“As always, the beauty of the arrangement is breathtaking. It is historical narrative, poetry, legal Covenant and high symbolism all at once… It consists of three Cycles which recapitulate the triune ‘Garden, Land, World’ architecture of the Creation and the Tabernacle.”

Matthew 28: SUCCESSION

The fifth major cycle takes us to the end of the Covenant pattern, from the Covenant Sanctions to Covenant Succession. In the Old Testament, this concerned handing Covenant authority to the faithful of the next generation. It was the blessings of Jacob upon his sons (Garden), and Moses passing the baton of headship of Israel to Joshua (Land). This time, the inheritance was not the Garden Sanctuary of Moses [1] nor the Land of Canaan, but the entire World. Thus, it is no accident that in both cases, in that of Joshua and that of the disciples, He said, “I am with you.” A battle lay ahead.
The Covenant “macrostructure” of Matthew is as follows (click the link for the previous blog posts):

This final Section also corresponds to the Feast of Booths, the festival at which Israel ministered to the nations. That feast would be fulfilled once for all over the next four decades until there was no longer a “Mosaic” Israel. As Christ gave Himself to the disciples, so the disciples would give themselves to the Jews and to the Gentiles.

Since this final Section is brief, I will do a detailed analysis. I have done my best to follow the “rhythms” of the Greek in my parsing. Although there were some tricky bits, every line seems to find its logical place in the progression. As always, the beauty of the arrangement is breathtaking. It is historical narrative, poetry, legal Covenant and high symbolism all at once.

The theme of this final Section is not only testimony to the nations but to the next generation. It consists of three Cycles which recapitulate the triune “Garden, Land, World” architecture of the Creation and the Tabernacle.

PRIESTHOOD
The first Cycle is the “singular” testimony of
the angel to the women
(Garden – Most Holy Place – Adam and Eve)

KINGDOM
The second Cycle is the testimony of
the soldiers to the Jewish leaders
(Land – Holy Place – Cain and Abel)

PROPHECY
The third Cycle is the testimony of
Jesus to the disciples
(World – Courts – Sons of God)

This means that this final Section of Matthew’s Gospel is effectively a new “three-decker” house. However, the “Land” between the World and the Garden, like the Veil, was about to be torn apart by the testimony of Jesus. Beginning with the witness of Abel, all the blood would be avenged upon that generation.
_______________________________________________________

Testimony in the Garden

(Physical)

CREATION – GENESIS – SABBATH

The first Stanza speaks of light in the darkness. Matthew mentions only two women as two “bridal” trumpets. Although the first listed feast is the weekly Sabbath, it is an imperfect, not final, rest. So the final step, Glorification/Booths, is missing, as it was in the Garden of Eden.

DIVISION – EXODUS – PASSOVER

The Sabbath silence is torn apart in Stanza 2. At this “Passover,” the firstborn is the Firstborn From The Dead. Covenant, Sonship, Law and Family are all redefined. It is not waters being divided here but the Land. Or is it? There is a symmetry between the rocks split at the crucifixion and those at the resurrection, like the rocks split by Moses that Israel might drink. Moses was not to strike the rock the second time because the new Israel was a resurrection body (Exodus 17:6; Numbers 20:11). Moses was denied an inheritance in the Land. The water at the crucifixion was from the body of Christ. The water at the resurrection was a river of the Spirit, the testimony of Jesus. So, in a sense, the waters above and below were once again divided, and a new Firmament created. [2]

ASCENSION – LEVITICUS – FIRSTFRUITS

Levite priests were the guardians of the Tabernacle. Here, the heavenly guardian knocks the earthly guardians flat. The literary structure shows us Matthew’s the reason for explaining these events slightly out of chronological order: the women needed to be in the “Sabbath” Stanza. Again, the final line is missing, mimicking the structure of the book of Leviticus.

TESTING – NUMBERS – PENTECOST

Testing often includes the theme of trembling at the opening of God’s Law. For Israel it was harlotry and death in the wilderness. It is interesting that at Ascension, the women are told not to fear. The terrible fires and thunders of Sinai are now silent. Matching this in the symmetry is Jesus, who is the new Law, the Law of the Spirit.

