or Sinai Unspoken

On Mount Carmel, Elijah had built an altar of 12 rough-hewn stones. They substituted for the tribes of Israel. They were built and then consumed. The priests of Baal were slain and “washed” in the brook as atonement. The Land was clean. But we know Jezebel trampled this sacrifice underfoot. [1]

Elijah headed for the wilderness. He was a man with a mission. He went to the same cave in which Moses stood, a cleft in the rock. Once again, the Lord “passed over.” He was making a new Covenant, a new Creation, a new Heavens and a new Land.

1 Kings 19 follows the heptamerous Feasts pattern. Jezebel’s threat is the false “word,” a black Sabbath that sets things going. The Passover/Exodus is Elijah’s journey and sleep under the tree. The Firstfruits “ascension” is the command to eat. It is Day 3. In the Tabernacle it corresponds to the Bronze Altar, so the bread has been baked on “coals of fire.” It is the wilderness, so there is water instead of wine. This is also the step where dreams usually occur in pairs (as two witnesses), so the angel comes to Elijah twice with the message.

Pentecost: Elijah’s “Numbers” follows, forty days and nights. The Lord speaks to him in the cave (read, symbolically, grave). Following the pattern of Sinai (and Revelation) the Lord opens the seven seals of the Covenant document. In the Tabernacle, this is the seven lights of the Lampstand. It is a new government: sun, moon and five moving stars (the planets visible to the naked eye). But here, the stars are falling.

Day 1 – Light/Word/Sabbath Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD.”

Day 2 – Firmament/Holy Space/Passover: And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind;

Day 3 – Land/Mediatorial Head/Firstfruits: and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake;

Day 4 – Lights/Holy Fire/Pentecost: and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire;

The Creation pattern often appears also as “de-Creation.” We see this in the de-construction of the visionary Temple in the early chapters of Ezekiel. Here, the Lord was de-Creating the old Covenant. Day 5 is about resurrection, clouds of smoke, multitudes flying and swimming in the spaces created. It about a triumphant rise from the grave to witness as Trumpets. What do we have instead?

No Day 5 – and after the fire the sound of silence. [3]

What does this mean? Michael Comins writes:

Qol dmamah daqah, the “still, small voice.” To my mind, this translation from the King James Bible is still among the better, English versions. Modern translations, however, render qol as a physical sound rather than a metaphorical voice, such as “a tiny whispering sound,” “the sound of a light whisper”  or the JPS’ profoundly unpoetic “a soft murmuring sound.” Simon and Garfunkel notwithstanding, critical scholarship does not entertain the “sound of silence.”

Nevertheless, I prefer to follow Rashi and Abraham Joshua Heschel’s literal rendering of qol dmamah, “a voice of silence.” Precedent for such a reading can be found in the book of Genesis, where God says to Cain, “the voice of your brother’s blood calls out to me” (Gen. 4:10). Here qol is a silent voice rather than an audible sound. And that, I believe, is precisely what Elijah hears: a voice without sound. [2]

Based on the structure of events, I want to challenge the common interpretation. It was not the voice of the Spirit, speaking to the prophet in some poetic Victorian hush. It was the silence of the grave. The decayed Covenant had been un-spoken. This was un-Sinai. Standing in the gap between the Lord and Ahab, Elijah was both Moses and un-Moses. [3]

Israel’s hypocrisy silenced her witness. Hers were the words of a silent witness, a corpse. The Spirit fire consumed the Adam-flesh/house instead of filling it with Eve-lights. Liturgically, Ahab’s kingdom was already no more.

The larger pattern resumes with an actual voice questioning Elijah. The witness of step 5 is Elijah’s testimony as martyr, wrapped in the robe of office, a new firmament, rising from the cave/grave. The multitudes are those who seek his life. It is an ironic and substitutionary Trumpets. [4]

“So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave.”

He pictures Moses returning from Sinai, the High Priest returning from the Most Holy, and of course Christ rising from the grave as the head of a New Covenant, ready to seal, gather and avenge the saints. Atonement. The ascension goat is the 7000 who have not bowed to Baal. [5] The rest would be exiled to Azal.

Booths: God gives Elijah instructions that will bring about the Day of the Lord, speaking these de-Creating words into history as prophet. It would not be rivers of Eden flowing from this mountain but rivers of blood. The judgment proceeds from here in the desolate “Garden”, to the Land and then to the Gentile World. And then this final point, as usual, concerns Covenant succession. The Lord directs Elijah to appoint his successor, Elisha. [6]

God is surprisingly predictable. And predictably surprising.

