With the inheritance of Canaan and the dividing up of this priestly territory among the tribes, Israel became a microcosm of the nations of the world.

This division between Israel and the nations as a substitutionary “land and sea” would prevent another global rebellion, and thus another global judgment.¹For more discussion, see Michael Bull, Cosmic Language. The existence of a “peculiar” people who could never assimilate prevented a repeat of the compromise of the sons of Seth (Genesis 6:2) and of the sons of Joktan, the first Hebrews (Genesis 10:25 – 11:2). Serving as a restraint from sin, circumcision was thus a divine mercy which, to some degree, blessed all nations right from its inception. This office is prefigured in Abram’s kingly prevention of a conspiracy of nations in Genesis 14, followed by his priestly refusal to lay his hand on the spoils. He was in covenant with God and could have no open obligations, through treaty or intermarriage, to the kings of the land. Not only would his inheritance come from the hand of God, his ministry of evangelism among its current inhabitants could not be tainted.²For more discussion, see James B. Jordan, Primeval Saints: Studies in the Patriarchs of Genesis, 65-66.

Continue reading at Theopolis Institute.

In a Land from which Cainites were being dispossessed, Israel herself would not only judge between the manslayer and the avenger of blood, but provide cities of refuge to the “firstborn” Levites as a gift.

The Avenger of Blood

Like Adam, Cain would not “bear” his sin. But unlike Adam, Cain was rejecting the covering of animal substitutes. As the “offspring” of the serpent (kinghood without priesthood), he only understood law as tyranny. There was no place for mercy (Atonement) because mercy required Covenant confession.

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Jesus’ reference to Daniel 7 in Matthew 26:64 (and Mark 14:62) is a source of some confusion. To figure out what is actually going on in Daniel’s vision, we have to go back to Leviticus 16. James Jordan writes:

…when Jesus calls Himself “the Son of Man,” He is referring to Ezekiel, not to Daniel 7 (except perhaps indirectly). Jesus is the Greater Ezekiel. Christians are those who are “like the Son of Man,” like Jesus.

The Day of Coverings: Coming With Heavenly Clouds

Turning from Ezekiel, there is another passage in the Bible with which the Jews were very familiar, that is farther in the background of Daniel 7, and that is Leviticus 16. On the Day of Coverings (of “Atonement” in English Bibles), the High Priest took off his glorious garments and dressed simply in linen in order to remove the sins of the people once a year. Then, after finishing this work, he was reinvested with glory, and once again took up his position as spiritual ruler of Israel.

Two coverings happened on the Day of Coverings. First, the Ark-Cover was sprinkled and thereby covered with blood. This was a covering for propitiation, justification. Then the High Priest put back on his garments of glory and beauty. This was a covering for glorification.

Now, removing sins is not in view on Daniel 7, but other aspects of the ritual are. We have seen that Ezekiel was a kind of high priest, and it follows that in Ezekiel “son of man” is a title for the High Priest, the spiritual ruler of God’s people. Adam was priest in the Garden of Eden, and the “son of adam” is a new Adam, ruling in the symbolic sanctuary garden of the Tabernacle and Temple. Hence, “son of Adam” or “New Adam” is entirely appropriate as a title for the Chief Priest of God’s sanctuary.

An examination of the ritual in Leviticus 16 will clarify aspects of Daniel 7 for us, aspects that would have been much clearer to Daniel and his friends who “meditated on the law day and night” and who had observed this ritual annually before they were deported to Babylon.

The ritual is delineated in Leviticus 16. We read in verses 12–14 that the High Priest was to take coals from the fire of the Bronze Altar in the Courtyard. Then he was to fill the hollow of both his hands with incense, place it upon the coals, and carry this incense into the Holy of Holies directly before Ark-Throne of Yahweh. This incense was most holy, or “holy of holy” (Exodus 30:34–38). Its ingredients were prescribed by God and it was used only in the Tabernacle/Temple, which was a symbolic model of God’s heavens. The cloud of incense, thus, was a symbolic cloud of the heavens. Being “most holy” this incense could travel into the Most Holy room. [1]

As the High Priest walked from the Altar on the earth upwards (symbolically) through the heavens and into the highest heavens, he did so accompanied by this heavenly cloud. Inside the Holy of Holies, the High Priest held the incense pan in one hand, and a bowl of blood in his other hand, from which he flicked with his finger blood toward the Ark-Throne. This blood was to cover his sins and those of the other priests (Leviticus 16:11).

After this, as a second ritual, the High Priest did the same thing with a goat slain for the sins of the people, taking incense into the Holy of Holies and sprinkling the blood of the goat before the Ark-Throne (Leviticus 16:15).

After all the rituals were completed, the High Priest took off the garments he had been wearing, and put back on his garments of glory and beauty (Leviticus 16:23–24). These garments included the twelve tribes engraven on his shoulder stones and also on his twelve-stoned breastplate. In other words, the High Priest was given the kingdom on the Day of Coverings — he put the kingdom back on himself.

Now if we look back at Daniel 7:13–14, we see the same sequence. We see someone like Ezekiel, who was a kind of high priest for the exilic community. This High Priest approaches Yahweh with the clouds of heaven. Then he is given a kingdom that will never pass away.

We must remember that the High Priest represented the people. The High Priest is the son of man, and the people are those who are like this son of man. In Leviticus 16, the High Priest comes with heavenly incense clouds first for himself, and then he comes a second time for the people. Thus, there are two cloudy ascensions in Leviticus 16, the first of the son of man, and the second of those who are like the son of man.

In Daniel 7:13, the one like a son of man does not come riding upon heavenly clouds. He is not a cloud-rider. He is not a “divine figure.” No, he comes with heavenly clouds, and can be recognized as the High Priest, or rather, as those who are like the High Priest. In Daniel 7, the Ancient of Days, the Cloud-Rider, has already arrived.

