[This post has been refined and included in Sweet Counsel: Essays to Brighten the Eyes.]

You must be logged in to see the rest of this post.

Join now for a year for $15!

A reasonably close look at the text makes it inescapable. A very close analysis makes it inexcusable, especially once we are versed in the literary mechanics of the Bible Matrix.

Each stanza will be followed by some comments on the types the structure reveals.

Creation – Sabbath rest

Now, brethren, concerning
…..the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ
……….and our gathering together to Him, we ask you,
……………not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled,
……….either by spirit or by word or by letter,
…..as if from us,
as though the day of Christ had come.

The first stanza concerns an initial rest, to be interrupted by the Lord in order to bring a greater rest, matching it chiastically at the end of the cycle. We observe this imperfect rest in the first chapter of Zechariah, and indeed on Day 1 of Creation.

Notice the “gathering” is at Firstfruits. The first century martyrs would ascend as Jesus did, being the second approach of the High Priest on this first century “Day of Atonement.” (Israel’s entire history follows the festal pattern. See Bible Matrix p. 191.) See One Taken, One Left Behind.

The trouble is at Testing. Would they believe the Lampstand eyes of the gospel, or what they saw with their own eyes? Spirit, word and letter seem to be a three-level construct. At this point in the cycle, it is a house of resurrection, not death (that’s line 3). “As if from us” is aligned with the Covenant oath. Is the letter true or false? As a priestly people, filled with the Spirit (an internal Urim and Thummim) they were to judge.

The cycle ends with the rest into which they would enter, the heavenly country.

Division – Torn Veil – Passover darkness

Let no one deceive you by any means; (Transcendence)
…..for unless the apostasy comes first, (Hierarchy – Division)
……….and shall be revealed (Ethics – Lampstand)
…..the man of sin, (Sanctions – Mediator)
the son of perdition, (Ironic Succession)

This cycle is five-fold, a Covenant scroll that is yet to be opened. It is yet veiled. Notice the apostasy at Division. It would be like the exodus in its violence. The man of sin is at Day 6, the false Herodian priest-king construct, which supports Jordan’s assertion that this man is truly an Adam, not a Roman emperor. See The Man of Sin. And “Succession” makes sense of the reference to “son.” The Greek word translated “perdition” literally means “cut off.” They wanted to maintain outward circumcision, so their city would be circumcised as a new Jericho. All flesh would be cut off as an ironic firstfruits of the new Land.

Now, you can argue that this process of interpretation is entirely arbitrary, and I am reading too much into a few words, but I believe the Covenant structure of this stanza is undeniable. Don’t let me keep you from your systematic textual impotence and your formless, one-eyed, hermeneutical fantasy. This is not just Paul. It is the Spirit of God, and His words always blow us away.

Ascension (Altar) – Herods receive kingdom from Satan (cf. Matt 4)

who opposes
…..and exalts himself
……….above all that is called God
……………or that is worshiped,
……….so that he sits as God
…..in the temple of God,
presenting himself as God.

Ascension brings us to the “Levitical” stage of this passage, the house of God and the High Priesthood. “Opposes” appears where the Ark of the Covenant should be. This man pretends to uphold Moses yet he opposes Moses. He exalts himself at line 2, which the spot where real men of God fall on their faces. “Above” is the Ascension line within this first Ascension stanza. This man is climbing God’s Land-mountain-Altar un-covered, exposing his nakedness.

“Nor shall you go up by steps to My altar, that your nakedness may not be exposed on it.” (Exodus 20:26)

Only priests of Baal elevate themselves above the Altar. The Jacob-stairways of the “ascension” offering are for ministering angels purified by holy fire. The picture is of a man who believes he is a holy sacrifice and needs no sinless substitute. The priests of Baal cut themselves, and so did the post-Pentecost Judaizers. Paul refers to them as the “concision” or “mutilation.” But no flesh can be justified without death and resurrection by the Spirit of God. And the Judaizers repeatedly blasphemed the Spirit of Pentecost.

The word “worshipped” means “objects of veneration,” “whatever is religiously honoured, an object of worship of temples, altars, statues, idolatrous images” (Strong’s).  This “priest-king” -hood believed it was above Yahweh and indeed all the gods of the nations. But in doing so, they made the Temple into a golden calf, a house that contained no graven images but itself became a graven image, the “image of the Beast,” speaking in the place of the graven words.

“So that he sits as God” occurs in this passage at the same point at which Moses sat enthroned on a stone, his arms lifted up by a priest (Aaron) and a king (Hur, from Judah). This is Maturity, the place of eldership in God’s court and the role of prophetic witness to kings. But these men sitting in Moses’ seat (Matthew 23:2) would not defeat the oncoming Amalekite hordes. Like Saul, they had conspired with Amalek. Worse, they had handed their precious Joshua over to Amalek for execution, with His arms lifted up.

The final line is supposed to be the enthronement of Adam as the perfected Covenant vassal, a man entirely subject to God’s Law to whom history and kingdom can be handed — because he has pure hands. But, as with Israel’s kings before the captivity, the Herods were kings in the way Gentile kings were: their gods were subject to them.

I hope you can see by now that this passage, though written to Gentiles, has a Jewish context. In fact, it is screaming at us if we have eyes to see.

To be continued…

___________________________________

Artwork: Herod’s Temple exterior by Abe Goolsby from the HCSB Study Bible. Check out his design process here.

Unfinished Business

6    For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”

The first mention of a cornerstone is in Job 38. The Lord sees the Land as the foundation of His Temple. The entire structure reflects the Covenantal nature of the act of Creation.

