be found. At these all, then, dissolving, to what manner of men must you belong in holy behavior and devoutness, hoping for and hurrying the presence of God's day, because of which the heavens, being on fire, will be dissolved, and the elements decompose by combustion! Yet we, according to His promises, are hoping for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness is dwelling. (2 Peter 3:10-13 CV)

“The heavens shall be passing” refers to the Mosaic system represented by the Temple made with hands. The booming noise describes the explosion of the four elements of the physical world-order: Air, Fire, Water, Earth. The elements described by Peter in this passage refer to the elements of the Mosaic system of worship used in the Temple to worship and serve Yahweh: the holy altars, the holy fires, the holy tables, the holy bread, the holy utensils, the holy priests, and other such elemental items. All these holy objects had been contaminated and polluted, warranting their destruction by Yahweh.

“The earth and the works in it” refers to the contaminated service of the priests and princes belonging to the Israel of The Adversary (Apostate Israel) which service Yahweh rejects as abominable. These works are found and judged unworthy of Yahweh’s Name. “The heavens on fire” refers metaphorically to the old Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant. The time of Israel ’s exaltation over the nations comes to an end with the destruction, conflagration, of the elements belonging to the worship and service of Yahweh associated with the Temple made with hands.

Thus, the destruction of the heavens and earth (the heavens and earth representing the creative work of Yahweh at Mount Sinai) terminates the Mosaic System of Worship and Service in which Israel had been drawn near to Yahweh, being placed metaphorically in the heavens over the nations then placed metaphorically on the earth. The old Sinatic/Mosaic heavens and earth would be replaced by the new heavens and earth created by Yahweh through the New Covenant established on the basis of the shed blood of Jesus as the last (eschatos, see 1 Cor. 15:45-46 NGEINT) Adam. The initial expression of this New Covenant (and the new heavens and earth which would follow) is metaphorically represented by the new heavenly Jerusalem.

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The Bride of the Lamb

This heavenly Jerusalem represents the Bride of the Lamb (Rev. 21:9-14) on the earth during the last days of the Mosaic Eon . She has been made ready for her bridegroom by being clothed with the spirit of Yahweh. She then begins her faithful activity on His behalf in which she shares in His sufferings associated with the death of the Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant. During this time, she goes forth with the authority and in the power of her Bridegroom to conquer the enemies of Yahweh’s Anointed Son/King. This she does by her faithful proclamation of the Gospel of Christ and her faithful behavior in accord with the terms of Yahweh’s Law as exposited in Christ.

The new heavenly Jerusalem descends from heaven (Rev. 21:1-2), not the Celestial Realm. The heavenly Jerusalem is a metaphorical city in the process of construction. When it is completed, it ascends through the temporary new heavens and earth (initiated by the New Covenant) into the Celestial Realm where the city becomes transformed into the new Celestial Jerusalem, the Wife of the Lamb.

This Celestial Jerusalem represents the completed Ecclesia of Christ, the completed spiritual Body of the Christ, His Spiritual Complement/Wife. In this Celestial City dwells the righteousness of Yahweh. This Celestial Jerusalem represents the completion of the new heavens and new earth which Peter was awaiting. The new heavens and new earth represented by the Celestial Jerusalem refers to the completed, new Celestial creation of the Christ as the Second Adam (1 Cor. 15:45-49 CV).

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The New Covenant

Jesus Christ resurrected from the dead first reigns on the throne of David, metaphorically set in the new heavens created and generated by Yahweh, on the basis of the New Covenant established by Jesus’ shed blood. This New Covenant is made with the New Israel of Yahweh during the last days of the Mosaic Covenant. It makes possible the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. It empowers the New Israel of Yahweh with His spirit, enabling the new people in the midst of great affliction and persecution to keep His (Page 296)law with all the heart, soul, and mind. It enables this nation to obediently function as a kingdom of priests serving the nations on behalf of Yahweh.

At the successful completion of the New Nation’s service, the New Covenant in Christ’s blood is terminated. It was necessary while those in Christ lived in relation to (rather than under, “But law we are standing in its proper place,” see Rom. 6:14; 3:31 NGEINT, my translation) the Mosaic Covenant and in relation to the heavens and earth of the Mosaic Eon which was in the process of being replaced by the creation and generation of the new heavens and earth initiated by the New Covenant. At the time of the completion of the New Nation’s service, the work of the resurrected last Adam, David’s son, is completed. The kingdom of Israel, the restored Kingdom of David, has fulfilled its purpose in relation to the promises made to Abraham. The nations (faithful Gentiles) have been blessed and incorporated into the Born-From-Above Israel of Yahweh, making them “fellow-citizens of the saints” (Eph. 2:19 CV).

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The Second Adam

In Christ, as the Second Adam, the transformation of the Israel of Yahweh into One New Man, no longer distinguishing between Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female (Gal. 3:28), is completed, perfected. The enemies of Yahweh and Christ have been conquered. Christ, the Son of Yahweh, then turns the kingdom over to His God and Father (1 Cor. 15:24). He and His Ecclesia, His Body, enter the Kingdom of God. Yahweh is no longer only the God of Israel. He once again becomes, historically, the God of all nations, the God of the human race. Christ and His Ecclesia, His Body, His Complement, literally dwell in the Celestial Realm where they reign with Yahweh their God and Father over the nations of the earth below. The new goal in this new creation, this new heavens and new earth presently in the process of historical generation, is the perfection of the human race in accord with the ultimate prototype, Jesus Christ as the Second Adam, the Head of the New Humanity of which His Ecclesia, His Body, is the firstfruit.

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Isaiah 66:19-21 The Ecclesia of the Branch

However, before the establishment of the Celestial Jerusalem, there is the necessity of the new heavenly Jerusalem, the Bride of the Lamb. The Ecclesia of the Branch, the Christ, is the subject of the last verses of Isaiah, chapter 66. A sign will be set among the faithful of Israel (Isa. 66:19a). That sign will be the Branch, the Son of David . Those faithfully responding to the sign, Jesus the Christ, will be sent to the nations to declare Yahweh’s glory to those who had not heard of Him, His ministry, death, and resurrection as revealed in Jerusalem and Judea and proclaimed in Jerusalem and throughout the land of Israel (v. 19b).

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The Faithful Messianic Jews

These circumcised faithful Jews will bring as an offering to Yahweh the Jews and non-Jews faithfully receiving the Gospel of Christ proclaimed to them:

And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the Lord [Yahweh] out of all nations upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the Lord as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the Lord. And I will also take of them for priests and for Levites, saith the Lord. (Isaiah 66:20-21 KJV)

Here again, Isaiah paints a metaphoric picture of the evangelization among the nations by the Born-From-Above Israel of Yahweh commissioned with the Gospel of the Circumcision and the Gospel of the Uncircumcision (Gal. 2:7-8). This evangelization among the nations will gather “all your brethren,” that is, both Jews and non-Jews. These gathered, harvested faithful ones will be offered up to Yahweh even as the Israelites under the Mosaic Covenant brought the grain offering to the House of Yahweh.

From Yahweh’s New Israel, He would take some for priests and others for Levites, thus, making this nation a kingdom of priests, substantiating Isaiah’s statement in 61:6a, “But ye shall be named The priests of the Lord[Yahweh]” (KJV). These passages are alluded to in Romans 15:16 where Paul applies these passages to himself: “for me to be the minister of Christ Jesus for the nations, acting as a priest of the evangel of God, that the approach present of the nations may be becoming well received, having been hallowed by holy spirit” (CV). Paul, being a circumcised faithful Jew, is counted among the Saints. He has been appointed the Apostle to the Uncircumcision, and, as such, has the authority to act as a Priest in the presentation of the faithful non-Jews (Messianic Gentiles) as an offering to Yahweh in His spiritual House, the Temple not made with hands, the new heavenly Jerusalem centrally located in the geographical city of Jerusalem.

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The Faithful Messianic Gentiles

Paul announces, “yet now I am going to Jerusalem, dispensing to the saints” (Rom. 15:25 CV). His Priestly presentation of the faithful Messianic Gentiles among the nations as an offering to Yahweh takes the form of a contribution collected by these faithful non-Jews as a gift “for the poor of the saints who are in Jerusalem” (Rom. 15:26b CV). Paul explains the motive for this offering: “For they [the Gentile Messianics] are delighted, and they are their [Jewish Messianics] debtors, for if the nations participate in their spiritual things, they ought to minister to them in fleshly things also” (Rom. 15:27 CV), again, alluding to Isaiah 61:6: “ye [the Born-From-Above Israel of Yahweh] shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves” (KJV).

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Isaiah 66:22-24 Yahweh’s Blessing and Cursing

Finally, the Book of Isaiah concludes with Yahweh’s blessing and Yahweh’s cursing. The seed of Abraham, the spiritual Born-From-Above Israel of Yahweh, will remain before Yahweh. This holy seed will never see corruption. The name of this New Man (the new national, corporate, Born-From-Above Israel ), this New Humanity, will remain perpetually associated with honor and glory throughout the eons (Isa. 66:22b, see also Rom. 16:27 CV; Jude v. 25 CV; Eph. 2:7 CV). This spiritual people of Yahweh will dwell in the Celestial Realm and rule over the New Heavens and New Earth of Yahweh’s making:

For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord [Yahweh], so shall your seed and your name remain. (Isaiah 66:22 KJV)

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The Continuing Eons

Yahweh began making this new heavens and new earth at Pentecost with the outpouring of His spirit. This new creation was completed at the consummation of the Parousia of Christ Jesus, occurring about 70 a.d., at which time the new present eon began. This new creation has continued generating historically throughout the past 2,000 years and still continues toward its goal of perfecting the remaining portion of the human race dwelling on the new earth. Its goal having been attained, the present eon will end and a new eon will begin “to the only, and wise God, through Christ Jesus, be glory for the eons of the eons. Amen”! (Rom. 16:27 CV); “to the only God, our Saviour, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, might and authority . . . for all the eons. Amen!” (Jude v. 25 CV); “God, being rich in mercy, . . . vivifies us together in Christ . . . and rouses us together and seats us together among the celestials, in Christ Jesus, that, in the oncoming eons, He should be displaying the transcendent riches of His grace in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:4-7 CV).

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The Worm That Shall Not Die

Before being removed from the earth to the celestial place prepared by Christ, the Saints, the holy seed of Abraham, the spiritual Israel of Yahweh, “shall go forth, and look upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh” (Isa. 66:24 KJV). This metaphoric picture refers figuratively to the valley of the sons of Hinnom located just outside the southeastern wall of Jerusalem. This valley became the garbage dump of Jerusalem. Its fire continually consumed the garbage unloaded into its mouth. It became known as Gehenna. Jesus used the term figuratively to refer to the place of ultimate covenantal judgment for Israel (Matt. 5:29-30; 23:33 CV, NGEINT).

Jeremiah indicates that this valley of the sons of Hinnom had been the place in which Israel had burned her sons and daughters in imitation of the worship of alien gods (Jer. 7:30-31). Therefore, the place of this abominable behavior in Israel ’s past and the then present usage of this same place became a fitting and ironic metaphor of covenantal judgment. During the Roman siege of Jerusalem and the Temple, many corpses were dumped into the ravine outside the walls of Jerusalem by the Jews within and were left to decompose in the open air. In the final conflagration of the Temple initiated by the Jews themselves, many Jews suffered death by fiery incineration. These occurrences became literal pictures of the figurative meaning of Gehenna as the judgment place of Yahweh.

The worm that would not die and the fire that would not be quenched figuratively allude to the fire of Gehenna that never stopped burning. This is the metaphoric picture painted by Isaiah in his final description of the ultimate covenantal curse upon the Israel of The Adversary, the Cainish Israel, the Israel of the flesh whose entire history (beginning with his breaking of the Sinatic Covenant as the result of (Page 298)worshiping the golden calf to his final covenantal destruction in 70 a.d. signified by the final destruction of the Temple of Yahweh made with hands) had been characterized as defiant rebellion against Yahweh. This Temple would never again be built. It had become obsolete, replaced by the Temple of Yahweh not made by hands, the Celestial Temple perpetually remaining throughout the eons. Isaiah ends his literary masterpiece on this negative note (66:24) as a final and ultimate warning to a stiff-necked people.

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The Message of Jeremiah and the Greek Scriptures

The prophet Jeremiah also proclaims the judgment of Yahweh against the Southern Kingdom of Judah. He announces that Yahweh has given Judah and Jerusalem up to the Chaldeans. Judah had not been deterred from her evil ways by the destruction of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, her sister:

And I said after she [ Israel ] had done all these things, Turn thou unto me. But she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it. And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also. (Jeremiah 3:7-8 KJV)

Judah , seeing all that Israel did and all that happened to her, should have taken all this as a warning. She should have repented of her own evil and turned back to Yahweh her Elohim. In addition, Judah , unlike her sister Israel , had the advantages of the Davidic Covenant, the Temple of Yahweh’s presence in Jerusalem, and the Aaronic and Levitical priesthoods. All these advantages were taken for granted and ultimately perceived as her security against such disaster as had come upon her sister Israel :

And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the Lord [Yahweh]. And the Lord said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah . (Jeremiah 3:10-11 KJV)

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The Promise of Future Salvation for the Northern Kingdom

The sins of the Northern Kingdom of Israel had resulted in a bill of divorce. Yahweh had put her away. She had been made Lo-Ammi, not My people. Judah was about to be punished by Yahweh for her sins. But Yahweh would not give her a bill of divorce. He would send her into captivity, but would not depart from her. He would not call her Lo-Ammi. She would continue to receive advantages that Israel had been denied.

However, Yahweh, in the distant future, would show Israel mercy and, through that display of mercy, anger Judah in order to make her jealous over the advantages she had so long taken for granted and neglected. Jeremiah is commanded,

Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel , saith the Lord [Yahweh]; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the Lord, and I will not keep anger for ever [for the eon ]. (Jeremiah 3:12 KJV)

Yahweh, at that future time (the last days of the Mosaic Eon ), will call upon the children of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, dwelling among the nations, to acknowledge their iniquity and their transgression against Yahweh (Jer. 3:13). At their turning back to Yahweh, they would be led back to Zion and become married to Yahweh once again: “Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion” (Jer. 3:14 KJV).

This new relationship is not to be based upon the Mosaic Covenant. Israel had already received a bill of divorce in relation to that covenant. A new marriage would take place based on a new covenant, a new calling, a new Gospel, and a new Zion, a new, spiritual, heavenly Jerusalem:

And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding. And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land [the New Israel of Yahweh], in those days, saith the Lord, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the Lord: neither shall it come to mind; neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be done any more. (Jeremiah 3:15-16 KJV)

This new marital relationship, new Zion, new pardon of sins, and new pastors according to Yahweh’s heart would no longer rely on the Ark of the Covenant representing the covenant entered into at Sinai. The Sinatic Covenant would not come to mind, it would not be remembered; it would be abolished in terms of its function as provider of covenantal life, covenantal relationship with Yahweh.

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The Future True Shepherd and Shepherds

Israel ’s new pastors, having the heart of Yahweh, that is, having the Law of Yahweh written on their hearts, will shepherd the new flock according to the terms and conditions of the New Covenant (new knowledge and understanding) revealed in the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ. These new, spiritual pastors are mentioned in Luke’s second historical treatise: “Take heed to yourselves and to the entire flocklet, among which the holy spirit appointed you supervisors, to be shepherding the ecclesia of God, which He procures through the blood of His Own” (Acts 20:28 CV). These are the true shepherds of Yahweh in contradistinction to those described by Isaiah as “greedy dogs which can never have enough, . . . shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter” (Isa. 56:11 KJV). Isaiah’s shepherds are described by Jesus as “a hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not” (Jn. 10:12a KJV). When trouble comes, these hirelings flee, leaving the sheep to fend for themselves (Jn. 10:12b).

At the ministerial arrival of John the Baptist and Jesus, the sheep had no caring shepherd to whom they belonged. Their hireling shepherds had forsaken the needs of the sheep in exchange for the securing of their own welfare. Jesus, perceiving this condition of the people, “was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things” (Mk. 6:34 KJV). His Apostles and disciples continued His work as shepherd after His resurrection and departure, being commissioned by Jesus and empowered by the holy spirit.

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Slaves of Sin

At that future time, Jerusalem will be called the throne of Yahweh, and “all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart” (Jer. 3:17 KJV). This Jerusalem is not the Jerusalem below associated allegorically with Hagar and covenantally with the Sinatic Covenant. The children, or citizens, of this earthly Jerusalem associated with Hagar are slaves (Gal. 4:21-25). They need to be freed. They need to become sons.

Such is the teaching of Jesus when He says to the Jews who had just believed Him, “If ever you should be remaining in My word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will be making you free” (Jn. 8:31b-32 CV). These Jews are shocked. They respond, “The seed of Abraham are we, and we have never been slaves of anyone. How are you saying that ‘You shall be becoming free?’” (Jn. 8:33 CV). These Jews are ignorant of the nature of the Mosaic Covenant. They do not realize that the children of Abraham, having entered into the covenant contracted at Sinai and having broken that covenant very shortly thereafter, became slaves under a covenant which became a ministry of death.

In counting up their sins and holding them responsible for their sins, they became slaves of sin. As a result, a second covenant became necessary. As slaves, they needed to be made free. They needed to become sons in Yahweh’s household, rather than slaves. Jesus responds to their shocked reply, “Everyone who is producing the sin counted up by the law is a slave of this covenantal sin. Now this slave is not remaining in the household of Yahweh for the eon . The Son is remaining in Yahweh’s household for the eon. If ever, then, the Son should be making all of you slaves free, you will be really free” (Jn. 8:34-36 my translation).

The Jerusalem below, the earthly Jerusalem associated with the Mosaic Covenant, is in slavery to that covenantal ministry whose telos, end, is Death. Only by association with the Jerusalem above, the heavenly Jerusalem allegorically associated with Sarah and her son Isaac, can one become a free son of Abraham. Isaac allegorically is associated with the sonship established by the New Covenant. The New Covenant is established by the blood of Jesus the Christ Who is THE SEED of Abraham to Whom the promise is made. That promise preceded the Mosaic Covenant.

Thus, to become a free son of Abraham, a member of the Promised Seed of Abraham, one had to be delivered out from under the Sinatic Covenant (see Gal. 3:15-18). Thus, the nations, the uncircumcised, are declared to be gathered into this new Jerusalem to take their place before the throne of Yahweh (Jer. 3:17). This is possible because the promise given to Abraham was given to him before he entered into the Covenant of Circumcision (see Rom. 4:9-12).

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The Time of Future Salvation

According to Jeremiah 3:18, the time of the deliverance of the Northern Kingdom of Israel will be when the house of Judah and the house of Israel walk together. This did not occur at the restoration of Jerusalem under Ezra and Nehemiah. It is recorded as occurring a short time after the death and resurrection of Jesus the Messiah. When the Ecclesia of Jesus the Messiah met to discuss “the turning about of the nations” (Acts 15:3 CV) and whether the uncircumcised faithful ones from among the nations should be circumcised and come to stand in the sphere of the interest of the Mosaic Law, James, the brother of Jesus, quotes the prophet Amos to confirm the present walking together of the house of Judah and the house of Israel. Yahweh, through the ministries of Peter and Paul, had visited the nations to obtain out of them a people for His name. This, James declares, is the fulfillment of Amos 9:9-15: “After these things I will turn back, ‘And I will rebuild the tabernacle of David which has fallen . . .’” (Acts 15:16a CV). The tabernacle of David had represented united Israel . That tabernacle fell shortly after the death of Solomon when Yahweh divided the kingdom in two— Judah under Rehoboam and Israel under Jeroboam. Thus, the expression “in those days” of Jeremiah 3:18 refers to the days after the resurrection of Jesus the Christ initiating the building of His Ecclesia.

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The Sin of Judah Engraven on the Heart

Because Judah ’s treacherous attitude and behavior are deemed worse in Yahweh’s eyes than the treachery of her northern sister, Jeremiah assures Judah of her coming destruction and captivity. He describes the sin of Judah as “written with a pen of iron, and with the point of a diamond: it is graven upon the table of their heart . . .” (Jer. 17:1 KJV) where Yahweh’s Law should have been engraven. Yahweh’s anger over the condition of Judah ’s heart is to be kindled for the eon (Jer. 17:4 CV). That flame is to be put out during the last days of that eon. Until that time, Yahweh warns His people, “Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord [Yahweh] (Jer. 17:5 KJV). All such hearts, and only such hearts, are declared to be “deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked [weak, sick] . . .” (Jer. 17:9a KJV). The question is then asked, “who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9b). The answer is Yahweh Who searches (probes) each heart (17:10a).

In verse 9 of Jeremiah, chapter 17, the word “heart” is preceded by the definite article. The heart in this verse refers back to verse 1, “The sin of Judah . . . graven upon the table of their heart,” and verse 5, “and whose heart departeth from the Lord[Yahweh]. It is this specific heart that is deceitful and desperately or dangerously wicked or sick. All hearts do not fit this definition or description. It is the heart that trusts in man rather than Yahweh that is deceitful and dangerously sick. Such a heart generates distorted, corrupt, evil, contaminated suggestions and illusions which when adopted and acted upon manufacture destructive delusions consummating in personal and social devastation.

Yahweh searches (probes) each heart (no article before heart) in order to give each Israelite man according to the fruit produced by the attitude, character, bent, leaning of his heart. Judah is cursed because she trusts in man rather than in Yahweh her Elohim. Her heart has departed from Yahweh. As such, her behavior, acts, deeds, worship (the fruit produced by her sick, distorted heart) are corrupt and evil in the eyes of Yahweh, deserving Yahweh’s verdict of destruction and captivity. She has indelibly engraved upon her heart her own sin of rebellion, her own devised law, that which is right in her own eyes, rather than engraving permanently upon her heart the righteousness of the Law of Yahweh, that which is right in the eyes of Yahweh her Elohim. Her heart, departing from Yahweh, had manufactured delusions of grandeur consummating in individual and national abomination.

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A Righteous Branch, A King, Shall Reign and Prosper

In spite of this sinful condition of Judah ’s national heart, there remained within the nation a remnant of those whose hearts had not departed from Yahweh. To these faithful ones, Jeremiah proclaims hope. Yahweh will not forsake His people. He will not forget His oath made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He will not terminate His covenant made with David:

Behold, the days come, saith the Lord [Yahweh], that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. (Jeremiah 23:5 KJV)

Jesus claimed He was the King, the righteous Branch of David’s seed, promised in the Law and the Prophets: “And I am covenanting a covenant with you, according as My Father covenanted a kingdom to (Page 301) Me” (Lk. 22:29 CV). Jesus, after His resurrection, sat down on the throne of David. His Apostles were seated on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel as princes serving under His reign: “And you will be seated on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Lk. 22:30b CV).

Peter confirms the seating of Jesus the Christ upon the throne of David when, after quoting the words of David in Psalm 16:8, he explains,

Being, then, inherently, a prophet, and having perceived that God swears to him with an oath, out of the fruit of his loin to seat One on his throne, perceiving this before, he speaks concerning the resurrection of the Christ, . . . (Acts 2:30-31a CV)

Jesus the Christ at that time had already begun to rule on the throne of David.

Paul concurs with Peter’s interpretation when, speaking to the men of Israel and the God-fearers in the synagogue of Antioch of Pisidia, he testifies,

And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David. (Acts 13:32-34 KJV)

The “sure mercies of David” are associated with the son promised to David in 2 Samuel 7:12b-15: “I will set up thy seed after thee, . . . I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever [for the eon ]. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. . . . my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul . . .” (KJV) and the pardon of David’s sins which according to the law deserved the death penalty. According to the Greek Scriptures, Jesus is the ultimate son of David promised in this passage.

Paul then concludes, “Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: and by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses” (Acts 13:38-39 KJV). The “sure mercies of David” are associated with Yahweh’s merciful forgiveness of David’s sins in relation to Bathsheba and her husband Uriah. Jesus the Messiah, according to Paul, at the time of the preaching of the Gospel of Christ, was the administrator of such mercies. Identification with Him through faithful commitment resulted in the forgiveness of sins and a justification not possible under the Mosaic Law.

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In His Days: Judah and Israel Reunited

Jeremiah writes, “In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called The Lord Our Righteousness (Jer. 23:6 KJV). In the days of the Branch, Judah and Israel will be reunited. Through the fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant, Judah would be saved and, as a result of that salvation, Israel would be shown mercy, restoring her to Yahweh through the proclamation of the Gospel of the New Covenant. Jesus is the Branch. “In His days” signifies the days of Jesus and His contemporaries. Jesus as the Davidic King of promise restores the divided kingdom of David.

Jesus accomplishes this by the cleansing of the nations as revealed to Peter in his vision of the unclean animals. Peter is told “Sacrifice and eat!” (Acts 10:13 CV). Repeated, he responds, “Far be it from me, Lord, for I never ate anything contaminating and unclean!” (Acts 10:14 CV). He is then told, “What God cleanses, do not you count contaminating!” (Acts 10:15b CV). This vision is immediately followed by the messenger from Cornelius, a God-fearing non-Jew. Peter is sent to preach the Gospel to Cornelius. As he is in the process of proclaiming, the holy spirit is poured out on those hearing his words. Peter and the faithful circumcised Jews with him conclude, “on the nations also the gratuity of the holy spirit has been poured out” (Acts 10:45b CV).

Peter later reports to the Saints (Messianic Jews) in Jerusalem that the spirit of Yahweh sent him to these gentiles, non-Jews, and, “If, then, God gives them the equal gratuity as to us also, when believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I—able to forbid God?” (Acts 11:17 CV). The Saints in Jerusalem conclude, “Consequently, to the nations also God gives repentance unto life!” (Acts 11:18b CV).

These events substantiated what the spirit of Yahweh had already begun earlier as a result of the persecution arising after the stoning of Stephen. Some of the Saints dispersed from Jerusalem at that time, arriving at Antioch in Syria, proclaimed the Gospel of Jesus the Messiah to the Greeks (uncircumcised gentiles), and a vast number believed (Acts 11:19-21). The text explains, “And the hand of the Lord was with them” (Acts 11:21a CV). This incident had been puzzling to the Saints, even as the incident with (Page 302) Cornelius was to be puzzling to and unexpected by Peter and the circumcised Saints accompanying him. Yahweh’s hand had been at work authorizing the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus the Christ to the nations, to the surprise of His faithful circumcised community of Saints.

By cleansing the nations, Yahweh opened the Highway of salvation to the Northern Kingdom of Israel which He had earlier declared Lo-Ammi, not My people (thus, made gentiles), and had scattered among the nations at the hands of the Assyrians. Jesus the Messiah, the Son of Yahweh, the Son of David , was in the process of restoring the divided kingdom of His father David. In His (Jesus’) days, Judah was being saved and Israel was dwelling safely (Jer. 23:6a KJV). His name is The Lord Our Righteousness (Jer. 23:6b KJV). “For they [the unbelieving Jews], being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own righteousness [the righteousness of the Mosaic Covenant], were not subjected to the righteousness of God [the righteousness of the New Covenant]. For Christ is the consummation of law for righteousness to everyone who is believing” (Rom. 10:3-4 CV), “that we may be becoming God's righteousness in Him [Jesus Christ]” (2 Cor. 5:21b CV), “Who [Christ Jesus] became to us . . . righteousness” (1 Cor. 1:30b CV).

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The Time of Jacob’s Trouble—Past

Jeremiah again writes of the future day of the Branch, the One Whose name is “The Lord Our Righteousness,” Jesus the Christ: “For, lo, the days come, saith the Lord [Yahweh], that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah” (Jer. 30:3a KJV). During these days will occur a great day described as “the time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jer. 30:7 KJV). Yahweh announces,

We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness? Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble, but he shall be saved out of it. (Jeremiah 30:5-7 KJV)

This prophecy alludes to Genesis, chapter 34. Dinah, Jacob’s daughter, by Leah, is seized by and forced to lay with Shechem, son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land. Shechem, however, is in love with Dinah and desires to marry her. His father, Hamor, approaches Jacob seeking Dinah as a bride for his son. Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, hearing of the humiliation of their sister, Jacob’s daughter, become indignant. The name of their father has been dishonored. Intermarriage with a Canaanite people is covenantally forbidden. Their anger is thus enraged.

Deceitfully, they inform Hamor and Shechem of the one condition necessary for such a marriage to take place: All the males of their city must be circumcised. This condition is accepted by the governing elite of the city. In accord with the agreement, every male residing in the city is circumcised.

While in this condition, Simeon and Levi enter the city and slay with the sword every male, taking as plunder their flocks, herds, wives, children, and all their wealth. Upon hearing of this evil deed, Jacob lamentably responds,

You trouble me to make me stink among all the dwellers of the land, among the Canaanite and among the Perizzite. And I am death-doomed, outnumbered . . . (Genesis 34:30 CV)

Simeon and Levi answer Jacob, “As with a prostitute may he deal with our sister?” (Gen. 34:31 CV). Yahweh, however, protects Jacob and his household. He is not destroyed by the remaining inhabitants of the land. Neither does Yahweh at that time judge Simeon and Levi.

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The Time of Jacob’s Trouble—Future

But Yahweh has not forgotten that evil deed which brought trouble to Jacob. Through Jeremiah, Yahweh reveals a future judgment upon a deceitful and murderous Israel . In this judgment, Jacob is to be troubled once again, and once again shall be delivered (saved) out of this trouble. However, in the future, Simeon and Levi, representing the Israel according to the flesh, the Cainish Israel, sons of The Adversary, will not escape. They will be exterminated, executed as murderers. For these future sons of Jacob will be tried and executed as the murderers of an innocent man, Jesus of Nazareth. Like their father Cain, they will blatantly shed the blood of an innocent and righteous brother.

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Four Degrading Elements

Note the significant elements in this affair regarding Dinah, Simeon, and Levi: deceit, circumcision, murder, and prostitution. These four elements characterize the events that take place during the days of Jesus and His contemporaries. The Israel according to the flesh, the sons of Cain, deceitfully seek to murder Jesus: “now you are seeking to kill Me, a Man Who has spoken to you the truth which I hear from God. . . . You are of your father, the Adversary, . . .” (Jn. 8:40a, 44a CV). They achieve their deceitful desire, murdering Jesus of Nazareth. They justify this act by claiming Jesus prostituted the Law of Moses: “‘Many ideal acts I show you from My Father. Because of what act of them are you stoning Me?’ The Jews answered Him, ‘For an ideal act we are not stoning you, but for blasphemy, . . .’” (Jn. 10:32-33a CV).

They then seek to force the nations coming to Jesus, as a result of the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ, to be circumcised in order to undermine the citizens of the new heavenly Jerusalem and their gracious mission to the nations: “And some [pseudo messianic Jews], coming down from Judea, taught the brethren that, ‘If you should not be circumcised after the custom of Moses, you can not be saved’” (Acts 15:1 CV); “some who are disturbing you want also to distort the evangel of Christ” (Gal. 1:7b CV); “Yet, it was because of the false brethren who were smuggled in . . . to spy out our freedom which we have in Christ Jesus, that they shall be enslaving us— . . .” (Gal. 2:4 CV). These metaphorical sons of Simeon and Levi perceive the Ecclesia of Christ as prostituting the Law of Moses. Such prostitution was considered blasphemy against Yahweh and His covenant. According to the Law of Moses, such blasphemy demanded death. Thus, these false brethren deceitfully identify with the Gospel of Christ openly while secretly intending to destroy the Gospel by undermining its intent and purpose.

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The Abomination of Desolation

This time of Jacob’s trouble is equivalent to “the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet” (Matt. 24:15 KJV). It refers to the last years of the war of the Jews against Rome. Jacob’s trouble is brought about by his own sons. It takes place in Jerusalem and the Temple. The deeds of these renegade sons of Jacob pollute and defile both Jerusalem and the Temple, becoming in the eyes of Yahweh an abomination signifying complete covenantal desolation. The cultic and social atrocities committed within the walls of Jerusalem and within the holy places of the Temple reveal the depravity of the sons of Cain in contrast to the revelation of the glory of the Saints, the sons of Abel, the sons of Abraham, the sons of Yahweh. Jeremiah portrays this ultimate abominating of Jerusalem and the Temple as a man travailing in birth as a woman would travail. He envisions every man holding his loins with his hands, each face deathly pale from pain (Jer. 30:6). His portrayal harmonizes with the allusion to Jacob’s trouble recorded in Jeremiah 30:7. As Simeon and Levi had attacked and murdered the recently circumcised males in the city of Shechen and Hamor, so does Yahweh give up to their deceiving hearts the sons of Simeon and Levi inhabiting the abominable city of Jerusalem, thus allowing them to inflict upon themselves a metaphorical circumcision implemented with the knife of their own depraved deeds, leaving them a vulnerable prey to the attacking warriors of General Titus in 70 a.d.

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The Salvation of Jacob Out of This Time of Trouble

Jacob is to be saved out of this time of trouble caused by the Israel of The Adversary. This salvation is the secret explained by Paul in Romans 11:25-27:

For I am not willing for you to be ignorant of this secret, brethren, . . . that callousness, in part, on [the] Israel has come, until the complement of the nations may be entering. And thus all Israel shall be saved, according as it is written, “Arriving out of Zion shall be the Rescuer. He will be turning away irreverence from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them Whenever I should be eliminating their sins.” (CV)

“The Israel (the definite article precedes the word Israel in the Greek text) is defined by Paul in Romans 9:6-8. The children of the promise are accounted as Abraham’s seed. Yahweh does the accounting. He looks on the heart rather than the outward appearance, as exemplified by Saul of Tarsus.

The Israel of Romans 11:25 consists of those like Saul of Tarsus, who are temporarily blind and ignorant (calloused), but will have their eyes opened (like Saul on the road to Damascus) when the glory of Christ (during His Approach/Parousia) is revealed in His Saints, His Ecclesia, His covenantal Body (see Romans 8:18-25; Matt. 13:36-43) during the time of Jacob’s trouble. This occurs simultaneously with the contrasting revelation of the Israel of The Adversary, the sons of Cain. At that time, the Rescuer (Jesus the (Page 304) Christ) will arrive (at His Approach/Parousia) out of Zion (the new heavenly Jerusalem metaphorically representing His Saints, His Ecclesia) turning away irreverence (blindness, ignorance, callousness) from Jacob (blind and ignorant Israel after the likeness of Saul of Tarsus, and Jacob, who chose to close his eyes to the deceitful intention of his rebellious and murderous sons). At that time, Yahweh would be eliminating (pardoning) the sins of blind and ignorant Jacob.

This event would complete the salvation of all the Israel accounted by Yahweh as the seed of Abraham, the Seed of Promise. Christ would then escort them all into the Celestial Realm where they would inhabit the place He had previously gone to prepare for them (Jn. 14:1-3; 1 Thess. 4:13-18). Until the time of Christ’s Approach/Parousia, His glorious revelation of Himself in His faithful ones, these calloused, blind, ignorant Israelites are to be accounted enemies according to Paul: “As to the evangel, indeed, they are enemies because of you, yet, as to choice [election], they are beloved because of the fathers [Abraham, Isaac, Jacob](Rom. 11:28 CV). These temporary enemies would soon be transformed into friends, into brothers in Christ, “being aware of the era, that it is already the hour for us to be roused out of sleep, for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night progresses, yet the day is near” (Rom. 13:11-12a CV). Again, when would all this take place? According to Jeremiah, when “they shall serve the Lord [Yahweh] their God [Elohim], and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them” (Jer. 30:9 KJV), meaning, in the days of Jesus and His contemporaries.

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Ephraim Shall Bemoan His Lo-Ammi Condition

Ephraim now becomes the subject of Jeremiah’s interest. Rachel is heard weeping for her children: “Thus saith the Lord [Yahweh]; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel [Rachel] weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not” (Jer. 31:15 KJV). Rachel is the mother of Joseph and Benjamin. Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers. Yahweh raised him to the second highest honor in Egypt and gave him two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. Ephraim became the strongest tribe of the ten northern tribes. He became identified with Joshua (an Ephraimite) who led Israel into the Promised Land. Ephraim also became identified with the Northern Kingdom of Israel which was destroyed and scattered among the northern peoples of the Assyrian Empire.

Rachel weeps for her children. She weeps for Ephraim who had been declared Lo-Ammi, not My people, and who had not returned from captivity among the nations. She also weeps for Benjamin who had become associated with the Kingdom of Judah (1 Kings 12:21) which was about to be destroyed and taken into Babylonian captivity. Thus, Rachel is identified with both the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah.

In the passage under consideration, it is Ephraim whom Yahweh considers. Yahweh comforts Rachel: “Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the Lord; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy” (Jer. 31:16 KJV). Rachel’s bitter weeping before Yahweh (her importune intercession) on behalf of her children will not be in vain. Yahweh will redeem them from among the enemy. Yahweh, however, now focuses His attention on Rachel’s son Ephraim, the Northern Kingdom of Israel, Judah ’s sister, backsliding Israel (Jer. 3:6-7).

Yahweh hears the voice of Ephraim coming to Him from the future, the latter days of the Righteous Branch of the seed of David, the king who would unite the divided kingdom of David:

I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus; Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke: turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the Lord [Yahweh] my God [Elohim]. (Jeremiah 31:18 KJV)

In the future time of the King, the Righteous Branch of the seed of David, Ephraim would be bemoaning his Lo-Ammi condition. As a son not accustomed to the yoke and labor of slavery (while a son of Yahweh under the Mosaic Covenant in contrast to the yoke and slavery among the nations), Ephraim, over the course of the Mosaic Eon , has a change of heart, resulting in a repentant spirit and an acknowledgment of his sin against Yahweh his Elohim. At that time, Yahweh will call to him. That call will turn him to confront the voice and presence of Yahweh his Elohim in the face of Jesus the Christ metaphorically beheld in the Gospel of Christ, the Gospel of the Uncircumcision.

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Uncircumcised Ephraim

This is the significance of Paul’s experience in Corinth. The text records, “Now he argued in the synagogue on every sabbath and persuaded both Jews and Greeks. . . . Now at their [the Jews] resisting (Page 305) and blaspheming, shaking out his garments, he said to them, ‘Your blood be on your head! Clear am I! From now on I shall go to the nations’” (Acts 18:4-6 CV). He departs from the synagogue, but during the night he receives a vision from Jesus the Messiah. In this vision he is told, “Fear not! but be speaking; and you should not be silent, because I am with you, and no one shall place hands on you to illtreat you, because there are many people of Mine in this city” (Acts 18:9b-10 CV).

These people are the sons of Ephraim, the sons of the Northern Kingdom of Israel whom Yahweh had made Lo-Ammi, not My people. They had been made unclean. They had been made gentiles; their circumcision had been reversed. Over the advancing years of the Mosaic Eon, their condition of circumcision gradually vanished, leaving only the shameful condition of uncircumcision. Paul had been commissioned with the Gospel of the Uncircumcision (Gal. 2:7).

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Other Sheep Not of This Fold

Jesus, during His preresurrection ministry, also spoke of these sons of Ephraim: “And other sheep have I which are not of this fold. Those also I must be leading, and they will be hearing My voice, and there will be one flock, one Shepherd” (Jn. 10:16 CV). Confirming the fact that the nations will be hearing the voice of Jesus, Paul declares to the Jews in Rome, “Let it be known to you, then, that to the nations was dispatched this salvation of God, and they will hear” (Acts 28:28 CV). Confirming the truth that there would be one flock and one shepherd, Ezekiel writes,

therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between cattle and cattle [account the authentic children of Abraham, the Israel of Yahweh, Rom. 9:6-8]. And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. (Ezekiel 34:22-23 KJV)

According to Ezekiel, this one flock and one shepherd would come about when Yahweh would “make with them a covenant of peace” (Ezk. 34:25). No such covenant existed until the New Covenant consecrated by the blood of Jesus the Christ and proclaimed and administered by His Apostles.

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Ephraim’s Repentance

How is Ephraim to respond to this call of Yahweh? Jesus and Paul have already answered this question for us. The nations will hear; they will obey. Ephraim, over the remaining years of the Mosaic Eon , had become aware, through suffering, that he had been punished for his sins, and thus, his heart had been prepared for the call of Yahweh. He had developed a yearning for Yahweh’s mercy. Jeremiah now has Ephraim answer:

Surely after that I was turned, I repented; and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh: I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth. (Jeremiah 31:19 KJV)

After many years of captivity and slavery, after much dishonorable suffering as a rebellious son, Ephraim repents. After being instructed by his humiliating circumstances, as a physical demonstration of remorse, he smites himself upon his thigh, in the ancient Near East, a gesture of pain and lament. He becomes ashamed and humiliated.

He now understands the error originating in his youthful ways. He has begun to see through the eyes of Yahweh his Elohim. He now understands that his departure from Yahweh had corrupted his heart, turning it into an instrument of deceitful suggestions and illusions, culminating in his shameful and dishonorable condition of slavery. He now regrets his apostasy from Yahweh his Elohim. He realizes his only hope is in the compassion and mercy of Yahweh. He yearns for the renewal of Yahweh’s mercy, making possible his restoration to honorable sonship with Yahweh’s accompanying covenantal love.

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Yahweh’s Mercy Upon Ephraim

Yahweh responds tenderly, as a loving father who has patiently awaited the long absence of a wayward son, “Is Ephraim my dear son? is he a pleasant child?” (Jer. 31:20a KJV). These are rhetorical questions, demanding an affirmative answer. Yahweh’s affection for Ephraim had never ceased. Yahweh had chastised him out of love. His purpose was to discipline him in order to make him wise, in order to correct his heart, mind, and behavior. To that end, Yahweh, according to Jeremiah’s prophecy, would be successful.

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Yahweh continues His affectionate lament: “for since I spake against him, I do earnestly remember him still: therefore my bowels [heart] are troubled [yearn] for him; I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the Lord (Jer. 31:20 KJV). This mercy began to be extended to Ephraim when the spirit of Yahweh directed the persecuted and scattered disciples of Jesus Christ to proclaim the Gospel to the Greeks. It was further affirmed when Yahweh sent Peter to Cornelius and poured out His spirit on these believing non-Jews, these members of the nations, these gentiles, these people “not My people,” as Moses had prophesied, “I shall make them [Judah, the Jews] jealous with a non-people [Ephraim, the believing Gentiles] (Deut. 32:21b CV).

Moses, in this passage, ultimately refers to Judah, the Southern Kingdom of David. Judah , in her blind and ignorant condition would be made jealous with a non-people, with a Lo-Ammi people, with Ephraim, the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Paul confirms this understanding of Moses when he quotes this passage in Romans 10:19 as justifying the mission to the nations: “But, I am saying, Did not Israel [ Judah ] know at all? First Moses is saying, I shall be provoking you to jealousy over those not a nation [Ephraim]; Over an unintelligent nation shall I be vexing you” (CV). Notice how Paul takes the Hebrew term “non-people” (Deut. 32:21b quoted at the end of the previous paragraph) and translates it with the Greek word nation. He does not write nations, plural, but nation singular. He is implying Ephraim, the Northern Kingdom of Israel, the nation made Lo-Ammi, not My people.

In Romans 9:24b-26, again justifying Yahweh’s mercy to Ephraim, Paul declares that Yahweh is not only calling a people for His name out of the Jews (Judah),

but out of the nations also. As He is saying in Hosea also:

I shall be calling those who are not My people

        “My people,”

And she who is not beloved “Beloved,”

“And it shall be, in the place where it was declared

        to them, ‘Not My people are you,’”

There they shall be called “sons of the living God.” (CV)

He quotes Hosea who is referring to Israel , the Northern Kingdom, to show that Yahweh’s calling for Himself a people from among the nations is the fulfillment of Hosea 1:10-11 and 2:23. Yahweh is not calling the nations; He is calling a people “out of the nations.” He is calling an elect group of uncircumcised people together with an elect group of circumcised people to make up one people for His name, one nation, the Born-From-Above Israel of Yahweh joined to Him in the bonds of the New Covenant. This is the meaning of Hosea 1:11 (CV):

And the sons of Judah and the sons of Israel shall be convened together. And they shall place one head over them, and they shall go up from the land, For great is the day of Jezreel [sowing].

Thus, Yahweh finalizes the sending of His mercy to Ephraim by commissioning Paul with the Gospel of the Uncircumcision.

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Ephraim as Backsliding Daughter and Virgin Bride

Jeremiah now changes his use of analogy. Ephraim had been depicted as a wayward and repenting son. Jeremiah continues by depicting Ephraim as a “backsliding daughter” (Jer. 31:22 KJV) who has been cleansed and transformed into a “virgin” (v. 21). The received mercy sent to Ephraim cleanses her covenantally. She is now considered a “virgin,” a pure woman presentable for marriage. She had died to the Mosaic Covenant and been resurrected to a new covenant relationship with Yahweh. She is to follow the new guideposts or highway marks on the highway returning her to Yahweh. She is to set her heart on Yahweh’s Law as revitalized under the instruction of New Covenant exposition (Jer. 31:21).