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[1] See No More Sacrifice for Sins.
[2] Michael Comins, Elijah and the “Still Small Voice,” A Desert Reading.
[3] According to Jordan, God was disowning the kings and making a kind of interim Covenant with the prophets, which is why we see Elijah parting waters and establishing a school for prophets. The kings were still “covered” but indirectly through the prophets.
[4] Note that in Adam’s testing, this is exactly the point at which he failed to witness to Eve “Deuteronomically,” repeating the Law he had heard “from the mountain.” It is also the point at which Abel’s blood speaks in Genesis 4. In Ezekiel’s big stucture, this is the step where God promises to reassemble both Israel and Judah as one new body from dry bones. See Haman Hamstrung.
[5] See Seven Thousand Who Have Not Bowed to Baal 1, 2 and 3. Note that I have above modified the chart in 1 slightly.
[6] Note that the sword of Jehu corresponds to the sword of the cherubim at the garden gate. In the big picture of the Restoration, the swords wouldn’t be sheathed until they were basically beaten into plowshares in Zechariah. See comments on Zechariah in Fragrance of Christ.

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[1] See No More Sacrifice for Sins.

“Peter came to Him and said, ‘Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.’” (Matthew 18:21-22)

Genesis 4 seems to contain two “feast” cycles. Near the end of the first, at “Atonement”, the Lord set a mark upon Cain to protect him from vengeance. As on the Day of Covering after Adam’s sin in Eden, the full weight of the law was withheld. Cain complained that his “liability” was greater than he could bear. Cain was covered but he still went from the presence of the Lord, as the goat which carried the sins into the wilderness. It seems Cain despised mercy.

Just as the Lord and the Land were two witnesses against his crime, he now fled from the face of the Lord and the face of the Land. Only the High Priest could face God, standing in the Veil, the firmament between heaven and earth. Abel was the true facebread, the authorised priest. [1]

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or Receiving the Implanted Word

Mary’s song, like most songs in the Bible, seemed to me to contain mostly extraneous material. My modern mind couldn’t relate her words to the version of Christianity I was familiar with. I guess that’s because it was a version bereft of much understanding of the Old Testament.

Mary’s song seems to follow the matrix pattern. As such, it is a new Creation, and a new Tabernacle, (John 1:14, “dwelt” is literally “tabernacled”). It is the liturgical response of the bride to the promise of Covenant succession – the Covenant succession. This new generation was also regeneration.

And Mary said: 
“My soul glorifies the Lord 
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 

The first step concerns a call to service (Genesis). Mary received that from Gabriel and this statement begins her response.

for he has been mindful 
of the humble state of his servant. 

The second concerns the humbling of the new servant (Exodus). The prophets fall on their faces before God and are then exalted and given a new job to do, a new word. In Mary’s case, it was the Word incarnate.

From now on all generations will call me blessed, 
for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name. 
His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. 

The third step is the exaltation of the servant, and their “Levitical” instructions. Step 3 is Moses receiving the Law on Sinai. It is the spies returning with a huge haul of grapes from the Promised Land – a promise of a future inheritance. It is Christ ascending out of the waters of the Jordan to be blessed by the Father. It is Christ ascending and opening the New Covenant scroll. Here, it is his conception. It is the mystery of all those Old Testament miraculous conceptions finally opened. Like Moses, Mary “receive[d] with meekness the implanted Word, which is able to save your souls.” As Israel, Mary submitted to the word and became an engraved tablet of flesh, now crying out in song as a living stone. [1]

He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; 
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. 
He has brought down rulers from their thrones 
but has lifted up the humble. 

Step 4, Day 4, is about rulers, governing lights in the firmament (Pentecost). As “Numbers” it is also the testing of God’s people. The stars of Judah were about to fall (Matthew 24:29) and be replaced with a Covenant people who would truly “shine like stars” (Daniel 12:3) and rule from the true Holy Place. [2] The carcasses of the unfaithful Jews would fall in the wilderness, like those of their ancestors (Hebrews 3:17).

He has filled the hungry with good things 
but has sent the rich away empty. 