Then the LORD (Transcendence)
…..answered Job (Hierarchy)
……….out of the whirlwind,
……….and said: (Ethics 1 – Law given)
……………“Who is this who darkens counsel
……………(Ethics 2 – Law opened)
……….By words without [wisdom]?
……….(Ethics 3 – Law received)
…..Now [gird] yourself like a man; (Sanctions – Adam)
I will question [, and instruct]. (Day of God)

Where were you (Creation – Genesis)
…..when I laid the foundations (Division – Exodus)
……….of the [Land]? (Ascension – Leviticus)
……………[Divulge] (Testing – Numbers)
……….if you have understanding. (Maturity – Deuteronomy)
…..Who determined its measurements? (Conquest/Joshua)
Surely you know! (Glorification – Wise Judges)

Or who stretched the line upon it? (Day 1 – Ark)
…..To what were its foundations fastened? (Day 2 – Veil)
……….Or who laid its cornerstone?” (Day 3 – Altar)
……………When the morning stars (Day 4 – Lamps)
……….sang together, (Day 5 – Incense)
…..And all the sons of God (Day 6 – Mediators)
shouted for joy? (Day 7 – Rest)

Notice the cornerstone is the third line of the third stanza. Jesus is the true Land upon which everything rests.

This cornerstone is not only precious but the “choice” stone of the quarry. The permanent house of God is made of cut stones, like Solomon’s Temple. This means it is not an Adamic house (like a bloody altar) but an Evian house, where the sacrifice is praise. It is not a house of Knife but of Fire. It is a house of music. The sound of the chisel will not be heard in it.

“And the temple, when it was being built, was built with stone finished at the quarry, so that no hammer or chisel [or] any iron tool was heard in the temple while it was being built.” 1 Kings 6:7

7    Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,”

Peter now quotes the second use of “cornerstone” in Scripture. We discussed that this stone was given to the Jews, who assessed it, and misclassified it. He was a precious stone, who required no cutting. But “men” has been replaced with “builders.” The reference is to the craftsmen of the Bible, like Aholiab and Bezalel, who could only successfully build the house of God according to the heavenly pattern if they were filled with the Spirit of God. It takes the Spirit to open our eyes to the quality of Jesus. He restores our sight, our judgment, and we recognise that He is righteous and we are sinners. Only by the Spirit can we be workmen who are not ashamed. [1]

8    and, “A stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.”

The reference here is from Isaiah, and it is two-fold. There is a stone of stumbling and a rock that causes a fall.

Firstly, an altar is “raised up.” It has to do with the raising up of the Land, the Firstfruits and the Ascension Offering. These rites bring Man close to God. But instead of providing sanctuary, a covering for sin, an altar stone that raises the humble Man, it would bring proud Man down. The humble are exalted, but the proud are thrown down.

According to Isaiah 8, the source of Peter’s quote, this fall is due to a misplaced fear, a fear of men and their conspiracies instead of the fear of a holy God.

The LORD Almighty
is the one you are to regard as holy,
he is the one you are to fear,
he is the one you are to dread.

The passage refers to the Temple sanctuary, but makes a distinction between the man-made Temple and the true Temple, which is God Himself.

He will be a holy place;
for both Israel and Judah he will be
a stone that causes people to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall.
And for the people of Jerusalem he will be
a trap and a snare.
Many of them will stumble;
they will fall and be broken,
they will be snared and captured.”

Secondly, a stone that causes people to stumble is a stone on the ground. Adam is unable to stand. His heel is bruised and he limps like Jacob. But what is a rock that makes him fall? It may just be a bigger stone on the ground, but rocks were thrown by the ministers of God’s justice to atone for murder or adultery. The sound of a stoning was the sound of God’s chisel cutting an individual or family out of history. And the blood of the slain was atoned for by the blood of the slayer.

Perhaps the thought here is that the ground cursed by the unatoned sins of God’s people would bring about their fall, even if men failed to pick up stones and administer justice. God Himself can raise up stones to bring us down.

Israel often failed to administer such justice against the serpent and his offspring. When the Day of the Lord arrived, the “Day of Coverings,” God Himself turned up to administer the justice miscarried by unfaithful Adams. Men were suddenly face to face with the Lawgiver, and they actually called on the rocks and hills to cover them.

Those who stumble at God’s holy Law will fall under its curses, even when God’s ministers fail to carry out the Law. Of course, this Law has been slain and resurrected in Christ as the gospel, as Spirit-Law, yet curses remain, and they are eternal. But for those who believe, there is no further business, no further “trade” required. It is finished. There is still justice, but there is also justification.

Cut stones are holy. They are silent witnesses to the Law of God, whether they are the tablets of Moses or the Temple of Solomon, a reason for praise. But unfinished stones demand blood. They are the ground crying out as a witness against Cain.

Christ, as a stone cut out by God, was thrown at the feet of the edifice of the Gentile kingdoms and He brought them crashing down. He founded a fifth empire. His kingdom is growing into a great mountain, not a burning mountain like Sinai, but a bridal mountain like Zion. There are two mountains in Revelation: the burning mountain was thrown into the Sea. Jesus commanded His disciples to dismantle Moses by fulfilling Moses. God raised up children to Abraham from barren stones, [2] and the ministry of the apostles was both more life-giving, and more damning, to Israel than any stones raised up under Moses.

They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.