Ephraim had been a “backsliding daughter.” But that had now changed. Yahweh had created a “new thing” (Jer. 31:22 KJV) in the land to which she is returning. This new thing is the New Covenant consecrated with the shed blood of Jesus the Christ. This New Covenant had turned Yahweh’s mercy back to Ephraim, opening the highway back to Yahweh’s loving presence.

As a result, “A woman shall compass [embrace] a man” (Jer. 31:22 KJV). Ephraim, now called “O virgin of Israel by Yahweh (Jer. 31:21 KJV), returns to Yahweh in the sincere and pure affection of a woman overwhelmingly grateful to a loving husband graciously, generously beseeching her return. In the past, she had continually resisted His loving embrace, finally yielding to infidelity. She had been given a bill of divorce. Her new lovers had been abusive and unfaithful. Her daughters were now returning to their (Page 307) kindhearted and faithful Father, prepared with open arms affectionately committed to embrace their Father with all their heart, soul, and intensity (Deut. 6:5 CV).

The daughters of Ephraim, together with the daughters of Judah , would, as one new virgin bride, embrace in covenantal marriage the Only-Begotten Son of Yahweh her Elohim. Yahweh had graciously taken her back from the unclean and foreign sojourn among the nations, cleansed her, prepared her, and presented her as a spotless virgin to His Son—a woman of quality, suited to become the Bride of the royal and spotless Lamb of Yahweh. This is what Jeremiah refers to when he records,

And I [Yahweh] will cause the captivity of Judah and the captivity of Israel to return, and will build them, as at the first. And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity, whereby they have sinned against me; and I will pardon all their iniquities, whereby they have sinned, and whereby they have transgressed against me. (Jeremiah 33:7-8 KJV)

Jeremiah refers here to the generation of the daughters of Judah and Israel contemporary with Jesus the Christ. These daughters had been made blind to and ignorant of the way of Yahweh revealed in the Hebrew Scriptures. This was due to the sins and transgressions of prior generations. Darkness enveloped both circumcised Judah in the land along with her daughters among the nations and uncircumcised, Lo-Ammi Israel absorbed into the nations.

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The New Covenant

Just how Yahweh would accomplish this cleansing, this purifying, is the subject of Jeremiah 31:31-34. Yahweh reveals He intends to make a new covenant. This covenant will be made with the house of Judah and the house of Israel . Thus, it is neither made with the nations nor with humanity as a race.

Behold, the days come, saith the Lord [Yahweh], that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel , and with the house of Judah . (Jeremiah 31:31 KJV)

This new covenant is new only in relation to the previous, old, Mosaic Covenant made with Israel at Sinai: “not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers, in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was a husband unto them, saith the Lord (Jer. 31:32 KJV). The Sinatic Covenant is metaphorically a contract of marriage between Yahweh and Israel . The breaking of the terms of this covenant by Israel necessitates a new covenant if the marital relationship is to be consummated. For Israel had immediately prostituted herself at Sinai, committing covenantal adultery by making herself a golden image of a calf and bowing down in worship before this man-made image.

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The Unconsummated Marriage—The Old Creation

The marriage, metaphorically, is not consummated. Moses, returning from the presence of Yahweh on the heights of Mount Sinai where the contract had been written in stone with the finger of Yahweh, casts the stone tablets of the covenant from his hands, breaking the tablets in pieces. He intercedes on Israel ’s behalf. Yahweh accepts his intercession, agreeing not to put Israel away by giving her a bill of divorcement. He renews the covenant, but does not consummate the marriage.

Israel will live with Yahweh and be blessed if she obeys the laws of His renewed covenant. However, the Sinatic Covenant now becomes a covenant characterized by death. Israel will be allowed to live in Yahweh’s presence for the remainder of the Mosaic Eon , during which she would covenantally age and ultimately meet her covenantal death. The marital relationship associated with the Sinatic Covenant would never be consummated. This relationship would only be consummated upon the establishment of a new covenant, a new contract of marriage to a resurrected Israel . As a process, this covenantal death began at Sinai with the worship of the golden calf, reaching its conclusion (sunteleias) and consummation (telos) from the time of the crucifixion of Jesus the Christ to the conflagration of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 a.d. During this period, Yahweh establishes a new covenant based upon the death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ. Jesus’ shed blood represents the means by which Yahweh is to metaphorically cleanse and purify His new people in the process of covenantal death and resurrection (Romans, chapter 6) taking place during these last days of the Mosaic Eon (30-70 a.d.).

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The Consummated Marriage—The New Creation

With the victory of Christ and His Bride over the enemies of Yahweh, Christ leads His Bride to her place with Him in the Celestial Realm. Together, Christ and His Bride consummate their metaphorical marriage, the two becoming THE Body, the two becoming covenantally one new creation. The Body of Christ, consisting of Christ and His Ecclesia, being perfected by physical resurrection/metamorphosis, completes its covenantal resurrection in Christ, making it the Israel of Yahweh.

In the Celestial Realm, the New Covenant marriage between Yahweh and Israel is now metaphorically consummated, completing Yahweh’s creation of a new heavens and earth. Yahweh, through the Born-From-Above Israel, activates the new creation which begins to generate a second humanity headed up by the Second Man, Christ Jesus, the Celestial Man. He is the Archetype Man exemplifying what every individual human being will become when the process of this spiritual generation (begetting, birthing) is completed. Of course, all of the preceding description is metaphorical description, describing in metaphorical and analogical language an historical reality associated with another dimension of cosmic law and life. We, in the twenty-first century, are too well aware of the enormous progress already accomplished by the development of this process begun as a result of the accomplishment of Yahweh and His Christ.

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The Covenant Written on the Heart—The Indwelling Spirit

Unlike the old, Sinatic Covenant written on stone tablets, the New Davidic Covenant is to be written upon the heart of each member of the covenantal community: “I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; . . .” (Jer. 31:33 KJV). The Law of Yahweh would no longer be an objective code of rules which each individual member of the covenantal community had to write upon his own heart and decipher in relation to all circumstances demanding judgment. Under the New Covenant, Yahweh’s Law would be a subjective code written upon the heart by the spirit of Yahweh.

This subjective law written upon the heart becomes a mirror allowing each individual to perceive each situation through the eyes of Yahweh. Thus, each individual is enabled, empowered, to apply Yahweh’s written, objective law to each situation, subjectively producing a righteous judgment resulting in a righteous response, both mentally and behaviorally. Under such a condition, such a man begins to learn how to skillfully use good and evil to produce righteous, just, results in all the circumstances of daily life.

The advantage of the members of the faithful community in Christ (the Ecclesia of Christ, the Born-From-Above Israel, of the Greek Scriptures, the faithful seed of Abraham now residing in the Celestial Realm) over men and women today resides in the fact that the spirit of Yahweh dwelt within each member of Christ’s Ecclesia. The spirit, power, energy of Yahweh allowed them to participate in the resurrection life of the Christ, while still in the mortal body under the affect of The Law of Sin and Death activated by Adam and passed down genetically to every human generated in association with Adam’s sperm. Romans, chapters 6-8, cannot be understood without an awareness and an understanding of this Law of Sin and Death associated with the original offense, deviation, of Adam and residing, dwelling, within the members of the mortal body of Adamic man (thus, a genetic law containing and administering an encoded message of biological death and psychological illusion).

Being empowered by this covenantal spirit, each individual began an internship during which he became trained, experienced, in the use and application of this new mind in Christ: “Put off . . . the old humanity which is corrupted in accord with its seductive desires, . . . be rejuvenated in the spirit of your mind . . . to put on the new humanity . . . created in righteousness” (Eph. 4:22-24 CV). The only requirement was faithfulness to the end, either of one’s life or the Mosaic Eon . This New Covenant could not be broken because it was made between Yahweh and His Christ. In Christ was the life of the New Covenant. Outside of Christ was the death of the old Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant. To remain in Christ, one simply had to remain faithful to Christ to the end. To abandon, leave, apostatize from the Christ, meant choosing to return, for whatever reason, to the old Mosaic Covenant for life.

Thus, faithfulness was not a gift from Yahweh. The salvation, the life of the New Covenant was Yahweh’s gift. Its only condition was coming into and remaining in Christ:

For to the interest of this grace [Yahweh’s favor in Christ], through faith, are you saved [out from the death of the old covenant into the life of the New Covenant], and this [salvation, not faith] is not out of you [your works, deeds]; but out of the faithfulness of Christ. It is God’s gift [by which one is allowed to approach the presence of God and remain in that presence], not out of works [of the objective Mosaic Law], lest anyone should be boasting. For His achievement [new creation] are we [the faithful ones of that generation] being created in Christ Jesus for good works [the fulfilling of the subjective Law of Yahweh (Page 309) produced by the active power of Yahweh’s spirit dwelling within], which God made ready beforehand, in order that we [not us today] should be walking in them. (Ephesians 2:8-10 my translation)

Thus, the one condition required is faith—faith in the Gospel of Christ (the key allowing entrance into Christ) and faithfulness to Christ to the end (the key allowing entrance into the Kingdom of God).

Walking in the spiritual fulfillment of the subjective Law of Yahweh written upon the heart is participating in the resurrection life of Christ in accord with the power of “The Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus.” This law supersedes, overpowers, overwhelms “The Law of Sin and Death,” thus freeing the faithful one in Christ to worship and serve the Law of Yahweh rather than worship and serve the Law of Sin dwelling in the members of the mortal body (see Rom. 8:1-4, 21-23; 6:12-14). Again, the foregoing applied only to the faithful ones who were contemporaries with Christ and His Apostles.

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The Priesthood of Christ, the Aaronic Priesthood, and Jeremiah 31:31-34

The writer of Hebrews, contrasting the Chief Priesthood of Christ with the Aaronic Priesthood, states concerning the Aaronic Priesthood, “there being those who offer approach presents according to the law who, by an example and shadow, are offering the divine service of the celestials, . . .” (Heb. 8:4b-5a CV). The Aaronic Priesthood offered the divine service of the terrestrial realm according to the copy of the celestial model. Concerning Christ, however, the writer of Hebrews exclaims, “Yet now He has happened upon a more excellent ministry, in as much as He is the Mediator, also, of a better covenant, which has been instituted on better promises. For if that first one [the Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant] were unblamable, no place would have been sought for a second” (Heb. 8:6-7 CV). He then quotes Jeremiah 31:31-34, the passage in Jeremiah under present consideration.

The purpose of the writer of Hebrews in quoting Jeremiah 31:31-34 is to establish the necessity of a second covenant. From his perspective, the old Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant is inferior, requiring a second and better covenant. Christ is the Mediator of a second, a better covenant. Jeremiah prophesied that Yahweh would make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah . The writer of Hebrews concludes that the second and better covenant mediated by the Christ is the fulfillment of Jeremiah’s new covenant. He goes on to write, “In saying ‘new,’ He [Yahweh] has made the former [Sinatic/Mosaic] old. Now that which is growing old and decrepit [metaphorically, covenantally] is near its disappearance” (Heb. 8:13 CV).

The new covenant of Jeremiah, according to the writer of Hebrews, has already arrived. It has already been put into effect. It is presently operating, replacing the old Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant presently growing old and decrepit (metaphorically, covenantally in the days of its conclusion) and nearing its disappearance (metaphoric, covenantal consummation, death, telos, end). Paul and Timothy, as well as others, were ministers of this New Covenant. Paul refers to himself and Timothy as “dispensers of a new covenant” (2 Cor. 3:6a CV). The old Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant passed away in 70 a.d. It will never be resurrected. It was inferior and temporal. It is a thing only of the past. The New Covenant mediated by Christ was a better covenant having better promises. It administered eonian life during the last days of the Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant. It administered better promises experienced by the Ecclesia of Christ while still in this terrestrial realm. It fulfilled the ultimate promise, making a reality the promise of celestial life in the celestial city “whose Artificer and Architect is God [Yahweh] (Heb. 11:10b).

The Consummation of the New Covenant

The New Covenant has completed its terrestrial purpose. There is no further need for another covenant with Israel and Judah . The New Covenant in Christ successfully accomplished the purpose for which Yahweh created it. The metaphorical marriage between Yahweh and Israel has been consummated, and the relationship continues in the Celestial Realm, bearing a vital affect over the historical progress of the second (Jesuic) humanity given authority in the terrestrial realm and made responsible for its spiritual development. The goal of this Second (Jesuic) Humanity is conformity to its individual Archetype (Jesus the Son of Yahweh) and its social Archetype (the Celestial Community of Saints, the Celestial Jerusalem).

In the days of Jesus and His Apostles, the new covenant of Jeremiah 31:31-34 arrived in Judea and began to be administered by Christ and His Apostles. The iniquity of Israel (her treacherous heart of unbelief) was replaced with a heart upon which was written the Law of Yahweh. The sins of Judah (her blindness and ignorance resulting in her service of The Adversary, representing the rebellious Cain who arrogantly murdered his righteous brother) were eradicated, no more to be found, being superseded by new spiritual eyesight and knowledge. Thus, at that time, Jeremiah 50:20 was fulfilled:

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In those days, and in that time, saith the Lord [Yahweh], the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah , and they shall not be found: for I will pardon them whom I reserve. (KJV)

Clearly, this is the significance of Peter’s exhortation: “Repent and be baptized each of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the pardon of your sins, . . . For to you is the promise and to your children, and to all those afar, whosoever the Lord our God should be calling to Him” (Acts 2:38-39 CV). Peter concludes, “Be saved from this crooked generation!” (Acts 2:40b CV). The text then records, “there were added in that day about three thousand souls” (Acts 2:41b CV). The word of Yahweh’s salvation did not fail “in those days.” The word of Yahweh’s salvation succeeded in its purpose “in that time.”

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The Message of Ezekiel and the Greek Scriptures

Ezekiel, unlike Jeremiah, is taken captive and carried away to Babylon during the deportation of King Jehoiachin, the royal nobility serving him, a numerous company of priests, and the artisan and aristocratic population of Judah and Jerusalem. This deportation had been preceded by that of a number of Judean youths of noble birth and royal blood, among whom was Daniel. In the fifth year of his banishment, Ezekiel is commissioned by Yahweh to perform the role of prophet among Yahweh’s exiles. Thus, these exiles of Judea are not considered Lo-Ammi by Yahweh their Elohim. These captives would be permitted to order their own affairs, choosing elders from among themselves and continuing the worship of Yahweh their Elohim though limited by the new conditions necessitating viable adaptations. In addition, Yahweh’s word would be given through His prophet Ezekiel. At the time of Ezekiel’s deportation, Jerusalem and the Temple had not yet been destroyed. Ezekiel would be given prophetic visions indicating the progression of abominable events and practices in Jerusalem and the Temple requiring the departure of the glory of Yahweh’s presence. These visions are significant for the understanding of Daniel’s later use of the term “abomination of desolation.”

Ezekiel, thus, is given the prophetic task of declaring the coming devastation of Jerusalem. What Jeremiah declared within the land, Ezekiel declares among the exiles in Babylon. Judah is to be judged and removed from the land. However, like Jeremiah, Ezekiel is also given a message of hope. In agreement with Jeremiah, Ezekiel assures his people of their return to the land and ultimate salvation under the terms of a new covenant.

In chapters 8 to 11 of Ezekiel, the prophet is taken “in the visions of Elohim” (8:3 KJV modified) to Jerusalem and to the northern gate of the inner court of the Temple. There he is made to see “the seat of the image of jealousy” (8:3b KJV). In Yahweh’s Temple, His people had set up an image of a heathen idol, a direct breach of Exodus 20:5. This was not new, since Manasseh had previously placed “a graven image of the grove” (2 Kings 21:7 KJV) in the House of Yahweh.

The reformation under King Josiah had removed all such impurity from the Temple of Yahweh, but after his death, his son Eliakim was placed on his throne by Neco, Pharaoh of Egypt, who changed his name to Jehoiakim. This son of Josiah returned to the idolatrous, religious syncretism of Manasseh. Without rescinding the terms of the covenant pledged by his father Josiah, consisting of strict prohibitions against the worship of alien gods, he encouraged in actual practice the return of idolatrous cults. While clothing themselves in the mantle of faithfulness to the covenant of Yahweh, the people engaged in covenantal prostitution as a result of practicing the idolatrous customs of alien gods.

This idolatrous image (Ezk. 8:3b KJV) provokes the jealousy of Yahweh. Ezekiel, beholding this abomination, notes also that “the glory of the God of Israel was there” (8:4). The pollution, however, is in the process of necessitating the withdrawal of the glory of Yahweh’s presence from the Temple. According to the Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant, such a breach of contract on the part of Israel demanded the implementation of the covenantal curse. Now, there is to be no possibility of intercession, as made clear to Jeremiah: “Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee” (Jer. 7:16 KJV). This command to Jeremiah is repeated by Yahweh two more times (see Jer. 11:14; 14:11). Moses was permitted to intercede for Israel . Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the prophets contemporaneous with them are forbidden to intercede. There is no turning back of judgment. There would be no covenantal intercession of the caliber of Moses until the covenantal intercession of the future High Priest after the order of Melchizedek, Jesus the Messiah, mediator of a new covenant (Heb. 7:11-22; 8:6).

Since an idolatrous image of Baal or Asherah had been erected in the Temple of Yahweh, the implication is that these idolatrous images had been also set up throughout the kingdom of Judah, as was (Page 311) previously the case with the Northern Kingdom. Yahweh now tells Ezekiel that there are even “greater abominations” to be found among His people, “He said furthermore unto me, Son of man, seest thou what they do? even the great abominations that the house of Israel [the Southern Kingdom of Judah] committeth here, that I should go far off from my sanctuary? but turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations” (Ezk. 8:6 KJV).

Ezekiel is then introduced in vision to another abomination even greater than the previous ones: “So I went in and saw; and behold every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, portrayed upon the wall round about” (Ezk. 8:10 KJV). In this tomb-like chamber, the walls are a decorated mural depicting images of creatures associated with the idolatrous worship system of the nations, especially the mortuary deities of the Egyptians featured in their tombs and their temples. The “idols of the house of Israel may refer to the anthropomorphic deities of Canaan as appropriated by Apostate Israel. Yahweh has been assimilated into the cultic customs of the nations surrounding Israel .

In this secret chamber, Ezekiel also beholds 70 elders of the house of Israel offering up incense. He even recognizes in this vision Jaazaniah son of Shaphan, whom he knew personally. The vision is a shock to Ezekiel. He had not been aware of such secret, disguised, corrupt worship of Yahweh. The vision reveals to Ezekiel, to the elders of Judah that sat before him during this prophetic experience, and to the reader of the written text the depths to which Yahweh’s people in the Southern Kingdom of Judah had descended in their assimilation of Yahweh into the idolatrous customs of the nations.

Yahweh then explains to Ezekiel, “Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The Lord [Yahweh] seeth us not; the Lord hath forsaken the earth [the land of Judah] (8:12 KJV). The influential religious leaders of the people are represented as emulating the cultic practices of the nations associated with the descending of Astarte into Sheol to wake Tammuz from the sleep of death. Like Astarte, the purpose of these Israelite religious leaders is to bring up Yahweh their elohim from the dead. Yahweh has forsaken them. “The Lord seeth us not; the Lord hath forsaken us” is an explanation of the present distress in which the people of Yahweh are living. Yahweh is asleep; Yahweh is dead. He must be awakened from sleep or death in order to come to their aid. Yahweh, thus, becomes one of many nature gods. He is no longer the Creator and Overseer of all nature. He is a capricious god who must be manipulated by cultic practices in order to persuade him to relieve their current distress. What these religious leaders are performing in the dark of night, the people as a whole are practicing throughout the land, a syncretistic worship of Yahweh.

The abominations continue to pile up and increase the defilement. Yahweh again says to Ezekiel, “Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations that they do” (Ezk. 8:13 KJV). What does he behold this time? At the northern gate of the Temple, he sees a group of seated woman weeping for Tammuz (Ezk. 8:14). This abomination is worse than the preceding ones in that Ezekiel has moved from the forecourt to the wall of the court inside which stood before Yahweh’s sanctuary, the Temple proper. Beginning with “the image of jealousy” located at the forecourt of the total Temple complex, Ezekiel is maneuvered closer to the inner court of the Temple with each abominable vision. The “image of jealousy” is associated with the image of the Asherah. This peculiar Asherah, a fertility goddess, is to be identified with Ashtarte, the female counterpart of the male fertility god Tammuz. The present vision is now associated with that male fertility god, Tammuz, and has placed Ezekiel before the Temple proper. The weeping for Tammuz indicates how the worship of Yahweh is mingled with the worship of a foreign god. Confidence in Yahweh the Elohim of Moses, Joshua, David, and Solomon is now depleted. No longer is Yahweh alone trusted to control the fertility of the land. The mystery of life and fertility is no longer dominated by the covenantal Elohim of Israel Who they believed had forsaken or forgotten them. In their eyes, they see themselves as faithful to Yahweh’s covenant. It is Yahweh Who is unfaithful to His covenant obligations. Therefore, they need to awaken him, or another deity, from sleep, from forgetfulness, in order to motivate him, or the other deity, to renew his commitment to his covenantal obligation. This they are seeking to accomplish through the cultic ceremonies, customs, and magical rites of the nations around them.

Yahweh speaks again to Ezekiel, “Hast thou seen this, O son of man? turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations than these” (8:15 KJV). Ezekiel is then taken to the inner court of the priests, between the porch of the Temple and the altar of burnt offering, thus, the most holy place in the inner court where only the priests are permitted. He sees 25 men with their backs toward the Holy of Holies where the glory of Yahweh’s presence dwells. They are facing the sun, worshiping it as it rises in the east. The 25 men represent the Aaronic Priesthood. Twenty four of these men represent the chiefs of the 24 divisions of the Aaronic Priesthood established by David (1 Chr. 24:1-31). The 25th man represents the (Page 312) High Priest as their head. The entire priesthood is thus represented in these 25 men, or priests, who are involved in astrological worship.

They have turned their backs to Yahweh, indicating their departure from the terms and conditions of covenantal cultic worship and service of Yahweh. Such idolatrous worship on the part of the priests existed previously under the kings of Judah , until the time of King Josiah’s reformation. This righteous king “put down the idolatrous priests, whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places in the cities of Judah, and in the places round about Jerusalem; them also that burned incense unto Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the planets, and to all the host of heaven” (2 Kings 23:5 KJV).

This astrological worship was forbidden by Moses:

Guard yourselves lest you should lift up your eyes toward the heavens, and you see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the hosts of the heavens, and be induced to bow yourself down to them and serve them, which Yahweh your Elohim has appointed to all other peoples beneath the entire heavens. (Deuteronomy 4:19 CV)

Under King Zedekiah, the last king of Judah , it is written,

he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord [Yahweh] his God [Elohim], and humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet . . . and hardened his heart from turning unto the Lord God of Israel . Moreover all the chief of the priests, and the people, transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen; and polluted the house of the Lord which he had hallowed in Jerusalem. (2 Chronicles 36:12-14 KJV)

“The abomination of desolation” spoken of by Daniel refers to the pollution of the House of Yahweh. Such also is the subject of the section in Ezekiel under consideration (Ezekiel, chapters 8-11). The pollution of the Temple of Yahweh reflects the pollution of the entire kingdom of Judah. This pollution is the cause of the departure of the glory of Yahweh’s presence described in Ezekiel, chapters 8-11.

The abominations of the house of Judah result in a spread of social, economic, political, and cultic violence throughout the land (Ezk. 8:17). This syncretistic worship puts “the branch to My nose” (8:17b Heb. MT). The branch referred to here is associated with the cultic worship of Tammuz. Holding the branch to Yahweh’s nose meant practicing the cultic rites associated with Tammuz as a means of revitalizing the covenantally dead Yahweh through the inhaling of the life-giving powers of the branch associated with the immortality of Tammuz. The consequence of this covenantal prostitution and adultery is the arousal of Yahweh’s anger: “Therefore will I also deal in fury: mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them” (Ezk. 8:18 KJV). Judgment would not be averted.

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The Departure of the Glory of Yahweh

Chapters 9-11 of Ezekiel depict the progressive movement of the departure of the glory of Yahweh and the divine orchestration of the celestial ministers commissioned by Yahweh to carry out metaphysically His judgment upon Israel through His terrestrial instrument, the Chaldeans (Ezk. 9:1-2). However, before the judgment is inflicted and before the glory of Yahweh completely departs, Yahweh commissions the chief of His celestial ministers to set a mark upon the foreheads of those of His people who “sigh and that cry for [because of] all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof” (Ezk. 9:4b KJV).

These are the members of the faithful remnant who had experienced and agonized over the national apostasy without being able to avert it. Yahweh’s judgment is always righteous, just. He would now display His flawless justice even in the course of displaying His just act of retribution upon the faithlessly rebellious among His elect nation. The righteous would be protected from the harm of Yahweh’s indignation in accord with His covenantal faithfulness. This same imagery is used in the Book of Revelation in association with Yahweh’s final indignation upon the unfaithful of the elect nation and His protective seal upon the forehead of the faithful among the elect nation (see Rev. 7:3; 9:4; 14:1; 22:4).

The glory of Yahweh is now seen by Ezekiel removing first to “the threshold of the house” (9:3), then back over the cherubim (10:18), onward to the door of the east gate (10:19), and finally, “the glory of the Lord [Yahweh] went up from the midst of the city, and stood upon the mountain which is on the east side of the city” (11:23 KJV). The glory of Yahweh departs from the Temple in Jerusalem even as it had departed from the Tabernacle in Shiloh (1 Sam. 4:21-22).

The Temple in Jerusalem would be rebuilt during the time of Israel ’s return from Babylonian captivity. However, the glory of Yahweh did not at that time return. It was never to return to the Temple made with hands. It did return only with the coming of Jesus the Messiah, the Son of Abraham, Son of (Page 313) David, Son of Yahweh: “And the Word became flesh and tabernacles among us, and we gaze at His glory, a glory as of an only-begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (Jn. 1:14 CV). That glory which had descended upon Jesus, later descended again, filling and inhabiting the Ecclesia of Jesus the Messiah, His spiritual House, His spiritual Body (1 Cor. 3:9b, 16-17; Eph. 1:15-23; 3:14-19; Rom. 8:18; 9:23; 15:7; 1 Pe. 4:14).

With the arrival of Jesus, the glory of Yahweh dwells within the body of Jesus. When the Jews ask Jesus for a sign of His authority, He responds, “Raze this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (Jn. 2:19b CV). John explains, “Yet He said it concerning the temple of His body” (Jn. 2:21 CV). The Jews think Jesus is referring to the Temple in Jerusalem. Jesus knows better. The glory of Yahweh resides not in that Temple made with hands, but within that Temple not made with hands. The Jews would raze this Temple, but the spirit of the glory of Yahweh within would rouse Jesus, empowering Him to raise it up (lit., stand it up).

Toward the end of His ministry, Jesus, coming out of the sanctuary (thus, the glory of Yahweh in Jesus departing for the last time from the vicinity of the Temple made with hands), in response to the admiration of the buildings of the sanctuary expressed by His disciples, declares, “Are you not observing all these? Verily, I am saying to you, Under no circumstances may a stone here be left on a stone, which shall not be demolished” (Matt. 24:2 CV). The Jews would demolish, tear down, destroy the body of Jesus, Yahweh’s Temple not made with hands which Yahweh would rouse and Jesus would raise; but, Yahweh, through Jesus as the conquering Davidic King, would demolish, tear down, destroy, the old covenantal body of the Jew, Israel’s Temple made with hands, covenantally decreeing its reconstruction to be an endeavor never again necessary.

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Yahweh’s Promise: I Will Gather You

The furious anger of Yahweh’s judgment against the house of Judah disturbs Ezekiel. He exclaims desperately, “Ah Lord GOD! wilt thou make a full end of the remnant of Israel ?” (11:13b KJV). By this he means, will Israel as a national entity (the Southern Kingdom of Judah) be completely terminated? Yahweh encouragingly answers, “Although I have cast them far off among the heathen, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little sanctuary [a sanctuary for a little while, ASV] in the countries where they shall come” (Ezk. 11:16 KJV). Yahweh here refers to the Davidic Kingdom of Judah, not the Jeroboamic Kingdom of Israel which had been declared Lo-Ammi. His presence would go with them for a relatively short period of time (70 years according to Jer. 29:10). Their national identity would not be lost. Their covenantal condition of circumcision would be maintained. Yahweh’s prophets would remain among them. At the end of this short period, Yahweh declares to Ezekiel, “I will even gather you from the people [peoples, ASV], and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel” ( 11:17 KJV). This would be accomplished under Ezra and Nehemiah. But Yahweh continues,

And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: that they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God. (Ezekiel 11:19-20 KJV)

This did not occur under Ezra and Nehemiah.

This promise alludes to the new covenant of Jeremiah 31:31-34. The giving of a new spirit, a new heart, could only occur as a result of the establishment of a new covenant. This new covenant would be established when Yahweh would begin building His new spiritual Temple not made with hands. His glory would only return when this new Temple arrived. Significantly, on the heels of the proclamation of this last promise given in this section of Ezekiel (chapters 8-11) comes the record of the final removal of the glory of Yahweh from the Temple built by Solomon. Thus, the promise of the one heart, the new spirit, the new heart of flesh, would be fulfilled when the glory of Yahweh would return to His Temple.

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The Righteousness of Yahweh: The Soul That Sinneth Shall Die

Yahweh’s judgment had disturbed Ezekiel, but was shown to be just. Israel ’s judgment (conclusion) disturbs Yahweh and is about to be refuted. Yahweh’s judgment of Israel implies the responsibility of each Israelite. Ezekiel is asked by Yahweh, “What mean ye [Judahites], that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge?” (Ezk. 18:2 KJV). Judah as a people accuses Yahweh of condemning the present (Page 314) generation for the sins committed by the previous generations. Judah perceives herself and her children as innocent before Yahweh. She and her children had not sinned against Yahweh’s covenant. She and her children are receiving the harm which should have come upon the sons of earlier generations. Yahweh is thus unjust in His judgment. Yahweh is condemning the just for the sins of the unjust.

Yahweh responds, “ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel (Ezk. 18:3 KJV). The question now is Why? Because, Yahweh answers, “all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezk. 18:4 KJV). Every member of the elect, covenanted nation belongs to Yahweh by contractual agreement. Each soul is required to keep His law. As He is bound to be faithful to His covenantal commitments, so also each Israelite son is bound to be faithful to his covenantal commitments.

But some Judahites may claim it is impossible to keep the requirements of Yahweh’s covenant. If this is the case, Yahweh is proven unjust. Yahweh, however, is vindicated by Moses himself, the very man all Israelite souls venerate as just and holy. Moses declares,

For this instruction that I am enjoining on you today, it is neither too difficult for you, nor is it too far off. It is neither in the heavens for you to say: Who shall ascend to the heavens for us and take it for us and announce it to us that we may obey it? Nor is it across the sea for you to say: Who shall cross across the sea for us and take it for us and announce it to us that we may obey it? For the word is exceedingly near to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to obey it. (Deuteronomy 30:11-14 CV)

Moses declares each Israelite has a choice. To obey Yahweh’s Law is to choose covenantal life with its concrete terrestrial blessings. To choose to disobey is to choose covenantal death with its concrete terrestrial curses.

Moses exhorts, “Now choose life that you may live, you and your seed, . . .” (Deut. 30:19b CV). They had not needed to ascend into the heavens to bring Yahweh’s Law down to earth. Moses himself ascended and descended the heights of Mount Sinai to receive Yahweh’s Law on their behalf. Neither did they have to return to Egypt and slavery to receive this law. This law was a law which freed Israel . It could be kept; it should be kept; it was kept by many, as evidenced by those faithful in Jerusalem upon whose foreheads Yahweh had set a mark protecting them from the harm about to come upon the unfaithful, the disobedient (Ezk. 9:4). Only the soul that had sinned would be condemned by Yahweh.

Yahweh then proceeds to describe the just man. The just man loves Yahweh’s Law and seeks to fulfill its moral requirements; its ceremonial requirements; festival requirements; its social, economic, and political requirements (Ezk. 18:5-9). Justness does not require perfection. The law provided the just means to deal with committed sins. Yahweh always looks at the heart. The soul which writes Yahweh’s Law on its heart is just in Yahweh’s eyes. As long as this law is written on the heart, so long will that soul be counted righteous and not be numbered among the sinning souls.

The father will not be condemned for the sins of his sons. The sons will not be condemned for the sins of their fathers: “The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him” (Ezk. 18:20 KJV).

However, if the wicked soul turns from his sinful ways and returns to obeying the Law of Yahweh, committing himself to lawfulness, he will live (Ezk. 18:21). His transgressions will be forgiven (Ezk. 18:22). In the coming judgment proclaimed by Ezekiel, he will be protected. He will receive the mark of the righteous soul. This called for a new heart, that is, a turning away from lawlessness by writing Yahweh’s Law on one’s heart, and a new spirit, that is, committing oneself to the love of Yahweh’s Law (see Ezk. 18:31). Such a love for Yahweh’s Law written upon the heart is counted by Yahweh as righteousness, such is the man after Yahweh’s own heart. The soul that sins is the lawless soul upon whose heart is not engraven Yahweh’s Law. Such a soul may be camouflaged with an outer cloak resembling righteous behavior, covenantal orthodoxy. Yahweh reads the heart. He recognizes the deceitful heart which is desperately wicked and justly awards each soul according to the ways of its heart and the fruit of its conduct (Jer. 17:9).

Conversely, if the righteous soul turns from his righteous ways to lawlessness, blotting out the Law of Yahweh written in his heart, so as to love lawlessness, so as to love the ways of sinfulness, so as to create in himself a new heart and a new spirit of lawlessness, committing himself to the ways of a deceitful and desperately wicked heart, he will die (Ezk. 18:26). His righteousness will be forgotten, annulled. In the coming judgment proclaimed by Ezekiel, he will be destroyed. His mark of righteousness will be removed.

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But the house of Israel ( Judah ) continues to insist (as many in our own day), “The way of the Lord is not equal” (Ezk. 18:29a KJV). Yahweh is not fair; Yahweh is unjust. Yahweh, however, declares He is fair; He is just, both in word and deed: “O house of Israel , are not my ways equal? are not your ways unequal? . . . I will judge you . . . every one according to his ways . . .” (Ezk. 18:29b-30a KJV). This is neither beyond the understanding of the house of Judah nor beyond the understanding of man in the twenty-first century.

Yahweh holds each man responsible for the ways of his heart and the deeds of his conduct. He condemns no soul on the basis of predestination. He awards no soul on the basis of election. Both the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures testify to this twofold truth. Yahweh’s elect must always demonstrate faithfulness to the end in order to receive the blessings and the promises. To be a member of the elect community does not guarantee the blessings, the promises, or the salvations.

The elect has no choice in becoming a participant in the elect community. That is Yahweh’s choice alone. However, the elect soul does have a choice within that election, that elect community, to faithfully obey Yahweh or unfaithfully disobey Yahweh. His choice will determine his salvation or his condemnation.

Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel , every one according to his ways, saith the Lord God. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin. Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel ? For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye. (Ezekiel 18:30-32 KJV)

Does Yahweh speak the truth here? Do these Israelites actually have the possibility of choosing as here indicated? Yahweh does not lie; Yahweh does not participate in mental gymnastics or theological absurdities; Yahweh is not here speaking ironically. Yahweh means what He says, and what He says is neither mysterious nor beyond our common understanding. The soul that sins, the soul that transgresses, can make itself a new heart and a new spirit. Yahweh does not take pleasure in the death of the dying.

Mankind is not totally depraved according to Yahweh the Elohim of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, David, and Jesus; according to Yahweh the Elohim of the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures. As it is written, “let God be true, but every man a liar, . . .” (Rom. 3:4 KJV); “the judgments of the Lord[Yahweh] are true and righteous altogether” (Ps. 19:9b KJV); “that thou [Yahweh] mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest” (Ps. 51:4b KJV).

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Yahweh’s Salvation: A New Heart and New Spirit

The judgment against Judah also includes a promise of salvation. Yahweh promises to restore the nation to her land. Babylonian captivity is to be temporary (Ezk. 36:24). More than this, Yahweh promises He will

sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. (Ezekiel 36:25-28 KJV)

When would all this take place? Certainly not at her return from Babylon. It is true that at that return she underwent a cleansing under the administration of Ezra. She never again worships and serves the idols of the nations. She never again practices syncretistic worship and service of Yahweh her Elohim. But, then again, at her return from Babylon, she is not given a new heart and a new spirit by Yahweh. Yahweh her Elohim does not put His spirit within her.

Yahweh will give her a new heart and a new spirit only when He offers her a new covenant. This will not take place until Yahweh will

set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; . . . and he shall be their shepherd. . . . And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods. . . . there shall be showers of blessing. (Ezekiel 34:23-26 KJV)

This takes us forward in time to the birth of Jesus the son of David,

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Fear not, Miriam, for you found favor with God. . . . you shall be conceiving and . . . bringing forth a Son, and you shall be calling His name Jesus. He shall be great, and Son of the Most High shall He be called. And the Lord God shall be giving Him the throne of David, His father, and He shall reign over the house of Jacob for the eons. And of His kingdom there shall be no consummation [telos, end]. (Lk. 1:30-33 CV)

This messenger from Yahweh also declares to Joseph, “Joseph, son of David, . . . accept Miriam, your wife, . . . she shall be bringing forth a Son, and you shall be calling His name Jesus, for He shall be saving His people from their sins” (Matt. 1:20-21 CV).

Jesus is the one shepherd. He feeds the sheep of Yahweh. He sheds His blood which becomes the consecrating blood of the New Covenant which Yahweh contracts with Him, the house of Judah , and the house of Israel (the two houses making up together the house of Jacob). Upon His resurrection and ascension, He is seated on the throne of David and begins His reign over the house of Jacob. His kingdom will have no end.

Jesus continues to feed His sheep, appointing His Twelve Apostles to the seats of authority over each of the tribes of Israel (Lk. 22:28-30). His covenant with Yahweh establishes peace between Yahweh and both houses of Jacob, as well as peace between the two houses. He goes forth as a conquering king leading His faithful warriors in spiritual, covenantal battle against His enemies (Rev. 19:11-16), the false shepherds of the Israel according to the flesh, symbolically represented in Ezekiel 34:25 (see above) as “the evil beasts.” His Davidic Kingdom wages war against the Kingdom of The Adversary (Apostate Israel), thus, two nations and two kingdoms become locked in war, “For roused shall be a nation against a nation, and a kingdom against a kingdom . . .” (Matt. 24:7a CV).

His people dwell safely under the covenantal protection of Yahweh and the covenantal promises assured them in relation to the hardships and dangers of warfare. They dwell safely in the wilderness and the woods, symbolically representing the uncleanness and defilement of the earthly Jerusalem, the land of the Israel of The Adversary with its polluted and unsafe cities, the land under the old Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant of death and contention. In this land the Messianic warriors (making up the Born-From-Above Israel ) under the Davidic Warrior-King (Jesus the Messiah) will dwell safely (under the peace of the New Covenant) as they carry out their conquest of Apostate Israel. Jesus, the Davidic Commander-In-Chief, and His warriors wage war with the sword of the Word of Yahweh, the Gospel of the Christ which pours out showers of blessing over the entire spiritual land.

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The Law of Christ

At His kingly inauguration, Jesus the Messiah pours out the spirit of promise from the Father, commencing the operation of the New Covenant, creating in the Ecclesia of Christ Jesus a new heart and a new spirit. The authentic members of this Ecclesia walk in Yahweh’s statutes, keeping His judgments through the enabling power of the Law of Christ, The Law of the Spirit of Life:

Consequently, now, there is no condemnation to those in the sphere of the interest of Christ Jesus. For the Law of the Spirit of The Life in the sphere of the interest of Christ Jesus set me free from The Law of The Sin and The Death. For without power [disabled] is this Law [the Law of The Sin and The Death], in the sphere of the interest of this: it began to be weak through the flesh; God sending His own Son, in the sphere of the interest of a likeness of sinful flesh, and concerning Sin, condemned This Sin in the sphere of the interest of the flesh, in order that the justification of The Law [the Law of The Spirit of The Life in Christ Jesus] might be fulfilled in the sphere of the interest of us, whose interest is not to be walking according to the condition of flesh under The Law of The Sin but according to the condition of spirit under The Law of The Spirit. (Romans 8:1-4 my translation)

For those in Christ Jesus there is no longer any condemnation. A new law operates in the members of each one’s body. Paul names this law “The Law of The Spirit of The Life in Christ Jesus.”

The use of the article before “spirit” and before “life” is significant. Paul is referring to a particular spirit, the spirit of Christ Jesus. This spirit is associated with Christ’s death and resurrection. It is a spirit of power enabling the one in Christ to overcome, nullify, supersede the affect of The Law of Sin and Death operating in the members of one’s mortal body (Rom. 7:23, a different law in my members). This new spirit is the spirit of “The Life.” The Life is the life of the resurrected Christ, the Second Adam. This life is immortal. It cannot be affected by death. This life is an energy, a spirit of power, energizing the mind and the body of the one in Christ, producing a new mind receptive to the input of the mind of Christ (see Phil. 2:5-11). This spirit of this life disables, overcomes, negates the affect of The Law of Sin and Death in (Page 317) relation to the physical members of the body and in relation to this law’s input into the mind of this same body.

This Law of Sin and Death, thus, becomes weakened. Its power is short-circuited, and ultimately disconnected from the members of the body and the mind, freeing the one in Christ to serve God with a reschematized (Phil. 3:21, metaschematizo) body and a renewed mind (see Rom. 12:2; 2 Cor. 4:16). The Law of the Spirit of Life thus counters The Law of Sin and Death which law Paul refers to in Romans 7:23 as “I am observing a different law in my members, warring with the law of my mind, and leading me into captivity to the law of sin [the Sin] which is in my members” (CV).

The law opposing the law of Paul’s mind is in his members. Thus, he cannot be referring to the Mosaic Law, though The Law of Sin and Death does have a relationship to the Mosaic Law. The Law of The Sin and The Death alludes to the sin of Adam (introduced by Paul in Romans 5:12) which had activated within the members of his physical body the principle, the Law of Death which causes the body to break down physically and sin (miss the mark) morally and finally consummate in death. Moses refers to this death as “the common death of all men” (Num. 16:29).

This law is encoded in a gene passed on by the male sperm. Adam was the first male to pass this gene of death on to his progeny. This Law of Sin and Death affects the members of the body through the five senses, the desires of which can be distorted by the influence of this Adamic Law. The mind can also be affected by this law, distorting its thinking process, its calculation, its reasonable, lawful conclusions in relation to the circumstances of daily living. It is this law which creates the deceitful and desperately wicked heart.

In chapter 7 of Romans, Paul presents a picture of mortal, Adamic man before the addition, the reception of The Law of The Spirit of The Life in Christ Jesus: “I am fleshly, having been disposed of [sold] under Sin” (Rom. 7:14b CV). The article precedes the word “sin,” indicating a particular sin, in this case, the “sin” of Adam standing for the principle or law of this sin operating in the mortal body of Adamic mankind. The Adamic man desires to live a flawless life in accord with the laws of Yahweh, in accord with the laws producing life, the laws contributing to the absolute welfare of the individual and the community. But in reality, the Adamic man finds he does not always achieve this goal. He too often misses the mark—sins! This goes against the law of his mind. He desires to produce life, perfection, but consistently falls short, producing imperfection and ultimately experiencing that imperfection in his own physical, common death.

Consequently, Paul declares, “Now if what I am not willing, this I am doing, I am conceding that the law [of Moses] is ideal” (Rom. 7:16 CV). The Law of Moses cannot nullify, cannot eradicate the powerful affect of The Law of Sin and Death activated by Adam and operating effectively in all Adam’s descendants. It can hinder its affects and limit its effects so as to produce a moral life contributing relatively to the welfare of the individual and the community, and, as such, is ideal, is an exceptional target for men under the condition of Adamic slavery to The Law of Sin and Death. This is commonly referred to as civilized life, life conforming to rules which contribute to order and peace, rather than disorder and war.

The Mosaic Law is such a system of order. It is unique in that its Creator, its Author, its Designer is Yahweh Himself. It is not man-made. Israel is the only nation to whom Yahweh gave His law.