Step 5 concerns abundance and plunder, and a new army called from the Valley of Dry Bones (Trumpets/Deuteronomy). Those in Judah who were hungry for righteousness would be filled (Matthew 5:6; Revelation 7:16) but the rich would weep and howl (James 5:1). [3]

He has helped his servant Israel, 
remembering to be merciful 

We are up to the Day of Covering (Atonement). It is Adam anointed as mediator for the race on Day 6. It is the High Priest representing Israel before God. Remember, this always involves two goats under Adam’s faithful judgment. There is always a true bride and a harlot. The sins are always expelled to Azal. Just as a sword would pierce Mary’s soul, the Word-sword that Jesus would bring would cut the Old Covenant people in two to make something new (Luke 2:35; Matthew 10:34; Revelation 1:16).

to Abraham and his descendants forever, 
even as he said to our fathers.”

The final step concerns Covenant succession. This one speaks for itself. The betrothal promise of Day 3 is consummated on Day 7. [4] The grapes are finally wine. The blood of circumcision is fulfilled at last and presented to the Father (Revelation 5). The Messianic line ceases to be blood and becomes Spirit. [5]

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[1] See Crying Stones.
[2] See Big Government, Jesus’ New Broom and In the Air.
[3] See Fools’ Gold. 
[4] See Marriage as a Promise of Wine.
[5] Dispensationalists just don’t get this. To coin Jordan’s phrase once again, “The blood goes up and the Spirit comes down.” See Esau’s Ladder.

There was a discussion of purgatory on the BH list. Someone summarised it as follows: [1]

“Or, perhaps, with Peter Kreeft, one might interpret purgatorial cleansing as a form of heightened and perfected awareness, effected by the light of God’s presence as an illuminating and purifying fire. Thus, in death, in coming face-to-face with God, we finally see ourselves as we truly are, the depths of our own sin and brokenness, and all the consequences and ruin wrought by our own sin and unfaithfulness in our own lives, the lives of others, and the ongoing life of our family, church, and world.

In this case, it seems to me, there would be no reason to see purgatory as something distinct from the moment of death itself, entering into the blessed presence of God, and the immediate perfecting of our souls. While such a perfecting awareness would be painful, in the light of the comprehensiveness of God’s promised salvation, it would also be most joyful.”

I think this definition is spot on. Death is one’s Day of Atonement “division”. The corrupt body of death is sent to Azal, and that is a blessing. [2]

Typologically, the Laver is the crystal sea, and the crystal sea is now standing up “as walls.” Purgatory is passing through the open gates [the place of judgment] into the ascended church. [3]

But that means purgatory is prefigured on earth by baptism, church membership and the table. We enter those gates to be washed every week in an ongoing process of sanctification by death and resurrection.

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[1] Neither can I remember who posted this nor locate it now. I have asked for permission to use here but received no reply, and it’s too interesting not to share. Happy to remove it if anyone protests.
[2] See Joints and Marrow.
[3] See Crystal Walls 1 and 2 .

“And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.”  – Revelation 11:8

Revelation 20 makes it clear that the “second death” is the lake of fire. But an analysis of the literary structure of Revelation brings out an interesting factor.

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See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? At that time his voice shook the Land, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the Land but also the heavens.” The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:25-29

The context of Hebrews is AD70. The destruction of Jerusalem meant that the saints had received the kingdom (Daniel 7).

The writer refers to the destruction of Judaism as a sacrifice – a consuming fire in which the animal is purified and ascends to God in glorious clothes of flame. Divided by the sword of the gospel, Judaism was cut in two (Heb. 4:12) to the joints and the marrow. Following Lev. 1, Christ ascended first as head, then the saints ascended as body, by water (Laver) and fire (Altar). The Altar was a symbolic mountain of God.

“The sight of the glory of the LORD was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel.” Exodus 24:17

After the saints received the kingdom, rebellious Judah, prefigured by Judas, would be shortly sent by the ascended Christ (speaking from heaven) to destruction. Atonement is always the outworking of Passover. For those who rejected Passover, there was no more sacrifice for sins. They were un-covered before the eyes of the Lord (Gen. 3:10; Luke 23:30; Rev. 6:16).

Then the second angel sounded: And something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. Revelation 8:8

For the individual, this ‘division by Covenant’ is completed at death. I don’t believe there will be the same ‘fear’ we experience now. His presence, by His dividing Word, brings death to the flesh. We fall down as dead men and are raised up by His right hand. (In liturgy, this is the confession at the beginning of the worship service).

A believer is covered by Christ’s Passover. My personal Jericho/Atonement finishes the mortification of sin begun in my call from Egypt. The tearing of flesh is again a door to a new Land, and while the traitor is exiled forever to Azal, the disciple eats with Jesus, clothed in ‘consuming fire’, and being like Him, seeing Him as He is (Tabernacles).