Peter here refers to Paul’s words in Romans 6 concerning Herodian worship as a new Egypt, the Herods as Pharaohs. It was the unfaithful Jews who were destined to disobey the Law and be cursed–as high-handed sinners–that the blessing might come to the Gentiles. Israel’s destiny was always to sacrifice, to die as a nearbringing, for the life of the world. Since Abraham, as a substitute for the world, the altar of Israel was always the object of God’s wrath, that the nations might be the objects of His mercy. [3]

What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. For Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden… What if God, although choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction? What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory—even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?

9    But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

This verse follows the Feasts of Israel. There is much talk about “replacement theology.” But did the Church replace Israel? No more than the Temple replaced the Tabernacle, or the butterfly replaces the caterpillar — or Christ crucified was replaced by the resurrected Saviour. The Church is one new man, a body called not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles.

10    Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Peter now quotes Hosea, where God promises to restore Israel after the captivity. The condemned harlot would be redeemed and shown mercy. This supports the idea of transformation rather than replacement. Israel was slain under the Law and resurrected from Babylon, and the same process was happening in the first century.

John says that we are now the sons of God. Being a Jew was an office before God, in His holy court. That job has been transferred to the Church, the body of Christ. Anyone who thinks Jews are still God’s chosen people do not understand the Bible and how God works.

Israel was an unfaithful bride stoned to death — finished — under the perfect Law of the stony tablets of Moses. But she was also the daughter of a priest, whose remains, once stoned, were to be burnt with fire. This burning sounds hateful but it actually pictured a blessing, not a curse. It is Pentecostal. It pictured Spirit-filling and resurrection and ascension to God. The Herodian Temple became the altar of Baal. God slew the sorcerous, murderous Jezebel of Judaism and resurrected her in a new body — of Jews and Gentiles — as a holy Temple, a covering of fiery Pentecostal gemstones from the Land and shining pearls from the Sea.

Atonement by blood means justice is satisfied. Concerning the Law, the shedding of blood means business is finished. But with God, there is always a greater work to do. Business is not actually finished until the resurrection.

The final post will be an analysis of the structure of this passage.

________________________________
[1] See Unashamed Artisans.
[2] Yes, testicles are symbols of life-giving stones, hence the emphasis on their protection and rejection of eunuchs from the Old Covenant priesthood (Lev. 21:20; Deut. 23:1; 25:11-12). Priests had to be perfect offerings. Not only are there two stones in the Ark of the Covenant, there were “binary” stones in the ephod, the urim and thummim, black and white, X and Y, overshadowing Eve and deciding the future of the Land. See God’s G amble.
[3] Separating Israel from the nations as the focus of blessing and cursing avoided another “Creational” judgment like the flood. See World Stuff.

“…falling headlong, he burst open in the middle…”

Todd Robinson commented:

“I’ve enjoyed your particular brand of orthodox preterism. Working through Acts recently, I began to wonder what Michael Bull’s take on Acts 1:11 and 3:19-21 would be… Thanks for any insight.”

On Acts 1:11:

Luke works through the matrix, forming the Covenant Head in the first part, a New Covenant Body in the second part, with the death of Judas at the centre being the reason for the apostolic “Day of Atonement” goat drawn by lot, a makeshift Urim and Thummim:

Commandments (Ark – Transcendence)
…..Delegation to Israel (wait for power)
…..(Veiled promise concerning Israel – Hierarchy)
……….Ascension of Christ (Altar) HEAD – flaming torch
……….Ascension of Disciples – upper room (Table)
……………Judgment of Judas–head and body–under the
……………Old Covenant Law as a picture of AD70
……………(Lampstand – Ethics) [1]
……….Witness of Apostles (Incense) BODY – smoking firepot
…..Selection of Matthias for the “first” death (Mediators – Sanctions)
Apostolic Succession granted (Shekinah)

On the Day of Atonement, the High Priest made two approaches, one for the Covenant Head, the priesthood, with the blood of a bull; another for the Covenant Body, Israel, with the blood of a goat, the “first death.” (The second death was the Azal goat, carrying the curses. [2])

Jesus was taken into the glory cloud as Great High Priest, the Covenant Head, not with the blood of a bull but with His own blood.

“Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.” (Hebrews 9:12)

He would return from “behind the Veil” for the second approach. “So that where I am, you may be also.” He would receive them to Himself to complete the sacrificial ascension of Israel, Head and Body, Adam and Eve, and celebrate the marriage supper, the “rest” for the Old Covenant faithful. [3] This structure is laid out in the ascension offering in Leviticus 1. Notice that we see this predicted in Daniel 7. Jesus is already on His throne, and “one like the Son of God” ascends to be with Him. This interpreted later in the chapter to be the saints inheriting the kingdom. They see Him because they are like Him. [4]

On Acts 3:19-21:

I think verse 25 is the key, the “blessing of all nations” promised to Abraham. The Restoration was prefigured by Israel’s restoration from Babylon. But then, this first century restoration, at the end of the Old Covenant, was the end of that social divide. The end of the New Covenant will be the end of the Creational divide, an even greater restoration. History is chiastic. The judgments are: Physical / Social / Personal / Social / Physical. [6]

But I think, judging by Peter Leithart’s excellent exposition of 2 Peter, that Peter had AD70 in mind. [7] The prophets always preached for the purpose of a moral response in light of a coming judgment, i.e. be the good (repentant) goat, not the bad one.