Consequently, Israel at Sinai is a national Adam. Israel had recently been created by Yahweh and now stood before Him metaphorically as a new created man. This national man is given Yahweh’s Law, Yahweh’s command. He enters into contract with Yahweh. He agrees to obey Yahweh’s command, and Yahweh agrees to bless him with covenantal life, meaning terrestrial blessings in the affairs of daily living. But the newly created Man, Israel , disobeys Yahweh’s command, activating Yahweh’s anger and The Law of Covenantal Death.

Thus, nationally, the Law of Moses as a system of covenantal life and blessings becomes a system of covenantal death and cursings, a law of sin and death affecting the ability of national Israel to control his body members so as to achieve the goal of covenantal perfection, which is now impossible. This disability necessitates a new covenant, even as the sin of Adam necessitated a new Adam, a Second Adam, activating a new law (The Law of The Spirit of The Life in Christ Jesus) and initiating a new history. This new history would no longer be headed up by and characterized as Adam (sin, death). It would be headed up by and characterized as Christ Jesus (righteousness, life).

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The Valley of the Dry Bones

Ezekiel’s vision of the valley of dry bones also pertains to the subject of the New Covenant and the healing of the breach between Israel and Judah . Ezekiel is told by Yahweh, “these bones are the whole house of Israel . . .” (Ezk. 37:11a KJV). By the whole house is meant the house of Israel and the house of Judah . The house of Israel had already been violently destroyed and, at the time of this vision, the house of Judah had been violently destroyed. Both houses were scattered among the nations and, thus, figuratively dead, covenantally dead. Yahweh’s presence remained with the house of Judah in that His prophets remained among them. However, the glory of Yahweh is no longer in the midst of His people. The glory of Yahweh in the Temple built by Solomon had signified the spirit energizing the corporate, covenantal life of the nation. That glory had been forfeited in the past at Shiloh (Ichabod, the glory has departed from Israel , 1 Sam. 4:21-22) due to unfaithfulness.

Yahweh’s presence continued to direct Israel ’s history after Shiloh, but the loss of His glory represented the nation’s condition of covenantal death. Covenantal life was restored to the nation as the result of the Temple prepared for by David and constructed by Solomon. At that time, the glory of Yahweh had returned and had filled the Temple. Israel had been covenantally revived as a corporate man standing up in the midst of the nations on behalf of Yahweh his Elohim.

The vision of the valley of the dry bones pictures, once again, the nation’s covenantal condition of death. In this condition, the nation says in its heart, “Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are [completely, NASB] cut off for our parts” (Ezk. 37:11b KJV). That is, because they are cut off from the covenantal land of the living (covenantally dead because of the withdrawal of the breath of life represented by the presence of the glory of Yahweh), their hope of rising as a nation has vanished. The vision is given to Ezekiel in order to restore that hope. Yahweh promises to revive, vivify the nation a third and final time (the first at Sinai as a result of Moses’ intercession; the second in Jerusalem with the construction of the Temple by David and Solomon). This final revival will be unique because it will consist of a vivification caused by The Law of The Spirit of The Life in Christ Jesus breathed into the nostrils of the nation by Yahweh. This new life is immortal life. It cannot be affected by death. It is the life of a new covenant.

In the vision, Ezekiel is shown a valley full of bones. Ezekiel is commanded to “Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord[Yahweh]” (37:4 KJV). Obeying Yahweh, he prophesizes: “So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone” (Ezk. 37:7 KJV). He continues watching as sinews and flesh come upon the bones followed by an enveloping of skin. The process ends with the formation of an enormous assembly of completely embodied men.

However, one thing is lacking. These bodies have no spirit: “there was no breath in them” (Ezk. 37:8b KJV). Yahweh then commands Ezekiel to “Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord God; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live” (Ezk. 37:9 KJV). Ezekiel obeys, and the breath of life comes into these dead bodies, vivifying them with the energy of life enabling them to stand upon their feet, resulting in “an exceeding great army” (Ezk. 37:10 KJV).

Yahweh then commands Ezekiel to prophesy to His people in captivity. This prophecy is intended to explain the meaning of this vision, “Therefore prophesy and say unto them [the captives in Babylon], Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel” (Ezk. 37:12 KJV). The language and imagery is figurative. Yahweh is not speaking of a physical resurrection of the dead from their graves. The bones represent the whole house of Israel (the house of Judah and the Lo-Ammi house of Israel ). So, the nation is covenantally dead, the glory of Yahweh having departed. Yahweh will resurrect the members of the nation from their covenantal graves.

How will He do this? First, by reforming them in accord with the Mosaic Covenant. This is represented in the vision by the dry bones being fleshed out with physical substance, forming complete human bodies. This is an allusion to Genesis 2:7a: “And forming is Ieue Alueim [Yahweh Elohim] the human [the man, Adam] of the soil from the ground, . . .” (CV). The human at this point is biologically a living organism. He is complete. He has a head with two eyes, two ears, and a nose. He has two arms and two legs and a torso. He is flesh and blood. He lacks only one thing, consciousness. He lacks the spirit of life. This Yahweh finally gives him, “and He is blowing [breathing] into his nostrils the breath of the living, and becoming is the human a living soul” (Gen. 2:7b CV).

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Israel , likened to Adam, is (in this vision) first restored to the covenantal life of the Mosaic Covenant. This life, by analogy, is likened to the state of Adam before receiving the breath, the spirit of life. The covenantal life of the Mosaic Covenant is inferior to the covenantal life of the New Covenant, as the biologically alive Adam is inferior to the consciously living Adam. The life of the Mosaic Covenant is static relative to the dynamic life of the New Covenant.

It is this text in Ezekiel which Jesus alludes to when talking with Nicodemus. The conversation is recorded in the Gospel of John. Jesus tells Nicodemus that every Israelite needs to be “begotten anew” (Jn. 3:3 CV), that is, generated anew, or, from above. Nicodemus is bewildered. He does not understand. Jesus explains, “If anyone should not be begotten of water and of spirit, he can not be entering into the kingdom of God. . . . You should not be marveling that I said to you, 'You [all of you, plural] must be begotten anew.'” (Jn. 3:5b-7 CV).

Nicodemus is still puzzled; he asks, “How can these things be?” (Jn. 3:9b CV). Jesus answers,

You are a teacher of Israel , and these things you do not know? . . . I am saying to you that of that which we [John and Jesus as Israelites] have perceived are we speaking, and to that which we have seen [staring at or considering something intently] are we testifying, and our testimony you [plural, all of you] are not getting [receiving, understanding]. If I told you [singular, Nicodemus] of the terrestrial and you are not believing, how shall you be believing if I should be telling you of the celestial? (John 3:10-12 CV)

Nicodemus should have understood the words, the teaching of Jesus. The teaching came out of the very scriptures Nicodemus as a teacher of Israel should have been familiar with. Nicodemus had not perceived because he had not stared into or considered intently and unbiasedly the holy scriptures of Israel .

Nicodemus is blind as a result of the historical development of Israel in its covenantal condition of death. Jesus spoke to him of terrestrial things. Being begotten or generated anew had to do with the prophecies of the prophets. Such generation would take place in the terrestrial realm, though ultimately leading into the Celestial Realm. Jesus had not yet taught concerning the celestial things or Celestial Realm. Nicodemus should have considered more carefully Ezekiel’s vision of the valley of the dry bones. If he had done so, he would have understood that every Israelite had to first be restored to the life of the Mosaic Covenant (flesh and skin over the bones) before being eligible for the vivifying power of the life of the New Covenant (the breathing into the old covenant body the breath of life of the New Covenant).

John and Jesus came proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, the good news relating to the Kingdom of God. They each proclaimed “repent and be baptized.” To be baptized with water repenting of one’s covenantal condition restored the Israelite to a right covenantal relationship with Yahweh, thus covenantally restoring him to covenantal (flesh and skin over the bones) life. John the Baptist explains, “For I, indeed, am baptizing you in water for repentance, yet He Who is coming after me . . . will be baptizing you in holy spirit and fire, . . .” (Matt. 3:11 CV). John the Baptist comes baptizing in order that Jesus might be manifested to Israel (Jn. 1:31). He thus ministers with the authority of Jesus the Messiah, an authority extended to him by Yahweh.

John is named by Yahweh. His name in Hebrew means Yahweh is gracious. He is authorized by Yahweh to graciously restore repenting Israelites to their covenantal rights as children of Yahweh: “Yet whoever obtained him [the Baptist], to them he gave the right to become children of God, to those who are believing in his name [John, Yahweh is gracious; see 1:6] . . .” (Jn. 1:12 CV modified). John’s authority came from Yahweh on the basis of his relationship to Jesus. The restoration of the life of the Mosaic Covenant resided in the authority given to Jesus as Son of Yahweh (see Jn. 5:26). The ministry of Jesus prior to His death and resurrection restored repenting Israelites to the life of the Mosaic Covenant. Therefore, Jesus baptized with water. Yahweh was putting flesh and skin on the dry bones of the members of the house of Jacob dwelling in the covenantal death-valley of Judah . After His death and resurrection, Jesus the Christ began baptizing with the spirit, fulfilling the prophecy of Ezekiel 37:10:

So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet [New Covenant resurrection, not yet out of the physically dead, see Rom. 6], an exceeding great army. (KJV)

By 70 a.d., these resurrected ones became in number “an exceeding great army.”

As the figurative transformation described in Ezekiel’s vision of the valley of dry bones occurs as the result of his “prophesying,” so also its historical fulfillment comes as a result of the preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and the Gospel of the Christ. It is the word of God which initiates His salvation. “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth (Page 320) peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!” (Isa. 52:7 KJV).

Jesus did not proclaim the Gospel of Christ. During His ministry prior to His death and resurrection, He proclaimed the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. Its purpose was to restore Israel to its rightful relation to Yahweh under the Mosaic Covenant. Jesus was reforming the dry bones of the house of Israel . He was preparing the national, covenantal body of Mosaic Israel, thus, metaphorically, the body of Moses, for the new life it would shortly have breathed into its figurative nostrils. This necessitated the restoration of Israel to her former relationship with Yahweh under the Mosaic Covenant (restored covenantal life), followed by new covenantal resurrection (New Covenant Life).

Since Jesus the Messiah was the glory of Yahweh tabernacling in flesh, His arrival in Israel signified the return of the glory of Yahweh into the midst of His people. He, therefore, had the authority and the power to restore, resurrect Yahweh’s people to the life of the Mosaic Covenant: “I am the Resurrection and the Life” (Jn. 11:25a CV). But this covenant was near its death. Restoring Yahweh’s people to a relationship with Him in accord with the conditions of the Mosaic Covenant would be temporary, lasting a very short time. The consummation (death) of the Mosaic Covenant was near. The time of its death had come. Jesus the Christ would undergo that death on behalf of the Israel of Yahweh.

Thus, in order to participate in the life of the New Covenant, the people of Yahweh had to become identified with Jesus the Christ, the glory of Yahweh, in accord with the life of the Mosaic Covenant so that in Him (Christ) they might, not only die the death of the Mosaic Covenant, but also be roused and raised with Him (Christ) to the life of the New Covenant. It is this truth which is the subject of the teaching of Jesus recorded in John 5:24-29. His teaching in this passage is an expository commentary on Ezekiel’s vision of the valley of dry bones and the revelation given Daniel concerning the resurrection of some to life and some to shame (Dan. 12:1-3). Jesus explains that

he who is hearing [present tense, presently] My word and believing Him [Yahweh] Who sends Me, has [now] life eonian and is not coming into judging [the axe is already at the root], but has [now] proceeded out of death [definite article used before “death,” thus the condition of the Mosaic Covenant, dry bones] into life [definite article before “life,” thus, restored life of the Mosaic Covenant, flesh and skin over dry bones]. . . . coming is an hour, AND NOW IS [my emphasis], when the dead [dry bones] shall be hearing the voice of the Son of God [the Gospel of the Kingdom], and those who hear shall be living [bones coming together and covered with flesh and skin]. For even as the Father has life in Himself [His word], thus to the Son also He gives to have life in Himself [the Word given to Him by the Father]. (John 5:24-26 CV)

This is in fulfillment of Ezekiel 37:7-8. Jesus now continues to interpret Ezekiel 37:10:

Marvel not at this [the preceding], for COMING IS [my emphasis] the hour [not here yet, but very near] in which all [those believing in Jesus] who are in the tombs [each believing one in Jesus sharing in His entombment, His death, thus each being individually entombed] shall hear His [Jesus the Son of Yahweh] voice, and those who do good [literal Greek, the good things, faithfully obey Yahweh in all the things of the Gospel of Christ to the end of the Mosaic Eon in accord with The Law of The Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus] shall go out into a resurrection of life [New Covenant Life], yet those who commit bad things [literal Greek, the bad things, turn back to the Mosaic Covenant for life and blessing, choosing to live in accord with The Law of Sin and Death associated with Adam and Moses, thus committing apostasy], into a resurrection of judging [the loss of the Life of the New Covenant]. (John 5:28-29 CV my elaboration)

Note, all those believing into Jesus are resurrected, but not all remain faithful to the end. The ones faithful to the end are the ideal seed, the sons of the Kingdom (Matt. 13:38a CV); the ones who commit apostasy are the seed planted by The Adversary, the sons of Cain (Matt. 13:38b CV). The authentic and pseudo seeds, both sharing a resurrection, both growing together in the Ecclesia, both appearing to be sown by Jesus the Christ, will be properly identified, revealed, and separated at the Approach/Parousia of Christ, the harvest at the conclusion (sunteleia, the coming together of all the events which together culminate in the telos, the end, the consummation) of the Mosaic Eon (see Matt. 13:39-43). This conclusion (sunteleia) began in about the year 67 a.d., culminating in the consummation (telos) of the age sometime during the year 70 a.d., symbolically described in Revelation as “a time, and times, and half a time” (Rev. 12:14 KJV), and numerically described in the same book as “forty and two months” (Rev. 11:2; 13:5 KJV).

Daniel writes of the same resurrection: “Now in that era your people [ Israel ] shall escape [the distress of the time of Jacob’s trouble, see Daniel 12:1a]—all those found written in the scroll. From those sleeping in the soil of the ground many shall awake, these to eonian life and these to reproach for eonian repulsion” (Dan. 12:1b-2 CV). Note, Daniel also writes of one resurrection (many shall awake), but two (Page 321) , one achieving eonian life, the other achieving eonian repulsion. In order to escape the era of distress, the time of Jacob’s trouble, one must be found “written in the scroll.” The many sleeping in the ground refers to the seeds planted in the field (the world of the Sinatic Covenant, the Mosaic order of Israel ’s covenantal life, see Matt. 13:38a). Both types of seed sleeping in the soil (believing into Jesus, dying with Christ in the soil of the Sinatic Covenant, and being identified as members of His Ecclesia) are resurrected (grow up out of the soil).

In Daniel, the many who awake refer only to those Israelites believing the Gospel of Christ. All those who awake are written in a scroll. But again, only those faithful to the end will remain written in the scroll. Those who commit apostasy, those who are not genuinely Christ’s seed, the seed of Abraham recognized, accounted, and acknowledged by Yahweh as His Israel, will be blotted out of the scroll, thus achieving “eonian repulsion,” eonian shame, culled out at the harvest and covenantally burned with the rest of the Israel of The Adversary, the Israel clinging to the Mosaic Covenant for Yahweh’s life and blessing: “He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels” (Rev. 3:5 KJV, see also Rev. 20:11-15).

This book of life is further identified in Revelation 21:27 as “the Lamb’s book of life.” John writes, “And there shall in no wise enter into it [the new Jerusalem, Rev. 21:2] any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life” (KJV). Thus, Daniel’s group described as achieving eonian repulsion or shame are described by Jesus as those committing the bad things resulting in their being removed from the Temple not made with hands, thus, being judged unfit for membership in the Ecclesia of Christ, the New Celestial Jerusalem. Only the names of those faithful to the end remain written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

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The Two Sticks

According to the prophecy of Ezekiel, the faithful ones will come from the house of Judah and the house of Israel . Ezekiel is told to take one stick and write upon it the name of Judah and a second stick and write upon it the name of Ephraim (Ezk. 37:16). The stick of Judah represents Judah and his companions from among the children of Israel , and the stick of Ephraim represents Ephraim and his companions from among the children of Israel . Ezekiel is commanded to join the sticks together in his hand making them one stick (Ezk. 37:17). He is then to explain the meaning of this demonstration to his captive people in Babylon. Yahweh will take the two divided kingdoms of Judah and Israel and reunite them into one kingdom. He promises to restore the Davidic Kingdom, making the nation one again (Ezk. 37:19).

Ezekiel continues explaining, “I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen [nations, ASV], whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land” (Ezk. 37:21 KJV). Through the preaching of the Gospel of Christ, consisting of the Gospel of the Circumcision and the Gospel of the Uncircumcision, Yahweh will call out for Himself a people from among the nations. This people consists of those children of Israel called out from Israel (the Northern Kingdom, the uncircumcised Lo-Ammi people) and those children of Israel called out from Judah (the Southern Kingdom, the circumcised diaspora and Judean Jewish Community). In Christ, they shall become one nation; they shall return figuratively, covenantally/spiritually, to their land. Yahweh will

make them one nation in the land [the new Jerusalem] upon the mountains of Israel [the twelve apostles as princes ruling over the twelve tribes]; and one king [Jesus the Messiah, the Son of David] shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all. (Ezekiel 37:22 KJV)

Jesus the Messiah, the Son of David , will shepherd them, and His sheep will walk obediently in Yahweh’s judgments and statutes, faithfully keeping them in accord with the Law of Christ, The Law of The Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus (Ezk. 37:24). Yahweh’s people will

dwell in the land [the metaphorical, covenantal new Jerusalem and surrounding country] that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children [sons], and their children's children [sons’ sons] for ever [for the eon and into the new eon]: and my servant David [Jesus Christ] shall be their prince for ever [for the eon and into the new eon]. (Ezekiel 37:25 KJV)

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This will take place when Yahweh makes with Israel a new covenant, a covenant of peace, an eonian covenant, making His new nation, His new city in the midst of which He will set His new sanctuary (Christ, see Ezk. 37:26).

The fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, looked for “the city . . . whose Artificer and Architect is God” (Heb. 11:10 CV). They all died in faith,

not being requited with the promises, but perceiving them ahead and saluting them, and avowing that they are strangers and expatriates on the earth [the land of Canaan]. For those who are saying such things are disclosing that they are seeking for a country of their own [not the terrestrial promise, but the Celestial promise]. And, if, indeed, they remembered that from which they came out [ Ur of the Chaldeans], they might have had occasion to go back. Yet now they are craving a better [better than Ur of the Chaldeans or Canaan, terrestrial land], that is, a celestial [country, land, city]; wherefore God is not ashamed of them, to be invoked as their God, for He makes ready for them a city. (Hebrews 11:13-16 CV)

Abraham was not promised the land of Canaan. His terrestrial seed was promised the land, and his terrestrial seed received their allotments in the land. Abraham by faith sojourned “in the land of promise as in an alien land, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the joint enjoyers of the allotment of the same promise. For he waited for the city . . .” (Heb. 11:9-10a CV).

This city is a metaphoric symbol of Christ’s Ecclesia, the people of Yahweh, the Israel of Yahweh represented by the figures of the Bride, the Body, the new heavenly Jerusalem. These are all metaphoric pictures of spiritual realities transcending the terrestrial promises, the terrestrial land, the terrestrial Israel , the terrestrial covenant, the terrestrial Jerusalem, and the terrestrial kingdom. As the writer of Hebrews rejoiced,

But you have come to mount Zion, and the city of the living God, celestial Jerusalem, and to ten thousand messengers, to a universal convocation, and to the ecclesia of the firstborn [ones], registered in the heavens, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the just perfected, and to Jesus, the Mediator of a fresh covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling which is speaking better than Abel. (Hebrews 12:22-24 CV)

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob did not in faith await a return in resurrection to the land of Canaan in which they sojourned as aliens. They considered themselves strangers and expatriates. Speaking of Abraham, Stephen confirms this:

Then, coming out of the land of the Chaldeans, he dwells in Charan, and thence, after the death of his father, He [Yahweh] exiles him [Abraham] into this land [ Canaan] in which you are now dwelling. And He [Yahweh] does not give him any allotment to enjoy in it, nor even a platform for a foot. (Acts 7:4-5a CV)

The promise of the land of Canaan is given to Abraham, not for himself, but for his seed. Abraham is exiled into the land of Canaan. During his sojourn in this land, he confesses to be an expatriate, a citizen of another country. Abraham looked for the city and sanctuary designed and constructed by Yahweh, Who promises Israel , “I . . . will set my sanctuary [ Temple] in the midst of them for evermore [for the eon ]. My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (Ezk. 37:26b-27 KJV). This sanctuary ( Temple) housing Yahweh’s Tabernacle (Christ Jesus the glory of Yahweh) becomes the subject of the final chapters of Ezekiel.

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The Future Temple

The Temple described in Ezekiel, chapters 40-48, depicts the future and final Temple of Yahweh in terms meaningful to the people of Yahweh in the Babylonian captivity. They were familiar with the majesty and beauty of the Solomonic Temple. Its destruction caused great mourning and lamentation among the captives in Babylon. The message of the prophet in these final chapters is one of great hope and even greater glory. The Temple of Solomon had been majestic and awesome. In comparison to the future Temple, the Solomonic Temple will appear puny in dimension, impotent in power, dark in magnitude, and contemptuous in worship and service. Israel needs to be given a picture of the future Temple which will be awe-inspiring, making the loss of the Solomonic Temple insignificant and beneficial to her ultimate welfare.

Thus, Ezekiel is given a vision of the future Temple that Yahweh would build. This Temple is described in terms comparable to the Temple of Solomon. Thus, it is described as a building, though in reality it is not a building at all, but a new creation, a spiritual nation. It is anatomical rather than architectural. The description given Ezekiel in visions is not to be understood literally. The images and (Page 323) measurements are metaphoric symbols of a far greater reality than a mere physical building. However, for Ezekiel’s contemporaries, such is the only model capable of conveying Yahweh’s message of hope and glory.

Jesus will later refer to this model as a mystery of the Kingdom of Yahweh. He will reveal to His Apostles and saints what is concealed from Ezekiel and his contemporaries in these architectural images and cultic practices associated with the Solomonic Temple. This is in keeping with the teachings of Moses: “The things being concealed are Yahweh our Elohim’s, yet the things being revealed are ours and our sons’ until the eon , so that all might keep all the words of this law” (Deut. 29:29 CV). The spiritual meaning behind the architectural and cultic images is concealed from Ezekiel and his contemporaries. It is not intended for them. It would not have benefited them in relation to their time and condition. The architectural and cultic images, a relative mystery to us today, were perfectly understood by the captives in Babylon: “Thou son of man, show the house to the house of Israel , that they may be ashamed of their iniquities: and let them measure the pattern” (Ezk. 43:10 KJV). That which Yahweh attempted to convey to them at that time was successful.

His purpose was to reveal to them a future Temple which would be far superior to the Temple of Solomon made with hands. The future Temple would not be made by hands, but by Yahweh Himself. He would create a superior people upon whose heart He would write His law and to whom He would impart His spirit. These people would worship and serve Him in this Temple and glorify His name among the nations. The future of the nation of Israel is secure—such is the hope conveyed to these people mourning and lamenting the disastrous loss of Jerusalem and the Temple. How Yahweh would achieve this, however, is concealed from them.

Our interest, therefore, will not be to explain the literal architectural images and cultic activities which do not lend themselves to describing the actual future and final Temple of Yahweh. Attention will be given to the reality behind the figurative images and activities, realities which began to come into existence with the ministries of John the Baptist and Jesus, realities which were brought to perfection by the Apostles and faithful disciples of Jesus the Christ. What is concealed from Ezekiel and his contemporaries is revealed to Jesus and His contemporaries.

The measurements of chapters 40-42 will therefore be passed over. These measurements, significant to ancient Israel , are of no present importance. What is important at this point is the information given in the 20th verse of chapter 42. The Temple of Yahweh is to have an enormous strip of land surrounding its outside court, thus separating it from the common soil of the city and the land. This was not so in relation to the Temple of Solomon and the Tabernacle. The Tabernacle had no outer court, passing directly into the land. The Solomonic Temple had an outer court directly bordering the common soil of the city and the land, allowing the defilement of the city and the land to penetrate into the holy space of the courts of the Temple. Yahweh’s future spiritual Temple, begun to be constructed approximately in 30 a.d., is figuratively immune to such penetration as a result of this surrounding space which separates the holy from the common.

This is important when one understands the new Jerusalem to be a metaphoric image of the people of Yahweh, the Ecclesia of Christ, the New Born-From-Above Israel . The defilement of the pseudo-believers, the antichrists, the imposters who instigate and lead to apostasy will not penetrate into the Temple of Yahweh, the saints, the Ecclesia of the firstborn ones. The new Jerusalem would be cleansed of these “spots and flaws, luxuriating in their love feasts, carousing together with you, having the distended eyes of an adulteress, and that do not stop from sin, luring unstable souls, having a heart exercised by greed, children of a curse” (2 Pe. 2:13b-14 CV) by the final pouring out of Yahweh’s indignation (wrath) during the time of Jacob’s trouble.

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The Return of the Glory of Yahweh

Ezekiel is then given a vision of the returning presence of the glory of Yahweh:

and, behold, the glory of the God [Elohim] of Israel came from the way of the east: . . . And the glory of the Lord [Yahweh] came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east. So the spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and, behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house. (Ezekiel 43:2-5 KJV)

This did not occur with the rebuilding of the Temple upon the return of the captives from Babylon. It did not occur with the additional building of Herod. It occurred with the coming of Jesus, the Word made flesh, (Page 324) the glory of Yahweh tabernacling among His people, and continued in the course of the work of the resurrected Christ Whose glory filled the new sanctuary, the new Temple, the New Community of Israel, the community of the saints, the Ecclesia of Jesus the Messiah.

This new Temple not made with hands would be the place of Yahweh’s throne:

And he said unto me, Son of man, [this is] the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever [for the eon ], and my holy name, shall the house of Israel no more defile, . . . (Ezekiel 43:7a KJV)

Yahweh’s footstool is no longer the Ark of the Covenant as it was in the Temple of Solomon. The new sanctuary is to be His footstool. The Ark of the Old Covenant and Temple has no place in Yahweh’s future and final Temple. The house of Israel would no more defile the name of Yahweh because it would be perfected and, in the process, it would fulfill the statutes and judgments of Yahweh’s Law, glorifying His name. This occurred with the completion of the ministry of the Apostles commissioned by Jesus the Messiah: “Going, then, disciple all the nations, . . . And lo! I am with you all the days till the conclusion of the eon! Amen!” (Matt. 28:19-20 CV).

Ezekiel is then taken to the east gate of the Temple. He notices it is shut. He is told,

This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it; because the Lord [Yahweh] the God [Elohim] of Israel hath entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut. (Ezekiel 44:2 KJV)

This figurative eastern gate is holy. No ordinary man shall initiate his entrance into the Temple through it. This gate is to be associated with the prince. It is the prince (Jesus the Messiah) in Whom the glory of Yahweh tabernacles, Who enters through this eastern gate to enjoy a fellowship meal with Yahweh. It is Jesus the Messiah who alone enters through this eastern gate (the way of the cross) filling this new Temple with the returning glory of Yahweh. He is the Prince Who “shall sit in it [the east gate] to eat bread [intimate fellowship] before the Lord [Yahweh] (Ezk. 44:3a KJV). Only in Christ does one enter initially into the new Temple of Yahweh. Only by the way of the cross, the death and resurrection of Jesus the Messiah, does one enter initially into ultimate fellowship with Yahweh. Christ the glory of Yahweh enters through the east gate (the cross), returning the glory of Yahweh to His new Temple not made with hands.

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Worship and Service Within the New Temple

Ezekiel is next instructed concerning the worship and service within the new Temple. The Levites under the Mosaic Covenant had failed to faithfully observe Yahweh’s charge. They had gone astray. They shall “bear their iniquity” (Ezk. 44:10 KJV). They shall not minister in Yahweh’s new Temple. These Levites had become uncircumcised in heart (“The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.” [Ps. 14:1a KJV]) and uncircumcised in flesh (“They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, . . .” [Ps. 14:1b KJV]) as described in Ezekiel 44:9 (KJV). The place of the Levites shall be taken by the faithful ones in Christ who are called out of Yahweh’s Lo-Ammi people, the uncircumcised from the house of Israel , the Northern Kingdom, who had been scattered among the nations, losing their identity as Israelites.

The faithful Messianic Gentiles, in accord with the new terms of the New Covenant, are cleansed and purified, making their physical uncircumcision spiritual circumcision (see Acts 10:13-15; Rom. 2:26). No longer are they considered or counted strangers, aliens, men having an uncircumcised heart and uncircumcised flesh. Such men are disqualified from the priesthood by the Law of Moses:

Thus saith the Lord [Yahweh] God [Elohim]; No stranger [alien], uncircumcised in heart, nor uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into my sanctuary, of any stranger that is among the children of Israel . (Ezekiel 44:9 KJV)

This new priesthood is in contrast to the priesthood of the Sinatic Covenant.

The priesthood of the New Covenant, however, is neither Aaronic nor Levitical. It is after the order of Melchizedek. Thus, figuratively, Yahweh declares,

Yet they [the Levites, now figuratively representing the Messianic Gentiles in Christ serving as a Melchizedekian Priesthood] shall be ministers in my sanctuary, having charge at the gates of the house, and ministering to the house. (Ezekiel 44:11a KJV)

The faithful circumcised followers of Jesus the Messiah (Messianic Jews), the Jews out of the Southern Judean Kingdom, the Saints, take the place of the sons of Zadok, representing the Aaronic Priesthood. The faithful ones out of the nations, associated with the iniquity and failure of the Levitical Priesthood, “shall (Page 325) not come near unto me, to do the office of a priest [Aaronic priest] unto me, nor to come near to any of my holy things, in the most holy place: . . .” (Ezk. 44:13a KJV). In Christ there is no distinction between the Messianic Gentiles and the Messianic Jews, the uncircumcised and the circumcised faithful ones. However, in terms of worship and service in the terrestrial realm before the perfection of the Body of Christ and during the warfare of the Davidic Kingship of Christ, there is a distinction of service between the Saints (circumcised faithful ones) and the Gentiles (uncircumcised faithful ones), between the Messianic Jews and the Messianic Gentiles in the Ecclesia of Jesus the Messiah, the new Temple of Yahweh.

Keep in mind the limitation of the various analogies used by the Greek writers to depict the faithful ones in association with Jesus the Christ. The Saints, the circumcised faithful ones, possess a superior function in the Ecclesia of Jesus the Messiah, the Temple of Yahweh. This superior function carries with it a greater responsibility and accountability as overseers and teachers, shepherds of the flock:

But the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok [the Aaronic Priesthood], that kept the charge of my sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from me, they shall come near to me to minister unto me, . . . they shall enter into my sanctuary, . . . and keep my charge [as Jesus interprets this charge, “Shepherd my sheep!” Jn. 21:16b CV]. (Ezekiel 44:15-16 KJV)

The Saints, the circumcised faithful ones, carry out the superior tasks of the administrative duties of Jesus the Christ’s Melchizedekian Priesthood in accord with the conditions of the New Covenant. These Saints

shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane [according to the New Covenant], and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean [according to the New Covenant]. And in controversy they shall stand in judgment [the Twelve Apostles, Lk. 22:30b; James, the ecclesiastical apostles, the elders, and the whole Ecclesia, Acts 15:13-23]; and they shall judge it according to my judgments: and they shall keep my laws and my statutes [of the Mosaic Law as interpreted through the operation of The Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus] in all mine assemblies [appointed feasts ASV]; and they shall hallow my sabbaths. (Ezekiel 44:23-24 KJV)

This was successfully carried out by the Ecclesia of Jesus the Christ.

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The Prince and the Sharing of His Allotment

Having dealt with the role of the prince in initiating entrance into the new Temple, Yahweh instructs Ezekiel,

If the prince [Jesus the Messiah] give a gift [the holy spirit] unto any of his sons, the inheritance [allotment] thereof shall be his sons’; it shall be their possession by inheritance [allotment]. But if he give a gift [the holy spirit] of his inheritance [allotment] to one of his servants, then it shall be his to the year of liberty [the year of Jubilee, the consummation of the Parousia of Jesus the Christ]; after it shall return to the prince: but his inheritance [allotment] shall be his sons' for them. (Ezekiel 46:16-17 KJV)

Jesus alludes to this passage in His teaching concerning His faithful and unfaithful servants. Remembering how the two seeds (Jesus and The Adversary, Matt. 13) planted in the same field grew up together, appearing very similar, Jesus makes no distinction between the sons of Yahweh and the sons of The Adversary when teaching about service. He merely refers to all serving Him as servants.

In His parable of the talents (Matt. 25: 13:30), a master, before leaving on a journey, gives of his possessions to his servants according to the ability of each. When he returns (during the Parousia of Christ), he calls each to account. Those who had profitably used the possessions given to them, unashamedly and honorably present to him his possessions plus the profit gained from the use of the possessions. The master, delighting in the faithfulness of these servants, rejoicingly declares, “Well done! good and faithful slave [or servant]. Over a few were you faithful; over many will I place you. Enter into the joy of your lord!” (Matt. 25:21 CV). These servants at the consummation of the Parousia of Christ are distinguished as faithful sons of Yahweh and are rewarded in the celestial city prepared for them (The Allotment of The Sons of Yahweh).

The servant presenting only the original possession given him is rejected. His master disapprovingly judges,

Wicked and slothful slave! . . . Take the talent away from him then, and give it to the one who has ten talents. For to everyone who has shall be given, and he shall have a superfluity, yet from the one who has not, that also which he has shall be taken away from him; and the useless slave cast out into outer darkness [outside the new heavenly Jerusalem, see Rev. 21:9-12; 22-23]. There shall be lamentation and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 25:26-30 CV)

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This servant is distinguished as an unfaithful servant. He is no son of Yahweh. He is a son of Cain. He is a tare, a darnel, a snare, a slave belonging to The Adversary. During the Parousia of Christ, he is removed, cast out of the heavenly Jerusalem (the Ecclesia of Jesus the Messiah) to suffer the judgment coming upon the Israel according to the flesh (figuratively referred to as “outer darkness”). This same teaching, alluding also to Ezekiel 46:16-17, is the key to understanding the parable of Jesus spoken in Matthew 18:23-35.

The prince, Jesus the Messiah, the Davidic King, distributes His possessions (the spirit of Yahweh and its gifts) to His bond-slaves (those bought with a price), expecting His slaves to be faithfully profitable in the service appointed them. Paul, alluding to this same truth, put it this way: “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil. 2:12 KJV). Those faithful to the end have worked out the salvation provided by Yahweh through Jesus Christ and are revealed as sons during the Parousia of Christ Jesus. According to Paul, writing to the Romans, the Parousia of the Christ signaling the consummation of the salvation of the faithful ones is “nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand” (Rom. 13:11b-12a KJV).

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The River of Living Water

The vision of chapter 47 of Ezekiel vividly and wonderfully depicts the consequences of the preaching of the Gospel of Christ. It is a metaphorical picture of the events recorded in the Book of Acts. The glory of Yahweh having entered the Holy of Holies now becomes the source of a life-giving flow of water. The course of this spring of water retraces the path by which the glory of Yahweh had returned into the Temple and, within the Temple, into the Holy of Holies. It follows this path out of the Temple, out of the surrounding sanctuary eastward, flowing toward the Dead Sea. In the course of its journey it increases in depth, growing from a brook no more than ankle deep to a river rising to the knees, increasing to the loins, finally becoming a great, powerful river: “it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over” (Ezk. 47:5 KJV).

Ezekiel then notices “at the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other” (Ezk. 47:7 KJV). His guide, neglecting the significance of the trees for the present moment, explains that the river runs through the eastern desert country with undiminished force, entering into the salty waters of the Dead Sea. Consequently, this sea of death-dealing salt is transformed into a sea of life-giving fresh water: “These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea: which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed” (Ezk. 47:8 KJV). The strong current of this river purifies and cleanses everything it flows into or over. Its penetration brings forth abundant life.

Can any imagery be any clearer?! Jesus is the glory of Yahweh. He is the medium through which this water of life flows from the Father, Yahweh Elohim. Jesus declares to the Samaritan woman, “If you were aware of the gratuity of God, and Who it is Who is saying to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would request Him, and He would give you living water” (Jn. 4:10 CV). The water Jesus promises to give is “a spring of water, welling up into life eonian” (Jn. 4:14 CV). On the last and great day of the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus exclaims, “If anyone should be thirsting, let him come to Me and drink. He who is believing in Me, according as the scripture said, out of his bowel shall gush rivers of living water” (Jn. 7:37b-38 CV). The text goes on to explain, “Now this He said concerning the spirit which those believing in Him were about to get” (Jn. 7:39a CV). Jesus offered His generation the water of life, the river flowing forth from the throne of Yahweh in the New Temple. He claims, “I came that they may have life eonian, and have it superabundantly” (Jn. 10:10b CV).

The Dead Sea symbolically represents the condition of Israel in the death-dealing sea of the Sinatic Covenant, a cauldron of death. The proclamation of the Gospel of Christ (the river of living water) cleanses and purifies all Israelites bathing in and drinking of this water, giving the life of the New Covenant, the antidote to the death of the old covenant. Out of the ashes of the Sinatic Covenant rises the purified, cleansed, and living heavenly Jerusalem, the Ecclesia of Christ, the New Israel of Yahweh. Out of the death of Jesus the Christ to the Sinatic Covenant flows the river of the life of the New Covenant, while that part of the Dead Sea undergoing the receding waters of the river of life is transformed into a lake of life.

Ezekiel is then informed, “every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers [the dynamic currents] shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, . . .” (Ezk. 47:9a KJV). This life-giving river (the word of the Gospel of Christ) will fill the new lake (the living water of the New Covenant) with a great multitude of fish (the multitudes out of Israel and the nations now graciously placed in a new covenantal environment of life). Those fish (men) now hearing the word of life and (Page 327) responding in faith are fished out by the fishermen of Christ Jesus, thus entering into the Ecclesia, the new Jerusalem, the city of eonian life and light, in accord with the word of Jesus to His Apostles, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matt. 4:19 KJV).

According to the 10th verse of Ezekiel 47, “Their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea [the Mediterranean], exceeding many” (KJV). These fishermen of Christ will gather together to themselves an exceeding number of a great variety of fish (men) inhabiting the great sea of the nations. The proclamation of the Gospel of Christ is to be a huge success! A great multitude of people would be gathered to Jesus the Messiah. A great multitude of people would believe the Gospel. The number of citizens belonging to the Saints in light, the new heavenly city of Yahweh, would be great, the total population of the city even greater.

However, the river of life will not reach all the areas of the Dead Sea: “But the miry places thereof and the marshes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt” (Ezk. 47:11 KJV). During the rainy season, the sea fills, and its waters spread over many low tracts of marsh land. These marshes remain after the overflowing waters recede, forming moist basins. The rapidly evaporating water of these basins covers them with a thick crust of salt. The salt presented in this description of Ezekiel is not to be regarded in relation to its seasoning properties, but in its capacity to become the destroyer of all fruitfulness. Thus, these figurative marshes, not healed by the river of living water, symbolically represent the Israel according to the flesh, the Jerusalem below, the geographical land of Judea inhabited by the sons of The Adversary, the sons of Cain, the defiled and contaminated citizens of the nation of flesh whose abomination of desolation causes its own decay and decomposition (salt as enemy of fruitfulness) and final destruction by the Roman army under Titus.

This rebellious people and their land figuratively become an enormous incinerating lake of fire under the jurisdiction of The Adversary, the jurisdiction of the rulers of the nation committed to the evil way of Cain. In the Greek Scriptures the Lake of Eonian Life (the heavenly Jerusalem, the Born-From-Above Israel, the Ecclesia of Christ, the Kingdom of Yahweh) is opposed to the Lake of Fire (the earthly Jerusalem, the born-from-below Israel, the ecclesia of Cain, the kingdom of The Adversary, Rev. 20:14-15) referred to figuratively as the Second Death (distinguishing it from the death brought into the world by Adam [first death] and associating it with the death brought into Israel at Sinai with the breaking of the covenant made with Yahweh [Second Death], see Revelation 2:11; 20:6, 14; 21:8). Another figure characterizing this Lake of Fire is “the submerged chaos” (Rev. 9:1-2, 11; 17:8; 20:1-3 CV), also translated “bottomless pit” (11:7 KJV), “abyss” or “pit of the abyss” (other translations). Describing figuratively the Israel of the flesh, the kingdom of The Adversary, the ecclesia of Cain, the Lake of Fire and the Second Death, Paul, in Romans 10:7, significantly uses the image of “the submerged chaos” (CV). This significance will be developed later when Paul’s Letter to the Romans and the Book of Revelation are examined.

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The Trees Along the Banks of the River

The vision of Ezekiel concludes by returning to the subject of the trees along both banks of the river. Ezekiel is informed that the leaves and the fruits of these trees shall reproduce without fail. The fruit will provide food, and the leaves will be used medicinally for healing (Ezk. 47:12). Thus, the fruit of the word of the Gospel of Christ will provide spiritual food for spiritual growth: “Do not work for the food which is perishing, but for the food which is remaining for life eonian, which the Son of Mankind will be giving to you, . . .” (Jn. 6:27 CV); Be “filled with the fruit of righteousness that is through Jesus Christ for the glory and laud of God” (Phil. 1:11 CV); “Now the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control: . . .” (Gal. 5:22-23 CV); “long for the unadulterated milk of the word that by it you may be growing into salvation” (1 Pe. 2:2b CV). The leaves of the word of the Gospel will provide corrective instruction, righteous discipline against the deceitful suggestions of the mind of the flesh: “All scripture is inspired by God, and is beneficial for teaching, for exposure, for correction, for discipline in righteousness, that the man of God may be equipped, fitted out for every good act” (2 Tim. 3:16-17 CV). The writer of the Book of Revelation uses this very imagery of Ezekiel:

And he shows me a river of water of life . . . issuing out of the throne of God and the Lambkin. In the center of its square [the square of the new Temple], and on either side of the river, is the log [tree] of life, producing twelve fruits, rendering its fruit in accord with each month. And the leaves of the log [tree] are for the cure of (Page 328) the nations [those among the nations receptive to the word of the Gospel and its instruction in moral behavior, correcting and healing the immoral and corrupt ways of the nations]. (Revelation 22:1-2 CV)

The Greek Scriptures understand this vision of Ezekiel to refer to Christ and His Ecclesia. The vision would be fulfilled during the generation of Jesus and His Apostles. The Mosaic Eon was nearing its end (Rev. 22:10).

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The Border of the New Land And the Elevated Relation of the Sojourners in the Land

The Book of Ezekiel reaches its conclusion with a symbolic description of the borders of the newly established Israel of Yahweh (Ezk. 47:13-21) and an account of the land allotment of each of the tribes in their arrangement north and south of the Temple and city. Within these borders, the land is to be divided among the tribes of Israel . Having been informed of the geographical boundaries of the land, Ezekiel is told,

And it shall come to pass, that ye shall divide it [the land] by lot for an inheritance [allotment] unto you, and to the strangers [sojourners] that sojourn among you, which shall beget children among you: and they shall be unto you as born in the country among the children of Israel; they shall have inheritance [allotment] with you among the tribes of Israel. (Ezekiel 47:22 KJV)

These words, as well as the land, are figurative, not literal. The Ecclesia of Christ, the Israel of Yahweh, possesses the land spiritually in accord with the New Covenant arrangement, in which the Ecclesia, the new Jerusalem, is metaphorically placed in the heavens, being raised over the nations in authority and instruction. The strangers or sojourners among the Saints are those Gentile believers in the Gospel of Christ, who, under the terms of the New Covenant, are to be considered equal brothers with the Saints, full-fledged members of the people of Yahweh, “fellow-citizens of the saints” belonging to “God's family,” as Paul puts it (Eph. 2:19 CV).