MATURITY – DEUTERONOMY – TRUMPETS

Maturity speaks of resurrection, the Bridal Body rescued from the serpent through obedience at Testing, and also legal witness, which is why the angel refers to the truth of Jesus’ “oath.” Notice that the bloody body of flesh is now missing, speaking of the end of the Circumcision. The only worship now is worship in Spirit (Testing – Pentecost) and truth (Maturity – Trumpets). This Stanza is fivefold, which means I suppose that this testimony of resurrection is a scroll yet to be “opened.”

CONQUEST – JOSHUA – ATONEMENT

The “Day of Coverings” Stanza is actually an uncovering. The women are permitted to see what only the High Priest was previously permitted to see: the Most Holy Place. Wonderfully, the words of the angel follow the process of Ascension, and the body has indeed risen. It is like touring the launch pad after the rocket has take off. Line by line, the first elements of the tent of Moses are replaced with the real thing. This leaves us at the Lampstand, the imminent Day of Pentecost. Of course, this would also lead to the incineration of the stoicheia one generation later, as Peter predicted (2 Peter 3:10).

GLORIFICATION – JUDGES – BOOTHS

Just as the ministry of Israel to the nations at Booths was the outflow of their cleansing at Atonement, so here the testimony of the women is the outflow of the empty tomb.

_______________________________________________________

Testimony in the Land

(Social)

CREATION – SABBATH

The women come out of the tomb into the Light as Eve came out of the side of Adam. The structure makes their testimony the witness of the New Covenant. The Ethics of this Covenant is an internal motivation to speak, the Law-Word written on flesh.

DIVISION – PASSOVER

Prostration is common at Division. Jesus’ greeting at Firstfruits is beautiful. Jesus’ feet are clean feet. He is not only the new Tabernacle but the head of the new Priesthood. He needs not to shake off the dust and wash His feet. Having crushed the serpent and risen from the dead, even the dust is no longer cursed.

Notice that Jesus is the Head of this Stanza (forming) and the Women are the Body (filling). It is word and response.

ASCENSION – FIRSTFRUITS

At Ascension, Jesus makes a promise. It seems that the brothers are in the center, which would make them Pentecostal lamps. Once again, Galilee is a cipher for the combination of the Land and the Sea, the union of Jew and Gentile.

TESTING – PENTECOST – RULERS

At the center of the cycle we have the testimony of the soldiers to the serpentine rulers. In the Land, this is the witness of a better Abel’s resurrection, whose blood speaks not of curses but of blessings. They would fail to rule over sin, just as Cain had done, but vengeance upon them would not be postponed for long. They were marked with the mark of the beast. Indeed, it was the “ministry” of the Jewish rulers against the Church which would lead to their reliance upon Rome to wipe out the Christians. Like Cain, they would lose their inheritance. Jerusalem appears at the center as the city of peace, corresponding to the Peace Offering in Leviticus. Also, as the “Pentecost” Stanza, the light brought to them by the soldiers would be turned to darkness. They would withhold the truth in unrighteousness.

MATURITY – TRUMPETS – SWARMS/HOSTS

Maturity is often military but it also concerns legal witness. Notice that these guards went into the city after the resurrection just as those who came out of the graves. This means there was a contingent of Jews and a contingent of Gentiles: two witnesses. Jerusalem had no excuse in her denial of the resurrection.

This gathering corresponds structurally to the brothers of Joseph plotting his demise and then his sale. The earthly “elders” at Ascension correspond to the heavenly elders in the Revelation. But those elders acknowledged Christ.

The silver pieces turn up where the silver usually turns up. It is a bridal metaphor, found in the purchase of Sarah’s tomb, the plunder of Achan, and of course the shiny “Gentile fish” of Day 5. These leaders had bribed a Jew with silver to murder Jesus and now they were bribing Gentiles to keep Him dead. This “plunder” would bring the Covenant plagues upon them. Notice that their “counsel” and the silver pieces correspond to the theft and false witness in the Ten Words. These believing Gentiles are silenced by murderous Jews.

CONQUEST – ATONEMENT – MEDIATORS

The structure of this little speech is mind blowing. It is the Day of Atonement perverted but not beyond recognition. Notice the clever combination of the hearing of the Word (Pentecost) and the governing lights in the center. The Jewish leaders were a Law unto themselves, and thus betrayed and misled their people once again. No wonder Jesus referred to them as serpents.

GLORIFICATION – BOOTHS – REST AND RULE/REPRESENTATION

So, the true testimony of Jesus was turned into a false one, and God was slandered as He was in Eden. Notice that the Jews appear at Sanctions. All the Covenant curses would fall upon them for this act and the ones which followed. That is what the book of Revelation is about.