____________________________________
[1] See Fool’s Gold. It’s interesting that Judas is lifted up in the gospels and “deposed” around Pentecost, just like Satan, and just like the Herods. Notice that Abraham’s sacrifice had the holy birds as undivided head, and animals as divided (Jew-Gentile) body. (See Pass-over and Pass-through). Jesus’ and Judas’ bodies were both divided and emptied, but filth came out of Judas (like Eglon) and living water came out of Jesus. Jesus left the burial linen arranged in the same manner, head and body. The Covenant Head was not crushed.
[2] See The Second Death.
[3] See The End Is Not Yet.
[4] See High As the Horses’ Bridles.
[5] See James Jordan’s exposition of this in his Daniel commentary. The structure of Daniel 7 follows the same pattern as the Levitical Atonement rite, with the fragrant saints caught up in “clouds” prefigured by the incense.
[6] See A New Heavens and a New Earth.
[7] See How To Read the New Testament.

Covenant Structure in 1 John 2:27

Transcendence (Seven Attributes)
But you, the anointing
(Light – Sabbath) Rev 1

Hierarchy (Seven Churches)
…..which you have received from Him
…..(Firmament – Passover) Rev 2-3

Ethics:
1 – Law Given (Seven Horns & Seven Eyes)
……….dwells in you,  (Land)
……….and you do not need that anyone teach you;
……….(Firstfruits) Rev. 4-5

2 – Law Opened (Seven Seals)
……………but as the same anointing
……………(Governing Lights – Pentecost)

3 – Law Received (Seven Trumpets)
……….teaches you concerning all things,
…… …(Swarms – Trumpets [Deuteronomy])

Sanctions/Oath: (Seven Bowls)
…..and is true, and is not a lie,   (Mediator – Atonement
…..[white stone, black stone])
…..(“Let the peace of Christ arbitrate
…..in your hearts” -  Col. 3:15, RV, margin)

Continuity/Succession: (Seven Days)
and just as it has taught you,  (forming – Adam)
you will dwell in Him.  (filling – Eve)   (Rest, Shekinah – Booths)

This post might seem irreverent, or stupid, or both, but humour me. It will help illustrate what I want to get into tomorrow.

The documentary on fractals featuring Arthur C. Clarke included some comments that applied the math to theology, which of course got me thinking. [1] The Mandelbrot Set is a simple formula, just like E = MC2. However, unlike Einstein’s equation, the equals sign in the centre is actually a two-way arrow, a to and fro.

A Complex Number

Any value fed into the simple equation instantly becomes extremely, infinitely complex, like video feedback, because every resulting value is immediately fed back into it for a further result. The fractal it creates contains repetition, but the shapes are similar, not identical. The variety is also infinite. [2] This means that reality can be determined yet not deterministic. In the documentary Professor Ian Stewart said,

“When Isaac Newton came up with laws of motion and laws of gravity, the picture that emerged was of a clockwork universe. It was of a machine that ticked on a predetermined course. All we needed to know was where it was now, what it was doing now, and then we could predict the future forever.

Now, there are two challenges to this. One is quantum mechanics, which says, in fact, that there is irreducible chance built into the vary fabric of the universe. You can’t say exactly what it’s doing now. You can’t say exactly what it’s doing ever.

And the other is things that come out of the Mandelbrot set and related parts of mathematics: even in a Newtonian world, in practice you may not be able to predict the future. It can be deterministic in principle but not in practice.”

Then, from Dr. Michael Barnsley,

“This is how God created a system which gave us free will. It is the most brilliant manoeuvre in the univese — to create something in which everything is free. How could you do that?”

Ian Stewart again,

“Albert Einstein refused to accept the idea of a dice-playing deity. He wrote a letter to Max Vaughan in which he said, ‘You believe in a God who plays dice, and I in complete law and order.’ So, he obviously felt that chance and deterministic laws were not compatible and preferred the deterministic laws.

Now, what the Mandelbrot Set and Chaos and related things have done for us is to show that you can have both at the same time. So it’s not whether God plays dice but how God plays dice.”

What this means is that the apparent disorder of natural forms can be measured mathematically. The shape of storm clouds, the ratio of forest to tree and tree to branch, and even the complexity found within a heartbeat can be reduced to a simple equation. A later documentary (which I also recommend) by Nova covers this in detail. [3]

The is exactly what we see through the Bible as God guides the history and its literature. We see the same basic forms at various levels, but none of the occurrences of the patterns is identical. Far from it. The images are not simple but complex. Yet they all bear the imprint of the same simple formula.

So, tracing this created “law” back to the Creator, the Father and Son are binary, but the very fact that they are distinct calls for Trinity, a Third Person, the Covenant between them. As Jordan observes (or quotes), “All of God does all that God does.”

The Spirit between them is the eternally fruitful “field.” The two dimensional plane suddenly becomes three dimensional. In history, we see Word become flesh, Covenant become history. The Word of the Father never returns to Him void.

Within this field is an infinite cycle of harvest, a perpetual loop of Covenant succession, of delegation and reward, of investment and return, of planting and ingathering. But this is not a pagan loop, a “chronic hysteresis” which never goes anywhere. It is the continuously fulfilled infinite potential of the Godhead. It is Creation and Glorification, Word and Praise, back and forth, to and fro, in a creative constance, a “non-static stasis.” The Spirit is the fulfillment, or “fullness” of the Covenant (Maturity, for those of you who have read Bible Matrix.)

What is interesting about the Mandelbrot equation is that it produces both “white numbers” and “black numbers,” abundance and barrenness. This mathematical binary “Covenant” brings light and dark. As it throws the dice, the Urim and Thummim, it allows some numbers to bloom and others to wither. The positives take on the full spectrum of colour (the Covenant rainbow) and the negatives are thrown into outer darkness. The creative equation is a mathematical “sword of judgment” that brings both life and death.