The children that these Gentiles beget while among the sons of Israel are not biological, but spiritual. As they join in the preaching of the Gospel of Christ, they generate spiritual children, increasing the numbers of the spiritual nation of Yahweh, magnifying the name and the glory of Yahweh. What was concealed from Ezekiel and his contemporaries, Yahweh reveals to the Ecclesia of Christ, the Saints of the new spiritual Israel :

On this behalf I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you, the nations—since you surely heard of the administration of the grace of God that is given to me for you, for by revelation the secret was made known to me (. . . the secret of the Christ, which, in other generations [in distinction from this present generation], is not made known to the sons of humanity [Greek: plural with the article, The men, the faithful Israelites of past generations] as it was now revealed to His holy apostles and prophets): in spirit the nations are to be joint enjoyers of an allotment, and a joint body, and joint partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus, through the evangel [the Gospel of Christ to the nations, the Gospel of the Uncircumcision, see Gal. 2:7] of which I became the dispenser, . . . (Ephesians 3:1-7a CV)

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The Final Word of Ezekiel

The allotment given each tribe and its location in relation to the central strip of the land consisting of the Temple, centrally located; the city east of the Temple; and the crown lands (the possession of the Prince) located on the east and west sides of the Temple are all figurative, not literal. The Temple, the city, and the crown lands find their significance and fulfillment in the writings of the Greek Scriptures concerning Jesus the Messiah and His Ecclesia, the Born-From-Above Israel of Yahweh. The last word of Ezekiel, “and the name of the city from that day [the day of the return of Yahweh’s glory into His Temple] shall be, The Lord[Yahweh] is there” (Ezk. 48:35 KJV), connects his message to the opening theme of the Greek Scriptures, the birth of Jesus the Messiah, the Son of David , the Son of Yahweh,

Behold, a [the NGEINT] virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel, which being interpreted is, God [El] with us. (Matthew 1:23 KJV)

And the Word became flesh and tabernacles among us, and we gaze at His glory, a glory as of an only-begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14 CV)

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The Message of Daniel and the Greek Scriptures

Daniel, like Ezekiel, is among the captives in Babylon. He came to Babylon during the first deportation: “In the third year of the kingdom of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, comes Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, to Jerusalem and is besieging it” (Dan. 1:1 CV). Daniel was a young man most likely of the royal seed, thus, he came from one of the most distinguished families of Israel . In Babylon, he was chosen to stand in the palace before the king because he was among “Those intelligent in all wisdom, and knowing knowledge, and understanding what is known, and who have vigor in them . . .” (Dan. 1:4b). He was of good appearance, having no physical blemish.

However, more important, Daniel was a young man upon whose heart was written the word of his Elohim. Consequently, he was shown kindness and compassion by his Elohim (Dan. 1:9). During his three years of instruction in the script (science and learning) and language of the Chaldeans, he was excused by his overseer from eating the food provided from the king’s table, thus avoiding defilement through contact with idolatry: “determining is Daniel in his heart that he will not sully [defile] himself with the dainties of the king or with the wine of his feasts” (Dan. 1:8a CV). He sufficed on vegetarian food (seed-foods, vegetables, grain, non-meat products, Heb. MT) and water.

As a result of this faithfulness, Elohim blessed him, making him appear healthier than those partaking of the food from the king’s table. His Elohim also blessed him in his studies, allowing him to master the science and learning of the Chaldeans, including their language. He was given wisdom and, most significantly, the additional gift of understanding visions and dreams (Dan. 1:17).

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The Times of the Gentiles

Daniel’s visions and dreams, along with his ability to interpret visions and dreams, become the main conduits of his prophecies. Being that he is a Judaic captive during the period of ancient near-eastern world empires, his prophecies emphasize “the El of the heavens” (Dan. 2:19), “the Supreme” (Dan. 4:24- 25 CV), He Who is “from the eon and unto the eon, . . .” (Dan. 2:20b CV), the One Living El “altering the eras and the stated times [the specific circumstances or conditions of specific times], causing kings to pass away and causing kings to rise, granting wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those knowing understanding. . . . revealing the deep and the concealed things; . . .” (Dan. 2:21-22a CV). This Supreme El has “authority in the kingdom of mortals [men of renown, leaders, rulers, men in authoritative positions] (Dan. 4:25b CV). He is the One having total “jurisdiction” over all the kingdoms, nations, peoples under the heavens (Dan. 4:26). He is “King of the heavens, . . . His deeds are verity [true], and His paths are adjudication [just]; and all walking in pride He can abase [humble] (Dan. 4:37 CV).

Thus, the prophecies of Daniel concern the role of the ancient near-eastern nations in relation to Israel and the Elohim of Israel (Who is also the El of the heavens, The Supreme One over all nations). Daniel’s prophecies are to be fulfilled during the Times of the Gentiles (the nations under the rule of world empires) running from the captivity of Judah under the rule of the Babylonian Empire through the rule of the Medo-Persian Empire, the rule of the Macedonian or Greek Empire, and concluding with the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets (the promises of Yahweh sworn to the fathers of Israel) under the rule of the Roman Empire. This period of time results in the setting up of the Kingdom of Yahweh (God) which terminates the Times of the Gentiles, the time of the ancient near-eastern empires. Chronologically, this period runs from about 586 B.C. to 70 a.d.

The Elohim of Israel is the Elohim of the nations. His elective purpose for Israel is on behalf of all nations. The fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets will beneficially affect both Israel and the nations. As Yahweh Elohim is the God of Adam and the race Adam generates so is He the God of Christ Jesus and the race He generates (Rom. 5:12, 18).

Twice Daniel informs King Nebuchadnezzar “that the Supreme is in authority in the kingdom of mortals, and that to whom He is willing he is giving it” (Dan. 4:25b-32b CV). As the Supreme chose to give Nebuchadnezzar the kingdom of the mortals, the kingdom of the heavens, He has already chosen to give the kingdom of the mortals, the kingdom of the heavens, ultimately and finally to the person Daniel perceives in the visions of the night as coming “on the clouds of the heavens, One as a son of a mortal . . .” (Dan. 7:13 CV). Jeremiah and Isaiah refer to this person as the “Branch,” the son of David (Jer. 23:5; 33:15; Isa. 4:2; 11:1-10).

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Nebuchadnezzar’s Hubris

Nebuchadnezzar’s pride and arrogance (his hubris) lead him, through the denial of this great truth, to forgetfulness. The Supreme reminds him, humiliates him by giving him the mind of a wild beast. Psychological insanity forces him to live as a beast of the field for seven seasons, at the end of which his sanity is restored by the Supreme. Nebuchadnezzar has been humbled. He now has attained the heart and mind of a mortal in exchange for the brutal, cruel, merciless heart and mind which had wrought havoc among the nations under his rule:

Then I blessed the Supreme, and I lauded and honored Him Who is living for the eon, seeing that His jurisdiction is an eonian jurisdiction, and His kingdom is with generation after generation. All abiding on the earth are reckoned [accounted] as naught: according to His will is He doing in the army of the heavens and with those abiding on the earth. And no one will actually clap with his hands and say to Him, “What doest thou?” (Daniel 4:34b-35 CV)

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Jesus the Messiah’s Faithfulness

What Nebuchadnezzar had to learn the hard way, Jesus the Messiah understood and obeyed throughout His life and ministry. He had written Yahweh’s word on the tablet of His heart. He loved Yahweh His Elohim and Father with all His heart, soul, and intensity. When The Adversary puts Jesus the Messiah on trial offering Him all the kingdoms of the world, He is not deceived; He is not flattered; He does not respond from a proud and arrogant heart. He understands and believes “the Supreme is in authority in the kingdom of mortals, and that to whom He is willing He is giving it” (Dan. 4:25b CV). He subjects Himself to the sovereignty of the Supreme, Yahweh the Elohim of Israel, His Father Who alone has the authority to give Him the kingdom of the heavens and Who has already sworn with an oath to give Him the kingdom of His father David, as well as the kingdom of His Father Yahweh (see Matt. 4:8-10).

Jesus the Christ is the only legitimate heir to the throne of Yahweh Elohim, The Supreme One. According to Daniel, in the last days of the fourth kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream,

the Alue [El] of the heavens will set up a kingdom that for the eons shall not come to harm. His kingdom shall not be left to another people [but only to His people, the Born-From-Above Israel ]. It will pulverize and terminate all these kingdoms [the four kingdoms of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream], and it shall be confirmed for the eons [continued through the ages]. (Daniel 2:44 CV)

The Supreme gives this kingdom to the One arriving as a son of a mortal (Dan. 7:13 CV), Jesus the Messiah, the Branch of David:

to Him is granted jurisdiction and esteem and a kingdom, and all the peoples and leagues and language- groups shall serve Him; His jurisdiction, as an eonian jurisdiction, will not pass away, and His kingdom shall not be confined [destroyed KJV]. (Daniel 7:14 CV)

Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, is first given jurisdiction over the Kingdom of David. After conquering the enemies of this kingdom, Jesus Christ, the Son of Yahweh, the Son of the Supreme, humbly, obediently, loyally hands the glorified Kingdom of David back to Yahweh His Father. This kingdom had been Yahweh’s until Israel demanded a king after the likeness of the kings of the nations, thereby rejecting Yahweh as her King. The restored Kingdom of Yahweh [God] terminates the kingdoms of the ancient near-eastern empires, making Yahweh Elohim once again the Elohim, the God of all the nations, terminating the covenantal distinction between Israel and the nations.

The Termination of the Rule of the Sons of El and the

Inauguration of the Rule of the Only-Generated Son of Yahweh

Christ Jesus is raised to the throne of Yahweh’s kingdom which will never be terminated. He and His Ecclesia, His Body, His complement will then reign, administer jurisdiction over the affairs of the nations, “altering the eras and the stated times, causing kings to pass away and kings to rise, granting wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those knowing understanding. . . . revealing the deep and the concealed things; . . .” (Dan. 2:21-22a CV). As such, this kingdom terminates the rule of the sons of El over the nations. The rule of the sons of El was a delegated jurisdiction organized by the Supreme after the judgment of the flood and the development of nations after the division of languages (see Deut. 32:7-9 CV). At that time the nations had gone astray from the Supreme, worshiping and serving the creation (Page 331) instead of the Creator (Rom. 1:25), as Israel also was to do in the course of her own history (see Ps. 106:19-20, 34-39; Jer. 2:11- 13; Ezk. 8:10).

The kingdom of Yahweh (God) will not be a kingdom or empire like the four kingdoms/empires it destroys. The capitol of its rule will not be terrestrial, that is, located on the earth. It will not be a human-made kingdom. It will not be made by hands. It will be a spiritual kingdom whose King will sit on His throne in the Celestial Realm. From that throne, in that realm, decisions and judgments will be rendered in relation to the history, the development, the progress of the nations, the peoples, the human race dwelling in the terrestrial realm (the realm consisting of the heavens and earth).

The fourth kingdom/empire of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, the Roman Empire, will not be immediately destroyed at the setting up of the Kingdom of God. Its political, economical, social, and religious institutions will not be immediately terminated. These institutions will come under the command, the jurisdiction, the decision-making policies of the Celestial Kingdom of Yahweh, operating behind the terrestrial scenes. In the course of time, the Roman Empire and its institutions will be changed, transformed, superseded.

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Christianity as a New Religion of the Nations

A new religion, a religion of the gentiles, the nations, will conquer and replace, through transformation, the ancient world of the gods with its idolatrous worship and service. This new religion operating and spreading over the world (the planet Earth) would be known as Christianity. It would represent a new faith, a new worship and service of the nations, superseding the institutions and religious worship of the ancient world since the division of languages in the time of Nimrod and his kingdom, the Kingdom of Babel (see Genesis, chapters 10-11).

This Christianity is not to be equated with the Ecclesia of Christ. It will develop out of the faith of those gentiles not faithful to the end, not faithful to the consummation of the Parousia of Christ. Paul warns,

being aware of the era, that it is already the hour for us to be roused out of sleep [the completion of the resurrection described in Romans, chapter 6, see also Phil. 3:8-14, the out-resurrection that is out from among the dead], for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night progresses, yet the day is near. We, then, should be putting off the acts of darkness, yet should be putting on the implements of light. . . . but put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and be making no provision for the lusts of the flesh. (Romans 13:11-14 CV)

There were many who failed to meet the standard, the specific requirements. Many did not put on the Lord Jesus Christ, that is, conform to His death and resurrection:

thus we also should be walking in newness of life. For if we have become planted together in the likeness of His death, nevertheless we shall be of the resurrection also, . . . Thus you also, be reckoning [accounting] yourselves to be dead, indeed, to Sin, yet living to God in Christ Jesus, our Lord. (Romans 6:4b-11 CV)

Many failed to walk in newness of life either to the end of their lives or to the Parousia of Christ. These unfaithful servants from among the gentiles, the uncircumcised followers of the Christ, were left behind. They had forfeited their right to participate with Christ’s Ecclesia in her entrance into her Celestial Allotment. Their names had been blotted out of the Lamb’s book of life. They had forfeited their right to citizenship in the Celestial Jerusalem located in the Celestial Realm of the Kingdom of Yahweh.

However, they did retain much of the teaching of Christ and continued to preach Christ and the One and Only Living God, His Father, adapting to their imperfect understanding the teachings they had maintained. They continued to adapt these teachings to the developing conditions of the Roman Empire and to the various beliefs and traditions of barbaric tribes invading the empire as the empire weakened its hold on its territories. Over the course of time, this religion developed various institutions, confessions of faith, and theologies explaining its understanding of the Hebrew Scriptures (already organized and authorized as genuinely sacred by the Jews) and the Greek Scriptures (which it had collected and authorized as genuinely inspired of God). The metaphorical heavens and earth of the ancient world had been replaced by the new metaphorical heavens and earth of the Kingdom of God.

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The Stone Cut Out From a Mountain Range

Daniel’s vision and interpretation of the times of the fourth kingdom describes a stone cut out from a mountain range. This stone is not cut out by hands:

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a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image [representing the four kingdoms of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream] upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. (Daniel 2:34 KJV)

This results in the total collapse of the image, the four kingdoms:

Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain [range, CV; rock, EB], and filled the whole earth. (Daniel 2:35 KJV)

The stone represents the man to whom the Supreme is willing to give the rule over His Kingdom. The stone is Jesus the Christ: “My Father covenanted a kingdom to Me, . . .” (Lk. 22:29b CV). The mountain range from which He cuts Himself out with the power and authority of the Supreme, Yahweh Elohim of Israel, is the mountain range of Israel , created and formed by Yahweh Himself.

At the creation of Israel, the forming at Mount Sinai of this great mountain range (Israel) which towered over the mountain ranges of the nations, Yahweh had created a metaphorical new heavens (Israel) and a metaphorical new earth (the nations) in which Israel had been raised above the nations in order to manifest the light of Yahweh’s word and glory (His law) upon the nations beneath her exalted status. This exalted status had been a spiritual or religious status, not a political status.

This stone of Daniel’s vision, spiritually, religiously becomes a great mountain range filling the whole earth. This great mountain range is not the Ecclesia of Christ, the new Jerusalem, the Born-From-Above Israel of Yahweh. It is a new religion replacing the Israel of the Mosaic covenantal religion. This new religion, Christianity, fills the whole earth, the terrestrial realm, with the knowledge of the Supreme, the One and Only Living God and His Only-Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, Savior and Righteous King over the human race.

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The Collapse of the Image

The collapse of the image representing the four great kingdoms/empires of the ancient near-eastern world is described as “the chaff of the summer threshingfloors” (Dan. 2:35 KJV). The wind carries this chaff away, and, like chaff blown away with the wind, these four kingdoms disappear, no longer having a place in the world of humanity. Their disappearance is not initially a political disappearance, but a religious disappearance. No longer would humanity worship and serve the idolatrous gods made by hands. The world-order of the gods would become obsolete. The time of the gods would become past. The time of humanity’s childhood would end.

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The Task of Christianity

Humanity now enters its time of adolescence. The task of Christianity is not the salvation of humanity, for that has already been accomplished by Jesus the Christ (see Rom. 5:12-21). The task of the Christian religion is to oversee and guide humanity through its period of adolescence until it reaches maturity. With the coming of age of humanity, Christianity as a religion (as well as all world religions) becomes obsolete, like the religious worship and service of the ancient world. No place will be found any longer for it or any other form of religion. Like chaff, all religions will be blown away by the wind of adulthood. Man will no longer need the adolescent accoutrements provided by religious ceremony, ritual, doctrine, and tradition.

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The Seventy Weeks

In the first year of the reign of King Darius the Mede over the Chaldeans (the 69th year of captivity), Daniel, having carefully delved into the prophecies of Jeremiah, came to understand that the time of Israel ’s return to Jerusalem was drawing near. This he determined on the basis of Jeremiah 25:11,

And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations [including Judah ] shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. (KJV)

and Jeremiah 29:10:

For thus saith the Lord [Yahweh], That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. (KJV)

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This moves Daniel to pour forth a penitential prayer (an intercession on behalf of his people) in which he identifies himself with the sin of his people, and acknowledges Yahweh’s just judgment on them.

Daniel himself had been righteous in relation to this national sin of rebellion. He had been righteous before the first execution of judgment and, even in Babylonian captivity, sought to faithfully maintain his purity from Babylonian idolatry. In this he was successful. In this he was blessed by Yahweh. Therefore, his prayer must be understood as an intercession of the righteous on behalf of the unrighteous. That Daniel is righteous, a faithful and acceptable servant of Yahweh, is made clear in the coming of Gabriel to Daniel at the conclusion of Daniel’s confessional prayer: “Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding [intelligent understanding, CV]. At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to show thee; for thou art greatly beloved [a man of coveted qualities, CV]: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision” (Dan. 9:22b-23 KJV).

Daniel had already come to a knowledge of the significance of Jeremiah’s 70 years. Now he is informed concerning a period of 70 weeks. He is told,

Seventy weeks have been divided concerning thy people and concerning thy holy city—

To put an end to the transgression,

And fill up the measure of sin,

And put a propitiatory-covering over iniquity,

And bring in the righteousness of ages,

And affix a seal to the vision and prophecy,

And anoint the holy of holies [literally, the holy one of holy ones]. (Daniel 9:24 EB)

A period of 70 weeks is to be divided into three divisions. These weeks are weeks of years. The first division consists of 7 weeks; the second division consists of 62 weeks, and the third and concluding division consists of one week. The first two divisions cover a period described as “from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem, unto the Messiah [the Anointed One] the Prince, . . .” (Dan. 9:25a KJV).

From the decree to restore and build Jerusalem (454 B.C) to the completion of this construction (the dedication of the Temple in 405 B.C.), which decree Daniel already knew was near at hand, would consist of 7 weeks (the first division), meaning 49 years. These 49 years refer to the rebuilding of Jerusalem. During these 7 weeks, the rebuilding of the city would begin “even in troublous times” (Dan. 9:25b KJV). The prophecy under consideration concerns the people of Daniel ( Israel ) and the holy city ( Jerusalem). It is not concerned with the rebuilding of the Temple.

Gabriel makes clear to Daniel that Yahweh’s ultimate promise of salvation is not to take place at the end of the 70-year period of captivity prophesied by Jeremiah. Israel would soon return to Jerusalem and the land. However, 70 weeks (490 years) are appointed for the people of Yahweh after their return to Jerusalem and the land, during which time the people and the city would endure great and severe tribulations (as already noted in chapter 8 of Daniel). The people have been cured of their worship of idols during this period of exile. But they have not yet learned to walk in the righteous ways of Yahweh. The time of the end is still far off.

The second division consisting of 62 weeks takes the nation, the people, to the arrival of the Messiah, the Anointed Prince. This means the Messiah, the Christ, the Branch of David, would arrive at the end of 69 weeks. His arrival would begin the 70th week for “after threescore and two weeks [the 62-weeks division] shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself” (Dan. 9:26 a KJV). At sometime during this 70th week, the Messiah would be cut off but not for His own sin or transgression. Thus, a just man would unjustly be condemned to death on behalf of the people of Yahweh. This just man, the Messiah, the Anointed One of Yahweh, the Prince of Israel, would, as a result of his sacrificial death, “put an end to the transgression [the breaking of the covenant made at Sinai] (9:24b EB), “fill up the measure of sin [walking in unrighteousness](Dan. 9:24c EB), “put a propitiatory-covering over iniquity [His blood covering the iniquities of His people, thus providing forgiveness] (Dan. 9:24d EB), and “bring in the righteousness of ages [the righteousness of Yahweh righting the injustices of the ages and continuing through the ages](Dan. 9:24e EB).

Having accomplished all this, the Messiah, the Prince of Israel, “the holy one of holy ones” (Dan. 9:24b my translation) would be anointed King over Israel . The prophecy concerns Jesus the Messiah, the son of David. He arrives at the beginning of the 70th week, commencing His ministry commissioned by Yahweh His God and Father. In the midst of the 70th week, the fourth year of His ministry, His hour comes and He is delivered up to the Romans by the rulers (princes) of His own people (His brothers) to be (Page 334) crucified. After His resurrection and ascension to Yahweh, He, in the Celestial Realm, is anointed by Yahweh King of Israel , taking His place on David’s throne.

His shed blood would establish a new covenant. The old, Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant would no longer provide covenantal life. Israel ’s covenantal life would now flow forth from the New Covenant. The Jerusalem below would no longer be the city of Yahweh. The Temple in Jerusalem would no longer be Yahweh’s Holy House. The Ecclesia of Christ would be the new city of Yahweh, and the Saints would be Yahweh’s Holy House, Yahweh’s new Temple described by Ezekiel in chapters 40-48. Thus,

the people [the Ecclesia, the Born-From-Above Israel ] of the prince [Jesus the Messiah] that shall come [Christ’s Parousia] shall destroy [nullify covenantally during the interval culminating in the Parousia, the return of the Christ] the city and the sanctuary; . . . (Daniel 9:26b KJV)

At the consummation of the Parousia, the city and the Temple would be physically destroyed:

and the end [consummation] thereof shall be with a flood [a covenantally significant destruction], and unto the end of the war desolations are determined [the Jewish war against Rome, 66-70 a.d.]. (Daniel 9:26c KJV)

Daniel is further informed,

And he [the Messiah, the Prince, Jesus the Christ] shall confirm the covenant with many [not all, only those who believe into Him and His word given to Him by Yahweh] for one week [the 70th week, consisting of seven years, three-and-a-half years confirming the Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant with the Southern Kingdom of Judah, and after His death, resurrection, and ascension, three-and-a-half years confirming His New Covenant with the Southern Kingdom of Judah before confirming this New Covenant with the Northern Lo-Ammi Kingdom of Ephraim/Israel]: and in the midst of the week [the crucifixion death of Jesus] he [the Messiah, the Prince, Jesus Christ] shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease [nullify the efficacy of Mosaic sacrifice and oblation], and for the overspreading of abominations [the defilement of the land, the city and the temple, culminating in the rebellion against Rome] he shall make it [the city of Jerusalem] desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined [ultimate judgment] shall be poured upon the desolate. (Daniel 9:27 KJV)

The 70 weeks of Daniel point to the arrival, the ministry, the death and resurrection of the Messiah and His reign on the throne of David which initiate the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, the ultimate redemption, salvation of Israel.

Daniel is then instructed two times to seal up the words of the visions of his prophecies: “Now you Daniel, stop up the words and seal the scroll till the era of the end, when many will swerve as evil will increase” (Dan. 12:4 CV); “Go, Daniel, for stopped up and sealed are the words till the era of the end” (Dan. 12:9 CV). Why should his prophecies be sealed up? Because, he is told, “for the vision is for future days” (Dan. 10:14b CV). How long will it be before the arrival of these future days? According to the vision of the 70 weeks of chapter 9, there will be 490 years from the return of the exiles and the rebuilding of Jerusalem. The vision of Daniel is to be sealed because it concerned things far off in the future. How extraordinarily different and significant is the command given to John, the writer of the Book of Revelation: “You should not be sealing the sayings of the prophecy of this scroll, for the era is near” (Rev. 22:10 CV).

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The Message of Zechariah and the Greek Scriptures

Zechariah is not only the longest book among the books of the Minor Prophets, but also, according to many scholars, the most obscure. Passages in chapters 9-14 are quoted in the passion narratives of the Gospels more than any other prophetic writing. With the exception of Ezekiel, Zechariah has influenced the contents of the Book of Revelation more than any other book of the Hebrew Scriptures. Its symbols and visions are similar to Ezekiel and Daniel. Much of the book’s obscurity, however, is solved when one understands that its main thrust takes the reader into the 70th week of Daniel and the concluding 33 years of the Mosaic Eon , ending in 70 a.d.

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The First and Second Visions: the Seventy-Year Captivity and Return

The opening vision (Zech. 1:2-17) refers to the prophecy of Jeremiah concerning the 70 years of Judah ’s captivity. The messenger of Yahweh indicates the 70 years have been completed. Yahweh declares,

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I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies: my house shall be built in it, . . . and a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem. (Zechariah 1:16 KJV)

Yahweh is about to return His people to their assigned land, and Jerusalem and the Temple would be rebuilt. The second vision (Zech. 1:18-21) indicates the return from Babylonian captivity is near. Yahweh’s hand is about to lead His people back to their land.

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The Third Vision: Judah as the Apple of Yahweh’s Eye

The third vision (Zech. 2:1-13) refers to the nearness of the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the return of the Kingdom of Judah from her northern captivity:

Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls for the multitude of men and cattle therein: For I, saith the Lord [Yahweh], will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her. . . . come forth, and flee from the land of the north, . . . Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon. (Zechariah 2:4b-7 KJV)

These words contain a double entendre. They first point to the rebuilding of Jerusalem after the return from Babylonian captivity. However, they also point to the distant future construction of the new Jerusalem described by Ezekiel in chapters 40-48. Only in this Jerusalem would Yahweh’s glory dwell. The Jerusalem rebuilt under Zerubbabel was not filled with the glory of Yahweh.

In this third vision, Jerusalem is to be inhabited “as towns without walls” (Zech. 2:4). This is figurative. Jerusalem is not said to be literally a town without walls. Yahweh would be to her “a wall of fire” (Zech. 2:5), that is, Yahweh would protect her. Judah is declared to be the apple of Yahweh’s eye. He would lead her back to the land and protect her as Jerusalem was being rebuilt.

The messenger of Yahweh indicates he was sent to reclaim the glory of Yahweh, Judah , the apple of His eye:

For thus saith the Lord [Yahweh] of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you [Judah], toucheth the apple of his [Yahweh’s] eye. (Zechariah 2:8 KJV)

Judah as the apple of Yahweh’s eye would once again reflect Yahweh’s glory as He reaches out and takes her back to Himself. In this way, Yahweh would be in the midst of His people.

However, His glory which had been removed from the Solomonic Temple would not yet be restored. This glory would not be restored until the coming of the Righteous Branch out of the root of Jesse. This becomes the subject of verses 10-13:

for, lo, I come, and I will dwell [tabernacle] in the midst of thee, saith the Lord [Yahweh]. And many nations shall be joined to the Lord [Yahweh] in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell [tabernacle] in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me [the Righteous Branch, the Christ] unto thee. (Zechariah 2:10-11 KJV)

This coming and tabernacling of Yahweh points to the arrival of Jesus the Christ, the word become flesh, the Shekinah glory of Yahweh tabernacling in the midst of His people (Jn. 1:14 CV).

At that future time, many nations would be joined to Yahweh, that is, many individuals from among the nations would join themselves in faith to Yahweh, becoming His people. This would be in response to the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ. In Jesus the Messiah, Yahweh’s Shekinah glory would once again be restored to Judah . His people would become a New Jerusalem and a New Temple not made with hands. In that day Yahweh would receive Judah as His allotted portion:

And the Lord [Yahweh] shall inherit [be allotted] Judah his portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again. (Zechariah 2:12 KJV)

Thus, this second meaning, this pointing to the distant future, had been concealed from Israel , to be revealed to the Apostle Paul on behalf of the Saints (Eph. 2:1-12 CV), Yahweh’s allotted portion, “For the portion of Yahweh is His people; Jacob is the line of His allotment” (Deut. 32:9 CV). The visions of Zechariah are obscure only if the reader fails to perceive the double entendre and the distant future pointing to the end of the Mosaic Eon , 30-70 a.d.

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The Fourth Vision: The Kingdom of Priests

The fourth vision (Zech. 3:1-10) also symbolically points to the distant future of Judah . Joshua the High Priest ministered in the restored Temple after the return from Babylonian captivity. Under the prophetic ministries of Haggai and Zechariah, the restored people of Yahweh were instructed to complete the rebuilding of the Temple. Joshua, the son of Josedech (Hag. 1:1), becomes the appointed High Priest of Aaronic prestige. Unlike Haggai, Zechariah does not mention Joshua’s lineage from Josedech. In Zechariah’s vision, Joshua the High Priest symbolically represents Israel as a priestly nation, a kingdom of priests (Ex. 19:6). In verse 8 of Zechariah, chapter 3, Joshua will be associated with the coming of the Branch, the righteous son of David, Who, as a High Priest after the order of Melchizedek, will cleanse the nation of Israel from sin, preparing the nation for her priestly service on behalf of the nations.

In this vision, Joshua the High Priest is seen standing before the messenger of Yahweh. Satan, acting as prosecuting attorney, stands at his right hand “to resist him” (Zech. 3:1b KJV). Satan presents the case against the appointment of Joshua to the High Priesthood, that is, Joshua as he represents the future nation of Israel . Satan accuses Joshua of not qualifying for this holy position. Joshua’s sins are pointed out to Yahweh the officiating Judge.

Yahweh rebukes the charge of Satan. He has chosen Jerusalem and Israel . Joshua is then declared to be a “brand plucked out of the fire” (Zech. 3:2b KJV). Verse 3 describes Joshua as “clothed with filthy garments,” confirming the accusation of Satan. However, Yahweh commands,

Take away the filthy garments from him. . . . Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment. (Zechariah 3:4b KJV)

Joshua is cleansed from the filth of his sins and is provided a change of raiment fit for a royal priest.

Joshua is then charged by the messenger of Yahweh to walk in the ways of Yahweh, keeping his charge. If Joshua obeys,

thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by. (Zechariah 3:7b KJV)

The obedient priestly nation will be given righteous judges to rule the twelve tribes (see Lk. 22:29-30). This holy nation will carry out faithfully a priestly ministry (keep my courts) fulfilling its obligation to become a kingdom of priests. As a result of this faithful service, the nation will be given a place of honor among the celestial beings (“I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by [Satan and the messenger of Yahweh]”). This is precisely what Paul claims for the Saints in Christ: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who blesses us with every spiritual blessing among the celestials, . . .” (Eph. 1:3 CV). Jesus alludes to this in saying to Nicodemus, “If I told you of the terrestrial [things revealed] and you are not believing, how shall you be believing if I should be telling you of the celestial [things concealed] (Jn. 3:12 CV).

But how is Joshua the High Priest (future Israel ) to be cleansed from his sins and clothed with royal raiment? The answer is provided in verses 8 and 9 of Zechariah, chapter 3. The arrival of Yahweh’s servant, the BRANCH, will transform Joshua and his brothers who sit before him (Joshua, representing the kingdom of priests) into a “sign” (ASV) for Israel and the nations. This righteous BRANCH is described as “the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eyes: . . .” (Zech. 3:9a KJV). This is the stone of Isaiah 28:16:

therefore thus saith the Lord [Yahweh] God [Elohim], Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste [not be disturbed NASB]. (KJV)

Peter refers to this stone as “the Stone that is being scorned by you builders, which is becoming the head of the corner. And there is no salvation in any other one, . . .” (Acts 4:11-12a).

This stone has seven eyes scanning the entire habitation of Yahweh’s scattered peoples, seven eyes which become seven fountains of life-giving water (spirit), opened to cleanse the people of Yahweh from the filth of covenantal sin. The author of the Book of Revelation associates these eyes with Jesus the Lamb of Yahweh:

And I perceived, in the center of the throne and of the four animals, and in the center of the elders, a Lambkin standing, as though slain, having seven horns, and seven eyes which are the seven spirits of God, commissioned for [into] the entire earth. (Revelation 5:6 CV)

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What is concealed in the Prophets (the Hebrew Scriptures) is revealed in the Greek Scriptures.

According to Zechariah 3:9b, by this stone Yahweh “will remove the iniquity of that land in one day” (KJV). That day is later revealed in the Greek Scriptures to be the day of the crucifixion of Jesus the Messiah, the Anointed One of Yahweh. Zechariah’s fourth vision concludes,

In that day [the period from Jesus’ crucifixion, resurrection, and pouring out of Yahweh’s spirit to the consummation of His Parousia], saith the Lord of hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbor under the vine and under the fig tree. (Zechariah 3:10 KJV)

Metaphorically, this refers to the covenantal, spiritual safety and peace established by the BRANCH for the ultimate (Born-From-Above) Israel of Yahweh (see Isa. 36:16). This passage is not to be interpreted literally.

The prophet Micah writes of this same period:

But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain [Davidic Kingdom and King] of the house of the Lord [Yahweh] shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people [peoples ASV] shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob [the Ecclesia of Jesus the Messiah]; and he [Yahweh] will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion [the new Jerusalem, the Born-From-Above Israel], and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem [the heavenly Jerusalem, the Bride of the Lamb, Rev. 21:9-14]. And he [Yahweh through Jesus the Messiah, the son of David] shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it. . . . In that day, . . . I will make her that halted [Judah] a remnant, and her that was cast far off [Ephraim] a strong nation [together]: and the Lord [Yahweh] shall reign over them in mount Zion [the new Jerusalem, the Born-From-Above Israel] from henceforth, even for ever [and into the eon , CV]. (Micah 4:1-7 KJV)

This was fulfilled by the ministry of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus the Messiah who were commissioned with the Gospel of the Circumcision and the Apostle Paul who was commissioned with the Gospel of the Uncircumcision. In the days of the Righteous Branch of the house of David, Jesus the Messiah, the Davidic Kingdom was reestablished.

Judah which had been afflicted with the limp (her that halted) of Babylonian captivity became a remnant remembered of Yahweh, while Ephraim ( Israel , the Northern Kingdom), which had been driven out and cast far off, became Lo-Ammi, not My people. Reunited, they become one strong nation. Judah was called by means of the Gospel of the Circumcision committed to Peter and the eleven, while Ephraim was called by means of the Gospel of the Uncircumcision committed to the Apostle Paul.

Through the ministry of the Apostle Paul, many nations (Gentiles) came up to the mountain of Yahweh (the Davidic Kingdom represented by the cleansed priestly Kingdom of Judah, the Saints, the circumcised remnant of faithful ones among the Jews), thus bringing about the restoration, the reuniting of Judah and Ephraim. These faithful Gentiles, representing the Lo-Ammi people of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, come up to the house (The Temple) of the God of Jacob, the limping-one who is righteous with El. This Temple, this House, is the Temple not made with hands. It is the spiritual Temple, the House of Yahweh represented by the Ecclesia of Jesus the Messiah, consisting of the Saints, the circumcised faithful ones of Jesus the Christ, the kingdom of priests and the holy nation of Exodus 19:6, described by the writer of Revelation as “a kingdom and priests to His [Jesus’] God and Father” (Rev. 1:6 CV).

These faithful Gentiles are taught the ways of Yahweh by the faithful circumcised Jews, the ones functioning as Yahweh’s kingdom of priests. As a result of this ministry of instruction, these faithful Gentiles walk in the ways of Yahweh, fulfilling Yahweh’s Law as uncircumcised sons of Abraham, in accord with Paul’s description of them in Romans 2:14-15:

For whenever they of the nations [believing Gentiles] that have no law [statutes and judgments given to them by Yahweh, see Ps. 147:19-20], by nature [being naturally uncircumcised] may be doing that which the law [of Moses] demands, these, having no law [given to them by Yahweh], are a law to themselves, who are displaying the action of the law written in their hearts, . . . (CV)

Thus, the law goes forth from Zion (the kingdom of priests, the Born-From-Above Israel) and the word of Yahweh from Jerusalem (the Saints, the Bride of the Lamb).

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In that day, Yahweh (through Jesus the Messiah and His Apostles), judges, rules among and over many people, rebuking (instructing, disciplining, correcting, guiding) those Gentiles made strong by the power of the Gospel, which is described by Paul as follows:

For not ashamed am I of the evangel, for it is God's power for [into] salvation [deliverance into the strong life of the law of Christ] to everyone who is believing [acting faithfully]—to the Jew first, and to the Greek as well. (Romans 1:16 CV)

This salvation into the powerful, strong, righteous life in accord with the law of Christ is a sign, a revelation of God’s righteousness generated out of the faithfulness of Christ and energizing the faithful, righteous life of the believing ones (Rom. 1:17), both Jews (circumcised) and Greeks (uncircumcised). Paul then concludes,

Now [since the death and resurrection of Jesus the Messiah] the one justified [by faith in the Gospel] out of the corresponding faithfulness shall exercise for himself the functions of the righteous life made possible by the law of Christ disabling The Law of Sin and Death operating in the members of one’s mortal body. (Romans 1:17b my amplified translation)

These faithful ones, both Jews and Greeks, “beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks” (Mic. 4:3), not literally, but metaphorically. They become instruments, implements of Yahweh’s peace, manifesting the life of the New Covenant and performing the work of the peacemaker: “Happy [honorable] are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matt. 5:9 CV).

These faithful ones making up the new spiritual, covenantal nation of Israel will “not lift up a sword” against the nation of Israel according to the flesh, the Cainite nation of The Adversary. The warfare shall not be literal, but metaphorical, not physical, but spiritual, in accord with the interpretative prediction of Jesus, “For roused shall be a nation against a nation, and a kingdom against a kingdom, . . .” (Matt. 24:7a CV). The Cainish, or Cainite, nation will lift up the literal sword against the spiritual nation (Saul of Tarsus against those of “the way” (Acts 9:2 CV) and Jews against Paul and the other Saints in Christ), but the spiritual nation will skillfully apply the “two edged sword” of the word of God (Heb. 4:12). The faithful ones in Christ will no longer learn, or indulge in, physical warfare as a means of establishing righteousness and peace. Every faithful one will experience the justice, peace, and security of Yahweh’s New Covenant commitment to His people.

This was the reality of the faithful ones in Christ from the arrival of Jesus the Messiah to the consummation of His Parousia occurring about the year 70 a.d. In Christ, every man sat “under his vine and under his fig tree” (Micah 4:4a KJV). In Christ, no enemy could “make them afraid” (Micah 4:4b KJV), could threaten their covenantal security and Celestial Allotment, for their salvation was guaranteed by the faithful word issuing forth from Yahweh’s mouth. The only requirement was faithfulness to the end:

You should not, then, be casting away your boldness [confidence], which is having a great reward, for you have need of endurance that, doing the will of God, you should be requited with the promise. For still how very little, He Who is coming will be arriving and not delaying. Now My “just one by [out of] faith shall be living,” and “If he should ever be shrinking, My soul is not delighting in him.” Yet we are not of those shrinking back to destruction, but of faith for the procuring of the soul. (Hebrews 10:35-39 CV)

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The Fifth Vision: The Construction of the Future Temple

The fifth vision of Zechariah presents a golden candlestick having seven lamps and two olive trees, one tree standing on the right side of the candlestick and one standing on the left side. Zechariah is puzzled. He is like a man just awakened out of sleep. He asks the messenger of Yahweh who has just awakened him, “What are these my lord?” (Zech. 4:4b KJV). The messenger’s first answer associates these objects with the rebuilding of the temple of Zerubbabel. Yahweh indicates to Zechariah that “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit” (Zech. 4:6b KJV) the temple will be built under the jurisdiction of Zerubbabel. Thus, the candlestick represents the Temple of Yahweh and the two olive trees the source of the spirit of Yahweh lighting the lamps of the candlestick. The messenger reveals no more than this concerning Zerubbabel and the rebuilding of the House of Yahweh after the return from Babylonian captivity. The mystery of the two olive trees remains a mystery. Yahweh promises that the obstacle in Zerubbabel’s way, like a great mountain (Zech. 4:7), shall be removed by the power of His spirit.

The remainder of the vision points to the distant future of Israel . Zerubbabel then becomes a type of the righteous Branch, the Messiah, the Anointed Son of David , Who will supervise the building of the Temple of Yahweh not made by hands. As “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this (Page 339) house” (Zech. 4:9a), so also shall the hands of the Branch, the Messiah, lay the foundation of the ultimate Temple of Yahweh. As the hands of Zerubbabel shall finish the construction of the then soon-to-be-rebuilt temple, so also shall the hands of the Branch, the Messiah, the Anointed Son of David, finish the construction of the future Temple (Zech. 4:9b). This is confirmed by Zechariah 6:12-13:

Thus speaketh the Lord [Yahweh] of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The Branch; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord: even he shall build the temple of the Lord; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: . . . (KJV)

The Branch, the son of David, will build the Temple of Yahweh not made with hands. He shall “bear the glory,” for the glory of Yahweh tabernacles within Him. He will “sit and rule upon his throne,” the throne of His father David. He will also perform the service of a priest while ruling upon His Davidic throne. However, his priestly role will not be according to the Aaronic Priesthood (which under the New Covenant will be abolished, nullified), but according to the Melchizedekian Priesthood (Heb. 5:6-11; 7:11- 17) which had preceded the Mosaic Law. Jesus the Messiah will “grow up out of his place,” that is, out of His place within the Mosaic Covenant (during His terrestrial ministry) and into His place within the New Covenant (during His celestial ministry on the throne of David) consecrated with His blood (Heb. 9:13-18).

Zechariah then asks, “What be these two olive branches, which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves?” (Zech. 4:12 KJV), repeating his question first stated in verse 11. He finally receives an answer, but the answer remains an enigma, “These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth” (Zech. 4:14 KJV). Thus, once again, Yahweh conceals in the Hebrew Scriptures what He reveals in the Greek Scriptures. For the writer of the Book of Revelation refers directly to this enigmatic answer in his prophecy of those things which were to occur shortly in the first century:

And I will be endowing My two witnesses and they will be prophesying a thousand two hundred sixty days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two lampstands which stand before the Lord of the earth. (Revelation 11:3-4 CV)

This same author, in a vision, sees “seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like a son of mankind, . . .” (Rev. 1:12-13a CV). The “One like a son of mankind” is revealed to him as being “the First and the Last, and the Living One: and I became dead, and lo! living am I for the eons of the eons” (Rev. 1:17-18 CV), thus, Jesus the Messiah, the Son of David , the Son of Adam, the Son of Yahweh. The seven lampstands are then revealed as representing the seven ecclesias (Rev. 1:20). Seven is the number of completion. The seven ecclesias, thus, represent the One complete Ecclesia of Christ, His Bride, His Body, the Temple of Yahweh not made by hands.

This corresponds to the seven lamps of the candlestick presented in Zechariah’s fourth vision. The candlestick with the seven lamps represents the future Temple of Yahweh not made by hands, the Ecclesia of the Christ. Jesus the Christ is the builder. He lays the foundation and He completes, finishes the construction.

The two olive trees of Zechariah represent the Southern Kingdom of Judah and the Northern Kingdom of Israel (Ephraim) reunited in the Christ by the reception of the Gospel of Christ and the spirit of Yahweh. The oil (spirit) from these two olive trees continuously fills the lamps of the Ecclesia of Christ, the Temple of Yahweh not made by hands, manifesting the presence of the glory of Yahweh.

The two olive trees also represent Peter and Paul (“What be these two olive branches, . . . ?” Zech. 4:12), the chief administrators of the Gospel of Christ. Peter was appointed administrator of the Gospel of the Circumcision proclaimed to Judah (circumcised Jews) and Paul was appointed administrator of the Gospel of the Uncircumcision proclaimed to Ephraim (uncircumcised gentiles). The faithful ones from among these two groups, these two kingdoms, are the living stones being built up together into the Temple of Yahweh not made by hands.

Paul alludes to these two olive trees of Zechariah in the 11th chapter of his Letter to the Romans. He refers to Judah as “the root and fatness of the olive tree” (Rom. 11:17 KJV) while referring to Ephraim, the Northern Kingdom of Israel made Lo-Ammi, as “the olive wild by nature” (Rom. 11:24 NGEINT). The wild olive tree is the uncultivated olive tree of Ephraim scattered among the nations and made Lo-Ammi, not My people. The Northern Kingdom of Israel among the nations had not received the cultivating activity and care of Yahweh as was provided the Southern Kingdom of Judah.

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The branches of the wild olive tree, as a result of the Gospel of the Uncircumcision, are grafted into the cultivated olive tree of Judah, circumcised Israel, thereby reuniting the fallen tabernacle, the house of David (Amos 9:9-15; Acts 15:13-18), and making the stick of Judah and the stick of Joseph/Ephraim one stick again (Ezk. 37:19). The wild olive tree had once been a cultivated olive tree under the covenant made with Jeroboam. Having broken that covenant and forsaken Yahweh, this cultivated olive tree was then given into the care of the gods of the nations. Having been removed from the cultivating care of Yahweh, this olive tree became wild by nature, that is, uncircumcised (see Rom. 2:14, “by nature” refers to the uncircumcised condition).

