“The LORD will strike you with the boils of Egypt, with tumors, with the scab, and with the itch, from which you cannot be healed.”  Deuteronomy 28:27

The Bible matrix pattern brings out some interesting parallels. Step 5 is about a military multitude in unity after being tested under the Law of God. It is Deuteronomy. It is Trumpets. It is the swarms of fish and birds on Day 5. It is the step of plagues and plunder. It is the step where Jesus tells His disciples they will now need both swords and moneybags.

In Moses’ ministry in Egypt, his Day 5 was the plagues sent by God upon that nation. Just like Moses, the Ark made an exodus out of Eli’s Egypt and defeated Dagon in his own temple. The Philistines, being a high culture that, it seems, even the Israelites looked up to, were the only ones to link plagues and plunder in one highly artistic gesture — tumours made of gold! And, as Jordan observes, the Philistines were descendants of the Egyptians.[1]

So, the apostles in the first century pattern, witnessing to the diaspora Jews as Trumpets before the great atoning tribulation, were not only “glories” whom the rebellious Judaisers were blaspheming (“two” angelic witnesses to “Sodom” [2]). They were, in effect, to the hard-hearted Jewish vessels of destruction, Herod’s hemorrhoids.

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[1] James B. Jordan, Egypt in Biblical History. Peter Leithart notes that the word for “tumours” is also the word for “fortified cities” and there were five Philistine cities: Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron, and Gath. See A Son to Me, page 59. Leithart thinks the golden mice thus symbolised their villages. I think the mice are more likely linked to the tumours as carriers of the plague. Mice swarm.
[2] See The Two Witnesses.

or Daniel’s 70th Week Postponed

“The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.”  Isaiah 9:2

A great deal of time has been spent on the chronology concerning Daniel’s seventy sevens. Quite frankly, chronology is not my strong point [1], but perhaps the solution for this enigmatic problem is not chronological but theological.

Firstly, a quick definition of the “abomination of desolation.” Jordan observes that this is a crime that can only be committed by God’s priests. It is the “desolating sacrilege”, and the subsequent destruction of the Temple by Gentiles is the punishment, not the crime. When considering the deeds of Antiochus Epiphanes, many people think the sun shone out of the Jewish priests, but they need to remember the sons of Aaron and the sons of Eli. Antiochus was the punishment. The crime, as in Genesis 6, was the sin of the sons of God. [2]

Anyhow, some commentators believe that the abomination of desolation that Jesus refers to is His crucifixion. Slaughtering God-as-man outside the Temple should qualify for this like nothing else. Jordan observes that Jesus forgave His murderers, which actually put Daniel’s prophecy on PAUSE. Yep, after all that, there IS a gap. But it doesn’t stretch for  two millennia. It stretches for one generation. Of course, Jesus knew this even before He died.

“But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children.” Luke 23:28

What we do see at the end of this “postponed” week is the glory departing. But is was inside people. It was the fire-filled saints of Pentecost. The centre of worship moved from Jerusalem to Antioch, and the reigning Herod became a human Gehenna. Both these events were “liturgical” symbols of what was to come in AD70.

The postponement is predicted typologically by Israel’s initial failure to enter the Land of Canaan due to unbelief. The first century situation was the same, hence the warnings in the book of Hebrews, only, this time it was a heavenly country. We see the giving of the new “Levitical” Law in Christ and the apostles. Then, in the early 60′s, there is a “Deuteronomic” repeating of the Law to the Jews of the diaspora, just before the destruction of Jerusalem as Jericho.

Revelation also shows this postponement. The four angelic army commanders, four winds of judgment, the four horns of the Altar looking for blood, are told to hold off until the saints are sealed.

So, the Messiah was “cut off” in the middle of the 70th week. Due to His grace, there would be a remnant. Israel would not be totally destroyed like Sodom (Romans 9:29). But when the unbelieving Jews started slaughtering Christians, the end was truly nigh. Guess when this happened? In the midst of the 70th week, the second giving of the Law. This is the subject of Revelation 14, the harvest of the saints as bread and wine. Their blood is symbolically spilled across the Land of Israel (the four-cornered Altar) and the avenging angels are finally let loose with seven bowls – the seven “sprinklings” to atone for this shedding of innocent blood. This time, there was no forgiveness. There was no more sacrifice for sins. [3]

This final week began with Nero’s torching of Rome and Herod’s COMPLETION of the Temple in AD64. Is there any wonder many saints were losing their nerve? Both tyrants would build their new world orders on the blood of Christians. For Nero, the saints were a helpless minority, the perfect patsy for his bloody crime. For Herod, the completion of the Temple proved that Jesus was a false prophet. The irony here is delicious. While the saints “filled up” the sufferings of Jesus, Jesus let the Herods “fill up” their sins.

Wonderfully, Revelation measures the last three and a half years of the apostolic witness in DAYS, but during the same period, the blasphemies of Herodian worship are measured in LUNAR months (Rev. 11:1-3). The Old Covenant festivals took place “during the night”, but the Sun of Righteousness had risen and the true shadows had fled. Those who preferred the shadows had replaced them with their own demonic traditions. In AD70 they were cast into outer darkness. [4]

The following three and a half years of hell on earth for Israel during the Roman siege are also measured in lunar months. The Old Covenant, like Jesus, like the Passover Lamb, like the blood on the Ark at Yom Kippur, was tipped out in the dark.

The whole idea is that the Law is given, the Lord postpones judgment for 40 years, then the Law is received by the next generation before conquest of the Land. Perhaps the “wilderness” between AD30 and AD70 solves the chronology problem.

The postponement allowed for the ascension of the whole sacrifice, head (Jesus) and body (the apostolic church).

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[1] Jordan is brilliant with chronology. Start here. For his comments on chronology concerning Daniel, see The Handwriting on the Wall, currently available as an ebook here. (Second printing is due in Sept-Oct.) This work took seven years and is indispensable.

[2] See Jordan on The Abomination of Desolation.
Part 1 (PDF)
Part 2 (PDF)

[3] See No More Sacrifice for Sins.

[4] Those terrifying scenes in the movie Ghost come to mind.

Eli’s corrupt priesthood came to an end when the Ark was taken by the Philistines. Saul’s corrupt kingdom came to a full end when the Ark returned (hence Michal’s barrenness). The last of Eli’s priesthood (Abiathar) was exiled when Solomon’s government began. Solomon’s kingdom was a new firmament (1 Kings 10:19). Isaiah, however, saw it being rolled up like a scroll (Is. 34:4).

Solomon’s corrupt priesthood came to an end when the Ark was taken by God to heaven. [1] But spiritually, Solomon’s corrupt kingdom did not come to a full end until the Ark “returned”. Zechariah saw it as a flying scroll, and the ephah-ark of false worship was exiled when Zerubbabel’s and Joshua’s government began. [2] Cyrus’s empire was a new firmament, with the Jews as priests.

Caiaphas’ corrupt priesthood came to an end when Christ ascended to heaven (Daniel 9:27). Herod’s kingdom came to a full end when Christ returned to judge in AD70. The last Herodian High Priest was thrown into outer darkness, and Greater Solomon kept the concubine of Greater David.

Once again, we see a link between the grain and fruit of Day 3 as a promise of consummation on Day 7, only this is the negative side.

What goes up must come down. The Ascension replaced the priesthood. The Parousia replaced the kingdom.

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[1] Like Enoch and Elijah, the Ark was the Firstfruits. See The Lost Ark.

[2] The literary structure of Zechariah’s visions makes these two Arks the two goats of Atonement. See Furnishing the New House.