_______________________________________________________

Testimony in the World

(Ethical)

The pattern begins in a hole in the ground and ends upon a mountain. Moreover, it was a mountain in Galilee. Jesus and the disciples were sons of Abraham as lights in the sky and grains of sand on the shore, mediating between Land and Sea.

CREATION – INITIATION (Light)

The mountain seems to appear in the center as a reference to the commission to Adam in Eden, the first mountain of God.

DIVISION – DELEGATION (Firmament)

The Division now is not between Jew and Gentile, or Hebrew and Egyptian, but between believer and unbeliever. The Firmament was filled with lights.

ASCENSION – PRESENTATION (Land and Firstfruits)

At Ascension, Jesus opens the New Covenant scroll, just as He does in the Revelation, which follows the same pattern. What was being bound on earth would be bound in heaven (the unbelieving Jews as a whole burnt offering) and what was now loosed on earth (the true Isaac) would be loosed in heaven as the first Son of the Promise.

TESTING – PURIFICATION (Governing Lights)

At the Ethics/Heavenly Rulers Stanza, we have the Covenant structure of the Revelation in microcosm: The vision of Jesus, His authority over the Churches, the preaching of the Gospel, the slaying and ascension of the saints, and the pouring out of the curses upon the Land.

MATURITY – TRANSFORMATION (Swarms in Sky & Sea)

This Stanza is another witness to the error of paedobaptism. Firstly, the mention of “nations” does not mean a “civic” baptism. John’s baptism for Jews was now Jesus’ baptism for Jews and Gentiles (all nations), hence the location: not the Jordan River but overlooking the Sea of Galilee. Moreover, the baptism appears where it does in the first Cycle of Matthew: at Ascension. It is a priestly robe for a mediator, not merely a recipient. Baptism is not for those who are Physical Sons (Noah) or Social Sons (Abraham) but Ethical Sons, those in whom the Father is pleased because they are Triune, they have overcome the serpent. It is interesting that the Father corresponds to the fatherhood of God in Deuteronomy and the role of Samuel the prophet (and Joseph) as an Ethical “father” to kings. The Son is of course Adam-Jeshua, and the Spirit is the Shekinah which fills each Temple once the instructions have been followed. The baptized are wise judges because their eyes have been opened and they see as God sees from heaven and do His will on earth.

And, just to annoy paedobaptists even more, the baptism does not appear at step 6 (the Laver) but at step 3, Day 3 (which is actually the step 6 of the “Head” pattern). One being baptized rises up out of the water like the Land out of the Sea, or a murdered Jew who knocks out the Gentile guards. So, unwashed brother or sister, get with the programme. Get immersed or you have not identified with Jesus as one in whom God is pleased. [3]

CONQUEST – VINDICATION (Mediators)

The Gospel is the two-edged sword in the mouth of Jesus, here, as it is in the Revelation. It brings great blessings to those who hear and obey, and great curses to those who do not. The promises to Abraham concerning those who blessed him or cursed him were transferred to his seed, Jesus. Also, based upon the Edenic pattern, the disciples were now the ev-angels with the flaming sword of the Spirit. The four Gospels would go out into the Land as four horsemen: Creation, Division, Ascension, Testing, just as the witness of the angel concerning the empty tomb. The shockwave of the original “earthquake” would divide the entire Land.

GLORIFICATION – REPRESENTATION (Succession)

The final stanza is fivefold, a scroll awaiting to be opened in history. Just as Joshua stood on the border of the Land, now Jesus stood on the border of the World.

This Garden, Land, World pattern of testimony is replicated in the Revelation at a greater level. John sees the ascended Christ who sends the four Gospels into the Land. Once the Land is conquered, all the saints ride with Jesus into the World.

I hope you have enjoyed this analysis of Matthew.

_____________________________________________
[1] The blessings of Jacob upon his sons, when aligned with the tribes arranged around the Tabernacle, construct a cruciform ladder to heaven, a ziggurat.
[2] See my notes on Hagar and Sarah as the waters below and waters above in the forthcoming The Shape of Galatians. You can find my inspiration in James B Jordan’s Trees and Thorns.
[3] I plant to write a post about sprinkling some time soon. Briefly, sprinkling is about substitutionary blood and death, disintegration, ashes and dust mediated in water, not about the integration of resurrection. It is the cross, not the tomb.