One last item in Zechariah’s fourth vision must be mentioned. The seven lamps of the golden candlestick (vision five) are said to be “seven . . . eyes of the Lord [Yahweh], which run to and fro through the whole earth” (Zech. 4:10b KJV). In chapter 3, verse 9 (vision four), the stone laid before Joshua the High Priest has seven eyes. The stone refers to Jesus the Messiah, and the eyes in the stone scan the entire habitation of Yahweh’s scattered peoples, becoming seven fountains of life-giving spiritual water cleansing the people of Yahweh from covenantal filth. In Revelation 5:6, these seven eyes are associated with Christ as the Lamb of Yahweh. In Revelation 1:20, the seven lampstands are equated with the one complete Ecclesia of the Christ, and, in Zechariah 4:10, these same seven eyes of Yahweh are associated with the seven lamps of the golden candlestick, which lamps represent the Ecclesia of the Christ. Thus, the Ecclesia of the Christ (the Temple not made with hands) becomes the vehicle through which the salvation of Yahweh flows to Israel and the nations.

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Salvation is of the Jews

Zechariah 8:23 prophesies of the future days when the nations will glorify the Jews, circumcised members of the Southern Kingdom of Judah, branches of the cultivated olive tree. In those future days, the nations, uncircumcised members of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, branches of the wild olive tree, will seek Yahweh in Jerusalem, the new Jerusalem, the Jerusalem above associated allegorically with Sarah in contrast with the Jerusalem below associated allegorically with Hagar (Gal. 4:21-26). In those days “ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you” (Zech. 8:23 KJV).

Note the usage of the word “Jew” (or Judean). It is the Jew (the circumcised Jew during the first century, a member of the Southern Kingdom of Judah restored to the land out of the Babylonian captivity) who will be honored. Thus, the significance of Paul’s emphasis on “the Jew first and also the Greek” is in relation to the advantage of the Jew as an elect member of the Southern Kingdom of Judah which continued to receive the cultivated care of Yahweh, maintaining its covenantal life as the natural, cultivated olive tree planted and nurtured by Yahweh. Such also is the significance of the claim of Jesus that “salvation is of the Jews” (Jn. 4:22 CV).

Through the Jews will come the initial firstfruit reversal of the tower of Babel with its resulting confusion of languages. Ten men (figuratively) out of all languages will cling to the Jew to receive the blessing of the God of Abraham. For Abraham was called by Yahweh Elohim in connection with the attempt of the nations to make a name for themselves apart from faithfulness to the One Living Elohim. Yahweh’s judgment upon the nations was the confusion of tongues.

Consequently, Yahweh called Abram and promised to make him a great name and a blessing to the nations. The nations had sought to make for themselves a great name independent of the One Living Elohim and had failed; the One Living Elohim guaranteed to make Abram a great name and faithfully succeeded, resulting in a corresponding blessing upon the very nations which had disobediently forsaken the One Living Elohim.

Through the seed of circumcised Abraham (Jesus THE circumcised seed of Abraham) came the blessing of Yahweh Elohim upon the nations. Out of the Jews came Jesus the Messiah, through Whom came Yahweh’s salvation. Out of the deviation (paraptoma, slip aside) of the Jews (their tripping and stumbling) came salvation to the nations (Rom. 11:11).

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The Deviation of the Jews

The deviation of the Jews alludes to the deviation of Adam. Adam ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil out of ignorance, not rebellion of the heart. He was not deceived as Eve. He believed the word of Yahweh concerning the consequence of eating. Adam, perplexed by this dilemma, (Page 341) could not solve the enigmatic problem of Eve’s disobedience. He confidently believed Eve was to die. Loving his complement, bone of his bones, flesh of his flesh, Adam ate, joining Eve in her judgment.

The Jews, during their Babylonian captivity, continued to receive Yahweh’s mercy, in contrast to the Northern Kingdom of Israel. The ignorance and blindness of the Jews (the Southern Kingdom of Judah-Judea) in relation to the Gospel of Christ resulted in Yahweh’s mercy upon the nations. The previous “Lo-Ammi” judgment upon Israel had resulted in the mercy of Yahweh upon Judah . During the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ, the hardening judgment upon the Jews (the then present Judean kingdom) resulted in the mercy of Yahweh upon the nations (the Northern Kingdom of Israel/Ephraim/Joseph).

This temporary discomfiture upon Israel (the Southern Kingdom of Judah/Judea) resulted in riches poured out upon the nations. However, this discomfiture, this deviation, this slipping aside, this stumbling, did not signify that Israel the Southern Kingdom would fall:

Now if their offense [deviation] is the world's [the order of the promises made to Abraham, see Romans 4:13, Abraham as the enjoyer of the allotment of the world-order within which he receives his promised blessings] riches and their discomfiture the nations' riches, how much rather that which fills [completes] them! . . . For if their casting away is the conciliation [counter-alteration] of the world [of the Sinatic/Mosaic order], what will the taking back be if not life from among the dead [the completion of the resurrection of all Israel ]? (Romans 11:12-15 CV)

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The Advantage of the Jews

Only the Jews (the circumcised Israelites) are addressed as saints by the writers of the Greek Scriptures, because only the Jews are a kingdom of priests, a holy nation. The Messianic Gentiles became fellow-citizens of the saints (the Jews, circumcised Israelites, the new commonwealth, the new nation, the Born-From-Above Israel) but remain distinct because of their uncircumcision. The faithful circumcised Jews became an antitype of the Aaronic Priesthood during the concluding years of the Mosaic Eon . The faithful uncircumcised Gentiles became an antitype of the Levitical Priesthood during this same span of time. But the Jew remained first, having a greater responsibility because of his greater advantages (see Rom. 9:4-5; 2:28; 3:2).

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The Arrival of the Branch

Zechariah 9:9 is a definite prophecy concerning the arrival of the Branch of David, the Righteous King. It is interpreted by the Greek Scriptures as referring to Jesus as He entered into Jerusalem to be finally given over to His enemies just prior to His crucifixion (see Matt. 21:1-5; Jn. 12:12-16). His sacrificial death results in the salvation promised by Yahweh: “he is just, and having salvation” (Zech. 9:9b KJV). The vivification of Jesus by Yahweh from the death orchestrated by the enemies of Jesus culminates in the triumphant victory of Jesus over the intended purpose of His enemies.

Jesus stands up out from among the dead ones, possessing the authority to proclaim the Gospel of the Circumcision to Judah (the Jews). As a result of the proclamation of this Gospel of peace, Yahweh cuts off “the chariot from Ephraim” and “the horse from Jerusalem” (Zech. 9:10a KJV), that is, He removes Israel’s (the Northern and Southern Kingdoms’) confidence in the arm of man, the arm of human technology as a means of deliverance from under the enslaving power of her enemies. Once again, Israel , the people of Yahweh, places her complete confidence and trust in the faithfulness of Yahweh her Elohim, as during the occupation of Canaan under the righteous leadership of Joshua.

Jesus rises out of the metaphoric ashes of death to lead the Israel of Yahweh out of bondage into the Celestial Allotment promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In Jesus the Messiah, the Righteous Branch of David, Yahweh manifests Himself once again as “king in Jeshurun” (Deut. 33:5 KJV). As such, Yahweh speaks “peace unto the heathen [nations, ASV] (Zech. 9:10b KJV) as He reigns covenantally throughout the entire geographical boundaries of the Land of Promise under the terms of the New Covenant. Paul writes of this as follows:

Yet now, in Christ Jesus, you, who once were far off, are become near by the blood of Christ. For He is our Peace, Who makes both one, . . . making peace . . . through the cross, . . . And, coming, He brings the evangel of peace to . . . those afar, and . . . to those near, . . . (Ephesians 2:13-18 CV)

It is “by the blood of thy covenant” (the blood of the New Covenant) that Yahweh delivers the prisoners of Israel from the curse of the Sinatic Covenant (Zech. 9:11 KJV). In the hands of Yahweh, Judah (the Gospel of the Circumcision) becomes Yahweh’s bow, and Ephraim (the Gospel of the (Page 342) Uncircumcision) becomes Yahweh’s arrow of salvation directed toward the nations (sons of Greece , Zech. 9:13). This arrow goes forth “as the lightning” (Zech. 9:14a), electrifying the faithful ones among the nations (the uncircumcised faithful sons of Greece/Ephraim) with the spirit of Yahweh as He appears above the army of Judah (the circumcised faithful Jews).

The Israel of Yahweh, protected by Yahweh’s strong arm, celebrates with a festive banquet (“the Lord God shall blow the trumpet,” Zech. 9:14b KJV). Yahweh defends His people (faithful circumcised Jews and faithful uncircumcised Gentiles) against the sling-shot stones of her enemies. The victory over her enemies is celebrated with wine. Her thirst and hunger is completely satisfied (Zech. 9:15). Yahweh her Elohim in that day saves His people, making them one united flock. “As the stones of a crown,” He exalts them as “an ensign upon his [Yahweh’s] land” (Zech. 9:16 KJV) to His glory. Such became the reality in the first century as recorded in the Greek Scriptures.

According to Zechariah 10:4, out of Judah would come forth Yahweh’s messianic ruler who is metaphorically described as the “cornerstone” (CV), emphasizing the stability and cohesiveness which the righteous ruler establishes on behalf of his people; the tent-peg, suggesting the security provided his people; the battle-bow (CV) referring to the strength of the warrior-king guaranteeing victory over the opposing forces; and finally, from Judah would come Yahweh’s exactors (CV), those judges exacting righteousness in all moral, legal, social, economical, and cultic matters (see also Isa. 60:17 KJV). The Greek Scriptures understand Jesus to be this cornerstone. Peter, according to Acts 4:11, claims the Sanhedrin has rejected Jesus the cornerstone. In 1 Peter 2:4, he refers to Jesus as “a living Stone, having been rejected indeed by men, yet chosen by God” (CV), alluding to Isaiah 28:16, “I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste” (KJV). Paul, in his charge concerning hardened Israel , also implies that Jesus is the cornerstone: “they stumble on the stumbling stone, according as it is written: Lo! I am laying in Zion a Stumbling Stone and a Snare Rock, And the one believing on Him shall not be disgraced” (Rom. 9:32b-33 CV).

The Kingdom of Judah, according to Zechariah 10:5, is to become like an army of “mighty men” (KJV), defeating its enemy as in battle it treads in “the mire of the streets” (KJV). Figuratively, the foot soldiers of Judah will overwhelm the cavalry of their enemy through the mighty activity of the strong arm of Yahweh. The faithful circumcised Jews are to defeat the mighty political and religious opposition of the circumcised sons of Cainite Israel with the spiritual weapon of the word of Yahweh, the Gospel of Christ. Thus, Yahweh is to strengthen spiritually/covenantally the house of Judah , giving it priority and an exalted position of honor (Zech. 10:6a). Through this covenantally invigorated house of Judah, Yahweh is to save the house of Joseph by extending to it His mercy, thereby restoring its repentant, faithful members to their original place in the cultivated olive tree of the house of David (Zech. 10:6b). Then Yahweh declares, “and they shall be as though I had not cast them off” (Zech. 10:6c), alluding to their previous Lo-Ammi condition. Ephraim, now reunited with Judah , becomes, together with Judah , “like a mighty man” (Zech. 10:7a KJV). The heart of Ephraim’s uncircumcised faithful ones “shall rejoice as through wine” (celebrate as during a cultic festival) and “shall rejoice in the Lord [Yahweh] (Zech. 10:7b KJV). This, Yahweh will accomplish, not only in the land of Judea, but also in the lands of the nations: “And I will sow [plant] them [Ephraim] among the people [peoples, ASV, CV]: and they shall remember me in far countries [through the proclamation of the Gospel of the Uncircumcision]; and they shall live [by the spirit of Christ according to the terms of the New Covenant] with their children, and turn again [to the righteousness of the law] (Zech. 10:9 KJV, see also 10:12 CV, “in His name shall they walk”).

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The Future Shepherd

Zechariah 11:4-14 points to a future leader commissioned to shepherd the people of Yahweh. The prophet Zechariah is commanded by Yahweh to assume the role of the shepherd of the flock of Judah in opposition to the corrupt shepherds buying and selling the sheep (the people) for their own personal gain. This shepherd is presented as a hireling of these corrupt shepherds: “And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price [hire, ASV] . . .” (Zech. 11:12 KJV). These corrupt shepherds are called “possessors” (Zech. 11:5a), buyers, acquirers who sell the sheep for slaughtering. They shamefully hold themselves guiltless in the eyes of Yahweh, showing no pity for the sheep, while declaring hypocritically “Blessed be the Lord[Yahweh]; for I am rich: . . .” (Zech. 11:5b). They perceive themselves as being blessed religiously, as well as economically, by Yahweh their Elohim. Yahweh, however, has already doomed this (Page 343) flock to slaughter (Zech. 11:4b). He has already determined to give the sheep up to the ways of their corrupt shepherds and king (Zech. 11:6).

Zechariah, obediently taking on the symbolic role of the shepherd of Yahweh, declares, “And I will feed [So I fed, ASV] the flock of slaughter, even you, O poor of the flock [for the traffickers of the flock, CV, LXX] (Zech. 11:7a KJV). He shepherds the sheep as a hireling of the corrupt shepherds (those trafficking in the sale of the sheep) using two staffs; the first he calls “Beauty” (or Pleasant, Zech. 11:10a CV). The second he calls “Bands” (or Union, Zech. 11:14 CV).

During the first month of service, he suppresses (CV) three shepherds whom he loathes (KJV, or “is impatient with” CV); they, in return, find him nauseating (CV), abhorrent (KJV). As a result, Zechariah, as the shepherd commissioned by Yahweh, withdraws from feeding the doomed sheep, “I will not feed you” (Zech. 11:9a KJV).

Taking his staff “Pleasantness” (CV), he hacks it to pieces, symbolically annulling Yahweh’s covenant contracted with the “peoples” (CV): “And it will be annulled in that day. And the traffickers [sheep dealers, corrupt shepherds] of the flock, who are observing me, shall know that it is the word of Ieue [Yahweh](Zech. 11:11 CV). At this point, the shepherd of Yahweh asks for his wages (Zech. 11:12). His employers (the corrupt shepherds) pay him 30 pieces of silver, which Yahweh commands him to cast into the hands of the minter of the Temple treasury, which he obediently does (Zech. 11:13). This was fulfilled by Judas, a disciple of Jesus, on behalf of Jesus the Shepherd of Israel commissioned by Yahweh (see Zech. 11:4, 7, 9, 12-13 KJV). Jesus had charged Judas, “What you are doing, do more quickly” (Jn. 13:27b CV). The purpose of this charge given by Jesus was to fulfill scripture (Jn. 13:18). The shepherd of Zechariah 11:4- 14 then proceeds to hack to pieces his staff, Union, symbolically annulling “the brotherhood between Judah and Israel (Zech. 11:14b KJV).

According to the Greek Scriptures, Jesus is the commissioned Shepherd of Yahweh, “I am the Shepherd ideal” (Jn. 10:11 CV) declares Jesus as recorded in the Gospel of John. The sheep are already doomed to Yahweh’s judgment as the Baptist, prior to the shepherding ministry of Jesus, had proclaimed, “Now already the ax also is lying at the root of the trees” (Lk. 3:9 CV), “Progeny of vipers! Who intimates to you to be fleeing from the impending indignation?” (Matt. 3:7 CV). The shepherds, the leaders of the people, the sons of the Adversary (Jn. 8:44), the sons of Cain (1 Jn. 3:10-12), had been trafficking, selling out the sheep to a contaminated interpretation and application of the Mosaic Covenant.

This they did in the name of Yahweh, to their own religious, economic, social, and political gain. They hypocritically boasted that they were blessed of Yahweh, because they strictly followed the Law of Moses. Shamefully, they lacked any sense of guilt in their oppression of the flock. Jesus declares of them, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you are taking tithes from the mint and the dill and the cumin, and leave the weightier matters of the law, judging and mercy and faith. Now these it was binding for you to do, and not leave those. Blind guides! straining out a gnat, yet swallowing a camel” (Matt. 23:23-24 CV).

These corrupt shepherds, traffickers of the flock, “knew that it [the teaching of Jesus] was the word of the Lord[Yahweh] (Zech. 11:11b KJV, see also Jn. 12:42-46 CV, “for they love the glory of men rather than even the glory of God”), because they boasted they were not blind:

And those of the Pharisees who are [were] with Him [Jesus] heard these things, and they said to Him, “Not we also are blind?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have had no sin. Yet now you are saying that ‘We are observing.’ Your sin, then, is remaining.” (John 9:40-41 CV)

Jesus testified that He came in order that “those . . . not observing may be observing, and those observing may be becoming blind” (Jn. 9:39b CV). The corrupt shepherds claimed to observe, see, understand. This became a sign of their characteristic sin, their spiritual, covenantal genealogy; their relationship to the Adversary, to their spiritual father, Cain. Their characteristic sin is open, presumptuous, arrogant rebellion against the revealed word of Yahweh, after the likeness of Cain’s arrogant rejection of Yahweh’s clear warning regarding what was in his heart. As Cain had murdered his brother Abel, so these rebellious leaders would murder their own brother Jesus, their kinsman according to the flesh (see Jn. 8:39-41).

Yahweh gives the people up to the misguided teaching of the corrupt shepherds, giving them up to blindness and hardness. This decision is based upon the verdict of death issued at Sinai in response to the worship of the golden calf. The goal, or end, of the Sinatic Covenant is covenantal death. The end of the Mosaic Eon signaled the old-age of the law. It was “growing old and decrepit” and was “near its disappearance” (Heb. 8:13 CV), near its end, its goal, its curse—death! The nation would soon undergo covenantal death.

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Jesus, as Yahweh’s commissioned Shepherd, feeds the flock for a short period of time. During this period, He is observed by Israel ’s leadership as a teacher, a shepherd of the flock. However, as His shepherding ministry progresses, this corrupt, covenantally alien leadership turns against Him, abhorring His teaching. The teaching of Jesus, threatening their religious, economic, social, and political advantages, nauseates their soul, causing them to seek His life (terminate His service as a shepherd of the flock; see Jn. 11:45-53). The price of this termination is 30 pieces of silver: “Then one of the twelve who is termed Judas Iscariot, having gone to the chief priests, said, ‘What are you willing to give me, and I will be giving Him up to you?’ Now they weighed for him thirty pieces of silver” (Matt. 26:14-15 CV).

Towards the end of His ministry, Jesus withdraws from feeding the flock. He begins to speak to them in parables meant to hide the truth from the flock:

and He speaks many things to them [vast throngs] in parables, . . . And, approaching, the disciples say to Him, “Wherefore art Thou speaking in parables to them?” Now, answering, He said to them that “To you has it been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of the heavens, yet to those [the vast throngs, the sheep of the flock] it has not been given.” (Matthew 13:3-11 CV)

Jesus knows He must be given up to death. This, the Father commanded Him on behalf of the flock:

Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father. (John 10:17-18 KJV)

The nation is to be given up to the curse of the law. Jesus, representing the nation, must bare the curse of the law in order to redeem, deliver, save those faithful to Yahweh, those believing into Him [Jesus], those identifying with Him, His word, His commission from Yahweh.

This is the significance of His teaching concerning a kernel of grain:

If a kernel of grain [Jesus the Christ], falling into the earth [burial], should not be dying [germinating], it is remaining alone, yet if it [Jesus the Christ, the seed of Abraham, the seed of David] should be dying [His burial and death], it is bringing forth much fruit [His resurrection]. (John 12:24 CV)

Thus, those in Christ cannot be harmed of the Second Death (the covenantal death of the covenantal nation, Israel ) for they not only share covenantally in His burial and death, but also share covenantally in His resurrection (see Rom. 6:4-5).

Jesus withdraws from feeding the flock in order to prepare Himself for the self-sacrificial death commanded by the Father. This sacrificial death will “hack to pieces,” annul, Yahweh’s covenant made at Sinai with Israel, Abraham’s circumcised seed, as symbolically represented by the breaking of the shepherd’s staff called “Pleasant.” This is on behalf of the covenant made with Abram (uncircumcised) promising to bless the nations. If the circumcised seed of Abraham is not delivered from the curse of the law (Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant), the promise to bless the uncircumcised seed of Abram is annulled, hacked to pieces; such is the effect of the failure of Israel to keep Yahweh’s covenant. Thus, Jesus had to be the seed of Abraham (circumcised). As Abraham’s seed, He had to die in order to fulfill the promise made to Abram (uncircumcised) concerning the nations. However, since salvation was of the Jews (circumcised), He had to be the seed of David (circumcised). For the Jews needed to be delivered from the curse of the law before they, as Abraham’s circumcised seed, could become the instrument through which Yahweh would bless/save the nations, Abram’s uncircumcised seed.

This sacrificial death will also “hack to pieces,” annul, “the brotherhood between Judah [the Southern Kingdom] and Israel [the Northern Kingdom], as symbolically represented by the breaking of the shepherd’s staff called Union.” This annulment refers to the covenant made at Sinai mediated by Moses. Under this covenant (the Sinatic Covenant), Yahweh became committed to the descendants of Jacob’s twelve sons, the twelve tribes of Israel , later divided into two kingdoms, Judah and Israel . The termination of the Sinatic Covenant would eliminate any possible reunion of Judah and Israel under this covenant. However, the establishment of the New Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant reunited the divided brotherhood, unifying the two, once again, into one holy brotherhood, one holy nation, one holy flock shepherded by one Holy Shepherd:

and I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel ; . . . and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all: . . . And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. (Ezekiel 37:22-24 KJV)

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Before Jesus, the commissioned shepherd of Yahweh, withdraws from feeding the flock, He suppresses, opposes, chastises, rebukes, thwarts, corrects (see Matt. 23:13-33) the shepherding strategies of the chief priests, the Pharisees, and the Scribes (“three shepherds also I cut off in one month [symbolically representing His early ministry],Zech. 11:8a KJV). Jesus becomes impatient with their obstinance, while they become outrageously intolerant of His threat to their prestigious welfare and the political status of the nation, as Caiaphas the chief priest euphemistically sums up as follows: “it is expedient for us that one man should be dying for the sake of the people and not the whole nation should perish” (Jn. 11:50 CV). The writer of the Gospel of John claims that this secular, political judgment from Caiaphas’ perspective is a prophetic proclamation from Yahweh’s perspective and covenantal purpose: “Now this he said, not from himself, but, being the chief priest of that year, he prophesies that Jesus was about to be dying for the sake of the nation, and not for the nation only, but that He may be gathering the scattered children of God also into one” (Jn. 11:51-52 CV).

Jesus’ sacrificial death meant not only the salvation of the nation (circumcised Jews), but also the salvation of Ephraim (the uncircumcised gentiles, signifying the reuniting of the divided kingdoms of Judah and Israel ). From that point of time in the shepherding ministry of Jesus, the Sanhedrin consulted together as to how they could efficiently dispose of Him to their own benefit: “Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death” (Jn. 11:53 KJV). Symbolically, in accord with Yahweh’s purpose concerning the union of Judah and Israel, Jesus, together with His disciples, removed Himself to a city named Ephraim: “Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews [the nation]; but went thence unto a country near to the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim [symbolically representing the nations], and there continued with his disciples” (Jn. 11:54 KJV).

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The Future Foolish Shepherd

This prophecy, concerning the shepherd commissioned by Yahweh to feed the flock, concludes with Yahweh’s commissioning of a “foolish shepherd” (Zech. 11:15). This shepherd will not care for the sheep that Yahweh gives up to judgment:

I will raise up a shepherd in the land, which shall not visit those that be cut off, neither shall seek the young one, nor heal that that is broken, nor feed that that standeth still: but he shall eat the flesh of the fat, and tear their claws in pieces. (Zechariah 11:16 KJV)

This shepherd will metaphorically abandon the flock by his foolish political policy founded upon his rebellious heart opposed to the spiritual intention of Yahweh’s statutes and judgments.

This false shepherd will lead the sheep of his flock to their covenantal and political slaughter. Because these sheep reject the true shepherd, chosen and commissioned by Yahweh to properly care for their welfare, Yahweh will commission a foolish, a false shepherd after the desire of their own hearts, whom they will receive to their own destruction. Paul writes of this foolish, false shepherd:

No one should be deluding you [the true, obedient sheep of Yahweh] by any method, for, should not the apostasy be coming first and the man of lawlessness be unveiled, the son of destruction... for him to be unveiled in his own era. For the secret of [this, NGEINT] lawlessness is already operating. (2 Thessalonians 2:3-7a CV)

This man of lawlessness is an allusion to Zechariah 11:15-17. According to Paul, the secret of this lawlessness, which would be capped by this man of lawlessness (this foolish, false shepherd), was already operating at the time of Paul’s writing.

Jesus had warned of these antichrists, these lawless ones who would pave the way for the Anti-Christ, the lawless man:

For many shall be coming [to that generation] in My name, saying, “I am the Christ!” and shall be deceiving many. . . . And many false prophets shall be roused, and shall be deceiving many. And, because of the multiplication of [this, NGEINT] lawlessness, the love of many shall be cooling. Yet he who endures to the consummation, he shall be saved. (Matthew 24:5, 11-13 CV)

The writer of the first Epistle of John also warns of this same foolish shepherd: “And this is that of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and is now already in the world” (1 Jn. 4:3b CV). Earlier in this same letter, the writer states,

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Little children, it is the last hour, and, according as you heard that the antichrist is coming, now also there have come to be many antichrists, whence we know that it is the last hour. Out of us they come, but they were not of us, for if they were of us, they would have remained with us. (1 John 2:18-19a CV)

The “us” of this text refers to the Israel of Yahweh, the faithful circumcised Jews, the faithful sheep, the Saints. The foolish shepherd, the false shepherd, the antichrist, the man of lawlessness, comes out of the unfaithful circumcised Jews, the Israel according to the flesh, the Cainite Israel of a rebellious heart.

Thus, the foolish shepherd commissioned by Yahweh Himself was near at hand to that generation written to by Paul and John. For, according to Paul, the secret of this prophesied lawlessness is not only presently operating (thus, near at hand), but the man of lawlessness who brings this operation to its intended conclusion is commissioned by Yahweh Himself.

Paul testifies that this man of lawlessness comes in accord with “the operation of Satan” (2 Thess. 2:10 CV) to seduce “those who are perishing, because they do not receive the love of the truth for their salvation” (2 Thess. 2:10 CV). This seduction, this operation of lawlessness, he concludes, is from Yahweh:

And therefore God will be sending them [with the arrival of the man of lawlessness, the false shepherd] an operation of deception, for them to believe the falsehood, that all [the unfaithful sheep] may be judged who do not believe the truth [of the Gospel of Christ], but delight in injustice. (2 Thessalonians 2:11-12 CV)

Therefore, the Greek Scriptures claim that Zechariah, chapter 11, was being fulfilled during the days of the generation addressed by these scriptures.

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The Future Salvation of Judah and Jerusalem

The 12th chapter of Zechariah prophesies concerning the future salvation of Judah and Jerusalem. The peoples will “siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem” (Zech. 12:2 KJV). In that future, eschatological day of Israel ’s salvation, Yahweh will make Jerusalem a “burdensome stone” against all those peoples who oppose this Jerusalem (Zech. 12:3). The “peoples” (ASV) refer to all circumcised Jews dwelling throughout the inhabited world of the empire in power at that future time (the Roman Empire). The Jerusalem referred to is the new heavenly Jerusalem of Ezekiel, chapters 40-48, the Jerusalem above” of Galatians 4:26, the Jerusalem identified as the Bride of the Lamb in Revelation 21:2, 9.

This Jerusalem is described metaphorically as a stone, identifying it with Christ as the stone rejected by the rulers of the people. This stone either heals or crushes. For those believing the Gospel of Christ, the Stone heals, saves. For those rejecting the Gospel of Christ, the Stone crushes, destroys. The peoples besieging Judah and Jerusalem refer to the unfaithful circumcised Jews inhabiting the territories under the authority of the Roman Empire.

In that future day, Yahweh will “open mine eyes upon the house of Judah ,” smiting all the leaders (metaphorically depicted as riders on horses) of the people with blindness (Zech. 12:4 KJV). This He accomplishes with the commissioning of Jesus the True Shepherd and King of the holy nation. Yahweh, once again, acknowledges His people as He had done with the commissioning of Moses. He, thus, looks upon them with compassion and mercy, reaching out with the might of His right arm to save them.

As a result of the faithful shepherding ministry of Jesus the Messiah, Jesus is appointed to the Seat of David, and His Twelve Apostles are seated on twelve thrones judging the Israel of Yahweh. This, Zechariah refers to when he prophesies,

And the governors [chieftains, ASV] of Judah [the Southern Kingdom] shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the Lord [Yahweh] of hosts their God [Elohim]. (Zechariah 12:5 KJV)

The inhabitants of Jerusalem are those faithful, circumcised Jews and faithful uncircumcised Gentiles making up the Body of the Christ, the Born-From-Above Israel. Thus, together as one, corporate body, they are covenantally identified as The Christ (1 Cor. 12:12). The Apostles of Jesus, therefore, place their confidence in the exalted Jesus Christ, and, in Him, they obtain their strength to judge righteously, unlike the judges of the Jerusalem below, the Cainite nation.

The judgments of these righteous governors, chieftains, princes of the Kingdom of Judah “devour all the peoples [unfaithful circumcised Jews ASV],” indicating the restoration of Jerusalem to her rightful place of authority and glory, “and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, . . .” (Zech. 12:6 KJV). This Jerusalem, of course, is the new Jerusalem of the New Covenant.

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Yahweh first saves “the tents of Judah (Zech. 12:7a) by saving, delivering, vivifying Jesus the Righteous Branch of David from the crucifixion death arranged by the enemies of Jesus. Hence, Yahweh first saves the humble ones of Judah, those without religious and political prestige, in order that

the glory of the house of David [the political leaders of Judea] and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem [the religious leaders of Judea] do not magnify themselves against Judah [the new Born-From-Above Israel with Jesus the Messiah as Davidic King and His Apostles as princely judges]. (Zechariah 12:7b)

All trust will be in Yahweh, and all glory will magnify Yahweh. Any trust which is contrary to Yahweh’s New Covenant handiwork is doomed to destruction. Any glory contrary to Yahweh’s glory manifested in Jesus the Messiah is doomed to shame.

In that future day, Yahweh will defend, protect, “the inhabitants of Jerusalem” (Zech. 12:8a, the new Jerusalem, the Jerusalem above) from their enemies. The weakest among them will be like David (blessed as men after Yahweh’s own heart). As indicated in verse 8b, the House of David (Judah and Israel, the Davidic Kingdom of Jesus the Messiah) will be as Elohim (having authority to rule), as the Messenger of Yahweh commissioned to proclaim the Gospel of Christ to all the peoples circumcised and uncircumcised dwelling within the territories of the Roman Empire.

In that future day, Yahweh “will seek to destroy all the nations [circumcised Jews among the nations and circumcised Jews among the abominable Cainite nation of Israel ] that come against Jerusalem [the new Jerusalem] (Zech. 12:9 KJV). At the conclusion [suntelia] of the Mosaic Eon , the conclusion of the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ, Yahweh

will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem [the remainder of circumcised Jews accounted by Yahweh as Abraham’s seed, Rom. 9:6-8, completing “all Israel,” Rom. 11:26], the spirit of grace and of supplications [Yahweh will open their blind eyes to His glory manifested in the face of Jesus Christ and His Ecclesia, Matt. 13:43; Rom. 8:18, in like manner as He had opened the eyes of Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus]. (Zechariah 12:10a KJV)

This outpouring of “grace and of supplications” (Zech. 12:10 KJV) concludes the outpouring of the spirit of Yahweh begun at Pentecost and prophesied by Joel (Joel 2:28-32). This outpouring is effected by Yahweh, resulting in, or bringing about, faith in Jesus the Messiah. It is not occasioned by the repentance of those receiving the grace and supplications. It is the result of Yahweh’s faithfulness to His promises. It is the result of His compassion, mercy, and justice.

Having their eyes opened by Yahweh,

They shall look upon me [Jesus the Messiah, the True and faithful Shepherd of Yahweh] whom they have pierced [crucified], and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. (Zechariah 12:10b KJV)

The Greek Scriptures identify the crucified and resurrected Jesus (orchestrated by His kin according to the flesh) as the pierced one looked upon and mourned for. John records,

When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar [on the cross], he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost [his spirit ASV], . . . For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken [Ps. 34:20]. And again another scripture [Zech. 12:10] saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced. (John 19:30, 36-37 KJV)

The author of the Book of Revelation prophetically declares of Jesus,

Lo! He is coming with clouds, and every eye shall be seeing Him [of those accounted by Yahweh as Abraham’s seed]—those, also, who stabbed [pierced] Him—and all the tribes [those like Saul of Tarsus who had been enemies of the Gospel] of the land shall be grieving over Him. (Revelation 1:7 CV)

Matthew also records Jesus as saying, “For I am saying to you: You may by no means be perceiving Me henceforth, till you should be saying, ‘Blessed is He Who is coming in the name of the Lord!’” (Matt. 23:39 CV). Jesus here alludes to His Parousia and the outpouring of Yahweh’s grace and supplications causing the eyes of those like Saul of Tarsus (who opposed Jesus as the Messiah due to ignorance and unbelief, 1 Tim. 1:13) to be opened in order to bring about repentance and faith in Jesus the Messiah. This faith, then, was the result of their being shown mercy, as Paul testifies,

I, who formerly was a calumniator [blasphemer] and a persecutor and an outrager: but I was shown mercy [on the road to Damascus where Jesus the Christ revealed Himself to Saul/Paul], seeing that I did it being ignorant, in unbelief. (1 Timothy 1:13 CV)

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Their hearts, like Saul’s heart, had been circumcised. But their minds had been blinded and their hearts hardened by Jewish tradition, causing them to misunderstand the Gospel of Christ, thus becoming for a short time enemies of the Gospel (Rom. 11:28).

Concerning these enemies of the Gospel after the likeness of Saul of Tarsus, Zechariah 13:6 adds,

And one shall say unto him [Jesus the Messiah], What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. (KJV)

This is not to be understood literally, but figuratively. The question and answer reveal how the eyes of these Jews will be opened causing their minds to understand the truth of the Gospel, thus aligning their circumcised heart with a qualified mind. The faithful response resulting from this dialogue is implied in this passage, hearkening back to the response recorded in Zechariah 12:10 (quoted above).

Zechariah 13:7 takes the reader prophetically back to the garden of Gethsemane where Yahweh’s faithful Shepherd is delivered into the hands of His enemies to be “wounded in the house of my friends” (Zech. 13:6). Quoting Zechariah 13:7, Jesus identifies Himself with this faithful Shepherd just prior to His being betrayed by Judas into the hands of the chief priest and elders of the people: “Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye [the eleven apostles] shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad” (Matt. 26:31 KJV, see also Mk. 14:27). The Greek Scriptures clearly identify Jesus with the faithful Shepherd commissioned by Yahweh in the prophecy of Zechariah.

In that future day, Yahweh’s judgment against Israel will cut off two thirds of the people, but He shall deliver, save, protect one third (Zech. 13:8). This elect portion becomes a kingdom of priests, being cleansed and prepared for priestly ministry by the “fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness” (Zech. 13:1 KJV). Paul alludes to this passage when speaking to his kinsmen after the flesh: “Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man [Jesus] is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: and by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses” (Acts 13:38-39 KJV). The writer of Hebrews confirms this: “For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God” (Heb. 7:19 KJV). The writer is defending the priesthood of Jesus after the order of Melchizedek. The New Covenant establishes the kingdom of priests, not according to the Levitical Priesthood or the Aaronic Priesthood, but the Melchizedekian Priesthood of Jesus the Christ. Cleansing for this priesthood comes through Jesus the Messiah of Yahweh.

These New Covenant priests, made “a kingdom and priests to His God and Father” (Rev. 1:6 CV), are to be refined by fire during these days of service:

And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord [Yahweh] is my God [Elohim]. (Zechariah 13:9 KJV)

Paul, entreating the disciples to remain in the faith, applies this passage to all those in Christ: “we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22b KJV).

This refining process is also designated as “the time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jer. 30:7 KJV). The period of this refining ended about 70 a.d. It could only be experienced by the members of the Body of Christ up to the consummation of His Parousia. Paul writes of this suffering associated with the cross of Christ as “the offense of the cross” (Gal. 5:11 KJV); “persecuted for the cross of Christ Jesus” (Gal. 6:12 CV); and “For I am reckoning that the sufferings of the current era do not deserve the glory about to be revealed for us” (Rom. 8:18 CV).

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The Day of Yahweh

The 14th chapter of Zechariah takes the reader to the final judgment of Yahweh against Israel and Judah . The day of the Lord (Yahweh) has come and is metaphorically described. Yahweh gathers “all nations against Jerusalem to battle” (Zech. 14:2a KJV). He gathers Judeans, Galileans, Idumaens, etc. in the land to the Jerusalem below to do battle against the Jerusalem above. The city that is taken by these nations dwelling in the land is the Jerusalem below. It is taken in the name of Yahweh in an attempt to rebel against the foreign rule of Rome. The Cainite nation of Israel calls upon Yahweh to give it a miraculous victory over the overwhelming power of the perceived enemy, Rome.

However, the corrupt, abominable nation is divided in its attempt at rebellion. Its warring parties destroy one another, “houses rifled, . . . women ravished” (Zech. 14:2b). The nation becomes entrapped (Page 349) within the city walls of Jerusalem. It is defeated by the Roman Army under Titus: “half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city” (Zech. 14:2c). The residue of the people not going into captivity are slain in the battle. Thus, Yahweh went forth and fought against these nations claiming to be His people. The imminent judgment pronounced by John the Baptist and Jesus came and was consummated (Zech. 14:3).

Zechariah 14:4-11 takes the reader back to the beginning of the day of Yahweh, which occurs over a period of time, providing a more detailed description of events. The day of Yahweh is now equated with the Parousia of Jesus the Messiah. Zechariah prophesies, “And his [Yahweh’s] feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, . . .” (Zech. 14:4a). This is precisely the promise given to the Apostles of Jesus by two celestial beings. As the Apostles behold the departure of Jesus from the Mount of Olives, He is lifted up into heaven and a cloud takes Him up out of their sight. Two men in white attire declare, “Why do you stand, looking into heaven? This Jesus Who is being taken up from you into heaven shall come thus, in the manner in which you gaze at Him going into heaven” (Acts 1:11 CV).

These celestial beings are alluding to Zechariah 14:4. Jesus the Messiah would return at His Parousia to fulfill the judgment of Yahweh against the abominable, corrupt, pseudo-nation of Israel in accord with the metaphorical description of Zechariah. These celestial beings are not suggesting Jesus will return and literally place His feet on the Mount of Olives. They are revealing the manner in which Jesus the Messiah will fulfill the final judgment of Yahweh proclaimed by the prophets. The Parousia of Christ would not literally cleave the Mount of Olives: “and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof” (Zech. 14:4b). This is figurative language. His Parousia would make a way of escape for His people before He would execute the judgment of Yahweh against the sons of The Adversary, the sons of Cain, the Israel according to the flesh.

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The Parousia of Christ

His people “Shall flee to [through] the valley of the mountains” (Zech. 14:5), escaping the judgment upon Jerusalem and Judea. They flee to meet their salvation: “and the Lord my God [through Jesus Christ as Yahweh’s authorized representative, Chief Messenger] shall come, and all the saints with thee [the fleeing faithful ones] (Zech. 14:5b). Paul alludes to this passage in his first letter to the Thessalonians:

For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him [Jesus]. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming [Parousia] of the Lord [Jesus] shall not prevent [precede, ASV] them which are asleep. For the Lord himself [Jesus] shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel [Chief Messenger], and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:14-17 KJV)

Christ’s Parousia would occur and did occur in the generation of Paul and the Twelve Apostles. This Parousia was seen and experienced by the faithful ones of the contemporary generation of Jesus and the Apostles. However, it was not a public event for all the world to believe and/or experience. The enemies of Yahweh were destroyed by the power of Yahweh made perceptible to the minds of the faithful ones during the days of the Parousia of Jesus the Messiah of Yahweh.

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The Last Day

Yahweh’s judgment at the Parousia of Christ is to be perceived in the historical events of the years 66-70 a.d., the era of the day of Yahweh described by the prophets, and in particular, by Zechariah in this 14th chapter of his prophecies. The actual coming of the last day of this era of judgment (salvation for the faithful, destruction for the unfaithful) was to be a secret concealed from Israel, known only by Yahweh, “And one day shall come, it shall be known to Yahweh, Not day and not night” (Zech. 14:7a CV).

This specific last day was not even revealed to the faithful until its actual arrival. It would not be characterized as either “day” or “night.” Again, this is figurative language, indicating the end of one eon and the beginning of a new eon. At “eventide” (CV) or “evening” (Zech. 14:7b KJV), when dusk would ordinarily end day and begin night, “it shall be light” (Zech. 14:7c). The nations would no longer be consigned to the darkness of the time of the gods. In that new day, the nations would dwell under the light of God’s (Yahweh Elohim’s) restored presence among them.

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In that eon-ending day, “living waters shall go out from Jerusalem [the Celestial Jerusalem]; half of them toward the former [eastern, ASV] sea, and half of them toward the hinder [western sea, ASV] sea: in summer and in winter shall it be [for the duration of the eon] (Zech. 14:8). These waters are not to be construed as the same waters of Ezekiel, chapter 47. The waters of Zechariah issuing forth from the Celestial Jerusalem (not the heavenly Jerusalem of the Book of Revelation) begin to flow only at the very end of the Mosaic Eon, at the beginning of the new eon. These waters flow to the eastern sea, the Dead Sea, representing the nation of Israel , and to the western sea, the Mediterranean Sea, representing the nations.

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The New Eon

In the new eon there would be no distinction between Israel and the nations, between Jew and Gentile, between circumcised and uncircumcised. Yahweh would be the God of all nations. The ancient world of the gods would be nullified. The nations would be restored to an authorized relationship with Yahweh. Israel as a nation would no longer have priority in her relation to Yahweh or the nations. The Jews as a people would no longer possess an advantage over other peoples. In this new eon, “the Lord[Yahweh and His Christ] shall be King over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord[God], and his name one” (Zech. 14:9 KJV).

In the eyes of Yahweh and His Anointed One, Jesus the Messiah, this is precisely the reality of the world during the last 2,000 years. This new world order, new heavens and earth, new age, began at the consummation (telos) of the Mosaic Eon when Christ as Davidic King had conquered His enemies, when Christ had given up this kingdom to His God and Father, when He had nullified all sovereignty, all authority and power given to Israel in accord with the Sinatic Covenant (see 1 Cor. 15:23-28). At that time, Christ had received His Ecclesia, His Bride, His Body to Himself and led His Ecclesia into the Celestial Realm to the place He had already prepared for her. Together, under the authority of God His Father, they have been ruling, reigning over the world, over the nations, over Jesuic humanity as one whole entity.

In the twenty-first century, mankind as one race (Jesuic humanity) has come of age, entering into its historic period of adulthood. With adulthood will come the putting off of the things of childhood, especially the outer garment of religion. The adulthood of Jesuic humanity means, requires, the transcending of all religion with its myths and superstitions, its exclusionary pride, hatred, and intolerance. The comforting, self-projecting illusions of childhood and adolescence must be abandoned. The destructive, debilitating addiction of these childhood and adolescent illusions must be broken. Jesuic man must now consciously comprehend the significance of his initiation into adulthood and actively behave, operate, in accord with his redeemed, liberated relationship to the One Living God brought about by the obedient faithfulness of Jesus the Anointed One of Yahweh, Jesus the Son of David , the Son of Abraham, the Son of Adam, the Son of God (Yahweh Elohim).

The Final Plague

Zechariah next provides a metaphoric detailed description of “the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people [peoples, ASV] that have fought against Jerusalem [by continuing to place their confidence in the Sinatic Covenant and the Jerusalem below] (Zech. 14:12a KJV). Its significance has to do with its contrast to Ezekiel’s metaphoric description of the resurrection of the whole house of Israel (Ezk. 37:1- 14). The blessing on the Israel of Yahweh results in the coming together of the dry bones, the addition of sinews and flesh, and finally her vivification by the spirit of Yahweh. The Israel of the Adversary (the Cainite Israel), in contrast, is cursed by a plague which consumes, rots, putrefies the flesh of this abominable nation while its members still stand upon their feet. Their eyes rot, disintegrate in their sockets, and their tongues decay in their mouths while they still live, finally consummating in the covenantal death of the nation as a whole (Zech. 14:12b). As the life which invigorates the Israel of Yahweh represents covenantal life, the death rotting the Israel of Cain represents covenantal death, not ethnic or national extinction.