Man was given binary Word, and to all intents and purposes the result goes either way — or both ways. When God comes to assess, there are always two goats. There is always a remnant. His justice is redemptive, not punitive. It prunes to bring further abundance.

Contrary to pagan and modern (neo-pagan) belief, complexity arises, not from chaos, but from the perfect balance, from the “stationery motion”, of an infinite simplicity.

The “simple” to and fro of the Spirit between the Father and the Son is an eternal complex, an infinite room.

_____________________________________________________

[1] Quoted from Fractals, The Colours of Infinity, part 6, here.

[2] See Introduction to the Mandelbrot Set for a simple rundown. When it comes to math, I like simple.

[3] Hunting the Hidden Dimension, part 1 here. It is entirely “secular” but worth the watch.

Infinite Room series links here.
INFROOM

‘OPEN THEISTS’ TEACH THAT GOD CANNOT KNOW THE FUTURE. He gave human beings a true free will, so if God knows the future, human beings cannot truly be free. The Old Creation (the Old Testament) and the New Creation (a new humanity beginning with Christ) were thus both gigantic g ambles on God’s part. Does God g amble? After all, He commanded His priests to “throw the d ice.”

Tabernacle Two-up

The Urim and Thummim were basically a set of d ice: a black stone and a white stone, yes and no. [1] God promised to speak through this arrangement, which can be boiled down to a simplified “heads or tails.” It was Tabernacle Two-up.

For us, the future is unknown. It is a risk. We can identify and quantify all the variables and speculate on the outcomes, but never be entirely sure of how they will combine to produce the end result. If we could, we wouldn’t need crash-test dummies. We wouldn’t need insurance cover.

The Old Testament looks like a lot of risky business. Men fail Him time and time again, but God just keeps on betting the farm. What many theologians and commentators fail to notice is that as the process continues, God actually brings humanity to greater and greater maturity. He builds a house of worship out of people, brick by brick, and then bets it all—every chip—on the newcomer—His Son. To us, it seemed insane. To God, it was a sure thing. Was there ever any chance that His Son would fail?

Thrills and Spills

There is a certain thrill in risk. Gambling is addictive to some personalities; adultery and embezzlement to others. Stolen waters are temporarily sweet, but sweet nonetheless. We must remember that God actually asks His people over and over again to take ridiculous risks for Him. We will take risks for pleasure, and often the pleasure is in the risk. But will we take risks for the kingdom?

I had an online debate with some anti-religionists recently (they believe in intelligent design, but not the God of the Bible). One wrote:

“Don’t you think I have implored God/Jesus/Allah whoever to come into my heart and please, please, please help me understand? More times than I can count. I have never in my life seen or experienced an event that could be undoubtedly supernatural. Never. And believe me, if I did, I would recant every negative thing I’ve ever said about God. Maybe we all find out when we die. I don’t have a clue.”

Many Christians want the thrills without the spills. If you really want to see miracles, you have to take some risky steps of faith first. Like Peter, you must step out of the boat. Like the priests with the Ark, you have to step into the overflowing Jordan. Like Jesus, you have to NOT throw yourself from the Temple pinnacle. Missionaries get to see the miracles because they take obedient risks. In the kingdom of God there is a miracle at the centre, and miracles at the frontiers. [2]

I have a friend, who, with his wife, (both in their late 50s) came to our church with a presentation on how they were going to be missionaries in [a pacific island nation] to Hindus. The Mu***ms were seen as too difficult. A year later, everything they had planned to do had been accomplished, but not among the Hindus – among the Mu***ms. People were having dreams that brought them to Christ, and there were many miraculous occurrences, including an incident where the Spirit told someone where to fish! Hundreds if not thousands became Christians. This gent said he just felt like a spectator at what God was doing. He is a down-to-earth non-Pentecostal who doesn’t go for this sort of thing at all. And I know these people well enough personally to believe they weren’t making it up. They had pictures of new churches to prove the results. There were hardships, opposition, and miracles.

The Urim and Thummim wasn’t God’s Casino. It was a ritual of obedience that was a “calculated risk” of faith, a faith based on the Covenant. All the Old Testament risks follow the “Bible Matrix,” the Covenant pattern. Here’s a down-to-earth illustration:

At a men’s meeting at a local church, one father asked if there were any guarantees with Christian parenting. He has two daughters. One is an extremely faithful and dedicated Christian. The other threw it all away. The girls are close in age and had identical upbringings. The best answer I could think of was a reference to farming. Planting and watering is the only way to achieve a harvest. But there is no guarantee that a storm or a fire or some pestilence won’t wipe out your crop. We are just called to be faithful, to take the risk. Where the little white ball lands on the r oulette table is up to God. But He knows exactly where it is going to land from the beginning. The only guarantee is that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Resting On the Bosom of Jesus

As I think I have written around here somewhere before, the Urim and Thummim were a picture of the Holy Spirit-filled man. They were used right up until the disciples had to choose a replacement for Judas. Immediately after this, Christ sent the Holy Spirit from heaven to indwell them. They didn’t need the “dice” any more. Just as the “elder-gems” on the chest of the High Priest “surrounded” the quirky “pouch of fortune,” when the disciples gathered together, Jesus was there in their midst giving them the white stone. When we gather together, He does the same for us.

“We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.” 1 John 4:6 (NKJV)

Our endeavours might look like risky g ambles, and there will be apparent failures (the history of church is a long series of victories disguised as disasters after all!). But since Pentecost, God is the ultimate match-fixer. [3] History is open in one sense (which is pictured in elective credo-baptism [4]). We have been freed from our heredity to carry out the Covenant commands in the power of God: freed to rewrite the Old Covenant history of Adam. There are risks and variables, thrills and disappointments. But we are free to play the table, work the room, attempt great (and risky) things for God. That is the freedom of Man under a sovereign God. It is a freedom bound by Covenant.