ART: The Resurrection of Christ (right wing of the Isenheim Altarpiece) – Matthias Grünewald, c.1512-c.1516

“Touching a bone made an Israelite unclean. Burning bones upon Jeroboam’s altars defiled them. This was not because bones were unholy but because they were already holy.”

Here’s a new chapter from God’s Kitchen (members only).

“This is now bone of my bones
And flesh of my flesh;
She shall be called Woman,
Because she was taken out of Man.”
Genesis 2:23

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Creation – Sabbath – Ark – Light

Now when the Sabbath was past,
…..Mary of Magdala,
……….Mary [the mother] of James [deriv. Jacob],
……………and Salome [shalom – peace]
……….bought spices,
…..that they might come
and anoint Him.

Division – Exodus – Veil – Firmament

And very early on the first day of the week,
…..they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.
……….And they said among themselves,

…………….“Who (Sabbath)
………………..will roll away (Passover)
…………………….for us (Firstfruits)
…………………………the stone (Pentecost)
…………………….from the door (Trumpets)
………………..of the tomb?” (Atonement)
……………[No Booths]

……….But having looked up,
…..they saw that the stone had been rolled away—
for it was very large.

Ascension – Firstfruits – A Command with a Promise

And entering the tomb, (CREATION)
…..they saw a young man (DIVISION/Hierarchy)
……….clothed in a long white robe (ASCENSION/Aaron)
……….sitting on the right side; (ASCENSION/Melchizedek)
……………and they were alarmed. (TESTING)

……….(MATURITY – RESURRECTION)
……….But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. (Sabbath)
……………You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. (Passover)
………………..He is risen! He is not here. (Firstfruits)
…………………….See the place where they laid Him. (Pentecost)

………………..(Trumpets – Witness)
………………..But go,
…………………….tell His disciples—
…………………………and Peter—
…………………….that He is going before you
………………..into Galilee;

……………there you will see Him, (Atonement)
……….as He said to you.” (Booths)

…..(Conquest)
…..So they went out quickly
……….and fled from the tomb,
……………for they trembled and were amazed.
……….And they said nothing to anyone,
…..for they were afraid.

(No Booths, No Rest)

Testing – Pentecost – The Bridal Spirit

Now when He rose early on the first day of the week,
…..He appeared first to Mary Magdalene,
…..out of whom He had cast seven demons.
……….She went and told those who had been with Him,
……………as they mourned and wept
……….And when they heard that He was alive
……….and had been seen by her,
…..they did not believe.
(No Rest)

Maturity – Trumpets – Two Witnesses

After these things,
…..to two of them as they walked
……….He appeared in another form
……………going into the country.
……….And they went and told it to the rest,
…..but they did not believe them either.
(No Rest)

Conquest – Atonement – Baptism

High Priestly approach #1 -
Bull’s Blood for the Priesthood:
the Testimony of Jesus
Later as they reclined at the table; (Sabbath)
…..He appeared to the eleven (Passover/Hierarchy)
……….and He rebuked their unbelief (Firstfruits)
……….and hardness of heart,
……………because the ones having seen Him (Pentecost)
……….arisen from the dead (Trumpets)
…..they did not believe. (Oath/Sanctions)
(No Rest)

High Priestly approach #2 -
Goat’s Blood for the People:
the Apostolic Witness
And He said to them,
…..“Go into all the world
…..…..and preach the gospel to all the creation.
……….…..He who believes and is baptized will be saved; (Life)
……….…..but he who does not believe will be condemned. (Death)
……….And these signs will follow those who believe:
……….In My name they will cast out demons; (World)
……….they will speak with new tongues; (Land)
……….they will take up serpents; (Garden)
…..and if they drink anything deadly,
…..it will by no means hurt them; (Covenant cup)
they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

Glorification – Booths – Succession

So then, after the Lord had spoken to them,
…..He was received up into heaven,
……….and sat down at the right hand of God.
……………And they went out and preached everywhere,
……….the Lord working with them
…..and confirming the word through the accompanying signs.
Amen.

Well, there you have it. If you want to dispute this process, I’m confident enough in it now to rebuke your unbelief and tell you bluntly that you don’t know what you’re talking about.  ; )

If none of this “architecture” makes sense, I recommend you read Bible Matrix I and II.