Zechariah then adds another metaphoric description of the judgment of Yahweh against this wicked nation. This time he compares the destruction of this nation to Yahweh’s destruction of the Assyrian army under the leadership of Sennacherib, king of Assyria. This uncircumcised king defied the power of Yahweh the Elohim of Israel, exalting himself and the gods (elohim) above the God [Elohim] of Israel . Hezekiah king of Judah prayed to Yahweh for deliverance:

Lord [Yahweh], . . . hear the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent him to reproach the living God [Elohim]. Of a truth, Lord, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands, and have cast (Page 351) their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them. Now therefore, O Lord our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the Lord God, even thou only. (2 Kings 19:16-10 KJV)

Yahweh heard Hezekiah’s prayer and sent Sennacherib the following reply to his boast that he would destroy Jerusalem:

The virgin the daughter of Zion hath despised thee, . . . Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high? even against the Holy One of Israel . . . . But I know . . . thy rage against me and thy tumult is come up into mine ears, therefore I will put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest. (2 Kings 19:21-28 KJV)

As Sennacherib’s rage and tumult was directed against Yahweh, so Yahweh sent His messenger into the Assyrian camp “and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses” (2 Kings 19:35 KJV), causing rage and tumult throughout the ranks of Sennacherib’s army. The Messenger of Yahweh had “cut off all the mighty men of valour, and the leaders and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria” (2 Chr. 32:21a KJV). In like manner, the battle encampment of this wicked nation, the Israel of Cain in the Jerusalem below, is struck down with “a great tumult from the Lord[Yahweh] . . . and they . . . lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his [neighbor’s] hand shall rise [rises] up against the hand of his neighbour” (Zech. 14:13b KJV). Trapped within the walls of Jerusalem (68-70 a.d.), the destruction of Cainite Israel as described by Josephus writing between 75-80 a.d (1957, WARS OF THE JEWS, BOOK IV) can be likened to Yahweh’s delivery of the army of the Medianites into the hands of Gideon and his band of three hundred men: “and all the host ran, and cried, and fled . . . and the Lord[Yahweh] set every man's sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host . . .” (Judges 7:21-22 KJV).

Thus, this evil and arrogant nation, uncircumcised in heart, is covenantally put to death by Yahweh. Those not actually murdered and abused by one another within the walls of Jerusalem and the Temple are either killed by the invading Roman army under the command of Titus or taken captive by the Romans. As a result, the Mosaic Eon comes to an end, a new eon begins in which “all the kingdoms [nations] of the earth may know that thou [Yahweh Elohim] art the Lord God, even thou only” (2 Kings 19:19b KJV).

The Kingdom of Yahweh

This new eon reestablishes the Kingdom of God. In this Kingdom,

every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem [now representing the peoples of all nations who had been opposed to Yahweh’s rule due to their worship of the gods, the work of man’s hands, made of wood and stone; because there no longer is a difference between circumcised and uncircumcised in the eyes of Yahweh] shall even go up from year to year [symbolically representing the duration of the new eon ] to worship the King [Yahweh], the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.” (Zechariah 14:16 KJV)

The Festival of Tabernacles celebrates the end of the harvest, thus, the end of the Mosaic Eon and the beginning of the new eon of the reestablished Kingdom of God.

Those peoples who now refuse to worship the One True and Living God represented by Jesus the Messiah and His Ecclesia, the New Celestial Jerusalem, seated on the royal throne in the Celestial Realm, will be denied Yahweh’s terrestrial blessings: “even upon them shall be no rain” (Zech. 14:17b KJV). For those nations which refuse to acknowledge the King, the One True and Living God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Jesus, and His kingdom, “there shall be the plague” (Zech. 14:18b KJV). They shall not prosper: “This shall be the punishment of Egypt , and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles” (Zech. 14:19 KJV).

Christianity

The function of Christianity as a religion has been to spread the news of this new eon and the new conditions established by the reestablishment of the Kingdom of God (Yahweh) favoring all nations alike. God is blessing all those nations which subject themselves to His worship and service. Those nations keeping the Law of Christ, honoring the God and Father of Jesus Christ, prosper politically, socially, economically, technologically, and intellectually. Yahweh grants them peace, security, justice, and wealth. (Page 352) Rejection of the worship and service of the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Jesus generates contention, unstableness, injustice, and poverty. Woe to those nations which, having tasted of God’s goodness, turn away from honoring Him and His ways, for they shall forfeit His blessing while generating out of themselves their own destruction.

However, in spite of Jesuic man’s propensity to arrogantly disregard God and attribute to himself his success, his coming of age will eventually educate him in the truth which will thrust him into the sphere of The Knowledge of Good and Evil resulting in his perfection according to the original intention of the One True and Living God. He will become an honorable, righteous, intelligent, and creative Son of the One True and Living God, Yahweh Elohim, God and Father of Jesus the Christ Who is Head of the newly created Jesuic humanity on the way to becoming an Androgynous Man.

The Conclusion of Zechariah

The prophecies of Zechariah conclude with a symbolic reference to the House of Yahweh, the Israel of God, the New Celestial Jerusalem, the New Temple of the One, True, Living God. Zechariah writes, “In that day [not day, nor night, v. 7, the evening of the old eon and the dawn of the new eon] there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts” (Zech. 14:21b KJV). The term Canaanite is often used by the prophets to refer to unworthy merchants, traffickers in injustice, practicing unscrupulous business methods in the Temple area. The foolish shepherd of Zechariah 11:15 is a trafficker, a merchant selling his sheep for his own gain. All such unrighteous practices will have no place in the New Jerusalem which metaphorically is described as the Temple of Yahweh not made with hands. In that day, the Law and the Prophets will have been entirely fulfilled.

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The Message of Malachi and the Greek Scriptures

Malachi was a contemporary of Ezra and Nehemiah, the last of the post-exilic prophets. His concern is to reassure the returned people that Yahweh’s faithful love continues, in spite of their evil deeds and shameful attitudes. The people had become disappointed. Their high hopes for the immediate fulfillment of the return of Yahweh’s glory and the promised blessings prophesied by the prophets had been abandoned. The Messianic age had not come. They had rebuilt Jerusalem and the Temple under desperate conditions, patiently awaiting the manifestation of Yahweh’s glorious presence and unprecedented blessings. He had protected them against those opposed to their resettling in the land. But they had presumptuously misunderstood the message of the prophets concerning the future day of Messianic blessing.

The people complain, “Wherein hast thou loved us?” (Mal. 1:2 KJV). They question Yahweh’s faithfulness, not their own understanding of the message of the prophets. The priests dishonor Yahweh’s name. Yahweh responds by asking them,

A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear [respect]? saith the Lord of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. (Malachi 1:6a KJV)

The priests reply, “Wherein have we despised thy name?” (Mal. 1:6b). Yahweh judges them guilty of cultic pollution, because they, in essence, consider their Temple service to Him contemptible, offering polluted bread and blemished sacrifices (Mal. 1:7-8).

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The Corrupted Covenant of Levi

Malachi calls for their repentance, but repentance is not forthcoming. The priests had “departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the Lord[Yahweh] of hosts” (Mal. 2:8 KJV). The Levitical Priesthood had been appointed by Yahweh. These priests were to instruct the people in Yahweh’s Law: “For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts” (Mal. 2:7 KJV). Thus, the priests, as false shepherds, had led many away from the righteous path of Yahweh’s covenantal requirements. The nation, as a whole, had taken on the characteristics of the priesthood, conforming itself to their image. However, not all had stumbled over the stone of their misguided instruction and lawless ''>“ye have caused many to stumble . . .” (Mal. 2:8, my emphasis). Like Daniel, a righteous (Page 353) remnant continued in the way of Yahweh, remaining faithful to the covenantal requirements, each loving and honoring Yahweh with all his heart.

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The Faithful Messenger

Regarding this faithless nation, Malachi declares,

Ye have wearied the Lord with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment? (Malachi 2:17 KJV)

In spite of this unappreciative and presumptuous nation, Yahweh continues to show it mercy and compassion. He does not abandon this disrespectful people. Concerning the faithful remnant, Yahweh sends Malachi to declare,

Behold, I will send my messenger [Heb. = Malachi], and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant [the New Covenant], whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. (Malachi 3:1 KJV)

Like Malachi (Heb. = my messenger) the prophet, Yahweh in a future day will send His messenger (John the Baptist, John, in Hebrew, meaning, Yahweh is gracious) to prepare the way of the true and faithful shepherd (Jesus the Messiah of Yahweh). Those who seek this Elect Shepherd will perceive His sudden coming to the Temple of Yahweh. He will come to establish a new covenant with the house of Judah and the house of Israel . This shepherd with this covenant will not disappoint or frustrate. He will fulfill the promised blessings of Yahweh for which the faithful ones await patiently, trusting always the Word of Yahweh their Elohim.

As Malachi is “my messenger” to his own contemporaries in the land, so Yahweh will send “my messenger” in the last days, in accord with the message of all the prophets. As Malachi calls his contemporaries to repentance (see 3:7) in order to obtain Yahweh’s graciousness, “And now, I pray you, beseech God that he will be gracious unto us: . . .” (Mal. 1:9 KJV), so Yahweh in the latter days of the Mosaic Eon will send my messenger, John (Yahweh is gracious):

There came to be a man, commissioned by God. His name was John. . . . whoever obtained [received] him [John], to them he [John] gave the right to become [to be making themselves] children of God, to those who are believing in his name [John], . . . (John 1:6, 12 CV modified)

His name is “John,” “Yahweh is gracious.” John the Baptist is the “my messenger” prophesied by Malachi, according to the author of the Gospel of John.

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The Messenger of the Covenant

The Baptist prepares the way of “the messenger of the covenant” (Mal. 3:1) Jesus the Messiah. This “messenger of the covenant” will be authorized to execute Yahweh’s judgment:

But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap [launderer’s soap, CV]. (Malachi 3:2 KJV)

Only the faithful ones will be able to stand when He appears, for

he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi [the faithful circumcised Jews made a kingdom of priests after the order of Melchizedek], and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. (Malachi 3:3 KJV)

James writes, “Happy is the man who is enduring trial, for, becoming qualified, he will be obtaining the wreath [crown] of life, which He [Yahweh] promises to those loving Him” (James 1:12 CV). Speaking of Jesus and trial, the writer of Hebrews testifies,

Whence He [Jesus] ought, in all things, to be made like the brethren, that He may be becoming a merciful and faithful Chief Priest [Melchizedekian Priest] in that which is toward God, to make a propitiatory shelter for the sins of the people. For in what He has suffered, undergoing trial, He is able to help those who are being tried [the faithful ones]. (Hebrews 2:17-18 CV)

Peter, more to the point, declares,

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Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations [trials, CV]: that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:6-7 KJV)

Finally, Paul writes concerning the ultimate “offering in righteousness” (Mal. 3:3 quoted above):

I am entreating you, then, brethren, by the pities [mercies, KJV] of God, to present your bodies a sacrifice, living, holy, well pleasing to God, your logical divine service, and not to be configured to this eon , but to be transformed [metamorphosed] by the renewing of your mind, for you to be testing what is the will of God, good and well pleasing and perfect. (Romans 12:1-2 CV)

Thus, in that future day, “shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord (Mal. 3:4a KJV). In that day, the wicked will be cut off and destroyed (see Mal. 3:5), while the righteous will be lifted up in glory.

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The Wicked and the Righteous

The nation as a whole during Malachi’s ministry is still under the curse of the law: “Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation” (Mal. 3:9 KJV). In that future day, however, when the curse of the law will be terminated and the people repent and return to Yahweh, “All nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts” (Mal. 3:12 KJV). In that future day, the faithful nation will discern between the righteous and the wicked ones (Mal. 3:18). For the wicked declare, “It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts?” (Mal. 3:14 KJV). These wicked ones will bear the curse of the law: “and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch” (Mal. 4:1 KJV).

But those whose eyes are opened to the foolish ways and lawless instructions (see Mal. 3:15) of the false shepherds and who repent, acknowledging the name of Yahweh, have their names recorded in Yahweh’s book of remembrance (see also Ex. 32:32-33; Ps. 69:28; 87:6; Dan. 12:1; Rev. 3:5; 20:15), along with those faithful ones who had continually feared Yahweh, proclaiming His name, proclaiming the Gospel of Christ. Malachi writes,

Then those that fear Ieue [Yahweh] speak, each to his associate [neighbor]. And Yahweh is attending, and He is hearing. And a memorial scroll is written before Him, of the fearers of Ieue [Yahweh], and of those reckoning [accounting, acknowledging] His name. And they became Mine, says Ieue of hosts, for the day which I am making, a special possession [my jewels, KJV], and I will spare them just as a man is sparing his son who is serving him. (Malachi 3:16-17 CV)

This refers to the Parousia of the Christ, when the glory of the sons of Yahweh is revealed (distinguishing the wicked from the righteous, the tares from the wheat, the sons of light from the sons of darkness, Matt. 13:36-43; Rom. 8:18-25) and the remaining ones of the Israel of Yahweh have the veil over their eyes removed and their hardened condition melted (see Rom. 11:25-27; 2 Cor. 3:14-16). Thus, all Israel shall be saved, becoming, metaphorically, Yahweh’s crown of jewels, His special possession.

In that future day, the Gospel of Christ will proclaim a new covenant, and the Israel of Yahweh will “Remember . . . the law of Moses my servant, . . . with the statutes and judgments” (Mal. 4:4 KJV). The Law of Moses will be kept faithfully by the people of Yahweh. This new nation will succeed in its commissioning as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Ex. 19:6; Rev. 1:6).

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The Bridge

The last verses of Malachi form the beginning of a bridge connecting the Hebrew Scriptures with the Greek Scriptures. Whether this was the intention of the writer or editor is irrelevant. However, from the point of view of the writers of the Greek Scriptures, the intention is certainly that of the spirit of Yahweh. For the spirit of Yahweh integrates the two libraries, making them one unified and complete revelation inspired by Yahweh Elohim, the One, True, Living God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Jesus, and His Apostles.

Yahweh promises to send Elijah the prophet before “the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord[Yahweh] (Mal. 4:5 KJV). The writer of the Gospel of Matthew records Jesus as testifying concerning John the Baptist, “he is Elijah” (Matt. 11:14 CV). In the 17th chapter of this same Gospel, Jesus declares, “Yet I am saying to you that Elijah came already, . . . Then the disciples understand that He (Page 355) spoke to them concerning John the baptist” (Jn. 17:12-13 CV). According to the Book of Luke, a messenger of Yahweh appears to Zechariah, a priest carrying out his customary duties in the Temple. He informs Zechariah that his wife Elizabeth “shall be bearing you a son, and you shall be calling his name John. . . . he shall be coming before in His [Yahweh’s] sight in the spirit and power of Elijah, . . .” (Lk. 1:13, 17 CV). Thus, according to Malachi, the messenger of Yahweh spoken of in 3:1 is Elijah the prophet; and according to the celestial messenger of Yahweh sent to Zechariah the priest, John the Baptist comes in the spirit and power of Elijah, while Jesus testifies that John the Baptist is Elijah the prophet prophesied by Malachi.

According to Malachi 4:6 the purpose of Elijah is to “turn the heart of the fathers to the children [sons, CV], and the heart of the children [sons, CV] to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth [land, CV] with a curse” (KJV). According to the celestial messenger of Yahweh sent to Zechariah the priest, quoting from Malachi 4:6, the purpose of his son about to be born is “to turn back the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the stubborn [ones] to the prudence of the just [ones], to make ready a people formed for the Lord[Yahweh](Lk. 1:17b CV). John the Baptist, according to the Greek Scriptures, is the fulfillment of Malachi 4:5-6. John the Baptist succeeded in his commission in relation to the elect of Yahweh who received him. However, in relation to the sons of Cain, he failed. They rejected him. But this was also intended by Yahweh, for the Baptist declared at the very beginning of his ministry that the axe was already laid to the root of the trees. Yahweh’s indignation against the sons of Cain among the Jews was already impending (see Lk. 3:7-9).

This agrees with the entire history of Israel . The nation from its inception was a divided nation consisting of the Israel of Abel in contrast to the Israel of Cain: the Cainite nation persecuting the Abelite nation. With the arrival of John the Baptist, the end of the Mosaic Eon was at hand. The future day of Yahweh prophesied by the prophets had arrived: “For all the prophets and the law prophesy till John” (Matt. 11:13 CV). The arrival of John the Baptist signaled the initial fulfillment of all that the Law and the Prophets predicted. The Abelite Israel of Yahweh would shortly defeat and destroy the Cainite Israel of The Adversary. The Israel of Yahweh was about to be perfected and placed in the Celestial Realm, beginning a new humanity headed up by Jesus the Christ, the Second and greater Adam.

The Greek Scriptures record the final chapters of the revelational story begun in the time of Moses and recorded in the Hebrew Scriptures, beginning with the Book of Genesis. Having concluded the examination of the Hebrew Scriptures, the reader is now prepared to proceed to the examination of the Greek Scriptures.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Asimov, Isaac. (1950). “Reason.” In I ROBOT. Connecticut, MA: Fawcett Publications.

Bailey, Kenneth E. 1983. Through Peasant Eyes. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Pub.

Bullinger, E. W. 1967. The Witness of the Stars. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications.

Childs, Brevard S. 1974. The Book of Exodus, Philadelphia: Westminster Press.

Concordant Literal New Testament. 1978. Canyon Country, CA: Concordant Publishing Concern. www.concordant.org)

Dunn, James D. 1996. The Acts of the Apostles. Valley Forge, PA: Trinity Press International.

Josephus, Flavius. [75-80 A.D.] 1957. Life and Works of Flavius Josephus. Translated by William Whiston. Philadelphia: John C. Winston Company.

Katz, Joseph, Ed. 1972. The Complete Poems of Stephen Crane. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.

Miller, Jacob. 1991. Leviticus 1-16 ( Anchor Bible). New York: Doubleday.

Seiss, Joseph A. 1975. The Gospel in the Stars.   Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications.

Otto, Randall E. 1994. Coming in the Clouds. Lanham, MD: University Press of America .

Pliny. 1963, January 1. Natural History (Vol. 8, Books 28-32). Boston, MA: Harvard University Press.

Rhoads, David M. 1976. Israel in Revolution: 6-74 C.E: A Political History Based on the Writings of Josephus. Philadelphia: Fortress Press.

Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, Complete and Unabridged. 1983. Reprint. Nashville, TN: Broadman Press.

Septuagint With Apocrypha: Greek and English. Circa 2nd Century B.C/1794/unknown. London: Samuel Bagster and Sons Limited.

The New Greek-English Interlinear New Testament, United Bible Societies’ Fourth Corrected Edition. 1993. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

John Saggio received biblical instruction at the Bible Institute of Los Angeles from 1959-1960 and Moody Bible Institute from 1964 to 1966. He served in the U.S. Army from March of 1967 to February of 1969, completing his last year of duty in Vietnam. Returning from Vietnam, he attended Mesa Community College, Mesa, Arizona. Then he completed in 1973 his BA in secondary education at Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, where he majored in History and Philosophy and minored in English literature.

Mr. Saggio spent over 30 years in the field of education. He has taught philosophy at Mesa Community College and Florence Federal Prison, Florence, Arizona; English and Literature at Queen Creek High School, Queen Creek, Arizona; and Mountain View High School, Mesa, Arizona; and English and History at Apache Junction Junior High School, Apache Junction, Arizona. In addition, Mr. Saggio, during his last 35 years, has been engaged in teaching Old and New Testament biblical studies in private lectures.

The Destiny of Israel and the Twilight of Christianity: In Quest of the Meaning and Significance of the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures is the culmination of over 50 years of extensive biblical, theological, philosophical, historical and classical as well as modern literary reading, research, analysis, and criticism. The research involved in these studies has contributed much to the writing of this volume.

Chapter Titles of Volume II

Chapter 9: The Arrival of The Son of David Jesus The Messiah: The Gospels: Part 1, Jesus and His Adversaries
Chapter 10: The Arrival of The Son of David Jesus The Messiah: The Gospels: Part II, Jesus and His Work
Chapter 11: The Arrival of The Son of David Jesus The Messiah: The Gospels: Part III, Jesus And His Emancipation Proclamation
Chapter 12: The Arrival of The Son of David Jesus The Messiah: The Gospels: Part IV, Jesus And His Parables
Chapter 13: The Departure of The Son of David Jesus The Messiah: The Gospels: Part V, Jesus And His Eschatological Proclamation
Chapter 14: The Enthronement of The Son of David Jesus The Messiah: The Book Of Acts: Part I, The Birth Of A Nation
Chapter 15: The Reign of The Son of David Jesus The Messiah: The Book Of Acts: Part II, The Growth And Triumph of The New Nation—Childhood

Chapter 16: The Reign of The Son of David Jesus The Messiah: The Book of Acts: Part III, The Growth And Triumph of The New Nation—Adolescence: The Significance of Stephen
Chapter 17: The Reign of The Son of David Jesus The Messiah: The Book of Acts: Part IV, The Growth and Triumph of The New Nation—Early Adulthood: The Significance of Cornelius and the Book of Revelation


Chapter Titles of Volume III

Chapter 18: The Reign of The Son of David Jesus The Messiah: The Book of Acts: Part V, The Growth and Triumph of The New Nation—Middle Adulthood: The Significance of The Jerusalem Council
Chapter 19: The Reign of The Son of David Jesus The Messiah: The Book of Acts: Part VI, The Growth and Triumph of The New Nation—Adulthood: The Significance of Paul’s Proclamation to the Athenians
Chapter 20: The Reign of The Son Of David Jesus The Messiah: The Book Of Acts: Part VII, The Growth and Triumph of The New Nation—Adulthood: The Significance of The Seed of Abraham (1 & 2 Thessalonians, Galatians)
Chapter 21: The Reign of The Son Of David Jesus The Messiah: The Book of Acts: Part VIII, The Growth And Triumph of The New Nation—Adulthood: The Significance of The Cross and the Resurrection (1 Corinthians)
Chapter 22: The Reign of The Son of David Jesus The Messiah: The Book of Acts: Part IX, The Growth and Triumph of The New Nation—Adulthood: The Significance of the Two Covenants (2 Corinthians)
Chapter 23: The Reign of The Son of David Jesus The Messiah: The Book of Acts: Part X, The Growth and Triumph of The New Nation—Maturity: The Significance of Paul’s Letter to the Roman Messianic Community, Part 1 (Romans, Chapters 1-4)
Chapter 24: The Reign of The Son of David Jesus The Messiah: The Book of Acts, Part XI, The Growth and Triumph of The New Nation—Maturity: The Significance of Paul’s Letter to the Roman Messianic Community, Part 2 (Romans, Chapters 5-8)
Chapter 25: The Reign of The Son of David Jesus The Messiah: The Book of Acts: Part XII, The Growth and Triumph of The New Nation—Maturity: The Significance of Paul’s Letter to the Roman Messianic Community, Part 3 (Romans, Chapters 9-16)
Chapter 26: The Reign of The Son of David Jesus The Messiah: The Book of Acts: Part XIII, The Growth and Triumph of the New Nation—Maturity: The Significance of Jerusalem and the Imprisonment of Paul (Philippians, Ephesians/Colossians, 2 Timothy)
Chapter 27: The Parousia of The Son of David Jesus The Messiah: The Final Eschatological Writings Endurance in the Time of Jacob’s Trouble (James, Peter, Jude, Hebrews, 1 John)
Chapter 28: A Speculative Conclusion

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Chapter 1

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |

Chapter 2

| 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 |

Chapter 3

| 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 | 61 | 62 |
| 63 | 64 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 70 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 75 | 76 | 77 | 78 | 79 | 80 |
| 81 | 82 | 83 | 84 | 85 | 86 |

Chapter 4

| 87 | 88 | 89 | 90 | 91 | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 100 | 101 | 102 | 103 | 104 |
| 105 | 106 | 107 | 108 | 109 | 110 | 111 | 112 | 113 | 114 | 115 | 116 | 117 | 118 | 119 |
| 120 | 121 | 122 | 123 | 124 |

Chapter 5

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| 140 | 141 | 142 | 143 | 144 | 145 | 146 | 147 | 148 | 149 | 150 | 151 | 152 | 153 | 154 |
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Chapter 6

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| 180 | 181 | 182 | 183 | 184 | 185 | 186 | 187 | 188 | 189 | 190 | 191 | 192 | 193 | 194 |
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Chapter 7

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| 226 | 227 | 228 | 229 | 230 | 231 | 232 | 233 | 234 | 235 | 236 | 237 | 238 | 239 | 240 |
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Chapter 8

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References

Genesis

Gen. ch. 1........................... 3

Gen. 2:23............................ 6

Gen. 3:19 CV...................... 6

Gen. 3:20............................ 6

Gen. 3:19............................ 7

Gen. ch. 1-2........................ 7

Gen. ch. 3......................... 15

Gen. ch. 1......................... 20

Gen. ch. 3......................... 20

Gen. 1:7 CV...................... 25

Gen. ch. 1......................... 25

Gen. 1:2 CV mod.............. 26

Gen. 10:21-22.................. 29

Gen. 22:17a...................... 29

Gen. ch. 10....................... 31

Gen. 11:1-9...................... 32

Gen. 11:10-26.................. 32

Gen. 11:26........................ 32

Gen. 11:27........................ 32

Gen. ch. 9......................... 32

Gen. ch. 10....................... 32

Gen. ch. 11....................... 32

Gen. ch. 12....................... 32

Gen. 1:3b CV.................... 33

Gen. 2:7 CV...................... 33

Gen. ch. 1-2...................... 33

Gen. ch. 1-11.................... 33

Gen. 2:7............................ 34

Gen. 2:8 CV...................... 36

Gen. 1:1 CV...................... 37

Gen. 1:2............................ 38

Gen. 1:2 CV...................... 38

Gen. 1:3b-5 CV................ 38

Gen. 1:6-8 CV.................. 38

Gen. 1:5............................ 39

Gen. 1:7 CV...................... 39

Gen. 1:7b CV.................... 39

Gen. 1:8............................ 39

Gen. 1:7a CV.................... 40

Gen. 1:8............................ 40

Gen. 1:9-10...................... 40

Gen. 1:11-12.................... 40

Gen. 1:14-16 CV.............. 40

Gen. 1:16-18.................... 40

Gen. 1:26.......................... 40

Gen. 1:26 CV.................... 40

Gen. 1:1-50:26................. 41

Gen. 1:26.......................... 41

Gen. 2:4 KJV.................... 41

Gen. 2:4-25...................... 41

Gen. 1:3-5........................ 42

Gen. 1:28b CV.................. 42

Gen. 1:29-30.................... 42

Gen. 1:31-2:3 (CV)........... 42

Gen. 2:4............................ 45

Gen. 2:7 CV...................... 45

Gen. 1:27b........................ 46

Gen. 2:17b CV.................. 46

Gen. 2:18b CV.................. 46

Gen. 2:19 CV.................... 46

Gen. 2:21-22 CV.............. 46

Gen. 1:28b CV.................. 48

Gen. 2:23 CV.................... 48

Gen. 2:24 CV.................... 48

Gen. ch. 3......................... 48

Gen. 2:20a........................ 49

Gen. 2:25 CV.................... 49

Gen. 3:14.......................... 49

Gen. 3:15.......................... 49

Gen. ch. 1......................... 49

Gen. ch. 2......................... 49

Gen. ch. 3......................... 49

Gen. ch. 3-4...................... 49

Gen. ch. 4......................... 49

Gen. 2:16-17.................... 50

Gen. 2:17b CV.................. 50

Gen. 2:23b CV.................. 50

Gen. 3:6a CV.................... 50

Gen. 3:6b my trans........... 50

Gen. 3:17b my trans......... 50

Gen. 2:24.......................... 51

Gen. 3:11b CV.................. 51

Gen. 3:12b CV.................. 51

Gen. 3:17 CV.................... 51

Gen. 3:15.......................... 52

Gen. 50:25........................ 52

Gen. 3:15.......................... 53

Gen. ch. 3......................... 53

Gen. 3:16 my trans........... 55

Gen. 4:1 my trans............. 55

Gen. ch. 4......................... 55

Gen. 2:4............................ 56

Gen. 3:16.......................... 56

Gen. 4:1 my trans............. 57

Gen. 2:25.......................... 59

Gen. ch. 3......................... 59

Gen. 3:21.......................... 60

Gen. ch. 3......................... 60

Gen. 5:1-6:8..................... 61

Gen. ch. 3-4...................... 61

Gen. ch. 4......................... 61

Gen. 3:5 my trans............. 62

Gen. 3:14.......................... 62

Gen. 4:11-12 my trans...... 62

Gen. 4:13 my trans........... 62

Gen. 1:14.......................... 63

Gen. 4:14 my trans........... 63

Gen. 4:15a my trans......... 63

Gen. 2:24-25a CV............. 64

Gen. 3:4 KJV.................... 64

Gen. 3:15 my trans........... 64

Gen. 4:15.......................... 64

Gen. 4:17-24.................... 64

Gen. 4:23-24 my trans...... 64

Gen. 4:25 my trans........... 64

Gen. ch. 4......................... 64

Gen. 1:1-50:26................. 65

Gen. 3:15.......................... 65

Gen. 4:26 CV.................... 65

Gen. ch. 5......................... 65

Gen. 1:2-50:26................. 66

Gen. 5:1-50:26................. 66

Gen. 5:1-50:26................. 67

Gen. 11:27-25:11............. 67

Gen. 25:12-18.................. 67

Gen. 5:1-6:8..................... 68

Gen. 5:1-6:8..................... 68

Gen. 6:9-11:9................... 68

Gen. 11:10-26.................. 68

Gen. 25:19-35:29............. 68

Gen. 36:1-43.................... 68

Gen. 36:9-43.................... 68

Gen. 37:1-50:26............... 68

Gen. 1:1 CV...................... 69

Gen. 5:1............................ 69

Gen. 5:1-6:8..................... 69

Gen. 11:27-25:11............. 69

Gen. 25:12-18.................. 69

Gen. ch. 5......................... 69

Gen. 6:1............................ 70

Gen. 6:1a CV.................... 70

Gen. 6:1b CV.................... 70

Gen. 1:4............................ 71

Gen. 4:17-24.................... 71

Gen. 5:1-2........................ 71

Gen. 5:1-6:8..................... 71

Gen. 5:2 my trans............. 71

Gen. 5:3-32...................... 71

Gen. 6:1-2........................ 71

Gen. 4:26.......................... 72

Gen. 5:1-6:8..................... 72

Gen. 5:3-32...................... 72

Gen. 5:21-22 CV.............. 72

Gen. 5:28-32.................... 72

Gen. 6:2-8........................ 72

Gen. 5:22.......................... 73

Gen. 5:24 my trans........... 73

Gen. 5:1-2 my trans.......... 74

Gen. 5:5............................ 74

Gen. 6:1 my trans............. 74

Gen. 6:1-2 my trans.......... 74

Gen. 6:1-8........................ 74

Gen. 6:2............................ 74

Gen. 6:3 my trans............. 74

Gen. 6:4 my trans............. 74

Gen. 6:5-8 my trans.......... 75

Gen. ch. 1......................... 75

Gen. 6:9-9:29................... 76

Gen. 6:9a CV.................... 76

Gen. 6:9b CV.................... 76

Gen. 9:1............................ 76

Gen. 9:7............................ 76

Gen. 17:1.......................... 76

Gen. 25:27........................ 76

Gen. 8:21-22 CV.............. 77

Gen. 9:6 CV...................... 77

Gen. 9:8 10....................... 78

Gen. 9:12 CV.................... 78

Gen. 9:13.......................... 78

Gen. 9:16 CV.................... 78

Gen. 9:19 CV.................... 78

Gen. 9:22.......................... 78

Gen. 19:18-28.................. 78

Gen. ch. 1......................... 78

Gen. 9:1 CV...................... 79

Gen. 9:7 CV...................... 79

Gen. 10:2-5...................... 79

Gen. 10:5 CV.................... 79

Gen. ch. 10....................... 79

Gen. ch. 11....................... 79

Gen. 4:17-22.................... 80

Gen. 4:26.......................... 80

Gen. 4:26 RSV.................. 80

Gen. 6:1............................ 80

Gen. 6:4............................ 80

Gen. 9:20.......................... 80

Gen. 10:6-20.................... 80

Gen. 10:8.......................... 80

Gen. 10:8 CV.................... 80

Gen. 10:8-12.................... 80

Gen. 10:10........................ 80

Gen. 10:10 CV.................. 80

Gen. 10:11........................ 80

Gen. ch. 11....................... 80

Gen. 10:8-10.................... 81

Gen. 10:8-19.................... 81

Gen. 10:9 CV.................... 81

Gen. 10:1.......................... 81

Gen. 10:10-12.................. 81

Gen. 10:15-18.................. 81

Gen. 10:20 CV.................. 81

Gen. 10:21 CV mod.......... 81

Gen. 10:25-30.................. 81

Gen. 10:32 CV.................. 81

Gen. 11:2.......................... 81

Gen. ch. 11....................... 81

Gen. 10:25........................ 83

Gen. 11:1-9...................... 83

Gen. ch. 1......................... 83

Gen. ch. 1......................... 83

Gen. ch. 11....................... 83

Gen. 8:22.......................... 84

Gen. 11:26 CV.................. 84

Gen. 11:27-25:11............. 84

Gen. 14:13........................ 84

Gen. ch. 1......................... 84

Gen. ch. 11....................... 84

Gen. 5:1-50:26................. 85

Gen. 11:27-22:19............. 85

Gen. 11:27-25:11............. 85

Gen. 11:27-25:11............. 86

Gen. 25:5-11.................... 86

Gen. 25:6 CV.................... 86

Gen. 6:9b CV.................... 87

Gen. 9:25b CV.................. 87

Gen. 12:2-3 CV................ 87

Gen. 17:1b CV.................. 87

Gen. ch. 11....................... 87

Gen. 17:15-17.................. 88

Gen. 17:17 CV.................. 88

Gen. 18:19 CV.................. 88

Gen. 13:15 CV.................. 89

Gen. 13:15, 17 CV............ 89

Gen. 14:14 CV.................. 89

Gen. ch. 14....................... 89

Gen. 6:4............................ 90

Gen. 12:3a CV.................. 90

Gen. 14:19-20a CV........... 90

Gen. 14:22........................ 90

Gen. 14:24b...................... 90

Gen. 14:24b KJV.............. 90

Gen. ch. 14....................... 90

Gen. ch. 15....................... 90

Gen. 13:16........................ 91

Gen. 9:12-17.................... 92

Gen. 15:1-6...................... 92

Gen. 15:12-14.................. 92

Gen. 15:18-21.................. 92

Gen. ch. 15....................... 92

Gen. 2:24.......................... 93

Gen. 16:2.......................... 93

Gen. ch. 16....................... 93

Gen. ch. 17....................... 94

Gen. 3:19.......................... 95

Gen. 17:7 CV.................... 95

Gen. 17:8 CV.................... 95

Gen. ch. 14....................... 95

Gen. 17:7.......................... 96

Gen. 21:12b CV................ 96

Gen. 21:13b CV................ 96

Gen. ch. 18-20.................. 96

Gen. 18:19........................ 97

Gen. 22:1-19.................... 97

Gen. 22:12 CV.................. 97

Gen. 22:16-18 CV............ 98

Gen. 23:4 KJV.................. 98

Gen. 23:20 CV.................. 98

Gen. 24:44 CV.................. 98

Gen. ch. 24....................... 98

Gen. 25:1-6...................... 99

Gen. 25:8 CV.................... 99

Gen. 3:15........................ 100

Gen. 25:19-35:29........... 100

Gen. 25:27 CV................ 100

Gen. 13:16...................... 101

Gen. 22:17 CV................ 101

Gen. 26:3b-5 CV............ 101

Gen. 17:1........................ 102

Gen. 28:14 CV................ 102

Gen. 1:26 (KJV)............. 104

Gen. 26:35 CV................ 104

Gen. 28:3-4 CV.............. 104

Gen. 28:10-22................ 104

Gen. 26:4-5.................... 105

Gen. 28:17 CV................ 105

Gen. 31:3 CV.................. 105

Gen. 32:1-2.................... 105

Gen. 32:24-32................ 106

Gen. 32:26b CV.............. 106

Gen. 32:28 CV................ 106

Gen. 34:7b CV................ 107

Gen. 34:11 CV................ 107

Gen. 34:13a CV.............. 107

Gen. 34:22-23 CV.......... 107

Gen. 34:25b-29 CV........ 107

Gen. 34:30 CV................ 107

Gen. 34:7 CV.................. 108

Gen. 34:30 CV................ 108

Gen. 34:31 CV................ 108

Gen. 34:31 CV................ 108

Gen. 35:5b KJV.............. 108

Gen. ch. 34..................... 110

Gen. ch. 34..................... 112

Gen. 5:1.......................... 116

Gen. 37:11 CV................ 116

Gen. ch. 37..................... 116

Gen. 15:13-16................ 117

Gen. 37:5-7.................... 117

Gen. 37:8a KJV.............. 117

Gen. 37:8b KJV.............. 117

Gen. 38:7 CV.................. 117

Gen. 37:9-11.................. 118

Gen. 37:11 CV................ 118

Gen. 39:2a CV................ 118

Gen. 39:2b CV................ 118

Gen. 39:8b-9 CV............ 118

Gen. 47:9........................ 118

Gen. 40:8b CV................ 119

Gen. 41:16 CV................ 119

Gen. 41:25 CV................ 119

Gen. 41:38 CV................ 119

Gen. 41:39-40 CV.......... 119

Gen. 2:7.......................... 120

Gen. 15:12b.................... 120

Gen. 42:21b CV.............. 121

Gen. 42:28b CV.............. 121

Gen. 42:36 CV................ 121

Gen. 44:30-31, 34 CV mod 121

Gen. 45:1........................ 121

Gen. 45:3 CV mod.......... 121

Gen. 45:4-8 CV.............. 121

Gen. 45:6........................ 121

Gen. 48:19 CV................ 122

Gen. 50:20 CV................ 122

Gen. ch. 48..................... 122

Gen. 45:27b-28 CV........ 123

Gen. 48:19...................... 123

Gen. 45:16 CV................ 124

Gen. 50:20 CV................ 124

Gen. 2:17b CV................ 125

Gen. 3:19 CV.................. 125

Gen. 9:1.......................... 125

Gen. 12:1........................ 125

Gen. 36:6-7 CV mod...... 134

Gen. 1:1 CV mod............ 142

Gen. ch. 1....................... 142

Gen. 3:19 CV.................. 147

Gen. ch. 1....................... 148

Gen. 1:27 CV.................. 151

Gen. 3:12........................ 151

Gen. ch. 1....................... 152

Gen. ch. 1....................... 155

Gen. 3:19 CV.................. 159

Gen. 2:7.......................... 173

Gen. 3:19 CV.................. 174

Gen. 12:3a KJV.............. 188

Gen. 14:18-19................ 189

Gen. ch. 1....................... 203

Gen. 28:3........................ 207

Gen. 35:11...................... 207

Gen. 48:4........................ 207

Gen. 15:16...................... 212

Gen. 15:16...................... 217

Gen. 12:6-8.................... 222

Gen. 35:1-4.................... 222

Gen. 28:16-19................ 225

Gen. 15:18...................... 261

Gen. 34:30 CV................ 302

Gen. ch. 34..................... 302

Gen. 2:7a CV.................. 318

Gen. 2:7b CV.................. 318

Gen. ch. 10-11................ 331

Gen. 1:1.......................... 357


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Exodus

Ex. 1:6.................... 125

Ex. 1:7 CV.............. 125

Ex. 1:8 CV...... 126, 136

Ex. 2:6 CV.............. 127

Ex. 2:6 CV.............. 127

Ex. 3:7 CV.............. 128

Ex. 3:7-9 CV.......... 127

Ex. 3:10 CV............ 129

Ex. 3:12 CV............ 129

Ex. 3:13 CV............ 130

Ex. 3:14 CV............ 130

Ex. 3:15b CV.......... 130

Ex. 3:18-22............ 130

Ex. 3:20-22............ 156

Ex. 4:16.................. 129

Ex. 4:30-31............ 145

Ex. 4:31 CV.... 130, 145

Ex. 5:1...................... 35

Ex. 5:2 CV.............. 130

Ex. 5:21b CV.......... 145

Ex. 6:6.................... 207

Ex. 6:6-8 CV.......... 139

Ex. 7:1.................... 130

Ex. 7:3.................... 131

Ex. 7:3 CV...... 130, 131

Ex. 7:3-5 CV.......... 132

Ex. 7:16 CV............ 207

Ex. 7:22 CV............ 131

Ex. 8:15.................. 131

Ex. 8:15, 32 CV...... 130

Ex. 8:19 CV............ 131

Ex. 8:32.................. 131

Ex. 8:32 CV............ 131

Ex. 9:11.................. 131

Ex. 9:12.................. 131

Ex. 9:12 CV............ 131

Ex. 9:14-16............ 133

Ex. 9:34 CV............ 131

Ex. 10:1.................. 131

Ex. 10:1 CV............ 131

Ex. 10:1-2 CV 132, 133

Ex. 11:3a CV.......... 138

Ex. 12:12 CV.......... 139

Ex. 12:12-13a CV... 138

Ex. 12:13b-14 CV.. 142

Ex. 12:17b CV........ 142

Ex. 12:24 CV.......... 142

Ex. 12:31-32 CV.... 138

Ex. 12:33 CV.......... 138

Ex. 12:36................ 156

Ex. 12:38 CV.......... 181

Ex. 12:43 CV.......... 139

Ex. 13:2-13b CV.... 138

Ex. 14:10 CV.......... 145

Ex. 14:11b-12 CV 57, 145

Ex. 14:13 CV.......... 141

Ex. 14:17-18.......... 133

Ex. 14:30-31 CV.... 144

Ex. 15:1.................. 144

Ex. 15:2-3.............. 144

Ex. 15:9.................. 144

Ex. 15:16................ 144

Ex. 15:17 CV.......... 144

Ex. 15:18 CV.......... 145

Ex. 15:24 CV.......... 145

Ex. 15:26 CV.......... 145

Ex. 16:3 CV.............. 57

Ex. 16:3b CV.......... 146

Ex. 16:8b CV.......... 146

Ex. 16:12a CV........ 146

Ex. 16:20 KJV........ 419

Ex. 17:1-3.............. 127

Ex. 18:11 CV.......... 139

Ex. 19:5-6a............. 165

Ex. 19:5-6a CV....... 140

Ex. 19:6.................. 145

Ex. 19:8 CV............ 143

Ex. 19:9 CV.... 143, 158

Ex. 19:9b CV.... 95, 183

Ex. 20:3-5.............. 221

Ex. 20:4-5a KJV..... 267

Ex. 20:5.................. 156

Ex. 21:5-6 CV.......... 69

Ex. 23:29-30 CV.... 211

Ex. 24:3b CV.......... 148

Ex. 24:7b CV.. 148, 151

Ex. 24:8b CV.......... 148

Ex. 24:9-11............ 149

Ex. 24:10 CV.......... 148

Ex. 24:11 CV.......... 148

Ex. 24:12-18.......... 151

Ex. 24:12b CV........ 151

Ex. 24:15-18b CV.. 142

Ex. 24:17................ 150

Ex. 25:13-15.......... 256

Ex. 27:21 CV.......... 142

Ex. 29:9 CV............ 143

Ex. 29:9b CV............ 95

Ex. 30:21 CV.......... 142

Ex. 30:31 CV.......... 142

Ex. 31:12 CV.......... 142

Ex. 31:13................ 142

Ex. 31:15................ 142

Ex. 31:16 CV.......... 142

Ex. 31:16-17 CV.... 142

Ex. 31:18 CV.......... 159

Ex. 32:1 CV.............. 57

Ex. 32:1b CV.......... 151

Ex. 32:7-8a CV....... 151

Ex. 32:10................ 151

Ex. 32:12-13 CV.... 152

Ex. 32:16 CV.. 152, 159

Ex. 32:19................ 196

Ex. 32:19 CV.......... 152

Ex. 32:20................ 152

Ex. 32:24................ 152

Ex. 32:26................ 152

Ex. 32:27................ 153

Ex. 32:30................ 153

Ex. 32:31-32 CV.... 153

Ex. 32:34................ 154

Ex. 33:3b CV.......... 154

Ex. 33:5b CV.......... 154

Ex. 33:6 CV............ 154

Ex. 33:9-11a CV..... 154

Ex. 33:11................ 143

Ex. 33:12 CV.......... 157

Ex. 33:13 CV.. 154, 157

Ex. 33:13b CV........ 154

Ex. 33:15 CV.......... 157

Ex. 33:15b CV........ 154

Ex. 33:17 CV.......... 154

Ex. 33:19b CV........ 154

Ex. 33:20 my trans. 155

Ex. 34:1 CV 155, 156, 159

Ex. 34:6-7 CV........ 156

Ex. 34:6b-7a CV..... 161

Ex. 34:10a CV........ 156

Ex. 34:27a.............. 157

Ex. 34:27b CV........ 157

Ex. 34:29b CV........ 157

Ex. 34:30 CV.......... 158

Ex. 39:42a CV........ 164

Ex. 39:43 CV.......... 164

Ex. 40:2 CV............ 164

Ex. 40:15b CV 143, 164

Ex. 40:17................ 164

Ex. 40:33b-35 CV.. 164

Ex. ch. 32................. 57

Ex. ch. 32-34.......... 163

Ex. ch. 34............... 158

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Levitcus

Lev. 4:1-31............. 168

Lev. 10:2 CV.......... 172

Lev. 11:4 CV.......... 181

Lev. 11:24-25 CV... 170

Lev. 11:39.............. 170

Lev. 11:44.............. 177

Lev. 12:1-8............. 170

Lev. 12:1b-5 CV..... 171

Lev. 15:19-24......... 171

Lev. 15:31 CV........ 172

Lev. 16:16 CV........ 172

Lev. 16:20-22 CV... 172

Lev. 16:29a............ 173

Lev. 16:30 CV........ 173

Lev. 16:34 CV........ 173

Lev. 17:3-4 CV....... 173

Lev. 17:5-7 CV....... 173

Lev. 17:9................ 173

Lev. 17:10b-11 CV. 173

Lev. 17:13b CV...... 174

Lev. 17:14.............. 173

Lev. 17:16 CV........ 172

Lev. 18:1-20:27...... 175

Lev. 18:1-30........... 176

Lev. 18:3 CV.......... 175

Lev. 18:5 CV.......... 175

Lev. 18:26.............. 176

Lev. 18:26, 30........ 177

Lev. 18:27-28......... 176

Lev. 18:28.............. 176

Lev. 18:29b............ 176

Lev. 18:30b CV...... 177

Lev. 19:1-37 175, 178, 181

Lev. 19:2................ 178

Lev. 19:2 CV.......... 165

Lev. 19:3-10........... 178

Lev. 19:11-18......... 179

Lev. 19:15b CV...... 179

Lev. 19:17-18 CV... 179

Lev. 19:19.............. 179

Lev. 19:19 CV........ 179

Lev. 19:20-31......... 179

Lev. 19:33-34......... 238

Lev. 20:1-7............. 176

Lev. 20:13.............. 238

Lev. 20:23 CV........ 176

Lev. 20:23-27......... 177

Lev. 20:24.............. 177

Lev. 20:27.............. 177

Lev. 23:34.............. 267

Lev. 26:42.............. 218

Lev. ch. 15............. 172

Lev. ch. 16............. 172

Lev. ch. 17............. 173

Lev. ch. 17-18........ 715

Lev. ch. 18............. 176

Lev. ch. 18-20........ 174

....................... 175, 176

Lev. ch. 19............. 178

Lev. ch. 20..... 176, 177

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Numbers

Num. 1:1-36:13...... 180

Num. 3:11-13......... 238

Num. 4:15 CV........ 256

Num. 11:1a CV....... 181

Num. 11:1b CV...... 181

Num. 11:4...... 182, 183

Num. 11:4b CV...... 181

Num. 11:10 CV...... 181

Num. 11:11-12....... 129

Num. 11:11-15 CV. 181

Num. 11:12a CV..... 182

Num. 11:17 CV...... 182

Num. 11:20 CV...... 183

Num. 11:26-29....... 196

Num. 11:29 EB....... 182

Num. 11:34 CV...... 183

Num. 12:2a CV....... 183

Num. 12:2b............ 183

Num. 12:3.............. 184

Num. 12:3 CV........ 183

Num. 12:4 CV........ 183

Num. 12:6-8a CV... 183

Num. 12:7.............. 183

Num. 12:7b-8a....... 185

Num. 13:2 CV........ 184

Num. 13:27-28 CV. 184

Num. 13:30 CV...... 184

Num. 13:31-33 CV. 184

Num. 14:2b-3 CV... 184

Num. 14:7b-9 CV... 184

Num. 14:10 CV...... 184

Num. 14:11-12 CV. 184

Num. 14:13-19 CV. 185

Num. 14:24 CV...... 185

Num. 14:26-33 CV. 185

Num. 14:27 CV...... 186

Num. 14:37 CV...... 186

Num. 14:38............ 185

Num. 14:41 CV...... 186

Num. 14:41b-42a

     CV..................... 186

Num. 14:45 CV...... 186

Num. 16:7 CV........ 187

Num. 16:10............ 186

Num. 16:10 CV...... 187

Num. 16:13-14 CV. 187

Num. 16:20 CV...... 223

Num. 16:21 CV...... 187

Num. 16:22 CV...... 187

Num. 16:23 CV...... 187

Num. 16:24............ 186

Num. 16:26 CV...... 188

Num. 16:27 CV mod....