For us, that Covenant is an open scroll, but one day, Jesus will roll up it, hand it back to the Guy in charge, and sit down again.

The end is determined from the beginning. When we are united, the table is rigged in our favour. Our Father owns the casino. The last judgment is yet to come, but as far as the Father is concerned, the case is already closed. As the New Covenant comes to an end, as all Covenants do [5],  there will be the inevitable blessings and curses. And every knee shall bow. It’s a given.

We can take crazy risks—like missions, or doorknocking, or teaching the Bible to unbelieving high school students—g ambles that make the world think we have lost our minds. Returning to the insurance metaphor, we have a reliable policy, underwritten by God, with a clause for every possible contingency. The cover provided was dark red.

Open Theists might have open minds but they have closed Bibles.

__________________________________________

[1] See the harrowing history of the Day of Atonement ritual after Christ’s ascension in A White Stone – 3 (under the subheading The Word is ‘Yes’).
[2] See Bloody Throne, Blood Frontiers.
[3] See Jesus Rigs India Election.
[4] See An Atheist Gets Baptism.
[5] See Three Resurrections – 3.

Leaving Wilderness Behind

In Through New Eyes, James Jordan notes that the wilderness was Havilah, the place mentioned in Genesis 2 that was rich in raw materials. Israel stripped Egypt of her gold, then plundered the desolate places of hidden wealth. She came out of the desert with a High Priest clothed in gems, and a new generation of soldiers born of God’s threshing floor.

The manna began to fall just after the Hebrews’ victory over Pharaoh. As with Jacob, the Lord was faithful to provide for His chosen one. But perhaps, in covering the ground, there is also the idea of a firmament (this might sound strange to some readers, but I have found the concept is a frequent one). The wilderness is the place of the humble bread of priesthood, displayed in obedience to God. It was the next generation that would drink the wine of Canaan after obedience under Joshua.

A Memorial

The Lord commanded that some manna be put into the Ark as a memorial. Symbolising manna, the white stone is a memorial of faithful priesthood. Joshua’s crossing of the Jordan was memorialised by large, engraved, white stones.

And it shall be, on the day when you cross over the Jordan to the land which the LORD your God is giving you, that you shall set up for yourselves large stones, and whitewash them with lime. “You shall write on them all the words of this law, when you have crossed over, that you may enter the land which the LORD your God is giving you, ‘a land flowing with milk and honey,’ just as the LORD God of your fathers promised you. Therefore it shall be, when you have crossed over the Jordan, that on Mount Ebal you shall set up these stones, which I command you today, and you shall whitewash them with lime. And there you shall build an altar to the LORD your God, an altar of stones; you shall not use an iron tool on them. You shall build with whole stones the altar of the LORD your God, and offer burnt offerings on it to the LORD your God. You shall offer peace offerings, and shall eat there, and rejoice before the LORD your God. And you shall write very plainly on the stones all the words of this law.” (Deut. 27:2-8)

Coming at the ‘Trumpets’ step of Israel’s journey from slavery to Sabbath, these white stones were a symbol of her corporate resurrection. Neither faithful Moses nor faithful Israel left a body to be found in the howling tomb. The dirty birds of the Covenant curse were empty-bellied.

From Gravestone to Topstone

The Hebrew bdl is the word used to describe God’s dividing at Creation. In post-exilic texts it is used to describe the division of the priesthood from the people, and sinners from the people. It is an act that brings about a new Creation. This is the word in the hand of Zerubbabel. It is not a plumbline. It is a metal stone symbolising a priestly division, a cutting in two that brings new life. What was the cutting in two? It was the future death of the Lamb that allowed Joshua to put on the Lord Jesus Christ in the heavenly court, under the very eyes of the very dirtiest bird, the Accuser.

Zerubbabel brought forth the engraved “altar” stone as a craftsman brings forth his chiselled work. As an altar stone, it was not cut by human hands, but engraved by the finger of God. Just as the prophets brought the stones of the Law down upon Israel under Nebuchadnezzar, so too this small white stone would be exalted. The two pillars of Solomon’s Temple (priest and king) were slain, but now replaced with a single element that was divided as priest and exalted as king. It was permanent bread from heaven that would never, ever be filled with worms, the very public face of the hidden manna in the lost Ark, and the Facebread hidden to all but the priests.

Flintstone-Faced

Ezekiel was promised a hard face so that he could face the hardened faces of God’s rebellious rulers. As a High Priest in exile, he was not given the golden forehead-plate with its seven holy eyes, but the real thing. The Bible speaks often of Adam’s face relating to priesthood. The ‘face of a man’ in Ezekiel 1 corresponds to the Table of Showbread in the north (always facing south). The account of Cain and Abel is structured according to the Creation/Tabernacle pattern, and at the Facebread step, the representative Man at the Altar, Cain’s face fell. He was no longer his brother’s keeper, his watchman. Ezekiel was made a new watchman because Israel’s priesthood had become like Cain.

Jesus also set His face like flint. As Facebread, it was covered in blood, first as the cursed brow-sweat, then with the cursed ground-thorns, Adam and Cain. He was set apart, cut asunder, as a bread fragrant with frankincense before God, then resurrected. An angel dressed in lightning-white sat on the stone to speak as a memorial. The howling waste of Sheol was empty, and so was the dirtiest bird, who like Herod and Haman and all those before, had anticipated a feast. He was a serpent exposed on a pole to disempower its fiery children, a man impaled by the emperor whose ungodly sons were also slain, a false god-voice devoured alive by death-eating worms on his stolen throne like overripe manna. There is no Sabbath without resurrection. All faces will be lifted to face God, and all faces will be covered – either in a bloody human firmament (Christ’s) or in a black hood, a veil. We are white stones, or whited sepulchres.