We are not surprised, then, to read that the one like a son of man is identified not with any particular person, such as the coming Messiah, but with the saints (Daniel 7:18, 22, 25). Now, Daniel would not have been aware that the Messiah would be the incarnate Yahweh. Hence, he might well have seen the one like a son of man as the Messiah coming to Yahweh to receive the kingdom. That is, Daniel could have seen this figure as both the people and their Messianic head. At the same time, as we have seen, the clear allusions to Leviticus 16 might have complicated things for Daniel, because there are two ascensions, one of the son of man and one of the people of the son of man. We, however, cannot be confused. The Ancient of Days is Yahweh, and taking his seat must be the ascension of Jesus and the opening of the books seen in Revelation 4–7. The one like a son of man, like Jesus, is the saints, who ascend to receive the kingdom in the year AD 70.

For Christians today it is not so clear, because the background of Daniel 7 in Ezekiel and in Leviticus 16 is not well understood. They see Jesus ascending to heaven in the clouds (Acts 1:9) and they think that is all there is to it, forgetting the second cloudy ascension in Leviticus 16. But Leviticus 16 makes clear that first the High Priest ascends in a heavenly cloud, and then afterwards the people (represented by the goats and the High Priest) ascend.

Similarly, Christians have been too quick to read the various statements in the New Testament about the “son of man coming in/with clouds” to refer to Jesus Himself. In some passages this may be the case, since Jesus is the Son of Man and He did ascend in the clouds. But in other passages, it seems that it is the second ascension, that of the saints, that is in view. We shall conclude this chapter by examining these passages.

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[1] Frankincense in the system was “holy,” but compound incense, being a mixture, was “most holy.” Mixtures are always holy, which is why the layman was to avoid them. I have treated this matter fully in James B. Jordan, The Law of Forbidden Mixtures. Biblical Horizons Occasional Paper 6 (Niceville, FL: Biblical Horizons, 1989).

(James B. Jordan, The Handwriting On The Wall: A Commentary on the Book of Daniel, 337-340.)

Jordan’s discussion of the “cloud-coming” passages in the New Testament is enlightening, as is the rest of his must-have commentary on Daniel, available here.

God loves His architecture. The first chapter of the Bible is architecture. The books of Moses and the book of Revelation are filled with architecture, and the same floorplan underlies every book in between. Most Christians don’t understand the Bible’s architecture and modern Christians not only do not understand it, they do not care for it. But God loves His architecture. To love the Bible one must love its architecture. To understand the Bible, one must let the architecture inform one’s understanding.

Regarding the “architectural” relationship between the family and the Church, Peter Leithart writes:

Christian political thought has historically gotten off on the wrong foot through misinterpretation of Genesis 1-2. Adam and Eve are taken as “family,” and hence the family becomes a “natural” institution. Families band together and soon there are cities and kingdoms, also natural institutions.

Augustine says this, and so, following him, does Isidore. And everyone of course follows Augustine and Isidore.

The church comes later, a top layer on nature, the supernatural society.

But the garden is not “home” but sanctuary; Adam and Eve are not “family” but worshiping community, created and placed in the place of God’s presence and offered the fruit of the tree of life.

There is no more natural society than the church.

Any discussion of the nature of Church, family and state must be founded upon the architecture which informs all Scripture. These three institutions correspond to the Garden, Land and World, a three-level “Creational” Tabernacle. I agree with most of what Dr Leithart says above, but the floorplan of the primeval world leads us in reality to a different conclusion than the one he reaches.

Dr Leithart leaves out Genesis 3, which is a grand mistake. Genesis 1 moves from the Creation of the World to the filling of the Land. Genesis 2 takes Adam from the Land to the Garden. Genesis 3 concerns Adam’s Ethical qualification. To take possession of the promised Land and the World, he must first take dominion of the Garden. Dr Leithart knows the architecture, but his claim that the Church is “natural” is misinformed by his erroneous view of baptism. Adam’s life did not begin in the Garden but in the Land. He was “lifted up” into the Garden as the initial Firstfruits. In the Garden, he would receive a “super-nature,” that is, an office. He would be enthroned over the animals officially, then divided, and given the role of protecting and leading his wife.

Dr Leithart also leaves out Genesis 4 and 5, which are crucial for understanding the complete architecture. Why is this? Because Genesis 1-5 give us the complete Covenant structure.

The action moves from the natural gifts (Being) to a delegated office (Knowing) and the beginning of rule (Doing). These are Physical, Social and Ethical. But from the Ethical we move back out into the Social and Physical as ministers of the Spirit. In Genesis 3, the promised blessings upon the Land and womb are limited, but not withheld, by curses. Instead of holding a “super-natural” office, a robe from heaven covering the body, Adam’s clothing is earthly. The events in the Garden are not natural at all. They took nature and cut it into pieces. Like Adam’s body, the family, the corporate body, was intended to be nature clothed in “super” nature, Spirit-filled and covered in righteousness, held together by a greater bond, based upon faithfulness in the Garden. Instead, it remained natural. Failure to shed blood in the Garden led to bloodshed in the Land. This is “family” allowed to remain natural because the Church remains natural.

This is where the wheels fall off Dr Leithart’s conclusion. His ecclesiology is natural with a pretense of the supernatural. He believes that baptism is somehow capable of infusing the natural with the Spirit, rather than cutting it up with the Word, placing it on the Altar, incinerating it, and transforming it into something “beyond death.” A Christian baby is thus a baby Christian. Nothing could be further from the truth. This is Cainite thinking, because despite its high view of the Garden, it actually exalts the Land over the Garden. It seizes the promises without reference to the Ethical requirements of God.

There were no children in the Sanctuary. It was the children who were at stake in the Sanctuary. [1] The path from World to Land to Garden and back out again is the path of the High Priest on the Day of Atonement (and the shape of the book of Leviticus). [2] He temporarily laid aside his glory for the sake of the nations that he might take it up again in a greater way, with a greater office, a greater Body. The entire purpose of Adam’s qualification was to make him a mediator for his children before God (as we see in the case of Job). The Garden was never a “natural” place in that sense, and neither is it today. It is the Most Holy Place, the place of death and resurrection. This is why circumcision was all about the removal of the curse upon the Land and the womb. It had to do with the promises in Genesis 2 which were forfeited in Genesis 3. Baptism is about Sanctuary access, which is why the coming of Baptism entailed the blood of all the prophets from Abel to Zechariah being avenged upon the Land. This is why the fivefold pattern above can be overlaid perfectly upon the events of the first century, with the Ascension of Christ as a new Hierarchy (AD30), and the first resurrection, the Ascension of the Firstfruits Church, at Sanctions (AD70). The Church is indeed central, as Dr Leithart observes, but it is by no means “natural.” The Church is where the natural, “all flesh,” dies. The natural ties that bind us (blood) are not “sacralized” and exalted in the Garden. It is the place where Adam and Eve are qualified for the promise of Land and offspring. Land and offspring are not welcome in the Garden, only their representatives.