“Cursed is the ground for your sake…
Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you.” (Genesis 3:17-18)

“And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head.” (John 19:2)

Then the Lord God said, ‘Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever.’” (Genesis 3:22)

“Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said to them, ‘Behold the Man!’” (John 19:5)

“I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore.” (Revelation 1:18)

“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring usu to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit…” (1 Peter 3:18)

Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. (1 Corinthians 15:46-49)

We’ve been talking about “intuition,” which is something ascribed more to women than to men. If we relate it to hermeneutics, does this mean women make better Bible interpreters, or is there something deeper going on?

Adam was formed out of the dust, then filled with the “breath” of God. It wasn’t the indwelling Spirit of God. It was a physical breath, the “spirit of man,” if you like. But, like everything God does, it pictured something greater to come. The “earthy” anticipated the “heavenly.” Adam would be filled with the Spirit of God (as a qualified representative) if he was willing to “come and die” under the Law of the Covenant. He was to risk his life to save his bride.

We discussed how Adam failed to anticipate the will of God in the destruction of the serpent. From many later events, where the people of God got the same test right (typologically), we can see that it is most likely Eve who would have provided that “intuition.” The Bride is attacked by the serpent, the Bridegroom steps in and repeats the Law so she is not deceived (as the elect body), then, as co-regent, co-judge, she stands with him and calls down the Covenant curses upon the exposed serpent. [1] Adam obeys and receives the Spirit, which He sends to the Bride. Then Eve obeys and receives the Spirit. We see this exact pattern play out in the first century. Those who hear and disobey the gospel receive an evil spirit from the Lord. Those who hear and obey eventually judge angels.

But let’s take things beyond Genesis 3. How does this observation affect our interpretation of the minimalist narrative in Genesis 4? Genesis 1-3 is a continual process of “forming (dividing) and filling,” except that Adam failed to “fulfill” the Covenant Law. In Genesis 4, Eve has two sons, a new “division.” Eve anticipated the future in the names of her two sons. In his commentary on Genesis 2-4, James Jordan observes:

Cain (Qayin) means “smith,” and relates to the firmness of the earth, while Abel (Hebel) means “mist,” and relates to the heaven – but to which heaven? It is clear from what follows that Abel links with the firmament made on Day 2. So let us look back at Genesis 4:1. Adam knew his wife, and this links with God’s sending His Spirit into dust to make Adam. The “adam” that Adam makes with Eve is Cain, and Eve’s statement that she has acquired a man with Yahweh brings this first event to a close. Cain is the new Adam. [2]

Recently, Eric Greene suggested “a little tweak” for exegeting Gen. 4:1. [3] Eve’s two sons are a new heaven and a new earth, but in “social” terms:

JBJ says that Mr. Vapor/Breath (Abel) signifies heaven. To help substantiate this I would argue that he was named after God’s fatherly vaporous breath. Cain means Mr. Smith-worker, working the metal from the ground, like the Kenites (compare 4:22). I would argue that Cain is named after the motherly earthy dust. Cain and Abel are named after their “Grandparents” for they are some of the “descendents of the heavens and the earth” (2:4).

After God heals their marriage, forgives, and promotes them out of the garden, Eve knows that the Promised Seed is meant to replace her husband. Her husband failed to kill the Serpent, but she knows the Seed will arise replacing her husband in that redeeming/conquering role. It is quite clear from the text that the Redeemer will be the Adam-Replacer; replacing and surpassing what Adam failed to do.

Jordan again:

Similarly, and more interestingly (since we all know that it is not the snake but Satan who is to be crushed), the word “heel” means “replacement.” Thus, Jacob’s name was not just “Heel” but “Replacement” (see Genesis 27:36). Thus, the phrase can be translated, “You will bruise his replacement.” Who is the Replacement for the seed of the woman, if not Jesus? It is each replacement, each new “heel,” who is bruised in the Biblical narrative: Abel replaces Adam and is bruised. Isaac replaces Abraham and is bruised. Ultimately, Jesus replaces all the seed of the woman, and is bruised. Then, as Jesus ascends to heaven, the Church replaces Jesus and is called to be bruised, to carry forth His suffering for the life of the world. [4]

Greene again:

Since the word “heel” means “replacement” we can easily see the poetic point: the Redeemer-Replacer will be struck on His Replacement. Without getting into what that implies, I think Eve would have had the wisdom to put one and one together. The Messiah to come would function as the Mighty Replacer, even expecting His own heel to be bruised.