The Word is ‘Yes’

“Forty years before the destruction of the Temple, the western light went out, the crimson thread remained crimson, and the lot for the Lord always came up in the left hand. They would close the gates of the Temple by night and get up in the morning and find them wide open” (Jacob Neusner, The Yerushalmi, p.156-157).

Both Jerusalem and Babylonian Talmuds record these strange events. After the crucifixion, it is written that

1. the most important lamp of the Temple menorah went out every night despite every precaution. Judah’s Lampstand would be removed, and not shine in her any more. It was given to the witnessing Firstfruits church (Rev. 11:4; 18:23; 22:5).
2. the crimson thread that reportedly turned white if the Day of Atonement had been successful no longer did so
3. the Temple doors kept swinging open of their own accord. The Jerusalem Talmud states:
   ”Said Rabban Yohanan Ben Zakkai to the Temple, ‘O Temple, why do you frighten us? We know that you will end up destroyed. For it has been said, ‘Open your doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour your cedars’ ” (Zechariah 11:1)’ (Yoma 6:3).
4. the Day of Atonement ‘lot’ that chose the goat for Azal, a black stone and a white stone, came up black every year between AD30 and AD70.

The scapegoat was chosen by lot, the Urim and Thummim engraved stones in the ephod – a miniature Ark worn by the High Priest. The Last Supper, as I have mentioned before, follows the feasts pattern, and at Atonement, Judas is chosen by Christ as the scapegoat. His replacement is chosen by lot, and then the Holy Spirit is poured out, after which we never hear of the lot again. Faithful saints are given the white stone by the Spirit, the Law engraved on tablets of flesh.

Zerubbabel’s exaltation of the white stone was a resounding ‘Yes!’ from the Lord. Atonement was accepted. The Temple of God would be completed and Israel’s resurrection would again turn the howling waste into a true vine and figleaf Feast of Tabernacles.

“For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.”  
2 Corinthians 1:20

If the Talmudic accounts above are true, and the black stone denotes that the atonement after the once-for-all death of Christ could never again be accepted, the white stone promised in Jesus’ letter to Pergamum takes on bloody connotations for the receiver. In context, it was written just before the biggest corporate massacre and resurrection of saints in history. They had received the Word-bread with thanksgiving. Now they themselves would be broken bread covering the ground in Herod’s howling waste. If the Herodian priesthood’s right hand would not be marked with the blood of the bdellium (divided) stone, it would be marked with the blood of the saints.

WHITSTON3

“And all Israel stoned [Achan and his family] with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones.”

Questions from blogger Blue Ollie:

Many still claim to get their morals from the Bible. Well, what does the Bible actually say?

The following is a very incomplete list but is nevertheless a valid list.

1. How do you determine if someone is guilty? Answer: gamble.

We read from the Book of Joshua, Chapter 7 [Achan's family is eventually singled out by lot.]

“…Finally he had that family come forward one by one, and Achan, son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah of the tribe of Judah, was designated.”

“Designated”? This sounds a bit like The Lottery to me. Read from Exodus 28:

“In this breastpiece of decision you shall put the Urim and Thummim, that they may be over Aaron’s heart whenever he enters the presence of the LORD. Thus he shall always bear the decisions for the Israelites over his heart in the LORD’S presence.”

Wow! CSI would have been a boring show. But just think: we could do away with all of that DNA evidence and just throw “sacred dice”! So what happened?

2. You kill the whole family for the transgression of one.

“…Then Joshua and all Israel took Achan, son of Zerah, with the silver, the mantle, and the bar of gold, and with his sons and daughters, his ox, his ass and his sheep, his tent, and all his possessions, and led them off to the Valley of Achor. Joshua said, “The LORD bring upon you today the misery with which you have afflicted us!” And all Israel stoned him to death.”

“Him”? The KJV says “them”. A Jewish version has it:

And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the mantle, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had; and they brought them up unto the valley of Achor. And Joshua said: ‘Why hast thou troubled us? The LORD shall trouble thee this day.’ And all Israel stoned him with stones; and they burned them with fire, and stoned them with stones.

In short, the whole family was killed. We have better justice now-a-days. What happened next?

3. Murder a whole town if they are on land that you want.

Read on [Joshua, Chapter 8]

“…Joshua kept the javelin in his hand stretched out until he had fulfilled the doom on all the inhabitants of Ai.”

You can read about the routine ethnic cleansings in later chapters [such as] Chapter 11…

“They struck them all down, leaving no survivors. Joshua did to them as the LORD had commanded: he hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots. At that time Joshua, turning back, captured Hazor and slew its king with the sword; for Hazor formerly was the chief of all those kingdoms. ;He also fulfilled the doom by putting every person there to the sword, till none was left alive. Hazor itself he burned. Joshua thus captured all those kings with their cities and put them to the sword, fulfilling the doom on them, as Moses, the servant of the LORD, had commanded. However, Israel did not destroy by fire any of the cities built on raised sites, except Hazor, which Joshua burned. The Israelites took all the spoil and livestock of these cities as their booty; but the people they put to the sword, until they had exterminated the last of them, leaving none alive.”