The Bible’s teaching on baptism cannot be separated from its architecture. Paedobaptism and baptismal regeneration are an erroneous paradigm which conflate the natural with the supernatural. The Bible never puts these together but “in series,” as in the process of sacrifice, given to us to teach us about death and resurrection. Any house which confuses circumcision with baptism calls Cain a Christian because he was “born” a Christian. It is office without qualification. The sword will never depart from such a house. Presbyterians will continue to cut each other to ribbons, and condemn and alienate baptized unbelievers as apostates, because this problem cannot be solved without submission to biblical baptism.

The church indeed comes later, a top layer on nature, the supernatural society. Baptism is for those qualified to be Shepherd-Kings and Queens. Dr Leithart’s baptism is not for mature sword-bearers, the guardians, but for the children under the sword, the guarded. He gets off on the right foot but then wanders into the wilderness by exalting family in a more subtle way.

“Why is the Lord bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become a prey. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?” (Numbers 14:3)

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[1] Jesus’ words concerning the “little ones” are misunderstood when viewed with paedobaptistic expectations. His point is that He is a better king than Herod, being the true Shepherd, the Priest-King. Baptism is not for the infants but for the ones who protect and lead them, the ones who “put on Christ” as a robe. To claim otherwise is to do violence to the architecture of the Bible and the world.
[2] See Leviticus As Literature.

ART: Léon Spilliaert, White Robes, 1904

“Sanctions corresponds to the Day of Atonement. One goat goes to heaven (as fragrant smoke) and the other goes to hell, carrying the sins of the people into the wilderness, to be eaten by the birds and beasts. The difference here is that we have not two goats, but two High Priests…”

Matthew 26-27: SANCTIONS

The fourth major cycle moves us from the Covenant Ethics to the Covenant Sanctions. This concerns the pouring out of blessings and curses for obedience or disobedience to the Covenant, and the cleansing of the Land from the guilt of sin and the ensuing barrenness.

Aligning this pattern with its corrupted prototype in Eden, the “war of words” between Adam (Jesus) and the serpent (the Jewish rulers) is over, and it is time for some face to face combat, and a reckoning.

The Covenant “macrostructure” is as follows (click the link for the previous blog posts):

Sanctions corresponds to the Day of Atonement. One goat goes to heaven (as fragrant smoke) and the other goes to hell, carrying the sins of the people into the wilderness, to be eaten by the birds and beasts. The difference here is that we have not two goats, but two High Priests: Caiaphas and Jesus. Which one would truly carry the curse of the sins of the people? The Herodian priesthood believed they were the true mediators, thus designating Jesus as the second goat. Of course, the opposite was true. In this case, the blessed earthly rulers would be cursed and the cursed heavenly ruler would be blessed.

The Sanctions section has two parts, and the events put an interesting spin on the Day of Atonement. This should not surprise us, since we have a mercurial God who loves to confound the wise, and thus never fulfills His prophecies in quite the way we expected.

On the Day of Atonement, the High Priest made two approaches to the Most Holy, offering the blood of a bull for the covering of the sins of the priesthood, including himself, and then the blood of the first goat for the covering of the sins of the people. Priesthood and kingdom are the “head and body,” a pattern which we see in the Ascension Offering in Leviticus 1. [1] So, how does the Spirit spin this in Matthew? The first cycle concerns Jesus in the hands of the Jews (representatives of one nation, Israel as the priestly head); the second concerns Jesus in the hands of the Gentiles (representatives of all nations, the Gentiles as the stately body). Land and Sea would both condemn the incarnate God.

Matthew 26 – FIRST APPROACH: Jesus in the Hands of the Jews

Because Matthew’s Sanctions is a shorter section, we can analyze it in more detail.

The correspondence of the event to the matrix pattern is fairly straightforward. But the matrix is only one strand of a woven cord. When we align the events with the other strands, the significance of each event as a fulfillment of the Old Covenant should make the saint weep.

Creation: The Plot/Jesus Anointed

These two accounts each follow the matrix, but together give the first step a head and a body. Moreover, both accounts also give us a head and a body. So we have the totus Christus working at three levels:

Head: Jesus speaking about Passover to the disciples
Body: The Chief Priests and the Elders gather in the palace of the High Priest

then, combining these two as the head,

Head: The Plot to Kill Jesus
Body: Jesus’ head and body anointed at Bethany (“House of God”)

The anointing at Bethany follows the Covenant pattern, with Jesus’ head anointed at Transcendence, the disciples murmuring at Hierarchy, Jesus defending the Woman (as Adam and Eve) at Ethics, Jesus’ body anointed at Sanctions, and the woman honored at Succession. Since these two stories together form the “Sabbath” of the greater structure, the irony is that while Jesus is reclining in “the House of God,” the High Priest and his minions are not only working, they are plotting a murder.

The structure of each account is sublime literary architecture. The second is outlined above, so I will only arrange the first here:

Take a moment to look at the symmetry here. Jesus predicts the plot at Ascension (opening the future, like Joseph and Daniel) and it is described in the matching stanza at Maturity. At the center of Ascension is the Son of Adam, and at the center of Maturity is the seed of the serpent (trickery). You might also notice that the plot to arrest Jesus appears at step 5, which is exactly where it occurs in the greater structure of Matthew 26. The cycle finishes with the rulers attempting to shelter themselves (Booths).

Division: Judas Bought/Jesus Sold/The Passover

The second step also has two parts. Judas’ meeting with the chief priests highlights the “Veil” theme. Division also concerns circumcision and Passover, so we have an illicit union to cut off the Lamb. Jesus’ pronouncement of “woe” upon Judas corresponds to His earlier woes pronounced upon all of Judah. Like Egypt, the Bronze Altar-Land of Israel was hungry for the blood of her murderous rulers. Jesus’ words, “It would have been better for that man if he had not been born,” are likely included to highlight the “firstborn” slain at Passover. This time, Jesus would not escape as He did as an infant.