............................... 188

Num. 16:28-30 CV. 188

Num. 16:29...... 54, 112

....................... 187, 317

Num. 16:29 CV....... 77,

....................... 125, 136

Num. 16:41b CV.... 188

Num. 16:45 CV...... 188

Num. 17:5 CV........ 191

Num. 18:1a  CV...... 190

Num. 18:21-24....... 244

Num. 20:2-5........... 191

Num. 20:4 CV........ 191

Num. 20:8a CV....... 191

Num. 20:10-12....... 135

Num. 20:10b CV.... 191

Num. 20:12 CV...... 191

Num. 20:13............ 191

Num. 22:6b CV...... 189

Num. 22:12 CV...... 189

Num. 22:18b CV.... 189

Num. 22:22 CV...... 189

Num. 22:27b-30 CV 189

Num. 22:32a CV..... 189

Num. 22:35a CV..... 189

Num. 25:1-3 CV..... 190

Num. 25:10-11 CV. 190

Num. 25:13 CV...... 190

Num. 27:14b CV.... 192

Num. 27:16-17 CV. 192

Num. 27:18 CV 192, 193

Num. 31:2a CV....... 191

Num. 31:7-8 CV..... 191

Num. 31:8.............. 190

Num. 31:15-16 CV. 191

Num. 31:16 CV...... 190

Num. 32:9-13 CV..... 57

Num. 33:38............ 191

Num. ch. 2.............. 181

Go to page selection

Deuteronomy

Deut. 1:6 CV............. 25

Deut. 1:10............... 101

Deut. 1:27b-28a CV.. 30

Deut. 1:29-31 CV..... 30

Deut. 1:34-37 CV... 192

Deut. 1:35 CV........... 30

Deut. 1:37............... 135

Deut. 2:7, 14-15 CV. 30

Deut. 2:19 22 CV...... 30

Deut. 2:30 CV........... 31

Deut. 3:3-7 CV......... 31

Deut. 3:24-27 CV... 192

Deut. 3:26-29......... 129

Deut. 4:1-8............... 36

Deut. 4:4 CV........... 262

Deut. 4:5-6 CV....... 198

Deut. 4:6-8-CV......... 37

Deut. 4:11 CV......... 147

Deut. 4:11-12......... 150

Deut. 4:12 CV......... 148

Deut. 4:12b CV....... 150

Deut. 4:13 CV......... 147

Deut. 4:19 CV.. 82, 165,

............................... 312

Deut. 4:19-20 CV....... 8

Deut. 4:21............... 135

Deut. 4:21-22......... 129

Deut. 4:26a CV........... 7

Deut. 4:32 CV. 208, 292

Deut. 4:32-33 CV

....................... 147, 357

Deut. 4:32-34 CV....... 7

Deut. 4:32-36........... 13

Deut. 4:32-39 CV..... 84

Deut. 4:32-40... 35, 292

Deut. 4:32-40 CV

......................... 33, 125

Deut. 4:32b CV......... 33

Deut. 4:33................. 35

Deut. 4:33 CV........... 34

Deut. 4:34 CV... 35, 292

Deut. 4:36........... 35, 36

Deut. 4:36 CV............. 7

Deut. 4:37-39 CV..... 36

Deut. 4:40 CV........... 37

Deut. 5:2 CV........... 147

Deut. 5:2-4 CV....... 149

Deut. 5:4......... 150, 159

Deut. 5:4 CV........... 150

Deut. 5:24............... 159

Deut. 5:24 CV mod. 151

Deut. 5:24 Heb. MT 293

Deut. 5:24b CV mod. 34

Deut. 5:24b-27 my trans.

............................... 147

Deut. 5:27b CV....... 147

Deut. 5:28b-29 CV

....................... 147, 158

Deut. 5:29 CV......... 150

Deut. 6:4 CV............. 41

Deut. 6:4-5 CV....... 165

Deut. 6:5................. 255

Deut. 6:5 CV.. 160, 185,

............................... 307

Deut. 6:24-25 CV... 150

Deut. 7:6-8a CV...... 165

Deut. 7:22 CV......... 212

Deut. 9:1-3............. 217

Deut. 9:4-5 CV........... 9

Deut. 9:4-6 CV. 56, 146

Deut. 9:6-7............. 188

Deut. 11:18a CV..... 162

Deut. 12:1-14......... 261

Deut. 12:4-14......... 246

Deut. 12:13-14....... 244

Deut. 12:19............. 244

Deut. 13:12-15a CV 238

Deut. 14:2b CV........... 8

Deut. 17:14-20....... 249

....................... 255, 256

Deut. 17:16............. 255

Deut. 18:18............. 220

Deut. 18:18-19 CV. 144

Deut. 20:10-12....... 236

Deut. 20:10-18....... 217

Deut. 20:11-18....... 215

Deut. 28:1............... 193

Deut. 28:1b CV........... 8

Deut. 28:1-14......... 193

Deut. 28:10 CV....... 193

Deut. 28:13............. 193

Deut. 28:13a CV......... 8

Deut. 28:15-48....... 193

Deut. 28:43-48....... 271

Deut. 28:48b CV..... 193

Deut. 28:58-62......... 29

Deut. 29:4 CV

................. 52, 193, 233

Deut. 29:4b CV....... 198

Deut. 29:10-15....... 193

Deut. 29:11b CV..... 181

Deut. 29:14............. 150

Deut. 29:18 CV....... 194

Deut. 29:19b CV..... 194

Deut. 29:20 CV....... 194

Deut. 29:29 CV 52, 193,

.............. 195, 233, 323,

Deut. 29:29b CV..... 198

Deut. 30:1-3a CV.... 195

Deut. 30:3b CV....... 195

Deut. 30:11-14 CV

....................... 193, 314

Deut. 30:11-18....... 160

Deut. 30:11-20....... 205

Deut. 30:14-16 CV. 160

Deut. 30:15-20....... 195

Deut. 30:16............. 221

Deut. 30:19-20....... 144

Deut. 30:19b CV..... 314

Deut. 30:19b-20a CV

............................... 262

Deut. 31:6 CV......... 195

Deut. 31:7b-8 CV... 195

Deut. 31:9 CV......... 195

Deut. 31:12a CV..... 195

Deut. 31:12b CV..... 195

Deut. 31:16-18 CV. 196

Deut. 31:19 CV....... 198

Deut. 31:19-21 CV. 146

Deut. 31:19b CV 196, 198

Deut. 31:20a CV....... 52

Deut. 31:20b CV....... 52

Deut. 31:20b-21 CV 196

Deut. 31:21b CV....... 52

Deut. 31:26 CV....... 196

Deut. 31:29............. 197

Deut. 31:29 CV....... 271

Deut. 31:29-30 CV. 197

Deut. 31:29b CV..... 198

Deut. 31:30 CV....... 198

Deut. 31:30–32:43.... 25

Deut. 32:1, 32:43a, 43c

      CV mod............ 199

Deut. 32:1-4........... 200

Deut. 32:1-32:49.... 199

Deut. 32:2-4........... 200

Deut. 32:2-4 mod... 201

Deut. 32:4 CV......... 199

Deut. 32:5-42......... 202

Deut. 32:5a CV....... 202

Deut. 32:6 CV......... 202

Deut. 32:5-6a CV...... 57

Deut. 32:6b CV......... 25

Deut. 32:7................. 25

Deut. 32:7a CV....... 203

Deut. 32:7-9....... 27, 60

Deut. 32:7-9 CV..... 330

Deut. 32:7-10 CV

......................... 25, 218

Deut. 32:8................. 31

Deut. 32:8a CV......... 31

Deut. 32:8b CV....... 203

Deut. 32:8c CV....... 203

Deut. 32:8-9 CV. 41, 83

Deut. 32:9 CV......... 335

Deut. 32:10............... 26

Deut. 32:10-11 CV. 203

Deut. 32:12-14....... 203

Deut. 32:12b (CV).... 26

Deut. 32:15 CV 203, 236

Deut. 32:16-17....... 203

Deut. 32:18............. 203

Deut. 32:19 CV....... 204

Deut. 32:19-20 CV. 236

Deut. 32:20 CV....... 236

Deut. 32:20b CV..... 238

Deut. 32:21b........... 306

Deut. 32:21b CV 204, 306

Deut. 32:23 CV....... 204

Deut. 32:26b CV..... 204

Deut. 32:27b CV..... 204

Deut. 32:28-29a CV 198

Deut. 32:35 KJV....... 65

Deut. 32:36............. 204

Deut. 32:36 CV....... 204

Deut. 32:39-40 CV. 204

Deut. 32:43............. 200

Deut. 32:43b... 200, 201

Deut. 32:43d... 200, 201

Deut. 32:46 CV....... 205

Deut. 32:46-47....... 206

Deut. 32:47b CV..... 205

Deut. 32:48-51....... 135

Deut. 33:1-5........... 206

Deut. 33:3a CV

     mod................... 207

Deut. 33:3a

     my trans............ 207

Deut. 33:3-4 CV..... 207

Deut. 33:5............... 228

Deut. 33:5 KJV....... 341

Deut. 33:5a CV 166, 207

Deut. 33:5b CV....... 207

Deut. 33:26-27a CV 208

Deut. 33:26-29a CV 166

Deut. 33:27 CV....... 208

Deut. 33:27b CV..... 208

Deut. 33:28 CV....... 208

Deut. 33:29a CV..... 208

Deut. 33:29b CV..... 208

Deut. 34:6............... 223

Deut. 34:7 CV......... 209

Deut. 34:9............... 193

Deut. 34:10 CV....... 154

Deut. 34:10-12 CV. 209

Deut. ch. 28-30. 52, 262

Deut. ch. 32

................. 83, 124, 201

Go to page selection

Joshua

Josh. 1:2 KJV......... 211

Josh. 1:5 KJV......... 211

Josh. 1:8 KJV......... 211

Josh. 2:9-11 CV...... 214

Josh. 2:13 CV......... 214

Josh. 2:14 CV mod. 214

Josh. 6:18 KJV....... 215

Josh. 7:10-12 KJV.. 215

Josh. 7:15 KJV....... 215

Josh. 7:25 KJV....... 215

Josh. 8:26 KJV....... 215

Josh. 8:35............... 181

Josh. 9:22-23a KJV 216

Josh. 9:24-25 CV.... 216

Josh. 9:27............... 244

Josh. 9:27 CV......... 216

Josh. 10:2 KJV....... 216

Josh. 10:40-43 CV.. 216

Josh. 11:4b KJV..... 217

Josh. 11:8-9 CV...... 217

Josh. 11:15 EB 211, 217

Josh. 11:16-17 EB.. 217

Josh. 11:16a EB...... 211

Josh. 11:18 KJV..... 217

Josh. 11:20 CV....... 217

Josh. 11:20 EB....... 217

Josh. 11:21-22........ 217

Josh. 11:22 KJV..... 218

Josh. 11:23 EB....... 218

Josh. 11:23a EB...... 211

Josh. 13:1-7 CV...... 218

Josh. 15:14............. 218

Josh. 15:14-15........ 217

Josh. 15:63............. 211

Josh. 15:63a KJV.... 218

Josh. 16:10..... 211, 218

Josh. 17:12............. 211

Josh. 17:13 KJV..... 218

Josh. 19:51 CV....... 219

Josh. 21:1-2 CV...... 219

Josh. 21:41-42........ 219

Josh. 21:43-44a CV 213

Josh. 21:43-45 CV.. 219

Josh. 21:44-45 EB.. 211

Josh. 22:2-4 CV...... 220

Josh. 22:2-4a CV.... 213

Josh. 22:5 CV......... 220

Josh. 22:6 CV......... 220

Josh. 22:29 CV....... 221

Josh. 23:2 CV......... 221

Josh. 23:5 CV......... 221

Josh. 23:6a CV....... 221

Josh. 23:8 KJV mod.

............................... 221

Josh. 23:13 CV....... 221

Josh. 23:14 CV....... 223

Josh. 23:14 EB....... 211

Josh. 23:14b KJV... 222

Josh. 23:15 KJV..... 222

Josh. 23:16............. 222

Josh. 24:13 CV....... 224

Josh. 24:13 KJV..... 222

Josh. 24:14 CV....... 222

Josh. 24:15b CV..... 222

Josh. 24:16a CV..... 222

Josh. 24:19 CV....... 222

Josh. 24:21 CV....... 223

Josh. 24:22a CV..... 223

Josh. 24:22b CV..... 223

Josh. 24:23 CV....... 223

Josh. 24:24 CV....... 223

Josh. 24:25a CV..... 223

Josh. 24:31............. 225

Josh. 24:31a CV..... 223

Josh. 24:32............. 223

Josh. ch. 2.............. 213

Josh. ch. 7.............. 249

Josh. ch. 13-19....... 218

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Judges

Judg. 1:1................. 224

Judg. 1:2................. 224

Judg. 1:9................. 227

Judg. 1:12-13.......... 226

Judg. 1:19 CV......... 224

Judg. 1:21 CV......... 237

Judg. 1:21b CV....... 224

Judg. 1:22 CV......... 224

Judg. 1:25b CV....... 225

Judg. 1:29 CV......... 225

Judg. 1:31-33.......... 225

Judg. 1:35 CV......... 225

Judg. 2:1b CV......... 225

Judg. 2:1-5...... 225, 237

Judg. 2:2-3 CV........ 237

Judg. 2:2b-3 CV...... 236

Judg. 2:6-10............ 225

Judg. 2:10 CV......... 225

Judg. 2:10-15.......... 237

Judg. 2:10b-11 CV.. 236

Judg. 2:11-12 CV.... 226

Judg. 2:14b-15 CV.. 226

Judg. 2:16 KJV....... 226

Judg. 2:17 CV......... 226

Judg. 2:18-19 CV.... 226

Judg. 2:19a CV....... 231

Judg. 2:23 CV......... 226

Judg. 3:1-7.............. 237

Judg. 3:5................. 226

Judg. 3:5-6.............. 226

Judg. 3:6................. 226

Judg. 3:7a CV......... 237

Judg. 3:9 CV........... 226

Judg. 3:10-11 CV.... 227

Judg. 3:12 CV......... 227

Judg. 4:2 CV........... 227

Judg. 4:3 CV........... 227

Judg. 4:4-5 CV........ 227

Judg. 4:7 CV........... 227

Judg. 4:11 CV......... 227

Judg. 4:21............... 228

Judg. 4:21 CV......... 228

Judg. 6:6 CV........... 228

Judg. 6:7-9.............. 228

Judg. 6:10 CV......... 228

Judg. 6:12 CV......... 228

Judg. 6:14b CV....... 228

Judg. 6:16 CV......... 228

Judg. 7:2-3a CV...... 228

Judg. 7:21-22 KJV.. 351

Judg. 8:22 CV......... 228

Judg. 8:23 CV......... 228

Judg. 8:27 CV......... 228

Judg. 13:1 CV........ 229,

....................... 231, 242

Judg. 13:5 CV......... 229

Judg. 13:24 CV....... 230

Judg. 13:25 CV....... 230

Judg. 14:2b CV....... 230

Judg. 14:3b CV....... 230

Judg. 14:4 CV......... 230

Judg. 14:15-17........ 230

Judg. 15:2-3............ 230

Judg. 15:11b-13a CV 231

Judg. 16:17b CV..... 232

Judg. 16:20b CV..... 232

Judg. 16:28 CV....... 233

Judg. 16:29-30 CV.. 233

Judg. 17:3b CV....... 234

Judg. 17:6 CV......... 235

Judg. 17:6b..... 230, 231

Judg. 17:13 CV....... 235

Judg. 18:9-10 CV.... 235

Judg. 18:11 CV....... 235

Judg. 18:19 CV....... 236

Judg. 18:20 CV....... 236

Judg. 18:30-31 CV.. 236

Judg. 19:1a CV....... 236

Judg. 19:2 CV......... 237

Judg. 19:3-4, 19...... 237

Judg. 19:3a CV....... 237

Judg. 19:12 CV....... 238

Judg. 19:18............. 237

Judg. 19:22 CV....... 238

Judg. 19:23............. 238

Judg. 19:29 CV....... 238

Judg. 20:1 CV......... 238

Judg. 20:6b-7 CV.... 238

Judg. 20:8 CV......... 238

Judg. 20:13b CV..... 238

Judg. 20:18 CV....... 239

Judg. 20:23b CV..... 239

Judg. 20:26 CV....... 239

Judg. 20:27-28........ 237

Judg. 20:28b CV..... 239

Judg. 20:35a CV..... 239

Judg. 20:48 CV....... 239

Judg. 21:2-3 CV...... 239

Judg. 21:2b-3 CV.... 237

Judg. 21:3 CV......... 238

Judg. 21:15 CV....... 239

Judg. 21:25 CV

....... 230, 231, 237, 239

Judg. ch. 1.............. 225

Judg. ch. 2.............. 236

Judg. ch. 17-18....... 225

Judg. ch. 17-21...... 227,

....................... 229, 234

Judg. ch. 18............ 235

Judg. ch. 19-21....... 237

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1 Samuel

1 Sam. 1:2b CV...... 240

1 Sam. 1:5b CV...... 240

1 Sam. 1:7b CV...... 240

1 Sam. 1:11 CV

....................... 241, 242

1 Sam. 1:15a CV..... 241

1 Sam. 1:16............ 241

1 Sam. 1:16b CV.... 241

1 Sam. 1:17 CV...... 241

1 Sam. 1:18b CV.... 241

1 Sam. 1:19 CV...... 241

1 Sam. 1:20b CV.... 241

1 Sam. 1:22 CV...... 242

1 Sam. 1:27-28a CV 242

1 Sam. 2:11 CV...... 243

1 Sam. 2:12 CV...... 243

1 Sam. 2:26 CV...... 243

1 Sam. 2:29 CV...... 243

1 Sam. 2:30-34 CV. 243

1 Sam. 3:1b CV...... 243

1 Sam. 3:7 CV........ 243

1 Sam. 3:10 CV...... 243

1 Sam. 3:13 CV...... 243

1 Sam. 3:19-20 CV. 243

1 Sam. 4:1a CV....... 243

1 Sam. 4:5b CV...... 243

1 Sam. 4:18 CV...... 242

1 Sam. 4:20-22 CV. 244

1 Sam. 4:21-22 312, 318

1 Sam. 5:7 CV........ 245

1 Sam. 6:5-6 CV..... 245

1 Sam. 6:6, 20........ 245

1 Sam. 6b CV......... 240

1 Sam. 6:19-21....... 245

1 Sam. 6:20a CV..... 245

1 Sam. 6:20b CV.... 245

1 Sam. 7:1.............. 256

1 Sam. 7:2 CV........ 246

1 Sam. 7:3 CV........ 246

1 Sam. 7:4 CV........ 246

1 Sam. 7:10b CV.... 246

1 Sam. 7:13............ 252

1 Sam. 7:13-14 CV. 246

1 Sam. 7:15............ 246

1 Sam. 7:16............ 246

1 Sam. 7:17 CV...... 247

1 Sam. 8:3 CV........ 247

1 Sam. 8:5 CV........ 242

1 Sam. 8:5b KJV....... 22

1 Sam. 8:6 CV........ 247

1 Sam. 8:7 CV........ 247

1 Sam. 8:8b CV...... 247

1 Sam. 8:11 CV 249, 254

1 Sam. 8:11-17....... 247

1 Sam. 8:18 CV...... 247

1 Sam. 8:19b-20 CV 247

1 Sam. 8:22 CV...... 248

1 Sam. 9:2 CV........ 248

1 Sam. 10:1a CV..... 248

1 Sam. 10:6 CV...... 249

1 Sam. 10:19a CV... 249

1 Sam. 10:24 CV.... 249

1 Sam. 10:24b........ 249

1 Sam. 11:13 CV.... 249

1 Sam. 12:17b CV.. 249

1 Sam. 12:19 CV.... 249

1 Sam. 12:19b CV.. 252

1 Sam. 12:20-22 CV 250

1 Sam. 12:23.......... 250

1 Sam. 12:25 CV.... 250

1 Sam. 13:5b CV.... 250

1 Sam. 13:7b CV.... 250

1 Sam. 13:11a CV... 250

1 Sam. 13:12b CV.. 250

1 Sam. 13:13-14 CV 250

1 Sam. 13:14 CV.... 252

1 Sam. 13:15 CV.... 252

1 Sam. 14:6 CV...... 251

1 Sam. 14:7 CV...... 251

1 Sam. 14:15b CV.. 251

1 Sam. 14:21-23a CV 251

1 Sam. 14:24 CV.... 251

1 Sam. 14:29-30 CV 252

1 Sam. 14:44b CV.. 252

1 Sam. 14:45a CV... 252

1 Sam. 14:52a CV... 252

1 Sam. 15:12 CV.... 253

1 Sam. 15:13b CV.. 252

1 Sam. 15:15.......... 252

1 Sam. 15:22-23 CV 252

1 Sam. 15:22b KJV. 241

1 Sam. 15:28 CV.... 253

1 Sam. 15:35a CV... 253

1 Sam. 16:1b CV.... 253

1 Sam. 16:7 CV...... 232

1 Sam. 16:13.......... 253

1 Sam. 16:18 CV.... 253

1 Sam. 16:23 CV.... 253

1 Sam. 17:11 CV.... 253

1 Sam. 17:15 CV.... 253

1 Sam. 17:24 CV.... 253

1 Sam. 17:26b CV.. 254

1 Sam. 17:32 CV.... 254

1 Sam. 17:36-37 CV 254

1 Sam. 17:55b CV.. 254

1 Sam. 17:58 CV.... 254

1 Sam. 17:58b CV.. 254

1 Sam. 18:1 CV...... 254

1 Sam. 18:2 CV...... 254

1 Sam. 19:13 CV.... 256

1 Sam. 21:1-6......... 246

1 Sam. 21:1-9......... 236

1 Sam. 23:22 NASB 216

1 Sam. 24:16 CV.... 254

1 Sam. 28:16-19 CV 253

1 Sam. ch. 7............ 250

1 Sam. ch. 14.......... 249

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2 Samuel

2 Sam. 5:2b CV...... 255

2 Sam. 5:10 CV...... 255

2 Sam. 5:12 CV...... 255

2 Sam. 5:13-16....... 255

2 Sam. 5:19b CV.... 255

2 Sam. 5:24 CV...... 255

2 Sam. 7:1-2 CV..... 256

2 Sam. 7:9b-13 CV. 270

2 Sam. 7:10 KJV 10, 257

2 Sam. 7:10-11a CV 257

2 Sam. 7:10-17....... 206

2 Sam. 7:11b KJV....... 9

2 Sam. 7:11b-14a CV 257

2 Sam. 7:12b KJV... 257

2 Sam. 7:12-13 259, 279

2 Sam. 7:12-13 KJV... 9

2 Sam. 7:12b-15

      KJV.................. 301

2 Sam. 7:13............ 257

2 Sam. 7:14........ 9, 258

2 Sam. 7:14b CV.... 257

2 Sam. 7:15............ 169

2 Sam. 7:15-16 CV. 257

2 Sam. 7:19 CV...... 259

2 Sam. 7:19b CV.... 258

2 Sam. 7:19b KJV....... 9

2 Sam. 7:19c

    my trans............. 258

2 Sam. 12:1-13....... 169

2 Sam. 12:7-13 KJV 160

2 Sam. 12:13a CV... 169

2 Sam. 12:13b CV.. 169

2 Sam. 23:5b CV

....................... 259, 525

2 Sam. 24:1............ 260

2 Sam. ch. 7........ 9, 270

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1 Kings

1 Kings 3:3 KJV..... 261

1 Kings 3:5 CV....... 261

1 Kings 3:9 CV....... 261

1 Kings 3:13 CV..... 261

1 Kings 4:21 CV..... 261

1 Kings 8:10-11 CV 261

1 Kings 8:27-30, 41-43

     CV..................... 262

1 Kings 9:7-8a CV.. 262

1 Kings 11:1-2 CV.. 262

1 Kings 11:4b CV... 262

1 Kings 11:4b KJV. 266

1 Kings 11:5-6 CV.. 262

1 Kings 11:9b-10a

     CV..................... 262

1 Kings 11:11-13 CV 263

1 Kings 11:31b KJV 265

1 Kings 11:38 CV... 265

1 Kings 12:1........... 265

1 Kings 12:7 CV..... 265

1 Kings 12:10b-11 

     CV..................... 266

1 Kings 12:15 CV... 266

1 Kings 12:21......... 304

1 Kings 12:24a CV. 266

1 Kings 12:26-27 CV

............................... 266

1 Kings 12:26-29.... 225

1 Kings 12:28-29 CV 267

1 Kings 12:30 CV... 267

1 Kings 16:30-31 CV 268

1 Kings 16:33 CV... 268

1 Kings 18:36b-37

     CV..................... 268

1 Kings 18:39b CV. 268

1 Kings 19:4b CV... 268

1 Kings 19:9b CV... 268

1 Kings 19:10 CV... 268

1 Kings 19:11b CV. 268

1 Kings 19:12b CV. 268

1 Kings 19:14 CV..... 58

1 Kings 19:18 CV..... 58

............................... 268

1 Kings ch. 12-13... 109

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2 Kings

2 Kings 17:5-6 CV.. 271

2 Kings 17:7-12 CV 271

2 Kings 17:13-14.... 271

2 Kings 17:16-18

      CV.................... 271

2 Kings 17:23b CV. 271

2 Kings 18:3-5 CV.. 272

2 Kings 19:16-10

     KJV................... 351

2 Kings 19:21-28

     KJV................... 351

2 Kings 19:35 KJV. 351

2 Kings 21:7 KJV... 310

2 Kings 23:5 KJV... 312

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1 Chronicles

1 Chr. 16:4 KJV...... 256

1 Chr. 16:37 KJV.... 256

1 Chr. 16:39........... 256

1 Chr. 16:39-40

      KJV.................. 256

1 Chr. 17:13........... 169

1 Chr. 21:14 KJV.... 260

1 Chr. 21:15 KJV.... 261

1 Chr. 21:26 KJV.... 261

1 Chr. 21:29........... 216

1 Chr. 22:1 KJV...... 261

1 Chr. 22:1-5.......... 261

1 Chr. 22:8 KJV...... 260

1 Chr. 22:9 KJV...... 260

1 Chr. 22:11-12

     KJV................... 261

1 Chr. 24:1-31........ 311

1 Chr. 28:2b-7 KJV 260

1 Chr. 29:1-9.......... 261

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2 Chronicles

2 Chr. 1:3............... 216

2 Chr. 1:9 RSV....... 102

2 Chr. 6:42............. 169

2 Chr. 11:14b KJV.. 267

2 Chr. 11:16........... 267

2 Chr. 11:17........... 267

2 Chr. 12:1b KJV.... 267

2 Chr. 12:14 KJV.... 267

2 Chr. 14:2 KJV...... 267

2 Chr. 15:9 KJV...... 267

2 Chr. 32:21a KJV.. 351

2 Chr. 36:12-14

     KJV................... 312

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Job

Job 1:6-12................ 60

Job 5:2...................... 59

Job 9:9 RSV.............. 82

Job 15:5.................... 59

Psalms

Ps. 14:1-4 CV......... 160

Ps. 14:1a KJV......... 324

Ps. 14:1b KJV......... 324

Ps. 16:8.................. 301

Ps. 16:8-11............. 278

Ps. 19:1-4a CV......... 82

Ps. 19:9b KJV......... 315

Ps. 32:1-2............... 169

Ps. 34:20................ 347

Ps. 51:4b KJV......... 315

Ps. 69:28................ 354

Ps. 78:60 CV.......... 218

Ps. 82:1-8................. 41

Ps. 82:6.................... 69

Ps. 87:6.................. 354

Ps. 89:24................ 169

Ps. 106:19-20, 34-39

............................... 331

Ps. 106:23, 32-33... 129

Ps. 106:32-33......... 135

Ps. 106:32-33 CV... 192

Ps. 110:4.................. 90

Ps. 147:4 RSV.......... 82

Ps. 147:19-20......... 337

Ps. 147:19-20 CV 37, 83

Ps. 147:19-20 KJV..... 8

Go to page selection

Proverbs

Prov. 12:16............... 59

Prov. 13:16............... 59

Ecclesiastes

Eccl. 3:1-3, 10-11 CV 56

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Isaiah

Isa. 1:1................... 275

Isa. 1:3................... 189

Isa. 2:2........... 275, 276

Isa. 2:2 KJV............ 276

Isa. 2:2-5................ 276

Isa. 2:3..................... 22

Isa. 2:3 KJV............ 276

Isa. 2:4 KJV............ 276

Isa. 4:2........... 275, 329

Isa. 4:2 KJV............ 277

Isa. 4:2-6................ 276

Isa. 4:3-4................ 277

Isa. 4:3-4 KJV........ 277

Isa. 4:5 KJV............ 277

Isa. 4:6 KJV............ 278

Isa. 7:8................... 271

Isa. 7:10-14.............. 92

Isa. 7:14 KJV.............. 6

Isa. 9:1-2................ 289

Isa. 9:6-7................ 278

Isa. 9:6-7 EB.......... 278

Isa. 11:1 KJV.......... 275

Isa. 11:1-10............ 329

Isa. 11:2b KJV........ 275

Isa. 11:4................. 275

Isa. 11:6-8.............. 280

Isa. 11:6-9.............. 280

Isa. 11:9 KJV.......... 280

Isa. 11:10-12 KJV.. 281

Isa. 11:11............... 282

Isa. 11:12............... 281

Isa. 11:15 KJV........ 282

Isa. 11:15b my trans. 282

Isa. 11:16a KJV...... 282

Isa. 11:16b............. 282

Isa. 13:1................. 283

Isa. 13:6 KJV.......... 283

Isa. 13:10, 13 KJV.. 283

Isa. 13:17............... 283

Isa. 13:19............... 283

Isa. 14:12 RSV....... 283

Isa. 14:12-20.......... 283

Isa. 28:16 KJV 336, 342

Isa. 36:16............... 337

Isa. 39:5-7 KJV...... 272

Isa. 40:1-2 KJV...... 272

Isa. 40:3-5 KJV...... 272

Isa. 40:5................. 273

Isa. 40:10............... 273

Isa. 40:10 KJV........ 273

Isa. 40:25-26 RSV.... 82

Isa. 42:1, 6-7.......... 274

Isa. 42:1, 6-7 KJV.. 274

Isa. 42:6-9 KJV...... 289

Isa. 42:9................. 274

Isa. 44:28............... 284

Isa. 45:1................. 284

Isa. 45:6b-7a CV...... 59

Isa. 49:6................. 284

Isa. 49:6 KJV.......... 284

Isa. 49:8......... 127, 186

Isa. 50:1 KJV.......... 284

Isa. 50:1a KJV........ 284

Isa. 50:1-3.............. 284

Isa. 50:2-3 KJV...... 284

Isa. 50:2b KJV........ 286

Isa. 50:3 KJV.......... 286

Isa. 51:6 my trans... 274

Isa. 52:7 KJV......... 286,

............................... 320

Isa. 52:9................. 282

Isa. 55:1-2.............. 287

Isa. 55:3......... 169, 287

Isa. 55:3b............... 287

Isa. 55:3b KJV........ 287

Isa. 55:4-5 KJV...... 288

Isa. 55:10-11 RSV.... 55

Isa. 56:11 KJV........ 299

Isa. 60:14............... 288

Isa. 60:14 KJV........ 288

Isa. 60:18............... 290

Isa. 60:19 KJV........ 290

Isa. 60:19-20 KJV.. 290

Isa. 60:21-22.. 291, 292

Isa. 60:21-22 KJV.. 291

Isa. 60:22a KJV...... 292

Isa. 61:1-2a KJV..... 287

Isa. 61:2b-3 KJV.... 287

Isa. 61:4-9.............. 287

Isa. 61:6 KJV.......... 297

Isa. 61:6a................ 296

Isa. 65:17-18 KJV.. 292

Isa. 65:17-23.......... 292

Isa. 65:17-25.......... 273

Isa. 65:18............... 293

Isa. 65:20 EB.......... 293

Isa. 65:23............... 293

Isa. 65:23 KJV........ 293

Isa. 66:5-13............ 273

Isa. 66:7-8 KJV...... 274

Isa. 66:8......... 285, 291

Isa. 66:8 KJV.......... 291

Isa. 66:15-16.......... 294

Isa. 66:15-16 KJV.. 294

Isa. 66:19............... 296

Isa. 66:19-21.......... 296

Isa. 66:20-21 KJV.. 296

Isa. 66:22 KJV........ 297

Isa. 66:22-24.......... 297

Isa. 66:22b............. 297

Isa. 66:24............... 298

Isa. 66:24 KJV........ 297

Isa. ch. 1................. 273

Isa. ch. 1-39........... 272

Isa. ch. 11............... 280

Isa. ch. 13............... 283

Isa. ch. 60............... 290

Isa. ch. 61............... 287

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Jeremiah

Jer. 2:11-13............ 331

Jer. 3:6-7................ 304

Jer. 3:7-8 KJV......... 298

Jer. 3:10-11 KJV..... 298

Jer. 3:12 KJV.......... 298

Jer. 3:13.................. 298

Jer. 3:14 KJV.......... 298

Jer. 3:15-16 KJV..... 298

Jer. 3:17.................. 299

Jer. 3:17 KJV.......... 299

Jer. 3:18.................. 300

Jer. 7:16 KJV.......... 310

Jer. 7:30-31............ 297

Jer. 11:14................ 310

Jer. 14:11................ 310

Jer. 17:1 KJV.......... 300

Jer. 17:1, 5, 9.......... 300

Jer. 17:4 CV............ 300

Jer. 17:5 KJV.......... 300

Jer. 17:9a KJV........ 300

Jer. 17:9b................ 300

Jer. 17:10a.............. 300

Jer. 23:5.................. 329

Jer. 23:5 KJV.......... 300

Jer. 23:6 KJV.......... 301

Jer. 23:6a KJV........ 302

Jer. 23:6b KJV........ 302

Jer. 25:11 KJV........ 332

Jer. 29:10................ 313

Jer. 29:10 KJV........ 332

Jer. 30:3a KJV........ 302

Jer. 30:5-7 KJV....... 302

Jer. 30:6.................. 303

Jer. 30:7.......... 108, 303

Jer. 30:7 KJV.......... 106

............... 109, 302, 348

Jer. 31:6b................ 109

Jer. 31:15................ 110

Jer. 31:15 KJV 109, 304

Jer. 31:16 KJV........ 304

Jer. 31:16-18 KJV... 110

Jer. 31:18 KJV........ 304

Jer. 31:18-40.......... 109

Jer. 31:19 KJV........ 305

Jer. 31:20 KJV 110, 306

Jer. 31:20a KJV...... 305

Jer. 31:21................ 306

Jer. 31:22 KJV........ 306

Jer. 31:27 KJV........ 110

Jer. 31:31................ 182

Jer. 31:31 KJV 110, 307

Jer. 31:31-34.. 110, 160

............... 307, 309, 313

Jer. 31:32 KJV........ 307

Jer. 31:33................ 182

Jer. 31:33 KJV 150, 308

Jer. 33:7-8 KJV....... 307

Jer. 33:15................ 329

Jer. 50:20 KJV........ 309

Jer. ch. 30-31.......... 109

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Ezekiel

Ezk. 8:3 KJV mod.. 310

Ezk. 8:3b KJV........ 310

Ezk. 8:4.................. 310

Ezk. 8:6 KJV.......... 311

Ezk. 8:10................ 331

Ezk. 8:10 KJV........ 311

Ezk. 8:12 KJV........ 311

Ezk. 8:13 KJV........ 311

Ezk. 8:15 KJV........ 311

Ezk. 8:17................ 312

Ezk. 8:17b Heb. MT 312

Ezk. 8:18 KJV........ 312

Ezk. 9:1-2............... 312

Ezk. 9:3.................. 312

Ezk. 9:4.................. 314

Ezk. 9:4b KJV........ 312

Ezk. 10:18.............. 312

Ezk. 10:19.............. 312

Ezk. 11:13b KJV.... 313

Ezk. 11:16 KJV...... 313

Ezk. 11:17 KJV...... 313

Ezk. 11:19 KJV...... 150

Ezk. 11:19-20 KJV. 313

Ezk. 11:23 KJV...... 312

Ezk. 14:14, 20........ 372

Ezk. 18:1-32........... 160

Ezk. 18:2 KJV........ 313

Ezk. 18:3 KJV........ 314

Ezk. 18:4 KJV........ 314

Ezk. 18:5-9............. 314

Ezk. 18:20 KJV...... 314

Ezk. 18:20a CV...... 162

Ezk. 18:21.............. 314

Ezk. 18:22.............. 314

Ezk. 18:23 CV........ 162

Ezk. 18:23-24 CV... 262

Ezk. 18:24 CV........ 169

Ezk. 18:26.............. 314

Ezk. 18:27-28 CV... 169

Ezk. 18:29a KJV..... 315

Ezk. 18:29b-30a

     KJV................... 315

Ezk. 18:30-32 KJV. 315

Ezk. 18:30b CV...... 168

Ezk. 18:30b-32 CV. 162

Ezk. 18:31.............. 314

Ezk. 18:32 CV........ 169

Ezk. 28:12-19......... 283

Ezk. 34:22-23 KJV. 305

Ezk. 34:23-26 KJV. 315

Ezk. 34:25.............. 305

Ezk. 36:25-28 KJV. 315

Ezk. 36:26.............. 182

Ezk. 37:1-14........... 350

Ezk. 37:4 KJV........ 318

Ezk. 37:7 KJV........ 318

Ezk. 37:7-8............. 320

Ezk. 37:8b KJV...... 318

Ezk. 37:9 KJV........ 318

Ezk. 37:10...... 319, 320

Ezk. 37:10 KJV...... 318

Ezk. 37:11a KJV..... 318

Ezk. 37:11b KJV.... 318

Ezk. 37:12 KJV...... 318

Ezk. 37:16.............. 321

Ezk. 37:17.............. 321

Ezk. 37:19...... 321, 340

Ezk. 37:21 KJV, ASV 321

Ezk. 37:22 KJV...... 321

Ezk. 37:22-24 KJV. 344

Ezk. 37:24.............. 321

Ezk. 37:25 KJV...... 321

Ezk. 37:26.............. 322

Ezk. 37:26b-27 KJV 322

Ezk. 42:20.............. 323

Ezk. 43:2-5 KJV..... 323

Ezk. 43:7a KJV....... 324

Ezk. 43:10 KJV...... 323

Ezk. 44:2 KJV........ 324

Ezk. 44:3a KJV....... 324

Ezk. 44:9 KJV........ 324

Ezk. 44:10 KJV...... 324

Ezk. 44:11a KJV..... 324

Ezk. 44:13a KJV..... 325

Ezk. 44:15-16 KJV. 325

Ezk. 44:23-24 KJV. 325

Ezk. 46:16-17......... 326

Ezk. 46:16-17 KJV. 325

Ezk. 47:5 KJV........ 326

Ezk. 47:7 KJV........ 326

Ezk. 47:8 KJV........ 326

Ezk. 47:8-10........... 489

Ezk. 47:9a KJV....... 326

Ezk. 47:10 KJV...... 327

Ezk. 47:11 KJV...... 327

Ezk. 47:12.............. 327

Ezk. 47:13-21......... 328

Ezk. 47:22 KJV...... 328

Ezk. 48:35 KJV...... 328

Ezk. ch. 8-11......... 310,

....................... 312, 313

Ezk. ch. 9-11.......... 312

Ezk. ch. 40-42........ 323

Ezk. ch. 40-48........ 322

............... 334, 335, 346

Ezk. ch. 47..... 326, 350

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Daniel

Dan. 1:1 CV............ 329

Dan. 1:4b................ 329

Dan. 1:8a CV.......... 329

Dan. 1:9.................. 329

Dan. 1:17................ 329

Dan. 2:1.................... 27

Dan. 2:19................ 329

Dan. 2:20b CV........ 329

Dan. 2:21-22a CV

....................... 329, 330

Dan. 2:34 KJV........ 332

Dan. 2:35 KJV........ 332

Dan. 2:44 CV.......... 330

Dan. 2:47b CV.......... 26

Dan. 2:49.................. 27

Dan. 3:12 CV............ 27

Dan. 3:26b CV mod.. 27

Dan. 3:28b-29 CV.... 27

Dan. 4:17b CV.......... 27

Dan. 4:24-25 CV.... 329

Dan. 4:25b CV 329, 330

Dan. 4:25b-32b CV 329

Dan. 4:26................ 329

Dan. 4:26b CV.......... 27

Dan. 4:34-37 CV...... 28

Dan. 4:34b-35 CV.. 330

Dan. 4:37 CV.......... 329

Dan. 7:13 CV.. 329, 330

Dan. 7:14........ 115, 116

Dan. 7:14 CV.......... 330

Dan. 7:14 KJV........ 145

Dan. 7:14, 18 CV.... 115

Dan. 7:18, 21, 25, 27

............................... 277

Dan. 7:18, 27 KJV.. 290

Dan. 9:22b-23 KJV. 333

Dan. 9:24 EB.......... 333

Dan. 9:24b EB........ 333

Dan. 9:24b my trans. 333

Dan. 9:24c EB........ 333

Dan. 9:24d EB........ 333

Dan. 9:24e EB........ 333

Dan. 9:25a KJV...... 333

Dan. 9:25b KJV...... 333

Dan. 9:26a KJV...... 333

Dan. 9:26b KJV...... 334

Dan. 9:26c KJV...... 334

Dan. 9:27 KJV........ 334

Dan. 10:14 CV.......... 24

Dan. 12:1........ 109, 354

Dan. 12:1 CV.......... 111

Dan. 12:1 KJV 106, 110

Dan. 12:1-3............ 320

Dan. 12:1a.............. 320

Dan. 12:1b CV.......... 28

Dan. 12:1b KJV...... 110

Dan. 12:1b-2 CV.... 320

Dan. 12:2................ 113

Dan. 12:2 CV.......... 111

Dan. 12:4 CV............ 24

Dan. 12:9 CV.......... 334

Dan. ch. 2................. 26

Dan. ch. 4................. 27

Dan. ch. 8............... 333

Dan. ch. 9............... 334

Dan. ch. 10............... 28

Dan. ch. 12............. 111

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Hosea

Hos. 1:6.................. 269

Hos. 1:6b-7a CV..... 271

Hos. 1:7.................. 270

Hos. 1:9.. 109, 123, 269

Hos. 1:10-11......... 123,

....................... 270, 306

Hos. 1:10-11 CV

....................... 123, 269

Hos. 1:11 (CV)....... 306

Hos. 2:18................ 269

Hos. 2:19-20 CV.... 269

Hos. 2:23................ 306

Hos. 12:4................ 106

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Joel

Joel 2:28................. 182

Joel 2:28-32............ 347

Joel 2:28-32a.......... 291

Joel 2:31 KJV......... 283

Amos

Amos 9:9-15......... 109,

............... 123, 300, 340

Amos 9:11.............. 257

Amos 9:11-12 CV.. 269

Micah

Mic. 4:1-7 KJV....... 337

Mic. 4:2.................... 22

Mic. 4:3.................. 338

Mic. 4:4a KJV......... 338

Mic. 4:4b KJV........ 338

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Haggai

Hag. 1:1.................. 336

Zechariah

Zech. 1:2-17........... 334

Zech. 1:16 KJV....... 335

Zech. 1:18-21......... 335

Zech. 2:1-13........... 335

Zech. 2:4................ 335

Zech. 2:4b-7 KJV... 335

Zech. 2:5................ 335

Zech. 2:8 KJV......... 335

Zech. 2:10-11 KJV. 335

Zech. 2:12 KJV....... 335

Zech. 3:1-10........... 336

Zech. 3:1b KJV....... 336

Zech. 3:2b KJV....... 336

Zech. 3:3 KJV......... 336

Zech. 3:4b KJV....... 336

Zech. 3:7b KJV....... 336

Zech. 3:8-9............. 336

Zech. 3:9................ 340

Zech. 3:9a KJV....... 336

Zech. 3:9b KJV....... 337

Zech. 3:10 KJV....... 337

Zech. 4:4b KJV....... 338

Zech. 4:6b KJV....... 338

Zech. 4:7................ 338

Zech. 4:9a............... 339

Zech. 4:9b.............. 339

Zech. 4:10.............. 340

Zech. 4:10b KJV..... 340

Zech. 4:12.............. 339

Zech. 4:12 KJV....... 339

Zech. 4:14 KJV....... 339

Zech. 6:12-13 KJV. 339

Zech. 8:3................ 336

Zech. 8:23.............. 340

Zech. 8:23 KJV....... 340

Zech. 9:9................ 341

Zech. 9:9b KJV....... 341

Zech. 9:10a KJV..... 341

Zech. 9:10b KJV,

     ASV................... 341

Zech. 9:11 KJV....... 341

Zech. 9:13.............. 342

Zech. 9:14a............. 342

Zech. 9:14b KJV..... 342

Zech. 9:15.............. 342

Zech. 9:16 KJV....... 342

Zech. 10:4.............. 342

Zech. 10:5 KJV....... 342

Zech. 10:6a............. 342

Zech. 10:6b............ 342

Zech. 10:6c............. 342

Zech. 10:7a KJV..... 342

Zech. 10:7b KJV..... 342

Zech. 10:9 KJV....... 342

Zech. 10:12 CV...... 342

Zech. 11:4, 7, 9, 12-13

      KJV.................. 343

Zech. 11:4-14. 342, 343

Zech. 11:4b............ 343

Zech. 11:5a............. 342

Zech. 11:5b............ 342

Zech. 11:6.............. 343

Zech. 11:7a KJV, CV,

     LXX.................. 343

Zech. 11:8a KJV..... 345

Zech. 11:9a KJV..... 343

Zech. 11:10a CV..... 343

Zech. 11:11 CV...... 343

Zech. 11:11b KJV... 343

Zech. 11:12............ 343

Zech. 11:12 KJV, ASV.