It seems plausible to me that Eve would have known that her first-born son would not been a messiah/redeemer. According to blueletterbible dot org, “Cain” is a play on the word “cana” (possession), since Eve said, “I have possessed a man…” Cain is also the root word for the Kenites who were metal “smiths”, hence you are right, Cain also carries the meaning for “spear”. Thus, Tubal-Cain dug up iron ore from the ground to make “spears” as a “metal-worker”.

Jordan again:

“The first son of Adam and Eve was named Cain. The name Qayin means “smith, metal-worker,” and recurs in the name Tubal-Qayin, the father of the forge, in 4:22. There is also a pun on his name, since Eve associates the name with something acquired (qanithi). Metal is but hard ground, and so Cain as one who serves the ground is also one who forges metal. Digging up the ground so as to plant crops is close to digging up the ground to find ore to forge into metal. “Cain,” thus, is a name that connotes strength. Adam was set to serve the ground (2:15, “to serve and guard” the garden). As we saw last time, Cain is the new Adam, the first from Adam, the continuation of the generations of the heavens and the earth.” [5]

Greene again:

So, she named Cain, associating him with earth, thanking God that He multiplied her conception, saying, she “acquired a man from the LORD”. Then, implicitly, she named “his brother” associating him with the hope of God’s vaporous heavenly breath.

Anyway this makes me think that while Eve was first pregnant she said, “Hey sweetheart, Adam, let’s name this baby ‘Cain’ – since our Yahweh made you from dirt. The baby can work with the hard dirt and make things. But, darling, let’s name our second-born ‘Abel’ – since our Yahweh breathed His heavenly vapour into your dust. Maybe when this life-breathing child grows up he will replace you and his brother by killing that Devil.” Then Adam, said, “Eve, you are very wise, and even right this time!”

Ironically, he came to symbolize the brevity of life, not the life-giving power of God’s breath. And yes, later, even Eve’s hope in Replacer-Abel was replaced with Seth.

Just like his name, “Cain” himself also became a “spear,” the bloody sword that comes out of the smith’s furnace. This would mean that the two sons are knife and fire, forming and filling, earth and breath, Old Covenant (the time of knives) and New (the time of fire). The New Covenant could not fully arrive until all the innocent blood that was shed from Abel to Zechariah was avenged upon the Land. Only then could knife and fire be united as a flaming sword in the hand of a new Adam. The “filling up” of the sufferings of Christ in the saints completes the sacrificial process (Colossians 1:24).

But back to Bible interpretation. God speaks, Adam listens. The serpent speaks. Hopefully, nobody listens. Then Adam speaks, Eve listens. Eve curses, Adam strikes. She is his intuition. This is exactly the process we see in the first century, presented as liturgy in the Revelation. The martyred saints know that their redemption (resurrection) can only occur through vengeance upon their murderers.

And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the [Land], and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and a [Land]quake. (Revelation 8:3-5)

So, Jesus is the Church’s obedience, and the Spirit-filled Church is then the “intuition” of Jesus, the “friends of God,” courtly advisers ruling the world through worship and prayer. As His body, our blood is Jesus’ blood. As His body, our corporate foot is Jesus’ foot. [6] And this crushing foot is gathered, united and enabled by the Spirit.

Interpreting the Word correctly comes gradually as a result of the Spirit of God. And if I were the devil, watching the Church figure things out over the centuries would make me even more disturbed. Indeed, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

_________________________________
[1] See Esther and the Ten Words.
[2] James B. Jordan, Trees & Thorns: A Commentary on Genesis 2-4, Volume 12, N0. 132. Available from www.biblicalhorizons.com. Documents also included in the complete James Jordan library, available from www.wordmp3.com
[3] From a discussion on the Biblical Horizons forum. Reproduced with Eric’s permission.
[4] Jordan, Volume 9, No. 96.
[5] Jordan, Volume 11, No. 123.
[6] See Under Your Feet.

Art: Eowyn and the Nazgul by bluefooted.

Bow ties are cool. Fezzes are cool. But systematic typology is very cool. Try this on…

The Bible is a fractal, like … broccoli. Every bit you break off is a miniature of the whole. The entire Bible follows the matrix pattern (see Bible Matrix p. 215), but within that, the history of Israel follows the matrix (see p. 191).