Ascension: A New Covenant/the Disciples Scattered

At the Bronze Altar step, Jesus institutes a new feast. Here, He is “opening the scroll” and it is His own body, the Word incarnate. As the Land was formed and filled on Day 3, so Jesus, the true Isaac, the true Israel, and the true Land, is de-formed and de-filled. The bread is the old altar broken in two (1 Kings 13:5) just as Israel itself would be divided by the Gospel, cut up like a sacrifice and placed upon the altar. Since we are at the Ascension step, it is worth mentioning that at this step Moses received the Ten Words, written with the finger of God. God incarnate now uses ten fingers to break this “tablet” of bread in two. The typology here is both mind boggling and heart breaking.

The Table highlights the sacrificial lamb, and Jesus predicts the scattering of the flock (again, we have a correspondence between the prediction/promise at Ascension and the fulfillment at Maturity, the Giving and Receiving of the Law). The disciples identify themselves with the Lamb.

Testing: Jesus Prays in Gethsemane

The walk through the Tabernacle as a new Creation continues as we reach the Lampstand. The disciples are called to be “governing lights,” or watchmen, while Jesus prays in Gethsemane. The Lampstand was fuelled with holy olive oil, and Gethsemane is the place where olives were crushed for their oil. The Testing theme is highlighted with the cup, the jealous inspection (Numbers 5). The disciples fail to watch, so Jesus twice commands them to “see.” Their eyes are opened.

Maturity: Soldiers Arrest Jesus, Scatter the Disciples

The Maturity symbols here are many. Firstly, Joseph’s brothers betrayed him at this point in his first cycle. [2] We have swords and clubs and legions of angels mentioned, as well as a nod to the prophets. The high priest’s servant’s ear is of course significant, since the human body relates to the Tabernacle. Since the sword is usually in the right hand, it was likely his left ear, corresponding to the Table. The allusion is also to the servant whose ear was bored through to ratify his desire to remain in the service of his master’s house (Exodus 21:6). And Jesus would have healed it with His right hand. Jesus does not free slaves through revolution. It only leads to worse bondage. His reference to the swords of angels is also interesting, being another reference to Passover.

Jesus Before Caiaphas and the Council

Finally, we have the face off between the two high priests, one an image of Jesus by office, and Jesus an image of God by nature. The structure tells us two things: firstly, it alludes to Adam’s trial before God (“He deserves death,” v. 66) and secondly it alludes to the recompense for faithfulness to the Covenant Oath. Of course, Jesus has been entirely faithful to His oath, but in dying He would become a fulfilled oath for all those who believe.

“And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation.” (Revelation 3:14)

At step 6 within this step six cycle, the High Priest tears his robes (which was illegal for the High Priest alone), which corresponds to the open Veil at Atonement, the tearing of the Veil at the crucifixion, and the destruction of the Temple in the first century pattern. Even the silence of Jesus was a sword that would cut Israel in two.

Peter Denies Jesus

At Glorification/Booths/Succession, Matthew places Peter’s denial of Jesus. This step is about the outflow of step 6, Atonement, for the sake of the nations. Instead, Peter invokes a self-maledictory oath, legally cutting himself off from the shelter of Jesus, which looks like death but is life. The cry of the rooster is the only true witness to the coming dawn. Peter pictures unbelieving Israel, and his outflow is bitter tears.

Matthew 26 – SECOND APPROACH: Jesus in the Hands of the Gentiles

The second cycle follows the same pattern, but the action has escalated to a greater court. Since the Jews were prohibited from executing criminals without reference to Roman law, Jesus could only be murdered via a Jew-Gentile conspiracy.

Morning comes as a new Creation, and Jesus is bound as a sacrifice.

Judas again appears at Division, and the Field of Blood is a reference to the child sacrifices of Israel’s kings. [2]

At Ascension, Jesus is the silent Firstfruits Lamb, the “standing sacrifice.” The Revelation follows the same structure. Here, He gives no answer. The “opening” of His body would lead to a corporate mouth, the apostolic testimony. The indwelling Spirit would cure Peter’s fear and make him a bold witness.

At step 3 of the Testing cycle, we have the ruler and his wife, who receives a troubling dream, as Gentile rulers are wont to do when God’s man is faithful in a Gentile court. At the Atonement/Sanctions/Oath step (the Laver), Pilate washes his hands of the matter, while the Jews take full responsibility for Jesus’ death. This corresponds to the choice they were being given in the Gospel: be cut off with the Circumcision, or be cleansed and freed in Baptism.

At Maturity, we have the symbol of the robe of office, and the crown of thorns, which pictures for us the fruit of Israel according to the flesh: cursed thorns and thistles awaiting the fire.

Analysis of the Conquest/Atonement step of this chapter reveals Matthew’s reason for mentioning the things he does. The “anointed head” at Creation is the Place of the Skull. Jesus’ garments are divided at Division, matching the tearing of the Temple Veil at Conquest. The promise of a Temple rebuilt “in three days” appears at Ascension. Instead of the Lampstand, we have the midday darkness at Testing. And at Maturity, we have the true fruit of the Land, resurrected holy ones, who testify in the city. Conquest/Sanctions also contains the “oath” of the centurion concerning the true identity of Jesus. Matthew is a literary marvel.

The Sanctions section finishes with another Jew-Gentile two-part cycle, Jesus “priestly” burial, and His Gentile guards, hired by the murderous Jews. The “seal” on the tomb is a Day 6 symbol, the legal pronouncement upon all those captive to death. [4] But the Law was now satisfied, and all the prisoners were legally free.

Finally, for further meditation, it might help to align these two cycles, Jew and Gentile, visually:

If you’ve been around here for a while, you might understand the correspondence between this arrangement and the Ten Words, which is even more food for thought.

Having been condemned at the hand of the Jews, and also at the hand of the Romans, qualified Jesus as a Priest-King, after the order of Melchizedek. He was not bloodied on the right ear, thumb and toe only, but on both sides, ending the Circumcision, and making of the two “Abrahamic” halves one New Adam.