............................... 342

Zech. 11:13............ 343

Zech. 11:14b KJV... 343

Zech. 11:15.... 345, 352

Zech. 11:15-17....... 345

Zech. 11:16 KJV..... 345

Zech. 12:2 KJV....... 346

Zech. 12:3.............. 346

Zech. 12:4 KJV....... 346

Zech. 12:5 KJV....... 346

Zech. 12:6 KJV....... 346

Zech. 12:7a............. 347

Zech. 12:7b............ 347

Zech. 12:9 KJV....... 347

Zech. 12:10.... 347, 348

Zech. 12:10 KJV..... 347

Zech. 12:10a KJV... 347

Zech. 12:10b KJV... 347

Zech. 13:1 KJV....... 348

Zech. 13:6.............. 348

Zech. 13:6 KJV....... 348

Zech. 13:7.............. 348

Zech. 13:8.............. 348

Zech. 13:9 KJV....... 348

Zech. 14:2a KJV..... 348

Zech. 14:2b............ 348

Zech. 14:2c............. 349

Zech. 14:3.............. 349

Zech. 14:4-11......... 349

Zech. 14:4a............. 349

Zech. 14:4b............ 349

Zech. 14:5.............. 349

Zech. 14:5b............ 349

Zech. 14:7a CV....... 349

Zech. 14:7b KJV..... 349

Zech. 14:7c............. 349

Zech. 14:8.............. 350

Zech. 14:9 KJV....... 350

Zech. 14:12a KJV... 350

Zech. 14:12b.......... 350

Zech. 14:13b KJV... 351

Zech. 14:16 KJV..... 351

Zech. 14:17b KJV... 351

Zech. 14:18b KJV... 351

Zech. 14:19 KJV..... 351

Zech. 14:21b KJV... 352

Zech. ch. 9-14........ 334

Zech. ch. 11............ 346

Zech. ch. 12............ 346

Zech. ch. 14............ 349

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Malachi

Mal. 1:2 KJV.......... 352

Mal. 1:2-3............... 135

Mal. 1:6a KJV......... 352

Mal. 1:6b................ 352

Mal. 1:7-8............... 352

Mal. 1:9 KJV.......... 353

Mal. 2:7 KJV.......... 352

Mal. 2:8.................. 352

Mal. 2:8 KJV.......... 352

Mal. 2:17 KJV........ 353

Mal. 3:1.................. 353

Mal. 3:1 KJV.......... 353

Mal. 3:2 KJV.......... 353

Mal. 3:3.................. 354

Mal. 3:3 KJV.......... 353

Mal. 3:4a KJV......... 354

Mal. 3:5.................. 354

Mal. 3:9 KJV.......... 354

Mal. 3:12 KJV........ 354

Mal. 3:14 KJV........ 354

Mal. 3:15................ 354

Mal. 3:16-17 CV..... 354

Mal. 3:18................ 354

Mal. 4:1 KJV.......... 354

Mal. 4:4 KJV.......... 354

Mal. 4:5 KJV.......... 354

Mal. 4:5-6............... 355

Mal. 4:6 CV............ 355

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NEW TESTAMENT

Matthew

Matt. 1:1................... 69

Matt. 1:1 CV............. 69

Matt. 1:18-23 KJV...... 6

Matt. 1:20-21 CV.... 316

Matt. 1:21b CV

...................... 227, 259,

Matt. 1:23 KJV....... 328

Matt. 2:6b CV......... 259

Matt. 2:13b CV......... 23

Matt. 2:18............... 110

Matt. 3:1, 3 KJV..... 272

Matt. 3:2 CV........... 248

Matt. 3:3 CV........... 259

Matt. 3:6 CV........... 170

Matt. 3:7................. 170

Matt. 3:7 CV........... 343

Matt. 3:7b CV. 115, 126

Matt. 3:10a CV 115, 294

Matt. 3:11 CV......... 319

Matt. 3:11-12 CV.... 294

Matt. 3:12b CV....... 295

Matt. 4:1................. 233

Matt. 4:1-11............ 399

Matt. 4:8-10...... 60, 330

Matt. 4:10 CV......... 119

Matt. 4:16............... 112

Matt. 4:16 CV. 205, 289

Matt. 4:17 CV......... 289

Matt. 4:19 KJV....... 327

Matt. 5:17 KJV....... 275

Matt. 5:29-30 CV,

      NGEINT........... 297

Matt. 5:34 CV........... 35

Matt. 6:33 KJV....... 248

Matt. 9:36 KJV....... 273

Matt. 11:13 CV....... 355

Matt. 11:14 CV....... 354

Matt. 11:16............. 275

Matt. 12:42............. 275

Matt. 13:3-11 CV.... 344

Matt. 13:19 CV....... 286

Matt. 13:36-43 281, 285

............................... 303

Matt. 13:37b............. 21

Matt. 13:38a........... 321

Matt. 13:38a CV..... 320

Matt. 13:38b CV..... 320

Matt. 13:39b-43 CV.. 21

Matt. 13:40 CV......... 21

Matt. 13:41 CV......... 21

Matt. 13:42............... 22

Matt. 13:43............. 347

Matt. 13:43a CV..... 282

Matt. 15:6b-7a CV.... 15

Matt. 16:18............. 257

Matt. 16:18b CV..... 270

Matt. 16:27-28.......... 23

Matt. 19:4-6.............. 48

Matt. 19:25 CV....... 291

Matt. 19:25b CV..... 291

Matt. 19:26 CV....... 291

Matt. 19:27 KJV..... 291

Matt. 19:28............. 291

Matt. 19:28-29 KJV 291

Matt. 21:1-5............ 341

Matt. 21:43 CV......... 35

Matt. 23:13-33........ 345

Matt. 23:33 CV,

     NGEINT............ 297

Matt. 23:33, 35 CV. 277

Matt. 23:33-36 130, 201

Matt. 23:33-36 CV

......................... 53, 276

Matt. 23:36............. 275

Matt. 23:37-38 CV.... 18

Matt. 23:38b CV....... 18

Matt. 24:1-8, Grk.

     text...................... 21

Matt. 24:2 CV... 84, 313

Matt. 24:3 CV......... 111

Matt. 24:3b CV......... 21

Matt. 24:4 CV......... 111

Matt. 24:5, 11-13

     CV..................... 345

Matt. 24:6b CV......... 21

Matt. 24:7a CV 316, 338

Matt. 24:9................. 55

Matt. 24:13 CV......... 21

Matt. 24:13-14.......... 55

Matt. 24:15............... 55

Matt. 24:15 CV......... 24

Matt. 24:15 KJV..... 303

Matt. 24:15-16 CV.. 111

Matt. 24:29-31........ 283

Matt. 24:29-31 CV.. 281

Matt. 24:29-37 CV.... 84

Matt. 24:34............. 275

Matt. 24:34 CV. 55, 282

Matt. 24:34 KJV......... 5

Matt. 24:34b CV....... 23

Matt. 25:21 CV....... 325

Matt. 25:26-30 CV.. 325

Matt. 26:14-15 CV.. 344

Matt. 26:26-28 CV.. 149

Matt. 26:31 KJV 273, 348

Matt. 28:16-20.......... 55

Matt. 28:19-20 CV.. 324

Matt. 28:20 CV....... 280

Matt. 28:20b CV 86, 284

Matt. ch. 1-4........... 367

Matt. ch. 5-7........... 287

Matt. ch. 13.............. 20

Matt. ch. 24............ 111

Go to page selection

Mark

Mk. 1:10-11........... 274

Mk. 1:12................. 233

Mk. 1:14-15 CV..... 248

Mk. 2:28 CV............... 7

Mk. 6:34 KJV......... 299

Mk. 7:9..................... 15

Mk. 10:24a CV....... 291

Mk. 10:30 CV......... 292

Mk. 14:27............... 348

Mk. 16:15............... 280

Go to page selection

Luke

Lk. 1:17b CV.......... 355

Lk. 1:30-33 CV...... 316

Lk. 1:32 CV............ 259

Lk. 1:68-71a CV..... 141

Lk. 1:71.................. 233

Lk. 1:76-79............ 358

Lk. 1:79.................... 60

Lk. 3:2, 4 KJV........ 273

Lk. 3:3 CV...... 170, 259

Lk. 3:7

....... 126, 170, 290, 387

Lk. 3:7 CV.............. 259

Lk. 3:7-9................ 355

Lk. 3:21-22............ 274

Lk. 3:38.......... 7, 54, 69

Lk. 3:38 CV.............. 46

Lk. 4:1-2 CV.......... 233

Lk. 4:17-21 CV...... 186

Lk. 4:21b CV.......... 287

Lk. 9:28-36............ 155

Lk. 9:30-31 CV...... 135

Lk. 9:62...................... 1

Lk. 11:47-51 CV...... 18

Lk. 11:50-51 CV...... 57

Lk. 13:34a CV........ 277

Lk. 14:28-31.............. 1

Lk. 16:14-16a KJV. 275

Lk. 16:16a.............. 275

Lk. 16:16a CV........ 358

Lk. 19:14b CV.... 12, 17

Lk. 22:28-30.......... 316

Lk. 22:28-30 CV.... 258

Lk. 22:29 CV.. 274, 301

Lk. 22:29-30.......... 336

Lk. 22:29-30 CV 270, 278

Lk. 22:29b CV........ 332

Lk. 22:30b CV........ 301

Lk. 24:44 CV.......... 280

Lk. 24:44-49 CV.... 284

Lk. 24:47................ 280

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John

Jn. 1:1-5 my trans... 205

Jn. 1:6..................... 319

Jn. 1:6-7 CV........... 259

Jn. 1:6-11 my trans. 205

Jn. 1:6, 12 CV mod. 353

Jn. 1:12 CV mod..... 319

Jn. 1:12 my trans.... 260

Jn. 1:12b my trans.. 170

Jn. 1:13................... 376

Jn. 1:13b CV........... 361

Jn. 1:14................... 109

Jn. 1:14 CV...... 11, 154,

273, 278, 313, 328, 335

Jn. 1:14a CV........... 260

Jn. 1:15a CV........... 260

Jn. 1:17 my trans.... 183

Jn. 1:18................... 148

Jn. 1:18a CV........... 148

Jn. 1:18b CV........... 148

Jn. 1:23 KJV........... 273

Jn. 1:29 CV............. 142

Jn. 1:31................... 319

Jn. 1:32-33............. 274

Jn. 1:51 CV mod..... 104

Jn. 2:19b CV........... 313

Jn. 2:21 CV............. 313

Jn. 3:3..................... 159

Jn. 3:3 CV....... 155, 319

Jn. 3:5b-7 CV......... 319

Jn. 3:9b CV............. 319

Jn. 3:10-12 CV....... 319

Jn. 3:10b-12

     my trans............ 155

Jn. 3:12 CV............... 10

................. 97, 257, 336

Jn. 3:16 KJV mod....... 6

Jn. 4:10 CV............. 326

Jn. 4:14 CV............. 326

Jn. 4:22 CV............. 340

Jn. 4:22b CV........... 269

Jn. 4:23................... 293

Jn. 4:34 KJV........... 273

Jn. 5:17 KJV........... 273

Jn. 5:19-29............... 47

Jn. 5:21................... 112

Jn. 5:21 CV............. 112

Jn. 5:21-29............. 112

Jn. 5:23 CV............. 112

Jn. 5:24-26 CV 206, 320

Jn. 5:24-29....... 49, 320

Jn. 5:24b CV........... 112

Jn. 5:25b CV........... 112

Jn. 5:26................... 319

Jn. 5:28-29 CV

     my elaboration... 320

Jn. 5:28b-29 CV mod. 113

Jn. 5:29................... 114

Jn. 5:29 CV mod..... 113

Jn. 5:36 CV............. 273

Jn. 5:46-47 CV....... 143

Jn. 6:14 my trans.... 144

Jn. 6:27 CV............. 327

Jn. 6:28 CV............. 144

Jn. 6:29 my trans.... 144

Jn. 6:37, 39 CV....... 120

Jn. 6:40................... 144

Jn. 6:40 CV mod..... 143

Jn. 6:47................... 144

Jn. 6:51................... 144

Jn. 7:19b-20 CV..... 112

Jn. 7:37b-38 CV..... 326

Jn. 7:39a CV........... 326

Jn. 8:12................... 144

Jn. 8:32b-34 CV....... 14

Jn. 8:33 CV............. 299

Jn. 8:34-36 my trans. 299

Jn. 8:37-44a CV........ 14

Jn. 8:40-41a CV...... 285

Jn. 8:40-44 CV mod. 61

Jn. 8:40a, 44a CV... 303

Jn. 8:44................... 343

Jn. 8:44a CV........... 285

Jn. 8:44b CV........... 286

Jn. 8:54-55 CV......... 15

Jn. 9:39-41 CV......... 15

Jn. 9:39b CV........... 343

Jn. 9:40-41 CV....... 343

Jn. 10:10b CV......... 326

Jn. 10:11 CV........... 343

Jn. 10:12a KJV....... 299

Jn. 10:12b............... 299

Jn. 10:16 CV........... 305

Jn. 10:17-18........... 137

Jn. 10:32-33a CV.... 303

Jn. 10:34-35 CV....... 69

Jn. 10:34-36............. 41

Jn. 11:24-26........... 144

Jn. 11:25................. 206

Jn. 11:25a CV......... 320

Jn. 11:45-53........... 344

Jn. 11:50 CV........... 345

Jn. 11:51-52 CV..... 345

Jn. 11:53 KJV......... 345

Jn. 11:54 KJV......... 345

Jn. 12:12-16........... 341

Jn. 12:24................. 114

Jn. 12:24 CV........... 344

Jn. 12:42-46 CV..... 343

Jn. 13:18................. 343

Jn. 14:1 CV............. 143

Jn. 14:1-3............... 304

Jn. 14:1-7............... 197

Jn. 14:2-3................. 89

Jn. 14:2-3 CV... 89, 257

Jn. 14:2-3 KJV.......... 10

Jn. 14:2b CV........... 270

Jn. 14:2b-3............. 129

Jn. 14:2b-3 my trans. 274

Jn. 14:3b CV........... 257

Jn. 14:6 CV 154, 197, 205

Jn. 17:12-13 CV..... 355

Jn. 18:36........... 91, 257

Jn. 18:36b CV........... 32

Jn. 19:30, 36-37 KJV 347

Jn. 21:16 KJV......... 273

Go to page selection

Acts

Acts 1:8.................... 86

Acts 1:11 CV.......... 349

Acts 1:15................ 291

Acts 2:1-4............... 279

Acts 2:12-33........... 291

Acts 2:16 CV.......... 279

Acts 2:29-31............... 7

Acts 2:30-31a CV

....................... 278, 301

Acts 2:32-33 CV..... 279

Acts 2:38 CV.......... 170

Acts 2:38-39 CV..... 310

Acts 2:40b CV........ 310

Acts 2:41 CV.......... 292

Acts 2:41b CV........ 310

Acts 2:43-47 CV..... 292

Acts 4:4 CV............ 292

Acts 4:11................ 342

Acts 4:11-12a......... 336

Acts 6:1 CV............ 292

Acts 6:7 CV............ 292

Acts 7:4-5 CV........... 88

Acts 7:4-5a CV....... 322

Acts 9:2 CV............ 338

Acts 9:4-6 CV......... 122

Acts 10:4b CV........ 270

Acts 10:13 CV........ 301

Acts 10:13-15......... 324

Acts 10:14 CV........ 301

Acts 10:15b CV........ 13

....................... 270, 301

Acts 10:45b CV...... 301

Acts 11:18b CV...... 301

Acts 11:19-21......... 301

Acts 11:21 KJV...... 292

Acts 11:21a CV...... 301

Acts 13:16b, 32-34

     KJV................... 287

Acts 13:32-34 KJV. 301

Acts 13:34.............. 169

Acts 13:38-39

    KJV............ 301, 348

Acts 13:39 CV........ 290

Acts 13:44-47......... 284

Acts 13:44-47 CV... 284

Acts 14:22b KJV.... 348

Acts 15:1 CV.......... 303

Acts 15:3 CV.......... 300

Acts 15:13-17 CV

     mod................... 123

Acts 15:13-18. 269, 340

Acts 15:13-23......... 325

Acts 15:16 CV........ 257

Acts 15:16a CV...... 300

Acts 15:16b CV........ 10

Acts 16:9.................. 86

Acts 17:31 CV.......... 23

Acts 18:4-6 CV....... 305

Acts 18:9-10 CV..... 110

Acts 18:9b-10 CV... 305

Acts 20:28 CV........ 299

Acts 24:15................ 23

Acts 24:24-26........... 23

Acts 28:28 CV........ 305

Acts ch. 2

182, 279, 283, 285, 288,

Acts ch. 13............. 109

Acts ch. 15..... 109, 123

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Romans

Rom. 1:16 CV......... 338

Rom. 1:17............... 338

Rom. 1:17b

      my amp. trans... 338

Rom. 1:18 CV........... 36

Rom. 1:18-21, 28

      my trans............. 83

Rom. 1:21, 28b CV..... 8

Rom. 1:24-25......... 189

Rom. 1:25. 36, 167, 331

Rom. 1:28-29 CV..... 35

Rom. 2:14............... 340

Rom. 2:14-15......... 337

Rom. 2:26............... 324

Rom. 2:28............... 341

Rom. 3:2................. 341

Rom. 3:4 KJV......... 315

Rom. 3:19 NGEINT 161

Rom. 3:31....... 103, 140

Rom. 3:31 NGEINT

     my trans............ 296

Rom. 4:5-8............. 169

Rom. 4:9-12........... 299

Rom. 4:15 CV......... 161

Rom. 4:15b CV....... 158

Rom. 4:15b KJV..... 102

Rom. 4:17-22 CV..... 97

Rom. 5:12....... 223, 317

Rom. 5:12 CV....... 6, 77

Rom. 5:12 my trans.

....................... 136, 158

Rom. 5:12, 18. 174, 329

Rom. 5:12-14a CV mod

............................... 102

Rom. 5:12-19......... 138

Rom. 5:12-21

50, 51, 100, 90, 136,

138, 159, 332

Rom. 5:13-14

      my trans........... 158

Rom. 5:13-14b CV... 77

Rom. 5:13, 19......... 168

Rom. 5:14..... 7, 50, 168

Rom. 5:14b............. 162

Rom. 5:16................. 50

Rom. 5:18

............. 50, 54, 59, 134

Rom. 5:18 my trans. 136

Rom. 5:19................. 50

Rom. 5:20............... 170

Rom. 5:21............... 161

Rom. 6:1-11........... 113

Rom. 6:1-14........... 161

Rom. 6:4 CV... 114, 291

Rom. 6:4-5............. 344

Rom. 6:5 CV... 257, 291

Rom. 6:11............... 103

Rom. 6:11-14 CV... 113

Rom. 6:12-14......... 309

Rom. 6:14....... 103, 296

Rom. 6:14-15........... 47

Rom. 7:1 CV............. 47

Rom. 7:1 my trans.. 157

Rom. 7:1-3............. 157

Rom. 7:1-4............... 51

Rom. 7:1-6....... 47, 140

Rom. 7:2 CV............. 47

Rom. 7:2 my trans.. 158

Rom. 7:3-4 my trans. 158

Rom. 7:5 my trans.. 168

Rom. 7:6................. 140

Rom. 7:14 my trans. 168

Rom. 7:16 CV......... 317

Rom. 7:17 my trans. 168

Rom. 7:22-8:4

     my trans............ 168

Rom. 7:23............... 316

Rom. 7:23 CV......... 317

Rom. 8:1-3..... 159, 167

Rom. 8:1-4............. 309

Rom. 8:1-4 my trans.

............................... 316

Rom. 8:1-14........... 161

Rom. 8:2................. 157

Rom. 8:18....... 313, 347

Rom. 8:18 CV..... 5, 282

............................... 348

Rom. 8:18-21........... 19

Rom. 8:18-21 CV..... 19

Rom. 8:18-25

....... 128, 129, 282, 303

Rom. 8:18-28......... 285

Rom. 8:19................. 21

Rom. 8:21-23......... 309

Rom. 8:22-24a CV.... 22

Rom. 8:23................. 91

Rom. 8:23 CV... 20, 128

Rom. 8:25 CV......... 129

Rom. 9:3................. 134

Rom. 9:4-5............. 341

Rom. 9:6-8 122, 303, 347

Rom. 9:6b-8............. 91

Rom. 9:6b-8 CV....... 53

Rom. 9:6b-8 KJV.... 285

Rom. 9:7-8 CV....... 293

Rom. 9:8................. 282

Rom. 9:11 CV......... 134

Rom. 9:13............... 135

Rom. 9:14 CV......... 135

Rom. 9:15 CV......... 135

Rom. 9:16 CV. 135, 137

Rom. 9:17 CV......... 136

Rom. 9:18 CV......... 136

Rom. 9:20b-21 CV. 136

Rom. 9:21............... 136

Rom. 9:22-24 CV... 137

Rom. 9:23............... 313

Rom. 9:24 CV. 137, 270

Rom. 9:24b-26 CV. 306

Rom. 9:32b-33 CV. 342

Rom. 10:3-4 CV..... 302

Rom. 10:7 CV......... 327

Rom. 10:14-17 CV. 286

Rom. 10:15b CV..... 282

Rom. 10:19 CV....... 306

Rom. 11:2b, 4b-5

     RSV................... 269

Rom. 11:17 KJV..... 339

Rom. 11:24 NGEINT....

............................... 339

Rom. 11:25..... 128, 303

Rom. 11:25-26a CV

......................... 22, 122

Rom. 11:25-27 CV. 303

Rom. 11:25-28 CV. 282

Rom. 11:26..... 128, 347

Rom. 11:26-28....... 163

Rom. 11:28............. 348

Rom. 11:28 CV....... 304

Rom. 12:1-2 CV..... 354

Rom. 12:2............... 317

Rom. 12:4-5............. 91

Rom. 13:11-12a CV

............... 186, 287, 304

Rom. 13:11-14 CV. 331

Rom. 13:11b-12a CV.. 9

Rom. 13:11b-12a

     KJV................... 326

Rom. 15:7............... 313

Rom. 15:16............. 287

Rom. 15:16 CV     .. 296

Rom. 15:25 CV....... 297

Rom. 15:26b CV..... 297

Rom. 15:27 CV....... 297

Rom. 16:27 CV....... 297

Rom. ch. 5................ 47

Rom. ch. 5-8............. 54

Rom. ch. 6........ 47, 331

Rom. ch. 6-8........... 308

Rom. ch. 7........ 47, 317

Rom. ch. 8.......... 22, 23

Rom. ch. 9...... 134, 270

Rom. ch. 9-11........... 94

Rom. ch. 11............ 288

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1 Corinthians

1 Cor. 1:30b CV..... 302

1 Cor. 2:6-10 CV.... 198

1 Cor. 3:9................. 91

1 Cor. 3:9b, 16-17.. 313

1 Cor. 3:16 CV......... 11

1 Cor. 3:16-17........ 278

1 Cor. 3:16-17 CV.... 91

1 Cor. 4:15 CV....... 293

1 Cor. 5:7b-8 CV.... 139

1 Cor. 9:23-27 CV.. 185

1 Cor. 10:2............. 128

1 Cor. 10:4 my trans. 105

1 Cor. 10:5-6 CV.... 186

1 Cor. 10:11 CV 128, 186

1 Cor. 10:11

    my trans............. 185

1 Cor. 12:12 91, 284, 46

1 Cor. 12:12 CV..... 289

1 Cor. 15:10 KJV.... 293

1 Cor. 15:14 KJV.... 293

1 Cor. 15:20-28...... 290

1 Cor. 15:20-57........ 54

1 Cor. 15:22      CV 162

1 Cor. 15:22-28 116, 258

1 Cor. 15:23-25........ 22

1 Cor. 15:23-28...... 350

1 Cor. 15:24........... 296

1 Cor. 15:24 CV..... 145

1 Cor. 15:45........... 174

1 Cor. 15:45 CV..... 173

1 Cor. 15:45 CV

     NEGINT.............. 45

1 Cor. 15:45-46

     NGEINT............ 295

1 Cor. 15:45-47 CV

     Grk. text............ 6, 7

1 Cor. 15:45-49 CV

............... 137, 258, 295

1 Cor. 15:45-49 CV

     NEGINT............ 161

/1 Cor. 15:46.......... 174

1 Cor. 15:47........... 174

1 Cor. 15:48-49 CV 115

1 Cor. 15:53-54 59, 112

1 Cor. 15:56........... 171

1 Cor. 15:58 KJV.... 293

1 Cor. 15:45-49 CV,

     Grk. text................ 6

1 Cor. ch. 3............. 156

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2 Corinthians

2 Cor. 3:1-16............ 91

2 Cor. 3:1-18

................. 20, 162, 163

2 Cor. 3:3 CV......... 150

2 Cor. 3:6 CV......... 289

2 Cor. 3:6a CV........ 309

2 Cor. 3:7......... 11, 289

2 Cor. 3:7 my trans. 156

2 Cor. 3:9 my trans. 156

2 Cor. 3:11, 13 CV. 292

2 Cor. 3:13............. 163

2 Cor. 3:14-16........ 354

2 Cor. 4:16............. 317

2 Cor. 5:12-17 CV.... 53

2 Cor. 5:16-17........ 140

2 Cor. 5:17............. 274

2 Cor. 5:17 CV. 92, 270

2 Cor. 5:21b CV..... 302

2 Cor. 6:2 CV......... 186

2 Cor. 6:2b CV....... 127

2 Cor. 6:16-18........ 278

2 Cor. 11:1-3............ 50

2 Cor. 11:1-3 CV...... 50

2 Cor. ch. 3............. 285

2 Cor. ch. 5............... 54

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Galatians

Gal. 1:7b CV........... 303

Gal. 2:4 CV............. 303

Gal. 2:7................... 305

Gal. 3:13 CV........... 140

Gal. 3:14a............... 140

Gal. 3:15-18........... 299

Gal. 3:16................. 270

Gal. 3:16 CV............. 99

Gal. 3:19................. 170

Gal. 3:23-24........... 170

Gal. 3:24................. 183

Gal. 3:28................. 296

Gal. 3:29 CV........... 293

Gal. 4:1-3............... 158

Gal. 4:1-7......... 19, 161

Gal. 4:1-7 CV

     NGEINT............ 161

Gal. 4:3 CV............. 167

Gal. 4:21-25........... 299

Gal. 4:21-26........... 340

Gal. 4:24................. 289

Gal. 4:24b-25 CV..... 11

Gal. 4:25................. 289

Gal. 4:26........... 12, 276

Gal. 4:26 CV..... 12, 276

Gal. 5:11 KJV......... 348

Gal. 5:22-23 CV..... 327

Gal. 6:12 CV........... 348

Gal. ch. 4.................. 10

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Ephesians

Eph. 1:1-7................ 34

Eph. 1:1-12............ 280

Eph. 1:3 CV.... 279, 336

Eph. 1:9-11 CV........ 34

Eph. 1:10 CV.......... 280

Eph. 1:15-23.......... 313

Eph. 1:17.................. 17

Eph. 1:21-22............ 23

Eph. 2:1-12 CV...... 335

Eph. 2:4-7 CV........ 297

Eph. 2:7 CV............ 297

Eph. 2:8-10 my trans. 309

Eph. 2:13-18 CV 34, 341

Eph. 2:13-18 CV

     mod................... 288

Eph. 2:15 KJV.......... 92

Eph. 2:15b................ 16

Eph. 2:17-18.......... 270

Eph. 2:19 CV. 103, 288,

....................... 296, 328

Eph. 2:21 CV.......... 270

Eph. 3:1-7a CV....... 328

Eph. 3:14-19.......... 313

Eph. 4:22-24 CV.... 308

Eph. 5:22-33............ 51

Eph. 5:25-27 CV.... 120

Eph. 5:28b-31 CV.... 51

Eph. 5:32 CV............ 51

Eph. ch. 1................. 34

Eph. ch. 5................. 51

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Philippians

Phil. 1:11 CV.......... 327

Phil. 2:5-11............. 316

Phil. 2:12 KJV........ 326

Phil. 3:1-14 CV......... 53

Phil. 3:4-11 CV mod. 114

Phil. 3:8-9................. 47

Phil. 3:9-10 CV mod. 150

Phil. 3:11 CV, NGEINT

............................... 113

Phil. 3:14................ 114

Phil. 3:14 NGEINT... 92

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Colossians

Col. 1:6 CV............... 86

Col. 1:12-13 CV..... 278

Col. 1:13 CV........... 270

Col. 1:23 my trans.. 123

Col. 3:11................... 95

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1 Thessalonians

1 Thess. 4:13-18.... 304

1 Thess. 4:14-17

     KJV................... 349

1 Thess. 4:16............ 29

1 Thess. 4:16-17 CV 282

1 Thess. ch. 2........... 21

2 Thessalonians

2 Thess. 2:1-5.......... 21

2 Thess. 2:3 CV

     Grk text............... 21

2 Thess. 2:3-7a CV. 345

2 Thess. 2:7 CV........ 21

2 Thess. 2:10 CV.... 346

2 Thess. 2:11-12 CV 346

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1 Timothy

1 Tim. 1:12-16....... 285

1 Tim. 1:12-16 CV

....................... 122, 282

1 Tim. 1:13............... 51

1 Tim. 1:13 CV....... 347

1 Tim. 1:13-14 CV... 15

1 Tim. 1:16 CV......... 19

1 Tim. 2:4-14........... 50

1 Tim. 2:11-14 RSV. 50

1 Tim. 2:14......... 19, 48

1 Tim. 2:14 CV....... 152

1 Tim. 4:8................. 23

1 Tim. 6:16 59, 112, 134

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2 Timothy

2 Tim. 3:16-17 CV. 327

2 Tim. 4:1b CV......... 23

2 Tim. 4:18 CV......... 24

Hebrews

Heb. 1:5b KJV............ 9

Heb. 1:14.................. 88

Heb. 1:14 CV............ 23

Heb. 2:5 CV.............. 23

Heb. 2:17-18 CV.... 353

Heb. 3:1-2 my trans. 143

Heb. 3:1-6...... 183, 275

Heb. 3:3-6.............. 143

Heb. 3:5.................... 91

Heb. 3:5-6 CV.......... 91

Heb. 3:6.................... 22

Heb. 3:6b CV.......... 143

Heb. 4:12................ 338

Heb. 5:6-11............ 339

Heb. 6:4-5.............. 292

Heb. 6:4-6.............. 293

Heb. 6:4b-6 CV...... 114

Heb. 6:5 CV.............. 23

Heb. 6:6b CV.......... 114

Heb. 6:8b CV.......... 114

Heb. 7:11-17.......... 339

Heb. 7:11-19 CV.... 143

Heb. 7:11-22.......... 310

Heb. 7:19 KJV........ 348

Heb. 8:4b-5a CV..... 309

Heb. 8:6.................. 310

Heb. 8:6-7 CV........ 309

Heb. 8:13................ 441

Heb. 8:13 CV..... 10, 86,

89, 126, 293, 309, 343

Heb. 9:11 CV.... 23, 270

Heb. 9:11-12.......... 278

Heb. 9:11-12 CV mod. 19

Heb. 9:13-18.......... 339

Heb. 10:1 CV............ 24

Heb. 10:5b-7

     my trans............ 105

Heb. 10:35-37 CV.. 129

Heb. 10:35-39 CV.. 338

Heb. 11:9-10a CV... 322

Heb. 11:9-16 CV...... 88

Heb. 11:10................ 32

Heb. 11:10 CV. 85, 294,

.............................. 322,

Heb. 11:10, 16 CV.. 276

Heb. 11:10, 16; 12:22

     CV....................... 92

Heb. 11:10b............ 309

Heb. 11:10b CV........ 10

Heb. 11:13.............. 294

Heb. 11:13-16 CV.. 322

Heb. 11:13-16

      NGEINT, CV.... 270

Heb. 11:14b-16 CV 294

Heb. 11:16.......... 85, 88

Heb. 11:16 CV.......... 10

Heb. 11:17-19........ 389

Heb. 11:17-19 CV.... 97

Heb. 11:20.............. 104

Heb. 11:39-40........ 135

Heb. 11:39-40 CV

......................... 89, 294

Heb. 12:22 CV........ 276

Heb. 12:22-23........ 294

Heb. 12:22-24 CV... 56,

......................... 88, 322

Heb. 12:23 CV. 91, 139,

Heb. 12:23b KJV...... 12

Heb. 12:24.............. 148

Heb. 13:12-14 CV.... 89

Heb. 13:14 CV.......... 24

Heb. 13:20 KJV...... 273

Heb. ch. 5-7.............. 90

Heb. ch. 7-8.............. 95

Heb. ch. 11....... 89, 144

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James

James 1:12 CV........ 353

James 2:12 CV.......... 24

1 Peter

1 Pe. 1:5 CV............. 24

1 Pe. 1:6-7 KJV...... 354

1 Pe. 2:2b CV......... 327

1 Pe. 2:4................. 342

1 Pe. 2:5......... 278, 279

1 Pe. 2:5 CV..... 91, 270

1 Pe. 4:14............... 313

1 Pe. 5:1 CV............. 24

1 Pe. 5:4 KJV.......... 273

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2 Peter

2 Pe. 2:13b-14 CV.. 323

2 Pe. 3:4 CV............. 83

2 Pe. 3:4a CV.......... 114

2 Pe. 3:5-7 CV.......... 83

2 Pe. 3:10............... 115

2 Pe. 3:10 CV........... 84

2 Pe. 3:10-13.......... 275

2 Pe. 3:10-13 CV

....................... 115, 295

2 Pe. 3:13............... 116

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1 John

1 Jn. 1:9.................. 103

1 Jn. 2:18-19a CV

............................... 346

1 Jn. 3:7-12 CV........ 52

1 Jn. 3:8.................... 57

1 Jn. 3:10.................. 91

1 Jn. 3:10-12.... 15, 343

1 Jn. 3:12 CV............ 53

1 Jn. 4:3b CV.......... 345

1 Jn. 5:18-19 CV.... 286

Jude

Jude vs. 8-19 CV...... 29

Jude v. 9................ 155,

Jude vs. 9-10.......... 135

Jude v. 25 CV......... 297

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Revelation

Rev. 1:3.................. 288

Rev. 1:3 CV.............. 24

Rev. 1:3 my trans... 279

Rev. 1:6.................. 354

Rev. 1:6 CV... 279, 337,

............................... 348

Rev. 1:7 CV............ 347

Rev. 1:9.................. 288

Rev. 1:9 CV............ 279

Rev. 1:12-13a CV... 339

Rev. 1:17-18 CV..... 339

Rev. 1:20........ 339, 340

Rev. 2:11 126, 289, 327

Rev. 2:11 CV.... 46, 289

Rev. 2:26-27a CV... 280

Rev. 2:26-27b........... 16

Rev. 3:5.................. 354

Rev. 3:5 CV.... 110, 373

Rev. 3:5 KJV.......... 321

Rev. 4:2-3 CV........... 17

Rev. 5:6.................. 340

Rev. 5:6 CV............ 336

Rev. 7:14................ 279

Rev. 7:17................ 289

Rev. 9:1-2 CV......... 286

Rev. 9:1-2, 11 CV... 327

Rev. 9:4.................. 312

Rev. 11:2................ 320

Rev. 11:3-4 CV....... 339

Rev. 11:7 KJV........ 327

Rev. 11:8.................. 18

Rev. 11:8 CV............ 26

Rev. 12:1.......... 14, 286

Rev. 12:1 CV.......... 285

Rev. 12:1-2............... 12

Rev. 12:1-2, 5 CV... 274

Rev. 12:1-5............. 279

Rev. 12:1-6............. 281

Rev. 12:1a CV.......... 12

Rev. 12:1b CV............ 8

Rev. 12:3-4............. 285

Rev. 12:4................ 286

Rev. 12:5 CV.... 15, 285

Rev. 12:7-8............... 29

Rev. 12:14.............. 286

Rev. 12:14 KJV...... 320

Rev. 12:17b CV...... 285

Rev. 13:5 KJV........ 320

Rev. 13:8 CV.......... 110

Rev. 14:1................ 312

Rev. 16:6................ 277

Rev. 17:1.................. 14

Rev. 17:1b-6 CV....... 17

Rev. 17:3 CV............ 14

Rev. 17:5.................. 14

Rev. 17:6.......... 18, 277

Rev. 17:8 CV.......... 327

Rev. 18:2.................. 14

Rev. 18:24.............. 277

Rev. 19:11-16 CV... 279

Rev. 19:11-21......... 116

Rev. 19:15b............ 279

Rev. 19:20.............. 286

Rev. 20:1-3 CV....... 327

Rev. 20:6........ 126, 286

Rev. 20:6, 14.. 289, 327

Rev. 20:10, 14-15... 286

Rev. 20:11-15......... 321

Rev. 20:14.............. 126

Rev. 20:14-15......... 286

Rev. 20:15.............. 354

Rev. 21:1 CV............ 17

Rev. 21:1-2..... 294, 295

Rev. 21:1b CV.......... 13

Rev. 21:2 288, 294, 321

Rev. 21:2 CV.......... 288

Rev. 21:2, 9............ 346

Rev. 21:2a................ 13

Rev. 21:2-3 CV......... 12

Rev. 21:2b................ 13

Rev. 21:3................ 288

Rev. 21:3 NGEINT. 288

Rev. 21:3b........ 13, 288

Rev. 21:4 CV.......... 289

Rev. 21:8....... 126, 286,

....................... 289, 327

Rev. 21:9.................. 91

Rev. 21:9-10........... 293

Rev. 21:9-11............. 14

Rev. 21:9-14... 295, 337

Rev. 21:9b-14........... 17

Rev. 21:27.............. 321

Rev. 21:27c KJV..... 277

Rev. 22:1-2 CV....... 328

Rev. 22:4................ 312

Rev. 22:10.............. 328

Rev. 22:10 CV.. 24, 334

Rev. ch. 12............ 8, 14,

16, 17, 28, 285

Rev. ch. 17.......... 17, 18,

Rev. ch. 18........... ..... 20