Based on that, here’s an observation: Step 6 concerns the vindication of mediators, God’s representatives. In the Garden, it’s the Land animals and people. In the Tabernacle, it’s the Laver and Priests. In the World, it’s the nations and Israel.

In Israel’s pattern, the “Day 6″ era was the Restoration Covenant. It began with Joshua the High Priest and ended with Jeshua (Jesus) our Great High Priest. It was “man-to-Man” or “Covenant head” to “Covenant head,” type to reality, glory to glory — the complete (robed) Land-Mediator standing in the open Veil.

But then, what do we find in the corresponding places in the “whole Bible” pattern? It’s the New Covenant era, from AD70 to the final judgment. Instead of being bound by Covenant heads, it is bound by corporate “Covenant bodies.” Instead of being Joshua-to-Joshua (Captain) it is first resurrection to second resurrection. It is the army of God (Land then World, Jew then Gentile) crossing the sea, through the Veil, entering into God’s rest.

What’s even cooler is the way that the “Israel-Head” pattern is overlaid onto and interacts with the whole Bible “Nations-Body” pattern — and all without a hitch.

The Bible’s orbit is often “ec-centric” to us because it’s circling a different sun. The mind of God is cool.

If this process of interpretation isn’t clear, check out Cross-eyed Exegesis for an explanation.

or What’s the Problem with Matthew 27:51-53?

Then, behold,
(Day 1 – Imperative / Light)
…..the veil of the temple
…..was torn in two
…..from top to bottom;
…..(Day 2 – Delegation / Waters)
……….and the Land quaked,
……….and the rocks were split,
……….(Day 3 – Law-Promise given)
……………and the graves were opened;
……………(Day 4 – Law-Promise opened)
……….and many bodies of the saints
……….who had fallen asleep were raised;
……….(Day 5 – Swarms / Witnesses)
…..and coming out of the graves
…..after His resurrection,
…..(Day 6 – Mediators)
they went into the holy city and appeared to many.
(Day 7 – Bridal Entry)

I’ve just read a few blog posts and comments concerning this text, and although it seems to us moderns to be

a) off-the-cuff,

b) strange, and to some academics

c), utterly incredible,

this is because the academics I was reading

a) are unfamiliar with literary structure and typology,

b) imagine a some discontinuity between the strange Old Testament prophets and Jesus, and

c) won’t believe the bizarre bits of the Bible unless they find them

i) corroborated elsewhere in the Bible,

ii) corroborated in Josephus, etc., or

iii) can discredit them by classifying them as a genre (such as apocalyptic, which is not a biblical genre) that renders them non-historical and thus non-embarrassing.

This

is

disgusting.

I’m not sure what the problem is with this event. Resurrection is always corporate, always plural. [1] Christ, the first “grain of wheat,” handed the baton on to His disciples and they did the same — as grains of Pentecostal wheat. The Garden “died” for the Land and the Land “died” for the World.

Their deaths resulted in what Revelation calls the “first” resurrection — all the Old Covenant saints entering into their rest, seated on thrones and judging (taking vengeance) on the leaders of Israel. That’s what Revelation’s about.

So the stuff that happens at the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ-as-Israel was a microcosm of the events that would happen to Israel herself over the following generation — “this generation.”

Judas was expelled, so Judah was expelled. The rocks were split and the veil was torn, so the Land was divided by the Gospel and the Temple was destroyed. And the small-scale resurrection in Matthew 27 prefigured the ascension of the “saints under the altar,” who had to wait until the final legal (i.e. “two”) witnesses testified against the Herodian Sodom/Egypt/Jericho/Babylon.

What do the preceding verses say? Which prophet prefigured the Ascension? [2] Which prophet prefigured the Resurrection? Jesus’ murderers, though they misheard Him, and though they themselves were “whited tombs,” knew the Scriptures.

The rest said, (Initiation)
…..“Let Him alone; (Delegation)
……….let us see if Elijah (Ascension)
………..will come to save Him.” (Offering)
……………And Jesus (Purification)
……….cried out again (Deut. Transformation)
…..with a loud voice, (Vindication / Oath)
and yielded up His spirit. (Ingathering)
(Matthew 27:49-50)

Then Elisha died, (De-Creation / Sabbath)
…..and they buried him. (Prostration / Passover)
……….And the [raiding] bands
……….from Moab invaded the land
……….in the spring of the year. (Firstfruits)
……………So it was, as they were burying a man,
……………that suddenly they spied a band [of raiders;]
……………(Testing – Pentecost)
……….and they put the man in the tomb of Elisha;
……….(Trumpets / Prophets)
…..and when the man was let down
…..and touched the bones of Elisha, (Atonement / Coverings)
he revived and stood on his feet. (Tabernacles / Succession)
(2 Kings 13:20-21)

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[1] See Greater Eve.
[2] See The Lost Ark.