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[1] Of course, this two-fold approach is repeated “fractally” between AD30 (the ascension of Christ) and AD70 (the first resurrection). See One Taken, One Left Behind. Also see James Jordan’s fascinating comments concerning the “Day of Atonement” structure of Daniel 7 in his commentary, The Handwriting On The Wall.
[2] See Dogs and Pigs.
[3] See The Field of Blood.
[4] The “seal” upon Daniel in the lion’s den is step 6 (Sanctions) in the first cycle of the book. See Daniel’s Long Shadow.

“And as he prayed, the appearance of his countenance was altered, and his clothing was white and glistening.” (Luke 9:29, King James 2000 Bible)

The Tabernacle was covered in three layers: linen, red-dyed ramskin, and a third layer of tachash. What’s tachash? The word is a mystery, and there have been many suggestions concerning its meaning, from unicorn to dolphin. But perhaps that mystery has now been solved. And the glistening solution is nothing like you’d imagine in a million years.

This post has been slain and resurrected for inclusion in my 2015 book of essays, Inquietude.

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Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6

In this final post on the structure of Ephesians, we will cover stage 6 (Conquest/Atonement) and stage 7 (Glorification/Booths). (Unfortunately, I can’t refer to them as cycles because there are 8 cycles, as previously discussed.)

A common interpretation of the “armor of God” relies on the assumption that Paul is using the kit of a Roman soldier as a metaphor. This shows how fragmented is our understanding of the Bible, an organic text which is not fragmented at all, and not reliant upon the various contemporary cultures anywhere near as much as we assume. The armor in Ephesians 6 is that of a priest, a priest with a sword, fulfilling his guard duty at the gate of God.

Stage 6 – A NEW PRIESTHOOD

Here’s an outline of this penultimate cycle, which concerns the Church as the Body of the totus Christus, standing in the open veil, mediating for the nations. [1] Corresponding also to Day 6, it is the glorified “new Adam,” able to stand and face God because He is sinless, and thus qualified to rule (which leads us to the final cycle, describing the character of this rule).

This cycle is thus the Day of Atonement transfigured in Christ and given to the Church as a ministry of cleansing, an outflow of blood and water, death and resurrection, from the Body of Christ.

Christ’s Power (Genesis – Creation)

The first line is a new beginning, a new history. The old leaven has been cut off, entirely cleansed from the house, and must not be allowed to multiply in the new. The stanza is fivefold, meaning that it is a Covenant scroll waiting to be opened (through sacrifice) into a sevenfold history (Ethics opens into three stages: priest, king and prophet, or head, fire and body.)

Priestly Armor (Exodus – Division)

As the “Exodus” step, the New Israel, empowered in stanza 1 is now sent into battle. The ESV does not use the words craftiness or slanderer, which, to the English-speaking mind, tie this stanza to the events in Eden. This stage is Day 6, after all. The final line is interesting because one of its referents is fatherhood, that is, the beginning of a new Succession, a “gospel outflow.” Here it is Satan’s lies about the goodness of the Father.

Power of the Cursed Heads (Leviticus – Ascension)

The New Covenant battle is different in character to the Old. Here it is reinterpreted in the light of the victory of Christ. Since we are now indwelt by His Spirit, we deal not with the flesh-and-blood bodies animated by evil, wrestling physically with angels (as Jacob did and Adam was called to do) or with demonic men (as David and Jesus did) but with the very evil itself, as Jesus did in the wilderness, in the Garden and on the cross.

At Ascension, the “chiefs and authorities” are those like Satan, like Haman, like the Herods, who had “ascended” not through obedience to the Covenant but through a usurping of God’s power. They have thrown Covenant truth to the ground and attempted to “take on bodies,” false gatherings (church or state) that enslave and tyrannize. It is not ascension but levitation. It is the rule of Cain, who put his kingly offering before the priestly advocacy of his brother.

The word often translated “wickedness” in step 6 has the connotation of painful toil, which is interesting because it ties Satan’s power to that of the curse upon Adam, the Covenant Head. Satan had been cast down in the Garden. His ministers, the Herods and their priesthood, would soon be cast down in the Land…

The Evil Day (Numbers – Testing)

This is the centre of this cycle/stage. The Ephesians were being asked to persevere against all the powers of the Old Creation, all the false gods Satan could muster, including the idols of the Jews who had rejected both Christ and His Spirit. [2] The position of the “evil day” is interesting. This is the Day 4 cycle, the power of the sun, moon and stars, but the “day” here is the Day of Atonement, the Day of the Lord, which was coming upon not only Jerusalem, but upon the entire oikoumene. [3] Through the faithful witness of the martyrs, the noonday darkness of the old “sun, moon and stars” would be thrown down as Satan had been thrown down.

Power of the Resurrection Body (Deuteronomy – Maturity)

This stanza concerns the sacrificial Body, a cloud of fragrant smoke. It is the Church in preparation (at Trumpets), ready to be presented for battle and to appear in the court of God. It is at this point that “fragrant” Esther put on her royal robes to appear before the King, “awesome as an army with banners.” In the Revelation, the saints are described as having “Tabernacle armor.” The High Priest’s clothing was a replica of the Tabernacle itself, and I recently noticed that Mordecai’s glorious robes at the end of Esther are a replica of the king’s Garden court at the beginning.

Notice that truth appears in this stanza where slander appears in the entire cycle: step 2. Loins here might be reference to a priestly New Covenant circumcision. The breastplate refers to the High Priest. The “binding” of the feet is a connotation of being “shod.” Binding is both Covenantal and sacrificial. It is not clear whether the priests, whose feet and hands were washed before service in the Tabernacle, wore footwear within the compound, but I think it is likely. None is described, but the terrain was rough, and the Lord promised that their footwear would not wear out. As “standing” is the role of the Priest, serving as a butler and watchman, and “sitting” is the role of the King, so “walking” is the role of the prophet (like Enoch and others), who bridges the gap between Israel and the nations, extending the domain of God. The Church is a prophet Body, serving among the nations. At Maturity/Deuteronomy, the idea is also readiness for Conquest., feet bound by Covenant vow, washed by Christ in the Laver and now ready to walk on the stormy “waters” of the nations. [4] The Church was the entire tent on the move, but with all the old veils removed, worship open to all, and even the mysteries of the Ark of the Covenant open for all to see, prepared to scatter God’s enemies and gather His people.