So there you have it: guilt by dice throwing, execution of an entire family, and mass murder. But wait, there is more.

4. It is acceptable to offer your daughters up to be gang raped.

What happens when men come to your door and want to rape your male house guest? See Genesis 19:

“Before they went to bed, all the townsmen of Sodom, both young and old–all the people to the last man–closed in on the house. They called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to your house tonight? Bring them out to us that we may have intimacies with them.” Lot went out to meet them at the entrance. When he had shut the door behind him, he said, “I beg you, my brothers, not to do this wicked thing. I have two daughters who have never had intercourse with men. Let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as you please. But don’t do anything to these men, for you know they have come under the shelter of my roof.”

Offer to let the men rape your daughters! But wait, there is more: What happens when you make a bet that you can’t cover? Let’s see what the Biblical hero Samson does (chapter 14).

5. Murder and stealing are an acceptable way to settle up gambling debts.

I agree; those who were stumped threatened the wife. But what happened when Samson had to pay up? How did he do it?

“On the seventh day, before the sun set, the men of the city said to him, “What is sweeter than honey, and what is stronger than a lion?” He replied to them, “If you had not plowed with my heifer, ;you would not have solved my riddle.” The spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, where he killed thirty of their men and despoiled them; he gave their garments to those who had answered the riddle. Then he went off to his own family in anger…”

So murder some people, steal their stuff, and pay off your debts!

Finally, what do you do with people who have “wrong” conceptions of God?

6. Kill people who worship other gods.

Let’s let Elijah answer… [Kings 18]

“… Then Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal. Let none of them escape!” They were seized, and Elijah had them brought down to the brook Kishon and there he slit their throats.”

Note: in this account, “God” was causing a drought because Israel was worshiping this other God.

Now what do you do with indolent kids who make fun of older people? You send bears to tear them limb from limb!

7. Death is appropriate for someone who makes fun of a religious figure.

See 2 Kings, Chapter 2:

“And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head. And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them.”

Update: So, is it a surprise when this happens:

I’ve been hiding from the horrible news in the Middle East, but this story induced me to poke my head out of my tortoise shell…so I can puke. A rabbi consulted his holy books to see what God had to say about the vicious violence going on right now, and you can guess what God’s word might be:

Eliyahu ruled that there was absolutely no moral prohibition against the indiscriminate killing of civilians during a potential massive military offensive on Gaza aimed at stopping the rocket launchings.

My comment:

These are good questions, and most Christians can’t give you good answers. Very briefly, we need to do more study. A little look further would show that these killings were judicial, ie. a judgment that would stop a spreading evil in its tracks.

If we’re going to criticise a religion, the least we can do is understand it. According to the Bible, we are made in God’s image, and we are all mediators for those under our authority, particularly as parents. The consequences for judgments upon our families – our children – can be laid squarely at our own feet.

But God is merciful. These people were given, in most cases, hundreds of years of warnings. Read the account of God’s promise of the land of Canaan to Abraham. The Canaanites were given more time.

We also overlook the Covenant context of these passages. See my comments on 2 Kings 2 for instance, here.

I do understand where you are coming from, having had many of these questions myself. But it stems from the victim mentality that misunderstands the gravity of sin.

Interestingly, many of these judgments were typological prequels of the destruction of Judaism in AD70. Revelation presents the destruction of Jerusalem as a victory over Jericho (and Babylon) for the fledgling Christian church. Like Ezekiel, it alludes to previous scriptures as symbols for near events. Jesus came in judgment as He said He would, and was vindicated. God has a long fuse, but it is a fuse nonetheless.

The slaughter of the innocent is always dealt with eventually. And God’s law is perfectly just: eye-for-eye. The Canaanites who sacrificed their children forconvenience (good crops, etc.) were cut off as a nation. When Israel began committing the same sins, God brought in the Babylonians to bring her death and resurrection – a new Israel. When first century Judah slaughtered Christians, God brought in the Romans – and again there was a new Israel, the Christian church.

We are prone to thinking of justice as individuals, but the Bible also deals with nations, corporately.

I find this fascinating and would be pleased to answer any sincere questions (to the best of my ability). But this short-sighted questioning above is not only ignorant of the Bible, but usually based on a worldview that has no objective basis for moral standards whatsoever. If you believe in natural selection, these events are merely a religious interpretation of the survival of the fittest. Historically, athiests who are consistent with their view on origins and get to ‘operate’ on their assumptions are often mass murderers – a law unto themselves. So any charge against the Bible and Christianity cuts both ways. You are obviously a thinker and should not find this challenge offensive.

Finally, two points: Regarding ‘gambling’, the idea was that God acted through the lot (or the Urim and Thummim), which were a ‘miniature Ark’ worn by the High Priest). The best example would be the goat chosen by lot on the Day of Covering. The last supper follows the same pattern, only it is Jesus who “chooses” Judas (Judah) and send him to destruction. Judas’s replacement was also chosen by lot. The practice was ‘internalised’ after Pentecost with the arrival of the Spirit. The law was written on “tablets of flesh” with all God’s people as priests.

Lot’s failure to protect his daughters is not commended in the Bible. He also failed to protect them from the ‘thinking’ of Sodom, which was demonstrated in their later actions. The structure of the passage (and we are also ignorant of Hebrew literary structure – including most Christians) aligns them with the ‘daughters of men’ in Genesis 6.

I have found that nothing is in the Bible for no reason, whether or not we agree with it. It is the most highly integrated literature ever written, and every passage must be read in the context of what has gone before. Sadly, this also results in some misinterpretation of the New Testament by Christians.

Kind regards, Mike Bull