“What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator.” Galatians 3:19

Was the Law just a stop-gap measure to hold things together until Jesus was born? Was the Mosaic Covenant just a “parenthesis” between the “graceful” Covenant with Abram and the “graceful” New Covenant?

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Doug Wilson writes:

“When it comes to child-rearing, between the Old and New Testaments there is total and complete continuity on the subject of godly parenting. There is no discontinuity. It needs to be emphasized again that there is continuity in the promises of God with regard to parenting. Not surprisingly, this has ramifications for the subject of infant baptism” (To a Thousand Generations, p. 10).

I am currently reading this book. Lots of good stuff in there, even for a Baptist. BUT…

Raising godly kids is a Covenant responsibility (or ‘Ethic’). But I don’t think there is a direct link between the Covenant sign and godly parenting. Unless, under the New Covenant, we are now also required to parent our little girls. The sign is for the mediators of the Covenant. Males mediate a succession of flesh. Warrior Bridegroom. Now Spirit-filled males and females mediate a succession of Spirit. Warrior Bride. [1]

This doesn’t mean there are no promises for the kids. The sign highlights the promises, not the kids. Among other things, a Covenant is a shelter.

The Old Covenant promised salvation through a manchild. It came. The New Covenant promises resurrection for the converted, which is what baptism pictures. Better promises.

The Old Covenant was for the immature: structure and discipline for children, for the born. In some sense, our kids are still under the Old Covenant, or what it pictured, until they are born again. Children of flesh are symbols of children of God. Forming, then filling; natural, then spiritual.

Reviving an emphasis on godly parenting is crucial, and highlighting the efficacy of baptism is too. But conflating parenting (a Covenant responsibility) with the Covenant oath only causes confusion. Ask any ancient Jewess.

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Pic: Christina Ramos Art

[1] New Covenant baptism has more  in common with the Nazirite vow (Numbers 6) than it does with circumcision. “When either a man or woman…” (Numbers 6:2). Baptism is for warriors:
“But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized.” (Acts 8:12 ); “I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women…” (Acts 22:4)

The third stanza of Matthew 28.

TRANSCENDENCE
Creation – Ark (true testimony)
While the women were on their way,

HIERARCHY
Division – false delegation
some of the guards went into the city

ETHICS
Ascension – seal broken on the mystery
and reported to the chief priests (Land)
everything that had happened. (Fruits)

Testing
When the chief priests (Covenant authority)
…..had met with the elders (Covenant hierarchy)
……….and devised a plan, (counterfeit Covenant)
……………a large sum of money (the serpent’s offer)
……..they gave to the soldiers, [1] (Deutero-autonomy-money)
…..telling them, (Notice there’s no rest for the wicked in this stanza)

Maturity – five points means the tomb-scroll testimony is sealed shut
“You are to say, (False light)
…..‘His disciples came (False firmament)
……….during the night (Ethics remain closed – no stars)
…..and stole him away (Atonement repressed)
while we were asleep.’ (False rest)

SANCTIONS
Conquest
If this report
…..gets to the governor,
……….we will satisfy him
……………and keep you out of trouble.” (deliver you from evil)
……….So [they] took the money
…..and did as they were instructed.

SUCCESSION (False inheritance in history)
And this story (Darkness – false testimony)
…..has been widely circulated (Firmament/Hierarchy)
……….among the Jews (The Land)
……………to this very day. (No Sun, Moon or Stars for Jews)

Denial of Christ’s resurrection brought about the end of the Herods. Psalm 110 would be fulfilled. (See Heads Will Roll). Our culture is no different. History belongs to those who believe the testimony of Jesus.

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[1] I usually use the NKJV because it tends to keep the Greek word order, but here it’s the NIV because some of this was for a sermon (that’s the version that sits in our pews). The NIV swaps the order of the money and the soldiers. It didn’t fit the matrix and I noticed it in the English. How’s that? Perhaps this method may be helpful in ironing out some textual difficulties in the future. Turns out there’s a self-correcting mechanism built into the text, just like DNA.