Priestly Cleansing (Joshua – Conquest)

Because the epistle is a fractal, we can correspond the previous stanza to the “Deuteronomy” cycle of the letter. The preparation of the New Israel is ethical. It concerns relationships, the fulfillment of the Law by the Spirit. Unlike the Ten Commandments and the Levitical Laws, it is not “inward looking,” concerning prohibitions and didactic laws for cleansing that we may approach God. Christ has fulfilled that on our behalf. It is generally positive and outward looking, concerning testimony to each other and to the nations.

In this stanza, the shield is a veil. Those who are face to face with God in Christ are those who keep Satan “thrown down” from his position as the accuser. The darts appear here as Covenant curses, and Satan’s little fires as false “Shekinahs.” Those who are filled with holy fire, like Phinehas, who fulfilled the Covenant by dealing with idolatry and adultery, are impervious to strange fire. Faith is indeed the victory. A shield is defensive, but a sword is defensive, so in the final stanza we move from corporate coverings to commission.

Christ’s Mission (Judges – Glorification)

Notice the move from salvation to supplication. Here is the true Shekinah glory of the Church as representatives of Christ.

Stage 7 – A NEW COMMISSION

The final cycle of the epistle is an expansion of this ministry of supplication.

Creation (Gentile Ark of the Covenant)

Line 2 concerns the saints as “watchers,” as Lampstands (the Lampstand is literally a “watcher” tree). Interestingly, the second major cycle of the Revelation displays the churches of Asia as priestly lamps tended by Christ.

Division (Gentile Veil)

“Mystery” often appears at this point. The veil is now open. Notice Paul’s bold witness in the usual place, and the mystery itself as the new “house” containing both Jew and Gentile at Booths/Succession.

Ascension (Gentile Altar)

Now, Paul is putting himself on the altar, bound as the sacrifice, blameless in Christ, the Lamb who was worthy to open the New Covenant scroll.

Testing (Gentile Lampstand)

Being the Pentecost step, this is the “opening” of the Law, God’s intentions revealed. Just as Christ sent the Spirit to the Church, so Paul here sends Tychicus as “good fortune” or providence to the Ephesians, which also ties this central stanza to the purpose of this final cycle: commission.

Maturity (Gentile Incense)

A short sentence, repeating “the Law,” and concerning revivification.

Conquest (Gentile Mediation)

At the Sanctions step of the cycle, we have no curses, only peace with God. It begins with the Sabbath (the first feast in Lev. 23) and ends with Christ as our shelter (the final feast).

Glorification (Gentile Rest)

The final stanza concerns “Ingathering,” our gathering to the Father in His Son. Peace and Grace are the results of the blood and the water (land and sea) of membership of Christ’s new Body. [5]

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[1] See Under Your Feet.
[2] See When Judaism Jumped the Shark.
[3] See Peter Leithart, Jewish War.
[4] See Walking on Water.
[5] See The Water and the Blood.

My people—infants are their oppressors, and women rule over them.
O my people, your guides mislead you and they have swallowed up the course of your paths.
(Isaiah 3:12)

Doug Wilson has a great little book with the title, Why Ministers Must Be Men. He demonstrates from Scripture that ministers must be not only male but manly, that is, courageous and self-sacrificial, ruling out both misogyny and machismo in the process. I believe we can also find evidence for his case in the very structure of the Bible. The proof boils down to the question, “What is a man in the created order?” That is, what is a man physically, and what is he to be in the very process of things?

The answer is this: A man is a Covenant. He not only has a mission, he is a mission. Men are designed to draw near to God and be “hollowed out” as a safe, holy place, a shelter, for others. This is the case whether a man is married or not. The authority of any man is authority to serve, and it is delegated by God.

Now, some object using the many cases of women in authority found in the Bible: women are queens, prophets, judges and apostles. However, one swift swing of a Bible Matrix cycle cuts these objections to shreds. It shows that these roles for women in the Covenantal order reflect the nature of Woman in the created order. Every kind of authority given to women in the Bible follows, and never precedes, the authority of the man. This is because the authority of the man is first and foremost sacrificial, that is, priestly.

There are queens and prophetesses and saintesses and judgesses, but no priestesses. A grain of wheat, the firstfruits, must fall alone into the ground and die. A priest must be raw, elemental, “stoicheic”: a man emptied of all that others might be full. Paul, like Jesus was a single man, emptied out for the apostolic witness. Paul was also given the gift of singleness for the sake of the fullness of the Firstfruits Church. The saints became his glory.

The woman’s authority originates in, and “fills up,” that of the man. She advises him as wisdom–“sophia”–but priestly knowledge always precedes kingly wisdom and prophetic authority. Based on later antitypes, it seems Eve would have been invited by Adam to stand on the neck of the crushed serpent and identify with his victory. And then, most likely, she would have advised him to kill it (Joshua 10:24, Romans 16:20). A woman’s uncanny intuition needs a lawful framework to function effectively or she becomes Jezebel, Athaliah and Sapphira.

Without an Adam on the throne, any female authority will be short-lived, especially in the Church. Patriarchy works just fine when all men are fatherly. The serpent is crushed and the sanctuary is now safe for women and children. But a sanctuary usurped by women and children is no longer safe. When Adam abdicates his priestly role, the very sanctuary becomes a bitter spring, a source of deception that poisons the entire culture.

Forming by the Word is what brings the Filling of the Church and the Future of the World (entering into God’s rest). A Church which rejects male priesthood is easily deceived, becomes effeminate (a parody of glory), and is finally rendered sterile. And the culture under such “ministry” follows in its wake. Fatherhood is deconstructed. We are a nation of widows and orphans under the shelter of the state. Yet, in their need, those women and children rule over us.

