Bully's Blog

or Global Warning

An important tenet of James Jordan’s interpretation of the Revelation is that it shows the Old Covenant angelic government vacating the premises and a human government moving in as a new administration – in AD70. This sounds strange to our ears, but I have found that it does play out in many ways, which it should if it is the correct interpretation.

Now, this handover of heavenly government was a gradual process in the first century, but consummated at the marriage feast of the Lamb. But its outworking in history is gradual. Interesting stuff. Here’s some thoughts.

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“And she saw two angels in white sitting,
one at the head and the other at the feet,
where the body of Jesus had lain.”
- John 20:12

Two Witnesses

The father of the English backpacker who was lost in the Blue Mountains wrote in the visitors book at the hotel where he stayed. He wrote that he was going briefly back into the bush to carve a memorial to his son into one of the rockfaces. Thankfully, as he waited for his flight home to the UK, his son walked out of the wilderness yesterday suffering from hunger and exposure, but alive. As I have discussed in this series [1], the Bible is full of memorials to important events.

Getting God’s people out of the wilderness is a legal procedure. A minimum of two witnesses is required. First, there are two preachers who spy out the enemy and warn them of impending judgment. The feast pattern consistently puts this at “Trumpets”, which helps us identify some of its more subtle appearances:

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Tim writes:

“[Totus Christus is] a book which certainly makes you think. While I have read other books on Biblical theology, looking at the structure of the Bible in that way (the Dominion pattern, feasts, etc.) is an idea which I’d never considered at all before. At first I didn’t quite get what each part of the pattern involves, even after you’d explained it, but after seeing it applied to a few sections of the Bible I was fine. I think its helped me get a better understanding of how God has revealed himself through the Bible. Continue reading

or Limited Redemption

“For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins” - Hebrews 10:26

NOTE: THIS POST HAS BEEN REMIXED AND INCLUDED IN GOD’S KITCHEN.

Did Christ die for all? If Jesus’ blood was not shed for all, how can it possibly be a sin to “trample it underfoot” as the unbelieving Jews did? (Hebrews 10:29)

Elijah set up a 12 stone altar as a substitute for Israel. The sacrifice ascended to the Lord (goat #1) and the prophets were slain (goat #2). Thus, the Baal worship was atoned for.

But Jezebel trampled this sacrifice underfoot, and continued in sin. In retaliation, she slew the prophets that Obadiah had hidden. Consequently she was trampled underfoot. (2 Kings 9:33).

The New Testament history, including the Revelation, follows this pattern. Jesus set up a new 12 apostle priesthood and Israel slew Him and them. Consequently, Israel was slain, as Jezebel. That is the context of the Hebrews passage, and the meaning of the harlot of Babylon.

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or Theonomy in the Bible

“…instead of Moses and Aaron challenging the powers that be, we have Herodian preachers crying “Peace, peace” when there is no peace. Nathan is not qualified to confront David because Nathan himself has been sleeping around.”

In his post Christianity as Comprehensive Cultural Tribunal?, timsmartt questions the validity of philosophy’s self-appointed role as an unbiased cultural referee and wonders whether Christianity should take that role:

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or A Thimbleful of Watery Bible Broth

The Modernist Bible is very thin. The Old Testament is a mix of myth and history, and Revelation is just a general picture book of the gospel’s work in the world (or a polemic against first century Rome). It boils down basically to some key statements by Jesus and the letters of Paul. And even here, there are problems. Evangelicals love Paul because he communicates like a Greek, but even evangelicals choke on some things he says.

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More on baptism (sorry). Douglas Wilson writes:

“You could even say that this is one of the differences between presbies and baptists — all Christians of course believe in “covenant baptism,” but for the baptists the relationship is between the individual being baptized and the covenant itself, Christ Himself — that’s what makes it a covenant baptism. But for the presbie, other people are involved.”

Good observation. But surely this is a contrast between good presbie practice and an error baptists are only prone to?

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“Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon has devoured me;
he has crushed me; he has made me an empty vessel;
he has swallowed me like a monster”  (Jeremiah 51:34)

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Who’d have thought Genesis 1 unlocks the whole Bible?
Someone suggested that Totus Christus is a pill-too-big for most to swallow, and that I should write an introductory how-to (Thanks, Eric!). Then, with a big grip on the heptamerous handle, readers can tackle the commentary more easily. I’m trying to keep this intro to 150-200 pages, including some particularly fetching diagrams.

“Ever wish someone could give you a big handle on the whole Bible without years of study? You pick up that book in a Christian bookstore and think you have finally found the answer, only to be bombarded with an endless stream of data to make sense of? All you discovered was that the more you know, the more you realise you don’t know.

Well, this book not only promises to give you that big handle—it will deliver on the promise. Yes, you will realise how much you don’t know, but you will have such a handle on God’s way of communicating, and on the big picture of Bible history, that you will be able to approach and study any passage with confidence. You should be asking, how is this possible?

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This passage is arranged symmetrically (chiasmus) but is also progressive, following the pattern of the Feasts (which also follow the pattern of Genesis to Judges).

Sabbath/Genesis – Paul’s word of greeting (Grace and peace)

……….Passover/Exodus – Divisions in the church

………………..Firstfruits/Leviticus – Wisdom of Christ

…………………………Pentecost/Numbers – Crucifixion of Christ

………………..Trumpets/Deuteronomy – Mind of Christ

……….Atonement/Joshua – Divisions in the church

Tabernacles/Judges – The Day will declare (judge) it (Church as Sabbath-Temple)

Kelby asked if these patterns are simply the work of the Holy Spirit, or if the authors of the Bible were consciously composing their writings in this manner. Good question. I think the answer is both. Bible books sometimes arrange events out of chronological order to fit this pattern. But then, Bible history also follows this pattern at various levels. The authorship of Scripture is like the humanity and divinity of Christ: inseparable.