The invisible Christ is to be first and foremost made visible in men. Because men have failed in their priestly role, even godly masculinity is eyed with suspicion. The man is removed, and the True God is removed. The mother and child are exalted, rather than cherished, protected and provided for. True Kings, Prophets and Advocates are disempowered, cut down and slandered at every opportunity. The created distinctions that image the authority, integrity and glory of the Triune God are melted down in the name of the Goddess Equality.

“We do not want this man to reign over us.” (Luke 19:14)

“…in her heart she says, ‘I sit as a queen, I am no widow, and mourning I shall never see.’” (Revelation 18:7)

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[1] This point in the structure is also where I would locate the apostolic witness of Andronicus and Junia. The name can be masculine or feminine. Chrysostom (c. 347–407) refers to this person as a woman. Bauckham suggests that Junia was a transliteration of the Hebrew name Joanna. If this is the case, her authority was an important advisory role sourced in a priesthood of men. Of course, under the New Covenant, all saints are witnesses, reflecting the bridal nature of the Church.

See also Liturgical Man, Liturgical Woman, A Titanic Reality and Sex and the City.

“Let the children
…..come to me,
……….and do not hinder them,
…..for to such belongs
the kingdom of God.”
(Luke 15:16)

Jesus is often pictured with a child or children. His love for children is used as evidence for infant baptism. After all, aren’t we bringing our infants to Jesus in paedobaptism and paedocommunion?

Well, let me ask you, in that tender picture, who is the one wearing the robe? It is Jesus. He is a better Adam, representing the Father as the Father is. He is the Great Servant (High Priest) who has the run of the Father’s house, with access through the veil.

Baptism is a robe of office which vindicates repentance and faith. The Table is a weekly means of maintaining that repentance and faith. The New Covenant sacraments are for mediators, not those mediated to.

So, Baptism and Table are not for infants. The sacraments do not “bring us to Jesus” but give us access to the Father as brothers and sisters of Jesus. We, the baptized (robed) mediate that access as Jesus’ body. Our children come to Jesus in us, and we represent them before the Father on the mountain. We, the regenerate, can stand the fire because we are the fire.

That is also the picture we are given in Exodus 24. To “enrobe” infants and bring them into the courtroom of God is to expose them to the stoicheia, the “elements,” directly, instead of carrying them on our mediatorial robes, sheltered under our wings.

“…and they saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in its clarity. But on the nobles of the children of Israel He did not lay His hand.” (Exodus 24:10-11)

Well, I’ve been blustering on about art and “intuition” in generalities for about a week now. Fluffy generalities are exactly the kind of thing that annoys me about many Biblical scholars, and I reckon it annoys God, too. They never seem to get down to specifics, and He is very specific. This shows in His architecture, and also in His literary architecture. So, here, in a section of Matthew 14, is a chance for me to get specific and show you what is possible with this “killer hermeneutic.” [1]

After a brief look at the structure of this passage the other day, I thought I’d spend some more time on it. A closer analysis has revealed an even greater beauty than I expected. (I have briefly referenced the order of words in the Greek to avoid any great missteps, so it may not be perfect, but it’s close.) Much learning hath indeed made me mad but I hope you’ll take a few minutes to see this passage through my eyes.

Creation – Initiation (Genesis)
Immediately Jesus
…..made His disciples
……….get into the boat
……………and go before Him
……….to the other side,
…..while He sent
the multitudes away.

This first stanza initiates the action. The story follows the story of the Father and His Son. The Son is sent on a mission, and then He returns, with brethren, “the Bride.” Father and Son are together at the beginning, and reunited at the end. But at the end, unlike Adam, the Son is vindicated in the presentation His spotless Bride.

However, here we have the next step in authority It is Jesus here who is the Transcendent One, not the Father. And the Covenant Hierarchy is the disciples. (Notice the same pattern at the beginning of the Revelation: a vision of Jesus, then the letters to His delegation, the pastors of the churches.) The boat appears here at Ascension. The command to “go” appears as the Ethics (Testing). Notice that the boat here is a kind of Day 3 “Land” and the other side is the Day 5 “transformed Land,” the heavenly country. Obedience to the Law of Christ takes them from the Bronze Altar (bloody Jewish Body of Moses) to the Golden Altar (fragrant Jew-Gentile Body of Christ), from the Loaves to the Fishes, from the Land of Israel to the Sea of the Nations, from the one-nation Priesthood of Aaron to the all-nations Priesthood of Melchizedek. Then, we have “He” as the Day 6 Mediator (Atonement), and finally the multitudes at Booths, the corporate glory of a commissioned people.

This practice God has of using repeated structures means that this even little stanza can retell, or comment on, every other part of the Bible, and indeed its source in the Trinity, in so few words. I find this totally mind blowing. There is nothing else like the Bible. This is usually the point where my eyes tear up and I fall on my face.

And that’s just the first stanza!

Division – Delegation (Exodus)
And when He (Creation)
…..had sent the multitudes away, (Division)
……….He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. (Ascension)
……………Now when evening came, (Testing)
……….He was alone there. (Maturity)
…..But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, (Conquest)
tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. (Glorification)

Just as the “seven” of the Sabbath-week set the pattern for the annual feasts, we begin to see that this first stanza sets the pattern for this entire story. This second stanza follows the same structure, yet every line also references events in Exodus. In many cases here, as is a frequent practice, our literary expectations are confounded. Matthew gives us the exact opposite of what is expected. At Division, God divides the waters, tears Adam open, to make an empty space, a Holy Place, for something new. Jesus is turning the Old Covenant on its head, tearing the Veil, to do something that is just like everything that has gone before and yet nothing like it.

Jesus is Moses, the Called, and the multitudes are now used by Matthew to divide the Head from the Body. Jesus is Moses ascending the mountain, away from the children of Israel, to intercede for them as “Firstfruits” of a greater harvest.

Instead of sun, moon and stars, or a reference to the Lampstand, or eyes and sight, at the centre, we have darkness. This is a firmament that is yet to be filled. This second stanza, although a complete “week,” is Day 2 of a new Creation.

Day 5 is about swarms, living clouds in the waters above and the waters below, the hosts of angels and the hosts of the nations. But here, Jesus is alone in the dark. Analysis of the literary structure is the only way to discern the purpose of many of the details included by the author.

At Day 6, we have the Laver, the crystal sea, the mediator between heaven and earth. Jesus’ “Body” is trapped in the Sea, unable to ascend with Him through the Veil into glory, held back by the nations and an evil spirit. Seeing as the entire first century history follows this exact pattern, the “contrary wind” is the demonic spirit sent by the Lord upon those who rejected the true Spirit at Pentecost, and the waves are the nations in tumult, Herod and Nero, working together against the firstfruits church as did Herod and Pilate: friends for a day.

After His Ascension, Jesus was alone in glory, but not for long. Nothing would stop the ascension of the body of the sacrifice. In fact, the entire Land would be torn apart, broken in two, to allow the smoke to ascend and the ashes to fall away. It would be Aaron and Korah all over again.

Ascension – Presentation (Leviticus – nearbringing)
Now in the fourth watch of the night
…..Jesus went to them,
……….walking on the sea.
……………And when the disciples saw Him
……….walking on the sea,
…..they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!”
And they cried out for fear.

The fourth watch might reference the four horns of the Bronze Altar, which is where we are up to in the architecture. Jesus is the High Priest entering the darkness of the Old Covenant Tabernacle. At line three of stanza three (Ascension within Ascension), He is already there, on the crystal sea, ruling over the nations. Line 4 is Testing, and the eyes here are the eyes of the disciples, which have been opened to judge rightly.

Now we have the waters above and below (at least in the literary structure) with the disciples as the Ruling Lights at the centre. Matthew is prefiguring Pentecost in stanza 3. In line 6, Atonement, the disciples are troubled. Israel was to mourn before the Day of Coverings. Jesus is “a ghost,” passing through the Veil, even though it appears to be a “closed door.” Later, Jesus passed through walls or a closed door to appear to His disciples who were fearfully hiding in a locked room (John 20:19). It is the Bridal Head coming to rescue the Bridal Body. The whole point is that He is NOT a ghost. He is FLESH that has been justified before God.

Testing – Purification (Numbers – Law opened)
But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, (Initiation – Call)
…..“Be of good cheer! (Delegation – Un-Passover)
……….It is I; (Presentation – Firstfruits)
……………do not be afraid.” (Purification – un-OT Pentecost)
……….And Peter answered Him and said, (Transformation – Trumpets)
…..“Lord, if it is You, (Co-Mediators: Vindication of Head…)
…..command me to come to You on the water.” (Ascension of Body)
So He said, “Come.” (Restoration – Booths)

Here, Jesus speaks as Yahweh. But instead of the mourning of Passover, He says “be happy!” He presents Himself as Firstfruits, the first Adamic dust to bear good fruit. Instead of asking them to tremble at His Law, He tells them not to be afraid. He will deliver them from the evil, the Covenant Curse.

Peter responds as the New Bridal Body, the “witness.” Then we have the Head and Body together on the Sea as co-regents.

Maturity – Transformation (Deuteronomy – Law received)
And when Peter had come down out of the boat,
…..he walked on the water to go to Jesus.
……….But when he saw that the wind was boisterous,
……………he was afraid;
……….and beginning to sink he cried out,
…..saying, “Lord, save me!”

But, just as in the first century, things didn’t go according to plan. Many would lose their faith and fall away. Witnesses are martyrs. Following Jesus means following Him through death and resurrection, which is what all saints do to some degree.

As was noted online this week, it is odd that Peter saw the wind. Notice that Peter’s eyes are not at the centre of the Covenant chiasm. Fear is. Peter’s “Bridal” voice here is a cry for Atonement, for vengeance, echoing the cries of the saints in the Apocalypse. Notice that this stanza has no line 7, no rest, no heavenly country.

Conquest – Vindication (Joshua – Coverings)
And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand (Transcendence)
…..and caught him, and said to him, (Hierarchy)
……….“O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Ethics – Walking by Sight)
…..And when they got into the boat, (Sanctions)
the wind ceased. (Succession)

This stanza might have seven lines, but keeping it as a five makes its Covenant shape more apparent.

Jesus is the Ark, and His hand is the arm of a golden measuring rod, an extension of the Law. Instead of being a serpent in Moses’ hand, it is the authority of the true Adam that brings life instead of death, reaching through the Veil.

“For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” (Matthew 7:2 2)

He is the High Priest whose hand brings resurrection instead of death, blessing instead of cursing, as He touches the sacrificial goat.

Glorification – Restoration (Righteous Judges – Seers – Shekinah)
Then those who were in the boat
…..came and worshiped Him,
……….saying,

……………“Truly (Transcendence)
………………..You (Hierarchy – servant Moses [Veil])
…………………….are (Ethics – “I am”) [Lampstand - Fiery Bush]
………………..the Son (Sanctions – son Christ [Veil Torn])
……………of God.” (Succession)

The final stanza is only a three-and-a-half. But the half itself follows the Covenant pattern, and as such, these five words on their own echo the entire journey of the Son from heaven to earth and back again. Notice that it is now the disciples who are in the initiating position of authority. They are elohim, gods and judges, representatives of the Son.

But, this is only a three-and-a-half. Jesus’ life was only half a life, the “Adam” (singular, not plural) half of the Ten Words (1-3-5-7-9: see Bible Matrix II, p. 63 – oh OK, here it is! and also Half A Life.) The story is not over. The actual ascension of the Firstfruits Body would complete the Shekinah Glory of Israel, and allow the gospel to proceed in full force to the nations. Based on that observation, what does it mean that the entire passage follows the pattern, but that the final stanza is not complete? Here’s my guess: the final stanza is Booths and so far it is only Jews who are worshipping. Israel consistently failed to complete the mission of this feast.

I know many people are skeptical of this method of interpretation, but this passage is an easy one if we have a head full of Old Testament imagery, architecture, history and structure, as Jesus did, as the disciples did. The whole Bible really is all about Jesus, in a greater way than modern interpreters could imagine in their wildest dreams. If only they had ears to hear and eyes to see.

Now I think I will go and have another cry. Even the weight of the literary glory is too much for the tiny mind of a sinner.

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[1] Rich Bledsoe’s twinkle-eyed description of the Bible Matrix. Well, he thinks that I think it is.